A BOMCA student named Christopher told me his mother is an American, but she didn’t want to come back to Nigeria with his father. I could hear the sadness in his voice, and I wondered if he shared this hoping I might be able to find his mother since I’m an American too. Broken families are everywhere, of course, but their effects are felt heavily in the lives of the Masters.1
In late 2019, I learned the World Council of Families (WCF) would be hosting a conference in Accra, Ghana at the end of October. I thought it would be advantageous if HEAL could be present and learn from the experts speaking on family issues in Africa. Deacon Leo and I agreed to send our five Messengers of Justice Sisters (MOJ), giving them some well deserved time off together plus an opportunity to gain knowledge that might help their daily ministry with the Masters.
The MOJ Sisters counsel, guide, discipline, and pray with 543 enrolled students at BOMCA and MENPS. Social problems some of the children exhibit can be explained by family dynamics in today’s Africa. “During the course of my vocation as an MOJ Sister, I have met many children who have suffered neglect by one or both parents and display one vice or another as a result,” says Sr. Dorothy Nkemjika, who just recently finished her novitiate.
At the conference, speakers warned of emerging conditions adding to the challenge of raising children in Africa. “We were told to be on guard and resist organizations attempting to legalize abortiona and same-sex marriage in African countries,” recalled Sr. Dorothy. In addition to Western novelties being pushed, indigenous causes of family breakdown abound also.
Widows are frequently maltreated and their next of kin rights denied by their brothers in law. Some boarding students at BOMCA and MENPS are orphans who, with their widowed mother, were pushed out of their own homes. Grinding poverty and persisting superstition within tribal culture contribute to this phenomenon.
The WCF event in Accra was a great experience for the MOJ Sisters, who established their presence as a religious order among leaders in the international pro-family movement. Sr. Dorothy’s motivation to serve the Masters was confirmed. “We the MOJ’s are resolved to hold moral instruction and counseling sessions with the children more often and fight for justice for the poor and marginalized”, she says.
In HEAL’s mission of forming Servant Leaders (Mt. 20:28), healing the psychological trauma of various family dysfunctions among the children is a core concern of every MOJ Sister and HEAL missionary. Stand with us as we continue this fight!