Catholic Entity in Cameroon “brings joy” to Vulnerable Children in Christmas Initiative

Douala, 22 December, 2023 / 9:55 PM

Give Hope to Our Children (GHOC), a Catholic Association run by a Priest in Cameroon’s Douala Archdiocese, has reached out to hundreds of vulnerable children in a Christmas initiative aimed at sharing love, giving hope, and bringing joy to the needy.

GHOC members on December 17 distributed gifts to some 203 children of Internally Displaced Persons from the troubled Anglophone regions of Cameroon. The initiative was held under the theme “To love is to give, to love is to share.”

Speaking to ACI Africa on the sidelines of the event, GHOC Coordinator, Fr. Francis Epah, said, “The magic of Christmas is the joy it brings to humanity, the joy it brings to those children who were without hope.”

Fr. Francis Epah. Credit: ACI Africa

“Through this initiative, we want to give hope to all those children who have done nothing and who have been forced to move because of the socio-political situation undermining some of our regions; or for those children who find themselves without a mother, a father or both,” Fr. Epah said.

He continued, “Faced with all this, a normally constituted human being cannot remain indifferent to the suffering of those who only want to have or regain a little of their lost dignity.”

“These children were forced to leave their homes because of the crisis in their region. Our association thought it wise to put a smile on their faces by presenting them Christmas gifts,” Fr. Epah said.

Credit: ACI Africa

The GHOC Coordinator described Christmas as “a moment of sharing”, adding that apart from the gifts to the vulnerable children, “the children had the opportunity of playing with their friends and shared a common meal together.”

The member of the Clergy of Cameroon’s Douala Archdiocese continued, “It's still possible to give and share in a world where everything now seems so difficult.”

Credit: ACI Africa

“My deepest conviction is that where everything seems difficult, there is always a glimmer of hope, a wave of hope, because we will always have donors, but the person who gives, as is the case for many of the parents sitting here, wants to be sure that his or her donation will actually go to those for whom it is intended,” Fr. Epah said.

Credit: ACI Africa

GHOC members hope to put up “a large center” to accommodate vulnerable children in Cameroon, the Cameroonian Catholic Priest told ACI Africa. “Our dream is to have a plot of land where we could build a large center where the children could live on site, with the possibility of training in various domains,” he said.

The hope is also to be able to “welcome volunteers who will offer their services to help these children whose numbers grow daily,” Fr. Epah further said during the December 17 interview, and added, “Helping others by giving a little of ourselves is the most beautiful thing we can give to humanity.”