CAMEROON, April 10, 2007 — “I’m going to write my name in my Bible!” This was the enthusiastic cry from 60 children – their voices almost in unison – at an orphanage in Yaoundé when the Bible Society of Cameroon distributed Scriptures there recently. “It is the first time that these children have received spiritual food,” explained the director of the orphanage.
The ‘Fondation Famille chrétienne’ (Christian Family Foundation) has been caring for orphaned and vulnerable children for more than 30 years, but this was the first time that Scriptures have been distributed there. Both staff and children responded very positively to the items, including illustrated Bibles and Parole de Vie Bibles, which the visitors brought for them.
“We have never received the gift of God’s Word before,” said the director. “We are very pleased that we have it now.”
“The Bible is not just spiritual food, it is life itself,” General Secretary Luc Gnowa told the staff and children. “Society as a whole must take responsibility for educating vulnerable children and orphans. This is why the Bible Society must get involved. It must make the Bible available in the format most appropriate to each person’s needs.”
Later, at orphanages in Mfou and Oyom Abang, in the suburbs of Yaoundé, children gave presentations of songs, poems and drama to express their thanks to the Bible Society visitors for bringing Scriptures.
“I’m very happy that the Bible Society has visited us today,” said Régine Engama, founder of the orphanage in Mfou. “It warms our hearts to know that people are thinking of us. For a child, the worst thing that can happen is to lose your parents and to feel abandoned. Very bad things can happen to you if you are poor and there is nobody to care for you. I’m so grateful that you haven’t forgotten us.”
It was thanks to the generosity of local donors that the Bible Society was able to bring God’s Word to the children. Last November it held a fundraising dinner at one of Yaoundé’s top hotels. Combining the money raised by this event with donations from others who wished to support the project, it raised at total of almost CFAFr2.4 million (US$4,800).
The project will now continue with distribution trips in Bafoussam, in western Cameroon, and Maroua, in the north.
|
