ASHTON — In the Republic of Sierra Leona in West Africa, you would see the faces of children and families affected by the Ebola outbreak. If you look closer, you’ll also see “the face of Jesus in every child.”
That’s the message of Savior of the World — a children’s center that provides aid and a witness to the Gospel to orphaned and needy children in Sierra Leone.
The parish community at St. Peter in Ashton and St. Martin of Tours in Martinsville, including the religious education program, school, and other parishioners, are working this Lent to help support Savior of the World.
“Our main hope as a parish is to raise awareness about the needs of Sierra Leone, and especially the needs of the children who live at this special home that holds such a high regard for the Catholic faith,” said Director of Religious Education Michelle LeVeque. “We would love for this outreach to spread and hope to be able to send them a lot of support, both through our prayers and monetary donations.”Savior of the World was started by Louisa Aminata Sankoh Hughes more than 10 years ago as a way to “give back” after the Church had helped her and her needy family just a few years prior.
It was brought to the attention of the St. Peter and St. Martin communities from parish members who used to live in Indiana where the office is located that helps support the center.
Director Rosanne Kouris recently spoke to the parish communities about Savior of the World, its mission, and the need for support.
She was there with her three children — all adopted from Sierra Leone and who once lived in the Savior of the World home there.
The work of Savior of the World
Kouris presented the history of the West African country and its times of war and poverty.
She told how Hughes met a Missionary of Charity priest who helped her and her family get medicine for her dying brother during a time of war in the country.
She asked how she could repay the priest. He told her — a Muslim — to go to Mass. She did.
Hughes began helping other families in the area and later focused on children living in the streets.
She later adopted the dozens of children she was caring for and opened the Savior of the World home.
“There’s only one person that’s going to save these children and that’s Jesus Christ,” Kouris quoted Hughes saying as to why she opened a “Christian” home in a “Muslim country.”
During her presentation, Kouris showed video clips and pictures from the home and the children it supports.
She also illustrated the health concerns children have there — such as high occurrences of typhoid and lack of clean drinking water.
Kouris explained it costs more than $400 a year to send a child to school in Sierra Leone, and there are 60 children currently in the care of Savior of the World.
Helping out
The parish is still deciding how it can best raise money and awareness this Lent, but some ideas include: bake sales, having classrooms sponsor a child or be pen pals, or making it a family effort for parents and children to work together with prayer and support.
“As Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, ‘Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.’ Hopefully our ‘little’ efforts can do some good,” said LeVeque.
For more information on Savior of the World, visit www.savioroftheworld.org