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Kenya: Franciscan semplicity in a world of technology Print E-mail
Written by Fr. Anthony Bellagamba, imc   
Friday, 11 July 2008
In a world of technology, one gets lost before he/she can do something to help the poor who cannot afford it. But a nun named Sr. Veronica Thiga, did not get lost, neither did she pretend to compete with it. Armed with a great deal of faith, with a confidence which only faith can provide, she did what she could and was able to do. And she has a record of achievements which is surprising.

Veronica was born in a military camp in Naniuki, the place where I was pastor in the early 60s. She knew me because every week I was going to say Mass in the camp.. Her father was a military man, and she learned from him discipline, order resilience and perseverance. She was one of 10 children: seven sisters and three brothers. Right from a very young age, she was helping in the family, she was working in the garden to provide food for such a large family, and she was involved in the work of he Church for the development of the poor.

At the age of 22, she joined a native religious institute called the Assumption Sisters. Her dream in life was always to help the poor: (men, women, youth), but particularly women, and always in groups, in order to improve their way of life, their crops, their hygiene, the upbringing of children and, in general, wholesomeness of life within a community of likeminded individuals. She knew that a diploma of Secondary School, and the studies in religious life, would not help much in fulfilling it. So she acquired some formal education in the field of agriculture at the Embu Institute of Agriculture, she deepened more the same subject in an Agricultural School in Zambia, and finally she was able to initiate the work for the implementation of her dream.

Her philosophy is very simple and linear: People who are physically and mentally able, should be able to support themselves, their family. Only in moments of severe crises, or upheaval, or uprising, or lack of rain, etc, external help can be accepted, not to become dependent on it, but to overcome the crises and return to normal way of life.
All this, though, cannot be done independently, but in community, in groups which can provide the tools, can help those who begin the process, can assist those in severe difficulties, can play the part of the local supporters not out of interest, of bigger gains, but out of concern, of love, of sense of responsibility which should animate the members of the group towards assisting those in need. Self determination, self support, but helped by loving assistance and compassion in case of need. And since she is working primarily with farmers, the importance of the land is unquestionable. The land is the mother of life, the producer of sustenance for life, the treasurer which gives the opportunity to make it in life without requesting too much, except a concern for its rights and needs.

Sr Veronica feels very strongly that if there are people of good will, of interest in their future, who are able to join together with others likeminded and work in groups, who own some land, who are properly motivated and provided with the necessary tools to work on the land, they should not have major problems in supporting themselves, a family, providing education for the children and the necessities for a simple but decorous life. And she began to apply that philosophy in the places where she was sent by the Institute, like Githunguri, Kikuyu, Kamwangi, and the success was inevitable.

These and other places offer a land very rich, the possibility of regular rains and .river water, most of the people are Kikuyu, hard working(especially the women), intelligent, and open to working in groups. Sr. Veronica never took over the leadership of the groups, but she was in the background, offering advise, motivation, necessary tools, ready to motivate these groups, to help resolve the interpersonal or group difficulties, to nurture their thirst for religious growth and a religion which cares about all their needs. In 1998, she began a movement called Songa Mbele (Go Ahead), which spread like wild-fire in that part of Kenya, and motivated people and missionaries in other parts of the country, to adopt it as the project of total and integral growth of the Kenyans. In ten years the Songa Mbele community initiative for growth grew from 10 groups, mostly women, to 288 groups of women, men, youth and mixed ones.

The government of Kenya became aware of this movement, and called Sister Veronica to become a worker of the Department of Agriculture, helping the spread of the movement, to follow the groups, to be the motivator and the helper. The people bought for her a bicycle, then a scooter, and finally the government gave her a car, so that she would not waist time walking. The Government of Japan invited her to a conference and, since she was the only participant without a computer, donated her a portable one, which now she uses to follow all the groups even with that means, and be more effective in her help.

If the first purpose of the program was to provide food for the family, money for the upbringing and education of the children, the second was a little more challenging: sell the fruits of their work to the shop owners in Kenya, with the possibility of expanding even overseas. She recommended to each group to cultivate just one crop, or one fruit tree, of farm animals, so they would become experts, and produce better crops than any other farmer. And so one group concentrates on production of yoghurt, another bananas, a third arrowroots, a fourth concentrates more on dairy work and products, or productions of juices, etc. The income of the selling of these products, is divided equally among all the members of the group.

The groups and Sr. Veronica are of the opinion that the time has come to build a huge center for the storing and selling outside of Kenya of the products of the groups.

Sr. Veronica looks at the growth of her program and is very thankful to God and to all the people who are participating. She looks at possible future development, and does not panic, or get jittery, or loose her sleep, but trust in God’s providence and the gifts of all the members who have become part of it, and intend to continue in the same direction. Some may say that this is like a few drops in the desert: the frops will get buried and the desert will remain barren. But at the moment it seems like a river running through the desert, bringing life, and providing a future which looms bright and hopeful to those involved in the programs, and those who admire it.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 10 July 2008 )