At the end of June, five of our volunteers set off for their missionary experience in the community of the Salesian Sisters in Calulo. You can read more about their work below:

"We began collecting our first impressions of Angola at the airport in Luanda, where we were greeted by smiling sisters. After spending a day in Luanda and visiting Cacuaco we continued on to our final destination – Calulo.

The journey to Calulo was long and quite exciting but when we arrived, we were warmly welcomed with singing by the sisters and the girls from their boarding school. On Sunday we immediately experienced their joy for celebration, as we solemnly celebrated a First Holy Communion.

After the festive Sunday, we started the week with a kindergarten graduation ceremony.
In the following days, we visited several villages (Camema, Longolo, Quitila) where the children have absolutely nothing – no toys, no school supplies and often not even the basic necessities of life. Yet, they always welcomed us with smiles, gratitude and open hearts, which reminded us even more of how little it sometimes takes to be happy.

During the next two weeks of our volunteering, we ran an oratory program every day from Monday to Friday. The oratory always began with a group greeting and dancing in a circle. Each child was assigned to one of eight groups (math, English, music, arts & crafts, football, etc.) and we were divided among these groups as well. The oratory truly gave us the opportunity to connect more deeply with the children and get to know them better.

We are happy to be able to help the children in different ways – through teaching, playing and simply by being present. This help is not only valuable for them but also for us as it enriches us, brings us closer together and teaches us gratitude."

The girls’ time in Calulo is slowly coming to an end but today our second group of volunteers – Johanna, Renate, Simone, and Gerhard, led by Hanzej – has just arrived in Angola. BEM VINDOS!