To snatch from the jaws of death as many people as possible

This morning’s dawn is exceptional. A huge red sphere is quickly rising above the horizon. I just got up and I cannot take my eyes of such a breathtaking view which reminds me of the resurrected Jesus, the rising Sun in our livee  full of troubles and problems. I walk towards the chapel; at least today I’m not late.

Unfortunately, right after the morning prayer with the Brothers I am called out of the church by Kathure telling me to rush to the hospital immediately. I don’t think twice. And I’m sure Cottolengo himself would be happy about it. I can hear his words in my heart: ‘Go and run as on the wings of love, because it is not leaving God when you leave in order to serve the same God who suffers in the poor.’ Once I arrive in the ambulatory, I see a young women all covered with dust. She’s in coma and has a very labored breath. She seems to be doing the last attempts to stay alive. She’s all swollen and continuously gets violent convulsions. Almost without thinking I put my hand on her stomach to discover that she’s pregnant and about to give birth. Mwendwa (this is her name) comes from Rikana- a poor village consisting of thatched huts, no more than 14 km from Chaaria. She was brought here on a cart pulled by cow. This made the journey very long and difficult; she arrived in Chaaria exhausted. I realize immediately that this is a very serious complication of pregnancy called eclampsia. Despite our efforts to start the medical intervention, the young woman passed away in front of me, before the operating room was ready for an emergency cesarean.  I feel very bad, but the nurse who is with me takes the fetoscope and puts on the mother's womb. And then yells that the baby’s heart is still beating and that I must act now. Almost like a robot, I take the gloves on and quickly open the abdomen of the mother, now in heaven, not requiring  anesthesia and operating room when we pull out her child in a poor condition. We resuscitate the baby for a long time, massaging the  small chest and supplying  the oxygen using the Ambu bag. Unfortunately, the baby dies in less than two hours. Double defeat of which we’re trying to give ourselves  a reason: it is too late! ... few hours ago it would be completely different!

But then we came back to the reality: you have to talk to the husband who is sitting just outside the "Room 17" where all this happened. He already guessed what had happened, because the walls are thin, windows open  and he had heard the sounds in the room while we were closed inside. He resolutely received the news and his answer was distressing to me: ‘Mwendwa and my son died because of the Evil Eye.’ My explanations on the type of complications which occurred and on the delay in coming to the hospital due to lack of transportation are of no avail. The husband was convinced of what he said, and he also knew who was the witch who had operated the "witchcraft". In his mind there was now only the desire for revenge. I told him not to add pain to already sad situation, but he wasn’t listening to me anymore. I begged him to come and see the bodies of his wife and his baby, but he refused saying that according to his culture it was not proper to look at the bodies after death. So they all went: he and all other women who accompanied the patient. I saw them again 5 days later, when they came to take the body for burial, and that is also when I discovered other disturbing aspects of the story. Her husband, together with others from his clan, had gone to the house of an old woman considered a witch and  burned her alive. They tied her hands and feet, poured kerosene over her body and set fire. Horrifying to me, but  many staff members argued that it was a legitimate form of popular justice that prevented this witch from creating more problems and damages to other families. Superstition, and above all the strong belief in magic are deeply rooted in the minds of our people. No one can convince them otherwise. They often have the tendency to look for somebody to blame when something goes wrong: if a young person dies, if business is bad, if the marriage breaks- all this must have been caused by "witchcraft"  and the only way to get rid of it is to kill the witch and then visit a good magician to cast the counter-spell.  These beliefs coexist peacefully with a Christian life also involved: it is as if Christianity did reach little beyond the epidermis, while deep inside it is the atavic beliefs that continue to reign, often deeply attracted to the terrifying visions of the arcane forces.  In this world of superstitions and fears there are evil spirits capable of doing harm to men when called for this purpose by an evil wizard. By now there is nothing more to do. That poor old woman was burned in the joy of those who attended the ceremony. From my part, all I could do was to suggest that the body of Mwendwa should be buried near her home and ask for a religious ceremony (I did not have the strength to ask the husband to which Christian denomination they belonged).  The old woman was reduced to ashes and nobody said a prayer for her. I wonder if anybody has buried the remains...  

On the other hand, things radically different sometimes happen in Chaaria-  things that make us feel life still continues and that death does not have the last word. For example, we recently had in the hospital a case of "triples": a mother came from home who has never done any ante-natal control. She was immediately accompanied to the delivery room without even changing the clothes for the time was near. When she gave birth, to the surprise of all not two but three twins came out, quite small, but all with a great desire to live. This woman, although they already had three children at home,  rejoiced and thanked God for the gift of new life just received. A little over half an hour from this very rare event we were called for an urgent caesarean section: a young woman with high blood pressure and conditions similar to those of Mwendwa. This time we made it on time, and with joy and little anxiety we pulled out two very healthy twins. It was a really nice experience: two parturitions  and five children ... a new record for Chaaria! And so, my friends,  life goes on between victories and defeats. We are happy to be able to do something for the people who need us. Often we come up against a culture that seems so distant from ours, sometimes cruel; but we must love our neighbors as they are and we must try to snatch from the jaws of death as many people as possible. We feel supported by your friendship and by your prayer.

Brother Beppe Gaido