IRELAND

Zambia: Dignity and Survival

The slums surrounding the centre of Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, can be classified by their level of degradation. They are located just a few kilometres from the central shops and street stalls. Dirty roads and houses without drinking water: this is what one can see in the suburbs of George and Lilanda, and the […]

Oral literature: The four dragons

Once upon a time, there were no rivers and lakes on earth, but only the Eastern Sea, in which lived four dragons: the Long Dragon, the Yellow Dragon, the Black Dragon and the Pearl Dragon. One day the four dragons flew from the sea into the sky. They soared and dived, playing hide-and-seek in the […]

Vocation Story: From Midwife to Comboni Missionary Sister

Sr. Anita, the only Filipina Comboni Missionary Sister, shares some significant moments of her vocation. My name is Sr. Anita C. Concepcion from Binmaley, Pangasinan. I am the only Comboni Missionary Sister from the Philippines. I believed God began to fashion and slowly plant seeds in my heart to enter religious life long before I […]

The Rock-hewn Churches of Ethiopia

Tigray, a region of Ethiopia, guards a series of interesting churches, some of which are very hard to reach. We refer especially to religious sites-built centuries ago in the area of Amba Gheralta, located in unique places and surrounded by a deep spirituality. These churches are to be found on steep cliffs. Their location may […]

India: A chain of solidarity from organic cotton

Some Franciscan Sisters have succeeded in combining tradition and innovation. The ‘Assisi Garments’ project is not only a brand name but a way of life that respects people and the environment. It was in 1994 that some Franciscan Sisters present in India, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, decided to launch an activity to […]

Bolivia: Chakana, the Andean cosmic bridge

Andean Chakana is the symbol of the principle of relations with people and nature. It is the cosmic bridge between three communities: human, natural and supernatural. The Quechua term Chakana is composed of two words; Chaka means bridge and na is literally a syllable or a consonant but, in the Andean world, evokes a sense […]

Herbs & Plants: Crassocephallum vitellinum – Anti-peptic ulcer plant

It is a medicinal plant used for the treatment of a number of diseases among them that of peptic ulcer disease. But also, for the treatment of stomach complications, malaria and mouth infections in children. It is a flowering herbaceous plant that is widely distributed in the sub-Saharan Africa including Burundi, Cameroon, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, […]

Namibia – Namib, the living desert

The oldest desert in the world: a sea of sand caressed by ubiquitous fog. It seems to be desolate and unfit for human habitation. Appearances may be deceptive. Hidden in the heart of Namib are incredible gems of life, plants and animals that have adapted to the most extreme conditions. A world still to be […]

Africa – Hotspots 2022

This year there will be different hotspots in Africa. But two of them will have a deep impact on the security of their regions, due to the dimensions of the concerned states and the complexity of the threats. If Nigeria has long been considered a hotspot, the situation in Ethiopia worsened rapidly in the last […]