Project details
Africa
The Central African Republic
Education > The Catholic University Center of Bangui (CUC)
Activities and Partners
Two Central Africans out of three are Christian, and one in four is Catholic. The Church is also affected by the general crisis afflicting the country, but still remains for many the only source of hope and aid worthy of the name. However, the quality of Catholic catechesis is often very low, even among the elite. The propaganda of protestant sects is increasingly effective. Moreover, sorcery and magic continue to impact the people’s spirituality and behavior. According to the bishop of Alindao, Mgr Pierre Marzinkowski, this is true “even among Christians, because for many of them the Christian faith has not taken sufficient root, so they easily fall back into their traditional manner of thinking.” In response to these challenges, the Catholic University Center of Bangui was founded in 2003 by the Jesuits at the request of the archbishop of Bangui as a cultural and spiritual center for Catholic students. At the Center, three Jesuits priests organize courses, conferences and other events. They maintain a place for Catholics to meet, to gain education and develop relationships. They invite Christian professionals and students to participate in programs designed to deepen their faith. To advance these goals, the Center seeks to acquire a library and printed materials suited to the objectives of the CUC, designed for the specific programs they direct which lack them.
CONTEXT
On August 13th, 2010 the Central African Republic (RCA) celebrates the 50th anniversary of its creation. Throughout the first half-century of its existence, this impoverished African state has been buffeted by political instability, most notoriously the transitory “Central African Empire” of Bokassa I (1977-1979). There was a bloody civil war there in 2003, which ended with the overthrow of the then reigning President Patassé by General François Bozizé, who seized power with the help of the army and militiamen from Chad. Bozizé is the current president of the Central African Republic. The “Inclusive National Dialogue” that he promotes is supposed to encourage national reconciliation. None the less, two hundred thousand refugees and displaced persons are still awaiting the opportunity to return to their homes since the end of the civil war, while the north of the country suffers from side effects of the ongoing conflicts in Chad and the Sudan. All of this, along with indigenous political rivalries and the concomitant persistent specter of a return to civil war, prevents much development. The population is mired in deepening misery, and most sociological indicators are poor. Two-thirds of Central Africans live on less than a dollar per day, and median life expectancy has fallen in the last 25 years from 49 to 42 years. HIV/AIDS infects 15% of the population, one of the highest rates of infection in the world. The disease threatens to obliterate the country demographically in the future. More and more areas of this rural country (over 60% of the population still being peasant) have been abandoned to a state of anarchy and experiences great insecurity; while the dilapidated capital, Bangui, which accounts for nearly 20% of the population, reveals the destitution of this country of four million inhabitants.
OBJECTIVES
The Catholic University Center of Bangui (CUC) is run by the Jesuit Fathers. They have urgent need for a basic endowment to purchase instructional materials for their catechetical work, through which thy seek to deepen the faith of their students and further the mission of the Church.
On August 13th, 2010 the Central African Republic (RCA) celebrates the 50th anniversary of its creation. Throughout the first half-century of its existence, this impoverished African state has been buffeted by political instability, most notoriously the transitory “Central African Empire” of Bokassa I (1977-1979). There was a bloody civil war there in 2003, which ended with the overthrow of the then reigning President Patassé by General François Bozizé, who seized power with the help of the army and militiamen from Chad. Bozizé is the current president of the Central African Republic. The “Inclusive National Dialogue” that he promotes is supposed to encourage national reconciliation. None the less, two hundred thousand refugees and displaced persons are still awaiting the opportunity to return to their homes since the end of the civil war, while the north of the country suffers from side effects of the ongoing conflicts in Chad and the Sudan. All of this, along with indigenous political rivalries and the concomitant persistent specter of a return to civil war, prevents much development. The population is mired in deepening misery, and most sociological indicators are poor. Two-thirds of Central Africans live on less than a dollar per day, and median life expectancy has fallen in the last 25 years from 49 to 42 years. HIV/AIDS infects 15% of the population, one of the highest rates of infection in the world. The disease threatens to obliterate the country demographically in the future. More and more areas of this rural country (over 60% of the population still being peasant) have been abandoned to a state of anarchy and experiences great insecurity; while the dilapidated capital, Bangui, which accounts for nearly 20% of the population, reveals the destitution of this country of four million inhabitants.
OBJECTIVES
The Catholic University Center of Bangui (CUC) is run by the Jesuit Fathers. They have urgent need for a basic endowment to purchase instructional materials for their catechetical work, through which thy seek to deepen the faith of their students and further the mission of the Church.