M. during her training in dairy processing
Marie Angèle DIATTA (WWO Ambassadress)
My name is Marie Angèle Diatta, former President of the Association des Femmes Catholiques of Ziguinchor in Senegal. The story I'm going to tell you is that of a young girl called M. (we will keep the name anonymous), who found peace thanks to our association.
M. denied Christ because of love. M. found Christ again thanks to the Association des Femmes Catholiques de Ziguinchor. M. is now committed to serving Christ as part of the Association des Femmes Catholiques de Ziguinchor (Ziguinchor Catholic Women's Association).
At the age of 19, Ma. fell in love with her neighbour, a Muslim man eight years older than her. Despite her parents' disapproval, she left the Catholic Church to become a Muslim. Once Islamised, M. married her beloved and agreed to live with him in his in-laws. After a while, her relationship with her sisters-in-law deteriorated. And as if that wasn't enough, her mother-in-law interfered in their quarrels. Whenever M. and her daughters argued, she always took their side. Even though she had apostasised, her mother-in-law always took advantage of these quarrels to remind her that she was only a Christian, and that it was because of her that her family's economic activities were blocked.
One day, M. and her sisters-in-law had problems again. Not surprisingly, her mother-in-law got involved. Worse still, she and her children beat M. up. Fed up with all this arguing, M.'s husband decided to leave the family home. He rented a small flat and moved in with his wife and four children. At first, life was peaceful in their home. This tranquillity was soon to dissipate, as M.'s husband's professional activities were still not flourishing. He became aggressive, continually accusing his wife of being the cause of their troubles. Because of all this verbal aggression, M. was becoming more and more vulnerable. She often repeated these words to herself: ‘I disobeyed my parents to please my husband, and now it's my husband who's turning his back on me! Who am I going to turn to now? To avoid the morbid solitude that was beginning to overwhelm her, M. approached her neighbour Madeleine, who was a member of a religious association. Madeleine's joie de vivre was so fascinating that one day M. asked her: ‘I would also like to become a member of your Catholic Women's Association. You're always cheerful in this group, and when you come back from your meetings, the joy is written all over your faces. I feel that there is something good in your association. Madeleine replied: ‘You can't join our association because you're no longer Christian. But I'll take your request to our president and she'll see what she can do for you.
At the time, I was President of the Catholic Women of the Diocese of Ziguinchor. When Madeleine spoke to me about M., I first wanted to get to know her. During our conversation, I realised that M. didn't just want to become a member of our association, she also wanted to find her Lord. Especially as her husband no longer respected her. She considered leaving him, but it was his precarious situation that kept her by his side. Following our conversation, I explained to M. that her return to the Catholic Church would take some time, as it would require the intervention of a priest. On the other hand, we will do our utmost to support her on substantive issues. In the meantime, M. started going to the Catholic Church again, and the Catholic Women's Association of Ziguinchor authorised her to attend some of their meetings. To keep her up to date, I paid her membership fee and offered her the association's promissory note.
At home, M.'s husband became increasingly aggressive. He was already promising to drive her and their children out of the house. Thanks to Madeleine, M. was able to find a job, which made her independent for good. In 2020, she officially returned to the Catholic Church and became a member of the Ziguinchor Catholic Women's Association. She was also elected Bureau member of this association, and does remarkable work in this circle. In 2022, M. finally left her husband. Thanks to the church and the Catholic Women's Association, she and her children have found stability again.
She proclaims loudly that it is thanks to the outstretched hand of her sisters in Christ that she has found peace again. Now that God has given her back her dignity, she wants to help those in need.
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