By Bernardino Culombola, Mission Development Office Program Manager, Angola (Sector of Angola / Mozambique)
Luzia* is a 12-year-old girl from Porto Amboim, a coastal town in the province of Cuanza Sul, Angola. This place of breathtaking natural beauty remains one of the least developed regions of the country and is marked by deep-rooted poverty, social exclusion, and institutional neglect.
Like thousands of other children from rural Angola, Luzia grew up under the care of her elderly grandmother – who struggled to make ends meet.
Sadly, Luzia’s education was interrupted prematurely when she was forced to abandon school during the third grade because her family could not afford the annual tuition fee of 2,500 Angolan Kwanzas ($2.74 USD) – the price of a cup of coffee for many in the world.
Luzia became part of the growing group of vulnerable, out-of-school children exposed daily to risks of violence, exploitation, and neglect.
In an attempt to offer Luzia better living conditions and the chance to return to school, her half-sister decided to take her to Luanda, Angola’s capital city. However, following a family dispute, Luzia, overwhelmed and frightened, found herself alone in an unfamiliar city, with no support or protection. In despair, she fled and wandered the busy streets of one of Luanda’s expanding urban suburbs.
Fortunately, fate placed compassionate individuals in her path. A stranger, moved by Luzia’s vulnerable situation, brought her to the Good Shepherd’s Maria Droste Community in the city.
There, Luzia found not only shelter but also safety, protection, and a renewed sense of dignity.
What followed were weeks of intensive and tireless efforts to locate Luzia’s family. As Program Manager for the Good Shepherd Mission Development Office in Angola and Mozambique and in line with the Congregational Safeguarding Policy which is currently being implemented throughout Angola and Mozambique, I connected with local communities and closely collaborated with the Angola Red Cross, doing everything in our power to ensure Luzia’s safe reunification with her family.
Family Reunification
Then, on June 9 – the day following the feast of Maria Droste – we successfully located Luzia’s grandmother, making possible the long-awaited family reunification. The emotional moment marked the end of an ordeal for this vulnerable young girl.
Luzia returned to her grandmother’s care, safe from the imminent risks of abduction, trafficking, abuse, and exploitation to which she had been exposed.
Yet, even after returning to her community and being reunited with her grandmother, her future remains uncertain. She is still not able to return to school, her fundamental rights challenged, simply because her grandmother cannot afford the nominal school fees — a stark reflection of the inequalities and systemic neglect that affect so many children across Angola.
Our Collective Responsibility
However, Luzia’s story transcends individual misfortune and unveils a much deeper societal wound. It reflects the harsh reality endured by thousands of vulnerable children across Angola. It exposes the shortcomings of public policies, the neglect of rural territories, and the persistent social exclusion faced by marginalized communities.
Luzia’s story must touch our collective conscience. It should awaken a more humane, attentive, and socially responsible outlook in each of us. It serves as a poignant reminder that prevention is always less costly than remedy, and that genuine solidarity holds the transformative power to transform destinies.
By welcoming Luzia, and taking action to transform her destiny, Good Shepherd sisters and partners-in-mission not only demonstrated compassion but also reaffirmed our unwavering commitment to fostering a safe, protective, and inclusive environment.
Only through such collective efforts can we build a fairer, more compassionate, and safer society for all the vulnerable Luzias still waiting for an act of love and hope.
*Pas son vrai nom
