The Catholic Organization for Development and Solidarity (OCADES) Caritas Burkina commemorated its 25 years of existence in the diocese of Dédougou from April 11 to 14, 2024 in Dédougou. Several activities were organized, the culmination of which was the Eucharistic celebration at Saint Anne’s Cathedral on Sunday April 14, 2024.
The Catholic Organization for Development and Solidarity (OCADES) Caritas Burkina in Dedougou is 25 years old.
To this end, it commemorated its silver jubilee from April 11 to 14, 2024 under the theme: ‘OCADES caritas Burkina, 25 years in the service of integral human development, let us give thanks to God’.
Several activities were carried out for the benefit of the populations. These include a blood drive, screening sessions for precancerous lesions of the cervix, screening for hepatitis B, diabetes and HIV, sports activities, a shopping street, open days.
Also, the internally displaced populations and those hosts received food consisting of 20 tons of corn, 10 tons of rice, bea
ns and oil.
An awareness session on social cohesion, honorary distinctions and the Eucharistic celebration were also highlights of this celebration.
These various activities aimed to contribute to discovering the identity of OCADES as an instrument of the Catholic Church in Dédougou created to promote charity and solidarity of the Church, family of God.
The diocesan executive secretary of OCADES Caritas Burkina in Dédougou, Abbé André Toé, expressed his gratitude to the Bishops for their vision which allowed the creation of OCADES Caritas Burkina 25 years ago.
By placing solidarity and sharing at the heart of this commemoration in Dédougou, Abbot André Toé explained that actions are taken for the benefit of specific communities in order to meet their needs.
He also paid tribute to the sponsors of the celebration who are Marcel Tiahoun and Eloi Dama, all entrepreneurs who have supported OCADES Caritas Dédougou from the first moments of its existence.
Presiding over the thanksgiving mass, the Bishop of Dé
dougou Mgr Prosper Bonaventure Ky stressed that after 25 years of existence, it was good to turn to God to give thanks and implore his help for more actions in favor of communities.
For him, OCADES is a tool that continues the mission of the Church among populations with a predilection for vulnerable populations.
‘These actions directly contribute to purifying and elevating the morality of communities by arousing solidarity and unity within them. They promote a new humanism which is the unity of humankind and the construction of a better world in truth and justice,’ recalled the Bishop of Dédougou.
Source: Burkina Information Agency