TWO NEW TALITHA KUM NETWORKS ARE BORN: ETIOPHIA AND MOZAMBIQUE

In the last few months, Talitha Kum expanded her network to two new sub-Saharan countries: in November 2019 Talitha Kum Mozambique-TAKUMO and in February 2020 Talitha Kum Tinsae Ethiopia were born.

“Two very different and complex realities where the development of the network represents an added value to the daily work offered by religious people” said Sr. Gabriella Bottani, International Coordinator of Talitha Kum, about the expansion of the network, already working in 92 countries.
In Mozambique, a southern African country, a strong phenomenon of female sexual exploitation has developed, where young girls are trafficked from rural areas to the south of Africa. In addition, Mozambique is characterised by organ and body trafficking used in witchcraft practices, especially about children and the albino population. Because of the necessity to fight this extensive flow, in 2017 a strong collaboration between Talitha Kum and Sr. Marinês Biasibetti, CEMIRDE General Secretary of Migrants and Refugees Section of Episcopal Conference of Mozambique has developed. After this first meeting in November 2019, a training programme has followed and at the end of it, the creation of a local Talitha Kum network has been advanced, as an exploitation of the daily work offered by Talitha Kum in this African area.

After this training programme, Sr. Gabriella Bottani accepted the request of CMRS, the Ethiopian Conference of Major Religious Superiors, to participate in an event in Addis Abeba to present Talitha Kum to many religious people inspired of their work. In February 2020, after much back and forth between Talitha Kum and CMRS President, a workshop was realized. On February 29th, Talitha Kum Tinsae Ethiophia was born. In Sub-Saharan African context, Ethiopia is the second most populated country and with a strong presence of Migrants and Refugees, after Uganda. Ethiopia is a country marked by human trafficking for both sexual and working exploitation.

“What hurts me during the Ethiopian workshop,” continued Sr. Gabriella “is the fact that, in some ways, each family is involved in human trafficking”.

This experience can demonstrate the urgency of Talitha Kum action, which continues to inspire much religious action around the world.