As every year during the Christmas season, the Missionary Carolers campaign has begun. Young participants in this initiative collect funds to help their peers in need. The campaign aims to educate and raise awareness among children about the needs of others. This year, the funds will support children in the Democratic Republic of Congo, many of whom lack access to education and live in extremely challenging conditions.

Over Three Decades of Missionary Outreach

For more than 30 years, the Missionary Childhood Association (MCA) has organized this campaign. Children visit homes, hospitals, schools, and parishes, spreading the joy of Christmas while raising funds to assist their peers in missionary countries.

“Our carolers prepared diligently; they are sent out within their parish communities and also under the blessing of the Holy Father,” explained Sister Monika Juszka, National Secretary of the Missionary Childhood Association. The Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization assigns specific projects to the missionary carolers. Last year, 2.7 million złoty was collected and allocated to 81 educational and health projects for children under 14 in ten countries.

Dedicated to Children in the Democratic Republic of Congo

This year’s campaign focuses on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a nation where children often live in extreme poverty, work in mines, or fall victim to violence. Despite its wealth in natural resources like cobalt and tantalum, the country struggles with poverty, forced migrations, and a lack of access to education. In eastern DRC alone, 120,000 people are displaced monthly, and 1.66 million remain without shelter. These ongoing migrations deprive children of healthcare, education, and the chance for a stable life. With over six million internally displaced persons, DRC ranks as the second-highest country globally for forced internal migration due to armed conflicts and violence, following Syria.

Sister Maria Alicja Kubas, a Carmelite missionary who spent nine years in the DRC, reflected on the resilience of Congolese children. “Though very poor, they are cheerful, generous, love to dance and sing, and know how to care for those weaker than themselves. Yet they are hungry, sick, lack medicine, and don’t attend school because their parents cannot afford education. Despite this, they remain happy. The secret to their happiness lies in their joy and generosity, in their ability to live and share what little they have with others,” she shared.

Supporting Vital Projects

The funds collected during this year’s caroling will support initiatives providing children with food, medicine, education, and basic necessities. Through these efforts, the campaign seeks to bring hope and improve the lives of children in one of the world’s most vulnerable regions.

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