By Sr Elena Isachenko SMCB
Since childhood, Sister Chrysologa Mnich SMCB had two dreams: to become a nurse and to be a missionary. Both were realized in her religious vocation. She joined the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy of St Charles Borromeo, where, in addition to the three traditional religious vows, the sisters take a fourth: the vow of mercy. This vow became the main pillar of her missionary calling.
From her first days on the continent, the sister faced severe poverty and hunger, especially among children. According to The Global Nutrition Report, one in ten children under five in Senegal suffers from acute malnutrition, and only 10% of infants aged 6–23 months receive an acceptable diet. Furthermore, 52% of reproductive-aged women suffer from anemia. Consequently, starving mothers give birth to babies with critically low birth weight, leading to high infant mortality rates.
“When I was working as a nurse in the Vélingara clinic,” Sr Chrysologa shares, “mothers often came to us with their children. The babies were in critical condition. After visiting Kolda, I saw a Сenter for malnourished children opened by our sisters there. I realized that Vélingara needed such a center too.”
“I was sure it was God’s work!”
Sep 13, 1993, is a date forever etched in the sister’s memory, as it was the exact day the Center for Malnourished Children in Vélingara began its work. From the very beginning, its development was accompanied by many miracles. “At first, there were only two small rooms: one served as an office and a warehouse, and the other held 8 beds. And this was for 30 applicants!” the missionary recalls. After the first rainy season, the premises were flooded. It became clear that they needed to find a new place. “I went to the mayor, and he offered me an abandoned building with a small garden next to it. It was in terrible condition, but it had electricity and water. I was happy.”
A difficult beginning
At the Center, children received medical treatment and nutrition. Some babies were so weak and dehydrated they could not even cry, remaining semi-lethargic. The sisters taught young mothers proper childcare and feeding. “We spent a lot of time changing their habits and beliefs,” the sister says. “These women live in harsh conditions in villages with no clean water. Some traveled a hundred kilometers by bicycle just to reach us.”
Over the years, around 20,000 children have come to the Center. Sadly, some babies were brought too late. Fortunately, as the country’s road infrastructure developed, the situation improved. Mentality began to shift gradually as well. Women did not just learn how to care for their children; they learned to value their own dignity.
Providential coincidences
God, in His Providence, acts through people. “I didn’t always have food for the children,” the sister recalls. “But that was exactly when God would place someone in my path.” For instance, a meeting with Michelle Noureux in France led to the creation of the “Les enfants de Vélingara” foundation, which helped raise funds. Another time, I was walking down the street, wondering how I was going to feed the children that day. We had a little rice left, but what next? There was almost no money. Suddenly, two female tourists called out to me on the street. We struck up a conversation, and I took them to our Center. When they saw the children, they burst into tears, pulled all the money out of their pockets… and from that day on, they never stopped supporting us.”
“Néné Soukabé, help me!”
The sister remembers many children, but one story is deeply engraved in her heart. “One day, a 16-year-old Muslim mother from the Konyagi tribe came,” the missionary recalls. “She had given birth to twins; the boy died, and the girl was barely breathing, cold, weighing just 600 grams. The mother whispered through her tears, ‘Néné Soukabé, help me!’ I told her, ‘We will pray, you and I. We will do everything we can.’ I tried to warm the infant and managed to insert a feeding tube. The mother expressed milk, and I injected it with a syringe. Two months later, the little girl weighed 3 kilograms and could nurse on her own. It was a miracle. Six years later, I saw that girl again. Her mother pointed at me: ‘Look, that is Néné Soukabé, she saved you.'”
Only God knows how many lives were saved here. The sisters traveled hundreds of kilometers through the bush to remote villages, performing on-the-spot blood transfusions for children dying of anemia. Thanks to people of goodwill, the Borromean Sisters expanded the center and built a small guest house to help support their needs. When asked about her main dream, Sr Chrysologa smiles: “I dream that this Center will become a pediatric hospital, and that there will be no more starving children in the world.” – Vatican News
