Republic of South Africa

The presence of the Scalabrinian Missionary Sisters (MSCS) in South Africa is but a recent reality. There are three sisters, two Brazilian and one American. Two live in Johannesburg and one in Odendaalsrus, working among the migrants and above all, the refugees.
 
In the cultural, linguistic and social pluralism which characterizes the reality of human mobility in the Republic of South Africa, the MSCS try to keep alive the faith and hope of these wayfarers with whom they share a stretch of their journey and to whom they dedicate their lives in faithful service. Today, the MSCS Sisters primary concern is for refugees; a reality consistent with their experience amid different categories of migrants already present in the country, among which there are immigrants of European descent. In addressing this concern, the sisters coordinate the diocesan department for pastoral care of refugees, and assist in the new center, the Selter for refugee women and children in Johannesburg. As part of their mission, the MSCS are dedicated to listening to others, to their human formation, and to their integration within the local Church. Finally, the Sisters provide the refugees with guidance, information and help in the documentation process. 
 
Their mission is inserted in a local reality where at the moment there are 80,000 refugees, of whom 40,000 live in Johannesburg. These refugees are mainly young people and men, coming from the urban areas of their home countries, though during the last few years, there has been an increase in the presence of women and children. There is a significant presence of intellectuals and professionals, who notwithstanding their education or training, live in poverty, because the country, even after issuing a visa, doesn't guarantee them any assistance. The main nationalities present in South Africa are Congolese, Somalis, Sudanese, Angolan, Ethiopian, Burundian, and Rwandan; all of which can be said to be the main sites of conflict in Africa.
  

Mozambique

The Scalabrinian Missionary Sisters - MSCS - have worked in Mozambique, since April 1994, in Rossano Garcia, a small town not far from Maputo, on the South African border. The religious community is made up of three Brazilian Sisters. They live among and participate in the lives of the people to whom they have been sent as missionaries, where they work, especially with children, and for the poor and most needy, in order to obtain a more dignified life for all.

In their mission, the MSCS Sisters in Mozambique dedicate themselves to doing work in: education, promotion of the dignity of the person, and pastoral care. They are present in the orphanage and in the João Batista Scalabrini School, where they offer hospitality, personal and professional formation, evangelization and guidance. Besides this, the MSCS Sisters are dedicated to the development of integrated projects, according to the needs of the local population, who for the most part, are made up of migrants awaiting to pass over the border and enter the neighbouring countries; at times this local population is made up of Mozambique migrants who have been sent back by force because they had been found to be illegally living in South African territory. It is in this context, that the MSCS Sisters dedicate particular attention to the situation and dignity of women. Women are found to be the most exploited in this situation of human mobility, and so the MSCS Missionaries have undertaken a special ministry in the personal and professional formation of these women, by offering them counselling, pastoral care and support. The women found here represent the largest remaining true asset for the country when one considers that many men have emigrated to other countries.

It is estimated that an average of 20,00 people are repatriated each week from the Republic of South Africa to Mozambique, and then are forgotten, abandoned, and left poor by the Mozambique government. They often come from families which have disintegrated due to poverty, emigration or to the war of recent years which continues to afflict the country. The moral and social situation in Mozambique, has also provoked internal migration and has pushed migration to move toward other countries. Again, women and children are the prime victims of this system-failure, with the result that many suffer from insufficient health care, illiteracy, prostitution and violence. The MSCS Sisters work and live in this environment, and with the support and aide of other Christian communities from different nations and various groups of NGOs, aide both migrants and the indigenous population in their needs.
  

Angola

The presence of the Scalabrinian Missionary Sisters -MSCS- in Angola is the answer given by the MSCS Congregation to today's appeal launched by the world of human mobility before the Church and society.

The first MSCS Sister, on arriving in November 2000 in Angola, became a part of the activity started by the local Church and institutions. In this way, the foundation was laid for the Scalabrinian presence in Angola. Since then, she co-ordinates the Jesuit Refugee Service at a national level. The Scalabrinian Missionary community consists of two MSCS Sisters and is situated in Luanda.

The evangelical and missionary service carried out by the Sisters involves working with refugees and deslocados which are a result of the war which has hit the country for the past 25 years. Such civil war includes the continuous attacks of the UNITA upon the civil population and the frequent acts of violence provoked by the police and military forces towards the population. This situation creates a general status of insecurity and forcefully brings about the movement of around 3 million Angolans. This exodus moves especially towards the urban areas, but there are also many who seek refuge in foreign land.

The presence of land mines on farmland destined for production, and the general destruction caused by the war of the production structures provoke such poverty that 78% of the countryside's population and 40% of the urban population are forced to live below the minimum level of survival.