Catholic nuns in Mauritania are working on the frontlines of a growing humanitarian crisis, caring for newborn babies left behind after their migrant moms died in childbirth.
At St Joseph’s parish within the capital, Nouakchott, certainly one of only two Catholic churches within the Muslim-majority nation, the Welcome Office run by Sister Marie-Ange Ndayishimiye has turn into a lifeline for desperate families arriving from conflict-torn neighbouring countries.
Many arrive from bordering countries penniless, homeless, and unable to support themselves.
“We have had greater than six people affected by depression – these patients run away, disappear and sometimes leave babies behind,” Sister Marie-Ange explained to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), a Catholic charity.
“We are also seeing a rise in deaths amongst pregnant women during or after childbirth, abandoning babies.”
The sisters provide infant formula, clothes, nappies, and mosquito nets for the babies, while also distributing hygiene kits and food parcels to families.
They take care of each Catholic and Muslim migrants—lots of them women and kids—while husbands often travel ahead to more prosperous countries.
The needs are growing, nevertheless, and the strain is evident.
Sister Marie-Ange told ACN: “We are somewhat overwhelmed by migrants who can not work and who must survive solely on aid. Too many pregnant women to rescue, some give birth by caesarean section, families to be cared for and fed.”
The work of the sisters is backed by ACN, which has supported St Joseph’s since 1947.
Beyond emergency aid, the Welcome Office also offers pastoral programmes, literacy groups for girls of each faiths, and microcredit schemes to assist families start small businesses.
Migrants also receive help finding work, although language barriers remain particularly difficult for English-speaking arrivals.
Christians are being asked to hope and act on behalf of displaced people, particularly those looking for refuge from armed conflict and oppression.
For Sister Marie-Ange, the mission is each practical and spiritual.
“We entrust ourselves to prayers and remain eager for a greater change in the present situation,” she told ACN.
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