Father João Mponda is a young Mozambican Comboni missionary. He has been in Ecuador for three years, sharing his life and faith with the indigenous Chachi people.
I have been at the San Lorenzo mission in Ecuador since 2022, accompanying the indigenous Chachi communities, also known as Cayapas, who live in the wild Esmeraldas area in the north of the country. They are one of the few groups surviving on the Ecuadorian coast, maintaining their indigenous culture and organization. Their homes are generally located along the Cayapas River and its tributaries.
Missionary work in these lands requires commitment and sacrifice, not only spiritual but also physical, because reaching the scattered communities requires travelling across rivers and mountains. Our missionary commitment in these communities aims to proclaim the Gospel and is not limited to the celebration of the Eucharist.
It is a diverse and outreach ministry that includes, for example, regular visits to families and meetings with children and young people. Indeed, during these three years in Ecuador, I have learned that mission consists of living in close contact with the people. This makes it easier to get to know them and share their reality.
One thing that strikes me, as a Mozambican missionary in these distant lands of the Americas, is the joy I find in these people. I notice it when I visit them in their homes, during regular meetings with the local community, and especially during Christian formation sessions. It’s beautiful to see the joy on their faces as they welcome and learn the Word of God with great simplicity.
Since this is my first experience of missionary work, I’m happy because the Chachi people are very open and always ready to learn and share. This openness is the fruit of contact with the many missionaries who evangelised this Ecuadorian jungle, proclaiming the Gospel for many years and who were present throughout the province of Esmeraldas even before the arrival of the Comboni Missionaries.
When choosing a community dynamic that fosters a living and active faith, it is essential to invest in the formation of young people. We have sought to spend time with the youth of Chachi, listening to their concerns, learning about and understanding their culture and concerns, and, starting from the Christian faith, providing answers to their concerns and expectations. To this end, we offer basic Christian formation, local retreats, afternoons dedicated to socializing and exchanging experiences, and sports activities.
In general, the youth of these indigenous communities do not usually meet with other communities. First, because of the distances that separate them, and second, because of the autonomy of the communities, as it is the head of each community who decides how activities are organised. Fortunately, we have always been able to count on the support of community leaders and the active participation of the communities themselves in youth formation activities.
One of the mottos of our founder, Daniel Comboni, was: “Save Africa with Africa.” During my missionary experience in Ecuador, particularly with indigenous peoples, I have tried to put this motto into practice. All the initiatives and projects we have undertaken are aimed at raising awareness among young indigenous Chachi people, encouraging them to become protagonists of their own reality.
This awareness often encounters obstacles, as large mining and logging companies try to lure young people with false promises. Instead of fighting for the good of their community, they opt for the interests of these groups and their own gain. They forget the consequences of ecosystem destruction, river pollution, and uncontrolled deforestation affecting the lives and survival of indigenous communities.
We can only dream of change by implementing comprehensive formation programs that take into account human and Christian aspects, in line with the proposals of Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’. This is one of our main objectives in working with young people and indigenous communities.
