Madagascar - The bicycle, a means of evangelizing and a way to be with the poor

06 May 2016

(ANS - Bemaneviky) - Madagascar is one of the ten poorest countries on the planet. Far from a picture of tropical paradise, lately internationally known for the discovery of three types of the smallest primates in the world, it is a place where often the rights of children are not respected. Malagasy children face poverty in their daily lives. Fr Tomas Lukaszuk, Polish missionary, decided to evangelize using a bicycle to get around "because the bicycle is the means of transport of the poor."

In Bemaneviky, which is one of the poorest villages with just over 1800 inhabitants, going through the streets by bicycle is the best solution for the missionaries and for the people.

"The roads in Madagascar are in a terrible state. They are often unusable on account of the mud. Only rarely are they covered with asphalt. One day two Salesians of Bemaneviky had to go to a town seven kilometres from the mission. The Rector took the car and Fr Lukaszuk chose the bike. The one on the bike got there first!"

In addition to the problem of poverty, the mission in the most remote areas of Madagascar, has the problem of its streets and roads, but nothing stops the missionaries who want to bring the Word of God to all the Malagasy people. 

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ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication, the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007.

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