- ATD Fourth World

Just a few examples:

• Mothers from Bukavu (Republic of the Congo) go without food so that their children will survive. “They have to be like hens that let their chicks eat before they do!” said the young man who told us about this.
• A man we met in the Central African Republic told the young adults who had come to meet him: “They treat me like a slave. And I really miss peace.”
• In the suburbs of Dakar, entire families live year in and year out with water up to their knees in their own house. Their house is falling apart, their health is getting worse, and social relationships in general are deteriorating.

Moved by all these situations, young people work for free for “those who have problems.” This, in spite of the fact that most of them also live in precarious situations. They do this to help the weakest members of their communities and neighborhoods. They bring a glimmer of hope in these places when they take a child, whoever he may be, by the hand. By taking a part in public responsibility, they are being democratic. They help build peace by allowing neighborhoods and communities to come together spurred by the situation of those in extreme poverty.

The hope that they bring is for the entire world; this is why it was so important to situate this meeting in the International Youth Year.

These young people, by their strong and simple commitment, are showing us the way.

New paths where the poor are not faced with expensive and complicated situations they don’t understand. New paths where the poor are considered as brothers, by young people who are their brothers and sisters. Because they didn’t wait until they had “enough money” to commit themselves, these young people are giving the entire world a huge challenge: what will I do with my strength, my intelligence, my knowledge? What can I do with what was given to me? The person who was lucky enough to have gone to school - what is he doing with this luck? The one who is a good public speaker, what is he doing? Is his speech becoming an instrument of power or an instrument of liberation? Is he capable of letting his words become silent so that the voice of others can finally be heard? The Central African Republic was proud to have hosted this meeting; proud to have been able to count on the young people who set it up, who helped to prepare it; proud to have welcomed participants from other countries to Bangui where this meeting took place in such a remarkably positive way.

Click here to read the Final Document
Click here to read Pape Diop’s speech
Click here to read Nathalie Mbala’s speech
Click here to read Amadou Sanogo’s speech
Rene Muhindo’s speech corresponds to the article “Finding courage in the presence of others”.