Sunday, July 17 has been set as a day of giving to help thousands of disciples in the Ivory Coast who are suffering in the wake of the civil war. Below is the story of one of the families who need help.
Seraphin and Lea Kouamé have each been disciples for over a decade. They met and married in the church about three years ago and have a son of 14 months. Seraphin is a talented tailor who has been called upon on many occasions to sew for weddings and special functions in the church. He hopes one day to open his own tailoring shop but for now works for someone else and takes in extra work at night and weekends. Lea has served as a faithful nanny for a few families in the church until her marriage and now works as a cleaner at a local post office.
They live in a very modest section of the city less than a kilometer behind one of the military bases in the middle of Abidjan. This means when the fighting broke out they were directly in the line of fire between the armed forces. They were lucky to be able to flee the City rather early on with just the bare minimum to go to Lea’s village up country. This means they have both been unable to work for several months and lived in very difficult circumstances as many fled to the area.
As soon as the situation settled in Abidjan, the Kouamés returned to Abidjan eagerly to return to work and regain their lives. Unfortunately, both the economic and political instability have made their working conditions very restricted. Lea started back to work but hasn’t been paid since the fall of the government and Seraphin’s activities are only now picking up.
Their challenge is that on their return to their home they were demanded to pay the three months’ back rent since the crisis started. Unable to pay, they are already faced with eviction. The Kouamés $500 to be able to pay a security deposit and move into decent housing, where Seraphin can also have space take in sewing.
Nina Toyo, Abidjan
(The pictures are dark because the house has no electricity)
Seraphin’s pedal operated sewing machine in his home