MAISON SARA: Giving hope to the old
The center caters for those of the third age who have been abandoned by their families and left to fend for themselves
By Clarice TARKANG
The home was named after Sarah, Abraham's wife in the bible who gave birth at ninety. It is used to symbolize the fact that old age does not signify dead age! Set amidst the lush green vegetation of the equatorial forest, the beautiful green and brown jewel is situated at the heart of the catholic mission Akono, and a few meters from the College Stoll. A well mowed lawn and lovely flowers in their well kept beds receive the visitor, giving the place a feeling of warmth and peace, very much needed by the old.
The center for old people is an initiative of the Sisters of the Cross Congregation in Strasbourg France. According to the overseer Sister Anne Michelle, it takes care of aged men and women who have abandoned by their families, no longer able to meet their needs. The situation is even more acute in a context where most are barely able to make ends meet. It went operational in February 2008 and was inaugurated by Social Affairs Minister Catherine Bakang Mbock in June 27 of the same year.
Living Together
The pensioners come from Akono itself and also from the surrounding environs. They include widows, widowers, the sick and those who were forced to leave their homes which were destroyed in the process of constructing the Yaoundé - Kribi road, to pass through the area. The home also plays host to former workers of the mission who after many years of services rendered, have no place to retire to. The sisters of the mission go in search of this category of people and take them to the center, after informing their families. On very rare occasions are their loved ones allowed to leave them at the home.
The old people occupy six out of the twelve rooms of the center, with two in each room. The center meets all the needs, financial and otherwise. The pensioners are fed three times a day with a wide variety of foods ranging from African to European. They are also given snacks between meals. Like one of them said, they are treated with love and warmth and made to feel at home. The cohabitation has brought them in contact with people from different horizons. The laundry is taken care of and their families are allowed to visit them when ever they want to.
Giving a helping hand
The Maison Sara was built with the intention of helping the old people of Akono and its surroundings, most of whom lived in crumbling dilapidated huts. As the manager Sister Anne Michelle explained, the was also the need to train the locals who will take over from the foreigners when they return to their countries of origin. The health center which is adjacent to the home was constructed with the aim of preventing the people from trekking long distances in order to get medical help. The was also the desire to preserve continuity and unity between the people and the motherhouse abroad. The center employs two nurses, a cook and two cleaners.
The old people are kept at the home until they pass away, during which period the center ensures that all modalities related to that event are met, after the families have been duly informed.
In a place where old people are most often than not considered a burden, the Sara Home is like a welcome source of hope and a breath of fresh air. Like Sister Anne Michelle observed, it is to ensure that the pensioners spend the rest of their lives in comfortable conditions. The catholic mission through the center has seen to this, making it possible for the old to believe in life again. Like someone once said, there is always hope, even at ninety.
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