Catholic nuns in Mauritania are working on the frontlines of a growing humanitarian crisis, caring for newborn babies left behind after their migrant mothers died in childbirth.
At St Joseph’s parish in the capital, Nouakchott, one of only two Catholic churches in the Muslim-majority nation, the Welcome Office run by Sister Marie-Ange Ndayishimiye has become a lifeline for desperate families arriving from conflict-torn neighbouring countries.
Many arrive from bordering countries penniless, homeless, and unable to support themselves.
“We have had more than six people suffering from depression – these patients run away, disappear and sometimes leave small children behind,” Sister Marie-Ange explained to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), a Catholic charity.
“We are also seeing an increase in deaths among pregnant women during or after childbirth, leaving behind babies.”
The sisters provide infant formula, clothes, nappies, and mosquito nets for the babies, while also distributing hygiene kits and food parcels to families.
They care for both Catholic and Muslim migrants—many of them women and children—while husbands often travel ahead to more prosperous countries.
The needs are growing, however, and the strain is clear.
Sister Marie-Ange told ACN: “We are a little overwhelmed by migrants who can no longer work and who must survive solely on aid. Too many pregnant women to rescue, some give birth by caesarean section, families to be cared for and fed.”
The work of the sisters is backed by ACN, which has supported St Joseph’s since 1947.
Beyond emergency aid, the Welcome Office also offers pastoral programmes, literacy groups for women of both faiths, and microcredit schemes to help families start small businesses.
Migrants also receive help finding work, although language barriers remain particularly challenging for English-speaking arrivals.
Christians are being asked to pray and act on behalf of displaced people, particularly those seeking refuge from armed conflict and oppression.
For Sister Marie-Ange, the mission is both practical and spiritual.
“We entrust ourselves to prayers and remain hopeful for a better change in the current situation,” she told ACN.
