Talking Mission - Abraham Muma

Can you please introduce yourself and the work that you do in the Diocese of Mpika, Zambia?

I am Abraham Muma. I’m a clinical officer by profession, and I am the project manager for the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health project in the Diocese of Mpika in Zambia. I was working for a private NGO when Bishop Edwin summoned me to go to the Diocese to become the project manager for this maternal health project, because there was a strong need in the area for maternal and child health.

When I looked at the challenges the mothers and communities were facing in the area of maternal health, I was touched, and I wanted to support them because I had the skills, the knowledge, and the attitude to make a difference in the lives of the people in the Diocese.

Could you share how this experience is both professionally significant and personally meaningful for you?

As a young boy, being a Catholic, I had that passion to serve people and the community. So, during my younger, formative years, I was thinking of becoming a priest, which is more to do with giving and with mission.

After training in the seminary, I was ready to go and serve as a priest. But later on, a second thought struck my mind. That thought was about helping people in a different way. Because at that time, when I was completing my seminary studies, our country was hit by the HIV and AIDS crisis.

There were so many people in need, and so many who were dying in hospitals, they were full of patients. My focus changed from saving souls to saving the community, and to serving in the hospitals. So, I went for training in medical school. From there, I was ready to go into the field to help my brothers and sisters.

There is that drive in me that pushes me further. When I was called by the Bishop of Mpika Diocese, Bishop Edwin, and he shared his dream, I was convinced that I was going to be the main actor, I was going to be the protagonist in this unfolding story.

I quickly took up this opportunity and dived into the mission, working on this project, doing the baseline assessment, so that the dream of the Bishop, which is part of his mission, would be realised through me as one of the main actors in that dream.

Would you say that Bishop Edwin’s mission today is also your mission?

Actually, the Bishop’s mission is my mission too, because being a Catholic, we believe our bishops are the shepherds and we are the sheep, and the shepherd directs the sheep. I’m just sharing in the ministry of the Bishop’s dream, so that at the end of the day, people may live life to the fullest. People may have hope restored in their hearts.

Given that the project has a Catholic component, it’s not just any facility, but a mission hospital, what do you think that adds to the project?

The mission of the Church is, first of all, the healing of souls. And what we are doing in this mission hospital is imitating Christ today. Christ was healing and giving hope to those who were downtrodden.

When our people come to these mission hospitals, we want them to leave with a lot of hope. We want to see them liberated from the things that afflict them, whether mentally, socially, or economically. The mission hospital, for us, is a fountain of hope for our communities.

Within the community, how is the mission hospital and the Church’s work in the Diocese of Mpika received? How is it perceived by the people?

These mission hospitals, they are not just hospitals. They are a hub of activities, and many activities in those communities centre around the mission hospital. There, you would find a school and shops, and also a lot of activity happening at that facility.

Disease is so mighty, it has a lot of power to diminish a person’s well-being and dignity. These hospitals are a refuge for the afflicted, a place where people who are sick receive treatment, recover, and return to their community. For those who are coming to the end of life, we provide a safe place, an environment where they can pass peacefully.

So, for me, it’s like a full circle of life, where some are entering the world, like the babies, and others who are leaving this world are also passing through.

We are giving hope to both. Those who are dying, they die with Christ. Those who are born, they are born with Christ. In my work as project manager, I emphasise to all the workers that come into this institution: there are two things.

Number one, you have to see Christ in the sick, and the sick should see Christ in you.

That is the maxim, that is the principle that governs the healthcare workers within our mission hospitals and in the community.