Questions and answers with Sr. Esther Ezedinachi, who supports victims of violence in Nigeria

Sr. Esther Ezedinachi of the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus in the Nigerian diocese of Ekwulobia in the southeastern state of Anambra runs Ancillacare, which provides emergency humanitarian assistance, food, clothing and medical care to homeless, impoverished and mentally disabled people who are victims of violence in southeastern Nigeria.

Ezedinachi was born in December 1956 to the late Jerome Ezedinachi couple, both merchants, in Benin City, the capital of Edo State, Nigeria. At the age of 5, she moved to Anambra State to live with her paternal grandmother in Nimo, a small town where she attended St. Mary's Primary School, Egbengwu, Nimo, and obtained her school leaving certificate in 1972. She then attended Abbot Girls Secondary School, Ihiala, where she obtained a West African Council Examination leaving certificate in 1977.

Speaking to Global Sisters Report at the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus Convent in Umuchukwu, a small village in Anambra State, she said her ordination was not a coincidence but divine providence. Her desire for a religious life began to blossom while she was still in primary school in her hometown of Nimo.

“Even in elementary school, I felt the urge to devote myself to a religious life,” she said.

She faced strong opposition from her mother, who wanted her to marry, but she was not interested. She decided to seek the help of her cousin, who gave her a letter of recommendation to enter the religious life.

After completing high school in 1977, Ezedinachi enrolled at the Federal Polytechnic Oko where she studied Educational Biology and obtained a Nigeria Certificate in Education in 1993. She then attended Abia State University and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Educational Management and Planning in 2005.

She joined the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus in 1978 and took her first vows at St. Anne's Cathedral, Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom in 1980. She returned to take her final vows in 1987.

Ezedinachi celebrated the silver jubilee of her first profession in 2005. She has worked as a teacher and social worker in many communities. She says that this was easy for her because of her special love for the less privileged in society.

She founded her mission Ancillacare in 2021 and since then she has been active at least twice a week, especially on Sundays, distributing hot meals to needy and marginalized members of society. Some of them are homeless, have developed mental health problems and are at risk of being injured, kidnapped or killed in their communities.

GSR: What motivated you to create your ministry Ancillacare?

Ezedinachi: I do this because I felt compassion when I saw this suffering and spiritually [disabled] Men and women in the marketplaces and streets, and there seemed to be practically no one to care for them. I could not contain my feelings, so I took up the apostolate, becoming a beggar in the process, to give them something to eat.

This situation greatly affects people's psyche as they live in constant fear, so we give them hope by encouraging them through counseling and physical interaction.

What motivated me to start the service was simply my desire to do something that would strengthen their humanity by alleviating their suffering, showing them human love, giving them something to eat and drink, even if it should not be so regular, providing them with medical assistance. [treatment] and to dress them too.

What does your motto as a nun mean: “Nourish Christ through them”?

Christ taught us to love and care for one another. By his example, he fed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. He cared for their physical ailments. This act also inspired me to care for the needs of these spiritually [disabled] Men and women in the marketplaces and streets and even in their homes.

Many people who suffer from depression do not recognise it as such. Others turn to drugs such as codeine instead of medication, which are often unaffordable. How big is the problem and how do you address it with your work?

Depression is a mental illness that is often attributed to witchcraft in Nigerian society and this is a big problem, so I am working to establish a rehabilitation centre for people in this situation to provide rehabilitation services and reintegrate them into their communities and families.

Would you say that the problem of violence is more social than spiritual?

The violence is both physical and mental, but it has a stronger spiritual character because here in the southeastern United States there is fear of armed militias maiming and killing unarmed citizens.

You offer young people training to become trauma and grief counselors. Who are these people?

We have over 50 local counsellors here in this room, young men and women (points). We train them to counsel people in this situation. They are local people who meet some of them on a regular basis. We offer this training in order to have enough people on the ground who can help counsel and guide these young men and women who have been displaced and are wandering from one place to another.

How do you manage to stay afloat?

In all that we do, we trust in the divine providence that our foundress, Mother Mary Charles Magdalene Walker, Servant of God, held throughout her life as she loved and served the poor.

Is there a spiritual connection between your Catholic faith and your work?

Christ said, “Whatever you do to the least of these, it is done to him” (Matthew 25:40). So the apostolate consists in doing what God wants us to do.

What advice do you give to people facing insecurity and humanitarian challenges in their community, and how does your work serve as a model for other sisters working in Africa and around the world?

My advice is to encourage them to remain faithful to their missions and always stand up for the truth. Our mission is to be a shining example that others can emulate or encourage. Feeding the poor in Christ is an apostolate that “illuminates” the life of Christ in various ramifications.