S.M.A. opens new Africa House in Amsterdam

The Society for African Missions will open a new Africa House in Amsterdam on January 1st. It will be located in the church of the All Saints parish in Amsterdam-Zuidoost, which is closely associated with the SMA. From this new Africa House, the community in Amsterdam will work to support migrant communities and undocumented migrants.

In the past, the SMA also had an Africa House in Amsterdam. At the time, it was located on Van Ostadestraat in the De Pijp neighborhood, along with the All Saints Parish. A few years ago, the parish had to move, and with it, the Africa House closed. For the past thirteen years, the SMA has worked from the Diaconal Center Stap Verder to help Africans in Amsterdam and the surrounding area who need help and support. Starting January 1st, these activities will continue from the new Africa House on Millingenhof.

New missionaries
The SMA is able to take this step because several younger fathers from various African countries and the Philippines have arrived in the Netherlands in recent years. They bring new energy and a fresh perspective on the future. Their arrival is a result of the SMA's general board in Rome's desire that the Society, despite the advanced age of the Dutch fathers, should not disappear from our country.

The SMA community has therefore been supplemented with several priests from abroad. Currently, four international SMAs are active in the Netherlands, and a fifth may soon follow. They will take over tasks from the Dutch priests, both in Amsterdam and at the Mission House in Cadier en Keer, thus offering the SMA a new future in our country. The expansion of the team in Amsterdam-Zuidoost has created space for a restart of the Africa House. From here, the SMA priests and the coordinator will work with African migrants, both documented and undocumented, who need assistance.