Solidarity and hope for South Sudan

Born in Ireland, Sister Patricia Murray is a Loreto Sister and the Executive Director of an organisation called Solidarity with South Sudan.
As news reports tell of continuing violence and dispute in Africa’s newest nation, Sister Patricia is adamant that its story of hope and peace-building find its rightful place in the news, and in the history of the country, which she says, has enormous potential to develop.
Sister Patricia told Linda Bordoni that “Solidarity with South Sudan” is a consortium of more than 170 religious congregations, and carries forward a number of projects to train teachers, nurses and pastoral personnel in different locations throughout South Sudan.
She explains that “Solidarity” is an act of communion between religious institutes of men and women, which are members of the Unions of Superiors General and the Church in South Sudan under the direction of the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
And as is illustrated on the organisation’s website, after decades of civil war, when the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed in January 2005, the bishops of South Sudan invited the USG/UISG to consider the needs of their people. Following a consultative process it became clear that projects related to education, health and pastoral care are needed if the goals of the CPA are to be achieved.
Sister Patricia says that for many South Sudanese, the only reality they have ever known is that of war, and today, together with the witness and the committed action of religious, they are starting to rebuild their lives, their communities and their societal structures.
She also highlights the fact that reconciliation and promoting mutual understanding is at the heart of “Solidarity”’s mission. And while violence continues to reap innocent victims in different parts of the nation, Sister Patricia reiterates her hope for a solid future of peace and development for the nation.
She says that as a religious organisation, “Solidarity” is working in conjunction with the different departments of the South Sudan, “both at an institutional level for education and health, and at a local level”. And she says “it’s these kind of partnerships that will bring about the future development that’s so badly needed, because this is such a young population, and there are great expectations”. “When you are young” she points out – “you expect that peace and the fruits of the new nation will come almost immediately”, but realistically, it takes time.
She appeals to the international news media to interpret the news in a historical and present day context. And also to not neglect to name all the good things that are happening: “all the programmes for women that are happening on the ground, trauma healing, peace building movements happening at various dioceses. All sorts of training to up-skill people.
And Sister Patricia appeals to donors and to the international community to help resource education in South Sudan. This is the peace dividend: when young people can see there are opportunities in training and in education.
And – she continues – this is also where the international business community has a role to play because at the moment there are so few employers in South Sudan, because there is no industrial base.
Listen to the full interview…

(photo by "Solidarity with South Sudan" depicting network member Sister Betty teaching an English class)