Solidarity South Sudan

The annual assembly of Solidarity South Sudan was held on 2 December online.
Fr Jim Greene, Executive Director of Solidarity, presented an overview of the project at present. Below is an excerpt from his speech.

This year 2021, we are celebrating the 10th Anniversary of independence of South Sudan and the 13th year of presence of Solidarity in the country. Celebrations of independence were muted with people proud to be independent but yearning for a durable peace.

Unfortunately, 2021 has seen continued violence in the country. We could say that South Sudan is a country that struggles on many fronts.

Our presence

Solidarity with South Sudan is an act of faith with modest gestures. Our projects are small in size when compared with the enormity of the challenges. We are 19 religious men and women in a country of 12 million people.

• Since 2010 we have trained 181 nurses and 87 midwives.
• We have also formed 734 primary school teachers both in our preservice and in-service programmes. Recently the government said that they urgently needed 27,000 trained teachers to implement their new curriculum in Primary education.
• In our pastoral department, we have held innumerable workshops on trauma healing, peacebuilding and the formation of lay leaders and priests.
• In Riimenze, we have offered a safe haven to over 7,000 Internally Displaced people over the years of insecurity and through our farm we are offering a sustainable agriculture and livelihoods program to neighbouring parishes, with 50% of the participants being women.

Solidarity is also about hope, that in forming small numbers of teachers, nurses, farmers and pastoral agents, we are making a difference and building the capacity of this country in view of a better future. As we look on South Sudan with faith and commitment, know that many are looking to us with hope and expectation.

Need for Personnel

I would like to remind you of the basic resource that enables Solidarity carry out its Mission of Capacity building - personnel.

We are continuously in need of volunteers, religious men, women and laypeople who will come and work with us.

Specifically, we are appealing for:

• Nurse tutors - those who can form nurses and midwives
• Teacher tutors - those who are qualified to form primary school teachers
• People who have a passion and qualification in agriculture - to teach others in the way of sustainable and ecologically friendly agriculture
• Retreat giver and spiritual director

If you think your congregation can offer some of the people we need or contribute financially to the project, you can contact Fr. David Gentry, from our Rome office: missionpromoter@solidarityssudan.org 

Jim Greene MAfr