11 Jul 2019
As our friends at Loreto Schools Rumbek draw the old school year to a close and look ahead to the new, we are delighted to hear that the schools are continuing to grow at a great rate, offering renewed hope and new opportunities to young women in South Sudan.
There are now over 1,000 children attending the primary school, with only 14 students dropping out in the last year. âThe secondary school also continues to be blessed and we are looking at an enrolment close to 350 this year,â writes Benjamin Sprunger, the Loreto Programs Manager. âWe also delivered well over half a million meals, and provided around 1,800 clinical consultations â mostly to women and children â during the yearâ, he continues.
Earlier this year, the Loreto secondary school was âflooded with young hopefulsâ as hundreds of young women arrived to complete the first stage of the secondary school intake process. âDuring 2019âs intake, we had 424 applicants, registering a 22% increase from last year,â explains the official Loreto website. âThis is the largest group since the school started and a great milestone for the Loreto Rumbek mission.â
Gaining a place at Loreto is a precious prize indeed for young women in the local region and beyond. The secondary school programme is a support system that encompasses far more than a simple education, with the provision of âthree daily meals, health care, uniforms, study and learning materials, 24/7 power and water, accommodation, protection and advocacy, psychosocial support and social development activities, and spiritual developmentâ. The Loreto website tell the story of one applicant, Mary Ayuen from Cuiebet, located 45km away. âMary explains, âI came two days ago and stayed with my friend in Rumbek because I didnât want to miss the interview. I want to be a doctor.â Mary is hopeful that her dreams to study at Loreto and to secure a bright future will come true.â
Of course, the Loreto community is far more than just a school â for many of these young women, it is family. All you need to do is look at these pictures of Sr Orla, the schoolâs principal, returning from her travels this summer, and it is very clear that pride, unity, and love are the mainstays of both teachers and students and the Loreto schools.
Sr Orla received a very warm welcome back to Loreto Rumbek following her travels this summer. (Image via the Loreto Schools Rumbek Facebook page.)
Sr Orla received a very warm welcome back to Loreto Rumbek following her travels this summer. (Image via the Loreto Schools Rumbek Facebook page.)
Sr Orla received a very warm welcome back to Loreto Rumbek following her travels this summer. (Image via the Loreto Schools Rumbek Facebook page.)
We at the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart are proud to support the Loreto team in the tremendous work that they do, both in the Loreto schools and their Health Care Unit. We are very pleased to hear that the schools are going from strength to strength, and we wish both staff and students a peaceful summer break ahead of the next busy academic year!
Sr Penina examines a young patient in the Loreto Primary Health Care Unit. (Image credit: Paul Jeffrey.)
A mother feeds her child as part of a feeding program for malnourished children and mothers run by the Loreto Primary Health Care Unit. (Image credit: Paul Jeffrey.)
Nicky, a volunteer from the US, attends to a young patient at the Loreto Primary Health Care Unit.
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart are proud to support the wonderful work done by the Loreto Sisters for the young women of South Sudan.
For more photographs and further information about Loreto Rumbek, visit their website or visit their Facebook page.
You can also find out more about how MSC Missions work with Loreto Rumbek – and how you can help to make a difference to the young women of South Sudan.