“Many young women at risk of abuse and violence, orphans forced to take care of their younger siblings, often unable to attend school or study, single women, widows.”
This is the appeal to which the Our Home shelter in Rejat, run by the Sisters of Charity and supported by the Thouret Foundation, responds.
The mission of the Sisters of Charity is located about 7 km south of the capital Juba, in a village called Rejaf, where for years the sisters and Comboni fathers have served and helped many people.
Rejaf is one of the villages most damaged by the war, which has left so many people in situations of real misery.
What is most serious is that it is not only material poverty but also, and above all, intellectual poverty.
The current population is estimated to be around 5,000.
Many are single women and widows. Many girls are at risk of abuse and violence: they are orphans, sometimes forced to take care of their younger siblings, and most of the time unable to go to school because of their family situation or extreme poverty.
The Sisters of Charity were invited by the then archbishop, Comboni missionary Paolino Lukudo, to serve God’s people in the archdiocese of Juba.
The first sisters arrived in Rejaf, Juba, on 3 July 2012: They undertook the construction of the shelter and inaugurated it on 27 November 2018, commemorating the birth of Saint Giovanna Antida and naming it “Our Home”, a name that embodies the objective of the work, which is to make the young girls who are welcomed there feel at home and part of a family.
The programmes of Our Home include the care of orphaned and neglected girls, who are vulnerable to life on the streets and domestic violence, especially those who have lost both parents.
Preventing girls from abuse, exploitation and gender-based violence; educating and training them and offering them the opportunity to live a dignified life in a safe environment, protecting them and promoting their civil rights is what we seek to do.
What characterises this experience is certainly the creation of a good atmosphere and a climate of fraternity and friendship among the girls through the service and collaboration of the staff, who help them to grow in respect and love for themselves and others.
The young women are welcomed into the Our Home community and are accompanied in their daily lives, helped with their studies, at least until high school, and if necessary, receive psychological support.
by the Thouret Foundation
