New Education Centre To Open Career Opportunities at Loreto Rumbek
Bridging the Education Gap
Construction is nearly complete on a two-story building slated to become the Education Centre at the Loreto Rumbek school campus in South Sudan.
The Centre, expected to open in mid February, will house a variety of activities and programs, including a number of vocational courses designed to benefit the community and enhance career opportunities for the people of Rumbek.
Adults will be able to take English classes, computer literacy courses, and learn occupational skills such as tailoring, to help men and women of the community achieve self-sustaining careers and build a skilled community workforce.
Sister Orla Treacy, a longtime partner of Sudan Relief Fund, is the principal of Loreto Schools and directs the campus activities. Sister Orla has long operated on the premise that education is the key to lifting people from poverty and empowering them for successful futures. For many marginalized citizens of South Sudan, attaining valuable career skills isn’t possible without programs like this one at the new Education Centre.
In addition to a co-ed primary school, the secondary school is blazing new paths for girls to achieve educational equality in South Sudan. A health clinic on the campus also serves both the school and the public at large, and is partially staffed by graduates and alumni of the school, who return after completing university degrees.
Raising up a New Generation for Peace
Over 90 youths from Loreto Schools participated in a pilgrimage walk for peace, traversing nearly 80 miles over several days from Rumbek to Tonj, South Sudan. Their theme was “Be Seeds of Hope,” focused on changing the divisive narrative and igniting a generation of adults committed to a peaceful, unified South Sudan.
Students from different tribes and regions come together from all over the country to learn side by side at Loreto Schools, where part of their holistic education includes an emphasis on being one student body of one South Sudan.
As the students traveled from village to village, they stopped at parishes along the way to visit with priests and local residents, carrying their message that included teachings from the Pope’s visit to South Sudan in February of last year.
Internship Program Helps Students Achieve Higher Ed
The Internship Program at Loreto Schools is considered one of its most successful initiatives. Recent graduates serve two years working at the school in career-related capacities such as education or healthcare, after which they receive scholarships allowing them to attend any college or university in Nairobi.
The exchange of volunteer work for future higher education makes attending college or university possible for students who couldn’t otherwise go. Investing in these young people is a win-win, as many return to their home communities or to Loreto Rumbek to serve with their new skills acquired from their college degrees. This inspires other young people to pursue their dreams of higher education and brings a skilled workforce into communities.
This year’s interns gathered for a retreat in Mombasa by the sea, where they spent three days being mentored in key areas of personal and professional development, before returning to begin their third semester of college.
Sudan Relief Fund remains proud to partner with Loreto Schools and support their mission to empower South Sudan’s youth through holistic education and vocational training. Thank you for helping to make this transformation possible.
