Physician and philanthropist Dr. P.J. came to be a dedicated supporter of SRF through his longtime friendship with Dr. Tom Catena, founder of Mother of Mercy Hospital in Nuba.

Dr. Tom with his wife and children.

Dr. P.J. has worked tirelessly in support of the hospital since its inception in 2008. At home, he
helps with funding and delivery coordination of critically needed medical supplies to the region.
And each year, he spends a few weeks volunteering on location and assisting with surgeries at Mother of Mercy Hospital. His on-the-ground observations
from a recent trip provide a sobering look at the realities on the ground — and the difference that our support makes.

“Issues I’m dealing with daily include shortages of everything, such as fuel, vehicles, and staff that makes distributing medications in a war zone difficult,” he noted, adding “but we’re getting it done.”

Getting supplies to Nuba requires meticulous logistical planning. The most recent shipment took five flights of a five ton cargo plane flying over the Sudd, the world’s largest swamp, to reach a landing strip in a refugee camp just south of the Sudanese border.

This lifesaving delivery was then trucked to a warehouse in Nuba, which Dr. P.J. reported as “dry, clean, and well organized”. From here it is distributed to clinics and hospitals as quickly as possible before the rainy season makes roads impassable.

Amid this hard work, Dr. P.J. was able to spend some personal time visiting with Dr. Tom and his wife Nasima. Their growing family now includes a second adopted child — Vincent Moses Catena — who was celebrating his first birthday and taking his first steps during this visit between old friends.

Dr. P.J. on his last visit to the Nuba
mountains.

School children with their teacher.

The Sisters of the Sacred Heart arrived in Juba with a simple but profound mission: to bring Christ’s love and hope to children who had known only hardship.
The Sisters have been focusing their efforts into developing Redeemer Nursery and Primary School here into a safe place where children can receive both an education and the encouragement to believe in a brighter future.

The school has become an anchor of stability in a region scarred by the devastation of war. For families who fled violence with nothing but the clothes on their backs, Redeemer School represents more than lessons in reading and math. It represents dignity, opportunity, and hope.

When Redeemer School first opened its doors this year, the Sisters welcomed 400 students. In just a short span of time, enrollment skyrocketed to over 700 children as displaced families fled into the region to escape fierce fighting between troops nearby.

The Sisters turned to SRF, and its loyal supporters delivered. Your funding will help build an additional classroom, as well as providing desks, so that no child must be turned away during this desperate time.

The Redeemer School is a beacon of hope in one of the world’s most difficult places. With the Sisters’ loving dedication and your kind support, children here are learning that they are not forgotten—that God has a plan for their lives.

SRF staff inspecting a new school building.

Hope will soon be springing from the ground in Rimenze.

A new submersible well, funded by SRF, is being drilled on the grounds of Our Lady of Assumption School. Once complete, it will supply life-sustaining drinking, cooking, and cleaning water to the people here, including tens of thousands of refugees who’ve flocked for shelter from nearby battle zones.

Under the loving watch of the Brothers of Christian Instruction, Our Lady of Assumption has become an oasis in an area clearly in need of one. In addition to funding the boring of the new well, the Brothers have partnered with SRF to expand classroom and dormitory spaces to build out a well-rounded campus serving local children, refugees, and a large orphan population.

Rising from the ashes of years of civil war and unrest which left Rimenze devastated, the school has rapidly become known as the premier educational institution in the region. A massive 70% of the region’s children had nowhere to go and were not attending class or receiving any instruction at all – an unsustainable statistic for the future of South Sudan or any nation.

Our Lady of Assumption students.

Today, more than 1,000 vulnerable children are receiving a quality education here. More importantly, the school — and soon, its new well — has become a beacon of stability and positivity that many believed would never be possible in this battered region.