Hope and Action for the Earth: Riimenze needs your support!

Dear General Superiors and General Councils,

Many greetings of peace from Solidarity with South Sudan.

We are deeply grateful for the ongoing support that you give to our intercongregational program that responds to the call of the Bishops of South Sudan, first given in 2006. Solidarity continues to be relevant today in a country that is still struggling to recover from decades of civil war and that is in dire need of support.

One aspect of our mission has come more into focus in recent years and is now a significant part of our new Strategic Plan (2024-2027). This is the realization that millions in our country are so dependent on the vagrancies of the environment. This can take the form of mass migration due to flooding, hunger due to drought, violent conflict due to cattle owners seeking pasture among the fields and crops of farmers. Pope Francis reminds us in Laudato Sì that the ecological crisis is deeply intertwined with the suffering of the most vulnerable. This truth is sadly evident in South Sudan.

Our major initiative in the area of protecting the environment, promoting agriculture sustainability, rural livelihoods, crop diversity and resilience in the face of climate change is in our Sustainable Agricultural Project in Riimenze. Since its inception in 2009, this project has benefitted the lives of thousands of families, improved agricultural practices and promoted the empowermen of rural women. We are embarking on a new 3-year plan for this project. The new phase will directly reach 800 households (500 women-led) and will improve agricultural productivity and food security for the entire community, with a particular focus on malnourished children and the elderly. We will continue to introduce animal husbandry among a people that have no tradition of this practice in the past. The new phase of the project places also a special emphasis on increasing household income, along with improving opportunities for women by creating more economic possibilities for them and their families.

In order to guarantee continuity to the SAP-R project we need to raise $104.589 per year for the next 3 years. Every donation, whether large or small, enables the success of this project, helping local farmers to better their lot while embedding good environmental protection practices. It is one concrete way in which we can help. Working together in this effort in South Sudan, we can make a real contribution to creating a more just and sustainable future for our planet.

Inspired by Laudato Sì, we continue to highlight good environmental practices in all our projects by:

Educating: Each new batch of trainee teachers, nurses, and midwives are being equipped with knowledge on climate change and its mitigation strategies. Students, through our ‘green clubs’ create Laudato Sì initiatives aimed at caring for our Mother Earth. Each year many initiatives take place, such as the activity of planting trees with primary school children or recycling waste materials.
Empowering: We are showing a new generation of teachers, nurses and pastoral agents that can be agents of change by promoting sustainable farming practices, avoiding unnecessary use of plastic, caring for the environment.
Inspiring: We are fostering ecological consciousness among religious leaders through Laudato Sì workshops, encouraging them to become stewards of creation.

Your prayers, financial help and generosity have been instrumental in supporting our work. Solidarity with South Sudan is a collective commitment, a testimony to the power of interreligious collaboration in the service of the South Sudanese people!

Once again, we come to you because we need your help and we hope you’ll consider supporting us again in making a difference.

Sincerely,

Br. Emili Turu Rofes,

President, Solidarity with South Sudan

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