| On this important day, we remember that for Solidarity with South Sudan, charity is, first and foremost, about listening, caring and being close to others. It is not simply about providing handouts, nor is it a top-down solution, but rather the ability to empathize with people’s suffering, understand their real needs and walk alongside them to restore their dignity and independence. The story of Mama Alex, linked to the St Dominic Savio Nursery School and the Sustainable Agriculture Project (SAP-R) in Riimenze, is a concrete example of what it means to transform charity into a shared endeavour capable of generating hope.
 “Mama Alex, a mother of a pupil at St. Dominic Savio Nursery and Primary School at Riimenze, is one of many parents whose experience offers a concrete witness to synodality in action.
One morning, her child Alex, belonging to Pre Primary 1 Class Joy, was invited to accompany his mother to school for a meeting with the staff. During the conversation, the Kindergarten administration listened to Mama Alex and learned that she could not afford to buy her child’s school uniform because Alex real father was imprisoned in Congo, while his stepfather refused to provide the uniform. Mama Alex had no employment and is caring for her 2nd child and a seven-month-old baby.
The school initially offered her two possibilities: working in the school garden or at SAP-R Farm. However, neither option allowed her to bring her baby. Rather than ending the conversation there, the Kindergarten and SAP-R administration listened more deeply to her situation and entered into dialogue about how their projects could better respond to the needs of mothers like Mama Alex.
Through this process of listening, dialogue, and communal discernment, a solution emerged. Mothers with babies, as well as pregnant mothers, were given the opportunity to work in the crushing of ground nuts for Additives production at SAP-R compound, where they could safely bring their babies with them.
Parents who can work on SAP-R Farm are given priority so that they can earn an income to purchase school uniforms and pay school fees. An agreement was made whereby the foreman gives the parents’ daily wages directly to the cashier, helping them meet their financial responsibilities while ensuring that their children remain in school.
For the parents, this opportunity has become a source of gratitude, dignity, and hope. For the school community and SAP-R, it has become a concrete experience of what it means to walk together.
The story of Alex and her mother demonstrates that when we listen together to people’s lived experiences especially those who face difficulties; when we recognize our shared responsibility, and when we discern together, synodality becomes real.
(Sr. Agnes Lozano Marcelino, ICM – Riimenze Nursery School Supervisor)”
Accompanying communities means nurturing their potential, so that every individual can become free and the architect of their own story.
Walk alongside us!
DONATE
Other way to contribute
|
Date Published:
5 September 2026
Author:
Alice, officer
Article Tags:
Latest news, South Sudan, Solidarity, International Day of Charity, Contribute |
