INDIA-AFRICA “We, Indian nuns in South Sudan awaiting Pope Francis”

The testimony of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate, a missionary congregation founded in Asia. Since 2012 he has been carrying out his ministry among the victims of the war in the African country that is preparing to receive the pontiff. The peace initiatives promoted among the people by the religious. Hna. Vijili Dali: “People expect reconciliation from the Pope. It is a very difficult challenge, but we believe that God will save the people from him.”

Mumbai () – Pope Francis left this morning for his third apostolic journey to sub-Saharan Africa, whose first stops are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. In this second country he will find a very significant reality of the missionary spirit of the Churches of Asia. South Sudan is, in fact, one of the African countries where the Daughters of Mary Immaculate (DMI) carry out their mission. It is a religious congregation founded in 1984 by the priest Arul Raj in India to “love God by serving the poor” and to spread the word of God throughout the world.

Less than forty years later, there are 553 Daughters of Mary Immaculate and they are in various African countries (Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Central African Republic) but also in Papua New Guinea. They arrived in South Sudan in 2012 and today serve in the Archdiocese of Juba and in the Dioceses of Wau, Rumbek and Malakal. Indian nuns had to face the dramatic and bloody civil war that broke out in 2013 and has left millions of people displaced, and they immediately began to work on the front line for the dignity of people by providing food, shelter, medical services and education for children. But they also dedicated themselves to forming self-help groups in the villages. Known as peace groups, this powerful strategy has transformed the lives of more than 15,000 families by ensuring their economic and social self-sufficiency.

The Daughters of Mary Immaculate have founded 22 community schools in the villages around Juba, where 18,000 children study. A professional school has already trained more than 1,200 young people, providing technical skills but also special courses on peace and reconciliation, leadership and small business management. They have helped 6,600 families to start agricultural production on 2,500 acres of land allocated by local leaders. The sisters themselves have created a 6-acre model farm enterprise where 4,000 farmers have been trained in sustainable farming practices. They also organized two reception centers for women and prevention of gender violence, which received more than 320 women in rehabilitation programs.

Seeds thrown in a context that continues to be deeply marked by war. “Today South Sudan seems to be at peace – says Sr. Vijili Dali, responsible for the mission of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate in the country, but in some regions there are still clashes from time to time. Especially in Malakal, in the Upper Nile state, the conflict does not subside. And until the country is safe, investors will not be interested in bringing in money for economic development.”

What does South Sudan expect from Pope Francis? “The population hopes that it will bring reconciliation between the two groups of President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar – answers the superior of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate – so that people can live in peace and harmony. But it also awaits the return of the large NGOs to the country, to launch development programs in education, food security and infrastructure. People believe that the Holy See can influence some countries to help the government. Half of the population still lives outside the country, more than 20% camp in the mountains: we must support their return, so that the community can come back to life”.

However, they are demanding challenges: “I have been here for ten years – concludes Sr. Vijili Dali – and I have understood how difficult it is to build peace. Tribalism is still deeply rooted, they are willing to lose their lives for the affirmation of their tribe. This mindset doesn’t help. But we continue to believe that in South Sudan too God will work the miracle of saving the people from him.”