Fr Alan Neville MSC has been living, working, and ministering in Rumbek, South Sudan, for the past five years. Joining forces with Sr Orla Treacy and the Loreto Sisters in Rumbek, Fr Alan works closely with the Loreto schools and medical facilities to generate positive change for the young people of South Sudan, and for vulnerable young women in particular. He is also principal at the Catholic University in Rumbek, where he and his team champion the rights of young women to receive a third-level education in a country where these opportunities are extremely scarce. Student grants, after-hours study programmes, and the option to bring babies and young children to classes are just some of the ways in which this is made possible.
Â
With over half of young South Sudanese girls married before the age of 18, it is reported that a young woman in South Sudan is more likely to die in childbirth than she is to complete secondary school. Fr Alan works alongside the Loreto Sisters and the university community to give these young women the chance of a positive and fulfilling future, for themselves, for their families, and for their society.Â