Mar 19, 2026
Our own Fr Alan Neville MSC has been in touch from Rumbek, South Sudan, with a special message for our mission friends and benefactors here in the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.
Last summer, our mission friends here helped us to raise funds to support Fr Alan and the team at the Catholic University of South Sudan in Rumbek in their untiring efforts to support education, particularly for young women, in the region. In a country that has suffered so greatly, young people, especially young women, need to work extremely hard for their education, yet the benefits will help to build a brighter and stronger future for the next generation in Rumbek and beyond.
“This is a message of thanks to everybody who has been so generous in supporting the Mission Support Centre appeal last year for the Catholic University here,” says Fr Alan. “As you can see in the background, we are currently digging the foundations for a new teacher education block. Education here has a long way to go, there have been many decades of under-investment during the time of the Sudan government, and now the people are working very hard to build up primary and secondary education, and here we are working too to train secondary school teachers so they can go back to their communities and they can really lift up the young people they have there to help them to build their country.”
We join our voices with Fr Alan’s in thanking you all for your generosity and your solidarity, and we look forward to hearing more from the university as the progress continues.
Read more about Fr Alan’s ministry in South Sudan
Jul 24, 2025
Becky and her baby
CHANGE FOR GENERATIONS
Young women in South Sudan face severe challenges when it comes to education. Following decades of conflict and violence, it is one of the most difficult places in the world for girls to access education and complete their schooling.
- While figures are slightly improving, it remains that less than 40% of girls in South Sudan attend school.
- Over 50% of girls are married before the age of 18.
- Young women in South Sudan are often traded by their families for dowries in cattle. This “bride price” means the women are expected to stay at home and fulfil domestic duties with very little chance of education or progression.
- It is reported that a young girl in South Sudan is more likely to die in childbirth than she is to complete secondary school.
Sarah and her baby
MSCs SUPPORTING EDUCATION
Fr Alan Neville MSC is currently working as principal at the Catholic University in Rumbek, South Sudan. Along with the Loreto Rumbek primary and secondary schools, the team here work to champion education for women in the region. The benefits are tremendous, not only for the women themselves, but for their families, their communities, their children, and for future generations to come.
Dolla studies with her little girl, Nyanduer, and is also pregnant at the moment.
CAN YOU HELP?
A DAY IN THE LIFE…
Helena is 25 years old and is in her second year of a four-year Bachelor of Business Administration Degree. She has three other children along with six-month-old Isabella. Here, we learn more about what it’s like to be a young mother studying in South Sudan.
Helena and her baby, Isabella
An early start…
A day of study begins early for Helena and her fellow students. Hardly any South Sudanese people own their own car, and these women generally have to walk to classes, often carrying their baby with them. Their journeys are often long – one of the current female students walks about an hour and a half to get to her classes, and then home again afterwards.
High hopes
Most women are studying for a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), in the hope of starting their own business, or being employed by an NGO. Others are studying for a Bachelor of Education (BEd). Those studying to be teachers are extremely dedicated, as teaching is not a highly paid position, and it is not unheard of for teachers to receive no payment at all for months on end. Their desire is to educate, having worked so hard to gain that education for themselves.
Culture & climate
South Sudan is the youngest country in the world, and is still suffering the consequences of a civil war which ended in 2018. The women who have lived through this are remarkably resilient, but the lack of basic services, such as essential healthcare, presents difficulties. In addition, the climate can be challenging, with rainy season living up to its name, and intense heatwaves seeing temperatures reach over 40°C. It is not uncommon for the government to issue closure orders for schools when this happens, and in recent times, these mums have had to sit exams in stifling temperatures – often caring for a baby at the same time.
“During the day it is hot,” says Helena. “Our temperatures can go up to 42°C, so it is difficult to study. Our lecturers are very committed and we don’t miss a single class.”
Helena and Isabella
Overcoming financial challenges
Support systems
Being able to bring their babies to class is a key factor for the success of these young women. As well as partial funding, practical help is also available, such as the provision of baby kits and mats for babies to lie on while their mums study.
“When you are pregnant in other universities you are suspended, but here we are allowed to bring our babies with us and this really helps,” Helena explains.
Mary and her baby
Late-night study
Less than 9% of the population here has access to electricity in the home, and the sun sets every night by 6.00pm. Up until recently, students would study at home with only the light of a mobile phone to read by. A Late-Night Study programme now runs three evenings a week, allowing students to work in the library until 8.00pm. This has been helpful, but it is still taboo for a woman to be out after dark unaccompanied.
Empowering future generations
Without doubt, the women of South Sudan live a harsh life, but these students are resolved to get ahead and to create a brighter future for their own children. Veronica is studying for a BBA, pictured here with her son, Elly, who is currently working towards a BEd, and Elly’s sons.
Veronica with her son Elly and her grandchildren
Veronica stresses the vital importance of education, leading the way for her son, and now for her grandchildren too.
“Education is very important for so many things,” Veronica says. “If you are not educated, you are not going anywhere.”
PLEASE HELP US TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN SOUTH SUDAN
SUPPORTING WOMEN IN LEARNING
From the provision of baby kits and mats for infants to lie on in lectures, to scholarships and after-hours study with an electricity supply, the Catholic University in Rumbek is doing everything in their power to ensure that female students have every opportunity to finish their education, with the support of the MSC.
These women, with their incredible strength and determination, have big dreams for themselves and for their children. Your support is invaluable in helping us to help them.
Eliza and her baby
IF YOU CAN, PLEASE SUPPORT OUR 2025 SUMMER APPEAL
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