SOUTH SUDAN (SSSA)

SOUTH SUDAN (SSSA)

South Sudan Sisters’ Association (SSSA) is an ecclesial Association of Sisters which relates to the Sacred Congregation of Religious Women. It is located in Juba City and it is the youngest association in the Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa, (ACWECA) region. Formally SSSA was part of the Sudan Sisters’ Association (SSA) which was founded in the year 1982 in Juba as the first Association of Religious Women in the Sudan. By August 1983, the SSA joined the Sisters of East Africa Study Conference (SEASC) during the 6th Conference.

From 1983 to 1991 the Association worked very well with active participation of all the sisters in the Sudan. Unfortunately, the long war situation (21 years) brought the Association to a standstill in its original founding place. All the activities halted and the majority of member Sisters left the country, leaving only the local Congregation of the Sacred Heart Sisters who could not function by themselves as an association. However, from 1992-1997, the Association reactivated in Khartoum – Sudan, which continued up to the present time.

But following the cessation of the South Sudan from the main Sudan in 2011, in which South Sudan became an independent Country, the Sisters in this New Country needed to be alone and could no longer be part or attached to the Sudan Sisters Association. This is the reason why South Sudan Sisters Association (SSSA) came to be born in 2013. The then Secretary General of ACWECA, Sr. Catherine Okari came to South Sudan and officially announced that the SSSA could now function separately from that of Sudan and with this, South Sudan Sisters Association became the ninth and the youngest Association in the ACWECA Region.

In 2014 South Sudan Sisters Association participated in the ACWECA General Assembly for the first time as a body during the 16th Plenary Assembly after the association was officially launched.

Currently, there are thirty (30) different religious Congregations with about 150 Sisters serving in the country. Most of these religious congregations came in after the signing of the Naivasha Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005. The Association has a membership of both local (4) and international (26) congregations. But in 2017, some congregations again closed their communities due to insecurity in the country.

The election of the Executive body of the Association in 2013 was the first activity after the trauma healing workshop implemented by the association. Other activities conducted by the Association so far include the following:

Activities
  • Executive Meetings
  • Program on early marriage in schools by the DMI Sisters
  • Program on child protection/trafficking
  • Home visits
  • Retreats and celebrations
  • Monthly recollections
  • General Assemblies
Challenges
  • Few members of local congregations
  • Lack of road network which cannot allow all member sisters to convene for activities easily.
  • Poor means of communication since not all areas in South Sudan are covered with the telephone networks.
  • Expensive means of transport, example, by plane
  • Lack of finance to facilitate movement and activities as planned
Vision of the SSSA

Within the Universal Church, the Association will work for the welfare of community Enlightenment towards Christ and will provide a basis for Christ’s foundation in the Country in order to take the word of God to their hearts and minds.

The Mission:

Focus on pursuit of Christ’s teaching and open each and everyone to the action of the Spirit of Christ.

Core Values:
  • Unity
  • Co-operation
  • Mutual respect and Trust
  • Gender sensitivity
  • Transparency and Accountability
  • Participatory and Honesty.
Conclusion

The SSSA works in close collaboration with the Religious Superiors Association of South Sudan (RSASS). The Association is fully registered under Faith Based Organisations (FBO) with its own constitution. The Association is working hard to strengthen its position as a national sisters’ association in South Sudan.

Contact Information

 

Address: C/O Sacred Heart Sisters,

P.O. Box 214,

Juba –South Sudan

 Tel: +211925728240 or +211920888208

 Email: sssajuba@gmail.com/

sreginachan@yahoo.com