Life

Helping young people put faith and mercy into action

Young people often get a bad press, but a Sisters of Mercy project is giving some a chance to keep hope alive for those less fortunate than themselves, writes Sister Deirdre Mullan

Children in Sugu, Nigeria are looking forward to a new school through the Sisters of Mercy project
Children in Sugu, Nigeria are looking forward to a new school through the Sisters of Mercy project Children in Sugu, Nigeria are looking forward to a new school through the Sisters of Mercy project

TEN years ago, I received a telephone call at the office of Mercy Global Concern at the United Nations, asking me if I would be willing to address the Leadership Assembly of secondary students from schools sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy.

"We want to expand the students' horizons and in particular focus on the plight of other girls worldwide," they said.

As a passionate promoter of girls' education and a member of the United Nations working group on girls, I immediately agreed.

The following week, I drove to Philadelphia and a short time later the concept of the Mercy Girl Effect was born.

I also introduced the programme to some schools in Northern Ireland.

Since then, several schools have been proactive in doing what they can to make a difference in the lives of girls and vulnerable children in the developing world.

During the annual four-day gathering, which is open to between four and six student leaders from secondary schools, the participants are invited to take some assessment of their leadership skills and learn how to work as a group when they return to their respective schools.

In addition, the students are given factual exposure to what is happening globally to girls their age or younger.

Finally, students make a commitment to a project, recognising that it is not enough to be compassionate; we must also act.

It is not enough to be compassionate; we must also act

The United Nations has been a great source of help to our work as they have been documenting the plight and situation of girls across the globe for the past 40 years.

In recent years, they have also been documenting terrorist attacks on girls' schools.

Each year for the past 10 years, we have focused on a specific education project, working with a Sister on the ground in different parts of the globe.

The people in the local scene determine what they need and how we can collaborate to make a difference. For example:

  • Our very first project saw the building of the first of many small schools in rural Cambodia. Two Derry schools, Thornhill College and St Cecilia's College, were the main agents of change for this project. Schools in the United States were responsible for the building of five more and we received welcome help from St Columb's College in Derry.
  • Next we helped the Nuba mountain people of Sudan, working in close collaboration with an Australian Sister of Mercy. When the school in Nuba was bombed, students from St Brigid's College in Derry and St Mary's High School in Downpatrick helped, with their co-workers in the United States, by replacing the roof. St Mary's College in Derry and students in Donegal also gave aid to Sister Cathy when she visited by providing money for food, scholarships and school uniforms.
  • Responding to a request from Sisters in Zambia - who told us that students had no chance of school beyond the age of 12 - we raised significant monies to enable the construction of a small secondary school in Kaleya, Zambia.
  • At the moment, we are raising funds for the construction of a small school in north eastern Nigeria after it was destroyed by Boko Haram. It is hoped that the new school building can be used by the villagers for much-needed community relations work.

The Leadership Assembly meets in Philadelphia every June, with two students from Thornhill College in Derry attended the most recent conference.

At a time when many young people get bad press, the leadership programme offers a glimpse of young people who are keeping hope alive for many less fortunate than themselves.

Deirdre Mullan is a Sister of Mercy from Derry. She served as the executive director of Mercy Global Concern at the United Nations for more than 10 years and is the coordinator for the Mercy Girl Effect project. Sister Deirdre works in the partnering of religious congregations with UNICEF.

Participants in this year's Leadership Assembly
Participants in this year's Leadership Assembly Participants in this year's Leadership Assembly