CNN Heroes Award

CNN HEROES – 2007

SISTER ROSEMARY NYIRUMBE

COMMUNITY CRUSADER

Creating Solutions to a Local Problem

Her Story: As Sister Rosemary grew up in Gulu, Uganda, she witnessed a massive crisis. Thousands of young children were abducted by the guerillas of “Lord’s Resistance Army” and forced into unthinkable lives as soldiers of their captor’s armies and as sexual slaves. As the war ends, increasing numbers of “child mothers” – most between ages 12 and 18, and physically and emotionally scarred – escape with their babies, only to be unfairly branded enemies by their former communities. Sr. Rosemary decided her school would help these outcasts. Throughout 2002, she appealed directly to them via radio announcements and the response was overwhelming. St. Monica’s Tailoring School now houses a diverse group of refugees: former child soldiers, orphans, AIDS victims and young mothers. Annually, the school offers 300 c\”child mothers” and their babies a safe haven that emphasizes practical skills so that students can get jobs, feed their children and rebuild their lives. Sister Rosemary has created a truly revolutionary system for reviving the lost souls of her homeland, bringing hope to the hopeless and healing the wounds of war.

Heroic Words: “It’s a big problem. They were taken when they were quite young. Now they are told ‘You are carrying the child of a murderer.’ I want them to come to me and say, ‘Sister, can you give me work?’ I want their head up, moving away from begging.”

Her Mission: In 2008, Sister Rosemary intends to expand St. Monica’s to house 400 girls and 200 babies. “Most are mothers. They come along with their children who are cared for while their mothers try to mend their brokenness and aspire for a better future.”

Her Accomplishments: Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe is the Director of the St. Monica’s Girls Tailoring School that is next to a refugee camp in Gulu, Uganda. Her school’s focus is on what the Ugandans call ‘child mothers’ – women ages 12 to 18 who were abducted child soldiers, raped by their captors and now are mothers. As some local war ends and these women get released, they are left with their babies and no education. St, Monica’s School gives these girls time to rebuild their lives by giving them counseling, consolation, and skills. Most importantly, the school gives these girls a safe place to live. This very week an additional 100 girls will be taken in to the school from Sudan, as well as women who have suffered the tortures of rape and forced slavery as child soldiers.

Efforts: My daughter is currently a volunteer at the St. Monica School and wrote me the following report the other day: “Sister Rosemary houses refugees (250 at a time) of all sorts – those who are former child soldiers, those who have been kicked out of their communities for having abortions, orphans, AIDS victims and pregnant girls. She gives them vocational skills, an income, and teaches them to be self-sufficient. It is really amazing to see one woman with such an influence and with such grace.”

Record: Sister Rosemary has been written about in a US News and World Report article last year. She has not had much media coverage for her amazing work besides this small article and a few mentions here and there in national media. This is because she is working with such a disenfranchised population: teenage woman who have been kidnapped by child soldiers and raped.

Other Info: Even as a rabbi it is not hard to tell a saintly person – Sister Rosemary is one of them. A CNN hero recognition of her work will (1) make a great feature for your network; and (2) bring a small bit of attention to a woman who raises $50 at a time for each child (this is the cost to house, feed and teach each girl for an entire year).