Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur Brief United Nations Representatives

Feb. 15, 2012 - PRLog -- Ipswich, Mass. – In early February, Congolese Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur Claudine Dumbi and Lucie Kima addressed a special U.N. briefing on poverty eradication. The two Sisters traveled 8,000 miles to deliver their report on the religious congregation’s African Photovoltaic Project.  This initiative, which currently provides electricity to six of the Sisters’ mission sites in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria, is transforming primitive, impoverished villages into healthier communities better able to participate in 21st-century commerce and communication.

The Congolese Sisters were joined in their U.N. presentation by General Treasurer of the Congregation Sister Lorraine Connell, who provided context and history about the project. Sister Kristin Hokanson, founder and principal of the Notre Dame Virtual School, outlined online teaching tools developed in conjunction with the project that will reach students across the globe. Since its inception, the Sisters have used the World Wide Web as a catalyst for eradicating poverty and promoting education.  

“With solar-powered energy, Sisters can now provide adequate health care at our remote clinics, set up filtered potable water systems and access solar-powered satellite Internet,” said Sister Dumbi. “These Sisters must no longer spend hours searching for fire wood to boil water for drinking and washing. They are able to provide up-to-date medical procedures by light of electric lamps. They can access information and learning resources through the Web for our schools, many of which operate without books or other basic learning supplies.”

Eleven years ago, the international Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur gained status at the U.N. as an accredited Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). Since then, the Sisters have worked in an advisory capacity with sovereign nations and private corporations to put in place policies and initiatives designed to eradicate poverty across the globe.  The Sisters’ African Photovoltaic Project (visit http://www.sndden.org/en/news-and-events/photovoltaic-pro... ) is a significant step forward in helping to achieve this United Nations mandate.  

For more information on the Sisters' collaboration with the United Nations, visit
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs020/1103923442549/ar...

Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur are an international Congregation of women religious, founded by St. Julie Billiart (1751-1816) in Amiens, France in 1804.  The Sisters are committed to making known God’s goodness through education in a variety of ministries on five continents: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America. The Sisters work to change lives by a “fundamental commitment to stand with their sisters and brothers who live in poverty and accompany them in their struggle.” The Congregation staffs offices/centers in Rome, Italy, Namur, Belgium and Ipswich, Mass., USA.

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Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur work in 17 countries on five continents. Our mission is to address the needs of those suffering from systemic poverty and teach them what they need to know to live healthy, productive and faith-filled lives.