GHR Foundation's Children in Families funding supports child protection interventions that strengthen families, respond to children without family care and drive further evidence of innovative approaches. ​

GHR envisions a world where all children—especially those without, or at risk of losing, parental care—are living in a stable, positive, long-term family.

In 2015 the Good Shepherd Sisters of Sri Lanka committed to serving children through community-based programming aligned with the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child.  Their decision was fueled by growing appreciation for the importance of family and community for a child’s well-being. 

According to Sister Rasangi, Community Development Program Officer, “…it is our responsibility to empower the families and the entire community [in] creating a better place for our children. Institutional care should be the last solution for child protection.” 

Working carefully, the Good Shepherd sisters have reunited children with their families, reducing the number of children in their residential care institutions from 800 to 480 in 3 years.  

At the same time, the Sisters have started five community-based programs in fishing villages and tea plantations.  Here, the Sisters have helped create child friendly safe spaces where over 1,000 children socialize after school and access services.  They have facilitated support groups for families, but especially for women who play an important role in children’s lives.  Everyone has a role in ensuring children’s safety and well-being within their families.

In this video, see how sisters are supporting efforts to keep children in families.  

GHR Foundation's Children in Families funding supports child protection interventions that strengthen families, respond to children without family care and drive further evidence of innovative approaches. ​In Uganda, GHR’s Sister Support initiative found Catholic sisters are well-positioned to realize the best possible outcomes for vulnerable children and children living outside of family care by combining the Catholic tradition of care with insights from contemporary research.

In 2016, with guidance and funding from GHR, the Association of Religious in Uganda formed Catholic Care for Children in Uganda (CCCU) to unify Catholic sisters championing reform. The organization has helped hundreds of Catholic leaders and administrators from care institutions understand new child protection legislation and embrace an alternative care framework.

This week, CCCU launched a comprehensive new child protection policy at the Association of Religious in Uganda’s annual meeting of religious institute Superiors. Formed by stakeholders including Superiors, administrators and Diocesan representatives, the policy is an important document required by law to provide guidance for work with vulnerable children. The new policy will now be disseminated to stakeholders for implementation.

Designed to protect children from abuse or neglect, the child protection policy outlines best practices for ensuring the safety of child for whom services are being provided. Training manuals on child protection are currently being distributed to congregations of Catholic sisters, staff members of care institutions, political leaders, parents and community members through radio messages, community dialogues and home visits. Members of the Association of Religious in Uganda plan to visit religious institutes and provide detailed in-person trainings.
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Recognizing the right of every child to life, dignity, development and protection, this new policy indicates a commitment by Catholic sisters in Uganda to minimizing risk, practicing accountability and maintaining a proactive approach in their efforts to provide family-like care for vulnerable children. To learn more about how Catholic sisters are joining the effort to provide stable, positive, long-term family or family-like environments for children, contact us.

At GHR, we value sharing knowledge and listening to one another. We find every opportunity to cross-pollinate between programs, foundations and initiatives, leveraging expertise and boosting creativity. One such collaboration is happening now, between our Children in Families and Sister Support initiatives.

In 2016, when the Ugandan parliament passed progressive legislation to ensure better outcomes for children living outside of family care, Catholic sisters stepped up and championed reform. With guidance and funding from GHR, Catholic Care for Children in Uganda—part of the Association of Religious in Uganda—is leading the way toward a “family-like environment for every child.” In its first nine months, the organization “won hearts and minds,” helping hundreds of Catholic leaders and administrators from care institutions understand the new legislation and embrace an alternative care framework.

​Phase one of Catholic Care for Children in Uganda is well underway. Of the seventy Catholic brothers and sisters slated for social work training, the first 22 successfully completed their first semester in May. More than a hundred people have taken intensive courses on child protection and a high-quality child protection policy has been adopted by the Association of Religious in Uganda.
 
Catholic Care for Children in Uganda leadership is planning for phase two, during which it will help congregations responsible for 46 Catholic care institutions implement best practices and pilot efforts to move from institutionalized care to community- or family-based care. These efforts will lay the groundwork for a larger movement toward the alternative care framework. Catholic Care for Children in Uganda is an exciting cross-initiative collaboration, advancing the goals of both our Sister Support Initiative and our Children in Families initiative.

Through this collaboration, we are strengthening Ugandan congregations in ways that ultimately benefit children. By sharing expertise and thinking outside the box, we can find truly innovative solutions. To learn more about GHR's Children in Families and Sister Support initiatives, contact us.

Leaders gathered for recent convenings on 'International Sisters in the United States,' a study commissioned by GHR with Trinity Washington University and Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, recommended the creation of a reflection guide. In response, Dr. Arturo Chávez from the Mexican American Catholic College worked with a team from seven organizations to develop a guide in English and Spanish for congregations and other organizations that are interested in the role of culture in religious life.

To learn more about the report and GHR’s Sister Support Initiative, contact us.

Catholic sisters have always crossed boundaries between countries and cultures, but as congregations become increasingly diverse, we recognize the need for more knowledge and collaboration. GHR recently commissioned ‘International Sisters in the United States,’ a first-of-its-kind study that is gaining traction and opening a new dialogue on the challenges faced by international sisters, as well as the benefits of growing diversity.

Conducted by the Center of Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown (CARA) and Trinity Washington University with support from GHR and first shared at a convening in March, the study brings international sisters to the forefront as we celebrate their remarkable contributions to religious life. Since its launch, lead researcher Sr. Mary Johnson has reported on the findings at the University of Notre Dame and plans to present to the Association of Missionaries and Religious of Ireland in Dublin.

The issue of Catholic sisters moving between countries is not unique to the United States—the insights in this report apply to women's religious life globally. To continue this conversation, GHR and the International Union of Superiors General are hosting a convening on May 4 in Rome. Those gathered will have the opportunity to learn about the research and use it as a starting point as they consider its implications in their home countries. 

To learn more about how GHR is working with Catholic sisters to build bridges between communities and foster peace, contact us.

GHR recently partnered with Global Minnesota to host a reception attended by 150 guests honoring two extraordinary women—Sister Carolin Tahhan Fachakh (Sister Carol) of Syria and Jannat Al Ghezi of Iraq. Sister Carol and Jannat are both recipients of the 2017 Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage award. Each year, this prestigious award recognizes women who have shown exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for human rights and women's empowerment, often at great personal risk.
 
Born in Aleppo, Syria, Sister Carol has remained in Damascus throughout the war. She was nominated by the Vatican for her ongoing service to refugee communities and children. The nursery school she runs provides a safe and friendly environment for more than 200 children, and a tailoring workshop she manages economically empowers women who have been internally displaced by the war. Jannat is the deputy director of the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq, and her organization has helped more than 500 victims of rape and domestic abuse by offering shelter, education, legal services and practical skill training.
 
GHR had the honor of meeting these incredible women of courage, and introducing Sister Carol, whose work has special importance to the foundation. GHR’s Sister Support Initiative is rooted in the fact that Catholic sisters are on the front line of every tough issue in the world, and Sister Carol is living proof if this. The world is enriched by the faith, dedication and service of Sister Carol, Jannat and sisters around the world facing great risks on a daily basis. To learn more about how GHR is working with Catholic sisters to restore communities and build peace, contact us.
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GHR Foundation's Sister Support funding seeks to ensure a vital future for Catholic sisters, marked by congregations that are well-led, well-resourced and powerful in spiritual witness and service.

Below is the first national study of the 4,000 international sisters living in the United States. With support from GHR, researchers from Trinity Washington University and the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University conducted the report in order to better understand the experiences and contributions of international sisters. The report is available below in both English and Spanish.

To learn more about the report and GHR’s Sister Support Initiative, contact us.

GHR has a long legacy of partnering with Catholic sisters, supporting the amazing contributions they make to the common good. The Foundation's Sister Support initiative is especially proud to fund initiatives that utilize the enthusiasm and creativity of younger sisters as they respond to new opportunities created by technology and a changing landscape.
 
One of these initiatives is A Nun’s Life, an international online ministry helping people discover religious life and choose the vocation toward which they feel God calling them. The organization recently celebrated its tenth anniversary with a Motherhouse Road Trip, where the A Nun’s Life team, including Sisters Julie, Maxine, and Julie, traveled from Toledo to Chicago—where A Nun’s Life began—to Silicon Valley. Along the way, they visited motherhouses, livestreamed podcasts, tutored congregations in social media and networked with young sisters. The team posted on social media and blogged throughout their trip, engaging with their 160-country online community.

As the A Nun’s Life team was preparing for the Motherhouse Road Trip, 140 young Sisters of Mercy visited St. Louis, Mo. for a four-day gathering. The group came together from the United States, Philippines, Peru, Argentina, Guam and Jamaica to deepen relationships, pray and sing together in Spanish and English. Most importantly, the sisters imagined what the Sisters of Mercy’s presence will be in the future and recommitted themselves to their mission.
 
During Pope Francis’ Year of Mercy, GHR celebrates women who have chosen lives of prayer and service as Catholic sisters. The world is enriched by their faithfulness, creativity, service and compassion. To learn more about how GHR supports sisters in the United States and Africa, contact us.​

Global research demonstrates that children raised in families or family-like settings have better cognitive, emotional and social outcomes than those living outside family care. GHR Foundation’s Sister Support initiative has found that Catholic sisters are well positioned to realize the best possible outcomes for vulnerable children and children living outside of family care by combining the best of the Catholic tradition of care with insights from contemporary research.
 
In Uganda—a country where an estimated 50,000 children live in institutions and more than half of the children are deemed critically or moderately vulnerable—the number of child care institutions has increased from 36 to over 500 in the last 20 years.
 
Legislation recently adopted by the Ugandan government means significant changes are in the making. The new legislation emphasizes keeping children connected with families, placing children in family-like environments and using institutional care only as a last resort. Training in social work will be expected for those responsible for children living outside of families.
 
GHR Foundation has recently partnered with the Association of Religious of Uganda to complete studies on the new requirements, educational opportunities and Catholic work with vulnerable children and children living outside of family care. The Association of Religious of Uganda is currently developing plans to help sisters build their capacity to provide the highest level of care possible for children in need.
 
For some congregations in Uganda, working with vulnerable children and children living outside of family care is the reason for their existence. By helping these congregations gain the skills necessary to succeed, there is potential for ensuring vital futures for both Catholic sisters and children outside of family care. To learn more about how GHR is working with sisters and children, contact us.

By Kathleen Mahoney, Program Consultant, Global Development

Convinced that Catholic sisters make valuable spiritual and social contributions to society, GHR’s board of directors launched the Sister Support Initiative in 2012.

• Its vision: a landscape populated with congregations of women religious—well led, well resourced, powerful in their spiritual witness and effective in service to those in need.
• Its goal: strengthening congregations during a period of profound change.
• Its strategy: making capacity-building investments in the areas of leadership, vocations and resource development in the United States and Africa.

In keeping with GHR’s commitment to continuous learning, in 2014 we commissioned a developmental evaluation of our U.S. strategy and grant making.

GHR is indebted to sisters and other partners who generously contributed their thoughts and time to this evaluation. Responses to surveys, answers to interview questions, and extended conversations helped Touchstone Center for Collaborative Inquiry prepare a report which has already proven useful as we chart a course for 2016 and beyond.

In short, GHR will stay the course strategically in its U.S. Sister Support funding, with continued capacity-building investments in the areas of leadership development, member recruitment and resource development. We will continue to prioritize investments in younger sisters. But we will make some early-course adjustments by encouraging innovation and investing more in diversity and communications.

What follows is a high-level summary of what we learned from the evaluation and its implications for our work in years to come. You can also learn more about the results of the evaluation through an interactive overview.

What we learned from the evaluation
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• Our partners value our approach, reporting that long-term partnering fosters learning and helps organizations and projects scale up
• Three hundred sisters and associates have benefited from leadership development training, although some struggle to find outlets for newly accrued leadership skills
• Younger sisters find inspiration and critical support in peer networks
• Congregations are becoming far more diverse in terms of the age, race, ethnicity and life experiences of members; diversity is a blessing and a challenge
• There is a very significant number of sisters from other countries in the United States who come to serve, study or work
• There is a steady stream of women entering religious life, but a paucity of new members remains the most critical challenge for many congregations
• Equipping congregations with a spiritually-grounded approach to fundraising has produced some promising early results
• Sisters feel a need to build capacity in the area of communications

Seeking to ensure a vital future for women’s religious life in the U.S., GHR will continue to invest in leadership development for younger sisters, vocation ministry, and resource development.  We will encourage and support innovation as sisters live into a future that will look quite different.

GHR will sharpen its focus by leaning into diversity with regards to vocation ministry. We will be more attentive to the presence of sisters from other countries who are in the United States. We will begin to explore how congregations might build capacity in the areas of communications.
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We will continue to partner with women religious with gratitude, confident that women religious will continue to enrich both church and society, through their spiritual gifts and service to those in need.
Thank you for your dedication to helping congregations of Catholic sisters realize strong futures. To learn more about GHR’s Sister Support Initiative or ask about our evolving approach to funding, feel free to contact me directly.