At the start of 2025, Pope Francis is calling on the universal Church to pray for the right to education, which ‘opens the doors to a better future’. This is in line with our charism, which from the very beginning has made the education of children, especially the most disadvantaged, our priority.
The subject is clearly close to his heart, and Pope Francis does not mince his words! Speaking of a ‘real educational catastrophe’, he says: ‘this is not an exaggeration’. UNESCO's figures support this view. According to the international organisation, around 250 million children around the world are out of school. The causes: ‘wars’, ‘migration’ and ‘poverty’. A reality that is hard to accept: the future of a country depends on its young people and their education. A few years ago, the President of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, exclaimed: ‘Tell me what kind of youth you have and I'll tell you what kind of a country you'll be’.
This is what we live throughout the world, sisters and lay people who share the same charism passed on from Blessed Nicolas Barré.
In Africa, our Nicolas Barré Bilingual School Complex in Yaounde-Ekounou (Cameroon) is a symbol of the fight against illiteracy. In Madagascar, around 10,000 children attend the schools and literacy centres for street children run by our federated Sisters of Providence in Rouen.
In Peru: Collique-Lima, Callao-Mi Peru, Urubamba, Ocongate, Cuzco-San Jeronimo, comprehensive education is offered in our schools and parishes in working-class neighbourhoods.
Photo: environmental workshop, Collique and Mi Peru schools.
In Asia, the history of our presence over more than 150 years bears witness to the contribution of our sisters and their pioneering role in the education of girls in Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Thailand and in Myanmar today.
In France, 25 establishments are under the supervision of our sisters of Providence de Rouen, in Hauts-de-France and Normandy.
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