Tabitha Ding Majak first heard of Loreto when her husband, the Chief of Titicrojit village, visited Bishop Mazzolari, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Rumbek at the time. Mazzolari had spoken of the Loreto Sisters setting up a school, and Ding’s husband offered to provide land for the school in the area.

Once the land was identified, prayers were held at the site, the convent was established, and Ding started working there. She began as a cook for the workers who were clearing the land. Then she helped ferry water from the borehole to the school construction site, and later, she became a community mobilizer recruiting girls who had completed Primary Eight for the secondary school once it started.

Ding also worked at the school cooking for the girls, and after the Mary Ward Primary Health Care Centre (PHCC) was set up, she switched there. Ding’s current role in Loreto is as a community mobilizer, coordinating between the community, the PHCC, and the schools. She also supports students from far away who are going through challenges and accommodates them in her house when they are not in school.

Ding is a mother of thirteen children aged about thirty to six. Apart from her eldest two children, all her children have been educated or are in school, and some of her grandchildren are now at Loreto Primary School.

Ding says she and her husband value education and want all their children and their community to have access to schooling. She explained that her desire to have her children educated stems from the fact that she did not have the option to go to school when she was young.

Ding, the daughter of a chief in Rumbek East, was born to one of the 77 wives of her father. She was married off as the first wife to her husband. She would not like her children to go through the same and has pushed her children and stepchildren to go to school.

Working at Loreto has enabled me to be independent and look after myself and my children. I am now involved in identifying the vulnerable in the community and getting Loreto to support them. Loreto has also supported several families whose breadwinners died in the war.

Together with her husband, they advocate for children’s education in the community and are at the forefront of fighting against child marriage.

This work would simply not be possible without financial support. We are very grateful to all those who believe in our mission and support our work, particularly in relation to educating and empowering girls and women. If you would like to help us assist more women like Ding Majak, please visit our online donation page.