The Good Shepherd
Sisters of the Sacred Heart
Sister Sana is a nun of The Sacred Heart of Jesus, based in Mosul, Iraq. She has established the project of 'Al-Ra'i al-Salih' (meaning The Good Shepherd in Arabic).
This project aims to help disabled and/or rejected girls of various ages, girls marginalised in Iraqi society since 1998. Some of them have physical or psychiatric illnesses, while others just do not have anywhere to go to. The project provides them with a
place to live, food, medical care and a sense of community. The nuns also try to provide them with the education they can cope with. Some have lost the feeling of self-worth and the nuns try to help them understand themselves and their role in the society they live in.
At the present time there are seven girls in The Good Shepherd project.
The Goals of The Good Shepherd
The introduction of girls to school, prayer, the conviction to create openness to the world of God, to have hope and love.- Raise the level of the girls' social, psychological, moral and cultural awareness.
- Create an awareness of their responsibility towards the girls themselves, to work towards becoming a cornerstone of Iraqi society, and to know their own value and role in its construction.
- Attention to the educational aspect of the girls, and taught according to their capabilities, to perhaps allow them to go to university.
- Education for girls founded in the love of family formation, and the importance of the sacrament of marriage, raising children and marital companionship, with household concerns, and management approach of the house: cooking, decoration, cleaning and arranging, with due respect for the environment and health.
The Girls
The following is a brief backgound on some of the girls at The Good Shepherd:
From Mosul, born in 1973, she was in the project several years ago. Her parents cannot support her at her their home and cannot bear the cost of her treatment and care. She has a valve in the heart and kidneys, suffers from diabetes and has high blood pressure.
From Tel Kaif, born in 1967. After the death of her mother, her brothers and their wives did not want to take her in. Her sisters are in the United States. She suffers from epilepsy, nervous tension and requires constant attendance for the treatment of epilepsy.
From Mosul, born in 1988. Her father was an officer who was killed in the time of the previous government, and her mother had left her as a child and married another man. She spent her childhood when her grandmother. She has psychological problems and constantly thinks about suicide. She suffers from a lack of parental affection.
From Qosh, born in 1989. She has social and ethical family issues. Her mother left the family and married another man after she converted to Islam. The girl grew up among her brothers. Their father had not cared for them well. She spent six years in Syria, and was imprisoned as a result of an immoral life. She suffers from psychiatric problems and epilepsy, and prefers life on the street constantly.
