Reflections from Rome: Sisters Are Being Heard

Now that we’ve returned from the WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) in healthcare clinics gathering in Rome, we wanted to share a brief reflection with you.

The experience was deeply affirming, energizing, and inspiring. More than anything, it confirmed that Sisters are being seen and heard like never before.

From the very first day of the gathering, something became clear: people were seeking out Sisters Rising Worldwide. Leaders from global NGOs and foundations came to us wanting to connect, learn, and explore what partnership could look like to address solutions to WASH –and so much more. We also connected with recognized universities to begin conversations about impact evaluation. 

We had the opportunity to show many of them the PeaceRoom firsthand. To see it in action. To understand how it connects them directly to Sister-led solutions around the world that address WASH and many other challenges of poverty and injustice. Again and again, we saw the same reaction: a recognition that something meaningful and significant is taking shape at SRW.

We shared the data we had collected about WASH in healthcare facilities led by Sisters. What stood out was not only what the Sisters shared, but also how quickly and directly those insights emerged from the ground, in their own words.

It reminded us that what feels simple within our SRW network is, in fact, extraordinary.

Because of the Sisters, we can bring forward robust, real-time, on-the-ground insights and lived experience that few others can. And in Rome, that mattered.

We could feel it.

There was a growing recognition that SRW offers something essential: a clear, comprehensive view of what is actually happening in communities through the leadership and work of Sisters. The Sisters are shaping how others are thinking about solutions. It was evident more than ever.

We left Rome encouraged by the conversations we had about how to strengthen and scale this work. But more than that, we left with a deep sense of validation about the movement we are building to center and lift the voices of Sisters.

It is working. It is being recognized. 

None of this happens without you. Thank you for being part of this movement. 

Onward! 

Sister Irene O’Neill, CSJ, EdD, and Kelly Mallon Young