When hope is a dwindling flame, when things seems bleak and trials seem never-ending, it can be difficult to see the light.

 

But this was not the case for Sister Treacy, who runs the Loreto Girls Secondary School—the school that the students of La Salle Secondary School had studied at before moving to their new facilities in March 2019. In 2010, amidst rising political tensions, she started a kindergarten, teaching eager children underneath a tree. In the following years, this kindergarten grew to a full-blown primary school with over 600 students, and classrooms have moved from under the trees into buildings.

 

Just as big trees grow from small seeds, a child can only prosper if they are given an education. We chose to make a sculpture of a South Sudanese tree with a teaching board next to it, capturing the beginnings of the kindergarten. The tree not only symbolises the children’s growth, but also how a nurturing education—as reflected by the life within the tree—can enrich the lives of the children. Meanwhile, the easel represents the learning that takes place in the process of it all. Through this sculpture, we wanted to show the impact an education can have.

 

This sculpture reminds the two of us of the similar desire we share with children of South Sudan—to receive an education. We share the willingness to learn and the willingness to live, and this establishes a bond between us. It reminds us of how blessed we are to be part of this unification.