“I want to thank the Catholic Church in general for being generous with us, giving us the space, the skills and also the protection in an environment that has been very tough,” Ms. Lopidia said during a surprise welcome party that was organized in her office located at the Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat in South Sudan’s capital, Juba.
Showing gratitude to the Secretary General of the South Sudanese Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat (SSCBS), Ms. Lopidia said, “I want to give thanks to Fr. Charles Abbud for being with us, supporting us throughout this journey from the day we came to Juba in 2008 up to this moment.”
“We want to just say we are grateful that the Church has been in this journey with us as we search for peace and stability in this country,” she said.
Ms. Lopidia was recognized in the award ceremony that featured 10 other finalists that the Women Building Peace Council selected from more than 150 nominees representing 51 countries.
Addressing staff in front of her offices at the Bishops’ Secretariat in Juba, the Eve Organization for Women Development co-founder said, “I am really overwhelmed for this great day and I didn’t see it coming but it is something planned by God.”
“A big thank you to the USIP for recognizing the work of South Sudanese women and to all the South Sudanese women who have been working hard to ensure there is peace in this country,” she said and added, “I want to thank the staff and my colleagues at Eve organization for the tireless work, the long days and nights we put into ensuring that women are represented at peace processes.”
“My message to my fellow South Sudanese women is that we have come this far but we still have a long way to go to ensure that there is genuine peace where every child, every South Sudanese woman and every South Sudanese citizen would feel at peace in this country so that we enjoy the resources and the gifts that flow with milk and honey,” she said.
The peace activist appealed to the leaders of the nine-year-old nation to put an end to violence and embrace peaceful means of conflict resolution.