The work of Sister Marielena Ridad in Maracaibo, Venezuela, is one of the hundreds of ways in which Medical Mission Sisters around the world try to be a healing presence to those in need today.

Born and raised in the Philippines, Sister Marielena is a naturalized Venezuelan citizen. Her mission with the people of Barrio Simon Bolivar, a slum area of Maracaibo, Venezuela, began in 1972. "The barrio came to be when a group of people literally grabbed this land and started to put up their cardboard houses … all came with the illusion of finding something worthwhile … the daily reality is unemployment, inadequate health and educational services, and just the plain struggle to make ends meet," she explains.

"Within me, I felt a strong impulse to integrate within this definite class of people, marked by my reality of being a religious and a foreigner," Sister Marielena recalls. Together with a Jesuit priest and a Jesuit student, she formed a cooperative with the goals of: educating and unifying the people; protesting unjust policies; growing in Christian community; buying and selling of goods by the members; and establishing a savings and loan network, with loans granted on the basis of need.

In 1980, Sister Marielena became co-director of the Domingo Verde Formation Project, which gave conscientization classes to help the barrio residents realize their personal and communal potential. In 1986, the Domingo Verde Center opened, allowing for weekend seminars. Over 2,500 men and women participated in the training, which always stressed a faith-based approach to life.

Sister Marielena expanded her education work in 1992, when she became coordinator of a Complementary Education Program for elementary school students. Held during summer vacation, the program emphasizes language, mathematics, and history. "The 3 areas were chosen as they were found to be problematic areas of learning for the children," she explains. With the help and participation of students from the Jesuits' Catholic University in Caracas, the program has expanded to include about 300 children from several barrios.

Having previously served in a number of leadership positions, Sister Marielena is currently our Sector Coordinator in Latin America.

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