Friends in Solidarity appoints new president

Friends in Solidarity appoints new president
October 26, 2022 Susan Oxley

Friends in Solidarity (FIS), the U.S. partner of Solidarity with South Sudan, is pleased to announce the appointment of a new president, Sister Mumbi Kigutha, CPPS. Sister Mumbi, a Sister of the Precious Blood from Dayton, Ohio, will begin her tenure with FIS in February 2023. She will be the second president of the organization, succeeding founder and president Sister Joan Mumaw, IHM. Sister Joan expressed her intent to retire as FIS president in February.

Sister Mumbi will be joining FIS as the organization continues to grow and increase its support of Solidarity with South Sudan. She believes strongly in Solidarity’s vision of capacity building in partnership with the Church of South Sudan and the South Sudanese people. She said, “I am very happy to be chosen to lead FIS. My educational background in business and theology coupled with many years of experiences in social sciences at the grassroots level in various African contexts will hopefully put me in good standing to succeed and flourish in this role.”

Sister Mumbi brings a wealth of skills and experience to her new role, including a bachelor’s degree in commerce and a master of business administration degree, both with a marketing specialization, from the Catholic University of East Africa. Additionally, she holds a master’s degree in justice ministry from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. She served as an intern with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and a consultant with the UN Population Fund before becoming a humanitarian affairs officer for the UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Nairobi, Kenya. Sister Kigutha has been serving as the organizing secretary of the Pan-African Catholic Theological and Pastoral Network, where she has supported its growth and development from an informal network to an organization with a nonprofit arm with more than 300 members. She has also continued to minister as a reconciliation consultant for various local and international entities including Jesuit Refugee Services.

“I welcome Sister Mumbi as the new president of Friends in Solidarity, and look forward to working with her in the new year to ensure a smooth transition for the organization and for her as the new chief administrative officer,” said Sister Joan. “We are blessed to have someone with Sister Mumbi’s experience and skills to assume this position.”

When asked what excites her most about leading FIS into the future, Sister Mumbi replied, “It gives me the space to dream, innovate and create while collaborating with fellow religious and other supporters, in journeying alongside the people of South Sudan as they shape their own future.” Sister Mumbi will begin her work with FIS with a visit to South Sudan to meet the staff and familiarize herself with the projects of Solidarity with South Sudan in February 2023.

Friends in Solidarity was founded in 2015 as the U.S. partner of Solidarity with South Sudan, an international network of Catholic sisters, priests and brothers, which focuses its ministry on building the capacity of South Sudanese to become teachers, registered nurses, midwives, sustainable farmers and pastoral agents.

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