By Good Shepherd International Foundation, Rome

2024 has been one of the most challenging years for the Good Shepherd International Foundation (GSIF) and the Good Shepherd global network. Crises, conflicts, economic volatility, and political instability in an increasingly fragmented world have profoundly impacted and severely put to the test sisters, partners-in-mission, and communities across the globe.

In this context, the space for hope, compassion, solidarity, and care for those living in ever more fragile environments becomes a space to be filled with meaning, by finding new ways to advance the mission and continue walking alongside the Congregation as a partner-in-mission.

It has not only been about responding to emergencies and crises, but also about continuing to build a future for the people we serve, rooted in hope, dignity, compassion, and justice. A future where we deepen our commitment, expand our collaborations, and imagine new ways of existing together in mission. All of this is presented in the Annual Report, which was shared and discussed during an online gathering held in July, 2025.

This commitment echoes the mission that guides GSIF: to support Congregational programs in the world’s most vulnerable areas, to promote a global culture of justice, and to create connections that enhance partners’ capacity to bring about lasting change.

In 2024, GSIF continued to play a key role as a facilitator of co-creative processes across the entire congregational system. Working in co-responsibility with congregational units and partners, it responded to the needs of girls, women, and children—ensuring that they can live a dignified and fulfilling life, even in the most difficult and marginalized contexts.

Under this systemic vision of change, significant progress was achieved in strategic areas such as resource mobilization for project sustainability, capacity building, international and regional partnerships, and research and analysis conducted in complex contexts. These advances, many of which began in 2023, now serve as a strong foundation to move forward for the years ahead.

As Cristina Duranti, Director of the Good Shepherd International Foundation, shared during the online presentation of the report:

“This year’s report is more than a record of activities. It is a testament to the courage, resilience, and vision that continues to guide our shared Good Shepherd mission in the face of a rapidly changing and deeply fractured world. A world that, while shaken by wars, economic instability, and deepening inequalities, still offers to many Good Shepherd people, sisters and partners-in-mission, fertile ground for hope, for action, and for a transformation that can happen just if and when we walk and act together.”

The presence of sisters and partners-in-mission in areas affected by crises and persisting conflicts enabled GSIF to deliver humanitarian aid to hundreds of displaced families, including in Lebanon, and to communities impacted by climate-related disasters, such as the floods in Kenya. Thanks to over 160 active and supported projects across various regions, a total of 141,000 people were directly supported in 2024. While this marks a slight decrease from 2023, the number of indirect beneficiaries rose significantly—reaching 343,000 people, a 56% increase.

From expanding anti-trafficking initiatives between India and Nepal to providing increased support for migrant families in Central America and strengthening fundraising and project management training for sisters and local staff, 2024 marked a year of tangible impact and continued growth in the quality and effectiveness of GSIF’s mission service. Despite facing immense challenges in areas affected by poverty, conflict, displacement, and violence, GSIF, its sisters, and partners-in-mission remained steadfast.

As Sr. Mirjam Beike, Congregational Councilor and GSIF Board member, concluded during the presentation:

“What comes through in the GSIF annual report is not despair—it’s determination. It’s love in action. Behind every statistic, behind every program, there is a face, a name, a story of someone who dares to hope, and of someone who walks alongside them. That’s what makes this work so powerful. GSIF is a vital and dynamic expression of our collective commitment to justice, dignity, and transformation, especially for those – women, girls and children – most often forgotten.”

Explore the GSIF 2024 Annual Report (English) and learn more about Good Shepherd International Foundation