Good Samaritan Sister Sarah Puls has been appointed national executive officer for ACRATH, one of Australia’s leading grassroots organisations working to end human trafficking and slavery. Source: The Good Oil.
Sr Sarah, who has been a member of ACRATH (Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans) since 2012, said she felt privileged to be taking up the role and was looking forward to listening to and learning from all involved, especially the victim-survivors of slavery and trafficking.
“ACRATH is a wonderful organisation,” she said. “There are so many people involved in so many different ways, and all sorts of amazing projects going on according to where people’s passion is, and interest and capacity.
“I don’t think I’ve ever encountered another organisation that does that with such creativity – lots of different people doing different things, but all focused on the same kind of vision.
“I think, for me, going into the role, the challenge is to be asking, where is the need now, for ACRATH to respond to the needs of today?
“I know the organisation has recently done a mission review, looking at where the priorities and the needs are at the moment. So, I’m keen to get stuck into that.”
ACRATH launched in 2005, when Sr Louise Cleary CSB and the late Sr Pauline Coll SGS invited religious congregations to begin collaborating to stop human trafficking, and it is now present in five states and the Australian Capital Territory.
The organisation was also a key participant in the successful campaign for the establishment of the Commonwealth Modern Slavery Act, as well as several other pieces of legislation.
ACRATH’s president, Good Samaritan Sister Clare Condon, said the national committee appointed Sr Sarah with an initial three-year agreement following an extensive search.
“She brings diverse experience as a clinical pastoral supervisor at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, casework team leader at Jesuit Refugee Service, and pastoral carer at Villawood Detention Centre. In recent years, she has been involved in formation at her congregational level in Kiribati,” Sr Clare said.
FULL STORY
Sister Sarah Puls new National Executive Officer for ACRATH (By Debra Vermeer, The Good Oil)
RELATED COVERAGE
New NEO appointed (ACRATH)
