Our Sister Nelly Correa ‘mother of women prisoners’ receives the Human Brotherhood Award 2024 Barrier against hatred, violence and injustice
“Sister Nelly León: free to live and serve in prison” is how Vaticannews headlined our Chilean sister’s presence among the winners of the Zayed Prize: the annual award, which recognises the contributions of individuals and organisations to the progress of humanity and peaceful coexistence on the anniversary of the signing of the 2019 Document on Human Brotherhood.
Awarded, along with Sister Nelly, were world-renowned Egyptian heart surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub, “an example in investing what Allah has given him, in terms of knowledge and skills, to save children from certain dangers and offer them opportunities for a new healthy life,” and Indonesia’s two leading Islamic organisations Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah for “their efforts in the fields of humanitarian work, local, regional and global peace-building, and the development of Indonesian society.”
Photo: The winners at Pope Francis’ private audience
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Our Sister Nelly was particularly praised for her efforts “in supporting and embracing Chilean women, particularly those in prison, and in assisting them to restore confidence, preserve their rights and dignity, meet their needs and those of their families, and provide co-housing for impoverished people upon their release.”
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Born in a rural area of Chile, she emigrated to Santiago to become a teacher and there felt God’s call to serve Him in helping women in difficulty. As a nun of the Good Shepherd, she spent the last 25 years of her life accompanying women prisoners in and out of prison and created the ‘Mujer, Levántate’ Foundation for them.
“It was the journey of a lifetime that led Sister Nelly to found the Mujer Levántate (Woman, Stand Up) Foundation in Chile, which provides support and training to women while in prison and helps them reintegrate into society once released. Having spent 25 years working with these women, she is affectionately known as ‘Mother Nelly’ and it is for her work that she is awarded this prize. The foundation has achieved excellent results: almost 94% of the programme participants were not convicted two years after their release from prison.” (Source: Congregation Bulletin February 2024).
POPE FRANCIS WANTED TO MEET HER PERSONALLY DURING HIS 2018 TRIP TO CHILE
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When the Pope visited the prison in Santiago de Chile in January 2018, thus giving new impetus to the efforts of Sr Nelly of the ‘Mujer, Levántate’ Foundation, there were already countless public and private awards and recognitions. The promotion of restorative justice aimed at a real transformation in the management of people within prisons makes the period of imprisonment an opportunity to heal wounds and lay the foundations for a life of dignity.
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Suor Nelly Leòn Correa, Premio Zayed 2024, with a former prisoner
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Suor Nelly Leòn Correa, centre, in a Chilean prison
