HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026!

As we welcome a new year, we do so with renewed hope, courage, and a strong sense of purpose in our shared mission. January is a time to pause, reflect, and set our sights on embracing 2026 as a year of grace, possibility, and collective action. In a world shaped by rapid change and complex challenges, AJAN remains steadfast in walking alongside communities, the vulnerable groups, young people, and partners—nurturing resilience and promoting life in its fullness. This year invites us not only to adjust to shifting winds, but to relearn what it means to soar together.

Following his pilgrimage to Jerusalem and Bethlehem in December 2025, the Superior General of the Jesuits, Rev. Fr. Arturo Sosa, released a letter calling on Jesuits and lay companions worldwide to confront pervasive human anguish with compassion and decisive action. In his letter, “How will the faithful respond to suffering?” released on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Fr. Sosa describes a “normal abnormal life” and issues a clarion call to speak out against violence and to build bridges of reconciliation.

“To all People of Good Will, I offer an invitation to raise our voices together and insist that violence is a choice, never inevitable. The world needs not more weapons, but builders of bridges. We need hearts willing to understand before judging, to heal before condemning, to welcome rather than exclude. When we look upon those who suffer, we cannot remain indifferent or distant. Their pain is a call to our responsibility for our faith and our world.”

Looking ahead, AJAN’s priorities for 2026 reaffirm our deep commitment to youth accompaniment, empowerment, and sustainable impact. We will continue to strengthen the Jesuit Youth Social Entrepreneurial Action Program—supporting young people as agents of social transformation and uplifting those already leading innovative projects within their communities. At the same time, we will intensify our efforts to empower women and young girls through entrepreneurial capacity-building, recognizing their pivotal role in fostering resilient households and inclusive economic growth.

In this first AJANews issue of 2026, we spotlight momentum in action: from the graduation of a new cohort of young social innovators at Jesuit Urumuri Centre (JUC) in Rwanda, to Radio Kwizera’s (RK) community-powered launch of its 2026 programming season, and renewed efforts at Centre Arrupe (CA-MDG) to strengthen research and responses to violence within Catholic institutions in Madagascar. We also highlight the visit of the Provincial of the Rwanda–Burundi Jesuit Province to Service Yezu Mwiza, Burundi and the official launch of the project “Support for the Sustainable Resumption of Income-Generating Activities”. As you turn these pages, we invite you to stay engaged, inspired, and connected to our mission of promoting “life to the full”. Your accompaniment and solidarity continue to fuel our shared journey forward with faith, courage, and hope.

By, Mr. Dennis Owuoche,

AJAN Communications Officer.