Originally published at National Catholic Register
Sister Ngozi also thanked the staff of CWSI, HHCJ leadership, and all those who have contributed to her mission.
Sister Francisca Ngozi Uti, the founder and executive director of the Centre for Women Studies and Intervention (CWSI) in Abuja, Nigeria, has been named the laureate of the 2024 Opus Prize — a $1.2 million award recognizing transformative humanitarian work.
In her address during the Nov. 14 award ceremony at Santa Clara University, a Jesuit university in Silicon Valley, the Nigerian member of the Congregation of the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus (HHCJ) said that words could not express her joy.
“Did I ever imagine being nominated as the laureate? Honestly, no. Words seem inadequate to capture the depth of my joy. My heart overflows with gratitude,” Sister Ngozi said.
“I never dreamed that the work my team and I have been doing in these remote communities would gain recognition not only within our state but beyond our nation’s borders crossing the Atlantic and reaching as far as the United States of America.”
Sister Ngozi thanked the Opus Prize jury, saying: “You believed and still believe in the work that my team and I do to alleviate the suffering
