Blue Sisters: The highly-anticipated new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Cleopatra and Frankenstein

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In the South Sudanese Diocese of Tombura Yambio, Bishop Edward Hiiboro Kussala has tasked them with providing permanent assistance to the many women, including young girls and teenagers, who have been raped, abused or abandoned amid the violent conflicts that have plagued the region for years. Borg glides through the law with ease, cutting through brambles and explaining without unnecessary verbal excursions. The story is a sad one. I remember it well, but reading the book made me recall and understand better what had happened.

Margaret published her first article in Christian Socialist magazine in 1889; she would soon join the Fabian Society and made her first speech on May Day 1892 in Hyde Park. After the sisters’ conversion to Christian Socialism, Rachel decided that she would support her sister’s budding political career. In 1893 they both went to work for the new Independent Labour Party (ILP) in Bradford, where Margaret would be elected to the School Board for the ILP. Hell was let loose. The saga started. On June 17, 1980, the government filed a court action, claiming that the hospital was to revert to the government because the sisters had refused to acquire the required permit and were therefore unable to operate the hospital.

Nursery Education

Ali said there are many schools in the vicinity, but he sent his son to this school up to grade three and later admitted him to an outside school. Around 150 children from the slums are now students at the school. It served initially as a Seamen’s Hospital but, when in 1915 it became apparent that more hospitals were required to cope with the increasing number of wounded men being sent to the island, the Mother Superior and Nursing Sisters offered their services. Being a fine, modern building, the offer was gratefully accepted. A small monetary grant was made and Blue Sisters’ Hospital opened on 6th May 1915 with 50 beds for officers. The hospital was described as a handsome building with spacious wards and corridors, private rooms, and operating and sterilizing rooms. Mr Justice Joseph Herrera delivered a landmark decision favouring the Blue Sisters. The judgment discussed the concept of reasonableness and the claim by public authorities of unfettered discretion in great depth. They started their mission in 1911 when Emilia Zammit, wife of Henry Clapp, donated to the government of Malta a hospital that she had built at her own expense.

The sisters help some women cope with AIDS, and others to raise their children, many of whom were conceived in rape. According to Sister Ester, "the connection with their children, surprisingly, is a significant part of the healing process, and not part of the trauma, as some tend to believe." Alas, the Court of Appeal failed to reach great heights. Unexpectedly, the president of the court himself suggested to the parties a section of the law on usufruct which allowed a usufruct in favour of a legal – as opposed to a physical person – to be applicable only for a maxi­mum period of 30 years. It was another way of saying that, in any case, the Blue Sisters no longer enjoyed title to the hospital. This had not been referred to by either party. There is a major stigma that falls over these mostly young women who are victims of the violence of war," said Sister Ester, local superior for the small community of the four "Blue Sisters" who help with the recovery of some 100 women in a facility in the town of Yambio, next to the diocesan chancery.It was, indeed, a ground-breaking judgement, valiant and audacious in the face of executive arbitrariness, a judgement which was met with even more arrogance by the government authorities.”