Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur

What Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur does

Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (SNDdeN) is an international Catholic religious congregation founded on February 2, 1804, in Amiens, France, by St. Julie Billiart, Françoise Blin de Bourdon, and Catherine Duchâtel. After conflict with the Bishop of Amiens in 1809, the congregation relocated to Namur, Belgium, where it adopted its current name. It is governed by a Congregational Leadership Team headquartered at the Generalate in Rome, with twelve province-level entities operating across sixteen countries on five continents — covering Africa (Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Congo-Brazzaville), Europe (Belgium, Britain, France, Italy, Switzerland), Asia (Japan), North America (USA), and Latin America (Brazil, Peru). The 2021–present Congregational Leadership Team comprises Sisters Miriam Montero Bereche, Evalyne Aseyo, Lorraine Connell, Amarachi Grace Ezeonu, and Mary Johnson.

The congregation's portfolio centers on four mission pillars: education (kindergarten through university, plus Notre Dame Online and Notre Dame Virtual School distance-learning platforms), healthcare (hospitals, clinics, and maternity services, primarily in Congo and Nigeria), social services (refugee support, AIDS orphan care, children's homes, skills training for young girls, outreach to the homeless and immigrant workers), and pastoral care (parish ministry, catechesis, spiritual formation). Core service delivery is performed by professed religious Sisters and lay collaborators embedded in local communities, with ministry triggered by diocesan invitations rather than commercial sales motions. Select_customers comprise beneficiary populations rather than paying clients — students, patients, vulnerable women and children, and faith communities.

The business model is non-commercial and donation-funded. Revenue derives from charitable contributions via a donation portal, tuition on a sliding scale at educational institutions, subsidized medical fees, and institutional grants. Services to the poor are delivered free or at below-cost rates. The organization does not publish financial statements, holds no patents or trademarks, and is not subject to commercial ownership; the Sisters collectively govern assets and ministries. Distribution is direct through owned schools, hospitals, and social service centers, complemented by partnerships with dioceses worldwide, the Notre Dame Foundation (South Africa) for asset stewardship, and limited collaborations with other religious congregations.

Name

Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur

Legal name

Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur

Website

https://sndden.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1804

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur is an international Catholic religious congregation founded in 1804, operating schools, hospitals, social service programs, and pastoral ministries across 16 countries to serve people living in poverty, especially women and children.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Charitable Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) (62311), Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) (623110)

SIC

Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011), Services-Skilled Nursing Care Facilities (8051)

akta.pro primary industry

Religious Orders & Monastic Communities (Monasteries, Convents) (BPAGAJAC)

Keywords

• Religious education
• Social services
• Pastoral care
• Healthcare ministry
• Humanitarian services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ipswich

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The congregation relies on donations from supporters, benefactors, and the public to sustain ministries worldwide. The website includes a donation portal for supporting worldwide missions.
2. Educational and Healthcare Services: Sisters operate schools, hospitals, and social service institutions that generate revenue through tuition, medical fees, and service charges, though these are often subsidized for the poor.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur is a Catholic religious congregation that provides education, healthcare, social services, and pastoral care to underserved communities. Operating across 16 countries on five continents, the congregation runs schools, hospitals, clinics, and social outreach programs, primarily serving the poor and marginalized populations.

Product overview

Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur is a religious congregation offering a portfolio of faith-based educational and social service programs rather than commercial technology products. Their primary offerings include Notre Dame Online and Notre Dame Virtual School for distance learning, alongside extensive Education Ministry programs (schools, catechesis, teacher training), Pastoral Care Services (spiritual guidance, religious formation), and Social Services (refugee support, poverty alleviation). The organization operates across 16 countries on five continents, with educational institutions ranging from elementary schools to universities, all aligned with St. Julie Billiart's founding mission to make known God's goodness especially among the poor.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Educational Programs
• Healthcare and Hospital Services
• Social and Pastoral Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 years of continuous service in Africa
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dioceses WorldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSisters serve within diocesan structures at the invitation of bishops. The congregation works with dioceses in Africa (Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe), Asia (Japan), Europe (Belgium, Britain), Latin America (Brazil, Peru), and North America (Ohio, East-West Province). Each diocese invites SNDdeN to staff schools, hospitals, and social ministries.
• Other Religious Communities in South SudanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSNDdeN has cooperative presence with fourteen other religious communities in South Sudan, working collaboratively on shared mission objectives.
• Notre Dame Foundation (NDF) - South AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe legal entity in South Africa that holds SNDdeN assets and manages the SA portion of the Jubilee Fund. Three lay women with expertise in education, law, and finance serve with the SNDs on the Management Committee of the NDF.
• Four Religious Congregations - South AfricaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with four Religious Congregations and the Diocese to repair and operate Notre Dame St Peter's school in Kroonstad.
• Jesuit FatherscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKing Leopold II requested collaboration of Belgian religious for evangelizing work in Congo. The Provincial Superior of the Jesuit Fathers requested assistance from Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, who arrived in Congo in 1894.
• AmeriCorps - Mission Volunteers ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNotre Dame Mission Volunteers partner with AmeriCorps in the United States. Volunteers receive living allowance, basic health insurance, and education award in exchange for 11 months of service (1700 hours).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sisters of Mercy: International Catholic women's religious congregation with a similar ministry portfolio spanning education, healthcare, and social services across multiple countries. Directly comparable as a sister congregation of vowed women religious serving the poor through institutional ministries.
• Little Sisters of the Poor: Catholic religious congregation operating homes for the elderly poor across multiple continents. Comparable as a long-established Catholic women's congregation with institutional service model and donations-based funding.
• Maryknoll Sisters: Catholic women's religious congregation focused on mission work in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Comparable in international scope, focus on education and healthcare in developing nations, and vow-based mission-driven organizational structure.
• Sisters of Charity: Multiple congregations of Sisters of Charity worldwide operate schools, hospitals, and social service institutions. Comparable as long-established Catholic women's religious congregations with diversified ministry portfolios and international presence.
• Salesian Sisters (Daughters of Mary Help of Christians): Catholic religious congregation dedicated to education of youth, particularly the poor, operating schools and youth centers globally. Comparable as a faith-based women's religious congregation with primary focus on Catholic education.
• Franciscan Sisters of the Poor: Catholic religious congregation operating hospitals, healthcare facilities, and social services for the marginalized. Highly comparable as a faith-based organization providing subsidized healthcare and education in underserved regions globally.
• Holy Cross Sisters: Catholic religious congregation operating schools, healthcare facilities, and parishes internationally. Comparable in mission focus on education and service to the poor, and in long-established international presence.
• Medical Missionaries of Mary: Catholic missionary congregation dedicated to healthcare delivery in developing countries, particularly Africa. Closely aligned in mission focus on healthcare for the poor, geographic concentration in Nigeria and East Africa, and vow-based service model.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Relief Services: Official international humanitarian agency of the US Catholic community operating in over 100 countries. Comparable in Catholic faith-based humanitarian mission and global footprint, though much larger in scale and focused on aid delivery rather than direct institutional ministries.
• Jesuit Refugee Service: International Catholic Jesuit organization serving refugees and forcibly displaced people across 50+ countries. Comparable in Catholic identity, international scope, and service to marginalized populations, though broader and male-led.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SNDdeN
• Facebookfacebook.com/SNDdeN

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur