ASEC has been striving since 2016 to build a centralized database to house the immense amount of information the organization holds about its program participants and their impact across the globe. Having a centralized database allows ASEC to track those it serves and to monitor where and how alumni of its programs minister. This information helps ASEC improve the quality of its programs and assess emerging educational and training needs among women religious. Over the last four years, ASEC’s database capabilities have grown in leaps and bounds. The technological innovation that has come with this development has allowed ASEC to improve not only its monitoring and evaluation capabilities, but also build bridges with partners to engage in important research studies on the lives and ministries of sisters in Africa.

Bridging Operational Gaps

Although preparation for a comprehensive ASEC database can be traced back to 2016, building of the current iteration of the database formally began in 2020. In 2020, ASEC entered into a partnership with external technology consultant, WorX Solutions Management, LLC, whose mission is to bridge operational gaps and make workflows easy. With the assistance of WorX and the use of a workflow automation platform, ASEC was able to merge participant and alumni information from all five core programs into one cloud-based system. Housing ASEC’s data in such a system has improved ASEC’s data integrity and guarantees more accurate and correct data is gathered.

Technological Innovation

ASEC’s database has many automated features, which allows data entry tasks to be completed more quickly. The database is also integrated with ASEC’s electronic survey platform, allowing information to feed directly from program participants, who are sitting in workshops in each of our 11 countries, to the desks of data managers at ASEC’s United States headquarters, in real-time. This eliminates the need for multiple follow-ups regarding missing information and allows data to be processed and analyzed at a faster rate than ever before. Further, in the most recent phase of ASEC’s database rollout, ASEC Africa staff have been extensively trained to view and enter data directly into the database. Providing this access ensures that ASEC United States and Africa offices are referring to the same datasets. ASEC anticipates that Africa staff training will continue throughout the next year.

Research Opportunities

Having a robust and comprehensive database has allowed ASEC to more effectively promote research on Catholic sisters in Africa and advance its Research Initiative. ASEC now holds a central repository of data related to women religious in Africa, and as such has become a sought-after entity for partners with similar interests. In the last year, ASEC became an even more prominent leader in sisters’ research—partnering with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the Centre for Research in Religious Life and Apostolate (CERRA-AFRICA), the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), and external research consultants to provide accurate data that would only be possible with the use of the new database. In the coming years, ASEC will continue to explore ways in which it can safely and constructively utilize its database to the benefit of all Catholic sisters in Africa.