Rays of Hope 2021

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Rays of Hope 2021 Articles

Sr. Pat learned that Dr. Albert Schweitzer, a founder of a hospital in Africa, had formulated his philosophy of

Called Back To Reverence

Sr. Pat Bombard, BVM, on cultivating "Reverence for Life."

Sr. Mary Persico talking with an ASEC-sponsored CUEA graduate in Nairobi, Kenya (October, 2019).

On the Other Side of Reverence

Sr. Mary Persico, IHM, Ed.D., President, Marywood University; ASEC Board of Directors Founding Member, reflects on her 2019 trip to Kenya, Africa, humbled and grateful for her experience of reverence.

Thank you to our amazing partners, donors and friends (Donations between 9/1/2020 and 8/31/2021)

Appreciation for ASEC Donors in 2021

Thank you to our amazing 2021 supporters! What we do is not possible without you. You are always in our thoughts and prayers.

The virtue of charitable giving enables ASEC to be a blessing and a bridge for the women religious in Africa who receive training and education and, in turn, become shining Rays of Hope to the people they serve in their societies.

Catholic Sisters: Building Virtue Bridges

Although the challenges of the pandemic continue to impact development efforts, ASEC continues to build virtue bridges for women religious in Africa with many positive outcomes in 2020-21.

ASEC's last two service trips to Africa have been postponed due to COVID-19, but staff are continuously working to improve the program experience. We remain eager to resume the program once it's safe to do so.

ASEC Plans to Resume Service Learning Program "As Soon as Possible"

Although 2020 and 2021 service trips to Africa were cancelled, ASEC continues to build infrastructure and partnerships to enhance the service trip experience when it's safe to do so.

Through the Research Initiative, ASEC strives to increase the academic literature available on Catholic women religious in Africa and develop sisters as critical investigators.

Catholic Sisters: Critical Investigators and Capable Researchers for Africa

In 2021, the ASEC Research Initiative saw tremendous growth in the areas of academic publication and research-related webinars. Learn how ASEC is supporting African sisters' in their scholarly research.

Sr. M. Tryphina Burchard, STH, ASEC Country Director (center), with two ASEC scholarship recipients during the 2021 Scholarship program orientation workshop in Tanzania.

Scholarship Program 2021: Bridging the Gap to Higher Education for Sisters in Africa

A year in review of ASEC's Scholarship Program for women religious in Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Ghana, Kenya and Lesotho. Read about the program growth, celebrations and achievements as 2021 comes to an end.

HESA best-in-class graduates from Veritas University in Nigeria at the ASEC graduation celebration (2021).

Higher Education for Sisters in Africa (HESA) Program, 2021 Year in Review

A year in review of the Higher Education for Sisters in Africa (HESA) program. Read HESA news, graduation announcements, student achievements and program growth.

Sr. Judith Atukwatse, OLGC, used the skills she learned in SLDI to start a vegetable and poultry project for her community in Uganda.

Sisters Leadership Development Initiative (SLDI) Program, 2021 Year in Review

A year in review of the Sisters Leadership Development Initiative (SLDI) program. Read about milestones, news and experiences from 2021.

Reverence As Our North Star

Reverence As Our North Star

ASEC Executive Director Sr. Draru Mary Cecilia, LMSIG reflects on the core value of Reverence and how ASEC used reverence as a north star to guide the organization through the challenges faced in 2020-21.

Sr. Lucy proves that with an education you can achieve absolutely anything you dream of. She's using what she's learned to reach out to those in need. Here, she's leading the

Blessed, Empowered and Happy: How Education Has Helped Fuel a Nun’s Life Work

For Sr. Lucy, education has been the key to realizing the vision she had and fulling the mission of her Kenyan community.

In June, 2018, ASEC staff also toured the Our Lady of Good Counsel (OLGC) farm where the sisters grow food and keep animals, like these pigs. An SLDI alumna, Sr. Mary Lilian Baitwakakye, was able to secure funding to begin a dairy farm, which supports both the congregation and the Boni Consilii Girls Vocational Secondary school.

Investing in Africa’s Small Farms Yields Big Outcomes

Catholic sisters in Africa are using crop and animal farming to sustainably support their local communities.

ARCH serves individuals of all ages who are dealing with orthopedic and neurological problems. Children come to ARCH with paralyzed arms (caused by nerve damage due to childbirth), bow legs, knocked knees, club feet and other congenital conditions. Cerebral palsy is also very common. Adults are treated for conditions such as backaches, strokes, post-accident traumas, burns and more.

The Key To Success is Doing Ordinary Things Extraordinarily Well

Sr. Leonarda has incorporated what she’s learned about leadership, finances and accountability into her ministry work to better serve the disabled and marginalized.

Sr. Joan Chisala, CSJB, ASEC’s Programs Coordinator in Zambia, lost her battle with COVID-19 on June 16, 2021.

Sr. Joan Chisala, ASEC Programs Coordinator Zambia & Former Visiting Scholar, Loses Battle With COVID-19

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Sr. Joan Chisala, CSJB, on June 16, 2021.

Many improvements at St. Matia Primary School can be attributed to Sr. Betty’s leadership as head teacher. And Sr. Betty credits the education she has received through HESA for her success. Photo by Blair Harmon, Unsplash.com.

Ugandan Nun Makes Huge Improvements at Rural Primary School

As head teacher, Sr. Betty is using her HESA program education to provide a stable yet constantly improving learning environment for kids in Uganda.

Sr. Faida is able to provide both stability and hope amidst the chaos of a war-torn nation thanks to the skills and confidence she gained through ASEC’s SLDI program.

One Sister’s Solutions to a War Torn South Sudan

Sr. Faida noticed how difficult it was for her neighbors to obtain healthy food during lockdown. So, she and the sisters taught them how to plant vegetables using sacks and broken buckets on their veranda.

Malawian sisters who graduate from ASEC's programs are invited to annual Alumnae and Reflective Learning Workshops. This enables sisters to continue networking and continue their education through presentations and discussions on relevant topics and emerging issues. Pictured: Participants of ASEC Alumnae Workshop in Malawi (February, 2020).

ASEC Forming Effective, Collaborative Agents of Change in Malawi

"ASEC programs need to be commended and encouraged," says Rev. Fr. Dr. Alfred Chaima. "We pray that the sponsors continue to invest in these programs."

ASEC Board of Directors attending the 2021 annual meeting on April 29, 2021. Present at the meeting but not pictured are Carroll Juliano and Sr. Florence Hee.

ASEC Holds 2021 Annual Board Meetings Virtually

April 28-29: ASEC’s annual Advisory Board and Board of Directors Meetings took place via Zoom.

Sr. Astridah recognized that most public health messages regarding the pandemic were only being transmitted in English, which made the information inaccessible to many Zambian citizens. So, she invited other sisters on her radio program in order to translate critical pandemic information to local dialects.

Nun's Radio Show Disseminates COVID-19 Info to Zambians in Multiple Languages

Sr. Astridah is using the leadership skills she learned in ASEC's SLDI program to share critical health information about COVID-19 pandemic to 1.5 million Zambians via a multilingual radio show.

Through ASEC's SLDI program, sisters are learning to be effective leaders, articulate the needs of their communities and find the pathway to successfully fulfilling those needs.

Following the Ripples - How Educating One Person Can Benefit Hundreds in Need

The stories of four African women who used their education to change the lives of hundreds of people they serve.

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  • Sr. Amelia Nyendwa, TS, Distribute Food to Poor Widows in Malawi Using Skills Learned Through ASEC's Programs - watch video
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2021 Rays of Hope References

Full copies of ASEC Evaluation Reports can be requested by contacting us.