African Sisters Education Collaborative
Through ASEC’s education programs, Catholic sisters in Tanzania are breaking barriers in the legal field as they teach, practice law, and advocate for justice and gender equality in their communities.
At the CERRA-Africa Global Research Network Symposium in Nairobi, Kenya, HESA alumnae and ASEC staff presented impactful research, highlighting the vital yet often-overlooked contributions of Catholic sisters to sustainable development across Africa and beyond.
At the 2025 Notre Dame Religious Liberty Summit in Dublin, Sr. Draru of ASEC shared a compelling message: true inclusion must embrace individual identity.
As we celebrate 25 years of ASEC’s transformative work, we honor the women religious who have spearheaded a movement to enhance educational access for women in Africa. Since its official inauguration in 1999, ASEC has expanded to 10 countries and empowered women religious through programs like SLDI, HESA, the Scholarship Program, Service Learning, and the Research Initiative. These initiatives have equipped countless Sisters with leadership and professional skills to address challenges in their communities effectively.
In 2019, Sr. Magdalena Laurent Izengo started her courses through ASEC’s SLDI program in Tanzania. Since then, she has used her knowledge and skills to secure funding for projects that keep children in her community safe. Read about it in her own words.
Sr. Maria N. Isaya, a religious woman of the Institute of the Little Sisters of St. Francis in Tanzania, started her journey with ASEC in 2016 through the Higher Education for Sisters in Africa (HESA). Since then she has brought transformation to her community by using her skills to provide education to those in poverty, improving their overall quality of life.
Inspired by God’s divine love and the spirit of Saint Katharina Kasper, Sister Salesiana Bach, the then Provincial Superior of the German Province, and her leadership team took a courageous decision to embark on a journey of faith on April 4th, 2006.
Our Lady’s Nursery School in Nigeria recently hosted Entrepreneurial Month, an opportunity for students to be exposed to workshops and education that can sustain them in the future.
Catholic sisters in Africa see how using their education to help just one person can have an exponential positive effect on their communities.
Sr. Leonarda has incorporated what she’s learned about leadership, finances and accountability into her ministry work to better serve the disabled and marginalized.
Catholic nuns in Cameroon, Africa are using their financial and leadership training to help those displaced by war and violence.
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.
