Our gratitude goes out to you, our generous partners, donors and friends. What we do is not possible without you. Every single dollar you've given makes such a big difference. You are always in our thoughts and prayers.
ASEC Donors*
Adrienne Castellon
Alex Wachira
AmazonSmile
Amy Fedele
Anne Kibuna
Anonoymous
Ashraf Megaly
Barbara Furnari
Beatrice Wachira
Bellarmine Newman Center
Benedictine Sisters of Florida - Holy Name Monastery
Beth Brady
Betty Kamau
Brighid Blake
Brigidine Sisters
Bringas Salvador
Carmelite Monastery of Boston
Carmelite Sisters For The Aged and Infirm
Carolyn Wieczorek
Christina Clark
Christine Mwangangi
Congregation of Benedictine Sisters: Boerne
Congregation of the Sisters of St. Agnes
Congregation of the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM)
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Philadelphia
Corpus Christi Monastery
Culligan Southwest, Inc.
Daughters of the Holy Spirit
Diana MacPherson
Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ
Dominican Srs. Of The Perpetual Rosary
Donald and Mary Ann Groszek
Edward Shoener
Elaine Heaston
Ezra Kadezra
Franciscan Sisters of Chicago
Henrique Uliana Trentin
J.W. Norpel/M.E. Norpel (SSJ Group)
Jacqueline Reich
Jaime Lyn Bloxham
James Priolo
James Sullivan
Jane Farr
John & Doris McQuade
John & Elizabeth Stapleton
Schwab Charitable
John Banick
Jose Cervantes Pina
Jose Martinez
Joyce Phillips
Julia M. Sheehy
Lauren Peet
Leonard Macharia
Leroy R. Miller Jr.
Little Company of Mary Sisters
Lois Draina|
Lydia Mwangi
Magdalene Nzioka
Marcus Patterson
Margaret Mccanna
Martin Hyzinski
Mary Adamson
Matthew Dovin
Matthew Malkin
Mattia Krappa
Melissa Edwards
Michael Dunleavy
Michelle Evans
Mkay Carmau
Mount St. Francis - Sisters of St. Francis
Mount St. Scholastica, Inc. - Benedictine Monastery in Archinson
Mwaura Chege
Notre Dame Sisters
Nursing Sisters of Sick Poor, Inc.
Pamela Felder
Patricia J. Warning
Paul and Sandra Montrone
PayPal Giving Fund
Pontien Ndabaneze
Redempta Bekah
Religious Of The Assumption
Rev. Leonard Gicheru
Rev. Stephen Karani
Rev. Thomas Delaney
Robert & Elizabeth Olson
Robert & Susan Barry
Robert (Bob) Lockyer
Rochelle and Jimmy Rasberry
Ryan Glenn
Saint Puis X Catholic Church
Shannon Moore
Sharon Kestler
Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth
Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word
Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross
Sisters of St. Benedict, Crookston
Sisters of St. Casimir
Sisters of St. Francis - Assisi Heights
Sisters of St. Francis of Savannah (Sr. Christine Martin)
Sisters of St. Francis of Tiffin
Sisters of St. Joseph Elizabeth House
Sisters of St. Joseph Nazareth House
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet - Albany Province
Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia
Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange
Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, Quebec
Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament
Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Aberdeen
Society of the Holy Child Jesus
Sondra Garrett
Sr. Beatrice Caulson, IHM
Sr. Dolores Chepiga, SSJ
Sr. Elizabeth Wanyoike
Sr. Jane Wakahiu, LSOSF
Sr. Mary Persico, IHM
Sr. Nancy Kamau, LSOSF
St. Mary's Institute of O'Fallon (Srs. of the Precious Blood)
Stephen Deji
Tata Mbugua
The Congregation of St. John's Roman Catholic, Melville
the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart, Inc.
Valentine Njeri
Veronica Kariuki
Vincent & Elaine Fedele
Wants of the Age (WOTA)
William Stout
Winfred Mutinda
Yerodin Lucas
*Donors between 9/1/2019 and 8/31/2020
ASEC Charter Institutions
- Chestnut Hill College and the Sisters of St. Joseph, Philadelphia, PA
- Marywood University and the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Scranton, PA
- Neumann University and the Sisters of St. Francis, Philadelphia, PA
- Rosemont College and the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, Rosemont, PA
ASEC Associate Members
- DePaul University, Chicago, IL
- Srs. of the Redeemer, Meadowbook, PA
- Srs. of St. Joseph of Carondelet, Albany, NY
- Srs. of Charity of Cincinnati, Mt. St. Joseph, OH
- St. Leo University, Saint Leo, FL
Special Thanks
- Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
- Franciscan Sisters of Chicago
- Saint Joseph's Church
- John & Theresa Rollins
- Srs. of St. Francis of the Immaculate Conception, West Peoria, IL
- Srs. of St. Joseph of Carondelet
- Society of the Holy Child Jesus
- Pontifical Missions - Diocese of Scranton, PA and Archdiocese of Newark, NJ
- Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), Washington, D.C.
- ASEC Board Members
- ASEC Partners in Africa
ASEC Advisory Board and ASEC staff virtual meeting on April 27, 2020.
2020 ASEC Office Happenings
Congratulations to ASEC Researcher, Sr. Kevin Karimi, LSOSF. Sr. Kevin successfully defended her doctoral dissertation about ASEC's SLDI program on January 21, 2020 at Marywood University, Scranton, Pennsylvania. She received her Ph.D. in Strategic Leadership and Administrative Studies.
ASEC's 20th anniversary celebration was held in Uganda on January 10, 2020. Many ASEC staff were in attendance. ASEC is grateful to the Association of the Religious in Uganda (ARU) for organizing this event!
We have three ASEC staff members who celebrated their Silver Jubilee in 2020, marking 25 years of religious life. Happy anniversary, sisters!
- Sr. Juliana Chibaula Zulu, RGS, Zambia (May 2020)
- Sr. Lina Wanjiku Ndung'u, SE, Kenya (June 2020)
- Sr. Joyce Kwamboka Nyakwama, SSND, Kenya (December 2020)
ASEC Executive Director, Sr. Draru Mary Cecilia, LSMIG, received the Patriotic Employer Award from the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense. The award is to recognize her support of Sneh Akruvala, ASEC's Data Manager, in her year-long leave of absence for military service with the U.S. Army.
ASEC, in collaboration with the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), held the inaugural International Consultative Research (ICR) Conference virtually on September 21-23 and 28-30, 2020. The conference provides an opportunity for researchers around the globe to collaborate in the initiation of an international network of research on religious life . Learn more at asec-sldi.org/icr
Visiting Scholar Program
Through a grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, ASEC partners with Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) to run a Visiting Scholar program for African Sisters. Sisters selected for the program spend six months working with researchers at CARA in Washington, D.C., to acquire applied research skills in the apostolate. The grant also supports the development and implementation of at least one research project in the home country of each sister scholar.
Sr. Aloysia Sebueng Makoae, SNJM, Lesotho
Sr. Aloysia holds a Ph.D. in African Languages from the University of Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. She is the sixth visiting scholar, arriving in the USA in February, 2020.
Sr. Lucy Dora Akello, LSMIG, Uganda
Sr. Lucy holds a Ph.D. in Behavioural and Social Science/Pedagogy from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. She is the seventh visiting scholar, arriving in the USA in September, 2020.
In Memory of our Sister Students
It is with sadness we report the passing of four ASEC students. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, teachers, classmates and congregations of these sisters. May the Lord crown them with eternal glory.
Sr. Lucia Kehlane, FCSCJ, Lesotho (HESA)
Sr. Lucia was a Daughter of the Charity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus who was studying Humanities at the National University of Lesotho. She passed away in January 2020 after an illness. Sr. Lucia's friends say that she was unique, had a beautiful voice, was ever-smiling, responsible, cooperative and hardworking.
Sr. Stella Teru, SHS, Uganda (HESA)
Sr. Stella is a Sacred Heart Sister who was studying for her Masters in Education at Uganda Martyrs University. She passed away in April 2020 after a courageous 1.5 year battle with cancer.
Sr. Anna Unzia, ESM, Uganda (HESA)
Sr. Anna is an alumna of ASEC's HESA program from the Institute of the Missionary Congregation of the Evangelizing Sisters of Mary in Uganda. She passed away in August 2020, after a brave battle with cancer. Sr. Anna graduated from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) in 2017 with her Bachelor's of Education.
Sr. Caroline Kiambi, CSJB, Kenya (SLDI)
Sr. Caroline was a Kenyan nun of the congregation Sisters of St. John the Baptist and a participant in ASEC's SLDI program in Zambia. She passed away suddenly in October 2020, hours after renewing her religious vows. Those who knew Sr. Caroline describe her as a devoted and prayerful woman, with a cheerful spirit and glowing smile.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected most countries in the world, and sub-Saharan Africa is no exception. Sisters from ASEC programs are responding through prayer and service to the poor and vulnerable.
A Message from ASEC Development Director
Catholic Sisters are Shining Rays of Hope
Catholic sisters have been involved in education for many years. In Africa, children, especially girls who are often the most marginalized, feel safe and protected in the schools where sisters constantly advocate for their education. School is a safe haven and a place to pursue one's dreams. The majority of these girls look up to the sisters as their role models and mothers.
As COVID-19 hit the world and schools closed, many young students fell victim to domestic and sexual abuse. Consequently, teenage pregnancies and marriages increased significantly in Africa. Many countries in Africa reported a 38% increase* in teenage pregnancies as well as early marriages that occurred behind the closed doors of families during the lockdown.
The COVID-19 pandemic that has affected us globally has also revealed the vulnerabilities of our lives. The lock-down restrictions have exposed economic differences in every nation. The pandemic pushed so many people into poverty, homelessness, unemployment and hunger. Sisters in Africa continue to sow the seeds of hope in their communities during COVID-19. The sisters are not only advocating for the vulnerable and marginalized girls, but also they are seeking justice and addressing the challenges in their societies.
The internet is increasingly becoming the new way of communication as the world battles this pandemic. Sisters in Africa are using the technological skills and the education they received through ASEC to protect and defend the vulnerable and the marginalized people they serve in their societies.
Will you join our efforts and be a Ray of Hope? I invite you to join us and be part of our mission. Mindful of the difficult financial shortfalls due to COVID-19, I request you to consider donating to ASEC to continue its mission to serve the most vulnerable through the sisters in Africa. We rely on you to continue ASEC's mission. Your contribution will make a huge difference and will help us impact the lives of so many people that the sisters in Africa serve. Make a donation today.
-by Sr. Nancy Kamau, LSOSF, ASEC Director of Development
