Sr. Francisca Damoah, SIJ, ASEC Regional Director West Africa, plays with a child at St. Elizabeth Day Center for Children & Young Adults with Disabilities, Ghana, during a site visit (June, 2018).
Mon, Mar 16, 2020
ASEC will now fund scholarships for Catholic Sisters in Ghana who wish to pursue degrees and training for special education.
Scranton, PA: On February, 12, 2020, ASEC officially expanded the Scholarship program to the African country of Ghana in an effort to support Catholic Sisters in need of educational support to effectively serve students with special needs.
The need for scholarships Ghana was identified by ASEC 2019 Service Learning participant and special education teacher Sr Elizabeth Demerchant, IHM. At service locations visited on the trip, Sr. Elizabeth noticed that some of the Sisters and other teachers were not formally trained in special education, even though they were responsible for caring for children with physical and/or mental disabilities.
Upon further evaluation, it was determined that partner institutions of ASEC's Higher Education for Sisters in Africa (HESA) program in Ghana did not offer education programs in the field of special education.
In order to fill this education gap, ASEC will now fund scholarships for Catholic Sisters in Ghana who wish to pursue degrees and training for special education. Now Sisters will be able to receive the training and credentials needed to effectively carry out their service to vulnerable children who rely on their care.
African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC) is a non-profit organization facilitating access to education for women religious in sub-Saharan Africa. Graduates of ASEC’s programs demonstrate that educating a Sister can result in rippling, far-reaching impacts that significantly contribute to sustainable development in Africa.
ASEC's Scholarship Program was initiated in 2012 to meet the unique educational needs expressed by Sisters in Tanzania who were lacking the necessary secondary education credentials to qualify for higher education programs offered by ASEC. In 2016, ASEC expanded the scholarship program to Malawi in Zambia in order to address a similar need for secondary and diploma level education. Learn more at http://asec-sldi.org/.
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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Sr. Draru Mary Cecilia, ASEC Executive Director, at 570-961-4700 or [email protected].
Sponsor a Catholic Sister's Education
You can make a difference by sponsoring the education of an African Sister. Our two-year scholarships provide an opportunity for these women to complete secondary school or its equivalency so they can be more effective in their important service work to the poor and vulnerable.
We measure the impact of education through qualitative data by interviewing ASEC sisters, both those current students and alumnae. Through learning their stories, we can connect the dots between education and transformation, both within the sisters and their communities.
If you have ever wondered about the process of becoming a nun, you are not alone. It turns out it takes a lot of commitment, dedication and time to prepare before taking one's final vows.
Working in a collaborative network of sisters from various congregations, countries and continents demonstrates the value of each individual's footprint on the organization.
