ASEC News

Economic Growth & Opportunity For Women in Rural Cameroon

African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC)

Sr. Caroline Acha, SST, serves in a remote area of northwest Cameroon. Her ASEC education is helping her to overcome the many challenges facing her community.

Sr. Caroline uses her ASEC education to provide quality education for children and economic opportunities for marginalized women in rural Cameroon.

Facing the Challenges of Rural Cameroon

Sr. Caroline Acha, Sisters of St. Therese (SST), serves in a remote, rural area of Northwest Cameroon called Sabongari. There are many challenges Sr. Caroline faces in Sabongari, such as lack of electricity, proper roads and potable water. This rural area also faces social issues such as high rates of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, early marriages and child delinquency. As if these challenges aren’t enough, the area also lacks school and children often must walk far distances to get an education.

Issues like these are, sadly, the norm in rural areas of Africa. Catholic Nuns serving in these poverty-stricken areas are often put to the task without the proper skills and training to be effective in their ministry work. But through ASEC, African Sisters receive the education and tools needed to initiate positive change in the darkest of circumstances.

You'll see that Sr. Caroline is no exception.

Learning Administration and Grant-Writing Skills

Sr. Caroline is an alumna of ASEC’s Sisters Leadership Development Initiative (SLDI) program in Cameroon where she studied administration. Initiatied in 2007, SLDI is ASEC’s largest program. SLDI provides Sisters with technology, administration and finance training through one month workshops over three years. 

Through SLDI, Sisters gain the practical skills and confidence to build strong networks and take up leadership roles in their congregations and communities. Sr. Caroline is one of many ASEC alumna who have been able to translate the skills she learned in the classroom to real-life success in achieving the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

 Sr. Caroline says of her ministry, 

“Thanks to ASEC/SLDI, I was frightened but far from being discouraged. Our passion about the need to confront these challenges and let the entire population see themselves a success story, served as a motivation.” 

Rays of Hope ebook

Read Rays of Hope

Learn more about Catholic Sisters transforming poor, rural communities across Africa in our FREE Rays of Hope ebook.

Read It Now »

Quality and affordable education for the children of Cameroon

Sr. Caroline prioritized quality and affordable education for the children of Sabongari. She initiated the construction of classrooms and a computer lab at the St. Therese school.  Through resource mobilization skills learned in SLDI, she secured funding to construct a classroom and a computer lab.  

Sr. Caroline proudly asserts that because of the grant-writing and fundraising skills she’s learned that, 

“Students now have opportunities to exploit their full academic potentials.”

Empowerment Center increases the self-reliance of local women

Sr. Caroline also incorporates a Women’s Empowerment Center as part of her ministry.  The center offers a space where local women are offered training and education that help them create and obtain jobs, increasing their self-reliance. 

The Center also produces reusable sanitary pads, empowering girls and women in the area to continue their work and schooling. 

Sr. Caroline also teaches the women to buy food when prices are low, then sell when prices increase to widen their profit margins. This source of income helps women proudly send their children to school, and ensures they can take their children for medical care when they are sick, because they can now afford the fees.

With grant-writing skills attained through SLDI, Sr. Caroline also secured funds to construct classrooms and provide safe drinking water and sanitation for vulnerable students in the Northeastern areas of Kumbo and Sanonga.  

She initiated this project to ensure that children who cannot attend school in the French region of Cameroon due to political unrest in the country have the opportunity and assistance to continue school in a safe environment.

Education improves Sr. Caroline's ministry work

Sr. Caroline credits the SLDI program and ASEC with the skills that help her work effectively in her ministry.  She commented, 

"ASEC has equipped me with a lot of new skills which I use to carry out my apostolate with a lot of inspiration and motivation."  

After completing the SLDI program, she describes herself as, “...full of skill and vigour” and adds that,

“...the difference and excellence in my ministry cannot be dissociated from the soft skills and attitudes, gained during the sessions.  ...Our hope is to maintain consistency and leave a legacy– based on the positive impact we create on the lives of the people we minister to.”

Leaving a lasting legacy through the positive impact of education

With an education, Sisters are able to improve the effectiveness of their service to the most poor and vulnerable people in Africa. Help a Sister leave a lasting legacy in her community by sponsoring her education today. Through your sponsorship, she will gain the skills she needs to improve the lives of hundreds of people.

Donate Now »

This article is addressing the following UN Sustainable Development Goal(s):

Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all Sustainable Cities and Communities

Sr. Caroline Acha, SST
Profiled in article
SLDI Alumna, Administration Track, 2015 - Cameroon  

Jennifer Mudge, MSW, LSW

Jennifer Mudge, MSW, LSW
Author
Former ASEC Senior Program Manager, Monitoring & Evaluation - USA  

Amy Fedele

Amy Fedele
Editor
Former ASEC Media & Communications Manager - USA  

Leave a comment »

Keep Reading...

How can we measure the impact of education?

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.

Deciding to Become a Nun: The Process

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.

Coming and Going: Trusting God’s Path for Sisters

Working in a collaborative network of sisters from various congregations, countries and continents demonstrates the value of each individual's footprint on the organization.

More impact stories »