ASEC News & Reflections

ASEC is serving Catholic Sisters in 10 sub-Saharan African countries, providing access to educational opportunities. There is much to celebrate regarding the work of ASEC and the impact of Sisters who are benefiting from our programs.

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Participants from Zimbabwe, ASEC’s U.S. staff, and ASEC Board members join in a virtual meeting for the historic signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ASEC and the Conference of Major Religious Superiors Zimbabwe (CMRS-ZW).

African Sisters Education Collaborative Expands Reach to Zimbabwe

3 months ago: [Zimbabwe, USA] The African Sisters Education Collaborative has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Conference of Major Religious Superiors Zimbabwe, marking the 11th country in ASEC’s mission to empower Catholic sisters across Africa.

Sr. Mavis Ackaah Mensah, SIJ works on accounting projects in her healthcare ministry.

Accounting for Quality Healthcare in Ghana

4 months ago: [Ghana] Sr. Mavis Ackaah Mensah, SIJ leverages her knowledge gained from the SLDI program and accounting skills to enhance healthcare quality and financial stability.

Sr. Given Chibesakunda, CSJB, Scholarship recipient in Zambia holds newborn twins.

Scholarship 2023 Year in Review

10 months ago: [Cameroon, Kenya, Tanzania] Since 2012, ASEC’s Scholarship Program has enabled over 790 sisters in seven African countries to pursue secondary and higher education, empowering them to serve their communities more effectively.

2023 Service Learning participants at service sites in Ghana.

A Return to Africa

10 months ago: [Ghana] The ASEC Service Learning Program resumed in 2023, with students from Chestnut Hill College and Marywood University traveling to Ghana for three weeks, where they engaged in volunteer work, cultural immersion, and academic study.

Affirming Dignity to the Dying in Zambia

more than a year ago.: [Zambia] Palliative care is largely recognized as essential to improving the quality of life of those with serious and often terminal illness, even if they may not be able to treat the root cause of their ailment.

Dr. Rosemary Shaver, ASEC Senior Program Manager, successfully defended her dissertation on September 23, 2022.

Senior Program Manager is awarded Ed.D., doctoral award

more than a year ago.: [USA] HESA and Scholarship Senior Program Manager Rosemary Shaver, Ed.D. received her Doctorate in Education from Wilkes University after successful defense of her research on the perceived impact of service learning programs on higher education learners. Through her research she was able to find that it is a transformative experience that promotes self-examination, dialogue, and skill development among participants.

Students follow instruction during a 2018 visit to Infant Jesus Prep in Ghana.

It Takes a Village: Caring for the Kids

more than a year ago.: [Cameroon, Kenya, Uganda] Taking care of kids takes a village - something ASEC Sisters understand well. It is not just tucking them in at night and making sure they are accounted for during the day, it is also making sure their future is taken care of as well.

ASEC Staff from Africa and the United States joined for staff training from March 1-4, 2022

Staff Training Focuses on Social Entrepreneurship

more than a year ago.: [Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, SouthSudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, USA] “The work you do on a daily basis is strengthening the capacity of the sisters you serve.” - Sr. Draru Mary Cecilia, LSMIG, Ph.D.

Sr. Janet Kiden is the first sister to obtain a Ph.D. through ASEC’s Scholarship Program.

Educating the Educated: First ASEC Sister to Obtain Ph.D. Improves Schools in South Sudan

more than a year ago.: [SouthSudan] We know that education has the power to transform and change lives, but we seldom consider those who use research and study to improve education. This incredibly unique role is valuable to the spreading of knowledge and skills throughout Africa.

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

more than a year ago.: [Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia] 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.

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

more than a year ago.: [Cameroon, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia] Catholic sisters in Africa are using crop and animal farming to sustainably support their local communities.

Sisters are using computer and technology skills learned in ASEC's programs to streamline and enhance their service work to the poor and vulnerable across Africa. Pictured are sisters from ASEC's Higher Education from Sisters in Africa (HESA) program in Tanzania, receiving personal laptops to assist them in their studies (2020).

Tech-Savvy Sisters: Catholic Nuns Share How Technology Transforms Their Apostolates

more than a year ago.: [Cameroon, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia] How Catholic nuns translate computer and tech skills into enhanced social services for Africa’s poor and vulnerable.

In March 2020, sisters participating in ASEC's Scholarship Program in Tanzania gathered for orientation, thanks to our generous donors who sponsor them.

Scholarship Program 2020: A Monumental Year

more than a year ago.: [Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia] A year in review of ASEC's Scholarship Program for women religious in Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Ghana and Kenya. Read about the program growth, celebrations and achievements as 2020 comes to an end.

Sr. Edna serves as a pharmaceutical technician at St. Benedict Ndanda Referral Hospital in the Mtwara region of Tanzania. She and her 8 coworkers dispense medication for the entire hospital, an estimated 90-200 patients per day.

Nun's Ministry Improves Healthcare in Tanzania

more than a year ago.: [Tanzania] Sr. Edna earns a degree to serve as a pharmaceutical technician in Tanzania to improve healthcare in the country.

Sisters celebrate the graduation of HESA participants from ASEC partner university, St. Augustine University College (SAUT), in Mwanza, Tanzania (2019).

Sisters Rise to the Top of the Class

more than a year ago.: [Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia] African nuns are reaching major academic achievements while amplifying their influence on some of the biggest challenges facing African society.

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