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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Photos from Mama Kevina Hope Center for Children with Disabilities in Tanzania, provided by Sr. Swai (pictured left).

Getting the Right Education for Children with Disabilities

Nov 29, 2021: [Tanzania, Uganda] Equipped with confidence, skills and a psychology degree, Sr. Swai is helping physically and mentally disabled children in Africa get the early intervention services they need.

Armed with an education and technology training, Catholic sisters are unleashing their creativity across sub-Saharan Africa to implement innovative and creative solutions to real world problems. Pictured above, sisters Odette and Cecilia explore technology on a cell phone.

A Sister’s Seed of Imagination Grows a Field of Hope

Oct 4, 2021: [Cameroon, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia] Catholic sisters in Africa are using their education to dream up creative human development projects that help their local communities.

Sr. Lucy proves that with an education you can achieve absolutely anything you dream of. She's using what she's learned to reach out to those in need. Here, she's leading the

Blessed, Empowered and Happy: How Education Has Helped Fuel a Nun’s Life Work

Sep 13, 2021: [Kenya] For Sr. Lucy, education has been the key to realizing the vision she had and fulling the mission of her Kenyan community.

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

Sep 6, 2021: [Cameroon, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia] Catholic sisters in Africa are using crop and animal farming to sustainably support their local communities.

ARCH serves individuals of all ages who are dealing with orthopedic and neurological problems. Children come to ARCH with paralyzed arms (caused by nerve damage due to childbirth), bow legs, knocked knees, club feet and other congenital conditions. Cerebral palsy is also very common. Adults are treated for conditions such as backaches, strokes, post-accident traumas, burns and more.

The Key To Success is Doing Ordinary Things Extraordinarily Well

Aug 30, 2021: [Cameroon] Sr. Leonarda has incorporated what she’s learned about leadership, finances and accountability into her ministry work to better serve the disabled and marginalized.

This Assumption Sisters dairy farming project at Thika Farms is directed by SLDI alumna Sr. Susan Wanjiru. Fifteen cows produce 15 liters of milk per day and the manure used to add nutrients into the soil.

A Sustainable Farm Run by Catholic Nuns Reducing Food Insecurity in Rural Kenya

Aug 9, 2021: [Kenya] Sr. Susan is using her education to feed her community through a successful, sustainable farm in rural Kenya.

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

Aug 2, 2021: [Cameroon, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia] How Catholic nuns translate computer and tech skills into enhanced social services for Africa’s poor and vulnerable.

A Society of Jesus (SIJ) sister teaches young students of Infant Jesus Preparatory school in Twifo Praso, Ghana.

Nun Provides Safety to 700+ Young Students in Ghana

Jul 19, 2021: [Ghana] Sr. Irene Christine Oparku’s leadership and grant-writing skills have changed the lives of her students in Ghana.

Sub-Saharan Africa hosts more than 26% of the world’s refugee population, with Cameroon among the highest of African nations.

Sisters Offering Refuge: How Training Catholic Sisters Provides Critical Help to Refugees

Jul 5, 2021: [Cameroon] Catholic nuns in Cameroon, Africa are using their financial and leadership training to help those displaced by war and violence.

Many improvements at St. Matia Primary School can be attributed to Sr. Betty’s leadership as head teacher. And Sr. Betty credits the education she has received through HESA for her success. Photo by Blair Harmon, Unsplash.com.

Ugandan Nun Makes Huge Improvements at Rural Primary School

Jun 14, 2021: [Uganda] As head teacher, Sr. Betty is using her HESA program education to provide a stable yet constantly improving learning environment for kids in Uganda.

Because of the undeniable benefits of mentoring, as part of the SLDI program structure, ASEC alumnae are expected to mentor at least 3 other sisters. They're also encouraged to invite their mentees to attend the annual alumnae workshops so they can network with other sisters.

African Sisters Cultivate Meaningful Change Through Mentoring

Jun 7, 2021: [Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania] Nuns provide guidance, motivation and support in their critical role as mentors, bringing to life the many benefits of mentorship in Africa.

Sr. Faida is able to provide both stability and hope amidst the chaos of a war-torn nation thanks to the skills and confidence she gained through ASEC’s SLDI program.

One Sister’s Solutions to a War Torn South Sudan

May 24, 2021: [SouthSudan, Uganda] 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.

After an internal evaluation of their finances, it was discovered that the congregation utilized a great deal of funds to supply electricity that heated the water in their Provincial House (Riruta, Nairobi). Sr. Susan was able to use her education to write a successful grant allowing her congregation to convert their hot water heating system to solar. This resulted in a a truly renewable energy source that's less expensive for the sisters to maintain.

Using Solar Energy to Support Kenyan Sisters in their Missions

May 10, 2021: [Kenya] The Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood in Kenya and Nairobi now have reliable, renewable energy thanks Sr. Susan’s grantmaking skills.

Highly trusted members of their communities, Catholic sisters are in a unique position of service, especially during times of crisis in Africa, when emergency response is needed.

Bringing Light to the Darkness: Catholic Sisters on the Front Lines in Africa

May 3, 2021: [Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia] Catholic sisters have become a critical component of emergency response among local African communities in crisis.

Sr. Astridah recognized that most public health messages regarding the pandemic were only being transmitted in English, which made the information inaccessible to many Zambian citizens. So, she invited other sisters on her radio program in order to translate critical pandemic information to local dialects.

Nun's Radio Show Disseminates COVID-19 Info to Zambians in Multiple Languages

Apr 20, 2021: [Zambia] Sr. Astridah is using the leadership skills she learned in ASEC's SLDI program to share critical health information about COVID-19 pandemic to 1.5 million Zambians via a multilingual radio show.

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