In Nigeria there are religious women who are tremendously smart; however, due to their financial situations they are unable to achieve levels of higher education. Yet these women still crave the opportunity learn more than what they already know. Sr. Juliana Kemi Osiyemi is one of these women.
“I have realized that no one knows it all, and that life is an ongoing learning experience,” said Sr. Juliana.
To help her quench her hunger for knowledge she turned to African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC). Sr. Juliana felt that this experience would not only benefit her life but also the lives of others. As a result she began the administrative track of ASEC's Sisters Leadership Development Initiative (SLDI) program.
For one month out of each year, Sr. Juliana attends the program. During her time in the program she has attended a web technology class where she has been able to learn skills to not only help expand her knowledge but also help brighten up the day for other people.
“Thanks also to the web technology lesson, our retreat centre in Oghara also wears a new look because I was able to dot key places around the centre with reflective coloured images laced with inspirational messages,” said Sr. Juliana.
Sr. Juliana also serves as a mentor to three temporary professed sisters and several other young girls who belong to her parish in Unoghovo-Oghara. Since she began her education through ASEC she has noticed a difference in these young women.
“The girls I’ve mentored have become more disciplined and organized after I began teaching them the lessons I learned through ASEC,” said Sr. Juliana. “I was able to have various presentations with different groups using the skills and expertise I acquired at the SLDI.”
Sr. Juliana was also able to conduct a lecture on the History of the Church to a group of over two hundred Catechist of the Antioch School of Evangelization, Yaba, Lagos. She was also invited to present a leadership workshop and seminar to the Light of God (LOG) Solution Enterprise, and to teenagers of a Parish in Lagos.
To help prepare for these seminars Sr. Juliana combined the skills of an effective and efficient facilitator that she was taught at SLDI. Some of these skills include: listening, communication, facilitation and delegation. Through her presentations at these seminars Sr. Juliana has been able to touch the lives of many people.
Sr. Juliana is grateful for the education she received through ASEC but most of all she is grateful for tools she has been given to take the gift of education and use it to help others who may not have the same opportunity.
“For me, the real success is the result of all that I did,” said Sr. Juliana. “The lives of those I lectured and mentored changed positively. Some of them taught and shared knowledge I gave them with others. The input I had created a ripple effect.”
