Sr. Teresa belongs to the Congregation of Sisters of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus (Teresian Sisters, TS) and has spent extensive time working as a lecturer and minister of health. She is also currently ASEC’s Program Coordinator in Malawi. Outside of her position at ASEC, she facilitates workshops while working with the impoverished and disenfranchised. Her motto is to “do good always, and never grow tired of doing what is right."
As a celebration of Women's History, Sr. Teresa has been chosen as the focus of the 2024 Africa Day campaign. African Day is an annual commemoration of a nationwide commitment to improve the lives of African citizens. Africa Day is the oldest church-wide solidarity initiative in the world and has a lengthy and eventful history.
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Sr. Teresa giving words of encouragement to support group members, after a class on manufacturing manure making, in T/A Kamenyagwaza-Dedza District, Malawi.
Each year, a different theme is chosen, and occasionally, several people are nominated as champions of those themes. Sr. Teresa was nominated in 2024 for her missions of providing social work, health care, education for women and children, and pastoral care.
When asked what her reaction was to being nominated as a champion for Africa Day, Sr. Teresa was amazed to realize that what she initially saw as small acts of service, actually had an enormous impact on a great quantity of people.
“I was filled with great amazement and gratitude to God. It really came as a surprise.” said Sr.Teresa “ I also felt this is a great opportunity to share with other people the ministries of different vulnerable groups, all I see God's hand enriching the ministry that I am doing.”
“Become an Ambassador of the Invisibles” -from Worlds Women's Observatory Workshop in Tanzania, Africa. July 2023
ASEC is proud to recognize Sr. Teresa, who embodies the commitments of Women’s History towards fighting inequity, prejudice, and discrimination. When asked about some of her goals concerning women's equality for 2024, she listed the following: “scale up skill development programs to attain economic sustainability; engage more in advocacy to increase awareness on importance equality more especially in the rural areas, widen the network of WWO ambassadors, and collect, compile and publish success stories from WWO beneficiaries and members of the support groups.”
Sr. Teresa currently works as an ambassador at the World Women Observatory (WWO), a project by the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations, whose international work exists to promote and develop the lives of women globally. They primarily focus on how the Church can cooperate with others to alleviate the suffering and discrimination women face.
Sr. Teresa was nominated for Africa Day, because of her efforts as an ambassador for the WWO, which included:
- Shining a light on the marginalized and unheard.
- Facilitated relationships between religious and civil organizations.
- Formed alliances to prevent violence and discrimination against women in Africa.
When talking about her experience as an ambassador for the WWO Sr. Teresa said, “I have felt so energized seeing the transformation taking place in women's lives. The major challenge has been failure to meet all who ask for assistance, resistance to change due to cultural interference, and economic dependency for those who are still looking for stable ways of sustaining themselves.” Working to resolve these issues and see results has given Sr.Teresa a sense of gratitude for her role in their lives.
Women trained by Sr. Teresa gather together to demonstrate the skills they have learned in Soap Making and other vocations. Here, Sr. Teresa showcases how to make petroleum jelly.
Many women in Africa live under a constant threat of violence. Physical and sexual assault, poverty, discrimination, deprivation of education, and the spread of disease are just a few of the dangers that plague them. However, the skills and training that Sr. Teresa imparts upon African women makes a real, measurable difference in the quality of their lives. Women trained by Sr. Teresa obtained the education necessary to own their place in African economies.
“I am able to make soap, ointments, glycerine, shampoo and other things. I am able to make these things and bring them to the market. There is a lot of demand now”, says a woman trained by Sr. Teresa.
In African society, when women are engaged in productivity and industry, they obtain a means of averting trouble. When women prosper, a positive feedback cycle begins, whereby obtaining the skills that allow them to contribute to the daily welfare of their communities, and positive public opinion about women’s rights increases, which expands the quality and quantity of available education. In other words, women’s education has extremely potent instrumental value, as it improves society by feeding itself.
Sr. Teresa couldn’t be more of a perfect fit for Africa Day, as she embodies the ideals it stands for through her massive messages and her daring deeds, empowering women to shape their own destinies. It’s important for us to acknowledge and appreciate honorings such as Africa Day and Women’s History Month, as the amazing legacy of the past is what inspires future generations of women to break modern barriers and pursue dreams.
History isn’t just in the past; it exists today and tomorrow. Women everywhere like Sr. Teresa are involved in the act of making history.
