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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Sr. Lydiah Shirotsi, SMK, serving the homeless in Nairobi, Kenya.

Investigating the Impact of the HESA Program

6 days ago: [Zambia] Sr. Judith Zulu, RGS, received a national award in Zambia recognizing her outstanding service as a healthcare provider, made possible through her ASEC-supported education in Clinical Medicine.

Sr. Judith Zulu, RGS, recipient of the Outstanding and Long-Serving Employee Award at the Zambia Federation of Employers Labour Day Celebrations

Scholarship Graduate Receives Prestigious Award

6 days ago: [Zambia] Scholarship alumna Sr. Judith Zulu was nationally recognized in Zambia with a Labour Day Award for her dedicated service as a clinical officer, improving healthcare for her community.

ASEC Staff from Uganda, Zambia, and Kenya were in attendance at the CERRA-Africa Global Research Network Symposium in Nairobi.

HESA Alumnae Inspire at CERRA-Africa’s Research Network Symposium

3 weeks ago: [Cameroon, Kenya, Zambia, USA] At the CERRA-Africa Global Research Network Symposium in Nairobi, Kenya, HESA alumnae and ASEC staff presented impactful research, highlighting the vital yet often-overlooked contributions of Catholic sisters to sustainable development across Africa and beyond.

Sisters, brothers, and partners gather in Kampala, Uganda, for the SLDI Executive Secretaries Workshop. The event fostered learning, networking, and deeper understanding of ASEC and SLDI Phase VII to strengthen leadership and program impact.

Taking ASEC’s Mission Global: The First Six Months of 2025

last month: [Cameroon, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, USA] ASEC’s first half of 2025 has been marked by powerful workshops, international advocacy, and growing partnerships, proving once again how education can empower Catholic sisters to lead change across Africa.

Catholic sisters in Tanzania join ASEC staff and partners to cut a Jubilee cake during the first celebration of ASEC’s 25th Anniversary in Morogoro.

Celebrating 25 Years of Impact: ASEC’s Silver Jubilee Across Two Continents

last month: [Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, SouthSudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, USA] ASEC’s 25th anniversary year united SLDI graduations across Africa and a jubilee gala in the United States, celebrating a global community committed to educating Catholic sisters for transformative ministry.

Left to right: Scholarship Orientation entertainment in Tanzania, Bigwa Secondary School graduation in Tanzania, first Scholarship graduates in Cameroon.

Scholarship 2024 Year in Review

9 months ago: [Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe] The ASEC Scholarship Program empowers Catholic Sisters across nine countries with access to education, enabling them to better serve their congregations and communities, with over 890 scholarships awarded since 2012.

HESA students top: Sr. Maureen Chepkemoi, SMI
Bottom left to right: Sr. Catherine Etyang, SMK and Sr. Irene Wawira Njeru, FMA, serving in Kenyan ministries.

Higher Education for Sisters in Africa 2023 Year in Review

more than a year ago.: [Ghana, Kenya, SouthSudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, USA] The Higher Education for Sisters in Africa (HESA) program empowers Catholic sisters in Africa by providing access to post-secondary education, resulting in over 1,144 graduates across 24 partner institutions in 10 African countries and the U.S.

Photo by Damian Patkowski, unsplash.com

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.

ASEC sister Sr. Honorine with pupils during cooking practicals in Cameroon

Going where the need is greatest, exemplifying hard work, and solving social issues: 5 things we can learn from ASEC sisters

more than a year ago.: [Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, SouthSudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia] “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” - John 1:5

Members from ASEC US headquarters and faculty from DMI-St. Eugene meet via Zoom to sign partnership agreement.

ASEC signs new partnership with DMI-St. Eugene in Zambia

more than a year ago.: [Zambia, USA] DMI-St. Eugene University in Zambia is the first partner university in Africa to have been founded by religious women.

ASEC Sisters teach children how to dance at St. Peter Clavery School in Mikumi, Tanzania

Dance in African Christianity and Culture as Explained by an ASEC Sister

more than a year ago.: [Kenya, Zambia, USA] After being with ASEC for a year, I’ve had the opportunity to learn so much about Catholic sisters, African culture, and some of the unique and beautiful traditions of Catholicism in Africa. One thing that I’ve noticed is the power of incorporating dance into graduations, mass and religious celebrations in Africa. I wanted to know more.

Sisters Odette and Cecilia exploring the technology of the phone at an SLDI workshop in Cameroon, 2019.

Using Technology to Strengthen Ministries

more than a year ago.: [Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, SouthSudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia] Last spring, the New York Times published an article about how women religious are sharing their experiences through social media platforms, like TikTok. In this article we reflect on the recent trends and explain how our sisters are learning to utilize technology.

ASEC Executive Director, staff, country coordinators and SLDI program participants meet via Zoom to discuss how the program is helping congregations succeed.

SLDI Participants meet with Executive Director, Share the Impact of Computer Technology Workshops

more than a year ago.: [Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, USA] ASEC Sisters from Zambia, Tanzania and other countries in Africa have gathered recently for Basic Technology workshops as a part of the SLDI program. Last month they met with ASEC Executive Director Sr. Draru Mary Cecilia to discuss what they learned and why it is important.

COVID-19 Case Study Published in Review of Religious Research

COVID-19 Case Study Published in Review of Religious Research

more than a year ago.: [Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, SouthSudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, USA] At ASEC we understood clearly that the pandemic would mean some serious changes for us and our goals. We also understood that COVID-19 may make our pending goals to transform education in Africa even that much more needed. As a research organization, we did what we do – research.

In Nigeria, Sr. Virgilia helps train refugees in income-generating skills

Brave Change: Transforming Communities Takes Courage

more than a year ago.: [Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, SouthSudan, Zambia] We spend a lot of time explaining the changes that come about when ASEC Sisters transform their communities using education, but there’s a specific aspect that makes it all the more special – the bravery it takes to create change at all.

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