ASEC News & Reflections

ASEC is serving Catholic Sisters in 11 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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2023 Service Learning participants at service sites in Ghana.

A Return to Africa

Jan 1, 2024: [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

Apr 3, 2023: [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

Oct 3, 2022: [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

Jul 5, 2022: [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

Mar 17, 2022: [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

Feb 17, 2022: [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

Nov 1, 2021: [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

Sep 6, 2021: [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

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.

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

Dec 9, 2020: [Tanzania] Sr. Edna earns a degree to serve as a pharmaceutical technician in Tanzania to improve healthcare in the country.

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

Dec 9, 2020: [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.