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

Brave Change: Transforming Communities Takes Courage

Mar 31, 2022: [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.

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.

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

8 Ways ASEC Sisters Are Fighting For Social Justice in Africa

Feb 1, 2022: [Cameroon, Kenya, SouthSudan, Uganda, Zambia] Each ASEC Sister brings a unique purpose to their communities as a result of their education and leadership training, empowering them to fight for social justice as exemplified in these eight projects.

Sr. Mary Persico talking with an ASEC-sponsored CUEA graduate in Nairobi, Kenya (October, 2019).

On the Other Side of Reverence

Dec 13, 2021: [Kenya, USA] Sr. Mary Persico, IHM, Ed.D., President, Marywood University; ASEC Board of Directors Founding Member, reflects on her 2019 trip to Kenya, Africa, humbled and grateful for her experience of reverence.

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.

HESA best-in-class graduates from Veritas University in Nigeria at the ASEC graduation celebration (2021).

Higher Education for Sisters in Africa (HESA) Program, 2021 Year in Review

Oct 25, 2021: [Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, SouthSudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, USA] A year in review of the Higher Education for Sisters in Africa (HESA) program. Read HESA news, graduation announcements, student achievements and program growth.

Sr. Judith Atukwatse, OLGC, used the skills she learned in SLDI to start a vegetable and poultry project for her community in Uganda.

Sisters Leadership Development Initiative (SLDI) Program, 2021 Year in Review

Oct 18, 2021: [Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, SouthSudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia] A year in review of the Sisters Leadership Development Initiative (SLDI) program. Read about milestones, news and experiences from 2021.

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.

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.

The Virtual SLDI Partners Workshop took place from June 15-17, 2021, with attendees logging in from the USA and the 10 African countries ASEC serves.

ASEC Holds SLDI Virtual Partners Workshop In Preparation For Phase VI of the Program

Jun 23, 2021: [Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, SouthSudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, USA] A three-day virtual workshop enabled staff and partners to collaboratively prepare for Phase VI of ASEC’s largest program.

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.

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.

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