Paola Moggi, Comboni Missionary Sister. South Sudan
On October 4 2024 the hall of St. Mary University College was teeming with joyful religious women. Juba, the Capital of South Sudan, was hosting the third graduation of the Sister Leadership Development Initiative, one of the formative opportunities offered by ASEC, the African Sisters Education Collaborative.
In the 25 years of its existence, ASEC has greatly improved the contribution of women religious to the positive transformation of their communities and societies.
Considering the education gap afflicting girls and young women in Sub-Saharan Africa, still ranking last in the Global Gender Gap Report 2024 of the World Economic Forum, ASEC has been and still is a real game-changer.
In most rural areas of the continent, the girl child drops out of school for lack of school fees or for early marriage, even while still in primary school. Completing secondary school is an achievement, and attaining tertiary education a privilege.
Making the difference
In August 2024 a diplomatic officer of the Vatican stated: «Sisters reach out to the people and change their life», but often women religious without the necessary preparation find themselves loaded with ministerial responsibilities in education, health and social work.
ASEC has provided a solution through transformative solidarity: in 1999 the Sisters of St. Joseph and the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia met in Pennsylvania (USA) with the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Society of the Holy Child Jesus to support women religious in Africa. The Conrad Hilton Foundation provided financial support, and from that time almost 10,600 sisters have been equipped with competence and skills to better serve the people, even in very remote areas of Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Yet, they do not claim any “hardship allowance” to be there. At present, other individual and institutional donors, especially in the USA and Canada, contribute to cover ASEC expenses, but long-term sustainability remains a challenge.
A Silver Jubilee of outstanding records
Based on a thorough ongoing needs assessment, over the years new educational opportunities have been offered by ASEC to improve the ministerial service of women religious in Africa.
Besides the Sister Leadership Development Initiative, started in 2007 with monthly modules delivered over 3 years to equip sisters with managerial competence and computer skills, a two-year Scholarship Programme was introduced in 2012 to help sisters complete secondary school or vocational training. The Higher Education for Sisters in Africa was added in 2013 to provide undergraduate, master’s and doctoral education at university level, while since 2019 the Institutional Capacity Building supports the National Conferences/Associations of women religious in Africa in their service to human development.
Since its beginning, the quality education provided by ASEC has granted outstanding effects at local and regional level.
South Sudan rejoices
The third Sister Leadership Development Initiative graduation was organised in Juba by the South Sudan Country Director, sr. Veronica Daniel (SHS), in close collaboration with the SLDI Africa Coordinator & Director of Cameroon, sr. Clarisse Remjika Jaiwo (SST), and with the ASEC Regional Director for East & Central Africa, sr. Lina Wanjiku Ndung’u (SE). The celebration was graced by the Nuncio in South Sudan, who during the Jubilee Thanksgiving Mass praised the achievements of ASEC in the 25 years of its existence.
In South Sudan, the youngest nation of the world still grappling with poverty and insecurity, 98 sisters have benefited so far from the SDLI programme. In partnership with the Religious Superiors Association of South Sudan (RSASS), the last graduation awarded 25 sisters from 10 different religious congregation living in 7 different dioceses.
To complete the training has been challenging, especially for those who had to follow the online sessions from areas with very poor internet connectivity, but community support and personal resilience have overcome the constraints.
Besides this, 7 women religious in South Sudan have also benefitted from the Higher Education for Sisters in Africa, some of them reaching even the PhD level.
Nurturing spirituality and sisterhood
Sr. Lina Wanjiku, who is also the Country Director of Kenya, underlines: «My responsibility is to grant that the sisters attending the programmes continue to nurture their religious life and their spirituality. From the year of Covid we have started also online sessions, which enable the participants to remain in their respective communities while engaging in the formative programme».
Sr. Clarisse Remjika adds: «ASEC is “collaborative” by nature, so it is important to see the beauty of the different charisms. We are from many different religious congregation, and our witness is that together we can do better and our service to the people can become really outstanding».
Indeed, sr. Clarisse and sr. Lina, though from different countries and different congregations, care for each other like blood sisters!
Before ending the interview sr. Lina hints to another initiative: the mentorship programme. «The sisters continue to meet regularly also after their graduation, which is just the beginning of another chapter… because education is a life-long process».