Doreen Ajiambo

Sisters from six African countries gathered in Entebbe, Uganda, to learn strategies and income-generating ideas for their ministries, largely in social services.

Catholic leaders and sisters have rescued thousands of children and young girls in Sierra Leone from sexual abuse, offering guidance and counseling, justice and education.

After Sr. Angela Mbalu Bangura became the provincial superior of her congregation, her objective as a leader was to unify all three West African provinces in Sierra Leone, Ghana and Gambia, which are under her authority.

En Sierra Leona, María Tu Sesay y Amara Sahr Kemba han encontrado la reconciliación después de la guerra civil que finalizó en 2022 y duró 11 años. Sobreviviente y exsoldado, respectivamente, han logrado perdonarse y superar el pasado. Con el apoyo de religiosas católicas, víctimas y responsables del conflicto buscan sanar heridas emocionales y espirituales, y encontrar esperanza en medio del dolor.

"We have been targeting extremely poor households and asking well-wishers in the church to help us reach out to more people," said Sr. Matilda Mubanga.

With Malawi and other southern African countries still reeling nearly 10 months after Cyclone Freddy, Catholic sisters gathered to learn advocacy skills to lobby on the neglected survivors' behalf.

Nearly 10 years after West Africa's Ebola outbreak, survivors in Sierra Leone continue to live with stigma, isolated from their communities and jobs. Catholic sisters offer education, hope and help. 

Religious leaders, including sisters attending COP28, have vowed to advocate for funds to be adopted and immediately disbursed to vulnerable communities impacted by the effects of climate change and who are unable to adapt to significant loss of lives and livelihoods.

A weeklong in-person training session was held in Nairobi, Kenya, to impart essential leadership skills to promote collaboration for preventing and creating awareness against human trafficking around the globe.

Sisters step up to provide assistance for the thousands who have been displaced after torrential rain, which experts say is related to climate change, flood northern Kenya.  

Hermanas del Inmaculado Corazón de María Reparadora-Ggogonya ofrecen un refugio en la Escuela de Niñas de Kalas a las niñas que escapan del matrimonio infantil y la mutilación genital femenina en el norte de Uganda, en donde las casan antes de completar su educación.  

Catholic sisters foster healing and reconciliation for survivors of Sierra Leone's civil war, many of whom now find themselves neighbors with former rebel soldiers who killed their families during the conflict.

Women religious in Nigeria rejoice after gunmen released three sisters, as well as a priest and their driver, who had been abducted for nine days.

Maasai tribespeople and their supporters, including sisters, face intimidation as the Tanzanian government, in the name of conservation and tourism, has tried to force the Maasai from their northern ancestral land.

A Kenya hospital founded in 1964 and owned by the Catholic Diocese of Lodwar now has 200 beds for inpatient services and specialized doctors to treat life-threatening conditions of Kakuma Refugee Settlement residents. 

¿Qué harías si tuvieras que elegir entre estudiar o trabajar? ¿Y si tuvieras que hacerlo desde los 12 años? Esa es la realidad de muchos niños pastores de Lesoto, un país africano donde la pobreza y la tradición les impiden acceder a la educación. Pero hay una esperanza: las Hermanas del Buen Pastor de Quebec, que han creado una escuela nocturna para ellos. Allí, mientras los animales descansan por la noche, los pequeños aprenden inglés, matemáticas y otros conocimientos que les pueden abrir las puertas a un futuro mejor. En este reportaje de GSR te contamos la historia de Thabo Kobo, un joven pastor que sueña con ser contador y que no se rinde ante las dificultades, y el apoyo que las hermanas le ofrecen para que siga su vocación y supere los obstáculos: un testimonio de lucha y de solidaridad. 

La creencia generalizada en la brujería en África Occidental tiene consecuencias devastadoras: en el norte de Ghana, cientos de mujeres acusadas de hechicería o magia negra encuentran refugio en campamentos tras ser expulsadas de sus hogares. Golpeadas y señaladas por supuestamente causar muertes, estas viudas con hijos son despojadas de sus propiedades por la familiares de sus difunto esposos. La codicia suele motivar las acusaciones. Sin embargo, un grupo de hermanas católicas las rescata y protege, mientras educan a las comunidades para erradicar esta persecución basada en supersticiones.

The agenda at Rwanda conference included sexual and gender-based violence prevention, sexual and reproductive health and rights, climate change, technological innovation, and youth advancement programs. 

Global leaders and women religious attending the Women Deliver 2023 Conference in Rwanda's capital city of Kigali have called on all countries to emulate Rwanda regarding gender equality and women's empowerment.

The Women Deliver 2023 Conference has begun in Kigali. The conference, held July 17-20, is one of the world's largest conferences focused on gender equality, health, and the rights and well-being of girls and women.