Doreen Ajiambo

Doreen Ajiambo is the Africa/Middle East correspondent for Global Sisters Report based in Kenya. She covers the missions and ministries of Catholic women religious and writes about humanitarian and environmental issues across sub-Saharan Africa that affect the people they serve. Her previous work has been published by Religion News Service, Catholic News Service, Refugees Deeply, USA Today and the Global Post, among other outlets.  

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A "Climate Clock" is seen with the Maldives delegation during the closing plenary of COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Nov. 20. (Flickr/UNclimatechange)

Last-minute COP27 deal on loss and damage called 'a real breakthrough'

Catholic groups welcomed the historic deal reached at the United Nations climate summit to establish a "loss and damage" fund for vulnerable countries, even while negotiations fell short in other areas, they said.

A Malagasy family is pictured outside their destroyed home Feb. 8 in Mananjary, Madagascar, in the aftermath of Cyclone Batsirai. Ahead of COP27, some organizations in Africa plan to call for compensation for the damage climate change has already exacerbated. (CNS/Courtesy of CRS)

What religious and civil leaders in Africa expect from COP27

As the town of Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt prepares to host the latest U.N. climate change summit, organizations have already created a wish list of what they expect the convening will achieve.

Woman holding baby

Teen moms in Lesotho find shelter, education with local sisters

Thousands of girls in Lesotho are forced to abandon their education as punishment for being pregnant. The Good Shepherd Sisters of Quebec run a center that shelters and supports teen moms.

Sr. Eusebia Maselitso Lerotholi, a member of Handmaids of Christ the Priest, with the children at Andrew Blais Orphanage Home. Lerotholi founded the orphanage in 2013 to help homeless and orphaned children have a home and access to education. (GSR)

Q & A with Sr. Eusebia Maselitso Lerotholi, caring for children left behind in Lesotho

Trained pastoral caregiver and counselor Sr. Eusebia Maselitso Lerotholi's ministry has evolved into being the mother of many through an orphanage home. Despite the challenges, she tells GSR that she has achieved a lot.

Sr. Virginia Njeri of the Religious of the Assumption talks to residents of Kawangware, a low-income residential area in Nairobi, July 22. The sisters conduct peace campaigns to urge residents to maintain peace and avert violence during elections. (GSR)

Kenyan religious leaders praise peace as court upholds election results

Religious leaders, including Catholic sisters, have praised Kenyans for maintaining peace and calm after the country's Supreme Court on Sept. 5 upheld William Ruto's presidential victory over Raila Odinga.

A supporter of presidential candidate Raila Odinga holds a placard referring to electoral commission chairman Wafula Chebukati, while shouting "No Raila, no peace", next to a roadblock of burning tires Aug. 15 in Nairobi, Kenya. (AP photo/Ben Curtis)

Sisters, church leaders call for peace amid Kenya's election protests

Chaos broke out in various parts of Kenya following the announcement of the victory of President-elect William Ruto, prompting religious leaders to urge residents to maintain the peace as Kenya waits for further instruction.

A religious sister casts her ballot at the Karen Kenya Medical Training College polling station Aug. 9 in Nairobi, Kenya, during Kenya's general election. (GSR photo/Doreen Ajiambo)

After weeks of encouraging peace, Kenyan sisters cast their votes for a new president

Photos - In the weeks leading up to the election, Catholic sisters nationwide have conducted peace campaigns and civic education to avert violence before, during and after the election.

Sister Mary Magdalene, a member of the Incarnate Word Sisters-Kenya (GSR photo/Doreen Ajiambo)

Q & A with Sister Mary Magdalene, teaching peace ahead of Kenya elections

Incarnate Word Sister Mary Magdalene has become a hero for championing peace campaigns in slums around Nairobi to ensure harmony and peaceful coexistence before, during and after Kenya's Aug. 9 elections.

Sr. Letta Mosue, left, superior general of the Sisters of St. Brigid in South Africa, and Sr. Regina Kuizon, province leader of the Religious of the Good Shepherd of Philippines-Japan, are pictured in a 2017 photo in Manila. Mosue died July 19. (GSR)

Sisters express sadness over the death of Sr. Letta Mosue

Sr. Letta Mosue died July 19 near Rustenburg, in South Africa's North West province. Those who knew Mosue described her as a person with a golden heart, independent mind, and honesty, someone who changed people's lives.

William Lang'at, the assistant county commissioner of Kisumu Central, waves at the peace caravan July 16 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milimani, Kisumu, Kenya. (Vincent Aduda)

Kenyan sisters preach peace, civic education ahead of Aug. 9 elections

"God always has a plan for every human being," one sister said, encouraging peaceful elections. "As we choose our leaders, he has already made his choice. Let us respect whatever the outcome is."

The Sisters of St. Joseph of St.-Hyacinthe manage these greenhouse structures at their convent in Sekamaneng, a town located 4 miles from the capital Maseru. The sisters plant vegetables in the greenhouses. (GSR)

Greenhouse farming in Lesotho yields food for a community in need

Faced with reduced acreage for farming due to surrounding mountains and unpredictable weather conditions, Sr. Cecilia Sekhopha turned to greenhouse farming to increase food production and earn extra income for her congregation.

Sr. Assumpta Nabawanuka attends to a patient at St. Francis Hospital Nsambya in Kampala, Uganda's capital.

Q & A with Sr. Assumpta Nabawanuka on battling COVID-19 early in the pandemic

Treating COVID-19 patients in Kampala, Uganda, was frightening and challenging. Said Sr./Dr. Assumpta Nabawanuka: "We would have run away from this pandemic, but the Holy Spirit kept us strong."

Sr. Anna Lereko, the provincial superior of the Sisters of St. Joseph of St.-Hyacinthe, in her office in Maseru, the capital of Lesotho. She runs a night school for herd boys to ensure every child has access to education in Lesotho. (GSR photo)

Q & A with Sr. Anna Lereko, helping herd boys in Lesotho to read and write

Sr. Anna Lereko of the Sisters of St. Joseph of St.-Hyacinthe in Lesotho has dedicated her life to ensuring every child can receive a formal education in a country where young boys are often denied it.

Sr. Victoria Mota, a member of Holy Family Sisters of Bordeaux-Lesotho, poses with students in the sewing room at the sewing center located at Holy Family High School in Leribe, Lesotho. (GSR photo/Doreen Ajiambo)

Q & A with Sr. Victoria Mota, helping young people earn a living through sewing

In Leribe, Lesotho, Sr. Victoria Mota is changing the lives of young people. She started a sewing center at Holy Family High School in 2015 to empower youths and ensure they come out of poverty.

Sr. Mary Lilly Driciru of the Missionary Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church hosts her weekly radio show at Radio Maria Uganda on April 30. She educates residents on the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines and debunks myths surrounding vaccines.

Sisters' vaccination campaign boosts number of Ugandans protected from COVID-19

The Catholic Sisters COVID-19 Vaccine Ambassadors Campaign, supported by the Hilton Foundation, has helped increase the number of Ugandans vaccinated against COVID-19 from 5% to 38% in about six months.

The delegation of presidents and representatives from the six conferences in the Southern African region during the May 14 launch of the Regional Conference of Major Superiors of Southern Africa in Harare, Zimbabwe (Courtesy of Nkhensani Shibambu)

New conference for religious in Southern Africa will 'foster the religious spirit'

Religious sisters in Southern African countries have welcomed the establishment of the Regional Conference of Major Superiors of Southern Africa, saying it will help them share the best practices that could benefit the church.

Sr. Amelia Dikiso, a member of the Good Shepherd Sisters of Quebec, teaches a herd boy how to put letters together to form words at the Good Shepherd Night School in Semonkong, Lesotho. (GSR photo/Doreen Ajiambo)

While animals rest at night, herd boys in Lesotho go to schools run by sisters

Lesotho's culture expects boys to protect and herd cattle, sheep and goats for their families or look for jobs as herdsmen, which requires them to drop out of school. Sisters run night schools to help empower the boys.

Esther Nangiru, left, and Susan Cherotich are victims of forced marriage who are taking refuge at Kalas Girls Primary School in Amudat, northern Uganda. (Gerald Matembu)

Ugandan boarding school rescues young teen girls from forced marriage

Parents and other elders wanted to sell them into marriage for cows. Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Reparatrix-Ggogonya stepped in to educate them instead at Kalas Girls Primary School in northern Uganda.

A child sniffs toxic glue from a plastic bottle on the streets of Mombasa, a coastal city in southeastern Kenya on the Indian Ocean. The high rate of youths using drugs has visibly affected their lives and the safety of the region. (GSR photo)

St. Joseph Sisters rescue youths from drug use on Kenya's Indian Ocean coast

With help from volunteers, Sisters of St. Joseph of Mombasa find dazed youths along the shores of the Indian Ocean and invite them to the Grandsons of Abraham Rescue Centre, which works to rehabilitate and educate them.

Sisters in Africa debunk myths and educate people to get the COVID-19 vaccine

In Africa, there is rampant misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine. To save lives amid the pandemic, Catholic sisters have been working to educate and encourage people to get vaccinated as the best means to fight the virus.