Doreen Ajiambo

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.

En el campo de refugiados de Kakuma, en Kenia, las tensiones entre tribus sursudanesas son altas y la violencia es común. Un grupo de religiosas, sin embargo, siembra semillas de reconciliación y de paz: la Hna. Molly Lim, de las Franciscanas Misioneras de María, y la Hna. Elizabetta Grobberio, de las Hermanas Misioneras de De Foucauld, lideran sesiones de asesoramiento, actividades deportivas y culturales, y difunden el Evangelio para lograr la sanación de miles de refugiados. ¿Podrá el perdón florecer en este árido terreno?

Despite a prolonged drought in Kenya, Catholic sisters help ward off mass hunger by providing food relief and "transformative solutions" that keep traditionalist villagers in isolated areas from becoming dependent on aid.

Sisters on a pilgrimage to honor Ugandan martyrs describe the journey as a way to renew their faith and zeal in the service to the church. They use the event to pray to God to intervene in the challenges the country is facing and to recommit their faith to God.

At a May 16-18 gathering in Nairobi, Kenya, sisters and other religious and civil leaders in African countries, the U.S. and Italy gathered to exchange ideas for new models of caring for vulnerable children.

Sisters in Kakuma Refugee Camp organize regular gatherings to help facilitate peace and reconciliation between the Dinka and Nuer ethnic tribes, who have had violent conflicts long before they moved to the camp.

Violent clashes throughout Sudan have forced women religious to shut down their ministries and join hundreds of thousands also fleeing their homes. "Our country is now dead," one sister said.

Following the deaths of more than 100 cult followers in what is now known as the "Shakahola Forest Massacre," Catholic sisters and church leaders in Kenya are pressing the government to implement tighter regulations on religious bodies and clerics.

Religious sisters and other church leaders in Malawi, Madagascar and Mozambique are aiding victims of Tropical Cyclone Freddy, which has killed more than 600 people and displaced hundreds of thousands of others.

A Kenyan church program seeks to improve the lives of hundreds of young people with addictions and at risk of teen pregnancy.

As Pope Francis prepares to arrive Feb. 3 in South Sudan, religious sisters hope his visit will stir political leaders to finally come together and agree to restore peace to the youngest country in the world.

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.

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.

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.

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.