African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC)
Mile Stones
- ASEC is supporting 477 Catholic sisters in Uganda to study for degrees and diplomas through the HESA program.
- ASEC has served 601 Catholic sisters from Uganda through the SLDI program.
3HESA total served is reported by the country of the institution where the sister is studying. Some sisters travel to a different country to attend specialized programs of study.
With leadership skills learned in SLDI & HESA, Sr. Petronilla is providing quality, holistic education to girls in Northern Uganda.
- The Sisters Leadership Development Initiative (SLDI) program equips Catholic Sisters in Africa with essential skills in administration, finance, technology.
- The education Sr. Teopista gained through both SLDI and HESA help a bakery to thrive and provide nourishment to a Ugandan community.
ASEC Uganda HESA
ASEC Uganda Celebrates 25 years/Silver Jubilee in 2024
ASEC Convention 2025/Workshop for Coordinators in Uganda
Some of ASEC’s Impact Beyond Classroom in Uganda
History
The history of ASEC dates back to 1995 when growing solidarity among women religious in Africa and the United States sparked a commitment to work together to address the issue of educational access.
As a result of needs assessment and careful analysis, ASEC, was inaugurated in 1999 by leaders of four congregations of women religious in Pennsylvania and the presidents of the colleges and universities founded by their congregations for purposes of providing educational opportunities for women religious in Africa. ASEC is governed by a two-level Board of Directors and received 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in 2006.
In 2004, ASEC hosted a conference at Marywood University for African sisters in leadership positions to enhance their understanding of technology and to mutually explore avenues for access to education in their countries.
Recognizing the need for new and creative ways to provide African sisters with education in the context of their own countries and cultures, ASEC began by developing a technological base to open various opportunities for working collaboratively with women religious in Africa toward this goal.
The initiative began with having Sisters in Africa travel to the U.S. for technology skills training and was followed by technology workshops held in East and West Africa. Since then ASEC has grown into an organization that is providing women religious in Africa with opportunities for further education through five different programs:
- Sisters Leadership Development Initiative (SLDI)
founded in 2007 with a 3-year grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation - Higher Education for Sisters in Africa program (HESA)
founded in 2013 with a $3.85 million grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation - Scholarship Program
- Service Learning
- Dissemination of Best Practices, including training in research and evaluation.
The geographic area where these programs are offered has expanded from the initial five countries of Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and Tanzania to ten, including Cameroon, Lesotho, Malawi, South Sudan and Zambia.
Looking for more information? Browse ASEC’s chronology.
Why Catholic Sisters
We recognize that women religious in Africa profoundly impact their communities and society. The services they provide are making a significant contribution to the advancement of sustainable human development and to addressing the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). To advance these efforts, we provide educational opportunities for women religious in Africa so that they may further develop their talents and potential, build their education credentials, and enhance the leadership and ministerial roles they assume at all levels of society. The article about why we focus on Catholic Sisters explores this in greater detail.
Achievements
- The ASEC Country Director and Coordinator attended the ASEC staff training which was conducted in Tanzania in January 2024.
- Alumni workshop was attended by 80 Sisters on the virtual platform (Zoom).
- There were 29 Sisters who graduated from the University of Kisubi in February 2024.
- The recruitment of students for Higher Education for Sisters in Africa (HESA) was done successfully.
- ASEC’s books of accounts were successfully audited.
Our Impact
- With the services and support received through this Network, there has been improvement in the general health of the elderly and infirm sisters of the different Institutes.
- There is improvement in mobility of the elderly, because of the support received and ability to purchase supportive gargets such as walking sticks; wheelchairs; walkers, and construction of rails and ramps etc, which has made the movements of the elderly more easy.
- Because of improvement in the diet and proper medication, many of the elderly and infirm sisters are now able actively participate in the community activities, because they can move around. And further still the mortality rate has reduced among the elderly and infirm sisters.