By Wesley Omondi
NAIROBI, JUNE 19, 2024 (CISA) – Catholic Sisters in Kenya marked a significant milestone with the launch of the Communications Network for Catholic Sisters (CNCS) in Nairobi on June 14, 2024. This initiative, led by the Association of Sisterhoods of Kenya (AOSK) and supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, aims to empower the Sisters to share their impactful stories and strengthen their community bonds through improved communication.
Addressing attendees at the launch, including members of various Catholic media outlets in Nairobi, Sr Josephine Kangongo DSH, the chairperson of the Association of Sisterhoods of Kenya (AOSK), expressed her joy at the formation of CNCS and spoke of the significance of Catholic sisters-communicators joining up to evangelize through media.
“I stand before you today, my heart filled with gratitude as I witness the official launch of the Communications Network for Catholic Sisters. I reiterate the importance of communication. Communication is the lifeblood of every progressive society and in everyday living. And not just communication but the right information,” said the board member of CNCS.
Sr Kangogo, a member of the Religious Institute of the Daughters of the Sacred Heart, emphasized the need for the Sisters to narrate their own experiences to avoid misinformation: “There is an African proverb which says ‘the fact that a frog nods, doesn’t mean agreement.’ When we leave others to give our stories, we create a gap and sometimes a leeway to rumours because no one can express your experience exactly how you would.”
“I have so much hope and faith that this platform will revitalize and strengthen the way we evangelize,” maintained Sr Kangogo.
Prior to the launch, CNCS had facilitated a two-day workshop that trained 13 Sisters who are involved in communications and media from various AOSK member congregations. The workshop included sessions on artificial intelligence and social media among others.
In her speech, Sr Jane Wakahiu LSOSF, Associate Vice President of Program Operations and Head of Catholic Sisters Initiative at Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, emphasized the critical role of accurate communication and the motivation of the foundation to fund the network.
“Sisters, I reiterate the importance of communication. Communication is the lifeblood of every progressive society and in everyday living, she said, adding “{And not just communication but the right information.”
Sr Wakahiu also highlighted the vast number of Catholic Sisters in Kenya and the importance of their untold stories.
“With over 7,000 Catholic Sisters here in Kenya working in margins day in and day out, they have stories of faith, stories of hope, stories of courage, and stories of the voiceless that need to be told with tenderness, compassion, and care, and they are the ones to take the pen and write those stories,” she stated.
Addressing the types of stories to be shared, Wakahiu noted “Sometimes we only tell stories of conflict, war, and challenges but there are also good stories, stories of success, stories of love and stories of tenderness, stories that humanize individuals and stories that elevate them to take their place as agents of social change. That is what we want to do.”
The launch of the Communications Network for Catholic Sisters (CNCS) in Kenya is part of a broader initiative supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, which has been instrumental in establishing similar communication networks for Catholic Sisters in Uganda, Zambia, and Ghana. This extensive support aims to enhance the visibility and impact of the Sisters’ work across multiple African countries, enabling them to share their stories, foster unity, and effectively communicate their contributions to society.
