Doreen Ajiambo

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.

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 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.

"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."

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sr. Anna Masawe manages a faith-based organization that shelters street children before they are reintegrated into their families and community. She speaks to GSR about her ministry working with homeless children.

Fish, the main currency in cities on Lake Victoria, is in severe shortage. Many women fish sellers must trade sex for fish from fishermen. The practice has fueled HIV/AIDS infections in the region, prompting the Catholic Church to intervene.

Sr. Anne Onyancha, a member of the Sisters of Mary of Kakamega and head teacher of St Peter's Mumias Boys Primary School, was among 31 teachers across Kenya who were honored for this year's World Teachers' Day.

In Malawi, dependence on firewood and charcoal as sources of income and for energy needs has led people in the world's fifth poorest country to chop down vast portions of the forest. To reduce deforestation, Carmelite Missionary Sisters are teaching women skills that will not further damage the forests. 

A faith-based campaign in Malawi aims to educate communities about the rights of people with albinism and to dispel myths that motivate attacks for their body parts, which are believed to bring good luck and wealth.

The Little Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi in Uganda are among the congregations using entrepreneurial skills they acquired in 2019 after receiving training on how to transform their social ministries into enterprises.