AMECEA: ACWECA to Launch a Strategic Plan
The Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa (ACWECA) will launch its strategic plan on 28th January, 2012 at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa CUEA in Nairobi.
According to the program made available from their secretariat, the ceremony will be preceded by the Holy Mass whose main celebrant will be His Excellency Archbishop Alain Paul Lebeaupin, the Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya, assisted by Archbishop Tarcisius G. Ziyaye, Chairman of AMECEA.
Other Key personality expected to grace the occasion is His Excellency Honorable Raila Odinga, Prime Minister of the Republic of Kenya who will be the Chief Guest. The program of the day is scheduled to start at 10.00 am at the Missio Hall in CUEA.
The purpose of this strategic plan is to guide ACWECA in undertaking their ministries of service including coordinating and organizing, pastoral ministries, justice and peace, counseling and providing retreats/spiritual accompaniment.
The strategic planning workshop was held at Pope Paul VI Memorial Hotel in Kampala, Uganda from August 27th to 29th 2011 and facilitated by Dr. Jolin Chikati of Regional Partnership for Resource Development and was attended by 26 participants consisting mainly of ACWECA council members from eight member countries and partners.
Four Critical Strategic issues emerged during the planning workshop. These included:
· Leadership Training;
· Training of sisters in Formation;
· Need for a Multi-purpose and Development Centre to serve the needs of the sisters from all over the region, and to provide programs suited to the particular needs of the sisters. The place and property are already set in Nairobi of which the only remaining hitch is to get more benefactors so as to start the construction.
· Improvement of Communication which is the key to execution of Association activities and this includes developing an interactive website.
The Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa (ACWECA) is an Association of Sister Associations comprising of eight (8) national sisterhood Associations drawn from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
With a membership of over 20,000 sisters, ACWECA provides a real potential of great spiritual and pastoral impact in the region, with members making a vowed commitment to the loving and service of God and their sisters and brothers in need around the world.
The vision of ACWECA is to have spirit filled women religious with solid holistic formation for authentic witness to the world.
Its mission is to empower women religious in living a consecrated life. The Association aims at developing and strengthening the formation and education of women religious, advocating for peace and justice, fostering self- sustenance and effective leadership models in the region.
Since 1988, the secretariat and leadership of ACWECA has operated from Kenya.
ACWECA is committed to quality coordination, facilitation and provision of modern technical, logistical and administrative support to national associations and other catholic institutions in their mission of holistic evangelization, inspired by the mandate of Jesus Christ “You Shall be my Witnesses” Acts 1: 8.
SOURCE: AMECEA Social Communications office
