KENYA: ACWECA to Hold Virtual Plenary Assembly in August Amid Covid-19 Surge
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
Members of the Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa (ACWECA) have decided to hold their 18th Plenary Assembly virtually following the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in most countries in the region.
“The ACWECA Board Members resolved to hold the August 2021 Plenary Assembly meeting online,” The Association’s President Sr. Cecilia Njeri said on behalf of the members in a Thursday January 21 statement adding, “It was not an easy decision. However, for the safety of the members coming to Nairobi from various countries, we found it prudent to conduct this important meeting virtually rather than on-site.”
Last year, ACWECA postponed the 18th Plenary that was slated for August 2020 in Nairobi due to Covid-19 restrictions that were put in place by various governments in the region so as to curb the spread of Coronavirus, hoping to have a “face to face encounter” this year.
“We are in 2021 but in most countries the situation is still not any better and in some countries it is becoming even worse,” Sr. Njeri a member of the Little Sisters of St. Francis (LSOSF) narrates in the Thursday statement.
The virtual Plenary themed “Re-awaken the prophetic role: a call for reformation towards holistic transformation in ACWECA region today,” is scheduled for August 23-27, where members from 10 Religious women congregations including Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe as an Associate Member are expected to attend.
The Association’s Plenary Assembly is normally held after every three years. The last 17th Plenary was in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 2017 under the theme; “Revitalize our Solidarity for deeper evangelization in today’s complex reality within the Region.”
In the letter addressed to friends of ACWECA, Sr. Njeri has promised updates about the forthcoming event and encouraged continuous prayers for God’s intervention to end the pandemic.
