KENYA: Stories Have Compelling Power, Sisters Reminded at the Launch of Communications Network in Kenya
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
“When we tell stories that bring a difference, stories shared through Jesus Christ who is the greatest storyteller, we impact the society,” the representative from Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Sr. Jane Wakahiu shared with sisters communicators during the launch of the Communication Network for Catholic Sisters in Kenya (CNCS-Kenya) in Nairobi on Friday, June 14.
Addressing about 13 Catholic nuns from various congregations this Friday, Sr. Wakahiu the Associate Vice President of Program Operations and Head of Catholic Sisters at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation pointed out that religious women across the globe offer commendable services to the underprivileged population in society hence the need to share the stories to uplift others.
“The thousands of Catholic sisters here in Kenya working in the margins have stories of faith, stories of hope, stories of the voiceless, and stories of courage that need to be told,” the member of the Little Sisters of Saint Francis (LSOSF) said in her speech adding that these stories need to be told “with tenderness, compassion, and care to inspire others and give hope.”
Referencing a Nigerian writer and public speaker Ms. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie who disclosed the danger of a single story, the US-based nun who visited Kenya to witness the launch stressed the need to tell stories from various lenses.
According to Sr. Josephine Kangogo Keino the Chairperson of the Association of Sisterhoods of Kenya, (AOSK) and the board chair of CNCS-Kenya who also attended the Friday launch, “Communication is the lifeblood of every progressive society and in everyday living.”
“When we let others tell our stories, we create a gap and a leeway to rumours because no one can express our experiences the way we would as sisters in communication,” Sister Kangogo who also serves as Provincial superior of the Daughters of the Sacred Heart, narrated during the launch and continued, “This network is very crucial for the work of sisters and evangelization. I can just imagine the revolution this communications network is going to make and I have so much hope that this initiative will strengthen the way we evangelize.”
Prior to the launch, the 13 Sisters communicators had a two-day workshop at the Radix Hotel where they learned more about Social media management and security and also the use of artificial intelligence for social transformation.
In his sharing, Mr. Kennedy Kachwanya a member of the Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) reminded the Catholic Nun communicators that Social media has become a powerful force that is impacting everything from business to education to politics and social movements.
Amidst its significance, Mr. Kachwanya said, there is a need to be keen on the privacy of social media to protect personal and sensitive information that people can find from the various social media accounts.
Some common social media privacy issues include Data mining for identity/ theft, harassment and cyberbullying, false information, Malware, and viruses among others.
He advised the sisters to protect their social media information through the use of strong passwords, avoidance of public devices, disabling geolocation data, avoiding clicking suspicious links, and use of two-factor authentication.
On Artificial Intelligence (AI), the trainer Br. Elias Mokua a member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) appreciated the advancement in technology pointing out that “AI gives us more time for creativity and we must use it to recreate our way of thinking and move forward.”
According to Br. Mokua the Executive Director of the Loyola Centre for Media and Communications (LCMC) various AI tools can aid the sisters in effective evangelization that leads to social transformation.
