The initiative, a part of the Sisters Branded Value Project (SBVP), aims to equip sisters with business skills and resources to ensure the sustainability of their ministries across East Africa.

Sr Celestine Nasiali, the regional coordinator of SVBP, said the conference is a pivotal learning opportunity.

She said it is vital that they learn from other social entrepreneurs outside their ministry so they can emulate these people, return to their institutes and implement the skills in their Social Ministry.

The programme, implemented by Strathmore University, supports sisters from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia.

Participants acquire knowledge in enterprise management and networking, empowering them to drive financial sustainability in their congregations' social ministries.

Equipping Sisters for sustainability

The programme was launched in response to a 2021 Conrad Hilton Foundation survey highlighting the challenges faced by Catholic sisters, particularly where there is limited funding and sustainability in their ministries.

By integrating social entrepreneurship into their work, sisters can secure the necessary resources to continue providing essential services.

Dr Angela Ndunge, the Investment Director of SBVP, noted the importance of training in helping sisters sustain and expand their outreach to underserved communities.

Ndunge said it is essential that the great work the sisters do is sustainable and that they earn money to support themselves.

She said that many of the sisters involved in the programme come from congregations that provide crucial services to the marginalised and in the running of schools and hospitals.

As Ndunge pointed out, these ministries often fill gaps left by the private sector.

"When you're looking for a place to get services, a lot of times the sisters will be the ones who are available, especially to those who are unable to access private sector services."

Focussing on women entrepreneurs

The Sisters Branded Value Project focuses on women-led businesses, recognising that women often face significant barriers in starting and sustaining enterprises.

Eunice Kimani, Strathmore University's head of Entrepreneurship Programmes, emphasised the importance of supporting women entrepreneurs.

"We are focusing on women because they are the ones running very successful businesses, especially in Kenya and even across Africa" Kimani said.

"Yet they face a lot of challenges when trying to set up and grow their businesses."

Source

• NTVUganda

The priest - Father Ogalo - who says he was using rap music to deliver his sermons to "bring the youth closer to the church," has landed him in hot water with Catholic Church heads. Read only

They are challenging pharmaceutical companies to step up and help.

The situation for very sick children in Kenya is bad, the church and faith leaders say.

They estimate 26,000 children living with HIV in Kenya need treatment, but are not receiving it. In addition, they say more than 9,000 cases of pediatric tuberculosis were recorded in 2016. Read more

The Catholic Church supports Kenyan Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i's ban on school prayer days in the third term.

The ban is because of cheating in exams.

Nyeri Archbishop Peter Kairu said schools do not need to hold such days: God answers individual prayers.

"The love for money has ruined many people's heads and that is why there has been resistance to measures to curb cheating. Read more

Francis said corruption is not only present in politics but almost everywhere, including the institution he leads.

"Even in the Vatican there are cases of corruption," he said.

Francis's comments came in response to a question from two young Kenyans

"Corruption is something that gets inside of us, it's like sugar," Francis said.

"But it ends badly. When we have too much sugar, we end up with diabetes, or our country ends up being diabetic."

"Every time we accept a bribe and we put it in our pocket, we destroy our hearts, our personalities, and our country," he said.

The Pontiff then directly addressed those engaged in corruption, though he did not mention anyone by name.

The money they steal, he said, won't follow them to the grave, adding that after they're gone, all that is left are "the hearts wounded by these examples" as well as starving children who have no food because it was stolen.

"Corruption is a path to death," Francis said.

Kenya ranks 145 out of 174 countries in the Transparency International 2014 index.

Recently, the country's president was forced to fire several cabinet ministers on corruption charges.

Answering a series of questions posed to him at the Kasarani stadium in Nairobi, Francis also warned against tribalism and said a lack of education and jobs was fuelling radicalisation.

While visiting a Nairobi slum, Pope Francis launched a blistering attack on "new forms of colonialism" that exacerbate the "dreadful injustice of urban exclusion".

Earlier, at a United Nations office in Nairobi, the Pope said a failure by world leaders to confront climate change in a meeting in Paris would be a catastrophe.

Speaking to priests, religious and seminarians in Kenya, the Pope criticised indifference and said a person without prayer is as ugly as a dried fig.

Anyone who does not think he or she can live a life of poverty, chastity and obedience should leave and start a family, he added.

Sources

• The Tablet
• The Tablet
• Crux
• Catholic Herald
• The Guardian
• Image: Independent

Speaking in Nairobi, Kenya, the Pope said fear and mistrust spring from the same source.

He also re-iterated his view that the protection of the environment needs to take place alongside building a more "just and equitable social order".

This, the Pope explained, means combating all divisions facing societies whether they are religious, ethnic or economic.

He stressed how the values of stewardship are "deeply rooted in the African soul".

Continue reading

Fr Guyo Wago Malley and four other men were sentenced over the murder of Bishop Luigi Locati of Isiolo in 2005.

The execution was stayed last week to give the men an opportunity to file an appeal within 14 days.

The bishop was gunned down as he walked into his house in 2005.

Judge Fred Ochieng said Fr Malley planned, financed and recruited people to kill the bishop.

The judge said Fr Malley had spent KSH50,000 to fund the purchase of a G3 rifle.

He had transported the killers and hidden them in his house.

Fr Malley told the court the money he had withdrawn was for the purchase of desks.

Earlier, the police officer who investigated the case told the court of tensions between the bishop and priest over control of church funds.

Continue reading

Clinic owner and nurse Jackson Namunya Tali testified that Christine Atieno had asked for his help after a botched abortion.

She died in his vehicle as he drove her to another hospital for advanced treatment.

But Judge Nicholas Ombija said the nurse had killed two people and the death sentence was the only one available in law.

The ruling has reignited the debate over abortion in Kenya, which is only legal there if the pregnancy is deemed by a medical professional to be endangering the mother's health.

The law had previously stated that abortion could only be performed if a woman's life was endangered, and whereas three doctors were previously needed to approve the procedure, rules have been relaxed so that only one doctor's consent is needed.

However, in most Kenyan communities, abortion is regarded as a taboo and individuals involved can be branded murderers.

Continue reading

President Uhuru Kenyatta signed the polygamy measure into law on April 29, formally recognising what has long been a cultural practice in the nation.

The new law allows a man to take a new wife without informing his existing wife.

An initial version of the law allowed a first wife to veto her husband's choice of additional spouses.

Male Kenyan members of parliament successfully pushed in a late night session to get that clause dropped.

This led to a walk-out by female lawmakers.

Christian leaders said the law would dilute the principle of holy matrimony.

They had united to urge Kenyatta to reject the law.

Under the new law there are five types of marriages in Kenya: Christian, Islamic, Hindu, monogamous and polygamous

Rev. David Gathanju, moderator of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, said polygamy will "open the floodgates for all sorts of separations and divorces".

"That will surely hurt the family institution and the country at large will suffer," he said.

Kenya is predominantly Christian, with Muslims about 11 per cent of the population.

Bishop Joseph Methu, leader of the Federation of Evangelical and Indigenous Christian Churches of Kenya, said the new law would cause problems and confusion.

"We now begin a journey to see how it can be amended. I don't think it's good for us," he said.

Kenya's Federation of Women Lawyers is pleased the new law puts customary marriages on the same footing as legal marriages.

Previously, women in customary marriages could not prove they were married to a particular man, because they had no marriage certificates.

But the federation wants first wives to have a say in picking her husband's other wives.

Otherwise, men will be able to marry other wives in secret.

The US State Department is "still reviewing" the new law.

An official said some provisions can be seen as steps towards greater equality for women, but others codify existing traditional practises that disempower some women".

Muslim leaders in Kenya backed the new law, saying polygamy is found in the Bible and the Quran.

Sources

• Religion News Service
• CNN
• Daily Nation
• Image: BBC

The group called Catholics for Choice says its billboard and newspaper advertising campaign gives "an authentically Catholic message".

The "Good Catholics Use Condoms" advertisements show a smiling couple with the wording: "We believe in God. We believe that sex is sacred. We believe in caring for each other. We believe in using condoms."

But the chairman of the Kenyan Episcopal Conference, Cardinal John Njue, said the advertisements "deliberately ridicule the Catholic teaching on responsible sexual behaviour across all ages".

He assured all Catholics and "all who may be misguided by these adverts that the propagators of the message, who are anonymous, are not an authority in the Catholic Church and are therefore speaking for themselves and on their own behalf".

Catholics for Choice has a long record of opposing Catholic teaching in the US, especially on sexuality and abortion, since it was formed in 1973.

According to Wikipedia, its multi-million dollar budget is largely funded by secular foundations such as the Ford Foundation, Buffett Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation and Playboy Foundation.

Its president, Jon O'Brien, said it launched its campaign in Kenya after pressure from religious groups forced the government to drop an advertising campaign promoting condom use in marriage in March.

"The ad was based on good science," said O'Brien; "more than 1.6 million people are living with HIV in Kenya, and condoms are an evidence-based method for preventing the spread of HIV.

"The aim of the campaign," he said, "is to ensure that Catholics know that despite what the bishops say, Catholics can in good conscience use condoms. Catholics in Kenya are no different. They can take the steps to protect themselves and their partners against HIV."

Sources:

BBC

God Discussion

Kenya Episcopal Conference

Image: Capital FM

CWR: After Pope Benedict XVI's resignation and during the conclave, many in the mainstream media and within the Church hoped for an African pope. How did the election of Pope Francis of Argentina speak to the Church in Africa?

Ottaro: Many people in Africa share similar realities as those in Argentina. The Church in Africa was praying together with the Universal Church for the cardinals as they listened to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And together with the Universal Church, Africans are rejoicing and giving thanks to the Lord for Pope Francis. The images of (then) Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio washing and kissing the feet of those living with HIV and AIDS in his Archdiocese of Buenos Aires and his commitment to the poor, to peace, and to the protection of creation is already making a very strong impression about our own responsibilities as people of faith.

CWR: In general, tell us about the Church in Africa—its strengths and challenges—including how its role varies throughout the continent.

Ottaro: Africa is such a huge and diverse continent with an equally complex and colorful history—all of which shapes the strengths, challenges, and role of the Church. One key strength is that the Church is young and vibrant. A visit to a typical parish in Kenya will reveal an average of three or four Sunday Masses—all full, mainly with young people. There is also a strong sense of community. Many parishes have "Small Christian Communities" where parishioners who live in close proximity [to] each other meet during the week to share the faith and grow together. Vocations are plenty. Many young men and women are attracted to the priesthood and religious life. Continue reading

Sources

• The Catholic World Report
• Image: The Christian Science Monitor

Last Sunday, July 8, local Muslim youths and their leaders patrolled with the police during church services, and no attacks were reported.

The Muslim patrols are a strong statement of rejection for the militant methods and ideology of Al Shabab, the Somali Islamist militant group that is suspected of carrying out the July 1 attacks in Garissa. By targeting Christians, militants in northern Kenya appear to be punishing Kenya for sending troops into Somalia to attack Al Shabab, and to prop up the shaky Somali government.

Continue reading

The July 1 violence at Our Lady of Consolation Catholic Cathedral and the Protestant Africa Inland Church left at least 17 people dead and more than 50 injured.

Witnesses said up to seven attackers used firearms and lobbed hand grenades as worshippers prayed during morning services.

Two of those killed were police officers standing guard over one of the churches.

"These unjustifiable acts of violence being continuously meted out on Kenyans, including women and children, have not only resulted in the loss of innocent lives but also created a sense of insecurity among Christians and all peace-loving Kenyans," the bishops said.

They said they continued to believe the attacks on churches were not part of a religious war even though they were carried out on Christian communities.

"We call on all Kenyans to remain vigilant and co-operate with the security agencies and other authorities to ensure their security is guaranteed, we remind them that fighting terrorism, extremism and insecurity is not just for the security agencies but the duty of each and every Kenyan because terrorists and criminals operate amongst us," the statement added.

The British Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Africa, in an interview with Vatican Radio, also condemned the attacks as "completely and totally unacceptable".

The under-secretary, Henry Bellingham, was in Rome for a conference on Somalia, which is seeking to promote stability in that country and a decrease in the violence which has spiraled across the border with neighbouring Kenya.

Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga condemned the attacks, which he said were designed to spark conflict between Muslims and Christians.

"Churches are being attacked and the inference here is that Muslims are attacking so that Christians can begin to fight Muslims…. We are more intelligent than that," he said.

Sources:

Catholic News Service

Zenit

Image: News.terra.com

Brendan Gormley, chief execution of the British Disasters Emergency Committee said: "To raise NZ$80 million in just over three weeks is a wonderful demonstration of public concern for those in need."

"We can't lose sight of the fact however, that this is an escalating crisis."

The UN's food arm, the Food and Agriculture Organisation said the famine is likely to spread across all regions of Somalia's south in the next four to six weeks, with famine conditions likely to last until December.

Despite the peoples' generosity the UN says the response so far has not been at a level required to match the humanitarian need.

"The current humanitarian response remains inadequate, due in part to ongoing access restrictions and difficulties in scaling‐up emergency assistance programmes, as well as funding gaps," said the UN's famine early warning system network. As a result, famine is expected to spread across all regions of the south in the coming four to six weeks and is likely to persist until at least December 2011. Continued efforts to implement an immediate, large scale, and comprehensive response are needed."

The UN assessment is that NZ$3 billion is needed and so far the world has not yet raised half of that amount.

Islamist insurgents who have refused access to western relief agencies have not helped the situation.

The drought and famine which has affected more than 11.8 million people has Pope Benedict repeating his calls for the world to not forget the Somali people.

Spreaking from his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo where he has been paying great attention to horror of the Somali peope, the Pope invited the faithful "to think of the many brothers and sisters who in these days in the Horn of Africa, are suffering the dramatic consequences of famine, aggravated by war and the absence of solid institutions."

Women and daughters are in particular need of institutional help.

Kenyan refugee camps built to house 90,000 people are overcrowded and cannot cope with the 1,400 refugees arriving each day and as a result the UN is reporting a 420% increase in reported rape of women and girls.

Many more rapes go unreported.

Sources

• The Telegraph
• Belfast Telegraph
• The Guardian
• Voice of America
• Image: Washington Post