In observance of the World Day of the Sick and the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes,
Global Sisters Report and the All Africa Conference: Sister to Sister
hosted a forum for Catholic sisters in Africa serving in healthcare.
Overview
The three-hour forum included six presentations. A recording of each presentation, PowerPoint slides, contact info, and links are below.
Check this page again; we will continue to add resources as we receive them.
Hosting organizations
Global Sisters Report, an independent, non-profit, award-winning website publication about Catholic sisters and the critical issues facing the people they serve. Its network of journalists report about their lives and works, and sisters write commentary from their perspective. Gail DeGeorge served as editor from Jan. 2016 to Aug. 31, 2024, and is now editor emerita. She previously was a business journalist for U.S. national and regional publications with healthcare as one of her areas of expertise. She organized sessions about healthcare issues for a national organization of business journalists and wanted to harness the same benefits of knowledge and networking for Catholic sisters. (See links to Global Sisters Report stories further in this follow-up memo.)
Contact: info@globalsistersreport.org
All Africa Conference: Sister to Sister is a nonprofit organization that supports the initiatives of women religious in sub-Saharan Africa that respond to emerging needs and educates and inspires all people to share responsibility for a world in need of healing and love. More than 7,000 women religious have attended AAC:SS workshops, conferences, and degreed programs. Sr. Eneless Chimbali, a member of the Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and senior program officer for AACSS.
View Sr. Eneless' PowerPoint slides
Contact information: Click here.
Presentations
Presentation 1: Sisters Rising Worldwide
Presenter 1 - Sr. Irene O’Neill.
Sr. Irene is a Sister of St. Joseph, president and founder of Sisters Rising Worldwide, an innovative website that raises funds for missions and ministries of Catholic Sisters. Sr. has had extensive experience in leadership roles within the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, including serving as Executive Director of their Ministries Foundation for over two decades, and has worked tirelessly to empower sisters globally to address critical issues within their communities.
View recording of Sr. Irene's presentation
Website: srw.org
Contact: srw.org/contact-us
Sr. Irene's email: irene@srw.org
Presentation 2: Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach
Presenter 2 - Erica Smith
Erica Smith is the executive director of Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach, a Medical Supply and Equipment Recovery Organization started in 2002 by the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis. Mission Outreach operates out of Springfield, Illinois to collect medical supplies from across the Midwestern United States and make them available to health care facilities in low-resource areas around the world, having developed partnerships in 100 countries.
View recording of Erica's presentation
View Erica's PowerPoint slides
Website: hshs.org
Contact: Click here
Presentation 3: Upendo Village
Presenter 3 - Sr. Florence Muia
Sr. Florence Muia is the founder of Upendo Village, (Naivasha in Kenya’s Catholic Diocese of Nakuru). Sr. Florence saw the need for more comprehensive care for those with HIV/AIDS and worked with the Wheaton Franciscan sisters to make this vision a reality. In 2003, she established Upendo Village, a modern facility designed to support people living with HIV in low-income communities.
View recording of Sr. Florence's presentation
View Sr. Florence's PowerPoint slides
Website: asnupendovillage.org
Contact: Click here
Presentation 4: Medicines for Humanity
Presenter 4 - Kristen Lilley
Kristen Lilley is the executive director, Medicines for Humanity; which has increased its impact by evolving from being a supplier of medicines to strengthening systems of clinic-based and community-based care. The organization provides training as well as supplies.
View recording of Kristen's presentation
View Kristen's PowerPoint slides
Website: medicinesforhumanity.org
Contact: Click here
Presentation 5: Catholic Medical Mission Board
Presenter 5 - Meghan Grimes and Robert Wuillamey
Meghan Grimes and Robert Wuillamey are with the Catholic Medical Mission Board, Meghan as senior specialist, Medical Donations and Robert as the Senior Director, Development. For more than a century, CMMB has focused on women’s and children’s health, delivering sustainable health services in targeted communities within Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
View recording of Meghan and Robert's presentation
View Meghan and Robert's PowerPoint slides
Website: cmmb.org
Email: Click here
Presentation 6: Project DREAM
Presenters 6 - Sr. Irene Okumu and Stephen Wamalwa
Sr. Irene Okumu, Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, is the program administrator and Stephen Wamalwa, is with project monitoring and evaluation of Project DREAM. DREAM stands for drug resource enhancement against AIDS and malnutrition. For over a decade, Project DREAM has been applying in sub-Saharan Africa, with extraordinary success, state-of-the-art standards of treatment for HIV/AIDS that are the norm for HIV/AIDS patients in the developed world.
View recording of Stephen's presentation
View Stephen's PowerPoint slides (coming)
Website: daughtersips.org/hiv-aids
Contact: Click here
Learn more about
All Africa Conference: Sister to Sister
View recording of Sr. Eneless' presentation
View Sr. Eneless' PowerPoint slides
Website: allafrica-sistertosister.org
Contact: Click here
Global Sisters report
Website: GlobalSistersReport.org
Contact: info@globalsistersreport.org
Hilton Fund for Sisters
View recording of presentation
View PowerPoint slides
Website: hiltonfundforsisters.org/grants
Contact: info@hiltonfundforsisters.org
Related stories: Global Sisters Report
- Sisters convene in Uganda to share best practices, fundraising tips for ministries
Global Sisters Report - April 18, 2024 - Q & A with Sr. Irene O'Neill, launching a platform for Sisters Rising Worldwide
Global Sisters Report - June 30, 2020 - Q&A with Sr. Florence Muia, providing hope, healing to those living with HIV/AIDS
Global Sisters Report – Jan. 30, 2025 - Daughters of Charity center provides comprehensive HIV/AIDS care in Kenya
Global Sisters Report – March 14, 2024 - HIV/AIDS Ministries: Feature Series – Global Sisters Report