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Mission

The Africa Faith and Justice Network’s Women Empowerment Project aims at assisting African Women religious in shaping a new vision of their role in society by working to change the structures that keep people in poverty and deprive them of their dignity as God’s children. The project builds and strengthens a coalition of African Women Religious at the local, regional, and continental levels to work for social justice and bring about needed change.

Women Empowerment Video Playlist

In several countries, our partners, sisters and youth who have participated and benefited from our advocacy skills trainings workshops, have created testimonial videos about what this project and our mentorship means to them.  Several of the videos are included in the below playlist.  The playlist also includes videos produced by the youth who have worked with the sisters on educational and advocacy campaigns addressing issues that impact them such as increased instances of youth violence ahead of elections.

Focus Countries

 

As of 2022, AFJN’s Women’s Empowerment Project has partnered with women religious in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. The project focuses on educating the local people about the realities of the social injustices facing them, grounding them in Catholic social teaching, and empowering them with the skills and tools needed to advocate for structural change. Some of the key theme are land grabbing, domestic and gender based violence, child labor, human trafficking, domestic servitude, the impact of the COVID pandemic on girls education, transparency and accountability, etc.

Latest News

  • Youth in Abuja Nigeria say “No” to Domestic Servitude and Child Trafficking 10 Jul, 2023 - In view of this, in March 26 and June 3, 2023, Africa Faith and Justice Network Nigeria organized a day workshop for the youths of Sacred Heart Parish, Airport and St. Kizito Parish, Kuje both in Abuja. The workshop was targeted at galvanize the energy of these youths to work together to end domestic servitude and human trafficking and to educate and sensitize them on the dangers of these vices which is predominantly harming the youths.
  • AFJN Sr. Eucharia Madueke’s Article Featured in Global Sisters Report on work in Ghana 7 Jun, 2023 - On June 6, 2023, Sr. Eucharia Madueke, SNDdeN’s article “Through Africa Faith and Justice Network, sisters fight early marriage in Ghana” was featured in Global Sisters Report. Sr. Eucharia is the Women Empowerment Project Coordinator for the Africa Faith and Justice Network with over 6 years of experience working on advocacy training of women religious […]
  • Funding Gap Projected to Undercut Sub-Saharan African Growth Says IMF Report 14 Apr, 2023 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEApril 14, 2023 Funding Gap Projected to Undercut Sub-Saharan African Growth Says IMF Report Washington, DC – Today, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released the “Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa Report: The Big Funding Squeeze” during the IMF Spring Meetings. The report follows Tuesday’s release of “The World Economic Outlook: A Rocky […]
  • Working Together to End Child and Early Marriage in Ghana and Nigeria 30 Mar, 2023 - In October 2022, AFJN WEP received a three-year grant from the Conrad Hilton Foundation (Sisters Initiative) to build the capacity of sisters and the local communities towards ending child and early marriage and domestic servitude in Ghana and Nigeria. These projects took off in Ghana and Nigeria in November and December 2022 respectively.
  • Tackling Human Trafficking in Africa: Catholic Sisters Share Successful Advocacy Strategies 16 Mar, 2023 - Join Africa Faith and Justice Network, the Advocacy Network for Africa, Africans Rising, and American Friends Service Committee for a webinar on Friday, December 9th. Ahead of the US-Africa Leaders Summit, a sterling collection of deeply-experienced Africa experts will unpack the issues of Climate Injustice, Looming Famine, the COVID-19 Pandemic, and Raging Wars. Individually and collectively, these emergencies are snuffing out African lives and inflicting serious pain and suffering.
  • On International Women’s Day, AFJN Stands with African Women 8 Mar, 2023 - On March 8, 2023 International Women’s Day (IWD), Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) celebrates the achievements of all women in the world. We raise awareness about the challenges that persist, and we urge everyone to take action to drive gender parity. Today, in our ministry, we celebrate the strength and power of women worldwide, and send a resounding shoutout to the important role of Catholic nuns whose tireless passion for social justice has helped advance the rights of women in Africa for 40 years. We reaffirm that women are the center of society and familyhood, sharing with God the creative process of life, and believe that women’s rights are essentially human rights.
  • AFJN Women Leaders Changing Structures of Oppression 8 Mar, 2023 - In our ministry, we celebrate the strength and power of women worldwide, and send a resounding shoutout to the important role of Catholic nuns whose tireless passion for social justice has helped advance the rights of women in Africa for 40 years.
  • Nigeria Press Release – Violence in our Homes: A Call to Urgent Action 14 Dec, 2022 - In response to this growing incidence of violence in our homes, the injustice against house helpers, and the violations of the rights of children, Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN), and Dominicans for Justice and Peace (DJP) in collaboration with representatives of various religious congregations of sisters, Catholic Men Organization (CMO), Catholic Women Organization (CWO), Catholic Youth Organization of Nigeria (CYON),and several non-profit organizations gathered from December 10–14, 2022, at the Daughters of Divine Love Retreat and Conference Centre (DRACC) Enugu to learn, analyze, and reflect on this troubling issue under the theme: Violence in Our Homes: Tackling the Rising Incidence of Spousal Murders, and Abuse of Domestic Servants
  • Sr. Eucharia Madueke’s Reflections on the Kenya Hilton Convening 30 Nov, 2022 - The Africa Faith and Justice Network’s Sr. Eucharia Madueke, SNDdeN spoke on a panel about her advocacy training work coordinating the AFJN Women Empowerment Project in Africa. The multi-day event, which took place from October 26-28, 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya, brought hundreds of Catholic sisters from around the globe together to share and reflect on their experiences, challenges, and triumphs. The event was sponsored by Conrad N. Hilton Foundation who funded over 250 organizations.
  • Ghana: A Chinese Fish Farm Project Turned Into a Nightmare 30 Nov, 2022 - A fish farm project has turned into a nightmare for the people of Gbabgavuinu and Torgodo. Huawei Agriculture Development Center (HADC), a Chinese agriculture company registered in Asutuare in Eastern Region/Ghana, used heavy-duty equipment to build a T-shaped water wall to bank the water of a lagoon, which includes a small lake called Aklakpa. This created a fish farming pond that soon after flooded nearby farmland, destroying crops. The more it rains, the more it floods, threatening livelihoods and homes.When the community demanded compensation for what had been lost, HADC packed up and abandoned the project. Naturally, water from the lagoon drained into a stream that is an affluent of the Volta River. 

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