Religious Orders in Africa Urged to Embrace “paradigm shift from social ministries to social enterprises”

The symposium brought together academia, practitioners, policymakers, and the private sector among other stakeholders focused on a wide range of topics including social entrepreneurship Theory and practice, social ministry and sustainable development, and concretion in social entrepreneurship.

In her keynote speech, Sr. Kangogo used the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that the United Nations (UN) adopted in 2015 to explain the concept of sustainability. The 17 SDGs, she said, outline global objectives focused on peace and prosperity for people and the planet.

She also referred to Pope Francis’ call for social justice where she said that the Holy Father advocated strongly for respect for human life and care for creation, which must be motivated by love. She said that Catholic Sisters have always acted in accordance with this call with love.

“Faith-based organizations, including the Catholic sisters, have always engaged in social ministry across different sectors such as education—seen as one of the traditional careers for sisters—healthcare, microfinance, and agriculture/animal husbandry,” she said.

She added, “The sisters’ involvement in social ministry is based on Catholic social teachings, which uphold human dignity among other principles, and faith-based organizations come second in the provision of these services, after the government.”

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Overwhelmed with the responsibility to give back to the society within which they serve and to foster sustainability, Sr. Kangogo emphasized that faith based organizations including religious congregations need to venture into social enterprises amid dwindling grants and donations.

She said that faith-based organizations often rely on donations, grants, and volunteer support, which can be inconsistent. "This reliance hinders the scalability of services," she said, noting that the fluctuation of resources affects their ability to meet community needs effectively.

As a result, Sr. Kangogo who serves as the Provincial Superior of the Eastern Africa Province of her congregation said that many social ministries lack consistent revenue streams and fail to address systemic issues such as poverty and lack of access to education and jobs.

Faced with these challenges that the Kenyan Catholic Sister said sometimes cripple the services of faith based organizations, she underlined the need for a practical action that goes beyond mere thinking.

“It is not enough to think outside the box, as thinking is passive; we need to get used to acting outside the box, ensuring there is evidence of any thinking going on inside the box,” Sr. Kangogo said, adding, “We need evidence-based research to inform decisions.”

She added, “Therefore, as we offer our services, we must prioritize social impact alongside profit, transforming our society today and bringing about lasting change.”

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.