Following the 16th General Assembly of the Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa (ACWECA) in Lusaka, Zambia where at least 150 Superiors of different congregations gathered to share and discuss many issues under the theme “Go do not be afraid and serve”, the assembly endorsed Sr. Eneless Chimbali of Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary (SBVM) in Malawi as Secretary General of ACWECA.
Sr. Prisca Matenga, Superior General of the Daughters of Redeemer in Zambia, was elected the new Chairperson of the Executive which is composed of one member from each member countries of ECWECA.
ACWECA has member countries from the AMECEA region namely Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia.
Speaking to ECM Communications Department on the sidelines of her appointment, Sr. Chimbali who takes over the position from Sr. Catherine Okari of BVM-Loreto Sisters from Kenya said her new job is the most challenging one but her trust lies in God.
“It is God himself who made it possible for things to go in this way. I never expected in my life that one day I will go on Mission and now I have no choice but to fulfill the mandates that ACWECA wants to achieve in the next three years,” she said.
She said among others, her major tasks will be to promote, enhance, deepen and strengthen religious life through holistic formation at every level, promote capacity building for Mission by using Holistic Organizational Capacity Assessment Instrument (HOCAI) and Sub-Recipient Financial Management Policy (SRFMP) so as to become more effective and to continue to build solidarity with the Sisters in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan and South Sudan.
“I say like Mother Theresa who said ‘alone I cannot change the world but I can cast a stone in the water and create many ripples’.My trust is in my God as this is His work and not mine” she said.
Sr. Chimbali who until her appointment to ACWECA was the Secretary General for the Association of Women Religious in Malawi (AWRIM) thanked fellow sisters in Malawi who helped her to work well for its successes.