I wanted to know how to deal with different cultures and since during the ARU program we met with people from Tanzania, Kenya and different tribes in Uganda, I personally learnt how to deal with all these tribes differently.

We were taught about canonical norms and I came to learn that, they don’t just chase you from religious life, there is a process that must be followed.

I discovered a lot of things that I have been doing that are addictions themselves. I didn’t know that someone can be addicted to the phone. So, the topic on addictions talked to me and helped to control my way of using the phone.

We had observed that there were many issues affecting formation. In 2014 Sr. Sophie and I got an opportunity to meet Porticus when they were opening an office in Nairobi. They knew we love formation so much. So, Porticus gave us three days to reflect on what we wanted to do for formation. It was a time of prayer, discussion and sharing. We raised questions and answered them. I remember there were about 12 questions, we answered them and that is what we called brainstorming.

A good number of congregations have written their charism statements and send them to ARU. At least I have more than 20 hard copies but we also have soft copies on the computers.

In the past, we didn’t use that word charism, and fortunately because of the formation ministry, it came out. For many of us who had been religious for those many years and we never heard about charism. At first, it wasn’t clear to us, we didn’t even want to change from what we had. We had just a small statement, and that had been enough for us.  But after being enlightened, we are able to discuss charisms.

ARU advised us to first conduct a survey to confirm whether what we were thinking was in line with what was on the ground. We used a questionnaire to conduct the survey. The survey was then followed by sensitization of 50 groups of religious from different congregations. After the sensitization, it was no longer something they don’t know. They really appreciated it, they all resonated with it, they knew what their problem was.

Fomru send us people to teach us about sustainability, because it was one of the points we had discovered that it is disturbing the religious. They send four people to teach us about financial sustainability and we learnt participatory budgeting, we learnt saving, and I can assure you, we are not the same. Because now, sisters know how to save, from an individual, to a community, to a Zone and at the congregation level. What we were in 2011 is not what we are now. There is a big step that we have already taken.