Women in Faith Leadership Fellowship

Sister Josephine Anto, SHCJ, is a member of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus. Sr. Anto completed her studies with a master of religious education degree, along with a B.A. in French and education. She has taught across secondary schools and colleges in Ghana and Nigeria. She was assistant headmistress and then headmistress at the Holy Child School, Cape Coast, for 17 years before retirement in 2020. Sr. Anto’s mother, who was not educated but valued education, gave Sr. Anto the drive to help empower girls and women to fulfill their educational potential. She has a passion for girls’ education and helping girls excel in their confidence, acceptance of themselves, and rejoicing in their God-given gifts. She has particularly worked with teenage girls and young women, understanding both the power and vulnerability of that age. Sr. Anto is part of the inaugural cohort of the Women in Faith Leadership Fellowship and, believing leadership is by example, hopes to enhance her own experience of other cultures and ways of working to enrich her ability to lead.

Sister Josephine Apiagyei, SSL, is a member of the Sisters of St. Louis in Kumasi. She holds a M.S. in olericulture, an M. Ed. in educational management, and a B.S. in agriculture. She currently serves as the principal at the St. Louis Jubilee School and has experience as a science teacher in both secondary schools and teacher training colleges. Sr. Apiagyei has held numerous leadership roles, having served as the regional leader for the Institute of Sisters in Ghana for six years, the general treasurer on the Central Leadership Team of the Sisters of St. Louis in Ireland, an inspector of Catholic schools, and the vice president of the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious in Ghana. She previously worked in the Regional Catholic Educational Unit where she developed syllabi, curricula, and co-curricular activities. As a former teacher, she is passionate about empowering women to seek formal education and develop their voices to engage in society. Sr. Apiagyei is part of the inaugural cohort of the Women in Faith Leadership Fellowship and hopes to broaden her knowledge of global issues, enhance her interpersonal relationship skills, and learn advocacy, facilitation, and mediation skills.

Sr. Jane Frances Kabagaaju, DST, has been a member of the congregation of the Daughters of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus in Uganda for 34 years. She served as chairperson of the Association of Religious in Uganda Fort Portal Branch for three years, and at present she is the house superior of the convent. Trained as a nurse and in health service management at Nkozi Uganda Martyrs University, she is a clinical healthcare worker and physician assistant in charge of Nkuruba Health Centre in the Rwenzori region in Uganda. The health center is in a rural part of the country and provides inpatient and outpatient services, as well as prenatal and postnatal, maternity and newborn care, treatment for HIV/AIDS patients, provision of immunizations, and health education. Sister Kabagaaju has worked in the health sector for 22 years and has a passion for serving mothers and children. The Nkuruba Health Centre is becoming a standout model for reducing maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. She previously coordinated health services in Hoima Diocese across faith-based health facilities in four districts (Hoima, Masindi, Kibaale, and Kiryandongo). In 2022, she received a Builder of Africa’s Future award. Sr. Kabagaaju is part of the inaugural cohort of the Women in Faith Leadership Fellowship and aims to build her network, find a mentor to support her initiatives with the health center, and grow her advocacy skills.

Sister Restituta Francis Kokulamuka, IHSA, is a member of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart Sisters in the Coastal Region. She holds a diploma in education of development. Sr. Kokulamuka currently works as a students’ matron at the secondary school level where she provides education to youth on religious studies, moral values, and ethical issues. Additionally, she is involved in conflict resolution as a family counselor and offers mediation in the realm of conflicts within marriages, peer relationships, and among congregation members. Sr. Kokulamuka is engaged in developing the Center for Transformation and Entrepreneurship which will train women and youth to develop their entrepreneurship skills. She is passionate about women’s economic empowerment and has been providing training surrounding self-employment and economic emancipation that focuses on locally available resources and opportunities within the community. Sr. Kokulamuka is part of the inaugural cohort of the Women in Faith Leadership Fellowship and hopes to exchange information and gain new skills to overcome the current barriers she faces in her work.

Sister Professor Agnes Lucy Lando, SMK, is a member of the Missionary Institute of the Sisters of Mary of Kakamega in Nairobi. She holds a Ph.D. in social communication, an M.A. in cross-cultural Christian communication, and a B.A. in communication. She currently serves as the director of Research and Graduate Studies, as a communication and media studies professor, and as a member of the university senate and Academic Division Board at Daystar University. Additionally, she serves as the communications consultant for the Network of Catholic Sisters Communicators, a project coordinated by the Hilton Foundation, where she seeks to improve the process of communications of sisters and their ministry to the public. Sr. Lando has an extensive research background, focusing on the research process and ethics, communication and media ethics, crisis communication, and interdisciplinary social issues. She uses her research and communication background to empower and document women’s voices, especially the voices of fellow sisters. Sr. Lando is part of the inaugural cohort of the Women in Faith Leadership Fellowship and hopes to build her gender equality and development skills as well as deepen her communication, storytelling, and leadership skills to enhance her approaches.

Sister Hedwig Muse, LSMIG, is a member of the Little Sisters of Mary Immaculate of Gulu in Uganda but currently works in Nairobi, Kenya. She holds an LL.M. in human rights law, a bachelor of law degree, and a bachelor of education degree in English language and literature. She currently works as a legal and program officer for human rights in the Justice and Peace Department of the Association of Sisterhoods of Kenya. In this role, she works on cases related to child abuse, sexual assault, and gender-based violence as well as conducts training on human rights to raise awareness on legal issues. Before this position, she served as a secondary school teacher and continues to partner with schools to conduct student training. Sr. Muse is part of the inaugural cohort of the Women in Faith Leadership Fellowship and hopes to enhance her advocacy, lobbying, fundraising, and policymaking skills to be better equipped to address the aspects of religion, human rights, and gender inequality in her community.

Sister Prudentiana Kirungo Mushumbusi, STLFWM, is a member of the Congregation of St. Therese of the Child Jesus in Bukoba. She holds a M.A. in religious studies and a B.A. in pastoral studies. She currently serves as the superior general of her congregation where she works with secondary and college students discerning to join religious life. Previously, Sr. Mushumbusi worked as a midwife and an administrator for a parish where she established entrepreneurship programs for women and taught them income-generating activities. As a missionary, she worked with individuals affected by the genocidal war and established an orphanage for children that lost parents due to the war. Additionally, she has extensive experience with resource mobilization and helped initiate the Divine Mercy Girls Seminary and the Kashozi Vocational Training Center—two institutions empowering women and girls. Sr. Mushubusi is part of the inaugural cohort of the Women in Faith Leadership Fellowship and hopes to further develop her leadership, problem-solving, and implementation skills to address conflict resolution and sustain peace within her community.

Sister Jackline Mwikali Mwongela, IBVM, is a member of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is a member of Talitha Kum International and is the regional Talitha Kum youth ambassador. Sr. Mwongela holds an advanced diploma in community-based development and a B.A. in sustainable human development. She currently works as a project manager for Religious Against Human Trafficking, where she coordinates projects across 25 Catholic dioceses fighting against human trafficking at the grassroots level. These projects include intervention and prevention strategies, organizing awareness campaigns, and addressing the needs of the most vulnerable in the community. She is passionate about ensuring women know their rights and are equipped to defend themselves from being trafficked. Sr. Mwongela is part of the inaugural cohort of the Women in Faith Leadership Fellowship and hopes to enhance her leadership, community engagement, and development skills to work well with individuals across different communities.

Sister Dr. Rosemary Nyirumbe, SHS, is a member of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Gulu. She holds a Ph.D. in education, an M.S. in leadership, and a B.A. in development studies and ethics. Sr. Nyirumbe currently serves as the director of St. Monica’s Girls’ Tailoring Center where she works with women and girls that have survived horrific acts of violence due to the civil war. The center focuses on the restoration of dignity and capacity building through advocacy, formal education, vocational training, and psychological services. While working at the center, Sr. Nyirumbe developed a program to help students generate income by creating purses from soda pop tabs. This influential work has been chronicled in the book and documentary film Sewing Hope. Sr. Nyirumbe is also a global humanitarian worker. She has traveled the world advocating on behalf of the school and bringing attention to the ongoing violence in Ghana as well as building two primary clinics to cater to the health of women. This past summer, she convened the Grassroots Women’s Peace Conference and brought together nine grassroots women’s organizations to develop solution-based initiatives for gender violence in the region. Sr. Nyirumbe is part of the inaugural cohort of the Women in Faith Leadership Fellowship and hopes to enhance her networking, advocacy, and resource mobilization skills.

Sister Francisca Ngozi Uti, HHCJ, is a member of the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus in Abuja. She holds a Ph.D. in gender and women's studies, an MBA, and a B.S. in institutional management. Sr. Uti is the founder and current executive director of the Centre for Women Studies and Intervention where she conducts initiatives, programs, and research centered around the holistic empowerment of women to promote gender equality and equity. This is primarily done through capacity building, advocacy work, awareness raising, and ongoing research to engage women in governance and development decision-making. Sr. Uti previously served as a lecturer and bursar at a seminary in Nigeria and has held various leadership positions within her congregation. An outspoken advocate for women’s rights, she has met with principal Church authorities to call attention to gender issues. Sr. Uti is part of the inaugural cohort of the Women in Faith Leadership Fellowship and hopes to enhance her project writing, fundraising, and networking skills while gaining a fresh perspective on women’s empowerment.