By Fr Andrew Kaufa, smm
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| Group photo of part of the AMECEA Secretariat staff during the planning meeting |
The AMECEA Secretariat’s heads of department and staff met this week at Our Lady of Africa Pastoral Centre in Mombasa for a routine annual planning exercise which took place from January 20 to 24, where all departments committed to work together in view of making a significant impact as a regional office, during which the Secretary General has urged them to go out to the Conferences with their activities instead of bringing all of them to Nairobi, Kenya.
Opening the meeting, the Secretary General Fr Anthony Makunde thanked all the four AMECEA departments for what the institution achieved in the year 2019: Finance and Administration; Integral Human Development; Pastoral Department; and Social Communications Department. However, he reiterated that taking the activities to the Conferences is more beneficial because it allows the staff of AMECEA Secretariat to appreciate the local situations but also allows the Conferences to participate in larger number in a cost-effective manner.
“We are a small group but representing a big community comprising of 124 dioceses in nine countries. The AMECEA region has great expectations from us. This our colleagues have made it clear as they shared their expectations whenever we interacted with them,” he said adding, “Let us go back to the year 2019 and evaluate ourselves on the basis of impact the activities we undertook so that it guides us in planning for 2020.”
He then reminded all staff that it is more beneficial for AMECEA Secretariat’s activities to take place in Bishops’ Conferences - aware that the organization comprises of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan/ South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia including the affiliate members Djibouti and Somalia.
“I insist as I said last year that, instead of our colleagues from the Conferences coming to us in Nairobi, let us go to the Conference for our different activities. I still believe that going out to them should continue to be our priority in 2020,” he said.
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| Fr. Anthony Makunde AMECEA Secretary General |
Going further, he has disclosed that in the year 2020 there are two areas of focus – internally to reorganize and improve our filing systems for all activities funded by the donor partners, taking advantage of the fact that the digitization project of AMECEA Secretariat’s archives and library is coming to the end; and externally, making AMECEA Secretariat as a regional office relevant by bringing the impact of our activities right to the Bishops’ Conferences.
Departmental Concentration Areas in 2020
An overview of the plan of activities for this year shows that for the AMECEA Administration office which is headed by the Secretary General himself, the priority area during 2020 is to review the 2014 – 2024 AMECEA Strategic plan so that the Secretariat’s activities are refocused and addressing the pastoral challenges affecting the region. This activity shall role out while the capacity building program continues regarding self reliance of the local Church in AMECEA region.
The planned activities for the AMECEA Pastoral Department show that its main area of focus this year is revitalization of Small Christian Communities more especially in the refugee settlements and trainings availing the SCCs booklet as the main tool for training; strengthening the chaplaincy and care for the youth; continuation with the child safeguarding project more especially supporting the Conferences to build their capacity; taking it to the seminaries; facilitating policy review for institutions; publication and dissemination of of resource material.
The AMECEA Social Communications Department’s planned activities include assessing the progress so far made with regard to use of digital platforms for evangelization; continuation with capacity building on as based on identified gaps ICT in the Conferences; and enhancing the visibility of SIGNIS in AMECEA region through active participation of the Conferences.
The planned activities of the Integral Human Development for 2020 prioritize supporting peace building activities for South Sudan; the implementation of Pope Francis’ message in Laudato Si; and building networks with partners that are working with similar agenda in the region.
Outgoings and Incomings
On a different note, the Secretary General took the opportunity to thank in absentia Ms. Pamela Auma Adinda who has left the Secretariat’s Social Communications Department where she served for almost seven years. He commended her for putting the AMECEA Online News Bulletin on the international map and for all her contribution to SIGNIS.
He then welcomed Sr Jecinter Antoinette Atieno Okoth FSSA who is coming into the department after completing her studies in Bachelors in Journalism at Tangaza College, after which she served at the Association for Catholic Information in Africa (ACI – Africa).
“Listening to our request for their hand, the Mother General of Franciscan Sisters of St Anna (FSSA) has given us yet an opportunity to work with their Sister as their contribution to AMECEA. For this, we are grateful to your Congregation and to you in particular,” he said.
Fr Makunde also disclosed that Sr Tabitha Wambui Nyawira ASN who has worked at AMECEA since 2016 in the the Integral Human Development Department is leaving the institution.
“Mother General of the Assumption Sisters of Nairobi has informed me that Sr Tabitha is being transferred for another assignment. I thank the Congregation of the Assumption Sisters of Nairobi for their continuous generosity to AMECEA Secretariat. Particularly, let me thank Sr Tabitha for her unique contribution through the Integral Human Development Department and all that she has been to the institution during her four to five years of service in the region through the Department.”