The Catholic Sister Communicators Network-Ghana (CASCON-GH) has successfully launched a website aimed at empowering Religious Women across the West African nation of Ghana to tell and publish their own stories.
The launch of the website took place at the 2nd Biennial Meeting of the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious, Ghana on October 9, 2024 at Brafoyaw in the Cape Coast Archdiocese of Ghana.
This website will give opportunity to Religious Sisters from different Religious institutes in Ghana to tell their own stories to enhance their communication skills.
Mr. Robert Dela Mawuenyegah, the Executive Director of Global Newswatch Media and Communications, officially launched the website and stated that while the CASCON-GH project is set to conclude in February 2025, its objectives have nearly been achieved.
The project being the brain child of the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious, Ghana with financial support from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, a U.S.A charitable foundation established in 1944 by the hotel entrepreneur trained Sisters to acquire the requisite skills to project their mission in this contemporary era.
The Project is being implemented on behalf of the CMSR-GH by the Sisters of Mother of the Church (SMMC) with Sr. Cecilia Afari, SMMC, as the Project Coordinator.
Twenty Sisters from ten Religious Congregations in Ghana have currently benefited from the project.
The core objectives of the media training of the Religious Women are to focus on promoting effective Communication of Sister Communicators in Women Religious Congregations in Ghana, developing the writing skills of the Religious to tell their own stories on projects and establishing a continuous framework to update their knowledge in media and communications activities.
The Sisters trained as Communicators were drawn from some Indigenous Congregations in Ghana – Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church (SMMC), Sisters of the Incarnate Word (SVI), Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus (HHCJ), Daughters of the Most Holy Trinity (FST) and Sisters of Mary Immaculate (SMI). The others are, Missionary Sisters of Holy Rosary (MSHR), Society of Infant Jesus (SIJ), Notre Dame de l’Eglise (NDE), Sisters of St Louis (SSL) and Handmaids of the Divine Redeemer (HDR).
According to Mr. Mawuenyegah at the October 9 Website launch, the Sister Communicators who had undergone training had started writing stories for not only local media platforms but also international platforms.
He said, “These Sisters have been trained, and I’m happy to inform you that these Sisters do not only write stories for our local media but they write stories which are being published on international platforms including the Vatican news and other media outlets”.
According to Mr. Mawuenyegah who is the Editor of Newswatvhgh.com, the Sisters have not only been trained in writing stories but the Network has also been registered under the laws of the country.
He, therefore encouraged Major Superiors of the various Women Congregations to allow their Sisters to write stories about their projects and activities in order to amplify the good works of consecrated women and also to avoid fake news.
“We want Sisters to tell their own stories, we want to encourage you to allow your sisters to send stories from your various congregations …if we are deliberate about telling our own stories, we will use the positive aspect of telling our own stories to demystify the fake news in the system”, he said.
The twenty participants who have already undergone some training in covering effective storytelling, photography, and social media management will have the opportunity to amplify the contributions of religious women through this website.
Taking the Major Superiors through the features of the website, Mr. Bless Gadese of Global Newswatch Media and Communications said the website comprises stories about education, health, religion, science and technology and the international space where news and faith reflections will be published.
The website can be accessed through https://sistercommunicatorsgh.com/ where news stories and impactful faith reflections are published.
According to him, the website serves as a platform to amplify Catholic Sisters’ contribution in society, offering a central hub for sharing news, faith reflections and professional stories from local and global perspectives.
Global Newswatch Media and Communications, the organisation which trained the Sister Communicators, manages the online news portal newswatchgh.com and offers multi-media and communication services. Newswatchgh.com is a registered Online News Agency in Ghana with the aim of providing cutting-edge news on Religion and Social Development.
Present at the launch were some Board Members of CASCON-GH chaired by Sr. Lucy Hometorwu, SMMC and the Very Rev. Fr. Paul Saa Dade Ennin, SMA President of the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious, Ghana; Mr. Damian Avevor, Founding Partner of Global Newswatch Media and Communications and the Supervising Editor of Newswatchgh.com.
Also present were the about 70 Superiors of Religious Congregations working in Ghana.
By Veronica Sena Amenya//Newswatchgh.com
