A five-day training in media and communications to equip 34 selected Sisters from Religious Congregations from the four Provinces in Ghana is having positive impacts as the Sisters are giving visibility to the activities of their Congregations through vigorous writing and publishing of stories in the Church, secular, online and social media.
The Conference of Major Superiors of Religious, Ghana organised the media training programme for Sisters in Accra from December 19 to 23, 2022 and Kumasi from January 16 to 20, 2023 as part of its capacity building aimed at equipping the Sisters with skills to be able to communicate the activities of their Religious Congregations across the country.
It was to develop the writing skills of the Sisters to tell their own stories on projects and programmes and to ensure strategic visibility of the Conference of Major Superiors to all its stakeholders and funding/donor partners.
It was also to establish a continuous framework to update the Sisters’ knowledge in media and communication activities and to assist them to understand media planning.
The training was facilitated by a team from Newswatchgh.com, an Online Media Outlet which provides a cutting-edge news on Religion and Social Development as well as offering multi-media and communications services.
Newswatchgh.com is a registered and certified member of the Private Newspapers and Online Publishers of Ghana (PRINPAG), the umbrella organization of all privately owned newspapers and Online News Portals in Ghana.
The training came after the Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana, the Most Rev. Henryk M. Jagodzinski in October 2022, stressed the need for the Catholic Church in Ghana to be more visible in all parts of the country and urged the Religious to take up the challenge.
Interacting with members of the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious during their Bi-annual Meeting at Koforidua Diocesan Pastoral and Training Centre on October 12, 2022, the Nuncio said “the Church needs to intensify its visibility by publicising activities that are having positive impacts on Ghanaians.”
In 2014, the former Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana, Archbishop Jean Marie Speich, also urged the Catholic Church in Ghana to register its presence in the news media with all the good things it was doing for Ghanaians. He asked the church to take its communications more seriously by utilizing all the media available, such as newspapers, Facebook, websites, Twitter, television and radio.
With their training in basics in media and communication, a year after and in line with the vision of the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious, Ghana to train Sisters to tell their own stories, two Sisters shared their experiences with Newswatchgh.com how the training is positively impacting their lives and their Congregations in general.
In line with the vision statement of the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus (HHCJ), Sr. Emmanuella Dakurah is championing the activities of her Congregation through media publicity.
“A year ago, I was privileged to be part of a Media training organized by the Major Superiors Conference of Ghana. I was delegated by my superior to attend for the congregation in Ghana Province. I would say that the training has actually brought my Congregation and myself to the spot light,” she stated.
According to Sr. Dakurah who participated in the training in Kumasi, “I have acquired so many skills in communication, effective use of social media, developing stories for my Congregation and photography.”
She indicated that aside the knowledge gained in these areas, her Congregation, especially, Ghana Province, had benefited a great deal from her training, asserting, “I am able to bring to the public what my Congregation stand for, some of the activities we do thereby getting more vocation into the Congregation.
“People from all walks of life, are able to connect with my pages on the various social media platforms and what amuses me is that, most of them give positive feedback and credit to what I do as an individual for the congregation, and what we do as a congregation,” she told Newswatchgh.com on Friday, January 26, 2024.
As a Communication Director for her Congregation in Ghana Province, Sr. Dakurah affirmed “I can see the trust my Sisters repose in me during ceremonies. Gone were the days when we use to look for media personnel to cover our programmes.
She pointed out that “After my media training, I would say it’s no more of that importance if media personnel come around for our programmes or not because the Congregation knows that I am available to cover whatever happens and sell it to the public.”
She said: “By so doing, we are able to tell our stories by ourselves and we’re are proud of that as a Congregation and they are equally proud of me and what I do,” adding, “Not only is the training helping my Congregation but it is also of great benefit to me as a person.”
She noted that through this training, “I have been able to publish few articles, poems I have written and other news.
Sr. Dakurah averred: “I am forever grateful to the Conference of Major Superiors, to my congregation, Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus, HHCJ especially Ghana Province, and to stuff of Newswatchgh.com media for the support and for making me a star in the media world.”
Sharing her experiences with Newswatchgh.com, Sr. Sylvie Lum Cho, MSHR, a Cameroonian Nun working in the Donkorkrom Vicariate in the Afram Plains of Ghana’s Eastern Region, said “The Media training I had in late 2022 at the SMA House in Accra, has had a number of impacts on me as a person, to my congregation and to the Vicariate where I serve.”
She said she had the opportunity to report on some events of the Donkorkrom Vicariate, applying the skills learnt during the training, stating, “The training was worthwhile. Thanks to the organisers and our able facilitators. I pray for more of such opportunities so as to learn more for the work.”
She intimated that “Personally, the media training has improved my communication and writing skills, as well as increased my self-confidence.”
Sr. Cho who is a member of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (MSHR) noted that at the level of the Congregation, “I, being the communications person for my congregation has as a result of the training been able to write better articles and stories for publication in our Newsletter.”
“I’ve also been able to record and report on some events within the Congregation,” Sr. Cho added.
She declared: “Most importantly, my involvement on the social media as a result of the training I had has enabled me as the Vocation Promoter for my Congregation to get an international candidate who is currently undergoing formation in our Congregation.”
By Damian Avevor
