“Allow people to tell their stories”: Content Producers at Communication Network for Catholic Sisters in Kenya Told

Nairobi, 26 August, 2025 / 11:20 AM

Content producers at the Communication Network for Catholic Sisters (CNCS) in Kenya, an information service of the Association of Sisterhoods of Kenya (AOSK), have been urged to let people tell their own stories, and for them to only be “carriers” of the voices of their information sources.

In his address at the launch of the CNCS five-year strategic plan on August 23, Fr. Andrew Kaufa, who serves as the Coordinator of the Department of Social Communications of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) acknowledged the shift in the way stories are told in the digital era.

“Allowing people to tell their stories is the new way to go in the digital era,” Fr. Kaufa said at the event that was held at AOSK Chemichemi ya Uzima College in the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi (ADN).

He added, “You let people talk and only become carriers of stories of how Sisters are giving people hope…Instead of telling a story about a widow, the widow herself tells her story. That is what becomes impactful.”

AOSK launched CNCS in June 2024 at a ceremony at Radix Hotel in Nairobi’s Karen area that was preceded by a two-day workshop during which 13 Catholic Sisters drawn from AOSK member Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL) were trained.

Realized in partnership with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the communication initiative that was officially launched on 14 June 2024 exists to give media visibility to the services of Catholic Sisters in Kenya and beyond, amplifying their voices.

The network serves as a platform for evangelization, advocacy, and social transformation, focusing on key sectors such as education, healthcare, social services, environmental conservation, and anti-human trafficking efforts.

By empowering Catholic Sisters with communication tools, CNCS aims to amplify their impact and ensure their contributions are widely recognized and accurately represented.

Following the setup of its administrative centre in Nairobi, CNCS engaged a consultant to facilitate the development of its first strategic plan, covering the years 2025–2030.

According to the CNCS members, the five-year strategic plan serves as a vital tool for the network in its formative stages by ensuring that decisions and actions are aligned with its core values and long-term vision.

“As a newly established entity, CNCS recognized the importance of setting a clear direction, grounded in realistic goals and informed priorities, to effectively fulfill its mission of serving Catholic Sisters across Kenya,” the members say in the preliminary section of the strategic plan document.

In his address, Fr. Kaufa also challenged the content producers at CNCS to pay attention to the experiences of ordinary people and not just focus their attention on key figures in the Church. “News makers are the people we are serving,” the AMECEA official said..