Born in Rome, BeDoCare Conference Takes African Stage to Strengthen Resilience

“As Opus Dei approaches its 100th anniversary, we are prompted to think about the institution’s social legacy in the world,” Maria Jose Murcia who serves on the steering committee of BeDoCare said.

Maria Jose Murcia, a member of the BeDoCare steering committee during an interview with ACI Africa. Credit: ACI Africa

Maria added, “Saint Jose Maria was a big promoter of social responsibility, social leadership, and social initiatives broadly. Around the world, there are several social initiatives that have begun during the life of the founder and many more years afterwards.”

“As we are approaching this big milestone in our journey, what we would like to do is to strengthen these organizations to provide a context for their resilience, for their sustainability in the next coming 100 years, and also work with others, with other members of the social sector,” the native of Argentina said.

She explained that the BeDoCare conference is grounded within the realization that social organizations cannot be successful on their own, and that they should be relying even more on an ecosystem of enabling actors, such as universities and businesses.

In the Wednesday, October 1 interview, Maria told ACI Africa that BeDoCare brings social actors together in order to promote networking, institutional strengthening, and formation, particularly through research initiatives that provide an insight into what works and what does not work in different contexts.

In Italy, where the conference was held for the first time, the biggest success was bringing people together, Maria said, and explained, “I would guess that the biggest success in Rome was to create the understanding that the social sector on its own cannot stand and needs an ecosystem.”

Explaining the uniqueness of Africa in the BeDoCare movement, the official said, “Coming from Latin America, and being in Africa these past few days, I feel very much at home. We are very much brothers and sisters in the type of challenges that we have.”

“The context in Latin America is marked with heavy inequality. That is not that of an issue here. What we need here is to have this efficient infrastructure, to have a minimum living base in order to reduce poverty as much as we possibly can,” she explained.

She lauded Africans for their “warmth” and resilience, saying, “The people here are amazing. You have warmth. You are very inspiring because you are such hopeful and cheerful people; you are not put down by the challenges that you are facing. This is very much a continent of hope.”

Commenting on what’s next for BeDoCare, she said, “We just finished mapping the capacity building needs in the Latin American region. And we would like to try to replicate that here in Africa.”

In BeDoCare, ‘Be’ stands for “start with purpose”, ‘Do’ stands for “act with meaning”, while ‘Care’ stands for “culminate in authentic care for others.”

BeDoCare suggests that true change comes from being intentional, acting responsibly, and genuinely caring for people and society.  

Highlighting the importance of the Nairobi event in an interview with ACI Africa last month, HAI Communications Officer, Rossella Miranda, said the event was organized around bringing together people from Africa and beyond “around youth, education, work, dignity, and sustainable development.”

Themes for the event have been structured around youth unemployment that, according to organizers, “is one of Africa’s most urgent challenges.” Other themes include inclusive education systems, environmental sustainability, infrastructure development, as well as rethinking international partnerships.

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According to organizers, the Nairobi Agenda has been shaped directly by African partners, ensuring that local voices define priorities and guide the way forward.  

The highlight of the final day of the conference is the launch of The BeDoCare Hub.

In her address at the event, HAI's International Coordinator, Linda Corbi, explained the significance of the BeDoCare Conference at Strathmore University, saying, “This conference is not just an academic event. It is a space for encounters, for listening, for collaboration and networking. It is a place where each of us is invited to bring our own experience, creativity, and hope.”

Linda Corbi, HAI's International Coordinator. Credit: ACI Africa

“Being here in Nairobi, a city that symbolizes growth, dialogue, is already a powerful sign,” she said, and continued, “It means believing that Africa is not only the continent of challenges, but above all, the continent of opportunities.”

In an interview with ACI Africa at the event, the HAI International Coordinator acknowledged the interconnectedness in the world, underscoring the need for countries to work together to tackle the world's problems.

“The world is changing so fast. The needs are so different. We are facing so many challenges,” she said, and added, “No one can improve alone…BeDoCare Hub will be a sort of bridge, a platform, to put people into contact with each other to try to solve their problems.”

“It is not a matter of money. It is a matter of people,” Linda said, underlining the need for countries to forge collaborative networks in tackling global challenges.

Participants at the ongoing BeDoCare conference at Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya. Credit: Strathmore University/X

She further underscored the need for Africa to shape its future, noting that the continent is “changing fast.”

“I see a new path in front of this continent of Africa,” the Italian HAI official said, and added, “It is good to know what Africans think, what they want for themselves. We know what we want from you, but who are you? What is your identity? What do you want for your future?”

Calling for collaborative dialogue among continents, including Africa, she said, “You may have ideas that we don’t have. I am from Italy, and you in Africa do not have the problems that we have. We have old people in Italy but here, you are young. You have fantastic people. Therefore, we have many things to learn from you. We have many things to learn from each other.”

Linda also spoke about plans for the BeDoCare conference, which will take stage in Asia next year. She said, “We will plan for a meeting similar to this in the Philippines. And we hope to bring together people from across Asia to the conference.”

In his welcoming address, Fr. Dr. Silvano Ochuodho who serves as the Pro-Chancellor of Strathmore University said that the BeDoCare conference at Strathmore University, the first in Africa, was a testimony of the expansion of the Opus Dei Institute in Africa.

“When St. Josemaría Escrivá received that urgent request in 1957 to establish a Catholic university in East Africa, he could hardly have imagined the extraordinary harvest that would spring from those early seeds,” Fr. Ochuodho said.

Participants at the ongoing BeDoCare conference at Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya. Credit: Strathmore University/X

He said that the success of Opus Dei in Kenya “opened doors like a gentle breeze carrying seeds to fertile ground”, with Nigeria welcoming the Institute in 1965, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Uganda, and South Africa.

“Today, the horizon continues to expand,” the Pro-Chancellor of Strathmore University said about the growth of Opus Dei in Africa, adding that Tanzania, Ghana, Rwanda, Angola and Liberia are “knocking at the door”, eager to establish the Institute.

The Kenyan Opus Dei member said that for Africa, the journey toward the 2028 Centenary celebration of Opus Dei is “not a countdown to celebration but a call to action.”

“As we prepare for the centenary of Opus Dei in 2028, Africa stands as both living witness and vibrant promise. The continent once seen as mission territory has become a source of vitality for the universal Church and Opus Dei itself,” the Kenyan Catholic Priest said.

He added, “As we gather for this BeDoCare Conference, we are not simply examining St. Josemaría's influence in Africa. We are extending it. Each participant here carries the potential to be a new seed, planted in their particular corner of this vast continent.”