When social enterprises first gained prominence, they were rarely associated with job creation or viewed as tools for reducing poverty in Africa. As a result, the region continued to depend heavily on international charity and donor aid.
The Sisters Blended Value Project (SBVP) at Strathmore University is helping shift this paradigm. By working directly with communities across Africa and equipping women—particularly Catholic Sisters—with enterprise development skills, SBVP is providing the tools needed to transform charitable ministries into sustainable businesses. Participants learn how to design, launch, and scale social enterprises that address community needs while reducing poverty.
This support has enabled many religious congregations to transition from one-off, grant-funded initiatives to social enterprises with long-term impact. The ripple effects have been significant. Communities that once relied on the Church solely for aid are beginning to experience genuine market participation. Through its training and coaching programmes across East and Central Africa, SBVP is deliberately breaking the cycle of dependency by equipping Sisters with practical business capabilities.
The results are visible. Catholic Sisters increasingly see social enterprise as a pathway to drive structural change and promote economic independence. With strengthened leadership and entrepreneurship skills, they are shifting from passive recipients of aid to active agents of sustainable development. Many are now turning their ministries into models of self-reliance, creating jobs and improving livelihoods. As these enterprises mature, they bring improved access to income, skills, education, food security, and dignity within the communities they serve.
A clear example comes from Murang’a County in Kenya, where the Emmanuel Sisters run a skills centre supporting single mothers and young women. A broiler poultry enterprise in Maragua finances the centre, with part of its profits funding scholarships for vulnerable learners. The centre offers training in tailoring, baking, hairdressing, beadwork, and digital literacy. Upon completion, graduates receive tailored support to start or expand their own ventures—many are now earning sustainable incomes through the skills acquired.
A similar model is taking shape in Uganda, where the Consolers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus are using their coffee enterprise to connect women and youth to reliable markets and stable incomes. Building on their longstanding embroidery and dressmaking work, the sisters—now strengthened through SBVP’s enterprise development training—are diversifying livelihoods in Rwengiri and contributing to the local economy through agriculture-driven social enterprise.
In Zambia, the Religious Sisters of the Holy Spirit (RSHS) have applied SBVP training in leadership, financial planning, and enterprise management to revitalise the James Corboy School. Their strengthened operational capacity has stabilised the institution and kept it accessible to girls, protecting them from vulnerabilities linked to poverty and long travel distances.
In Tanzania, the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood have transformed St Thomas Kilakala Health Centre. Previously constrained by weak infrastructure and limited management capacity, the facility now operates upgraded wards, a functional theatre, strategic partnerships, and a sustainable business model. These improvements have increased patient numbers and enhanced the quality of care for the surrounding community.
These cases represent only a fraction of the transformation under way. Over the past three years, SBVP has reached 690 Sisters from 147 congregations in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia. Sixty-one congregations have also received seed grants to strengthen their social enterprises and secure long-term viability.
Yet challenges remain substantial. The United Nations estimates that in 2025, 808 million people—one in ten globally—will still live in extreme poverty. By 2030, nearly nine percent of the world’s population is projected to remain below the poverty line. Against this backdrop, the entrepreneurial ministries emerging among Catholic Sisters in Eastern and Central Africa stand out as a beacon of innovation and resilience. They are redefining religious life by actively contributing to local economies, generating employment, and promoting food security.
SBVP has catalysed a profound shift. Catholic Sisters are moving beyond traditional charitable approaches to become architects of community-owned, enterprise-driven development. Their efforts demonstrate that ending poverty requires creativity, courage, and locally grounded innovation. By blending faith with entrepreneurship, they are lighting a path toward a more resilient and prosperous Africa—transforming lives, one community at a time. Dr. Angela Ndunge and Alex Okoth
The writers are affiliated with Strathmore University Business School’s Sisters Blended Value Project
