Kuibuka: A program for religious sisters in Africa to become agents of change against violence

Sexual and spiritual abuse of and by Catholic religious sisters has been documented since the 1990s but has received only minimal response from the Church, and little attention in the media or in academic research. Kuibuka Africa is an initiative that responds to the harm inflicted, enabled, and silenced in many religious women’s congregations. Kuibika runs workshops on trauma and abuse, and the need for effective pastoral response. Women religious share their experiences of abuse and interrogate the patriarchal narratives and theological foundations that enable violence and silence women’s voices. A pilot workshop in January 2023 welcomed thirty sisters from Central Africa. A second workshop involved forty religious superiors from West Africa in January 2024. The workshops empower women religious to resist injustice and institutional violence and become agents of change. Many participants have used workshop material in their local communities to help in safeguarding their own sisters.