Fireside Chat:
Changemakers: Catholic Sisters on the Continent
Wednesday, March 22, 5:35 PM - 6:05 PM PST
Session Description
Religious and faith-based institutions have been pivotal to poverty alleviation efforts in Africa. Catholic Sisters are often the first point of contact for community members in need of support. In 2021, African Diaspora Network launched the Start Your Social Enterprise initiative to help accelerate the entrepreneurial skills of Catholic Sisters who are connected to underserved communities facing poverty and other challenges across the Continent. How have Sisters transformed their charity models into sustainable social enterprises? What challenges and opportunities do they experience as grassroots entrepreneurs? What impact do these Builders of Africa’s Future make in their local communities? Learn more about these humble yet impactful movements led by faith-driven changemakers.
Moderator
Agnieszka Winkler
Founder, Winkler Group; Board Member, African Diaspora Network
Agnieszka has held numerous leadership positions as founder of two companies, Winkler Advertising and TeamToolz until they were acquired and on boards of directors of public and private companies such as RenoAir, SuperCuts, Cheesecake Factory and numerous not for profits such as Ascension Health, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, the board of trustees of Holy Names University. She currently serves on the board of African Diaspora Network, the Executive Committee of the Board of the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship at SCU, as a Trustee of Santa Clara University and is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Jesuit School of Theology. She has a deep interest in building more equitable societies through social impact enterprises.
Panelist
Sr. Juunza Christabel Mwangani
Emerging Farmers Initiative
Sr. Juunza Christabel Mwangani is one of the Religious Sisters of the Holy Spirit, a congregation of women based in Zambia whose charism is “Dedication and openness to the personal action of the Spirit continuing Christ’s mission.”
Sr. Juunza has been a Religious Sister for 20 years. She currently serves as Senior Hospital Administrator at Monze Mission Hospital, where she coordinates and supervises all the non-clinical departments and manages all developmental and income-generating activities of the Hospital. She has served at this facility for the past 16 years.
Sister Juunza is one of the founding members of the Emerging Farmers Initiative, while serving as the congregation’s councilor for finances, projects manager, and executive secretary for the Sisters Blended Value Project. She completed the Start Your Social Enterprise training and is recognized by ADN as one of the 2022 Builders of Africa’s Future.