The African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC), begun in 2002, helps Catholic Sisters in Africa access education so that they can become qualified to serve as teachers, as well as in health care, spiritual, or social service ministries in their countries. As the Sisters themselves are educated, they, in turn, educate more African people. ASEC believes education will help African nations become more self-sufficient. Much of ASEC’s work explores how technology such as distance learning can help Sisters in Africa easily access education.
The charter members of ASEC are the presidents of Rosemont College, Chestnut Hill College, Marywood University, and Neumann College, as well as the religious orders who founded those colleges including the Society of the Holy Child Jesus; Sisters of St. Joseph; Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Scranton; and the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, respectively.