The Sisters of Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus is an African congregation founded in 1929. Today, it has 168 fully professed sisters and ministers in the southern African countries of Malawi and Zambia. Amazingly, the congregation continues to grow, thanks to the interest and faith of young African women.
The commitment to teaching and formation also means these priests do not have any other opportunities of earning an income in order to support themselves, such as by working in a parish. As a result, they are very much dependent on Mass stipends.
Tony Zender, who oversees projects in a number of English-speaking African countries for international papal charity Aid to the Church in Need, recently visited Zambia. It is a politically stable nation, though it has far to go in terms of development and lifting its people out of poverty.