Director of Programs and Social Mission
International Union of Superiors General (UISG)
Sr. Anne Munley, IHM served as Director of Programs and Social Mission at the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) from 2003 to 2005. UISG is a worldwide, canonically approved organization of superiors general of institutes of Catholic women religious which promotes an understanding of the religious life of Catholic Sisters and fosters its development in the Church and in the world. The mission of the UISG is to build bridges that span distances, borders and boundaries in order to create ways for members to be in communication, communion and solidarity.

UISG offers the following specific services in its efforts to carry forward its mission:

· UISG provides an international forum where superiors general of institutes of Catholic women religious can exchange information and mentor one another in their role as leaders.
· UISG encourages dialogue and collaboration among religious congregations within the Church and larger society.
· UISG offers regular programs, meetings and publications to assist members in their development as leaders of religious congregations.
· UISG communicates with the congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (CICLSAL) and other significant Church and social organizations on matters concerning religious life.
· UISG fosters networking and solidarity among the women religious of the world.

As Director of Programs and Social Mission, Sr. Anne collaborates with the UISG President, Executive Committee, General Secretary and Staff in advancing the mission, vision and goals of the Union. In terms of specific responsibilities, she:

· conducts research related to the Union’s mission, programs or projects;
· assists in designing and implementing new initiatives;
· coordinates efforts of the Union in the areas of advocacy, education and social mission;
· networks with organizations having similar missions, values or objectives;
· assists with planning, preparation and coordination of Plenary and Assembly meetings;
· facilitates the efforts of the constellations to collaborate in implementing UISG directions, and,
· coordinates special projects related to the education of women religious.

Among her current projects at UISG are collaborative initiatives on the issue of human trafficking and on distance education for women religious in five English-speaking countries of Africa.

Since September, UISG has been collaborating with the United States Embassy to the Holy See, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Union of Major Superiors of Italy (USMI), and the Migrantes Foundation in creating and conducting counter-trafficking training programs for women religious in Italy, Nigeria, Albania and Romania. The pilot training session took place from January 26 to February 6 in Rome. Thirty Sisters, 20 from Italy and 10 from other countries participated in the program. Additional training sessions have been scheduled for Nigeria (March 26 – April 2), Albania (April 13-20) and Romania (May 16-23). The sessions in Nigeria, Albania and Romania were arranged with the assistance of the Conferences of Women Religious in each of these countries. All of the Sisters participating in the training sessions are currently involved or are willing to become active in counter-trafficking efforts or in providing direct assistance to victims of trafficking. Nigeria, Albania and Romania are three of the main countries of origin for women and minors exploited by criminal networks and transported as commodities to Italy.

In keeping with its commitment to the education of women religious throughout the world, UISG endorses the African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC), an initiative of some Catholic colleges and universities in the United States and of the religious congregations that founded them. Focused on five English-speaking countries in Africa: Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana, The project presently involves research of specific educational needs of women religious from the perspective of the leaders of religious congregations in these countries and some limited financial assistance from Neylan colleges and congregations for education of sisters and construction of science laboratories at the Bigwa Secondary School in Morogoro, Tanzania. Such research along with educational upgrading is necessary preludes to development of appropriate modes of distance education that will help to address greater access to higher education by African women religious.

In conjunction with her ministry at UISG, Sr. Anne, with the support of the Hilton Fund for Sisters, is working with the national conferences of religious in those countries participating in the project. In November she visited the Bigwig Secondary School and met with leaders of the Tanzanian Conference of Women Religious (TCAS). In February, she discussed the project with representatives of the Nigerian and Ghanaian Conferences of Women Religious in Enugu, Nigeria and Accra, Ghana. These site visits complement those made to Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania last year. As coordinator of the Hilton grant, Sr. Anne also works directly with four local research coordinators—two in East Africa and two in West Africa.

Along with all of her co-workers at UISG, Sr. Anne is assisting with planning and preparations for the 2004 UISG Plenary and Assembly to be held in Rome in May. She is working as well on preparations for the USG/UISG Congress on Consecrated Life that will take place in November of 2004. She served on the Visioning Committee for this event and is a member of the Theological, Communications and Facilitation Commissions of the Congress.

Sr. Anne presently serves as the executive director of the African Sisters Education Collaborative.