Congregations Coming Together for Practical and Sustainable Elder Care

The First Grant Cycle of The Anna Trust Foundation brings congregations together to better understand the needs of elderly sisters and to explore practical, sustainable approaches to their care.

The projects are already yielding encouraging results. In Burundi, 73 sisters aged 65 and over have taken part in a needs-assessment survey, while 57 participants have joined focus-group discussions. In Peru, 47 sisters have participated in surveys, dialogue sessions and design workshops, with physical wellbeing activities also reaching 47 sisters.

In Chile, the project has brought together 16 congregations and has already completed four geriatric visits. Its first conference involved 10 congregations and 18 sisters, creating a space to share experiences and develop common approaches to care. In the United States, 52 surveys have been completed, while 40 sisters have participated in technology-orientation activities designed to strengthen their ability to use digital learning tools.

A strong emphasis on specialized knowledge underpins these efforts. Technical experts are assisting projects with health and geriatric assessments, data collection and analysis, technology integration, planning, and the development of tailored training frameworks. Currently, two experts have been recruited in West Africa, while three are actively supporting operations in Burundi.

These early achievements represent much more than individual activities. They are helping congregations listen to elderly sisters, identify common needs, share knowledge, and build foundations for more collaborative and sustainable models of care.

The Anna Trust Foundation team will continue to closely follow the implementation of all these projects and, as part of our monitoring and learning, will conduct field missions to visit the projects in their respective countries. These visits will provide an opportunity to meet the congregations and sisters involved, see the activities firsthand, and learn more about the progress, challenges and lessons emerging from each initiative.