An uncommon international venture

A collaboration involving Franciscan religious communities in the United States and Cameroon, Africa, demonstrates that a spirit of mutuality and cross-cultural understanding can develop among partners in aid projects. Three United States-based communities of Franciscan women religious developed the "Common Venture" project as a way to celebrate their common history while undertaking systemic change. Wanting to have an international impact, they developed a relationship almost a decade ago with the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis in Cameroon. The result was a collaborative project through which the sisters sought to discover the deeper meaning of their vocation and their community membership; seek resources to further the Cameroon ministry; and identify organizations to support their work. Much has been accomplished in the ensuing nine years. This Common Venture effort has inspired a "minor revolution" in aid efforts in Cameroon and beyond. It has brought education and training programs, improved health care access, supplies and medicine, medical volunteers, and other improvements to this African community. And the U.S. partners also have benefited, gaining great satisfaction from helping people in need develop long-term solutions to problems.