Nairobi, Kenya. From November 29 to December 5, the SOMI (Solidarity & Mission)-ACLA Meeting was held in Nairobi—a week of formation, discernment, and collaborative work that brought together prefects of apostolate, procurators, SOMI coordinators, and Claretian missionaries from different Organisms in Africa. It was a privileged space to recognize ourselves as a family, share experiences, and ask how we can live the ministry of solidarity and justice more deeply from the concrete reality of our peoples.
One of the most significant insights was discovering the immense richness of initiatives already present in our Organisms—educational, pastoral, community, social, and environmental actions that express the Claretian commitment to the realities we accompany. Yet, the meeting also highlighted the need for this richness to be read, articulated, and oriented within a broader process that gives coherence and continuity to the mission. SOMI is not beginning from zero; what is beginning is a new awareness of the need to walk together.
In this sense, the sessions on historical, social, political, and economic analysis allowed participants to delve into the structural causes of conflicts, inequalities, migration, and vulnerabilities affecting the continent. It was emphasized that reacting only to emergencies is not enough: the Claretian mission requires a lucid, embodied perspective that helps us act in ways that are truly transformative.
Understanding SOMI as a single process with three inseparable perspectives
The gathering deepened the understanding of SOMI as an integral way of living the mission, articulated through three mutually necessary perspectives:
- JPIC: the spiritual, ethical, and analytical foundation from which we discern reality, accompany communities, and build a social base capable of generating processes and networks of advocacy.
- UN: the public and global presence where we amplify the voices of communities, bringing to international spaces what we hear alongside the people with whom we live.
- Procure: the operational expression of transformative processes through projects born from community participation, seeking impact, sustainability, and coherence with the mission.
Challenges we take home: articulation, processes, and shared vision
Participants returned to their Organisms with gratitude for the experience, but also with a clear awareness of the challenges ahead:
- Moving from isolated initiatives to shared processes with continuity and long-term vision.
- Strengthening SOMI teams in each Organism—not as formal structures, but as spaces that weave participation, analysis, and transformative action.
- Building an organized Claretian social base capable of sustaining our presence in public and global spaces with legitimacy and depth.
- Better articulating the three SOMI areas, avoiding duplication and overlap, and recognizing that each contributes something essential to the process of transformation.
- Connecting local mission with Africa’s global challenges so our actions respond not only to immediate needs but also contribute to structural change.
The SOMI-ACLA meeting was a deeply enriching experience and a decisive step in strengthening the social mission of the Claretians in Africa. Now the most important part begins: turning the formation received into a working style, real processes, and a shared vision of the mission we hope to build together.
Source: Gabriel Ponce, CMF, General Mission Procurator and Secretary of SOMI
