Province of East Central Africa

From 7th to 18th December, the administrators of almost all the communities of the Marist Province of Africa Centre East (PACE), gathered at Save-Rwanda for a workshop addressed to Brothers and Lay Collaborators who are working as financial administrators of the communities and apostolic works of the Province; we also welcomed Sisters from the Congregation of the Incarnate Word, who share with us in some of our schools. The facilitators of this workshop were: brothers Yvon Bédard (Canada), and two brothers staying in PACE: Emile Motanda (Kinshasa- DRC) and Kiko Baeza (Mwanza-Tanzania).

The objectives of this workshop were to give the basic formation to economes and bursars, in order to be able to prepare accurate balance sheets, to be efficient in the reporting, to have a common the charts of accounts in our Province and to follow a unified system of accounting. All these topics were explained and later on practiced by using the computer program of Quicken which as a practical tool, simplifies and facilitates the report that can be produced at any time. This new way of doing things will bring us to speak all of us one language, and to go beyond the simple way of “doing accounts”, but becoming the conscience in our communities and institutions on the way to use our goods, according with the Gospel.

The workshop developed involving few concepts, but using logic and practical statements in how to place our accounts in the system. We all profited from the experience that Br Yvon has in the matter, and his way of passing the information in a pedagogical way. For some of us, it was the first time to be in touch with the computer program of Quicken, which was found as an easy way to be more accurate in our recording, that in the end will reflect the true image of our financial situation: as Community, as an Institution and as a Province. We also reviewed the Vademecum of Financial Affairs for PACE, to place it as a guide to be followed in all our proceedings.

Being together, brothers and lay people, offered also an opportunity to strengthen our unity as a Province. We all are ready to commit into a new way of doing things, a new beginning for a good developing of our apostolic mission in the Central and East Africa. We know that the theory has been explained, together with the “how to do things”, remaining only to bring back to the different communities and institutions this clear way of proceeding with all financial matters.