Numbering almost 400 sisters, they have 55 communities located primarily in Rwanda but also in Burundi, Uganda, Congo, Kenya, and Rome.
Jean Joseph Hirth of the Society of the Missionaries of Africa began the establishment of the Benebikira sisters in 1913 with the acceptance of a small group of young women as aspirants.
At the beginning, however, he put their formation under the direction of the Missionaries of our Lady of Africa who would be responsible for the Benebikira order for the next forty years.
[1] In 1916, a novitiate was set up and in 1919 the first Benebikira sister pronounced her religious vows and the group was recognized by the Holy See as a Devout Union.
In 1953 the Rwandan Benebikira sisters elected their first Mother General and Council and thus assumed full responsibility for the governance of their order.
Sr. Theresa, who had very little schooling herself, valued the importance of education and traveled to Europe to secure secondary and university scholarships from European religious congregations for her sisters.
In concert with the new government policy they worked to find families for them and the hundreds of others who found their way to temporary orphanages created at Nyanza, Ruhengeri and Rulindo.
A secondary school, Immaculate Conception, was opened in Save to offer education for the orphans under the care and guardianship of the Congregation.
One of the hallmarks of the Benebikira Sisters is the importance they place on creating socially responsible businesses that are aligned with their mission.
Not only do these projects help support their works, they provide jobs and training to youth, as well as contributing to the economic growth of their developing country.
The Benebikira continue to have an independent legal status under the present government which recognizes them as Denominational Association “Benebikira.” This legal status allows them to own property, administer works of social good and also conduct for-profit businesses with the provision that the profits are used for the social good.
It is in a spacious compound with an extensive farming and dairy operation which provides food for the schools and sisters as well as employment for the poor in the village.
Their schools consistently rank in the top 15% and they are recognized for their emphasis on promoting the traditional Rwandan understanding of what it means to be a well-educated person.
Sisters also hold staff positions in hospitals in Rwanda, Congo, Burundi and Uganda Care of Families and Children Each community takes it upon themselves to assist those in need who often find their way to their doors.
The Hospitality House at Kibeho, Queen of Peace, provides accommodations for pilgrims to the Mother of the Word Shrine.