News
With simple, compelling messages, leaders and friends of the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance are featured in a new five-minute video offering an overview of the EAA’s work and the serious global need for advocacy related to HIV and AIDS and food security.
The video, available online, is ideal for use by church groups, non-governmental organizations, advocates and many others who wish to learn about the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (WCC-EAA) and its campaigns.
The video, entitled, “Campaigning Together – An Introduction to the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance” features WCC-EAA participants and staff describing the unique campaign style of the EAA and the importance of Christians campaigning together on the EAA’s current focus issues of HIV and AIDS and food security.
The video shares basic facts on HIV and hunger as the foundation for action by churches and Christian organizations. “We have to hunger and thirst for righteousness and be merciful. So advocacy is central to the Christian faith,” states EAA coordinator Dr Manoj Kurian in the video.
EAA staff said they hope the video helps current and future advocates hone their message so they can share it with others.
“Advocacy is never an easy issue and certainly to find funding for advocacy is difficult,” states Rev. J.P. Mokgethi-Heath (Church of Sweden). “One of the great advantages of the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance is that it works with faith communities that are particularly placed to do advocacy at high level already.”
Even the most compassionate advocates may forget that, ultimately, they are advocating for people — not statistics or documents, reflects Suzette Moses-Burton, executive director (through 2015) of the Global Network of People Living with HIV.
“Too often we treat with people living with HIV from a biomedical perspective…but we often forget that we are actually human beings with more than a disease, with lives and families,” she says. “Many of us are faithful, prayerful people. And so often those are the parts of ourselves, the human parts of who we are that are often neglected in the response to HIV.”
The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, an ecumenical initiative of the World Council of Churches, is a global network of churches and related organizations committed to campaigning together on common concerns for justice and human dignity. Current campaign issues are HIV and AIDS, food security and sustainable agriculture.
Video: “Campaigning Together – An Introduction to the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance”
More information on the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance
WCC-EAA welcomes agreement that will improve access to HIV medicines (WCC press release of 11 January 2016)
Consultation considers right to food in context of climate change (WCC press release of 15 December 2015)
Patent agreement welcomed as step to improve HIV treatment (WCC press release of 30 November 2015)
