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Is health the same for all?

To guarantee the right to health, we need to understand the meaning of health. WHO defined it in 1948 as a state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity wellness, but there is another definition that I like better. 

WCC condemns attacks against aid workers in southeast Ukraine

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed shock upon receiving the news of the deaths of two aid workers in an attack that injured three others, all from the non-governmental organization HEKS/EPER, on 1 February in southern Ukraine. 

Ukraine: Responding to humanitarian need

When the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, churches had already been responding to humanitarian need in the country for eight years, since the annexation of Crimea in 2014.  The work being undertaken by churches in meeting the needs of those displaced by the war is not new, but the scale is staggering as 14 million people have been displaced in the six months since the invasion began.

Diaconal work in Europe is shaped by response to humanitarian crisis in Ukraine

The future of diaconal work in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in the context of the war in Ukraine and aftermath of the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia, was discussed this week at the meeting organized by Interdiac, the International Academy for Diakonia and Social Action, Central and Eastern Europe in Český Těšín, Czech Republic.

WCC stands in solidarity with victims of major flood in Brazil

“In the midst of death and trauma caused by this terrible event, let us bring our intercessions together, praying that the God of Life will comfort the ones who lost their loved ones and give strength to those involved in the actions of solidarity with the victims,” said Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, acting general secretary of the World Council of Churches, as a torrential rainfall took the lives of over 100 people in Petrópolis, Brazil.

In Argentina, “Serving a Wounded World” is a hopeful call to collaborate

Prof. Dr h.c. Humberto Martin Shikiya, vice president of the Regional Ecumenical Advisory and Service Center (CREAS) In Argentina, reflects on how Serving a Wounded World in Interreligious Solidarity: A Christian Call to Reflection and Action During COVID-19 and Beyond” is being received as a hopeful call to collaborate ecumenically and interreligiously. The World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue jointly published Serving a Wounded World” to encourage churches and Christian organizations to reflect on the importance of interreligious solidarity in a world wounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brazilian ecumenical water network launched

An online event held on 22 July marked the launch of the Ecumenical Water Network Brazil, an initiative that intends to articulate several ecumenical organizations and interfaith voices with the purpose of raising awareness about the life cycle of water.

Pulling together for a living River Pardo

Areas around the River Pardo in northeastern Brazil are home to more than one million people. Included in them are traditional communities such as the quilombolas (descendants of runaway African slaves), the geraizeiros and others. Each year they see less water in their river. “This is not solely due to the reduction in rainfall.