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As climate change induced floods terrorize communities in East Africa, clerics and officials here fear that nature was hitting back.

Floods have struck Kenya and Tanzania, leaving behind a trail of death, destruction, and displacement. Floods are most intense in some of the same areas previously struck by a lengthy drought described by the UN as the worst in four decades.

As the world marks the 16 Days of Activism on Gender Based Violence, religious leaders, human rights activists, and development partners in Tanzania joined on 5 December to discuss the human rights of girls and women, including those with disabilities, in a forum titled “Wealth of Knowledge and a Wealth of Care.”

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed shock at the news of a brutal attack at a school in western Uganda by rebels linked to the Islamic State Group, on 16 June.

The Mothers Union from the Church of Uganda (Buganda region) in collaboration with the World Council of Churches Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiatives and Advocacy and Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance programmes have been finding strength and inspiration during the 16 Days campaign against sexual and gender-based violence. 

At an online roundtable hosted by the All Africa Conference of Churches, male “champions for gender justice” shared their ideas and insights during their yearlong service as men who are helping to prevent gender-based violence.

World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca expressed shock at the recent suicide bombings in Kampala, Uganda, for which the so-called ‘Islamic State’ group has reportedly claimed responsibility.

Religious leaders in Tanzania, after attending a workshop on HIV, stigma, treatment adherence and faith healing, released a communique that urges further empowering of religious leaders with skills and information to combat HIV.

A UNAIDS-PEPFAR faith-based initiative workshop, “Harnessing the Power of Partnerships,” started on 27 September in Tanzania with a focus on HIV stigma, treatment adherence and faith healing.

Religious leaders in Uganda pledged to renew their commitment to the national struggle to end HIV and AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, end all forms of stigma, promote justice, model transformative masculinities and transformative femininities, and ensure that respect for human rights is at the center of responses to HIV and AIDS.

Leaders of the ecumenical movement in Africa, religious leaders, Christians, and people of good will are mourning Arthur Ndengerio Shoo, a long-serving ecumenical leader, who died on 26 February.

Stories from Uganda are underscoring the resilience and hope that churches and education can bring in the face of stigma. Programmes developed by the World Council of Churches Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiatives and Advocacy have helped people eliminate stigma associated with HIV and AIDS by providing accurate information; safe spaces in which to share; and a faith-based, science-backed approach to health and healing.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is mourning the loss of the former president of Tanzania, Benjamin Mkapa. He was also an advocate for ecumenical work, and publicly spoke in support of the WCC Decade to Overcome Violence and other initiatives for justice.

During a ceremony recognizing how young people in Uganda are true “agents of change” in health and healing, Rev. Pauline Njiru, eastern Africa regional coordinator for the World Council of Churches Ecumenical HIV & AIDS Initiatives and Advocacy programme, said young people are bringing a fresh drive for justice in many local communities.

Frontline actions by African faith communities in mitigating against the novel coronavirus are being welcomed as timely, as groups move to support people left vulnerable by the pandemic.

Using lessons learned from building health-competent faith communities and responding to the HIV and AIDS epidemic, African church leaders are doing their best to help their communities cope with the novel coronavirus.

Africa is of huge concern around the novel coronavirus pandemic for the World Health Organization (WHO), but the continent’s churches have been preparing for the silent and lethal virus for some time.

Some church leaders and faith-based relief agencies are concerned that the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic may adversely affect humanitarian aid response, as the disease spreads in some of the vulnerable regions worldwide.
Although disruptions have not been felt yet, according to officials, there is a great potential the negative impacts will emerge, as the cases rise even in conflict countries, where the faith-based humanitarian agencies are the only movers of aid.

Highlights of African missiology will be explored during an event to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, on 13 February.

Hundreds of Christians gathered at the Namirembe Cathedral - the oldest cathedral in Uganda - and Mackay Primary School on 1 December to commemorate World AIDS Day. Through music, dance, and drama, together they spoke out for gender justice and a world free from HIV.

Young people in Uganda are on fire for change that will free the world from both HIV and sexual and gender-based violence. Spreading sparks of knowledge and enthusiasm, they have been visiting schools to inform and inspire even more young people.