Search results

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.

17 April 2024

Lorena Catalina Bonilla Garcia

World Day of Health and the Veneration of the Holy Cross: two celebrations with significant meaning

This year, the World Day of Health, which is celebrated annually on 7 April, falls on the third Sunday of Great Lent in the Orthodox Church that is dedicated to the Veneration of the Holy Cross.

11 April 2024

Rev. Dr Stavros Kofinas

Bossey student reflects on “the joy of discovering the other”

Radu Constantin grew up in the small hamlet of Cioatele, in northeastern Romania, a village he describes as “religious people, very involved in the church life.”

11 April 2024

Feature story

July 2020: Volunteers from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, USA, prepare to help patients at a drive-thru testing site for COVID-19 at St. Luke Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in Nashville. Teams from the United Methodist-related school offered testing at area churches on Saturdays.

WCC, WHO commemorate 50 years of collaboration

The World Council of Churches (WCC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are celebrating 50 years of collaboration. Their work together includes strategizing, publications, seminars, webinars, and responding to crises such as HIV, the Ebola outbreak, and COVID-19 pandemic.

04 April 2024

WCC Commission of the Churches on Health and Healing will consider “the whole person”

In a World Council of Churches (WCC) video interview, moderator of the WCC Commission of the Churches on Health and Healing Rev. Dr Stavros Kofinas reflects on the direction of the commission, its vision for considering “the whole person,” and how it plans to involve young people.

07 March 2024

WCC at the World Social Forum 2024

15 - 19 February 2024

The World Social Forum (WSF) 2024 is scheduled to take place from February 15-19 in Nepal. The WSF serves as an open space and platform for the convergence of a diverse range of participants, including social movements, laborers, farmers, civil society groups, marginalized communities, and those affected by the impacts of neoliberal capitalism and privatization.

Kathmandu, Nepal

Feature story

WCC webinar explores decolonizing beauty

With a close look at the “skin-whitening pandemic,” a 4 December webinar hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) explored the intersections of mission, gender, racism, and health.

11 December 2023

WCC webinar: “Decolonizing beauty: mission, gender, racism, and health in the skin-whitening pandemic.”

04 December 2023

A webinar on 4 December will focus on “Decolonizing beauty: mission, gender, racism, and health in the skin-whitening pandemic.”

Online

75 years of mental health advocacy: achievements, challenges, and the future.

17 November 2023

Co-organized by the World Council of Churches, World Federation for Mental Health, and World Health Organisation, the event will celebrate the 75th anniversary of both the WCC and the World Federation for Mental Health.

Ecumenical center in Geneva and online

EmergingPeacemakersForum-2023-photo-by-IvarsKupcis-47.jpg

"Mental health is a universal human right" - 13th Global Ecumenical Health Network Meeting

11 October 2023

To coincide with World Mental Health Day on 10 October, the World Council of Churches' (WCC) announces its 13th Global Ecumenical Health Network Meeting on 11 October. This year's theme stresses, "Mental health is a universal human right," spotlighting the vital role of faith communities in mental wellbeing.

Online

Eileen Peralta and her 12-year old daughter Erin, who has autism, sit on the step of their home in the Malate neighborhood of Manila. They're being visited by other members of Kaisahan ng Magulang at Anak na Maykapansanan (Kaisaka), a mothers' group that carries out community based rehabilitation with families which have members with disabilities.

Recognizing autism as a disability

As a parent of an autistic child, it is important for me not only to embrace and accept that my child has autism but also to raise awareness on autism. We are all called upon to champion acceptance, embrace, appreciate, and accept autistic people as valued members of the community.

25 July 2023

Ann Kioi

WCC Eco-School for Europe and North America region

11 - 18 November 2023

The fifth edition of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Eco-School on Water, Food, and Climate Justice, will be held 11-18 November in Crete, Greece.

Orthodox Academy of Crete, Greece

Feature story

Prayers focus on “Health for All”—and the deep role churches can play

During a prayer service on 3 April, the World Council of Churches (WCC) focused on the theme for the upcoming World Health Day—“Health for All.”

05 April 2023

Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata: “God summons us to take action that is hope giving”

Below, Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, World Council of Churches (WCC) director of Public Witness and Diakonia, reflects on the relevance of ecumenical diakonia and public witness today.

16 March 2023

Honduras_Hawkey_World_Renew_drought_20140805_919

Overcoming obesity—more than changing one's behaviour; it is a matter of ensuring systemic justice!

We mark 4 March as World Obesity Day. Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a health risk. Obesity has more than tripled since 1975, and more than 1 billion people are obese in the world today.

04 March 2023

Masimba Kuchera

Pandemic and pedagogy: what are the valuable lessons?

Rev. Prof. Dr Benjamin Simon, World Council of Churches programme executive for Ecumenical Theological Education, offered reflections after a December hybrid conference entitled “Theological Education: Pandemic and Pedagogy,” held at the Trinity Theological Seminary in Accra, Ghana. The conference was co-organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC), World Communion of Reformed Churches, Lutheran World Federation, and Evangelische Mission Weltweit. The conference drew more than 80 participants from all over the world.

21 December 2022

"Global Food Crisis and the Responses – A comprehensive update and discussion,”

14 December 2022

A hybrid-style event, "Global Food Crisis and the Responses – A comprehensive update and discussion,” to be held in Rome on 14 December will update the civil society and faith communities on the latest status of the food crisis and the need for policy responses at local, national, and global levels.

Women suffering from fistula need urgent help

Rose Mantey qualified as a state registered nurse in Ghana in 1996, and completed training in midwifery in 2002. In 2005 she started working in a maternal and child health community clinic, attached to the Mercy Women’s Catholic Hospital in Mankessin, Ghana.

09 December 2022

Mwai Makoka