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In Southern Africa, around 28 million people are facing food insecurity due to drought conditions brought on by the strength of El Niño in 2015/2016. The World Council of Churches – Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance is holding a regional consultation, hosted by World Vision International, to plan coordinated faith-based action in support of sustainable agriculture, agro-ecology and other climate-resilient methods, particularly targeting the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) discussion on the response to El Niño.

Some 80 leaders of governments, UN agencies, faith-related as well as non-religious civil society organizations from countries affected by the current refugee crisis in Europe, Middle East, and Africa will meet at a conference hosted by the World Council of Churches in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Fund for Population (UNFPA), and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to discern how they can proactively influence and shape coordinated collective practical responses.

The Churches’ Week of Action on Food is an opportunity for Christians and others around the world to act together for food justice and food sovereignty. It is a special time to raise awareness about farming approaches that help individuals and communities develop resiliency and combat poverty. The Food for Life Campaign places a particular emphasis on sustainable agricultural practices and the situation of smallholder producers and their access to, and control over, natural resources such as land, water and seeds.

Churches and faith communities have a vibrant role to play in addressing the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Churches and other religious communities not only have a constant and influential reach to the grassroots to offer populations practical advice about hygiene and safe funeral practices but can also directly address the deeper cultural and religious roots of widespread stigma and discrimination that have accompanied the epidemic.

This training workshop will provide a space for dialogue on how men and women can contribute towards building peaceful communities. It will add to the efforts of women contributing towards an “ecumenical pilgrimage of justice and peace” consistent with a call from the WCC 10th Assembly in 2013.