Displaying 1 - 18 of 18

Empowering women and girls with disabilities: nurturing resilience and inclusion in the face of climate change

Burundi recently witnessed a significant event aimed at fostering inclusivity and addressing the impact of climate change on persons with disabilities. During the National Dialogue on Disability-Inclusive Climate Change Policies and Programs last week, the Friends Church in Burundi embarked on a mission to support and uplift women and girls with disabilities in Nyabihanga, Gitega Province. 

Statement on Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples

‘Behold I create new heavens in which life, justice and peace are possible for all’.

(Isaiah  65:17-25)

Indigenous Peoples are created with God-given identities that are beautiful.  God was present in their lands and among their peoples before colonizers arrived. When Christians brought the Bible, Indigenous People recognized the voice of their Creator in Jesus’ teachings. They did not hear a call to reject their identities.

Assembly

Address by Prof Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri at the closing ceremony of Eco-School 2020/21 for the Pacific (26 February 2021)

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

I had addressed you less than a week ago at the opening of the WCC Eco School 2020-2021 on Sunday evening, Geneva time. And here I am addressing you at the closing. The past 5 days have passed very quickly.  I have been updated by my colleagues responsible for the Eco School that this was an unique experience for all of them and I am sure for you as well. Carrying out a training programme for 5 consecutive days beyond midnight was new for most of them.  But I gather it has been a very enriching experience for them journeying with you all imparting this important training and at the same time listening to your valuable comments, questions and feedback.  But as I said in the opening, despite the geographic and time divide, we are united together virtually for a common cause  -  and that it eco justice! 

WCC Programmes

Ecumenical partners in Africa celebrate women’s achievements

Ecumenical partners in Africa convened by All Africa Conference of Churches, World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network, WCC Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiative and Advocacy, Christian Aid, and Side by Side gathered in Nairobi on World Prayer day 2020 to celebrate the achievements of women in Africa as well as to recognise men as allies. The gathering also observed the International Women’s Day under the theme #EachforEqual.

Praying for unity with the Sisters of Grandchamp in 2021

You may miss the cry of the tortured Christ on the cross, carved by the Brazilian artist Guido Rocha, if you do not look carefully at your right hand side as you enter the dark-wooden chapel of the monastic Community of Grandchamp, a hamlet near the Lake of Neuchâtel, in Switzerland.

How can you help refugees?

What else could your family, your parish, your community do to respond to the needs of migrants and refugees arriving in your country? Representatives of many different churches met in Rome in September to discuss that practical question, as well as respond to the broader challenge of how people of faith can combat the rising tide of racism, xenophobia and nationalist policies that increasingly target vulnerable migrants and asylum seekers.

Eco-School on Water, Food and Climate Justice

24 July - 03 August 2017

At its first Eco-School on Water, Food and Climate Justice, the WCC's Ecumenical Water Network (EWN) along with its Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance will bring together about 20 young people from the Africa region. Over a period of 10 days, in an ecumenical setting, participants will have the opportunity to study the local, regional, and international manifestations and causes of the water crisis and food security affected by climate change. They will examine the situation and challenges from a perspective of faith and ethics, and search together for possible ecumenical responses to these challenges.

Lilongwe, Malawi

Church of Uganda makes inroads on disability inclusion in development

At the initiative of the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network, the Church of Uganda is now including persons with disabilities in its “Empowering youth and women for sustainable livelihoods” project. This project, which is being implemented by the church’s Planning, Development and Rehabilitation Department in the Busoga Diocese, aims at impacting and improving household incomes through farming skills and management ethics for sustainability.

Consultation considers right to food in context of climate change

As the 21st Conference of Parties (COP 21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change came to a close in Paris, a consultation organized by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines and the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance of the WCC on 11 December in Quezon City, Philippines considered “The Right to Food and Life in the Context of Climate Change.”

Churches in Kenya empower people with disabilities

Supported by the World Council of Churches' Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network, people with disabilities are welcomed at the Bio Intensive Agricultural Training Centre run by the Methodist Church of Kenya. People with disabilities learn livelihood skills with other members of the community at the Centre, contributing towards local development.

Local and global work saves lives

It is raining. It is cold and windy. Autumn is in the air in northern Greece. We have just arrived at the Idomeni refugee camp in northern Greece, on the border between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). The fast-approaching winter poses as great a threat to the refugees as do the smugglers. In the worst case, winter means death.

Food campaigners call for greater convergence of all struggles

A declaration emphasizing the need for greater convergence in the struggles for justice and rights of communities, particularly for land, water, forests, natural resources, livelihood and identity, was the outcome of a meeting in Nepal, involving civil society organizations and social movements.

Kobia highlights unique contribution of Ethiopia, offers WCC mediation

"As custodians of an ancient spiritual heritage, Ethiopian Christianity has a unique contribution which is of central importance in Africa and to the ecumenical family world-wide," stated the general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, during his first official visit to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, 24-30 September 2005.