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Mark your calendar now for events during the campaign 16 Days Against Gender-Based Violence, which will begin 25 November, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and end 10 December, Human Rights Day.

Gathering for a World AIDS Day prayer, the World Council of Churches (WCC) reflected on the latest UNAIDS report, and prayed that churches will renew their commitment to become agents of life for those suffering from HIV and AIDS.

As a crowd of more than 300 gathered, the St Paul’s University School of Theology officially launched Thursdays in Black, pledging to build an Africa without violence and to join together on a pilgrimage of justice, peace, and reconciliation.

An online webinar held 2 December brought a moving circle of hope to life even as women and men shared their tragic experiences of femicide and domestic violence in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Religious and traditional leaders in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) participated in online consultations on the SADC Model Law on gender-based violence.

In an ecumenical meeting for North American church leaders on 24 June, prayers and discussion centered on issues that are both deeply painful and seemingly insurmountable: racism, division, vaccine hesitancy, genocide, war. But hope found a way into the virtual gathering as participants supported each other to find ways forward.

The Thursdays in Black campaign for a world free from rape and violence has been intensified in Namibia, bringing awareness of the heightened risk of violence against women and children during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Hillary Nuwamanya, 24, was born HIV-positive, and has chosen to live his life setting an example for other young people who are struggling to find hope.

As an important part of the World Council of Churches Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiatives and Advocacy programme, the Ugandan has trained people in how to lead their communities in gender equality, gender justice and zero tolerance for sexual and gender-based violence. He often participates in or facilitates intergenerational workshops on HIV and gender justice.

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.

In a statement published 23 April, the group “Faith in Beijing,” a collective of religious ac-tors and faith-based networks, called for the world to advocate governments and civil so-ciety for urgent COVID-19-related responses that protect women’s rights and achieve gender equality.

WCC ambassadors of the Thursdays in Black campaign are standing behind a joint statement that urges both awareness and protection from the “dual pandemics” of COVID-19 and gender-based violence.