Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, World Council of Churches director of Public Witness and Diakonia, returned from Sudan with what he described as “a broken heart” after witnessing the plight of the people. Yet he also shared signs of hope that a pact for peace can end the suffering.
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.
Churches in South Sudan are appealing for humanitarian assistance, amidst fears that the consequences of climate change, macro-economic shocks, and the war in Sudan could sink the country further into the worst humanitarian crisis since independence.
At the Orthodox Patriarchal Cathedral of St Anargyroi Church in Nairobi, Christians joined for ecumenical services to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the annual event celebrated from 18-25 January.
Rev. Dr Evans Onyemara, general secretary of the Christian Council of Nigeria, attended the World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee meeting from 8-14 November in Abuja, Nigeria. He took time to reflect on accomplishments and challenges in his country, and why he’s grateful for the presence of the WCC.
Matthias Schmale is a UN resident and humanitarian coordinator based in Nigeria. He previously served with the UN Relief and Works Agency, and is also a former World Council of Churches (WCC) steward. He took some time to reflect on his concerns, current work, and fond memories of his days as a steward.
After fighting battles against severe droughts, Kenyan churches are preparing their communities for extreme rainfall, as weather experts warn of a possible El-Nino phenomenon from October-December.
After a years-long battle against proposed water-related legislation in Nigeria that had high potential for privatizing water, the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Water Network in Nigeria celebrated the defeat of the proposed law, and pledged to continue to protect water as a human right.
In Renk, a small South Sudanese town on the banks of the White Nile, churches are working to help thousands of people fleeing the war in the neighbouring Sudan.
Following three years of severe drought, in 2018 the City of Cape Town faced an unprecedented water crisis, known as “Day Zero.” Severe water restrictions were introduced to avoid Day Zero, the day in which the city would run out of water.
A global call for prayers and support for the Democratic Republic of Congo has amplified as floods and landslides left hundreds of people dead in South Kivu, a province in the east of the country.
Amidst amplified calls for peace in Sudan, a glimmer of hope has spread in the northeastern African country, after fighting forces announced a 72-hour ceasefire.
During a noon prayer on 19 April, the World Council of Churches (WCC) called for global solidarity with the people of Sudan as an escalating conflict has plunged many innocent people into a situation in which they are barely able to survive.
After the assassination of human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko, statements and messages of condolences began pouring forth from churches and governments across the world. Maseko was shot in his home in Eswatini on 21 January by unknown attackers.
Church leaders in Kenya were reiterating the call for solutions to the country’s food crisis, even as rain brought some hope for communities battered by a severe drought.
In South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the peace and reconciliation work of pastors, priests and lay Christians remains critical for the people, as the global church and ecumenical groups amplify their concerns over the complex but separate conflicts in the two African countries.
In drought-stricken regions in eastern Africa, churches and church congregations continue to pray for rain, as the weather conditions leave millions of people without food, water and pasture for their animals.
As flooding in South Sudan reached extreme levels, the country’s church leaders are urging the international community to aid their country in battling the catastrophe which experts linked to climate change.
