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.
“Tengo parálisis cerebral con cuadriplejia espástica, lo que significa que todas mis extremidades están gravemente afectadas”. A pesar de esto, mi parálisis cerebral no me define. Soy mucho más que mi parálisis cerebral”, dijo Julius Van der Wat, miembro de la Iglesia Reformada Holandesa de Pretoria (Sudáfrica), en una reciente conferencia de las iglesias sobre discapacidad celebrada en Sudáfrica.
„Ich habe spastische quadriplegische Zerebralparese, das heißt, meine Gliedmaßen sind durch meine Zerebralparese stark beeinträchtigt. Das heißt jedoch nicht, dass mich meine Zerebralparese definiert. Ich bin viel mehr als meine Zerebralparese“, sagte Julius Van Der Wat, ein Mitglied der Niederländisch-reformierten Kirche in Pretoria, Südafrika, kürzlich bei einer Kirchenkonferenz über Behinderungen in Südafrika.
«Je suis atteint de paralysie cérébrale, de quadriplégie spastique, ce qui veut dire que tous mes membres sont gravement touchés par ma paralysie cérébrale. Or, je ne suis pas pour autant défini par elle. Je suis bien plus que ma paralysie cérébrale», a déclaré Julius Van Der Wat, membre de l’Église réformée néerlandaise à Pretoria, en Afrique du Sud, lors d’une récente conférence des Églises sur le handicap dans le pays.
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.
