27 August 2008

As ever, the Greenbelt festival this year offered a wide range of activities, talks, music . . . not to mention the usual combination of beautiful views. . . and lots of mud! 

Of all the many things on offer, how do you pick any to feature? It's hard . . . but here are two that stood out. The first was Neema Crafts, a project that offers an opportunity for disabled people in Iringa, Tanzania, to learn new skills and find work with dignity. The project was founded by CMS mission partner Susie Hart, and Neema's activities were featured at the CMS tents. Some of the Neema dancers performed a wonderful interpretation of the parable of the wise man who built his house upon a rock (pictured above). Neema's beautiful crafts were on sale, and the intrepid could even have a go at making the elephant dung paper which forms the basis for some of the crafts. (Andy Hart, Susie's husband, is pictured left holding some of the raw materials . . . .) 

Conversation with Andy and a browse through the Neema booklet (available on loan from CCOW) revealed, though,  that what we saw was only a fraction of what, by the grace of God, was happening in the area. The Neema projects have given new hope to people who, in many cases, had experienced much rejection. And Andy, who works in the rural development department of the Diocese of Iringa, is involved with several projects that help local communities to purify water, farm bats for fertiliser, and generally improve their health and well being through sustainable, low-cost mechanisms. With all these projects, the Harts and their co-workers have been given several small miracles in terms of people who arrive with particular skills at just the right moment . . . and they are seeing some fine progress. Inspiring stuff.  

(Canon Gideon with friends. Photos provided by Alison Williams, John Whitley)

July 2008

Canon Gideon Byamugisha is a man whose ministry on HIV and AIDS has inspired people around the world. He is in the UK now to speak to bishops and their spouses at the Lambeth Conference, where his topic will be The Crucial Witness: The Response of Church Leaders to HIV Stigma and Discrimination.

For many years, Canon Gideon has worked with Oxford-based charity "Strategies for Hope,"  which produces materials focused on community-based approaches to HIV prevention, care and support, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. What Can I Do?, a SFH book and video based on Canon Gideon's experiences as the first African priest to disclose his HIV+ status, has helped to transform attitudes towards those living with HIV in many countries. Canon Gideon is also linked to Oxford through the long-standing support of his work in Uganda by many local contributors to the Friends of Canon Gideon Foundation's Hope Institute.

Last Tuesday, Canon Gideon updated local friends and supporters on the directions his ministry is taking, and some of the continued challenges faced by people working on HIV and AIDS-related areas.

Two themes stood out: the need to help young people affected by HIV and AIDS to flourish, and the need to combat stigma.

The plight of young people who have lost their parents to AIDS is close to Canon Gideon's heart. For this reason, he and his wife look after numerous orphan children, to the point that he jokes, "If you come to my home, you may think you have entered a primary school!" 

"Compelling evidence of violence, intimidation and outright terror; the studied harassment of the leadership of the MDC, including its Presidential candidate, by the security organs of the Zimbabwean government; the arrest and detention of the Secretary-General of the MDC; the banning of MDC public meetings; and denial of access to the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, all have convinced us that free and fair elections are not possible in the political environment prevalent in Zimbabwe today." (ANC Statement on Zimbabwe, 23 June 2008)

"'You shall love your neighbour as yourself" (Mt.22:39). Electoral processes and outcomes are not an excuse for breaching God's commandments. The sun will still rise on June 28, 2008, well after the elections. May our present conduct help Zimbabwe rise too to assume its rightful place among the nations of the world." (Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference statement, June 2008)

The deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe over the past few weeks has been the subject of immense concern for many. Aware of violent attacks like those described in this article from the New York Times and this video, how can we respond as Christians?

In recent statements, the Zimbabwe Council of Churches and the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference have requested our prayers.

The "Journey to Justice" event sponsored by Jubilee Debt Campaign on 18 May 2008 offered an inspiring reminder of all that has been accomplished on debt relief . . . and the great amount of work that remains to be done.

The message was clear: debt relief has had extraordinary results and transformed millions of lives. Tanzania, for example, has hired 62,000 new teachers. Mozambique has immunised more than a million children. These are very real causes for thanksgiving and rejoicing.  But, at the same time, only 20% of unpayable debt has been cancelled. Countries still face a huge burden because of illegitimate debts (including "odious debts" made to previous oppressive regimes). Some countries are re-accumulating debts.  . . . There is much more work to be done.

Highlights of the day included:

• An interview with Jubilee 2000 Coordinator Ann Pettifor and campaigner Sheenagh Burrell, looking back at the Birmingham Chain in 1998 and the "ballistically motivated" volunteers who made it possible
• a showing of Anthony Minghella's "Hole in the Bucket" film clip, made for Jubilee 2000 and still as powerful as when it was first broadcast (to see the clip, go to http://www.jubileedebtcampaign.org.uk/Hole20in20the20Bucket+3673.twl )
• Video messages from UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and former Archbishop of Cape Town Desmond Tutu (see the messages at http://www.jubileedebtcampaign.org.uk/Videos20from20the20day+4404.twl )
• A panel of politicians including Caroline Spelman, MP; Andy Reid, MP; and Paul Tilsley re-affirming the "real continuity of commitment" of politicians from all parties to debt relief
• A panel on lobbying and campaigning featuring Maria Elena Arana from CAFOD, Muhammad Imran from Islamic Relief, Daleep Mukarji from Christian Aid, and Max Lawson from Oxfam that reaffirmed the importance of grassroots action ("They listen to us . . . because they're effectively listening to you" Max Lawson) and treating "development issues from the perspective of justice" (Daleep Mukarji)
• A panel of religious leaders representing the Hindu, Christian, Jewish and Sikh traditions
• A panel of Southern debt activists, including Lidy Nacpil from Jubilee South,  Zambian MP Given Lubinda, Muyatwa Sitali from Jubilee Zambia, and Latoya Richards from Jamaica, who spoke of the impacts of structural adjustment and debt, the difficulties with conditionality and the need to "stop illegitimate debts from happening" afresh
• An address from another former Archbishop of Cape Town, Njongonkulu Ndungane, who called for new participatory mechanisms for structuring and managing loans, greater transparency, and the channeling of relief funds into broad-based development
• A look towards what needs to happen next -- and the reasoning behind JDC's new "Pick up the Pace" campaign -- with Stephen Rand, Nick Dearden and Sarah Williams of Jubilee Debt Campaign
• An address by Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of Civicus and chair of the Global Call to Action against Poverty ("The White Band Campaign"), also available at http://www.jubileedebtcampaign.org.uk/Videos20from20the20day+4404.twl 

To find out more about JDC's "Lift the Lid" campaign on illegitimate debt and its "Pick up the Pace" campaign calling for increased debt forgiveness, go to www.jubileedebtcampaign.org.uk .

Just a quick note on the situation with the DEC Appeal and Burma. The high-profile difficulties regarding aid for Burma following Cyclone Nargis have discouraged many from giving to the DEC appeal. We have heard from one of the DEC agencies, however, that their aid is getting through. Due to the sensitive nature of work in Burma, the agencies are not able to name their partners on the ground, nor can they offer stories, but they say we can be confident that the aid is being effective.

Like many people, we've been following the news from Zimbabwe with mounting anxiety since the election. Despite the bans on reporting, there is evidence of growing violence and of electoral corruption.  The Zimbabwe Council of Churches, the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference and the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe recently noted that "Organised violence perpetrated against individuals, families and communities who are accused of campaigning or voting for the 'wrong' political party . . . has been unleashed throughout the country, particularly in the countryside and in some high-density urban areas. People are being abducted, tortured, humiliated by being asked to repeat slogans of the political party they are alleged not to support, ordered to attend mass meetings where they are told they voted for the 'wrong' candidate and should never repeat it in the run-off election for President, and, in some cases, people are murdered."

The Zimbabwean church leaders made their comments as part of a strong appeal for justice and peace. They have been joined by other church leaders in Africa including Rubin Phillip, Bishop of Natal, and other civil and religious activists, who brought the court interdict that prohibited arms for Zimbabwe from being released for transport to that country, and Thabo Makgoba, the Archbishop of Cape Town, who has written an open letter calling on the UN Security Council to impose an arms embargo on Zimbabwe. In the UK, the Archbishops of York and Canterbury have also issued a joint statement on the situation.

CCOW is one of a number of churches and agencies* putting on "Christians Together on Climate Change," an exciting day conference (9:30 am to 4:00 pm) at Greyfriars Church in Reading, designed to help Christians in the Thames Valley make a  difference on climate issues.

The conference will offer super speakers, a wide range of workshops, an interactive exhibition offering resources for
individuals and congregations to take things forward, worship, a chance to discuss the issues with politicians (tbc) . . . everything you and your church might need to pray and act effectively.

The registration form can be downloaded from the link at the bottom of this blog entry (you'll need to click on the entry title to see it). It gives full details of speakers and workshops. Registration is essential, as interest is expected to be high, and the last such event was oversubscribed. The cost is £5, payable on the day.

Hope to see you there!

*The conference is organised by A Rocha, Christian Aid, CCOW, The Diocese of Oxford, Operation Noah, Reading and Silchester Methodist Circuit, SAGE and Tearfund. 

There has been some encouraging news about AIDS in the past few weeks: the latest UN report both revises the estimate of people living with AIDS downwards and suggests that the rate of new infections also appears to be slowing.

But these numbers can hardly lead to complacency: the effect of AIDS on individuals, families, communities and whole countries -- particularly in sub-Saharan Africa -- remains a source of the gravest concern. And even the downward revision of the new infection rates still indicated that 2.5 million people were infected with the virus last year.

We need to continue to take action "to restore hope" as Canon Gideon Byamugisha puts it: fighting stigma, helping individuals live positively, caring for those who have been left vulnerable, campaigning for better access to life-saving medications.

To this end, we'd suggest you have a look at our latest AIDS resource "To Restore Hope," which can be downloaded below.

We'd also recommend two events:

(1) On the 2nd of December from 6:15 to 7:45, St Mary's, Hitcham Lane, Burnham, will be holding "An Evening of Hope in Action," featuring a talk by Paul Brigham from Tearfund, and creative prayer by Gill Lovell.

(2) And on 6 December, at the Friends Meeting House in Oxford (43 St Giles), three pioneers -- Canon Gideon Byamugisha, founder of Hope Institute, Uganda; Fidel Nsengiyuvma, founder of Friends' Initiative against AIDS in Rwanda; and Glen Williams, founder of "Strategies for Hope," Oxford -- will be talking about "Effective Response to HIV and AIDS in Africa." The meeting begins at 7:00 for 7:30.

Hurricanes and their aftermath . . .

The coverage of Hurricane's Dean and Felix is largely over, but the aftermath of these storms in the Windward Islands and Nicaragua is going to affect thousands of lives for the foreseeable future.