Partner Churches at Work
Signs in the Synod of Livingstonia, Malawi. Photo by Bob Ellis.
The International Health Ministries’ AIDS Office works in partnership with overseas churches to address the devastating AIDS pandemic in Africa. Church partners develop their own programs to meet the urgent needs of people dying with AIDS and to assist their families and children. Our church partners work to prevent the spread of HIV through education and tackle the impact and root causes AIDS.
Our work in Africa primarily centers on Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Malawi and Sudan, although we continue to work in other countries. Each country’s needs vary due to the economic, political and social situation within the country. Many countries face a variety of challenges such as inadequate number of health care workers, lack of access to basic health care, increasing numbers of vulnerable children and orphans, low agricultural production, widespread unemployment, deficient food security, unsafe drinking water, insufficient income, lack of access to education and deteriorating infrastructure. These issues are compounded by AIDS and also place people at risk for HIV, creating a vicious cycle.
PC(USA) supports our church partners in two primary ways. First, our AIDS consultants and health liaisons in Africa provide technical support to assist our partners in developing their own solutions to the AIDS pandemic. The field staff works individually with partners to meet their unique needs and build capacity. Second, grants are provided to partners for their ongoing work with orphans and vulnerable children, income-generating activities, education, home-based care and other AIDS-related programs.
Read the Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study February 2011 entries about our work in Africa.
Cameroon – Pgs. 50, 52
Democratic Republic of Congo – Pgs. 45, 61, 62
Ethiopia – Pg. 57
Madagascar – Pg. 71
Malawi – Pgs. 67, 69
Lesotho – Pg. 73
South Africa – Pgs. 74, 75
Sudan – Pgs. 46, 55
Lifting up our ministries in Congo
Training for Transformation/ASADECO Partnership – a community development model
In 2006, International Health and Development (IHD) funded the Training for Transformation workshop, a community development model, for 26 participants -- 13 from the Presbyterian Community of Kinshasa (CPK) and 13 from the Presbyterian Community of Congo (CPC). The original workshop was geared toward grassroots women leaders. In order to reinforce the community development transformation principles taught in the workshop and to provide opportunities for our partners in Congo, IHD partnered with ASADECO in order that ongoing trainings for both the CPK and CPC would be available along with support for the participants. Through our partnership with ASADECO, the community development program continues to grow and thrive. This PowerPoint presentation shows a few of the programs that have evolved from these trainings.
Women’s Income-Generating Activities in the Congo
Watch this three-minute video about the women in Kinshasa who created more than 3,000 bags for General Assembly participants. Income-generating activities like this enable women in Congo the opportunity to make enough money to support their family — which can help prevent them from turning to prostitution as a means to survival.
