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International Development Team Progress Report: Second Quarter 2007
Following a first quarter of 2007 which was shaped by many overseas visits, the second quarter of the year was largely dedicated to consolidating existing relationships and objectives from the Lambeth office. Easter week brought Emmanuel Olatunji, the coordinator for Malaria, HIV and AIDS from the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa (CAPA), to London for a week of stakeholder meetings facilitated by the Lambeth team. In March this year CAPA launched their ambitious five-year strategy to address the interlinked pandemics of HIV and AIDS, Malaria and TB across the African continent, by building the capacity of Anglican leaders and community workers to be able to effect positive change in their societies. Emmanuel, who is the continent-wide coordinator of this strategy, came to London at the invitation of Lambeth Palace, to meet with a diverse range of key stakeholders and donors, including Christian Aid, Oxfam, Tearfund and the UK Department for International Development (DfID), to think collaboratively around funding opportunities. Key relationships were built during this visit which not only raised awareness of the work of the Anglican Church in this sector but which are also now bearing fruit as bilateral proposals for funding are begin to emerge and will be finalised in the next quarter.
We give thanks to God that this quarter has been characterised by the success of several key funding proposals. The biggest of these was a grant of 600,00 euros (around £400,000) from the Irish Government to assist the Anglican Church in Burundi as it reconstructs it network of church schools following the end of its civil war. The impact of this grant, which was secured in partnership with CMS Ireland, will be wide reaching, increasing access to quality schooling for thousands of children in remote areas across Burundi. We hope that it will also provide a model of best practice for Anglican churches in other post conflict states in Sub Saharan Africa. David will be visiting Burundi in the next quarter with more potential donors keen to join this project and maximise its impact.
Securing funding for research into the current activities of the Anglican Church has always been a key objective of the Lambeth team in order to critically assess and build on the existing experience and knowledge of the local church. In June this year World Vision approved a small but significant grant to Lambeth to conduct some preliminary research into the peacebuilding activities of the Anglican Church in several counties in the Great Lakes region of Africa. We expect this research, which will draw on the technical expertise of World Vision, will to be conducted in the third quarter 2007. The findings will provide the basis for increasing the impact of existing work of the Anglican Church throughout the Great Lakes and building cooperation with other denominations, faiths and agencies from the grassroots to the international level.
In April Helen Stawski travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to attend a roundtable called by the church to discuss future work of the Anglican Church in DRC following the recent national elections and establishment of peace. The roundtable was an opportunity for diocesan and provincial workers to pray, think and discuss plans with its existing partners, and was the first time the church had been able to meet collectively to share its vision and hopes of the future in years. The meeting tackled many difficult issues to which there are no easy answers, it succeeded in fostering greater understanding of the respective objectives of organisations and dioceses and posed possibilities for collaborative action. This meeting was then followed up at the end of May with a second meeting of UK stakeholders working with the church in DRC held at Lambeth Palace.
Simon and Keren Lewis who have been working in the Upper Nile region of Sudan as part of the joint Lambeth and Christian Aid posting to work with the Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS), return in late June for their six-month review. Charlie Goldsmith who has been spearheading a major teacher-training programme with the ECS, funded by DfID and supported by Lambeth Palace, also returned to share much of the good news of that work.
We rejoice in the recovery of the Bishop of Angola and his companions from the road traffic accident and their life-threatening injuries. In early June Lambeth hosted a roundtable on Angola, with mission and development agencies discussing how to support the churches in Mozambique and Angola. Next quarter will see a focus on this work and a follow up visit by David. The team has also been working on plans for supporting the church in Zimbabwe to be better place to meet the needs of communities under extreme pressures of collapsing infrastructure and a prevalent culture of political violence and hyperinflation.
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