AMECEA NEWS

By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News

The Jesuits Institute in Nairobi Hekima Institute for Peace Studies and International Relations (HIPSIR) held the 2^ndInternational Conference on Extractive Industries in Africa where the main focus was addressing conflicts and integrating Sustainable Development. The two-day Conference which took place between 4-5 October, attracted participants from 17 African countries, Germany, Italy, India, USA as well as a number of participants from Latin America. All the nine AMECEA Countries were representedand participants from Kenya, Malawi, Uganda and Zambia were among those who presented case studies of the extractive industry situations in their countries.

According to Rev. Dr. Elias Opongo, SJ, the director of HIPSIR, this 2^nd International Conference on Extractive Industries in Africa is part of a series of forums and conferences the institute has had in the past. Driven by the desire to know what is happening in other parts of Africa, the institute in collaboration with African Forum for Social Teaching (AFCAST) carried out a research on informal mining and family vulnerability in Kenya, Zambia and Zimbabwe and the findings demonstrated that within this particular field we are yet to fully engage with the multinationals and companies that are involved in the extractions and also to get the communities aware of the need to respond in a much more effective way and that the benefits from the extractive industries need to trickle down to the communities.

“Africa has large quantities of minerals which include diamond, gold, iron, copper, uranium, and

Some of AMECEA participants

oil. If you look at just five countries for instance Nigeria, Libya, Algeria Egypt and Angola in total they account for 85% of oil production in the continent,” Dr. Opongo said in his opening remarks that despite of this fact, the income and wealth generated by the extraction and sale of natural resources has not always led to such positive outcomes. In many cases it has in fact led to economic decline and poorer quality of life for many Africans, which some have termed as the "resource curse.”

The objective of the conference was to provide an opportunity for presentation and learning about the wide variety of issues and perspectives involved in resource extraction. For example, he noted that while governments are concerned with obtaining the largest amount of value for the nation, the producers are concerned with their returns on their work and investment, while the local population is concerned with the concrete effects of mining on their neighbourhood, etc. Each of these and other perspectives must be heard and understood if appropriate actions are to become clear.

The understandings and policy outcomes from the conference will be made available to the broader community through the conference report, book publication, and article publications in HIPSIR's African Peace Studies Journal, as well as ongoing seminars and workshops on the topic.

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By Mwenya Mukuka, Communications Officer ZCCB

Chilonga School of Nursing in the Catholic Diocese of Mpika has been gutted by fire destroying the entire infrastructure and students’ property.

Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) National Health Coordinator Sr Matildah Mubanga, DoR has confirmed the development. She said the fire started from the Kitchen and later spread to the other structures of the Nursing School around 04:30 hours on 1st October, 2016.

“Investigations have indicated that one cooker was left on after power outage and that could be

the cause of fire after power restoration. The area experienced power outage from 15 00 hours and was restored at about 2100 hour,” she said.

“We are still trying to estimate the estimated cost of the lost property which includes laboratory equipment, school Library, Books, furniture, Kitchen equipment, three rooms, laundry, twenty-two student rooms, administration block and students’ personal belongings, “ she added.

Out of the 146 students at the school, 67 had their property destroyed but no one was injured nor any life lost.

Sister Mubanga, DoR has described the development as a sad situation which has befallen the church and appealed for assistance in the reconstruction of the school further calling on other church run institutions to take precaution during power load shedding.

She further disclosed that plans are under way to distribute first and second year students to other nursing schools but the final year Registered and Enrolled Nursing students will continue until they sit for examinations.

Chilonga Nursing School which was opened in 1963 in the Diocese of Mpika is administered by the Sisters of Child Jesus.

The Catholic Church in Zambia operates nursing schools in Mpika, Mansa, Lusaka and Monze dioceses with another under construction in Chipata diocese.

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By AMECEA Online News Reporter

SECAM Governance Working Group met in Addis Ababa from the 29th September to 5th October

Members of the SECAM Governance Working
Group pose for a photo with the SG of
Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat Abba Hagos
Hayish (with the roman collar)

2016, to discuss how to better collaborate with the regional bodies and African Union in the areas of violent conflict and tackling the problems of religious radicalization.

The group which includes the AMECEA Justice, Peace and Caritas Department met for a second time in the AMECEA region to deliberate on how the church in Africa can increase her engagement on the current challenges facing governance in the continent.

In their discussions on issues of violent conflict the Head AMECEA Justice Peace and Caritas Antony Mbandi presented the causes violent conflict, factors that lead to escalation of conflict and possible African led solutions to resolving the violent conflicts within Africa. From the discussions the working group adopted to continue deepening research work in the areas of conflict resolution while engaging those within our realm of influence to silence the cries of our people.

The issue on religious radicalization was presented by Fr. Rigobert Minani (Director of the Jesuits Africa Social Centres Network - JASCNET), who is a member of the group and the Secretary General of the Ethiopian Bishops Conference Fr. Hagos Hayish discussed the case of Ethiopia.

Reflections from the presentations led the team to propose some strategies, which include the development of regional and country level think-tanks to continuously provide research findings to the Bishops’ conferences and to establish mechanisms of moving from research, to knowledge and to action.

The group chaired by Fr. John Patrick Ngoyi from Nigeria, draws membership from across the continent with the SECAM/AU Liaison Officer as the secretariat.

By Prince Henderson, Communications Officer, ECM

Chifundo Mchawa

In a bid to reduce morbidity and mortality from Tuberculosis (TB), the Catholic Health Commission (CHC) of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) with funding from Global Fund through Action Aid Malawi has embarked on a two-year project called TB Care Prevention and Community Delivery.

National Project Coordinator, Chifundo Mchawa said the project which is being implemented in three Catholic Dioceses of Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Karonga is aimed at increasing treatment success of bacteriologically confirmed TB cases. “Basically, we want to increase TB diagnosis by bringing TB testing close to the communities. The success of it all lies in working with community volunteers, Health Surveillance Assistants, TB officers in the district hospitals we are working with and also TB Focus Person in the Health Centres,” said Mchawa.

Mchawa said so far volunteers have been trained in infection prevention and at the same time oriented in sputum collection guidelines. They have been trained on active case finding, provision of Directly Observed Treatment Strategy (DOTS) so that at the end they become TB DOT supporters.

According to Mchawa, the role of these volunteers basically is to observe patients on TB treatment as a way of monitoring them for treatment drug adherence purpose

The Catholic Health Commission is excited and overwhelmed with the support both from traditional leaders and communities in all the districts they are working. She said the only challenge they have faced so far in the impact area is of large catchment areas as compared to the number of volunteers who cannot manage to reach out to all the areas.

In a special telephone interview with Karonga District TB Officer, said the project is a welcome development to the district as it will increase community participation and raise awareness on TB related cases. He also said that the project will clear out the stigma on TB where most people think that persons infected with the disease are also infected with HIV/AIDS. He hoped that the volunteers trained by the Catholic Health Commission will be able to link well with the Health Surveillance Assistants and eventually curb TB.

The total cost for the project is about 936,000 USD (approximately MK400,000, 000.00) in two years.

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By AMECEA Online News Reporter

Left to right, Antony Mbandi, Rev. Fr. John Patrick,
Dr. George Mukundi, Ms. Theresa Ndavi,
Rev. Fr. Rigobert Minani, Carlos Pacatolo
and Berhanu Tamene

AMECEA Justice Peace and Caritas Department, which is a member of the Symposium of Episcopal Conference in Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) Governance Working Group, joined the group during their visit to the African Union’s Departments of Political Affairs and the Citizens and Diaspora Organizations (CIDO).

The aim of the visit was to engage with the African Union technical teams on how to foster the growth of collaboration after the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between SECAM and AU,

The MoU, which was signed in 2015, seeks for the church in Africa and AU to work together in promoting a continent driven and managed by its own citizens so as to create a dynamic force in the international arena.

Dr. George Mukundi Wachira who is the Head of African Governance Architecture (AGA), gave the team a comprehensive overview on their work in the department and the areas in which the church can be involved in engaging with governments, citizen, regional economic communities and the African Union. This being a first time for the working group to engage with the commission, the team also briefed the Head of AGA on progress made so far on the MoU implementation by SECAM.

The Head of AGA challenged the team to ensure that similar processes are happening within the

The SECAM Governance Working Group Members
pose for photo with the staff of AU Citizens
and Diaspora Organizations

respective countriesand at the regional economic blocks recalling the proposal already presented to the East African Community by AMECEA. He further emphasized the need for the church to ensure that agreements signed by governments in the continent and regional economic blocks are adhered to within the countries. He reiterated that this is a space that the church can assist the African Union to deliver on its agenda 2063.

The Acting Director of CIDO Mr. Ahmed El-Basheer, shared with the team the need to create a strong presence of the church especially in carrying the message of the AU to the citizen. He decried the lack of knowledge of the African Union by the citizens. He also recognized the work being done by the church in interreligious dialogue to bring about peace and stability. He further requested that this be deepened so that Africans can live as ONE, which was the dream of the founding fathers of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and later the African Union.

On the part of the governance-working group, the Chairperson reiterated the commitment of the church in Africa to work with the AU, the regional economic communities and national governments to ensure transparency, accountability and the rule of law are respected. The team was also in agreement with AU’s CIDO that the church will seek to play a greater role in ensuring that citizens are involved in policy making processes across the continent and that governments show more commitment to the continental and regional economic communities through budgetary allocations. The issue of diaspora was, discussed and it was agreed that the AU and SECAM together with their constituent bodies continue finding ways of engaging with the diaspora.

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By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News

Most Rev. Charles Daniel Balvo

The President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace H.E. Peter Cardinal Turkson has said that all parties involved in the mining industry in Africa must recognise that trust has broken down and for the sake of our economies and our people, it needs to be rebuilt.

The Cardinal said this in his speech that was read on his behalf by the Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya and South Sudan Most Rev. Charles Daniel Balvo to the 2^nd International Conference on Extractive Industries, which was held at Hekima Institute of Peace Studies and International Relations on 4^th of October, in Nairobi, Kenya.

“It is clear that all parties need to recognise, as a matter of urgency, the inevitable outcomes of the current cycle – the gradual deflation and downsizing of the industry – and the losers: current and future workers, governments, populations, and the mining companies. A strategy to prevent the inevitable consequences of the current cycle (crisis) will need to build on a number of existing initiatives, but do so with much greater cohesion and commitment,” the message read in part.

Taking a glimpse at the Natural Resource Industry in Africa, Cardinal Turkson noted that Africa enjoys a considerable comparative advantage vested both in its store of mineral wealth and its human capital.

“As large parts of the world, especially Asia, industrialise and construct new housing and infrastructure, there will remain great demand for African minerals,” he said adding that most African Governments must still not lose sight of how dependent most of them still are on the extractives sector.”

Cardinal Turkson in his message cautioned that the extractive sector is a once-off industry meaning that gas, petroleum, minerals and metals can only be extracted or mined once. This, of course, means that most African governments must know that much more needs to be done to diversify their economies; something that is equally undeniable and urgent.

He also pointed out that while the success of mining requires a partnership of common interest and Africa’s young and burgeoning population needs both jobs and growth, environmental care and protection of biodiversity, policy instability has planted the seeds for a vicious downward cycle. He therefore said that there is a need for a fresh start in these relationships given clear common interest.

“The vicious cycle needs to be broken, trust needs to be re-established, a shared narrative developed, rooting the industry in basic principles of common good and the universal destination of the goods of the earth, and a fair deal agreed,” he said adding that to start this process afresh, which will not be easy, new avenues for dialogue need to be found, and common interests identified.

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SOURCE: CUEA Communications and AMECEA Online News reporter

The Vice Chancellor (VC) of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, (CUEA) Prof. Justus Mbae on 6^th October 2016 launched the construction of the long awaited Data Centre run by Internet Colocation input output (icolo.io) in Africa.

The project had been approved by the University Council as part of the diversification of revenue generation and reinforcing the teaching and learning of ICT at the University. The project was also to create employment opportunities and strengthen the University relations with leading institutions.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, the Vice Chancellor paid glowing tribute to icolo.io and welcomed them to join CUEA and the AMECEA fraternity. The VC stressed the value of ICT as an enabler of innovation and the future of growth as well as development for the region and beyond.

He noted with appreciation that major ICT providers in Kenya, Africa and beyond shall pull their data cables into the University and thus putting CUEA on the global ICT map. He emphasised that both staff and students shall have access to the facility for purposes of research, training and internships.

Furthermore, he reminded the users of the facility to observe human values and moral ethics as outlined by the Catholic Church.

The Director of icolo.io, Mr. Ranjith Cherickel expressed his joy that the project had eventually commenced. He thanked the University administration and in particular, Prof. Mbae and the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Rev. Dr. Pius Male for speeding up the process and have the construction start.

He said that they will construct a ‘state of the art’ facility based on European Standards and contribute to the role the University plays in the AMECEA region and beyond. The facility will have huge servers that institutions can rent to keep their data and also provide uninterrupted ICT support to business enterprises in the region and beyond.

Icolo.io (www.icolo.io) is a carrier and vendor neutral data centre service provider that designs, builds and operates state of the art carrier neutral data centre to serve a broad spectrum of clients – telecom carriers, ISPs and peering points, IT and cloud providers, content providers, enterprise and financial services customers.

These Data Centers are hyper-connected hubs and provide colocation services which include power, security, network access, redundancy, rack space, and precision cooling to its customers.

Clients benefit from lower costs and improved resilience by securely housing their information systems and networking equipment in the purpose built facilities which are operated to global best practices by an expert organisation.

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By Pamela Adinda

Prof Justus Mbae, Vice Chancellor
Catholic University of Eastern Africa

The Vice Chancellor of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa Prof Justus Mbae has challenged the Faculty of Law to strive to remain the top Faculty of Law in the country, find ways of resource mobilization for self-sustainability and focus more on mentoring students now that the faculty has been accredited for the next five years.

He was speaking during the celebrations of the granting of License to the Faculty of Law by the Council of Legal Education. “We thank God for bringing us this far. In April last year when the news broke out after we had just been inspected and the verdict was that unless we do a number of things, there was going to be shut down, everybody panicked, the parents, the students and even the staff; but thank God that we managed to live and tell the tale,” he said.

“To say that the anxiety was palpable is an understatement, however, the management was very clear and the administration was very dedicated, therefore all we needed to do was to meet the requirements by addressing the issues that were raised. And I must confess that it was not an easy task especially when it came to resources.”

It is against this backdrop that the Vice Chancellor insists that the faculty must understand that resources will be required. “The expectation from the faculty and I know they are up to it is to help in creating resources that will then go into building the faculty,” he said. He further challenged the lecturers to not only teach law but more importantly they journey with the students they teach by mentoring them.

He took cognizance of the fact that the process has made the university learn some very important lessons that we never need to get out of status, we have to keep in status. That the university needs to maintain and even improve on what it now has and in doing so the university and the faculty is being charged with the responsibility to make the faculty of law at CUEA the best in the country.”

Dr. Maurice Ajwang Owuor,
Dean Faculty of Law CUEA

Also speaking at the function, the Dean of the Faculty of Law of CUEA, Dr. Maurice Ajwang Owour, said “the faculty of Law must distinguish itself among other faculties and we are determined to be not among the best but the best faculty of Law in the republic of Kenya.”

He noted that the faculty of Law intends to distinguish itself not only in the area of Regional Integration but also in research such that the faculty becomes a center of research where both lecturers and students will benefit. “We are already in conversations with the Kenya School of Law to assist us launch short causes. And these short causes will be beneficial not only to the faculty of law but also to members of other faculties,” he said adding that there has been plans to have post graduate programs at the faculty but this was not possible without the license. He said that the faculty has shared the proposal with the university on some timeline hopes to launch its LLM Programs by October next year.

The journey to accreditation started in 2007-2008; therefore the granting of the license has been a culmination of a long journey. Among the conditions laid by the Council for Legal Education for the faculty to be accredited included the review of the curriculum, improvement of facilities acquiring more reading material as well as increasing the lecturer staff ratio.

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By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News

Rev. Fr. Ferdinand Lugonzo Makaka,
Secretary General of AMECEA

The Secretary General of AMECEA Rev. Fr. Ferdinand Lugonzo, on behalf of the CUEA Council and on behalf of the AMECEA Bishops has congratulated the Catholic University of Eastern Africa on the accreditation of its Faculty of Law and pledged support and solidarity through prayers to the Faculty. “I share the joy and the gratitude of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa for the accreditation of the faculty of law in this university,” he said

He was speaking on Thursday October 6 at the celebrations of grant of Licence to CUEA Faculty of Law by the Council for Legal Education. The celebrations which took place at CUEA Lang’ata Campus was attended by among other guests Former Dean of Faculty of Law at the university Dr. Emilio Nderitu, Representatives from Law Society of Kenya, Kenya School of Law as well as Ministry of Education.

Rev. Fr. Lugonzo laid emphasis on the importance of good and credible Lawyers in a society. He said that, it was the inspiration that made the CUEA Council, which is representing the Bishops of AMECEA in the university to think of the value of the Faculty of law.

He acknowledged that the last two years have been challenging to the University, given the situation of the license requirement by the Council of Legal Education. This was a situation that concerned the Council as well as the Bishops of AMECEA. “For us as AMECEA, looking at the value of law in the society, looking at the value of the faculty of Law in this university, when we received the requirements from the Council, we felt it is our in our interest to comply. This was because we acknowledge that the AMECEA region needs good law practitioners who would help the region to be where it should be. This licenseshould be a good starting point for the CUEA and the faculty of Law to bring God in the exercise of law.”

Fr. Lugonzo also said that CUEA in the spirit of the Bishops who founded it would make a distinction by bringing into the market not only good but very good lawyers who have the values that come from God, rooted in the law of God and this is the vision of the Bishops of AMECEA.

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By Jacinta W. Odongo, Media Officer, Uganda Episcopal Conference

The National Council of Uganda Young Christian Students (UYCS) has elected new members of the national executive committee to work for the next two years.

The election, which took place in Kampala Ecclesiastical Province, was held last month on September 16, 2016 during the 34th Council Meeting, a day prior to the official YCS celebration to mark its 60th anniversary.

Those elected to the National Executive Committee include Moses Ojok a student from Makerere University as national coordinator, Vicky Adong (Makerere University) as vice coordinator, Agnes Chandiru (Kampala University) as general secretary and Priscilla Birungi (Makerere University Business School/MUBS) as the assistant general secretary.

Others are Proscovia Ariok, a student from Kampala University, elected in charge of Publicity and Charles Mutabaazi also from MUBS as the treasurer.

Speaking after the election, Ojok said his committee will do its best to reach out to as many schools as possible to sensitize Ugandan youth on opportunities available in different areas and to support their development.

“We also look forward to evangelize to fellow students, to stay up-to-date with our chaplains in church activities and to remain accountable and transparent in our work,” Ojok said adding “We shall work as team to achieve these long-term goals during my time in office.”

Ojok succeeds Henry Rwakahangi, who was the former coordinator of the YCS movement in Uganda, and his outgoing team.

Meanwhile, Rev. Fr. Benedict Mugerwa, the National Youth Chaplain, congratulated the new leaders upon their elections and urged them to take action in the world around them.

“YCS is a movement that is completely run for, by and owned by the students. Its aim is to make a student’s world a better and happier place to live in both spiritually and materially for them to be able to bring out positive change in the society,” he explained.

In Uganda, YCS was founded by a Belgian Priest, Rev. Fr. Albert Fleskens at St. Mary’s College in Kisubi then later spread to the whole country. UYCS is present in all the 19 Dioceses in the country and, it is found in more than five schools in each Diocese.

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By Rose Achiego, Waumini Communications, KCCB

Most Rev. Peter Kairo, Archbishop of Nyeri

Kenyans have been urged to pray for peace and tranquillity as the Nation prepares for the next general election slated for August 2017.

In his homily during the Holy Mass to mark the National Annual Prayer Day at the Marian Shrine Subukia, Nakuru on 8th, October, 2016, Nyeri Archbishop Most Rev. Peter Kairo cautioned Kenyans against repeating the mistakes that led to post election violence in 2007/2008.

Archbishop Kairo encouraged the faithful gathered at the Shrine to pray for fair and truthful general elections, and urged the contestants and political leaders to avoid dividing Kenyans along tribal lines during their campaigns.

He called on the Dioceses to conduct civic education ahead of the general elections to enable Kenyans to vote for the right people without being compromised, “tell other people not to sell their voters cards,” he advised.

Quoting the theme of the day, “The Year of Mercy”, Archbishop Kairo called on all Christians to extend acts of mercy in their various capacities and to be instruments of peace in the nation beginning from the family. The acts of Mercy include; feeding the hungry, giving shelter to the homeless, visiting the sick and the homeless, giving alms to the poor and comforting the sorrowful. “Wherever there is a Christian, everyone should find an oasis of Mercy,” he said.

The Holy Mass was officiated by Archbishop Kairo and concelebrated by Chairman of the Kenya Conference of the Catholic Bishops (KCCB) and the Bishop of Homabay Rt. Rev. Philip Anyolo, Vice Chairman of KCCB Rt. Rev. John Obala Owaa of Ngong, Nakuru Bishop Rt. Rev. Maurice Muhatia Makumba, Chair of the KCCB-Commission for Liturgy and the Bishop of Lodwar Rt. Rev. Dominic Kimengich, Nyahuru Bishop Joseph Mbatia, Kitui Bishop and the Apostolic Administrator of Machakos Diocese Rt. Rev. Anthony Muheria, Maralal Bishop Rt. Rev. Virgilio Pante and priests from various dioceses across the country.

The National Annual Prayer Day which brought together more than 20,000 faithfuls from all over the Country, was organised by the Archdiocese of Nyeri in conjunction with the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops Commission for Liturgy and Commission for Pastoral and Lay Apostolate.

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By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News

The Catholic Church in Uganda has played a key role in the dissemination of information in regard to the management of the oil and gas sector in the country. This was said by Dr. Emmanuel Aliba Kiiza the National Coordinator of Uganda Catholic Justice and Peace Department during his presentation at the 2^nd International Conference on Extractive industries in Africa.

In his presentation he said that the Catholic Church in Uganda has always played a mediation role thereby ensuring that all stakeholders in the sector are transparent so that the oil and gas would benefit all citizens. Dr. Aliba explained that the background of the Church’s involvement in promoting access to information and playing mediatory role began in 2009, a couple of years after oil and gas exploration had begun in Uganda.

“The National Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (NCCJP), with financial support from the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD), conducted a mini-survey entitled ‘The People’s Voice for Social Justice: The Impact of Investment Policies on the Security of the Citizens’ Lives and Property in Uganda. The purpose of the study was to inform the Catholic Bishops of Uganda on the salient issues affecting the local people living in the mining areas and thereafter propose the best ways of how the Bishops would intervene in bridging the identified gaps,” he explained.

The study revealed lack of accurate, timely and relevant information flow among the various stakeholders in the mining industry. Suspicion was rife among the stakeholders as well as fear for displacement among the local people. To quell the situation, the Catholic Church through NCCJP moved in swiftly to do the needful.

Among the activities they partook included playing a mediatory role that brought together the various national and local stakeholders to share information. This involved organizing many fora for information sharing. NCCJP also participated in the formulation of the oil and gas policy, the two Petroleum laws and the Public Finance Management Act. Finally, the department helped the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development to translate the popular version of the oil and gas policy into the various major local languages spoken in Uganda.

However, Dr. Aliba said that more is yet to be done. For instance, the department would like to ensure that the levels of corruption are reduced in Uganda and the people affected by the different oil and gas activities are well attended to. He pointed out that in many cases, there is need to constantly support government efforts in the effective implementation of the oil and gas laws.

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By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News

There is a great need to regulate Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) from the Mining Sector in Malawi to ensure that the activities benefit local communities. This was said by Mr. Martin Chiphwanya, the National Secretary for Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP-Malawi).

Mr. Chiphwanya who made a presentation on Local Communities Welfare and Corporate Social Responsibility in Malawi during the 2^ndInternational Conference on Extractive Industries, held in Nairobi between 4^thand 5^th October at Hekima Institute of Peace Studies and International Relations (HIPSIR) said that generally, it is accepted that companies have moral responsibility to respond to societal issues.

However, in Malawi the mining sector, CSR is faced with a number of hiccups among them lack of consensus on the nature of responsibilities that a company should assume in a given community, lack of legal and policy provisions to regulate mining companies Corporate Social Responsibilities activities and limited community participation in the choices of CSR activities of various investors as such there is no community ownership of such developmental activities

“There is need for an overarching CSR legislation and policy for all mining investors in Malawi to regulate and guide the implementation of CSR interventions,” Chiphwanya pointed out adding that there must be an ensured citizen participation as well as proper consultations with stakeholders before engaging in CSR initiatives.

Finally, he said that there is need for Community Development Agreements between communities and mining companies in order to tie parties to a bond that is legally binding. Chiphwanya said that Malawi’s draft mines and minerals bill had proposed this.

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By Prince Henderson, ECM Communications Officer

Women Matching to present their demands to Ministry of land

The Catholic Development Commission in Malawi (CADECOM) in collaboration with other Civil Society Organisations that include Oxfam, Civil Society Agriculture Network and Actionaid among others are in support of women farmers in their dream towards actualization of land rights in Africa.

The women farmers are advocating for rights to land acquisition and registration and have called upon African governments to urgently address their concerns.

Chairlady for Rural Women Assembly in Malawi, presented the Charter of Demands to the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development in Lilongwe, while on their transit for a Caravan to Mt. Kilimanjaro in Arusha, Tanzania where they will present the same to African governments.

The Chairlady said, rural women farmers play a key role in food production and food security in Malawi and as such access to land and secure tenure rights remains critical for food production and to the welfare of the entire household. She noted that despite of this, rural women in Malawi and across Africa continue to face challenges in agricultural development due to their lack of access and control over productive resources which include land. According to the Chairlady, women account for 60 - 80 percent of smallholder farmers and produce 90 percent of food in Africaand about half of all food worldwide, yet women are much less likely than men to own land, and their farms are usually smaller and less fertile. Women control less than one percent of land in Africa.

It is with this acknowledgement that the call on the Africa wide Food and Climate Justice campaign was made so as to bring to light the challenges women face and to call for commitment in addressing these challenges by national governments, development partners, private sector, civil society and our male counterparts. Women from across Africa have been mobilized to hold a summit to demand agitate for women’s land rights.

She called for an immediate start of allocation for adequate resources towards implementation of land related laws and also put in place systems and guidelines to ensure gender sensitive land governance in the country; starting in the next Financial Year 2017/2018. She also called on the speedy enactment of the amendments to the Registered Land and Land Acquisition Bills.

Responding to the Charter of Demands as expressed by the women farmers, the Malawian Minister said, it was pleasing to note that the demands were presented at a time when Malawi Parliament recently passed Land Laws that have since been assented the Head of State, His Excellency Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika.

He promised that his Ministry will work tirelessly towards ensuring that women are fully empowered in as far as decision making on issues that affect their day to day livelihood is concerned particularly in regard to land administration and management.

National CADECOM Secretary, applauded the initiative and called upon government to act swiftly in addressing land related challenges faced by women face as this is key to realization of their aspirations on increased agricultural productivity. He said that, “as major food producers, women deserve a better share of land; it is their own survival tool in addressing agricultural inequality which exacerbate poverty and suffering.”

Rural women farmers from Zimbabwe and Zambia who are on a Caravan entered Malawi through Mwami Border in Mchinji district where they were joined by Malawian women enroute to Tanzania for the iconic event at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro

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By Prince Henderson, ECM Communications Officer

Group Photo of members of Association of Women Religious in Malawi (AWRIM)

The Associations of Men Religious InMalawi (AMRIM) and Association of Women in Religious Institutes of Malawi (AWRIM) which are under the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) will on Saturday, October 22, this year celebrate their golden jubilee marking fifty years of existence in Malawi, both ECM and AWRIM Secretary Generals have confirmed.

AWRIM Secretary General, Sister Mary Magdalen Ndawala of Telezian Sisters Congregation says the celebration will be celebrated under the theme: AMRIM and AWRIM,50 Years of Service at the Heart of the Church. Rev. Sr. Ndala said that the two associations chose this theme in thanksgiving towards serving Jesus who called us to go and make disciples of all nations…Mt 28:19

Events marking the celebration will be climaxed by a Eucharistic Celebration to be presided over by the Bishop Chairman for AMRIM, AWRIM and Association of Diocesan Catholic Clergy (ADCCOM), His Lordship, Rt. Rev. George Tambala, Bishop for the Diocese of Zomba.

“We are going to celebrate this day at Maula Cathedral Podium in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe and so far we have invited quite a number of people including Bishops, Priests and the Laity. For those that may wish to share their gifts to the two associations, they are warmly welcome and their gesture would highly be appreciated,” She said.

Secretary General for ECM, Fr. Henry Saindi said the Celebration of the Golden Jubilee for AMRIM and AWRIM is valuable because the two associations, AMRIM and AWRIM have worked tirelessly in complementing the Government’s efforts in Education, Health and Spiritual matters. He emphasized the contributions of these associations to the success and achievements of the Catholic Church in Malawi, noting that they have supported the church, each according to their charisma.

This is the whole reason ECM bring together AWRIM and AMRIM in a forum called Mixed Commission to promote the good works of the religious. The current Bishop Chairman of Mixed Commission is Right Reverend George Desmond Tambala, Bishop of the Diocese of Zomba,” said Fr. Saindi.

According to Fr. Saindi, Bishops accompany them in good moments and times of sorrow by attending most of their functions be it during ordinations of deacons or ordinations to priesthood. They also celebrate Masses when some religious nuns and brothers are making their professions or taking their vows.

“ECM wishes AMRIM and AWRIM colourful celebrations on 22^nd October 2016 as they celebrate 50 years of service to the Church of Malawi. May Mary the Queen of Apostles intercede for them to the almighty Father that they continue to serve not to be served,” he said.

Both AMRIM and AWRIM which are associations for religious men and women respectively make three vows of Obedience, Poverty and Chastity and they are under the leadership of a Superior, Provincial or Superior General. Their life is also characterized by living in community.

The two Associations which were officially formed in 1966 among others are comprised of religious congregations which include; the Marist Brothers, Montfort Fathers, MSOLA Sisters, MIC Sisters, Brothers of the Immaculate Conception, Sisters of Blessed Virgin Mary, Sisters of Charity of Ottawa (Grey Nuns) Daughters of Wisdom, Teresian Sisters just to mention a few.

∽End∽

By Makeda Yohannes, CBCE Communications and Public Relation Officer

Rt. Rev. Roberto Bergamaschi,
New Apostolic Vicar of Hawassa

The Catholic Church in Ethiopia welcomed a new member to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference. The Apostolic Vicariate of Hawassa celebrated the consecration of Rt. Rev. Roberto Bergamaschi as the Apostolic Vicar of Hawassa on October 9, 2016 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Cathedral in Hawassa Town, Southern Ethiopia.

The consecration Holy Mass was presided by HE Berhaneyesus Cardinal Souraphiel, C.M., Metropolitan Archbishop of Addis Ababa, President of CBCE and AMECEA Chairman, Archbishop Luigi Bianco, Apostolic Nuncio to Ethiopia and Catholic Bishops of Ethiopia.

In his Homily Cardinal Berhaneyesus, said that the new Bishop is taking on the task of spreading the Good News that was entrusted to the Apostles by Our Lord Jesus Christ and he needs our support. “He is given the big task of witnessing the Gospel and inspiring the spirit of Justice and Sainthood, thus from today onwards you must respect our dear brother Bishop Roberto for he is your new shepherd and pray for him for it is when we stand by him and let ourselves be guided by him that he can be successful in achieving his task,” he said.

From Left Rt. Rev. Tesfaselassie Medhin, Bishop of Adigrat,
H.E. Cardinal Berhaneyesus, Archbishop of Addis and
Rt. Rev. Bergamaschi

He also implored the Apostolic Vicar of Hawassa to always remember that being a Bishop is not a title of authority but of service and he has been called God to be among the people and work with the people. The Cardinal said “just as Our Lord told Jeremiah that he must not fear to go forward as He will be with him, you are also not alone for God is always with you and brother Bishops, priests, religious Men and Women and the faithful are with you to support you in your service.”

Group Photo of some of the Ethiopian Bishops

H.E. Bishop Roberto on his part expressed his gratitude for being given the opportunity to serve the people in the Apostolic Vicariate of Hawassa and the Church in Ethiopia. “I have spent most of my years of service in Ethiopia, I consider this country my country. I have learned from the people of Ethiopia much wisdom, our people respect the elders and if we continue to pray and work with the elders I believe the challenges will be solved soon.”

He further said that “the will of God has brought me to Ethiopia as a missionary and now he has entrusted upon me the task of leading His people in the Apostolic Vicariate of Hawassa, everything happens because it is His will and if we follow his will everything will be successful.” He asked the priests, religious, catechists and the faithful to support him in his ministry saying “service of the Church is not a private effort but it is a task entrusted to all of us, by working together hand in hand we will make our Vicariate a paradise.” He concluded by asking the prayer of all for the success of his service.

The event was attended by Bishops, priests, the religious, leaders of different religions, representatives of the government officials and the faithful.

∽End∽

By Mwenya Mukuka, ZCCB Communications Office

Archbishop Ignatius Chama says cooperation in the universal mission of the church is a right and duty of all baptised faithful.

Making reference to how the lay people should be contributing to formation of mission societies, Archbishop Chama said that all members of the Body of Christ whether as individuals or associations are called to participate in the mission of the church.

He was speaking when he opened the animation workshop of the laity by Pontifical Mission Societies in Kasama town on 12^th October, 2016

“All baptised Catholic have a right and duty to actualise the mandate of the Lord to go to the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature,” He said. He further noted that taking on the missionary mandate does not just need prayers but also financial and material support.

Speaking on the importance o all faithful being aware of the nature of the collection that is done for contributing to the solidarity funds, the Archbishop said “Motivation has to be given to all so that they know that their offering is a gesture of actualising the mission mandate of the church. From these solidarity funds the churches in mission areas do get financial support that goes towards mission activities for children, for formation of seminaries and novices, for formation and training of Catechists, for building of churches and maintenance and also for administration of dioceses.”

The Pontifical Mission Society (PMS) National Office is conducting Animation Workshops in all the 10 dioceses of Zambia. These workshops are also aimed at popularising Pontifical Missions such as Pontifical Missionary Union, Propagation of Faith and Pontifical Mission Society of Saint Peter the Apostle which are not well known apart from Holy Childhood.

∽End∽

By Pamela Adinda and Makeda Yohannes

The religious leaders in Ethiopia while responding to the ongoing conflicts in certain parts of the country have asked the government to engage in discussion with stakeholders with contentious issues, and hear the distress and questions of the affected people and respond immediately.

The leaders who spoke during a joint meeting held in Addis Ababa on October 13, said that they are very much concerned with the violence that have been taking place in some areas of our country in recent times where precious lives of people have been lost, spiritual and physical injuries caused and properties destroyed.

In a statement that was released after the meeting, the religious leaders said that they have been engaged in various discussions with the Prime Minister of Ethiopia and government officials to request that the concerns of the public be heard and given immediate response.

“We are deeply saddened by the lives lost recently because of the chaos that took place during ‘Erecha’, (a celebration where people get together and perform their prayers and thanksgiving to God) on October 2, 2016 in Bishoftu Town. we pray for the consolation of the bereaved and the people of Ethiopia,” the statement said in part.

The Religious leaders asked for arrangements to be made for the compensation of people who lost their loved ones as well as those who lost properties in different parts of the country. They called upon the government and Ethiopian people to support their efforts of bringing about national understanding, reconciliation and psychological relief by establishing a peace task force composed of religious leaders, elders, academicians and business people from different parts of the country.

“Our spiritual children of different religions, we ask you to accept each other with mutual respect, forgiveness and mercy and unite for peace and growth of the country, to look at your fellow Ethiopians as brothers and sister, to repent hatred and chaos and present all your concerns peacefully.”

Additionally, the Religious Leaders said that Infrastructures are the properties of our country thus they asked all citizens to protect them.

“Above all it is the responsibility of the government to calm down the conflicts and turn it to peace thus we ask the government to take necessary farsighted measures in an amicable spirit, we also ask our people to fulfill their roles and responsibilities properly.”

Finally, they appealed to both local and international media, social media networks and individuals to refrain from transmitting messages that promote hatred, conflict and violence and above all messages that lead to destruction of valuable human lives and properties.

The Ethiopian government on Sunday 9, October declared a six-month nationwide state of emergency following months of anti-government protests. It is the first time since the ruling party came to power 25 years ago that a state of emergency has been put in place in the country.

Hon. Kasaila (R) and Hon Lunguzi
(L) helping each other to hand over
a bag of maize to the sisters

By Prince Henderson, ECM Communications Officer

Catholic Members of Parliament in Malawi last week joined the worldwide Catholic Community in celebrating the Year of Mercy by conducting a weekend recollection at St John of the Cross-Nyungwe Prayer Centre in Chiradzulu; Archdiocese of Blantyre.

The Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Officer at the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), Fr. Henry Chinkanda said the weekend recollection was held under the theme: Celebrating the Year of Mercy as Politicians.

Three Priests; Fr. Chinkanda, Fr. Francis Tambala from the Archdiocese of Blantyre and Nyungwe Prayer Centre Director,Fr. Paul Nampota offered spiritual reflections to the Parliamentarians.

Speaking during the occasion Fr. Tambala emphasized on the need for Christian Politicians to radiate Christ during this Year of Mercy. “The citizenry should see Christ’s mercy radiating in Politicians by being approachable, honest, trustworthy, close to the people while exercising leadership with integrity, humility and a sense of patriotism,” said Fr. Tambala.

In his reflection with the Parliamentarians, Fr. Nampota called on the Politicians to create space for Christ’s mercy as we readon Luke 6: 47. He observed that it was important that Christian Politicians look at the real life situation of the people they serve through the merciful lenses of the eyes of Christ.

Fr. Chinkanda invited the MPs to grow in Christian virtues as the anchor of works of charity by Politicians during the Year of Mercy. “Both the theological and cardinal human virtues are the foundation and anchor of Christian moral activity that animate the Christian life and give it its special character of mercy.

To be a good Christian as a Politician is to be a bridge of dialogue, love and reconciliation as a result of being merciful. Resentment breeds hatred and hatred breeds death,” said Fr. Chinkanda.

While quoting the Bible, Fr. Chinkanda challenged the Parliamentarians to “Be compassionate just as the Heavenly Father is compassionate.” (Luke6: 36.) He also reminded them that “Blessed are the merciful because they shall have mercy shown them” (Mt. 5: 7).

The Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Officer at the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), Fr. Henry Chinkanda said a similar weekend recollection is expected to be held in Lilongwe before the Jubilee Year of Mercy ends on 20^thNovember 2016 that happens to be the Solemnity of Christ the King.

∽End∽

By Jacinta W. Odongo, Media Officer, Uganda Episcopal Conference

The department of Caritas Uganda of the Uganda Episcopal Conference (UEC) held a two-day workshop from September 29-30, to discuss the different microfinance models and approaches and develop together a harmonized approach to improve the live hoods of the communities in the 19 dioceses.

The workshop, which was held in Kampala Ecclesiastical Province, attracted a total of 43 diocesan programme managers and live hood officers from the 19 dioceses. According to Helen Chanikare, the Program Manager of the Caritas Uganda, the aim of the workshop was to develop a Village Saving and Lending Association (VSLA) manual for Caritas Uganda and the dioceses particularly, after the Government of Uganda passed the Tier 4 Microfinance Institutions and Money lenders Act in 2016. The Act is meant to supervise and regulate the microfinance institutions that are in the category of Tier 4 of which Saccos like the Self Help Groups (SHGs) are part.

“Understanding the implications of this regulation in the work of Caritas is important which then calls for harmonization of our approaches in the different dioceses,” Chanikare said. “The government’s direction is also focused around formal financial inclusion, it is therefore important that as Caritas we re-examine our approaches and methodologies to ensure that they are in line with the government priorities as far as rural microfinance is concerned,” she added.

SHGs microfinance models encompass VSLAs, Savings and Internal Lending Communities among other models integrated in most live hoods programmes and projects implemented by the different dioceses.

Through a variety of initiatives that target households Caritas Uganda has empowered the poor and marginalized to act together to overcome impediments to full enjoyment of their rights. Among these interventions are the microfinance models (VSLA/ SILC) which are integrated in the various programmes and projects.

∽End∽

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MALAWI: CADECOM Supports Women Farmers Advocacy on Land Rights.

MALAWI: AMRIM, AWRIM Marks Golden Jubilee of Service in the country

ETHIOPIA: Hawassa Celebrate the Consecration of their New Bishop

ZAMBIA: All Baptised Faithful are Called to Participate in Church’s Mission, Says Archbishop Chama

ETHIOPIA: Religious Leaders in Ethiopia ask the Government to engage in discussion to bring lasting Peace.

MALAWI: Celebrating the Year of Mercy: Catholic MPs hold Weekend Recollection

UGANDA: Caritas holds a workshop to harmonize micro finance models and approaches