“Churches and Mosques together for Peace in Togo.” Procmura: Promoting dialogue and coexistence in areas of conflict in Africa.

“Churches and Mosques together for Peace in Togo.”

PROCMURA. (Programme for Christian-Muslim Relations in Africa): Promoting dialogue and coexistence in areas of conflict in Africa.

“My prejudices about Christians have been shattered. Thank you for bringing us together and transforming our relationships with one another.” The senior Imam beamed as he spoke on 11 June to the group of Christian and Muslim local leaders, women and young people gathered in the town of Dapaong in the far north of Togo near the border with Burkina Faso. It was the first time that members of the local Christian and Muslim communities had come together in this way to share a programme of dialogue, consultation and training on how to understand each other’s faith and promote continued tolerance, respect, coexistence and peace between local faith communities. When the Conference began, Christians had sat on one side of the room, Muslims on the other. Conversation was polite and formal. Just 24 hours later, Christians and Muslims, young and old, men and women were mingling together, enjoying relaxed conversations, eating and laughing together.

Togo is a primarily Christian country. But like its’ neighbours, the far north of the country – a 10 hour drive from the coast – is predominantly Muslim. Relations between Christians and Muslims in the coastal regions of West Africa have for centuries been characterised by mutual tolerance and peaceful coexistence, but increasing levels of extremist violence across the Sahel region, stretching from Gambia to Nigeria, Central Africa and Ethiopia, have been spreading further south. Since 2021, villages in northern Togo have been subject to a number of attacks by extremist groups (associated with Al Qa’eda), crossing the border from Burkina Faso, killing citizens, destroying property and crops, causing displacement and instilling growing fear and distrust between communities.

It was a real privilege to be invited to attend a Conference entitled “Church and Mosque together for peace” arranged by our partner organisation, Procmura (Programme for Christian-Muslim relations in Africa), which brought together local religious and community leaders. The proposal to hold this meeting had been warmly welcomed by all parties since nothing like it has ever been previously arranged. During the meeting, as participants shared their experiences and stories, the realisation that everyone shares common anxieties and fears about current realities and challenges and also similar aspirations for the future, affirmed the importance of such dialogue and mutual understanding. Reflecting on the Beatitudes, the participants, Christian and Muslim alike, agreed that “we all wish for blessings; we all wish for mercy; we all wish for peace.” Whilst recognizing, understanding and respecting differences, we were reminded of the worth of valuing and building upon all that that binds us together in daily life. When we do that, we realise that our commonalities are far more abundant than our differences.

After two days of input and shared discussion about the important role of Christian and Muslim leaders and community members in promoting interreligious understanding, dialogue and reconciliation, participants gathered for a march through the streets of Dapaong, chanting “Christians and Muslims together for peace.” I was pleased to see the evident support of local people as we passed. People by the market stalls smiled, waved and gave thumbs up signs. Some even joined the march. We included a time of prayer in a market outside the central mosque. (We had of course received permission for the march from both the local and national government).

After the Conference, the General Secretary of the Methodist Church in Togo, Rev. Emmanuel Ajavon, took me to visit some of the rural circuits in the area. Here, villagers have been profoundly impacted by the violence. A group of Methodist women told me that for many months they have been unable to go their fields for fear of attack and are therefore struggling to feed their families. Ongoing drought, caused by climate change (which is having a devastating impact across Africa) – is compounding the hardship. The Methodist Church in Togo has therefore started local self-help projects for the most vulnerable people in these isolated circuits, where they have just one Minister serving an area covering over 200 miles. These projects are making a tangible difference. This work has been significantly supported by the Capacity Building Grant of MCB’s World Mission Fund.

The value of the work of MCB’s partner, PROCMURA cannot be overstated. Procmura is an ecumenical and pan-African organisation, chaired by Nathan Samwini, a retired Methodist Bishop from Ghana. It has groups in some of the most conflicted areas of the Continent and arranges ‘grassroots’ group training in interreligious dialogue, understanding, peacebuilding and reconciliation for religious and community leaders as well as for women and youth. The work has been transformational in some places deeply impacted by violence and it is wonderful that the gathering in Togo was made possible by a grant from the World Mission Fund of Methodist Church in Britain.

Extremism and violence are sadly increasing and affecting millions around the globe. And their impact on communities served by our partners featured significantly in discussions held with Heads of Churches during our recent Pre-Conference Consultation. It is commendable that Methodist Church partners are actively engaged in addressing this reality and that MCB is supporting peace-building initiatives amongst some of the Continent’s most vulnerable communities. In his teaching on the Mount of Beatitudes, Jesus said: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9). Peace-making rests at the heart of the Christian gospel. We give thanks for all such efforts undertaken to fulfil this call.

Andrew Ashdown.

Partnership Coordinator for Africa.

t o g o d a p a o n g c o n f e r e n c e w i t h y o u n g a t t e n d e e s

t o g o d a p a o n g p r o c m u r a c o n f e r e n c e 5

t o g o d a p a o n g p r o c m u r a c o n f e r e n c e l o c a l m u s l i m l e a d e r

t o g o d a p a o n g p r o c m u r a c o n f e r e n c e d e l e g a t e

t o g o d a p a o n g w i t h d r . h a r u n z a g o o n

t o g o d a p a o n g p r o c m u r a m a r c h 4

t o g o d a p a o n g p r o c m u r a m a r c h c e n t r a l m o s q u e

t o g o d a p a o n g p r o m u r a m a r c h

t o g o d a p a o n g p r o c m u r a m a r c h 3

t o g o d a p a o n g c o n f e r e n c e w i t h y o u n g a t t e n d e e s 1

Serving villages in Togo affected by violence and climate change

Serving village communities in Togo affected by violence and climate change.

Since 2021, the north of Togo has experienced several insurgencies of extremists from Burkina Faso. There have been a number of victims and crops and properties have been destroyed, causing the flight of thousands of villagers to ‘safer’ areas. Villages that farmed the extensive agricultural land close to the border have been unable to access their land, and this, combined with a severe water-shortage exacerbated by climate change, has caused acute food insecurity in the area.

It was poignant to visit two communities that have been supported by emergency funds from the Methodist Church in Britain. Women empowerment and self-help projects have been set up (such as soap making as pictured below), to enable some of the women to gain an income and feed their families. Talking to some of the women individually, there are frequently over 10 children in one family – one woman I spoke to had 15 children to feed. Most of these women cannot access their land and men cannot find jobs – unemployment rates are very high in Togo. This only increases the social challenges of the region, which include increasing levels of alcoholism, drug use and crime rates – fertile ground for fostering discontent and temptation to take financial reward for joining extremist groups.

Despite the extent of these challenges, I found the villagers resilient and full of faith. They said their primary need is a reliable water supply. The rains are insufficient. Local rivers are barely flowing, if at all. Their key ideal would be to have solar-powered pumps to supply the villlages and the fields (these are less expensive to run given the high sunshine rates in the region). But they also said they longed to have a church. They worship under a tree. Both communities have started building simple church buildings, but construction had to stop due to lack of resources. There is only one full-time ordained Minister in the whole of the northern region, but several churches. It was a joy to meet Marie, one of the area’s lay pastors. Her care for the community and support for the women and children is inspiring.

I came away feeling humbled and troubled. The villagers I met today, like so many I have met around Africa, somehow manage to survive – and to maintain a strong faith – despite the huge challenges that they face. But the scale of those challenges is daunting. The need for adequate water is extensive across Africa. And the ugly face of violence and communal conflict is all too common. I cannot help but feel that governments globally should be taking more responsibility, and wish that they would give much higher priority to community development and strategic effective responses to global environmental crises rather than to weapons and conflict, millions of people would live with a far greater degree of security and hope for the future. Each person and organisation can make a small difference by listening to local communities and empowering local agency, but ultimately, real change will require a fundamental shift in priorities and policies on a global scale.

Andrew Ashdown

Partnership Coordinator for Africa.

t o g o k o r b u n g o v i l l a g e e m p o w e r m e n t p r o j e c t

t o g o k o r b u n g o s o a p m a k i n g p r o j e c t

t o g o . t c h a b i j u v i l l a g e

t o g o t c h a b i j u v i l l a g e 2

t o g o . w i t h p a s t o r m a r i e a n d g e n e r a l s e c r e t a r y e m m a n u e l a j a v o n

t o g o d r y r i v e r b e d

t o g o p a r c h e d f i e l d s

Resilience and faith as Genocide survivors build community and seek reconciliation in Rwanda.

Resilience and faith as Genocide survivors build community and seek reconciliation in Rwanda.

“True friends.” This is the title chosen by a group of genocide survivors for their cooperative in the village of Butembo, high in the hills above Lake Kivu in South West Rwanda. The genocide, when a million people were brutally murdered in the space of 3 months across every corner of the country, may be 30 years ago. But the horror and trauma is still fresh in the minds of all who experienced it and in the psyche of the nation, where in almost every town and village, genocide memorials house the bodies of tens of thousands of people murdered in each place. Often the massacres took place in churches where hundreds and sometimes thousands of people took refuge, but were hacked or bludgeoned to death in cold blood by gangs intent on killing. Women and children often suffered particularly brutal torture and deaths, almost too cruel to imagine.

Maggie Woods (MWiB co-chair) and I were taken deep into the hills of Nyamasheke District to Butembo village – the home of Bishop Samuel who lost both his parents and was helped by local villagers to flee to Congo.

As we arrived on the edge of the village, travelling from the main road along several kilometres of rutted track clinging to steep hillsides, we found members of the group taking care of a pineapple crop on the steep plot of land that belongs to the cooperative. The cooperative was established in order to support widows, orphans and the most vulnerable in their community to meet basic needs or to assist in the costs of health crises or emergency events.

During the genocide, all Tutsis were targeted for extermination. However, at the risk of being murdered themselves, some local individuals and families assisted victims who had had their families slaughtered by hiding them, looking after them, and then helping them flee to the lake and get a boat across to Congo. When these refugees were finally able to return, they found that most of their dwellings had been destroyed; their lands made fallow and their animals had been slaughtered. Despite this, they wished – as culture and a sense of dignity required – to provide a gift in gratitude to those who had saved their lives. So the Church stepped in to provide cows as gifts for the benefactors, under an arrangement whereby the calves and milk produced by the cows would in turn provide an income and livelihood for the returned refugees. Thus the community was able to help those who returned. Gradually, the villagers worked together to set up a cooperative which continues to ensure that ongoing basic and emergency needs are provided for the most vulnerable victims of the genocide.

Physical needs are perhaps the easiest to meet. By far the most difficult is the emotional, physical and psychological trauma that people of all ages have suffered as a result of the extreme violence that they experienced and witnessed.

Much has been written about the Rwanda genocide. The numbers of people involved in perpetrating the slaughter were so great that any normal course of ‘justice’ would have been impossible to implement. Therefore a traditional process of local community-based justice and reconciliation (gacaca) was undertaken nationally to attempt to address the trauma inflicted upon the nation. The consequence Is that whilst key figures who helped organize and implement the genocide were imprisoned (or executed), hundreds of thousands of participants were gradually reintegrated into society. This means that in every town and village in Rwanda, murderers and victims live side by side. It is now forbidden to identify as a particular ethnic group – all are ‘Rwandan’ – and ‘Unity and Reconciliation’ is the mantra that underlies every aspect of modern life in Rwanda.

Thirty years on, it is clear that the trauma is still real. Most Rwandans speak of the importance of strong leadership and orderly society in maintaining stability. And most seem willing to put aside normal human responses to personal experience of extreme violence and loss, in order to prevent actions that perpetuate hatred and violence. Whilst leadership is important, it is the courage, selflessness and resilience of individuals in the face of great suffering and loss that enables paths of reconciliation and peace to prevail.

However, another anniversary lies on the horizon. At the end of 2025, the most serious instigators and perpetrators of the genocide will be released from prison. The Churches in Rwanda are preparing their Church leaders and members for their release and considering how best to facilitate their reintegration into society. Meanwhile, large numbers of refugees from the genocide who have not been instilled with the 30-year ethos of ‘Unity and Reconciliation’ still live in neighbouring countries. Anxiety, concern and fear for the future are therefore still present. Most Rwandans believe that the preservation of strong leadership, order and conciliatory processes are vital for the future of Rwanda. “We can never allow this to happen again,” say the villagers of Butembo. We can only hope and pray that the determination, resilience and faith of the millions of ordinary individuals who have suffered so much, will prevail.

Please pray for the Free Methodist Church in Rwanda as it ministers and seeks to be light, life and hope in this complex and challenging context.

Andrew Ashdown

Partnership Coordinator for Africa.

r w a n d a b u t e m b a v i l l a g e g e n o c i d e s u r v i v o r s g a t h e r i n g

r w a n d a b u t e m b a g e n o c i d e s u r v i v o r s s h a r e t h e i r s t o r y

r w a n d a b u t e m b o g e n o c i d e s u r v i v o r s c o o p e r a t i v e l a n d 2

r w a n d a b u t e m b a v i l l a g e g e n o c i d e s u r v i v o r s

r w a n d a b u t e m b o g e n o c i d e s u r v i v o r s c o o p e r a t i v e l a n d

r w a n d a b u t e m b o g e n o c i d e s u r v i v o r s m e e t i n g

r w a n d a k i b o n g o g e n o c i d e m e m o r i a l

r w a n d a k i b o n g o g e n o c i d e m e m o r i a l 2

MCB’s support for Ministry and Mission in the Free Methodist Church in Rwanda.

MCB’s support for Ministry and Mission in the Free Methodist Church in Rwanda.

The Free Methodist Church of Rwanda (FMRC) was started in 1942 with missionaries from the USA planting the first church Kibagoro in Western Province. Whilst this region remains the historic heart of FMCR with many churches in the area and an important College and Hospital at Kibagora, the Church now covers the whole country. FMCR acquired full status as a General Conference in 1985 and since then has grown significantly. Today, the Church has over half a million members with 491 Ministers (including retired clergy), serving 645 churches organised into 214 parishes and 10 Conferences. The Church is committed to its’ extensive ministries of education, health, community development, social welfare and evangelism. In its’ educational ministry, FMCR manages 86 nursery schools, 58 primary schools, 27 secondary schools, 2 centres for children with mental and physical disabilities and 1 Higher Learning Institution (the Kibagora Polytechnic). The Church’s Health facilities include Kibagora Level II Teaching Hospital, 7 health centres, 11 local clinics and chaplaincy to cover these health services.

During a visit to the Head Office of the Free Methodist Church of Rwanda in Kigali, Bishop Samuel Kayinamura and the Director of Finance, Rev. Murwanashyaka Moses expressed gratitude for the support given over the years by the MCB World Mission Fund to FMCR. They said: “The financial support received from the Methodist Church in Britain has played a critical role in strengthening the Church’s institutional capacity and expanding its’ social and spiritual outreach.” Key areas of impact include:

• Scholarships for church employees that have enhanced their professional growth.

• Theological training for pastors.

• Social welfare programmes.

• Infrastructure development.

• Youth and Women empowerment initiatives.

• Vital support during crises, including emergency response to floods and other disasters.

• Enabling investment in ICT and land registration.

• Supporting post-genocide Unity and Reconciliation programmes.

• Training in evangelism.

After our meeting, Maggie Woods (Co-Chair of Methodist Women in Britain) and I were invited to undertake a first brick-laying ceremony for the new Leadership and Capacity Building Centre that is being constructed, largely with the funds from the final Capacity Building Grant provided by MCB’s World Mission Fund. Interestingly, permission for the building was delayed after the government demanded extensive amendments be made to the original plans, requesting a much more substantial building and requiring very high building specifications. Fortunately, some compromise was reached, but a more ambitious project has had to be implemented. The proposed development (funded by the Capacity Building Grant) will be phase 1 with a further expansion of the project planned for the future.

In all our conversations with the senior staff of the Church, it is clear that government regulations are having a major impact upon the life of all faith communities in Rwanda. FMCR is not alone in having to close over 70% of its’ church buildings until a raft of new building regulations are met for places of worship. (See previous blog for further details). The Church is facing a major challenge in trying to meet them but has no choice but to do so. A Solidarity Grant from the World Mission Fund has given a grant that has enabled three rural churches in areas where all churches had closed, to meet the requirements. But there is a way to go yet before all churches can reopen.

Despite these challenges, FMCR Ministers and members are committed to ensuring that they can continue to serve their communities, support their Institutions, and continue to be a worshipping presence across the country. In a country that is still recovering from the trauma of the genocide in 1994, let us continue to give thanks and pray for Bishop Samuel Kayinamura and the faithful Ministers and members of the Free Methodist Church in Rwanda as they continue to be light, life and hope in their country.

Andrew Ashdown

Partnership Coordinator for Africa.

r w a n d a b i s h o p s a m u e l k a y i n a m u r a

r w a n d a c o n n e x i o n a l s t a f f i n k i g a l i

r w a n d a b r i c k l a y i n g c e r e m o n y f o r l e a d e r s h i p a n d c a p a c i t y b u i l d i n g t r a i n i n g c e n t r e k i g a l i

r w a n d a b r i c k l a y i n g c e r e m o n y f o r l e a d e r s h i p a n d c a p a c i t y b u i l d i n g t r a i n i n g c e n t r e k i g a l i 2

r w a n d a e x e c u t i v e s e c r e t a r y j a m e s m u r a g w a . s a l t s c h o l a r s h i p r e c i p i e n t

r w a n d a t r a v e l l i n g t o k i b a g o r a

r w a n d a m u g a s e r a m e t h o d i s t c h u r c h l e a d e r s 1

Free Methodist Church in Rwanda facing new challenges with faith and resilience.

Free Methodist Church in Rwanda facing new challenges with faith and resilience.

It is a privilege to be undertaking a visit to Rwanda with Maggie Woods, Co-Chair of Methodist Women in Britain.

Rwanda is a country that echoes with the memories of the Genocide that took place in 1994, when almost a million people were slaughtered in just 3 months. Yet, Rwanda’s emergence from the scale of that horror is remarkable. The country is one of the most orderly in Africa. The streets are the cleanest and the national highways some of the best on the continent. After going through a traditional community-based process of ‘unity and reconciliation’ (gacaca), survivors and perpetrators of the genocide live side by side. Tourism is booming. Despite the shameful failure of the global community to prevent the crisis when it happened, foreigners are warmly welcomed. But clearly, the nation remains deeply scarred. Law and Order is strictly maintained at every level of society. And most citizens believe this is necessary in order to preserve peace and security.

The Free Methodist Church of Rwanda (FMRC) was started in 1942 with missionaries from the USA planting the first church Kibagoro in Western Province. Here, the Church still runs an important College and Hospital. The Church acquired full status as a General Conference in 1985 and since then has grown significantly. Today, the Church has over half a million members with 491 Ministers (including retired clergy), serving 645 churches organised into 214 parishes and 10 Conferences. The Church is committed to its’ extensive ministries of education, health, community development, social welfare and evangelism.

But since last year, all religious communities in Rwanda have faced a new challenge. The Rwandan Government has imposed a long list of requirements that must be fulfilled in order for places of worship to meet health and safety requirements. These include such instructions as…. all places of worship must: have sound proofing installed; have a paved car park; ensure that all fixtures and fittings, (including electrical wiring, fittings, doors and windows) meet high levels of standards. Additionally, all ministers must have a minimum of a degree in their religious training. If places of worship do not fulfil these and many other requirements, then they are required to close. As one can imagine, the reality of life and capacity in most of rural Africa means that such requirements are nigh impossible to reach and this has meant that 70% of all Free Methodist Churches in Rwanda around the country have been forced to close until these requirements are met. (All denominations are facing a similar scenario).

Today, Maggie and I visited two rural parishes in eastern Rwanda that are trying to meet the regulations. In Kibongo, improvements to the main Church of the Conference area have now been completed – thanks to a Solidarity Grant from the World Mission Fund of the Methodist Church in Britain. And the Church is now waiting for the Government inspection that will hopefully approve the reopening of the Church. We then travelled deep into a rural area to visit another parish where none of the churches are open.

It was a moving and inspiring experience meeting with the Bishop and some of the elders of the local Church to discuss the challenge. In this village the Church is running a school that has over 1200 pupils; a clinic that serves the surrounding area; and various farm projects both as income generation and to serve the local community. The Church has over 3500 members in the surrounding parish, but none of their six churches are currently able to open to offer public worship.

Amidst it all, I was humbled by the response of the local elders and members. Whilst expressing concern and anxiety to the challenges faced, their response is one of remarkable resilience, uncomplaining graciousness, deference to authority, and a strong faith and determination to meet the requirements in order to ensure that the Christian presence and witness can be sustained in their communities. Bishop Samuel urged his flock not to be discouraged but to continue to work and pray hard. Whilst groups of people are not allowed to gather in private spaces, the Bishop stressed the importance of the pastoral care that ministers offer and of families praying together and worshipping at home as a family, particularly on a Sunday morning. He reminded them that they had managed this in Covid and that they would pull through again – and that ultimately, congregations will have much improved church buildings from which to undertake their ongoing ministries of service to their communities.

In such a context, (where debate on the policy itself would not be helpful), I am reminded of the importance of Jesus’ words “Where two or three are gathered, I am there in your midst.” And also that it is often through periods of trial and struggle that faith is strengthened and that Christian individuals and communities have the ability to be profound witnesses to the love and presence of God. Please pray for all faith communities in Rwanda and especially for Bishop Samuel, the Free Methodist Church and its’ people and institutions. And I thank God that the World Mission Fund has played a small part in enabling a few rural churches to reopen their doors and gather the faithful to be witnesses of Christ’s presence and of light and life in difficult times.

Andrew Ashdown

Partnership Coordinator for Africa.

r w a n d a m u g u s e r a m e t h o d i s t c h u r c h l e a d e r s m e e t i n g

r w a n d a k i b o n g o c h u r c h c a r p a r k 2

r w a n d a k i b o n g o c h u r c h

r w a n d a m u g u s e r a v i l l a g e

r w a n d a m u g u s e r a m e t h o d i s t s c h o o l

r w a n d a m u g u s e r a m e t h o d i s t c l i n i c

r w a n d a m u g u s e r a m e t h o d i s t c h u r c h

r w a n d a m u g u s e r a o l d m e t h o d i s t c h u r c h

r w a n d a m u g a s e r a m e t h o d i s t c h u r c h l e a d e r s

Creating opportunity and hope in Zambia: the importance of holistic education in the African context.

Creating opportunity and hope in Zambia: the importance of holistic education in the African context.

In January 2025, the President-designate of Methodist Church in Britain, Rev. Richard Andrew, visited the United Church of Zambia to attend the 60th Anniversary celebration of the establishment of the Church. Amongst the Institutions and communities that he visited were three schools that are representative of the types of Institutions commonly found everywhere across the Continent of Africa.

As in much of Africa, 62% of the population in Zambia are under 25 years old. And of the 75% of these young people who will ultimately go into agriculture, only a quarter of them will achieve anything more than a subsistence living. This demographic is partly why unemployment levels are so high, development goals are so important, and why effective, holistic education is at the heart of Methodist ministry in the country and across Africa.

The United Church of Zambia manages 17 grant-aided schools across the country. These are communities of faith and learning whose educational vision is to provide facilities for the attainment of high quality education and to impart moral spiritual values and life-skills in accordance with Christian teachings and values. The Principal of Chipembi Girls’ School said: “Our purpose is to help all pupils develop holistically, mind, body and soul to their fullest potential in a safe, secure and loving educational environment.”

The three schools visited by Rev. Richard Andrew are representative of this ministry:

Chipembi Girls’ Secondary School

Situated in a rural area north-east of Lusaka, the Methodist Chipembi Girls’ Secondary School, founded in 1926, is a flagship of quality holistic education, listed in 2025 as one of the best Boarding Schools in Zambia. Under the Head Teacher, Albert Chituku, who has won national recognition for his educational achievements with the school, the school aims to empower local children with a holistic quality education that is formative, transformative and provides functional skills for all its’ pupils. The school currently has 630 girls on role from all across Zambia. .

In the education provided, skills development has been prioritised over content knowledge – and both are provided to a high standard. Given that 70% of Zambian children live in an agricultural context and will go into agriculture, agricultural training and production has been prioritised for all pupils. And climate change is having a devastating impact on the environment. The school therefore seeks to provide an education that makes children both knowledgeable and capable of dealing with the changing environment. And in a context in which unemployment stands at 29%, agriculture is the key driver for youth job creation and Africa’s largest employer.

Due to the quality of its’ innovative agricultural education, which includes vegetable and fish farming, livestock and chicken rearing and the use of environmentally friendly agricultural techniques, Chipembi Girls’ School became in 2023 the first school in the world to host World Food Day. Amongst its’ practices, it trains pupils in the skills of regenerative agriculture, drip irrigation and hydroponics. The Head Teacher, Albert Chutuku said: “Whilst maintaining best practice in all things, we seek new ways of doing things effectively. We are constantly learning what methods of education we need to discard and models for moving forward that will enhance best practice in all elements of the girls’ education.”

Chipembi is one of the most inspiring educational Institutions that I have visited in Africa both for the quality and breadth of education that is provided and for the evident well-being of the staff and pupils which remains a high priority for the school management.

Mwandi Mission School, Western Zambia.

Situated at Mwandi Mission, on the Zambesi River, three hours east of Livingstone, Mwandi Primary School has 1220 children on roll from the surrounding district. Due to limited classroom capacity, the school has three educational ‘shifts’ for different years and like many schools in Zambia, there is a move to encourage both academic and vocational pathways in education. Classes are taught in English in order to promote better employment prospects and teaching methods increasingly include practical application rather than simply learning ‘by rote’. Christian education and Christian values are also taught and remain central in seeking to instil these values within local culture and society.

In order to meet an ever-present need, Mission Partners Ida and Keith Waddell also helped establish an Orphan and Vulnerable Children Centre adjacent to the school. This provides lunches and education for over a hundred disadvantaged, orphaned and vulnerable children for whom access to education is more difficult.

Kafue Boys School

Kafue Boys’ Boarding School was established in 1965 at the Kafue Methodist Mission, which itself was founded in the 1890s. Originally a Skills Training Centre, it was converted into a Secondary School and now houses 650 boarders. The site sits on 98 hectares of land, much of which is unused, but some of which is used for agricultural training and education.

There are 38 teaching staff and 19 support staff. Boarding fees, including education and food are £107 per term. The school offers 10 scholarships per year for vulnerable children. The pass rate in exams is 100% and 20-25% of students go on to University. As in all institutions throughout Zambia, power supply is a perpetual challenge. The school therefore runs on solar power.

Summary

Methodist Schools in Zambia have served the country for over 60 years and this tradition of providing quality education at Early Childhood Education, Primary, Secondary and Tertirary education levels continues. Despite the schools often serving areas of significant social deprivation, UCZ Schools make an important contribution to narrowing the attainment gap, raising aspirations and improving the employment and economic prospects of our pupils. Many former pupils from UCZ Mission Schools have gone on to play significant roles in Zambian society and beyond, sub-regionally and globally, transmitting the values and virtues that they have acquired through their Mission education – an education that is replicated in Methodist Mission Schools across the continent.

Andrew Ashdown

Partnership Coordinator for AFrica.

Global Relationships Team.

zambia chipembi school albert chituku

zambia chipembi school fish farm

zambia chipembi school vegetable plot

zambia. mwandi school 2

zambia mwandi orphange vulnerable children centre

zambia chipembi school cattle

zambia mwandi school

zambia kafue boys boarding school

Procmura… promoting peace, harmony and Interreligious Dialogue across Africa.

Promoting peace, harmony and Interreligious Dialogue across Africa

One of MCB’s partners in Africa is the Programme for Christian-Muslim Relations in Africa (PROCMURA). It is an ecumenical and pan-African organisation committed to building good relationships between Christians and Muslims across the continent of Africa. It does this by encouraging faithful and responsible Christian witness in an interfaith environment in a spirit of respect and dialogue and by promoting constructive engagement with Muslims, so that together, members of the two communities can work towards the promotion of peace and peaceful coexistence and undertake joint actions that support development in a spirit of understanding and mutual respect. Procmura runs programmes across Africa, and particularly in countries where there is interreligious tension, that seek to build and empower the capacity of lay and ordained leaders, women and youth and Christian and Muslim communities to improve Christian-Muslim relations both locally and regionally. This is done through educational programmes, conflict prevention, peace building and reconciliation and learning and skills development

Procmura is supported by a number of European partners and last year it was a privilege to be elected as Chair of European partners. Each year, we meet with the Executive of Procmura, sometimes in Europe and sometimes in Africa and it is the Chair’s responsibility to arrange the meeting. This year, I was delighted – with the help of Matthew Laferty, the Director of the Methodist Office in Rome and Rev. Luca Anziani, President of the Methodist Church in Italy – to organise a 4-day meeting in Rome for our European partners and the General Adviser of Procmura, Bishop Nathan Samwini (from Ghana), the Chair of Procmura, Rev. Robert Goyek (from Cameroon) and the Administrative Secretary of Procmura, Joy Wandaba (from Kenya).

It was a wonderful sharing of the achievements of the organisation and of strengthening the vision for the future. We also met with several key Ecumenical Church leaders from across Europe in Rome. It was particularly inspiring to spend 90 minutes with Cardinal Koovakad who leads Interreligious Affairs for the Roman Catholic Church and his team at the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Affairs. We established a very good relationship and a clear commitment to collaborating where possible on interreligious endeavours in Africa. We also visited the St. Egidio Community, which has been instrumental in enabling national Peace Processes, including several in Africa and receiving their affirmation for the work that we seek to do. Finally, we were invited to a Papal Audience and were assured of Pope Francis’ warm support and encouragement for the work of PROCMURA.

It is inspiring that MCB, through the World Mission Fund, has been able to support this work and that we have such a diversity of partners around the world.

Dr. Andrew Ashdown

Partnership Coordinator for Africa.

procmura rome. meeting with cardinal koovakad. vatican dicastery of interreligious affairs

procmura rome bishop samwini rev. goyek joy wandaba andrew ashdown. papal audience

procmura rome meeting at vatican dicastery of interreliigious affairs

procmura. meeting with archbishop ernest. anglican centre rome

procmura rome. delegation out and about on the streets of rome

procmura. rome papal audience

procmura rome. andrew ashdown with matthew laferty

How Climate Change is impacting a school in south Matabeleland, Zimbabwe

How Climate Change is impacting a school in south Matabeleland, Zimbabwe.

My last visit in Zimbabwe took place deep in southern Matabeleland to a school in the village of Matjinge close to the Botswana border. The Primary School has over 600 students and the Secondary School has 282 students, a number of them boarders. The drought however is affecting every aspect of life.

As in everywhere in Zimbabwe, I witnessed how climate change and the repeated failure of the rains is having a catastrophic impact on every aspect of daily life. Some of the students have stopped coming to school because the parents can no longer afford the already subsidised fees of US$20 per child per term, which nowhere near cover the school costs. Other parents have just stopped paying, since the drought has destroyed the farming activities and killed the livestock of the parents. The school has tried to set up income generating projects including a vegetable plot and a poultry project, but because there is no water, the vegetable gardens have become a dustbowl and the chickens have died. The school built a couple of fish ponds which soon filled with fish and were both providing food for the children and acting as an income source. But due to the drought, the fish have died and the ponds are empty. The government has set up a school feeding project for children who do not get fed at home. Fortunately the school has boreholes but the water table has dropped to 120m below ground and the pump can only pump water from up to 90 metres, so the boreholes are dry.

The school has also established a skills training programme, but with little equipment, these courses are mostly theoretical rather than practical. The Secondary School would like to get Internet (which is possible because of the Starlink satellites over Africa), but cannot afford the $300 annual fee. Electricity too is unpredictable so solar panels would be a good investment, but again with a shortfall in income, the school cannot afford the panels.

Despite these many and fundamental challenges, the Head Teacher and staff are committed to providing the best education that they can in the circumstances and feel that although the situation seems bleak and hopeless, a brighter future will lie ahead.

It has been a sobering and humbling couple of days but I am glad that I have seen what I have seen and I am in awe of the staff who sacrifice so much in a context which is profoundly difficult. As with the Circuit that I visited in Northern Matabeleland the previous day, the school said that water provision is the first priority because without water, it is impossible to undertake any projects to either provide food or income-generating initiatives for the school.

After Matjinge I headed straight to the Botswana border to begin a short visit to the Methodist Church in Botswana, a Synod of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa.

zimbabwe matjinge school with bishop principal and chaplain

zimbabwe matjinge primary school

zimbabwe matjinge primary school 2

zimbabwe matjinge primary school principal

zimbabwe matjinge skills centre and playground

zimbabwe matjinge school feeding programme

zimbabwe matjinge borehole water table too deep

zimbabwe matjinge vegetable plot. no water available

zimbabwe matjinge fish ponds

Living with Drought and serving communities in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe.

Living with Drought and serving communities in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe.

It was both a privilege and a disturbing and poignant experience to travel with Bishop Chauya, the Bishop of Bulawayo District, 120kms on mostly unmade roads.to the village of Balanda, Bubi Circuit, Bulawayo District, deep in the Matableland Bush. In August 2024, the World Mission Fund of the Methodist Church in Britain provided a Solidarity emergency grant for drought relief to this and other villages in the region as a response to the devastating drought that has affected so much of Southern and East Africa.

The local Minister, Rev.Roy Kasvau and Church members warmly welcomed us and told us that the supplies we had provided had been literally life-saving for some of the families. Emergency supplies had been delivered to over 300 families (over 1000 individuals) in the area. Each family received a delivery (worth about $200- $250) of the following:

5kgs of Sugar 3 litres of cooking oil. 4 kgs of flour

8kgs of Rice 8kgs of Soya 50kgs of salt

50kgs of Mealie Meal. 8kgs of Soya beans.

These supplies are still going for some of the families.

But the drought continues to be truly devastating. Its’ impact is visible everywhere. For hundreds of miles, the land is parched and devoid of growth except for small trees. Rivers and streams are dry. Animals are clearly starving, wandering aimlessly and mostly without success in the bush searching for food and water. The local people are farmers. They cannot grow any crops. Therefore they cannot provide feed for the animals, except for purchasing feed at exhorbitantly high prices in markets dozens of miles away. But they can’t make the income to afford food for themselves, let alone the animals.

In this context, the local Church seeks to serve its’ members and local communities. The Minister covers 10 outlying congregations (a total of 85 members) spread across an area 75kms in diameter but he has no transport and not even a bicycle, so has to walk in the intense heat and on rough unmade roads and tracks. (It is a worthy feature of the Methodist Church in Africa that it is often to be found in remote areas serving the most marginalised people in areas often unreached by other churches). The Church building in Balanda was started in 2019, but the community cannot afford to install a roof, so they still worship in a rough-made shelter of sticks and grass. The total cost for a roof would be about $5000. But with members struggling simply to survive, this is currently an impossible target to achieve.

But most importantly, they need water. With water they could grow food and grow crops for the animals. We were shown the three surviving pigs in the pig pens. Their food and water bowls were empty. The animals were skeletal and were just rummaging in the dust for non-existent sustenance. They will not survive long.

For the local Church community, their first priority therefore is a borehole. Boreholes are the only way to guarantee a water supply through periods of drought and this community are desperate for one. For boreholes provide a permanent water supply which sustains life – for humans and animals alike. I asked how much a borehole and water tank would cost… only about $2500. But this is far beyond the reach of impoverished farmers who can barely grow enough food to survive. My heart breaks to think of the trillions our governments spend on armaments and wars; the billions earned in profits by energy companies; and yet a tiny fraction of these funds could provide water, education and health to millions of people – which in turn would help solve many instigating factors of violence, conflict and migration.

The rains have started, but they are only sporadic. It is poignant to see skeletal cows and other animals gathered around the small muddy puddles in the road from a brief shower..For the Church, this reality represents a huge challenge, since this is but one community in a District that covers hundreds of miles and faces the same conditions. Everyone hopes the rains will not fail as they have too frequently in recent years. Yet still the people persevere and hope for the best. Their faith gives them hope that there is always light beyond darkness.

The grant described here has come from the World Mission Fund of MCB. To contribute to the work of our partners around the world, please see the following link: https://www.methodist.org.uk/about/support-the-church/give/about-our-funds/world-mission-fund/

zimbabwe balanda village rd. starving animals search for water and food

zimbabwe balanda village methodist members matabeleland

zimbabwe balanda village current methodist church

zimbabwe balanda village starving pigs

zimbabwe balanda village unfinished church

zimbabwe balanda matabeleland parched landscape

zimbabwe. balanda village methodist members with bishop chauya

zimbabwe balanda village minister rev. roy kasvau

zimbabwe balanda matabeleland rd

Faithful ministry in rural Zimbabwe supported by MCB.

Faithful ministry in rural Zimbabwe supported by MCB.

After my visit to Mbembesi in August 2022, I wrote the following:

“Travelling across Africa, there is no doubt that ministry is hardest in the rural areas. Circuits are situated far from towns and their churches and societies are spread across wide areas, often up to 40kms apart. There is little or no public transport and often the Minister has no transport and has to walk many miles to visit his people and take services. Here, communities are at their poorest. It is difficult to raise the funds to pay the Minister or maintain churches and the Connexional Offices often struggle to fund the upkeep and service of these outlying areas and sometimes it can be difficult to find Ministers who, with their families, can appropriately be placed in such challenging contexts. And yet the faith, vibrancy and perseverance of the congregations in these isolated areas is humbling and inspiring.

At the rural Circuit of Mbembesi, 40kms north of Bulawayo the minister has lived for 3 years inside an unfinished home which the church have been unable to afford to complete. Conditions are difficult and, open to the elements, the construction that is there, is deteriorating. The Minister, Rev. Zaimbudzana, has three churches, one 20kms and another 40kms from his main church. He has no transport and has to walk around his circuit.”

Following my visit in 2022, raising the funds to complete the renovation of the Manse at Mbembesi was part of a Solidarity Grant from the World Mission Fund of MCB. For this reason, I was keen to return to see the completely renovated Manse and to meet the new Minister Rev. Matisa. The Bishop of Bulawayo, Bishop Chauya joined me for the visit.

It was wonderful to be met by a small gathering of Circuit members who had waited several hours to greet us and to convey their thanks to MCB for our support of their Circuit. The Manse has now been completed and is a huge improvement on the previous dire conditions in which the Minister lived. At a time of prayer in the small Church which also desperately needs repairs, I was particularly moved to receive a personal blessing from the oldest woman member of the congregation who had tears in her eyes as she prayed for me and for MCB.

Challenges continue. The longstanding drought means that agricultural production on which the local villagers depend is difficult. Being amongst the poorest members of Zimbabwean society, the members struggle to provide the stipend and maintenance needed for the Circuit churches which are spread out over a wide area and which the Minister can only visit on foot or by bicycle.

Yet the Minister and his people are committed to being faithful in worship and in service to their local communities. They are an example for all Christians everywhere.

zimbabwe mbembesi circuit members with bishop chauya

zimbabwe mbembesi circuit members with rev. matisa

zimbabwe mbembesi manse 24

zimbabwe mbembesi manse 2

zimbabwe mbembesi circuit chart

zimbabwe mbembesi church with bishop and minister

zimbabwe mbembesi opening plaque

zimbabwe mbembesi church