As we continue to journey through the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence/Violence against Women, we give thanks that more and more people across the Church and around the Communion are engaging in conversations and prayers about this and related gender issues.
Earlier this week there was an Anglican Communion News Service article about how the Church of the Province of Central Africa has been challenged to “level the playing field” for men and women in the church. Njira Bweupe, who is a gender and leadership consultant from the Churches Council of Zambia, gave a workshop to delegates from across Central Africa prior to the Provincial Synod in Lusaka. Bellah Zulu, the ACNS Africa Correspondent, wrote a great article about the workshop and spoke with a lot of people who attended. The article provides a great overview of what sounded like a very interesting conversation.
Photo from Sandra Andrade, National Coordinator of SADD
In Brazil, Bishop Filadelfo Oliveira of the Diocese of Rio de Janeiro shared photos from a service for the Rio launch of a resource called “Preventing and coping with domestic violence against women.” The booklet, developed by the Anglican Service for Diaconia and Development (SADD), is one of many examples of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil’s long-standing commitment to social justice issues. An ACNS news article from earlier this year gives more information about this document.
Another resource we’d like to highlight is the 16 Days of Activism Pack from the Mother’s Union. It includes activities, a theology of gender, a succinct overview of gender violence, and information about how the Mother’s Union is working to end gender violence around the world.
Lastly, if you’ve not heard of the Anglican Alliance, we’d like to introduce you to their work around women’s empowerment. The Alliance produced a resource called “Justice for Women” for International Women’s Day and it contains lots of helpful information. It’s also a good reminder that the work of gender equality and empowerment goes on year-round. We give thanks for the leadership of the Alliance on this issue.