ACT member Hungarian Interchurch Aid (HiA) sent two truckloads of relief supplies on February 26, 2022 to support those displaced by the war in Ukraine.  The shipment included 28 tons of canned food, flour, sugar, oil, rice, pasta, biscuits, long-life milk, tea and hygiene products.  They will be distributed to the Beregszász and Uzhhorod centers for families forced to flee their homes due to the war. 

The ACT Europe Forum is continuing to develop plans for ACT’s broader response to support those affected by the war.  ACT has issued a statement about the situation in Ukraine, which can be read here.

Photos: Daniel Fekete/HiA

ACT Alliance is deeply saddened and gravely concerned by the war in Ukraine.

We stand united as ACT members in different countries, and we call for an immediate end to the violence in Ukraine. Any and every use of deadly armed force to resolve disputes is unacceptable and must stop immediately. Peace, and respect for international law and established national borders, must be restored without delay.

We call on all parties to increase diplomatic efforts and de-escalate tensions in order to prevent a humanitarian disaster which could affect millions of innocent people. In particular, ACT Alliance is calling on all parties to abide by international humanitarian law and protect civilians and avoid the loss of life. Failure to do so will have disastrous consequences leading to massive displacement.

We call on all parties to respect humanitarian operations and their humanitarian obligations, to protect all human lives and communities threatened by this violence, and to keep borders open, create safe pathways and provide refuge for those expected to flee the conflict.

ACT Alliance members are monitoring the humanitarian situation closely, and are preparing to scale up their response inside Ukraine and in neighbouring countries to support those impacted by the current armed hostilities.

Together with the World Council of Churches, we urge all member churches and organisations, as well as all people of good will around the world to join us in prayer for peace for the people of Ukraine and the region.

Download the statement here.

In early 2020, just as COVID-19 began to spread around the world, Eastern Africa and the Horn of Africa experienced an additional outbreak, this time of locusts. It was one of the worst outbreaks of desert locusts in Kenya in 70 years, and in Ethiopia and Somalia in over 25 years.  

The outbreak has been linked to an increasing number of cyclones due to the changing climate. The locusts had an immediate impact on crops and food security in the region.  

ACT forums in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda launched a regional appeal (HEA 201) to respond to the crises. The appeal covered affected regions in Ethiopia (Konso, South Omo and Borane), Kenya (Marsbit, Turkana, Kitui, Baringo Counties) and South Sudan (Magwi County, Eastern Equatorial State). Affected communities benefited from enhanced food security, investments in Water and Sanitation (WASH), and from funding for early recovery and livelihoods. Some funds helped enhance community resilience to COVID-19.  

Enhanced food security  

In Ethiopia, Christian Aid distributed cash to 400 families at risk of food shortages caused by locusts.  “I was in a desperate situation when the committee selected me for the cash support,” said one of the community members to Christian Aid. She immediately used some cash to buy food for her family and more recently used the remainder to buy two young goats which will provide future income.  

In South Sudan, The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) set up a project to support the most vulnerable people affected by the locusts. They received conditional cash assistance for food items and chicken farming. One person in each of a hundred households was identified and supported with cash to help meet their households’ basic food needs. 

In Kenya the Anglican Development Service (ADS) prioritized the most vulnerable, and 330 households received cash assistance.  

Early recovery and livelihood support 

In Kenya, 800 households received early recovery seeds and learned to grow drought-tolerant crops thanks to a collaboration between Church World Service, the Anglican Church of Kenya in the Diocese of Kitui, and the Kitui County Ministry of Agriculture, Water & Livestock.  Three varieties of crop seeds suited to the agro-ecological zone were distributed to local communities.  

“When locusts invaded our farms, they ate everything, but now CWS has brought us seeds which will help us recover from the loss,” says one of the community members in this video by Church World Service. 

In South Sudan LWF helped a community to establish tree nurseries which raised over 5233 tree seedlings, including mango, lemon, eucalyptus, guava, teak and coffee. 

COVID-19 support  

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ACT Alliance members also helped several communities with increased water supplies and hygiene training.  

On 17^th February 2022, the Africa Gender Justice Community of Practice launched a gender implementation process in Africa which will involve all ACT Alliance members to not only develop their gender policies, but also strengthen the implementation of existing policies.

Speaking during the launch, Ms. Gladys Nairuba, one of the co-chairs for the Africa gender Community of Practice (CoP) noted that “the Gender Policy development process comes in to guide our work as we address gender inequalities which is central to ACT Alliance and members’ work”.

“At the end of this process, we hope to build evidence of transformed policies and practices within our organizations. We also hope that this process will promote synergy building and collaboration within the country, the different sub-regions and the region,” said Ms. Nairuba.

The gender policy implementation process is ACT Alliance wide project, led by the regional gender CoPs. In the African region, The Well Health Company team of consultants (Sixolile Ngcobo, Thembela Njenga and Daniela Gennrich) has been appointed to assist the CoP in Africa in the development of congregational and/or institution-specific Gender Justice policies that are in line with the overall ACT Alliance Gender Justice Policy.

Explaining the implementation process, Ms. Sixolile Ngcobo said that “the process will serve as gender transformation journey for the individuals involved which we hope will build their capacity on gender rights and justice”.

The consultants will work with ACT members through a series of three sessions per sub- region to reflect on, reframe and redesign their gender policies.

The launch was held virtually, organized by the Africa CoP , and brought together a number of country directors, gender programme leads as well as forum coordinators across the Africa region.

Link to the recording: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-i3d4t1cFyD7jBuLMGk9mHfksEnvd1Bo/view?usp=sharing

For more information, get in touch with the team through  genderpolicy@actubumbano.org 

By Elizabeth Kisiigha Zimba

As the African Union heads of state meet for their 35th Summit on February 6 and 7, we join our ecumenical partners and ACT Alliance members in Africa urging them to prioritise peace and human security on the continent.  

Violent conflicts in Africa have long, complicated antecedents related to injustice and the proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALWs). The consequences of armed conflicts, wars and civil unrest have detrimental effects on communities. They affect all spheres of life and include severe social, economic, and psychological impacts on those exposed to violence, disaster, and loss. The effect on people’s well being can be both immediate and long-lasting. Be it physical or mental, peace and human security is fundamentally important to us all. 

Several African countries and subregions are currently experiencing various forms of violence and disruption. These are due not only to political instability, but also to climate change. ACT Alliance’s global strategy includes a key thematic focus on peace and human security, with collaboration between ACT members, partners, and other key stakeholders.  

In Africa, millions of people are in dire need of humanitarian aid, brought about by displacement and armed violence in their countries. It is therefore important to silence the guns at the source by addressing the root causes of insecurity.  

Sustainable Development Goal 16, which focuses on building peace, justice, and strong institutions, is far from being reached in many nations, not only in Africa but globally. Why? Mainly because of the links between peace and security and other ACT Alliance thematic areas such as gender justice, climate justice and migration & displacement.  

While there may seem to be little hope, it is our mandate as faith actors and faith-based organisations to work with each other and in solidarity with other stakeholders such as national governments and inter-governmental agencies, to foster peace and harmonious co-existence. We will not achieve much working in isolation, but together we can build sustainable peace in our communities.  

We must put our efforts into strengthening collaboration and partnerships at the grassroots, national, regional, and international levels. We cannot forget the significant role of women and youth in peacebuilding and need an inclusive approach that allows everyone to participate and act for peace, leaving no one behind. 

We are all called to be instruments of peace and we should heed the call by being our neighbours’ keepers and spreading peace wherever we are; above all we shall be called Children of God. 

We urge Africa’s heads of state to fulfil their commitments to silence the guns and foster peace in their countries, and to strengthen collaboration and partnerships at all levels. 

Elizabeth Kisiigha Zimba is the ACT Alliance Regional Representative for Africa and ACT focal point for Peace and Human Security. 

On January 25, ACT Alliance joined with other faith-based organisations and UN agencies to host the 8^th Annual Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith-based Organizations in International Affairs, under the theme “Mobilizing Moral Influence and Governance to End the Systemic Injustice of Racism, the legacy of Colonialism and Slavery.”

Speakers at the event which is available to watch here, highlighted the challenges of colonialism and racism, the role of faith actors both in perpetuating and in addressing these issues, and presented some concrete ways of addressing the issues.

H.E. Alice Wairimu Nderitu, special adviser of the UN secretary-general on the Prevention of Genocide said, “I have heard opinions that racism and racial discrimination belong to the past. But they are very real and very present in our society.” 

“Dehumanization of individuals based on the colour of their skin, their religion, ethnicity, nationality, gender, or any other form of identity, takes away the humanity that justifies the universal protection of their rights,” continued Nderitu.

The topic of the Symposium is an important one for ACT Alliance, said Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT’s General Secretary, in his remarks during the event. “It is extremely important and urgent to address racism in international humanitarian and development work.  In our recent General Assembly, racism and decolonization were extensively discussed by members and actions were proposed to address them in meaningful and practical ways.

“The aid sector has long been criticised for being deeply imbued by its colonial past and structural racism,” Bueno de Faria continued.  “This has enabled the ideology and practice of the powerful to be normalised in ways that systematically undervalued local knowledge and expertise. We know that it is still difficult to openly state that the international development sector is racist and talking about race is still taboo. However, continuing to ignore the ubiquity of race and racism in the sector is not a choice we have.”

Dr. Azza Karam, General Secretary of Religions for Peace, discussed the need for the sector and its institutions to be self-reflective and self-critical. “The very same institutions which have been tasked to eliminate discrimination in practice, the very same institutions which have been tasked to uphold human rights, are the very same institutions in which some of the most egregious violations take place and or can be turned a blind eye to.”

Bueno de Faria discussed the issues in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: “While discrimination and inequalities exist in different forms and across societies, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore the systemic, structural and widespread nature of racial injustice, racial violence and racial inequality from which people of colour disproportionately suffer.”

He offered a number of concrete steps that faith groups and other actors in the sector can take to begin to address racism and colonialization: “there are many ways to overcome the existing barriers to end racism, including issues such as valuing local knowledge and approaches, listening to and including indigenous and local leaders and putting them in the driving seat, as well as collective responsibility to work for justice/reparations and to call out continuing racism and colonial legacies whenever and wherever we find them, particularly to ensure gender sensitive approaches given that women of color are most affected.”

ACT Alliance is committed to concretely addressing the issue of colonization and is continuing to explore the ideas and issues raised on the topic during its General Assembly in 2021.  As Bueno de Faria said in conclusion, “We need to decolonize our mindsets – a power shift is indeed possible.”

Two ACT Ethiopia delegates discuss the impact of COP26 in the new video  “It’s good to swim together…” ACT Ethiopia delegates on

COP26. (see below)

Dawit Beza of Norwegian Church Aid is the Coordinator of ACT Ethiopia. Bikila Abeya is the Programs Director at EECMY-DAASSC. Both participated in the second week of the annual global climate negotiations, held in Glasgow, Scotland, November 7 to 13, where Bikila was part of a panel on locally led adaptation organised by DanChurchAid. 

“It was a very good opportunity,” says Dawit, pointing to events on locally led adaptation, pavilions on appropriate technology and the opportunity to network.  “It was a good opportunity to learn from other churches in other parts of the world,” says Bikila. “If we go for the same goal, we have a chance to make change, I learned.”  

Advocacy 

Advocacy is an important part of ACT’s Climate Justice program. Building on his prior relationship with Ethiopia’s climate negotiators, Dawit discussed advocacy with them. “Our government has a very clear strategy on climate resilient green economies. But when it comes to practical applications … they are not environmentally friendly,” he says. Noting that foreign investment is very important for developing countries, he says “they should also look into the environmental friendliness of that investment.” Bikila and Dawit also participated in ACT’s COP26 climate actions and the Climate March, which “put pressure on the negotiators,” says Bikila.  

 “I got the chance to learn how to advocate at all levels – at local, regional and national levels,” says Bikila. Ethiopia has only recently allowed advocacy. “When we’re able to advocate, the government, who will be negotiators at … next year’s COP, get the opportunity [to hear] what the people, civil society, are thinking.”  

Faith communities have a special role to play. “Here in Ethiopia almost all people are part of a faith community, whether church or mosque,” says Bikila. “We can bring change and influence the government at all levels. The impact of faith communities is very big… and we need to make it stronger.” 

Gender Justice and Climate Justice 

Bikila and Dawit describe how a changing climate has “tripled” the daily work of women and girls in collecting firewood and water. “As the rain pattern changes, the moisture in the soil decreases,” says Bikila, and productivity decreases. “Women are the ones who are responsible to feed their family,” he says. Yet women and girls are also the last in the family to get an education, with few options for alternative livelihoods. “Climate change and gender justice are really inseparable,” says Bikila. 

Future COPs 

Both delegates would like to see more focus on locally led adaptation at future climate conferences. “We need to focus on local knowledge; the traditional knowledge the community has,” says Bikila. “It brings lasting impact.”  

Dawit says COPs should be more inclusive. “We have a saying: It’s good to swim together, rather than sink together,” says Dawit. “Unless the approach is global and inclusive … I don’t think the solutions will come soon. It’s good to be more inclusive so that we see … some action translated on the ground.” 

Global issue  

That climate change is now an issue “the whole world” is dealing with is “inspiring,” says Dawit. “The developed nations have started to see the impact,” says Bikila. “They have the capacity to absorb the shock. But here in developing countries we are suffering … and our people are losing almost all their livelihoods. But now it’s become the concern of all.” 

“There are initiatives where both the North and South are coming together with a common goal,” says Dawit. “That is very encouraging.” 

By Mattias Soderberg

One more year, and the climate crisis has become more severe. Scientists continue to raise the alarm, and more and more people and communities are suffering from the impact of global warming.  

Looking back at 2021, we can all list a number of sad and frightening climate-related disasters. It is clear that that we have a climate crisis, not only in poor and vulnerable countries, but around the world. Tornadoes in the USA; flooding in Germany; drought in Madagascar and Afghanistan; and cyclones in the Pacific have all created headlines. For those affected – who have lost their loved ones, their houses and belongings, and have been forced to move – climate change is real. It is not just numbers on a chart, or paragraphs in an agreement. It is reality, one which has turned their lives upside down, and could affect all of us the same way. 

While the list of climate disasters is long, the list of good news stories is short. However, we should hold on to these good news stories as they offer hope – hope that can be turned into action and hope that we can solve the climate crisis.  

To begin with, I hold on to the fact that climate scientists still think it’s possible to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees. That is good news, because the same scientists have made it clear that a higher temperature increase may push the climate towards a number of tipping points that may jeopardize our future.  

Secondly, the agreement from Glasgow’s COP26 climate summit includes a paragraph requesting all parties to revisit their national climate plans. These plans, also called NDCs (short for nationally determined contributions) tell us what parties want to do to tackle climate change. As the current level of ambition is too low, plans must not only be revisited, but also revised to increase their goals.  

The COP26 agreement, as with many UN agreements, includes rather soft wording. There are few binding decisions and many encouraging suggestions. These provide loopholes that parties to the agreement may decide to use. For example, the EU has already declared that they don’t have to scale up their emission reduction ambition. They consider their NDCs to be ambitious enough. Unfortunately, that is an argument that all parties to COP26 can use, and the impact of the COP26 agreement is therefore in doubt.  

Still, I choose to be optimistic in this final post of the year. I agree that it looks really worrying. There are few concrete signs of action to generate hope. But there are still useful options on the table, and I hope all parties will pick the right ones when they return to their offices after the Christmas and New Year’s break.  

The climate crisis is real, not only for those who endured climate-related disasters in 2021, but for all of us. The climate crisis can be handled if we act now. We need bold action to reduce emissions and ensure a green transition in our communities. We need rapid and comprehensive initiatives to help us to adapt to the effects of climate change. And we must ensure that there is adequate support to help people and communities address climate-induced loss and damage.  

I hope 2022 will become a turning point for the climate. Happy New Year.  

Mattias Soderberg is Chief Advisor for DanChurchAid and co-chair of ACT’s climate justice working group.

From a report by Joselito Sosmena 

In mid December, Super Typhoon Rai made landfall in central and southern Philippines, causing massive damage. Super typhoons like Rai have affected the Philippines with depressing frequency since Super Typhoon Haiyan landed in 2013.  Super typhoons are linked to rising ocean temperatures, making the Philippines one of the countries that is most directly affected by the climate crisis.  

 “I remember Super Typhoon Haiyan. There were endless lines for water, queues in banks for money wire transfers, overpriced gasoline, and food was scarce,” says Joselito “Lito” Sosmena, who worked on NCCP-ACT Alliance’s 2013 Typhoon Haiyan humanitarian response. “Eight years later, it has happened again but now more areas are experiencing the same fate.”  

Typhoon Rai, known locally as Odette, caused massive damage in southern and central Philippines including in Bohol, where Lito’s family lives. As of this writing there are 375 casualties, an estimated 3,800 houses have been destroyed by the typhoon, and more than two million people have been displaced.  Meeting basic needs with food, potable water, hygiene kits and temporary shelter is difficult. 

COVID-19 and the increasing threat of the omicron variant has complicated matters. Lito’s mother was diagnosed with COVID-19 the day before Typhoon Rai landed.  She went to hospital with difficulty breathing, leaving her husband at home with their three grandchildren.  

When the typhoon landed, the nearby river flooded, and the waters rose to the level of Lito’s parents’ roof.  “Our house was wiped out in a snap, along with all our belongings,” said Lito.  This included a small store, animals and a fishing boat, essential for the family’s livelihood. His mother’s illness was added to the family’s difficulties. “How can my mother be quarantined at home when there is no house left for her to go to?” he said.  Ultimately relatives provided temporary shelter for his mother’s quarantine, but the family still had challenges accessing medicine. 

Five days after Typhoon Rai’s landfall “our people still lack access to safe water, power and communication lines,” said Lito. “It seems like the lessons we learned from Typhoon Haiyan have been forgotten.”  

“I hope that in our united efforts and continuing call for accountability from the government, we will recover stronger,” he said. 

 
For more information contact Sylwyn Sheen Alba-Salvador 
Networking and Advocacy Officer, National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) 
Coordinator, ACT Philippines Forum 

Youth and climate justice was featured in two discussions at the recent ACT Assembly 2021. Hope was central to both. 

An  intergenerational panel on youth and climate justice took place early in the Assembly. A few days later, two Latin American ACT members, Marcelo Leites of Uruguay and Fernanda Zuniga of Chile, reviewed the key points of this discussion. Both Marcelo and Fernanda are themselves young people who have been involved for many years in organising other young people in their countries, Marcelo with the World Student Christian Movement and Fernanda with the Lutheran Church in Chile.  

The key points they noted were: the importance of Christian unity in climate action; developing youth’s capacity to lead and to engage in negotiations; the urgency of action given the climate crisis; and the hope offered by youth involvement to the Alliance and the world. Marcelo noted two additional points that had emerged in the intergenerational discussion: that “all change is possible if we have hope” and that “there is no climate justice without social and economic justice.”  

Fernanda focussed on the call to promote climate action based on shared Christian values. She added that education is not just a tool to empower young people to act on climate, but to empower them to become decision-makers in negotiations and policy. And their lived experience is important. Youth should “not only be telling others’ stories about loss and damage, motivation, gender,” said Fernanda, but also “sharing their own experiences.” 

“We need a new climate and new relationships between people, nature and men and women,” concluded Marcelo. “We know women and children are the most affected by climate change.” 

Fernanda and Marcelo’s dialogue, below, was recorded in Spanish with English subtitles.