Annual Meeting
Celebrating 30 years: Continuing Connection
Welcome to the information center for AFJN's 30th Anniversary conference, follow-up, and issues page.
Want to see something specific on this page? Email [email protected] with "30th Anniversary" in the subject line.
Click here to read Cardinal Turkson's talk, and check out Father Richard Baawobr's remarks.
Use these AFJN policy highlights by our policy analyst
Read about our AFJN 2013 Faith & Justice Award winner, the Transformation Resource Centre of Lesotho
Due to some behind-the-scenes website upgrading, we can't post photos right now. We'll do it as soon as we can!
Celebrating 30 years!
Welcome to the celebration of AFJN's 30th Anniversary Conference: "Justice for Africa-Justice for the World" on March 1-3, 2013 at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana!
President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
Emira Woods
Co-Director of Foreign Policy in Focus for the Institute for Policy Studies
And entertainment by . . .
The Rwandan-American Community of the Midwest
Workshops:
A. Charity or Justice for Africa? Examining International Aid to Africa in the Light of Catholic Social Teaching. This workshop will examine foreign assistance in the light of Catholic Social Teaching, its impact on African people and their livelihood, how it contributes to build strong men rather than a strong society. Presenter: Aniedi Okure, OP, AFJN Executive Director
B. Climate Change and Its Impact on the People of Africa. Climate change is a global threat caused mainly by the developed world; the effects are staggering in Africa--how will it shape the continent and its people? Presenter: Madeleine Philbin, CRS Mid-West Regional Director.
C. AFRICOM: US Focus on Terrorism and Expansion of Military Activities in Africa. Specifically looking at AFRICOM's focus on terrorism and unique role as a regional command, we will examine both the impact of increased militarism, non-military security solutions, and what the U.S. can do to create a more just relationship with Africa. Presenters: Emira Woods, Co-director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies and Melaura Homan-Smith AFJN Specialist on Militarism
A. Land Grabs and Good Investments in Africa. This session will update participants on the practice taking place by private companies, sovereign wealth funds and similar violations of the rights of African people, as well as provide examples of good land practices and investment policies. Presenter: Brother David Andrews, CSC, Senior Representative for Food and Water Watch; Member of Nourishing the Planet's Advisory Group
B. Models of Restorative Justice by African Council of Elders: The Case of Rubare in the Democratic Republic Congo and Abashingantahe in Burundi. This workshop will examine how the Council of Elders in Rubare and Abashingantahe, the oldest traditional institution in Burundi, are making a difference in post-conflict resolution, violence prevention, ensuring harmony, justice and peaceful coexistence in places where ethnicity serves as the base for violence and injustice. Presenters: Jacques Bahati, AFJN Policy Analyst & Rev. Célestin Musekura, Ph.D., President & CEO, African Leadership & Reconciliation Ministries
C. Students as Transnational Agents of Social Change. Explores how the Center’s ISSL Program short-term service in Africa provides students with experience to become advocates for global justice on behalf of Africa in the US Presenter: Rev. Paul V. Kollman, CSC, Associate Professor of Theology, Notre Dame, Executive Director, Center for Social Concerns, CSC
A. CRS Advocates: University Students Effecting Change in US Policy Toward Africa. A workshop designed to help energize and empower students with the tools to advocate for positive policy changes toward Africa. Presenter: Rev. Robert Dowd, CSC, Director, Ford Family Program in Human Development Studies and Solidarity, University of Notre Dame
B. Human Trafficking in Africa. Human trafficking throughout Africa is becoming a growing problem with serious political and social implications. Congregations of Religious Women are leaders in the abolition of Human Trafficking. Presenter: Sister Kayula Lesa, RSC, Programme Manager, Faith & Justice, Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection in Lusaka, Zambia, Chicago Theological Union.
C. The Future of Catholic Peacebuilding: Ethics and Practice. This workshop will look forward into the theory and practice of Catholic peacebuilding on a changing global stage. Presenter: Gerard F. Powers, Professor of the Practice of Catholic Peacebuilding, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame
Please email [email protected] with questions!
- Register early (before February 1st) for $155 (this includes dinner Friday, lunch and dinner Saturday, breakfast Sunday, and all conference workshops, events and materials)
- Notre Dame and St Mary's students may attend for free.
- Other university students pay $85; Please inquire about student scholarships.
- There are many options to get to Notre Dame: Fly Delta, United or US Airways to South Bend Airport, or fly into Chicago and use a bus or car rental service. The Amtrak and Indiana South Shore Line also run trains to South Bend.
- Fairfield Inn by Marriott and the Inn at St Mary's are both very accessible for conference participants.
Annual Member Meeting at EAD
Posted March 30th, 3011
Last Saturday, at Ecumenical Advocacy Days, AFJN had its annual member meeting at a well-attended reception. Fr. Rocco Puopolo addressed the audience, highlighting some of AFJN's Successes and sharing AFJN's end of year Financial Information. The meeting also gave members a chance to thank Ann Oestreich, of the AFJN Board, for her years of dedicated service, and hear a few words from Fr. Rocco at his last AFJN Member meeting as Executive Director.
AFJN Members Ask Congress: Support Free and Fair Elections in Rwanda & End Violence Against Women!
Posted April 22, 2010
From April 17-19th, 2010 Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) held its annual conference in Washington DC under the theme “Justice In Africa: On Whose Terms?” On Monday the 19th, conference attendees walked US Congress’ corridors asking legislators two things: first, to take action in support of free and fair elections in Africa beginning with Rwanda and second, to support and co-sponsor the International Violence Against Women Act (H.R 4594, S.2982). This lobby effort was a success because of the number of people who took part in it, the number of offices they visited, the positive reception, and the timeliness and relevance of our message.
Musings from the Member Meeting
This year's member meeting took place on April 18, 2010, as part of the 2010 conference "Justice In Africa: On Whose Terms?"
The time together for the annual member meeting was planned to reflect our very name: Africa Faith and Justice Network. Prayer was weaved through the two hour period to make our work a faith statement. The Justice component was fleshed out through the help of Sr. Marge Clark of Network who lead the group towards a better understanding of why we advocate for justice, how we do so as citizens and what outcomes for the poor and vulnerable are met. We had hoped to actually hand write letters to Congressmen and Senators on the asks for our conference, but there was little time.
We ended our meeting with the Networking piece, the very practical review of the network through the aid of the office report. We posed questions from what was reported in order to encourage some dialogue and interaction among the members. With regards to four focus areas that AFJN has been working on (Restorative Justice, Resisting AFRICOM, Peace in DRC and The African Synod), we asked: Does AFJN membership have other areas that they would want the staff to focus on? Some suggestions that arose from the discussion were: Development related to the MDG and who the actors are; a concern about African leadership; HIV/AIDS and PEPFAR; Muslim fundamentalism; and concern for the victims of the economic crisis. A second question was related to the networking of the network: Are there better ways for AFJN to link with the various JPIC offices of institutional members? A lot has changed over the years and issues that particular JPIC offices are following could be maximized through better connection with the DC AFJN office. There was a request to find a way for AFJN to help these office better know one another, even with a simple list serve. Regarding outreach, AFJN needs to reach out beyond the present membership in order to sustain itself. Initiatives have been made to universities, African Diaspora as well as parishes, and material has been generated for these outreaches, but better use of them has to happen. We have had limited success with this and we would welcome any ideas. At the meeting we also requested more feedback on the possibility of having the newsletter Around Africa sent out digitally (if you haven’t yet, there is still time to fill out our member survey on this question!).
The last concern that arose from the report and called for some feedback is the precarious financial position that AFJN is in at the moment. Membership dues provide only half of the finances needed to operate AFJN. Grants and donations make up the other half, and requests for funds from foundations have become more challenging. There is a very real possibility that we will not be able to continue our work if other funds are not forthcoming. We ask membership and friends to recommend ways for us to meet this financial challenge. All ideas are welcome.
Rocco Puopolo, s.x., Executive Director
Click here for other conference follow-up materials!
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