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!

Educate and Advocate: 2010 Conference follow-up!

Last weekend, AFJN hosted its 2010 annual meeting and conference, entitled "Justice in Africa: On Whose Terms" featuring Fr. Peter Henriot, S.J. as a keynote. Nearly 150 individuals – missionaries, students, activists, scholars, and more – from across the U.S. and from several African nations, all gathered in Rosslyn, VA to share and learn from one another.

Justice both in and for Africa was the focus of the conference and Peter Henriot’s keynote address (click here for the full text), but workshop topics ranged from food security to U.S. Africa Policy more broadly to what you can do to make a difference.  It is our hope that these conversations help mobilize AFJN members to help carry out our mission of educating and advocating for Africa and for more just U.S. relations with the continent.Look below for resources and information that can help as you look to learn more or to carry what you learned out into your communities!

Read more: Educate and Advocate: 2010 Conference follow-up!

Africa and Justice: Justice IN and FOR Africa

Keynote at the 2010 AFJN Conference by Fr. Peter Henriot, SJ

Surely, should we not really speak of “Africas” in the plural? Such a huge Continent, comprising over 700 million people living in over 50 countries. When I was travelling from Zambia last week to come to the USA to offer presentations like the one I am offering this evening, I looked at the map on the small TV screen in front of me at my seat.  Africa, such a huge continent – you could fit the mainland USA into it three times and still have some space left over! It took over six hours of very fast air travel to cover only two-thirds of the continent. And such a wondrous variety of life below me!

Read more: Africa and Justice: Justice IN and FOR Africa

Lobby Day 2010 - Asks and Materials

AFJN members and friends, including a delegation of members of Rwandan Diaspora, conducted over 30 office visits this Monday, April 19 to discuss the International Violence Against Women act and the upcoming elections in Rwanda.

Whether or not you participated, you can still make a difference by carrying this message to your elected officials! Use the materials from our Lobby Day to conduct a visit to your representative's office in your home district, to write a personalized letter, to make a phone call, or to share with your friends to encourage them to do the same.

Click below for:

• A guide on how to make a difference from home
• This year's main leave-behind
• The elaborated talking points for the two asks
• A general guide to Lobbying and Advocacy for AFJN Members.

The main message is as follows:

"As a community of organizations and individuals, informed by Catholic Social Teaching, dedicated to educating and advocating for responsible U.S. relations with Africa, members of the Africa Faith and Justice Network have long been interested in seeing our elected officials support peacebuilding, human rights, and social justice on the African continent. We support U.S. economic and political policies that will benefit Africa’s peoples, facilitate an end to armed conflict, and promote sustainable development.

In particular, we urge Congress to take immediate action on the following issues:

Support the eradication of widespread violence against women
•    By forming the Office for Global Women's issues within the department of State, calling for ambitious and accountable country-specific programming, and requiring the integrating women's issues into all aspects of US foreign policy, the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) will demonstrate to the world that the US doing its part for women.
•    While fighting impunity for acts of sexual violence, I-VAWA would also direct the US, through its support of local organizations, to empower women in politics, economy, education, human rights promotion, and participation in peacebuilding.
•    Please co-sponsor the International Violence Against Women Act (H.R. 4594, S.2982) immediately.  Encourage colleagues to do the same and take meaningful steps to ensure its passage.
•    Ensure sufficient funding is made available to USAID to effectively implement the strategy outlined as required by the bill.

Support democracy in Africa, beginning with Rwanda
•    Elections in Rwanda are taking place this August, and the recurring instances of political violence and suppression are troubling.
•    Call for a hearing and request a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the socio-political situation in Rwanda.
•    Ensure that independent election observers are sent to Rwanda in addition to pressuring the Rwanda government  to open the political space to the opposition and hold free, fair, and transparent elections in August of 2010.
•    Call for an immediate registration of opposition parties seeking to do so and respect of human rights particularly the freedom of expression and assembly.
•    Call for an immediate end to the use of violence and genocide guilt as a tactic to silence, intimidate, arrest, and imprison innocent members of the opposition."