AFJN profiled in the National Catholic Reporter

A little office that reaches a continent (PDF file)

Source: http://ncronline.org/news/global/little-office-reaches-continent

The offices of the Africa Faith and Justice Network are tucked into a corner of the fourth floor of a building on the campus of Trinity College in Washington, D.C. On the wall, a map of Africa is covered with pins to which are tied strings leading to little slips of paper that surround the map. Each slip of paper lists the name of the country and the different religious orders working within its borders. This little office reaches an entire continent….

The network tries to call attention to efforts in Africa aimed at promoting social justice. AFJN policy analyst Jacques Bahati mentions the Kamenge Youth Center, located in a slum in war-torn Burundi. The slum in Bujumbura was located between neighborhoods from the warring tribes. Tutsi and Hutu youth had to enter and exit the grounds of the center from different portals because of ethnic strife. Once inside, the children played together effortlessly. The center then launched a project to rebuild houses, employing older children from both ethnic groups. The Africa Faith and Justice Network tries to get the U.S. government to assist such projects, encouraging native initiatives instead of the old top-down model of government assistance. Today, the Kamenge Youth Center has some 37,000 members.