Anglican Communion News Service - Digest News

[Rwanda - May 30, 2005] A three-day conference of the Mothers' Union of the Episcopal Church of Rwanda ended on 27th May 2005.

The conference was aimed at:

* eradicating extreme poverty and hunger,
* achieving universal primary education,
* promoting gender equality and empowering women,
* reducing child mortality,
* improving maternal health,
* combating HIV/AIDS and other diseases,
* ensuring environmental sustainability; and
* developing a global partnership as well.

In his address to the participants, Bishop Josias Sendegeya - who is also Provincial Secretary of the Province of the Episcopal Church of Rwanda - lauded the action and pledged to support the Mothers' Union activities.

The seminar brought trainers from the Mothers' Union of the Anglican Church of Uganda.

At the end of the workshop the Mothers' Union resolved to assess where they are and to foresee the challenges and problems which might crop up in the near future. They further looked at what could be done and where they would be in 2015.

They agreed to go back and start in their respective communities with what they call Ten Houses (Nyumba kumi) in a bid to see whether MDGs, i.e. Millenium Development Goals, could be tackled and achieved by looking at the population in their cells -- whether they have enough food or whether their children go to school.

This would help MU to be the mouthpiece for the voiceless, according to Rev. Agnes Mukandoli, a Mothers' Union worker at the Provincial level.

Article by by Grace Mugabe