wfn.org | CWS Brings African Delegation to Capitol Hill

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

CWS Brings African Delegation to Capitol Hill

IN WASHINGTON, 9-COUNTRY DELEGATION OF AFRICAN CHURCH LEADERS PRESSED
U.S. POLICY MAKERS TO STAY THE COURSE¹ ON G-8 COMMITMENTS

In Separate Event, Church World Service Africa Forum To Host Delegation in
D.C. Dialogue With Africa NGOs, U.S. Church Leaders

NEW YORK ­ Thurs July 14 ­The international humanitarian agency Church World
Service (CWS) announced today that All Africa Conference of Churches General
Secretary Bishop Mvume Dandala and a delegation of high level African church
leaders will meet with policy leaders on Capitol Hill and will present at
CWS¹s Washington, DC, offices, tomorrow (Fri July 15), in meetings intended
to stoke the fires ignited at last week¹s G-8 Conference.

Representative (R-New Jersey) Christopher Smith, chairperson of the Africa
Sub-Committee of the House of Representatives, will host a breakfast
discussion Friday morning on Capitol Hill for the delegation.

The 11-person delegation representing nine countries is also scheduled to
meet Friday afternoon with Dr. Cindy Courville, Special Assistant to the
President and Senior Director, African Affairs, and separately with
Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Constance Berry Newman and
Don Yamamoto, Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs.

In a luncheon dialogue on Friday sponsored by Church World Service¹s Africa
Forum, the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) delegates will meet with
Africa advocates from the faith and NGO community in Washington, including
representatives of the AGOA 3 Coalition. The AGOA 3 Coalition is a nonprofit
association of companies, trade associations and NGOs supporting expansion
of the AGOA program of trade preferences for Africa (African Growth and
Opportunity Acceleration Act of 2004.). Friday evening, the delegation and
CWS Executive Director and CEO Rev. John L. McCullough will meet with
Representative Donald M. Payne (D - NJ) in Newark.

Church World Service¹s Africa Forum is one of five regional platforms
encouraging international dialogue for peace and sustainable development and
which hosts programs, events, meetings and delegations to engender shared
expertise, coordinate joint action, recommend policy, and mutual
accountability among its participants and members.

CWS¹ McCullough says "Africa¹s civil society and faith leaders want the
commitments reached in Scotland last week to be made real­ sooner rather
than later. To maintain the momentum, Bishop Dandala and the delegation want
to increase the focus now on hunger and poverty, human trafficking and trade
justice­ rather than waiting for those issues to be picked up again at
further G-8 meetings this fall or, worse, simply fading from the global
radar screen."

WHO:	     Delegation of African Leaders
	Led by All Africa Conference of Churches General Secretary Bishop
Mvume
Dandala

WHAT:	     Key Issues Confronting Africa
	 Dialogues with Congress, Policymakers and NGOs

Breakfast Meeting on Capitol Hill
	 Hosted by the House of Representatives Africa Sub-Committee

Luncheon Discussion
Hosted by Church World Service Africa Forum

WHEN & WHERE:	  Friday, July 15

9:00-10:30 AM: Breakfast Meeting on Capitol Hill
	 Hosted by the House of Representatives Africa Sub-Committee
	 2255 Rayburn House Building, Washington, D.C.
Other members of congress also invited
Open to press

12:30-1:30 PM: Luncheon Dialogue
Hosted by Church World Service Africa Forum
100 Maryland Avenue, Conf. Rm. 3, Washington, D.C.
Washington Contact: Martin Shupack, Public Policy, CWS Program for Education
and  Advocacy
Phone: (202) 544 -2350
Invited: AGOA 3 (Africa Growth and Opportunity Act) Coalition members
Open to members of the press ­ questions from journalists invited

Delegation members include:

o Rev. Dr. H. Mvume Dandala, Gen. Sec., All Africa Conference of Churches,
Nairobi, Kenya
o Rev. Dr. L. K. Buama, Moderator, Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Volta
Region, Ghana
o Ms. Battu Jambawai, Program Executive, Social, Economic Justice and Women,
AACC,
   Nairobi, Kenya
o Rev. John Mweresa Kivuli II, Archbishop, African Israel Ninev Church,
Kisumu, Kenya
o Rev. Dinis Matsolo, Gen. Sec., Conselho Cristâo de Moçambique, Maputo,
Mozambique

o Ms. Jecolia Makita, Eglise Evangélique du Congo, Brazzaville Congo
o Rev. Martine Lawson, General Secretary, Eglise Méthodiste du Togo, Lome,
Togo
o Fr. Charley Thomas, Director, Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation, Kitwe, Zambia
o Evêque Pie Ntukamazina, Représentant Légal, Bujumbura, Burundi
o Rev. Mrs. Gertrude Kapuma, CCAP Blantyure Synod Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi
o Bishop Mrs. E. Kenosi Mofokeng, Africa Spiritual Churches Assn., Republic
of South Africa

BACKGROUND:

The All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) is a key collaborator in Church
World Service¹s current Africa Initiative, a multi-year, multi-effort
project addressing peace building and conflict resolution; durable solutions
for the displaced; hunger and poverty alleviation; water for life; issues of
women and children; and HIV/AIDS.

Bishop Dandala has spoken widely in favor of the agency¹s Africa Initiative,
saying that CWS¹ longtime presence on the continent makes it a trusted
partner of church councils there. African churches are key voices of civil
society and act as de facto non-governmental agencies across sub-Saharan
Africa, providing the humanitarian assistance that many African governments
are unable to deliver.

Founded in 1946, Church World Service is the relief, development and refugee
assistance ministry of mainline Protestant churches in the U.S.

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