wfn.org | CWS considers campaign for African schoolchildren

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Oct. 16, 2002	   News media contact: Linda Bloom7(212) 870-38037New York
10-21-31-71BP{472}

NOTE: A photograph of the Rev. John McCullough is available at
http://umns.umc.org/photos/headshots.html.

NEW YORK (UMNS) - A coalition of church-related organizations is beginning
to shape a continent-wide campaign to turn schools in Africa into protected
space for children.

The campaign will rely upon partnerships with governments, nongovernmental
organizations and multinational corporations doing business in Africa.

Church World Service, the relief and development agency of the U.S. National
Council of Churches, will present a formal proposal for the Africa project
when its directors meet Oct. 22-23.

The outlines of the campaign were drawn in early September at a meeting of
religious leaders and chair people of councils of churches in sub-Saharan
Africa. The Rev. John McCullough, a United Methodist pastor and the CWS
chief executive, said the leaders agreed that "there are issues that cut
across that entire region" that the group could address collectively.
Overarching issues are conflict and reconciliation; protection of women and
children; access to nutritious food and clean water; and access to
education.

CWS brought an idea sparked by a presentation that its staff had heard from
former U.S. Sen. George McGovern last winter. While working for the Clinton
administration on hunger issues, McGovern said he had hoped to expand the
United States' school lunch program internationally. Although the expansion
did not occur, McGovern told CWS staff that he and former Sen. Robert Dole
have continued to discuss how it could be accomplished.

Using that information, CWS staff realized that instituting a school lunch
program across Africa "would give us a major step forward in addressing the
needs of hunger and nutrition in Africa," according to McCullough.

In the United States, for example, lunch at school offers any child the
guarantee of a hot, nutritious meal a day. "For an enormous number of
children on the (African) continent, they have no such guarantee," he
pointed out.

But such a program cannot operate in a vacuum. "What we need is to create a
stable climate for education," McCullough explained. "That's the only way a
school lunch program is going to succeed."

The goal is to make each school a protected space with a healing, wholesome
environment, not just from warfare but from abuse of any kind. To achieve
that, the African church leaders realize that cooperation is needed, both
from individual governments and coalitions of African governments. That
means working toward common legislation, he said.

Another strategy is to engage the corporations that have been taking
resources from the continent, such as Coca-Cola, Shell Oil, Firestone and
British Petroleum, and encourage them to reinvest in communities there, even
if that reinvestment is not voluntary but required by law. The first
priority for reinvestment should be the schools, according to McCullough.

Additional concerns include providing girls with equal access to education
and improving general access to higher education. "There are less and less
opportunities for young people to pursue higher education, especially
outside the continent," he noted.
 
If CWS directors approve the project proposal, McCullough will enlist the
support of the agency's 36 member denominations and plan a series of
follow-up meetings with African church leaders.

He hopes a coalition with other partners, including the United Nations and
the U.S. State Department, will be formed by the end of 2003. "We're very
much aware of the fact that Secretary (of State Colin) Powell is supportive
of Africa, and President Bush has expressed support for education in
Africa," he said.

CWS also plans to help assemble a team of eminent people from across Africa
during the next year to engage communities in areas of conflict on issues of
reconciliation and peace.

The organization's Web site, www.churchworldservice.org, has more
information about CWS programs.
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United Methodist News Service
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