In small villages and large cities in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia and Mozambique, people of faith are combatting malaria. They are engaged in different ways, depending on the local realities: pricking fingers to test people with fevers for malaria, distributing nets to households far from the main road, monitoring clinics to ensure there are adequate stocks of test kits and treatments, and working with governments to investigate possible drivers of malaria.
Come to the June 25 Mission Thursday at 2pm Eastern to hear how faith leaders in Southern Africa are combatting malaria in partnership with the J.C. Flowers Foundation. Register here on Zoom for this free webinar sponsored by the Global Episcopal Mission Network (GEMN). After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the meeting.
Episcopalian Chris Flowers has been committed to supporting malaria work as an expression of his faith through the J.C. Flowers Foundation that he founded. In October 2004, Chris visited several remote areas of northern Zambia and witnessed the devastation wrought by malaria. On a visit to the Anglican Mission in Fiwila, he visited a small rural village that was 18 kilometers off the tarmac road and took eight hours to reach by Jeep from the nearest city. A family was mourning the death of their young child who had just died from malaria, yet they did not realize the relationship between malaria and mosquitoes. Nor did they have access to malaria treatment or insecticide-treated bed nets.
Since 2019, Bishop Farai Mutamiri has led Zimbabwe’s Diocese of Harare, which is committed to living the gospel through the proclamation of the Good News both in word and in action, including to those affected by malaria. Mutamiri was previously dean of the Cathedral of St. Mary & All Saints in Harare. He holds a doctorate from the University of Pretoria.
Also joining on a panel will be Bishop Patrick Djuulume of the Diocese of Namibia; Ms. Constance Njovu, regional coordinator of the Isdell-Flowers Cross Border Malaria Initiative; Ms. Makuwa Mambwe, regional accountant of FLAME (Faith Leader Advocacy for Malaria Elimination); and Ms. Rebecca Vander Meulen, executive director of the J.C. Flowers Foundation.
Moderating the panel, Vander Meulen is a member of the Global Mission Commission of the Diocese of New York and the Mission Formation Program of GEMN. She served as community development director in the Anglican Diocese of Niassa in northern Mozambique for 15 years. She has a Master of Public Health degree in International Public Health from Emory University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Calvin University.
Come and hear about this important work.