The response to this mission day was gratifying. The afternoon event was attended by about 30 women and some men who are committed in many ways to the cause of a more just world in their parishes. Invitations were extended under the motto "No one is left behind" by Mission 21, the Parish Office for the Global Church BL/BS and the Reformed Church of Aargau. Accordingly, the guests of the Mission Day came from these three cantonal churches.
Insight into the work in Tanzania
What is the situation in Tanzania and what challenges are the Tanzanian churches facing? Johannes Klemm gave compact and up-to-date answers to these questions in the first presentation. The Tanzania program manager at Mission 21 explained reasons for the great poverty in the country: Due to the high birth rate, the population is increasing rapidly. Many people of working age die young, often as a result of AIDS. Unfortunately, there are also many AIDS orphans, some of whom are HIV positive. The lack of schooling makes it additionally difficult for them to find a job later on.
The Moravian Church provides support together with Mission 21. Orphans are cared for at home or in a home and can attend school thanks to this help. Adolescents and young adults are helped to learn a profession. The church and Mission 21 are campaigning against the silence about HIV and the social stigmatization of HIV sufferers.
Peace thanks to encounter
Christian Weber, director of studies at Mission 21, then introduced people who contribute to peace in their country by overcoming ethnic or religious divides. Weber told of two women in South Sudan who belong to different ethnic groups that were enemies in the civil war and yet maintain a friendship and work for peace and reconciliation between the ethnic groups.
This story and also the background to the conflict in South Sudan, will be presented as part of Mission 21's 2019 campaign. The campaign under the motto "Peace grows with us" collects donations for the peace work of Mission 21 worldwide.
The participants of the Mission Day were very interested in the topics presented and asked numerous questions about the commitment in Tanzania and the peace work worldwide. This also pleased the organizers. They announced that they would develop the Mission Day even more into an exchange of information in Northwest Switzerland in order to attract even more committed people to participate.
Text and photo: Christoph Rácz
â–º Cooperation program Tanzania
â–º Peace campaign 2019
