AMECEA Pastoral Department to Hold a Child Nurturing and Protection Workshop
In a continuing effort to nurture and safeguard children, the AMECEA Pastoral Department has organized a workshop that will focus on how the National Bishop’s Conferences and Dioceses within the region have been responding to this course over the years.
The two week workshop will take place in Malindi, Kenya from 12th to 25th February, 2017 and will attract 40 participants from five AMECEA countries namely Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, South Sudan and Zimbabwe. The Conference will among others be graced by Sr. Kayula Lesa- a member of the Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Vatican, Rt. Reverend Emmanuel Barbara-Bishop of the diocese of Malindi, Rt. Reverend Maurice Muhatia-Bishop of the diocese of Nakuru and Very Reverend Fr. Ferdinand Lugonzo-Secretary General for the AMECEA Secretariat.
The overall goal of the project is to establish comprehensive guidelines on Child protection policy from which each Bishops’ conference or diocese will draw procedures that would help to nurture, respect and protect children in their upbringing. Furthermore, the programme is intended to create an enabling environment for individuals to explore various ways of safeguarding children and vulnerable persons. This will eventually help the AMECEA Secretariat collect right values on protection of children from which other conferences will be learning and mapping out their policies.
South Sudan and Ethiopia have been taken on board for a pilot phase. In arriving at the members who are attending the two weeks workshop, the following was considered: Members who work with departments that deal directly with matters of children’s affairs; persons working in the departments of Education, Pastoral, Justice and Peace, Pontifical Missionary Society etc., depending on the preference of the conference; Individuals who have special interest and passion in children’s affairs and individuals whose position in the department opens a window for them to reach out to communities that have influence in society.
∽End∽
By Fr. Emmanuel Chimombo – AMECEA Pastoral Coordinator.
