Africa Program
While some major conflicts in the continent have abated or even ended heralding hopes for peace and stability, Africa is still falling behind in all indicators of the Human Development Index. Extreme poverty, HIV and AIDS and economic stagnation are some of the factors that are pushing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to the bottom of the Human Poverty Index (HPI). PWRDF’s Africa program focuses on poverty reduction; rural development, food security, HIV and AIDS prevention and education, and micro-credit financing to help communities generate their own capital.
PWRDF Partnerships
- DR Congo
- Rwanda
- Burundi
- Sudan
- Tanzania
- Kenya - partner profiles
- Mozambique - partner profiles
- South Africa - partner profiles
Africa: An Overview of our Strategic Approach
While some major conflicts in the continent have abated or even ended heralding hopes for peace and stability, Africa is still falling behind in all indicators of the Human Development Index. Extreme poverty, HIV and AIDS and economic stagnation are some of the factors that are pushing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to the bottom of the Human Poverty Index. PWRDF’s Africa program focuses on poverty reduction; rural development, food security, HIV and AIDS prevention and education, and micro-credit financing to help communities generate their own capital. Weaving a Culture of Peace with Justice.
Weaving a Culture of Peace with Justice
One of the primary aims of PWRDF's program in Africa is to address peace and justice issues, particularly in the conflict-affected areas of the Great Lakes Regions (DR Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi, and also in Sudan.
In Rwanda, Burundi and Congo we approach peace building regionally because of the interlocking complexity of issues in the three countries. We support human rights groups such as La Ligue ITEKA, La Ligue des Droits de la Personne de la Règion des Grand Lacs (LDGL), Women and a Culture of Peace, and Liprodor. They operate in the three countries to assess human rights violations, produce reports on the violations, support peace and reconciliation initiatives, and civil society forums that deal with human rights issues.
For instance, they have compiled and distributed through the population transcripts of human rights laws to raise people's awareness about their rights. They work with police and magistrates to improve the justice system. In collaboration with Human Rights Watch, our partners document and broadcast human rights abuses, and also work with national media and the International Crisis Group to keep a watch on the evolution of peace and human rights. Their publications include a number of reports on violence and impunity in the Great Lakes area, and the dynamics of peace and the logic of war. Our partners value and make a place for women's voices and contributions to the peace process.
In Sudan, PWRDF works with two councils of churches. In the North the Sudan Council of Churches provides rehabilitation and emergency services for southern populations displaced in the North. The New Sudan Council of Churches in the South provides support for peace initiatives in ecumenical peace centres.
Building a Moral Economy
PWRDF's largest development programs are in Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, and Burundi. In those five countries we focus on responding to basic human needs and HIV/AIDS. Therefore, our programs most often integrate issues of water and sanitation, health care, HIV/AIDS prevention, education and care, agriculture, nutrition, credit loans, and women's empowerment.
Example: Tumelong Farm
An example of integrated development is the Tumelong vegetable farm project in the Diocese of Pretoria, South Africa. The project's goal is to train 20 very low-income community members in hydroponic farming. With the training, formerly unskilled people received national certification as specialists in the field. At the same time as they trained, they grew sweet peppers and sold them to supermarket chains in Johannesburg and Pretoria. The sweet pepper income sustains an orphanage project.
