Africans for Africa

We are accustomed to hearing of Africa’s ongo-

geous and dedicated individuals—a princess, a

ing challenges of poverty, disease, and war. We

doctor, an entrepreneur, and several pastors—

are accustomed to being solicited for dona-

who daily engage in a joyful struggle to lift their

tions by Western relief agencies working in

African brothers and sisters out of privation,

Africa. But how often do we hear of what Africans

illness, illiteracy, conflict, and spiritual bondage.

themselves are doing for their continent? There

Of course, for each person profiled here there

is a growing awareness today that only Africa

are thousands of other Africans doing similar

can solve Africa’s problems and that the devel-

things at every level and on every scale, from

oped world can best help by supporting nation-

Christ-filled washerwomen to Holy Spirit-led

als working on the front lines.

royalty. Join us in celebrating and learning from

In this feature we meet a handful of coura-

these inspired servants of the Lord.

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DREW HOOD/ThrowingLight.com

africans for africa

t h e

r o y a l

s e r va n t A pri n c ess f i g h t s f o r t h e w o me n and prisoners of N igeria

by KAREN MODEROW

P

rincess Oyebiola Oyewumi is a woman of substance and influence in Nigeria, where her father-in-law reigns as king of Ogbomoso, Oyo State. But family status is not what defines her life. A strikingly beautiful woman, the princess has a royal bearing that exudes confidence while her eyes convey compassion and determination. It’s a combination that makes her compelling both as an ally of Africa’s disadvantaged and as a “force to be reckoned with.”

As working royalty, Oyewumi advocates for women and prisoners in Nigeria through the legal system, social programs, and NGOs. Her work is more than a charitable inclination; it’s a passion for which she trained and is qualified to address.

The princess is an attorney with two master’s degrees: one in legal drafting and parliamentary counseling from the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in Lagos and another in family and human rights law from the University of Ibadan.

Her credentials as legislator, her experience as an active member of the International Bar Association, and her royal position make her a uniquely effective leader in shaping Africa’s future. She sits at the table with policymakers from around the world to develop strategies for enacting laws to protect and empower women and families. She participates in international networks that provide financial, personnel, and strategic resources to support women in advocating in A princess who preaches—Oyewumi shares her faith in word and deed. Photo: Billy Grimes PRISM 2008

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Oyemumi’s credentials as a legislator, her experience as an active attorney, and her royal position make her a uniquely effective leader in shaping Africa’s future. Photo: Billy Grimes the surviving wife legal grounds to challenge any relatives who would take what rightfully belongs to her and her children. She prevented the passage of a bill introduced by Muslims to establish Shari`ah law in Oyo State, a law proven to be especially oppressive to women. The princess successfully argued that such a bill contradicted Section 10 of the Constitution of Nigeria, which prohibits the government from declaring any religion as a state religion. In collaboration with several women’s international organizations, she proposed the Women’s Representation Law, passed in 2006, which mandated that at least 30 percent of each level of government positions go to women. She lobbied for the enactment of the 2007 Child’s Rights Act (supported by UNICEF).

Oyewumi’s legislative experience prepared her for her current job as deputy director of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja. It is the only court-connected alternative dispute resolution center in Nigeria and Africa as a whole under the auspices of the federal judiciary. Its goal is to reduce the logjam of legal cases in the system by offering another option for justice besides litigation.

One of the problems in Nigeria’s legal system is the length of time prisoners must wait before their cases are heard. The princess says,“Out of every 10,000 inmates, 8,500 are awaiting trail. Most wait 10-15 years. Many have committed minor crimes that are bailable with a conviction of a year or two in jail, but they end up serving much longer. Others die before their cases are heard.”

To address this, the princess pushed for a committee on speedy trial, a team composed of lawyers, the director of public prosecution, the chief judge, and other judges. Once a quarter, they come as a group to the prison with case folders in hand, review cases, and release some inmates immediately.

Each time they meet, 50 to 70 cases are resolved this way.

Oyewumi could have viewed her effectiveness as a legal change agent enough, but her commitment to Nigeria is both strategic and personal. She has always worked with a higher purpose in mind. Though she and her husband, Prince Oyebanji Yemi Oyewumi, are devout Christians who use their influence and resources to help those most marginalized in their society, things took a very personal turn when a friend of hers invited her to visit Agodi Prison.

“My first visit to the prison in 1995 shocked me,” said the princess. “My friend advised me not to get emotionally involved. But how could I not after seeing the desperation and pain the prisoners faced? The sight of the women touched me. Most were pregnant by the guards and warden.

They had no water to bathe. Facilities designed for 50 inmates often housed 500. And because of the overcrowding, most had terrible skin conditions.”

She began by visiting the prison regularly, bringing food,

their own nations.

It was the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995, that fueled Oyewumi’s desire to do something about the plight of women in her country. “In Africa, the education of a girl child is not encouraged,” says the princess. With the support of UNICEF and the Women Lawyers Association, she and other women now systematically go into the countryside educating men and women about the value of women in their society.

“We often go to the marketplaces where we stage a play, maybe dance, then we set up a podium and talk to the people.

We tell the men to write a will.Without it, when a man dies, his family sweeps in, taking everything, destroying the wife and their children. We also tell them to send their daughters to school. ‘Look at us,’ we say. ‘Your girls can have a better life.

They can be successful like us if they have an education. It benefits you and it benefits society.’ ” Lack of self -esteem is a real problem for African women.

“For years they have been treated like furniture or cattle, with no rights as a person,” says the princess. “They are often sexually and physically abused. Until recently they could not inherit.”

This to some extent has changed, thanks to the efforts of reformers like Oyewumi. A bill, presently at the federal level, titled the “Violence against Women Bill” would prohibit all forms of inhuman and degrading treatment against women.

The princess recognizes that laws alone do not change the attitudes of a culture, but having legal standing makes change possible.

In her beginning years as a crusader, she focused on impacting the legislative system. For 14 years she served in the state parliament as a legal advisor and drafter of legislation. The substance of her work is impressive. She introduced the Widowhood Inheritance Law, passed in 2003, which grants

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blankets, clothing, medical supplies, and medical personnel to attend to the immediate needs of the inmates. But as she developed relationships with the inmates, she wanted to do more. In 2000, she began Word Alive prison ministries. She and her team of volunteers (five women and seven men) bring the gospel and set up leadership training inside the jail so that the inmates participate in coordinating the ministry’s work from the inside. Besides meeting physical needs, Word Alive provides a wide range of services for inmates, including legal advice and intervention.

But the princess is not content to restrict the ministry to within the prison walls. Word Alive recently secured four acres of land in Ibadan, in Oyo State, to build a halfway house for men and women who go through the Christ-based leader-

ship training program available to them in prison. “A lot of the inmates cannot return home, because their families reject them or they are ashamed,” says the princess. “They need a place to go so that they are not drawn back into a life of crime.”

Word Alive provides housing for newly released inmates as well as vocational training. “We arrange for an apartment and, if needed, subsidize rent for a year or two until they get on their feet. But our goal is to assist them in becoming selfsupporting. We ask them what they want to do, then try to get them whatever training and equipment is needed to help them accomplish their goal.”

The ministry either buys or networks within the community to gather what is needed for an inmate to realize his or

Selling charity to Africa’s wealthy b y K are n M o der o w

Charitable giving is something most Americans take for granted. According to Giving & Volunteering in the United States 2001 (Independent Sector), 89 percent of US households make charitable contributions. But in Africa, people are just beginning to understand that the continent’s own nonprofits have a part to play in its development. In The Role of African NGOs in Africa’s Sustainable Development, author Mamadou Lamine Thiam asserts that “Today, Africa is in the grip of an unprecedented crisis, due essentially to the exclusion of people from the search for solutions to their own problems.”1 While worldwide foreign aid to Africa is legendary,Thiam notes that it has not been particularly effective. “Faced with this situation, African populations are now coming together to take their destiny into their own hands. The proliferation of organizations of peasant and village women with links to NGOs and civil society is a good indication of Africa’s ability to rely upon herself, something of which African NGOs are well aware.”

Oyewumi and her husband are among those who are stepping up to the plate. Their Word Alive prison ministry, which seeks to provide support and assistance for prisoners during and after incarceration, is the kind of NGO African leaders are counting on. However, funding charities in a culture unaccustomed to giving is a challenge. Statistics on African-to-African giving are difficult to find in the absence of a continental data base, but Oyewumi believes giving is

an attribute now missing from Africa’s social conscience that must be taught.

Most of the funding for Word Alive comes from the prince and the princess themselves. They do have some loyal supporters but it has been a struggle to get other Africans, even wealthy Africans, to give. “It’s not like the US, where people are accustomed to give to charity,” she says. “Here people are not used to thinking selflessly. When people get money, they just want to buy a bigger house.”

Getting her wealthy friends to consider giving to those who have need requires a whole new mindset. One effective approach has been to bring her friends to an event where they can meet the inmates. “It’s hard to get them to come to the prison, so we often have programs where they can interact with former inmates who are participating in our ministry.

To those who give to the ministry I say, ‘I am your hands and feet.’”

Then she hopes and prays that they, too, will catch the vision of the joy of serving.

1

he Role of African NGOs is part of Voices from Africa, T a six-book series written by “African authors from a variety of backgrounds expressing their own visions of their continent’s march towards sustainable development.” Accessible at www.unsystem.org/ngls/documents/publications.en/ voices.africa/number6/vfa6.01.htm

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her goal.“One woman wanted to be a seamstress, so we bought her a sewing machine and a small generator,” says the princess, explaining that power outages are common in Nigeria.

“Right now the ministry helps newly released inmates on a one-by-one basis,” she says, “but the facilities to be built on the new property will greatly increase the ministry’s effectiveness.” Plans include a separate hostel for men and women and a workshop for vocational training where the former inmates can learn haircutting, sewing, carpentry, mechanics, plumbing, and a host of other trades. They will also have the opportunity to learn about raising poultry and fish as well as farming.

Oyewumi has no illusions about the difficulties of developing this program. To date nearly a hundred inmates have taken advantage of what is offered through Word Alive. But of this group, only half actually stayed with the program.

Years of crime, abuse, and hard living make it difficult for the people she is dedicated to serve to trust others and believe in their future.

“We are more successful with the women than the men at this point because they’re not as hardened. But we are determined to bring the hope of the gospel to as many as we can reach.”

Oyewumi’s approach to prison work is straightforward: winning the inmates’ trust by visiting consistently and helping provide for their needs; developing good relationships with the prison wardens and guards so they support the work; and celebrating life alongside the prisoners. Sometimes the prison itself becomes the site of a celebration, explains the princess.

“We arrange for them to have water for showers, bring nice clothes for them to wear, then cook a cow and bring in food for a party. We sing and dance. These events give a few hours of dignity and joy to people who desperately need it.”

The demands of Oyewumi’s ministry and professional work fully engage her skills as a businesswoman and a princess.

Networking, organizing, fundraising, and lobbying, along with social and legal expertise, are the tools she uses to fashion her royal, political, and professional worlds together. But what she depends on is the absolute certainty of the gospel’s power to transform lives.

Her certitude remained unchanged even when she herself was victimized by crime. One year, while she and her husband were traveling, a group of bandits broke into their home, tied up the guards, and took everything they could carry.

Teasing her, the prince said, “And these are the people we are helping?”

She admits prison work is not for those who are easily discouraged. Setbacks just motivate the princess to do more.

Today she is working to recruit 10 more women attorneys to help her. “What keeps me going is the response of the

Oyewumi celebrates life alongside the prisoners.

Photo: Billy Grimes

inmates,” she says.

Pastor Abel is one of the success stories. He became a Christian while in prison and trained as a pastor while awaiting execution. Then, miraculously, he received amnesty. “We have a custom that on Independence Day several prisoners are pardoned by the governor. Abel was selected.”

Today Pastor Abel is a husband and father, and as pastor of a local church he works with Word Alive ministries to help inmates transition to life outside prison walls.The transformation of men such as Abel reinforces Oyewumi’s conviction that any person can be redeemed. “Many of those I work with are robbers and murderers,” she says quietly, “but I see them all as beautiful creatures of God.” Rather than hide behind her royal status to avoid the unpleasant realities of her nation’s disenfranchised, Oyewumi uses it to accomplish what others cannot. “I know the prison work is what I am called to do,” she says. “I started out doing this because I wanted to give back. But now I feel humbled. It isn’t hard. It fills me with joy to be able to serve the inmates.” n Karen Moderow is a freelance writer from Atlanta, Ga., who passionately supports training leaders in the developing world to evangelize their own nations. She wrote “The Bishop and the Mango Tree,” about an indigenous Balinese church, in the Jan/Feb 2007 issue.

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t h e

b u s i n e s s

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compassioN A S o u t h A frican entreprene u r u ses h er s k ills to fig h t A I D S b y K are n M o der o w

M

agda van der Walt is a woman with many jobs but a single passion—to bring the hope of the gospel to South Africa. As a prominent commercial real estate consultant, radio host, and founder of Work Skills Resources (a business consulting and leadership development company), Van der Walt’s network gives her access to her country’s top-level government officials and business icons.

Van der Walt unabashedly uses her influence to address Africa’s social challenges as a way to fulfill the biblical mandate to evangelize the world. She has resisted attempts to draft her for political position, convinced that her current roles give her more flexibility to minister, but she enjoys near-celebrity status in South Africa, where she is known simply as Magda.

Van der Walt works on many fronts—countering the growing Islamic influence in South Africa, discipling the wives of African kings and leading them to the Lord, and serving as liaison between Christian charities and government organizations. But with an estimated 5.4 million people in South Africa infected with the HIV virus, AIDS prevention is her

Van der Walt’s weekly radio show reaches 180,000 listeners.

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Left: Magda van der Walt reviews curriculum at the Kenya Theological Institute.

unable to withstand the social pressure to send them,” she says.

“Refusal means disassociation from the tribe.”

The coming-of-age ritual is sacred and requires weeks of preparation. In the bush, young men are taught the ways and values of the culture and bond with the other male members present in a life-changing way. Its bloody culmination, usually carried out by a person selected by the family, marks the young male not only as a man but also as a full member of the tribe.

Circumcision as a symbol of belonging is not new and is, in fact, rooted in our Judeo heritage. In Genesis 17 God told Abraham, “…Every male among you shall be circumcised.

You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.”The circumcision of Abraham as an adult, his son Ishmael at 13, and the son of Moses as a youth underscore the importance of the ritual in biblical times.

Jewish males are still circumcised eight days after birth.

Powerful familial bonding takes place as the child is physically touched by those significant in his life, when he is named after honored family members and then circumcised.

The point is that the ritual of circumcision in many cultures past and present is laden with social significance that should be respected. This is especially true in Africa, where tribal identification is paramount. The numerous factions fighting within Africa are seldom the result of political differences but almost always of tribal loyalties.Van der Walt and Lawrence soon realized that an effective solution to the problem of ritual circumcision required an approach that would honor tribal traditions. The “how” question was answered providentially.

In 2000, while delayed on an international flight,Van der Walt struck up a conversation with fellow passenger Dr. T. Gurcharan Singh from Malaysia. After Van der Walt told him about her AIDS prevention work, he told her about a medical device he had invented called the Tara KLamp® a disposable, sterilized clamp, specifically designed for performing circumcisions in primitive conditions. When she learned even nonmedical persons could be taught to perform the bloodless and relatively painless procedure, the application of the clamp in ritual circumcision was obvious. And as the doctor expressed his frustration at not being able get the device where it was needed, she realized the DOE AIDS education classes provided a natural network. So Van der Walt secured the rights to distribute the Tara KLamp.® She mobilized a team to educate national and local leaders about its benefits and then crafted a culturally sensitive plan to reach families.

The program, known as the “Seize the Day” campaign, is run by the Community Empowerment Trust (an NGO she founded) and is carried out by a cooperative of public and private interests. WSR is involved in implementation.

priority. Intense international attention has let the world know that AIDS is the defining issue of African society, but ignorance about how the disease is transmitted and how it can be prevented is still rampant.

“A former deputy president of the country admitted that he had had sex with a woman he knew had AIDS,”Van der Walt says,“but didn’t think he was at risk because he had been careful to take a hot shower afterwards. Realistically, if there is that kind of ignorance at the highest levels of government, how effective do we think our national AIDS education program has been?”

The Department of Education (DOE) in South Africa is hoping to improve AIDS awareness by contracting with local companies to provide health education at the tribal level.

Thanks to a well-defined business plan, Van der Walt’s Work Skills Resources (WSR) is now a service provider to the DOE, which allows her team, led by business and ministry partner Tony Lawrence, to address the issue of HIV prevention with some government sanction.

Numerous factors contribute to the AIDS epidemic in Africa, but there is one practice that can infect hundreds of young men in a few short hours—ritualistic circumcision.

It’s an issue Van der Walt is determined to address. At the age of 18, young men are sent into the bush for several weeks of tribal initiation and then circumcised. The gruesome ceremony often leaves young men mutilated. Some die. Many more are infected with AIDS because one ceremonial knife may be used on the entire group. At first, Van der Walt and Lawrence worked with families, warning them of the dangers and encouraging them to forbid their sons to participate. But this approach failed.

“Even in Christian families where we had more influence and parents did not want their sons to go, families were

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The first step was to solicit the help of tribal leaders.

WSR trains men to go into rural areas and establish relationships with chiefs, healers, and mothers. They have found that women, though relatively powerless in most tribal matters, will take a stand to protect their sons.The loss of a boy in the bush is doubly tragic because families have no opportunity to mourn. If a young man dies during the ritual, the returning men simply lay the youth’s blanket and walking stick at the door of his home.The tribe is forbidden to mention the boy again or to speak of what happened. Faced with this prospect, mothers have become the staunchest advocates for the campaign and have proven highly successful in influencing decision-makers.

Working through the recognized tribal healer has been another effective strategy. Held in high regard by the tribe, the healer usually resists any challenge to tradition. But showing respect by asking for his help often gets team members a fair hearing. Dynamics can also be improved if the healer is the one trained to do the procedure, as the training adds to his prestige and gives him a vested interest in the success of the program.

The model is simple and easily replicated. Each boy in the tribe is given a kit that contains not only sterile instruments for the circumcision but also a Bible. A series of community classes educates the boys about the procedure and AIDS prevention. Though WSR cannot be evangelistic, the meetings provide the opportunity for team members to talk about biblical standards and how a morality-based lifestyle can protect them against AIDS. The classes have another important function. As South African youths come through the program, team leaders are able to develop friendships, share Christ one-on-one, and identify those best suited for further education, training, and/ or employment in one of the many business ventures in which Van der Walt has contacts. The AIDS education classes have become network centers where young men gain exposure to greater life opportunities.

AIDS prevention strategies, however, are constantly evolving. Just when Van der Walt and her team had reconciled themselves to circumcision as part of the coming-of-age ritual, a catalyst for change came from an unexpected source.

In March 2007 the United Nations stated that “there is compelling evidence circumcision reduces the risk of men contracting the AIDS virus by up to 60 percent.” The World Health Organization and UNAIDS agreed. As a result, many African governments are now actively promoting circumcision clinics.*

The publicity focused on the need for circumcision has not only made the tribes more aware of the Tara KLamp,® it is acclimating them to the idea of separating the act of circumcision from the tribal initiation. This would allow circumcisions to take place in clinics where sterile environments provide vastly better outcomes. Lawrence notes, “Another breakthrough is that the parents are accepting that the boys should come for their circumcisions from the age of 12 years! Therefore, they don’t have to wait until they are 18 years old.They will go for their camps when they are 18, but they feel it is necessary to circumcise the boys much earlier before they become sexually active.”

This is exciting news for Van der Walt and her team, who rejoice in any development that may reduce AIDS transmission. As these events unfold,Van der Walt has a God-ordained

Numerous factors contribute to the AIDS epidemic in Africa, but there is one practice that can infect hundreds of young men in a few short hours — ritualistic circumcision. It’s an issue Van der Walt is determined to address. sense of being “in the right place at the right time.” She says, “My mission is to save young men’s lives so that they have a chance to live and hear the gospel.”

Now world awareness, the will of Africa, and Van der Walt’s calling have converged into a season of opportunity for her ministry. Kenya, Burundi, Uganda, and Tanzania have recently joined South Africa in requesting distributorships for the Tara KLamp.® Van der Walt couldn’t be happier. She’s already working on a plan to set up the distributorships as microbusinesses that local men in each community can own.

That would require providing leadership training, teaching business principles, creating internships, arranging financing… but it can be done. She’s sure of it. n Karen Moderow is a freelance writer from Atlanta, Ga., who passionately supports training leaders in the developing world to evangelize their own nations.

* Note: The UN findings have not gone undisputed. The current health minister of South Africa, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, went on the record saying she is not convinced circumcision prevents AIDS. Her response was not appreciated by AIDS advocates, given the fact that South Africa has the largest number of people infected with the AIDS virus of any nation.Van der Walt is not taking sides, citing the need for more studies, but either way, the fact that circumcision is being openly discussed has proved helpful to the cause.

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M o v i n g

Pictures A Ugandan pastor s h ares C h rist t h ro u g h a film ministr y b y Kami L . R ice

W

ith a cloudless sky enclosing the islands of East Africa’s Lake Victoria in its azure dome, it’s easy to forget, from the vantage of a colorful wooden fishing boat on the lake, that there is a “rest of the world.”

Sam Tsapwe, however, never seems to struggle with remembering the rest of the world, whether he’s ministering to people on these remote Lake Victoria islands or to people in Sudan, Uganda’s northern neighbor, or to people in Uganda’s capital city of Kampala, where he lives.

Standing 6 feet tall, Tsapwe is a solid man, both inside and out, and a dedicated servant of God. He is slow to speak and soft-spoken when he does, but he’s the kind of person one is willing to wait for and lean in to hear. He’s quietly passionate in his care for the people of Uganda’s Ssese Islands and of Southern Sudan, people about whom, he believes, God cares deeply.

A native Ugandan who remembers the challenges of being a Christian during Idi Amin’s rule, Tsapwe runs a Kampala branch of the Jesus Film Ministries from a borrowed office at Mission Aviation Fellowship’s administrative compound.

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Sam Tsapwe preaches to the church congregation on Bukasa Island before showing the film outdoors. Photo: Layton Thompson

and dirt to illustrate the biblical command for Christians not to lose their saltiness or plugging a single light bulb into his generator at twilight and exhorting believers to “be the light!”, Tsapwe seeks to ground believers in biblical truth.

With a deep humility that can sometimes edge into selfdoubt, Tsapwe marvels at how God uses him to advance his work. As converts walked forward to receive Jesus following one of Tsapwe’s sermons last September, he whispered, “People are coming to Jesus, and I didn’t even make an altar call.” On a different night, several unforeseeable setbacks had challenged a scheduled film showing in the Southern Sudanese town of Ikotos. Hiding his suspicion that the evening was going to be a failure, Tsapwe introduced the film with enthusiasm. In the end, failure wasn’t God’s plan; up to 20 people became new Christians that night. Tsapwe said he’d shown films in that town before with higher attendance and fewer faith decisions. Clearly the results are in God’s hands.

Regularly encountering spiritual warfare as they minister in communities throughout Uganda and Sudan, Tsapwe and his partners saturate their work in prayer, certain of God’s victory. “It’s a beautiful thing to witness someone coming to Jesus,” says Tsapwe, “moving from one world to another before you.” n

He used to work full time for MAF and do Jesus Film work on the side, but about five years ago he sensed God calling him into full-time film ministry work.

Partnering with a wide network of pastors and churches from a variety of denominations, Tsapwe says his primary focuses are outreach to unbelievers and training of pastors/ church leaders.Though he does show films to assorted groups, his work extends beyond the narrow duties the ministry’s name might suggest. He also organizes and leads conferences for pastors, heads up medical and other ministry teams providing care in partnership with churches, and participates in youth conferences.

Far from being restricted to the Jesus film, Tsapwe’s rich film library includes movies covering a variety of Christian themes. When preparing for a showing, he consults the host pastors and leaders to choose the most appropriate film for the audience. Tsapwe shows films only in partnership with local churches, he explains, because showing films in places without churches would leave new Christians without local support.

Considering himself a supporter of pastors and carefully avoiding making himself the focus of attention, he’s quick to point back to the local church and depends on them for follow-up.

In spite of his reserve, Tsapwe has a gentle charisma that emerges most clearly when he preaches. His face lights up as his passion for sharing the gospel takes over, using the whole of his energetic body to engage the audience in a practical understanding of Scripture. Whether mixing salt Opposite: Sam Tsapwe

Freelance writer Kami Rice (kamirice.com) spent the fall of 2007 traveling in Africa, writing stories for mission organizations, and meeting amazing people.This year she’s spending a month in Haiti and relocating to the UK in order to continue living and writing cross-culturally.

Photo: Layton Thompson

Right: Tsapwe dances to African praise music with village children before showing a film. Photo: Layton Thompson PRISM 2008

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D e f e n d e r o f W i d o w s , Fat h e r to t h e

Fatherless B ringing h ope t h ro u g h mi c r o e n t erprise , ed u c a t i o n , and interfait h efforts b y O bed M inc h a k p u

Takai Shamang

Sunday Agang

I

n Nigeria, a three-headed demon roams the land, first creating and then devouring widows, orphans, and the weak. As religious conflict, AIDS, and poverty rob families of their loved ones, their health, and their well-being, women and children become increasingly vulnerable—to unscrupulous family members as well as to the ever-growing fundamentalist Muslim population. It is not uncommon to hear of teenage daughters of Christian widows being kidnapped and forced into Islam or being enticed with gifts to

convert to Islam without the consent of their Christian parents.The body of Christ in Nigeria is often overwhelmed with the burden of caring for this needy population.

In response to these problems, Takai Shamang, a former labor leader in Nigeria and a trade unionist for 40 years, founded Ganty’s Aid to the Widows, Orphans, and the Needy in 1997. Sparked by his family’s desire to minister to the needs of the underprivileged both inside and outside the church, the ministry eventually grew to the point where Shamang

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Widows supported by GOWAN take off on an evangelistic march.

invited two partners—Rev. Sunday Agang and Rev. Moses Bamai, both pastors of the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA)—to join him in the work.

Empowerment of widows is a primary concern. Shamang describes a culture in which widows and orphans are regularly deprived of their dead husband/father’s property. Not only are widows not cared for by their husband’s relations, but they are frequently chased from their homes. Even funeral benefits, normally provided by a man’s employer, are often snatched from the surviving wife and children. “In most cases, these widows are left with tears of sorrow throughout the mourning period and thereafter,” explains Shamang. “What’s more, the children are usually forcefully taken away from widows, who are then forced to return to their parents’ homes.

“As soon as a man dies, his relatives descend on his corpse in search of money. In some cases, the wife is falsely accused of being responsible for the man’s death,” he says.

“We have to fight against this societal vice. This is the main reason behind the emergence of our ministry.”

To enable them to be productive, GOWAN provides widows with soft loans and serves as a guarantor for those who seek loans from banks and other financial institutions.

“Some of the women sell fabric, others keep livestock, others engage in pig farming, and others operate grinding mills.

Still others sell food items,” says Shamang.

Shamang explains that the widows are empowered via a revolving loan of $50 to $100, depending on the project each is capable of handling.The money enables the widows to get into gainful activities that can generate some income for them, allowing them to care for their children’s needs.

“We encourage widows to save,” says Shamang, “and right now these widows have saved more than 1 million naira (US$100,000) in their account. The intention is to link the widows to financial institutions and use their savings as a guarantee for them to obtain loans from the banks.” From 2001 to 2004, over 500 widows received revolving loans from GOWAN.

GOWAN organizes seminars and workshops for widows, with a view to educating them in entrepreneurial opportunities and in the areas of healthcare and agricultural production.

GOWAN’s cooperative arm provides widows with agricultural seedlings and saplings from the ministry’s nursery of palm and orange trees and other plants. The aim of the ministry is to help those who think of themselves as worthless to see themselves as people capable of self-sufficiency and sustainability.

Widows and their children are also given the opportunity to become literate in information technology through the acquisition of computer keyboarding skills. Donated computers have enabled the ministry to open a computer center in the town of Manchok.

“We provide the orphans with basic skills and educate them through provision of scholarships in high schools and tertiary institutions,” Shamang explains. “We start the much younger orphans in nursery schools. Right now we have a program we call Junior Achievement, which brings together children ages 14-19 and provides them with entrepreneurial education. The aim is to enable them to start their own small-scale businesses. We give them seed money to start their businesses,” he adds.

Developing and maintaining a healthy working relationship with Muslims is a cardinal part of GOWAN’s ministry.

Its empowerment programs minister to Muslim women, both married and widowed, and orphans, as well as to Christians. They are thus exposed to the gospel as they participate in Bible studies and fellowship with Christian women and their children. According to Shamang, 15 Muslim widows are currently engaged in baking and selling peanut cakes, while others produce income with milling machines which were procured with GOWAN loans.

Shamang says that Muslim politicians have taken advantage of religious conflicts in Northern Nigeria, using them to fan clashes and going so far as to use Muslim orphans to Continued on page 22.

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a Ministry of

Emp o w e r m e n t e q u i P ping c h u rc h es to transform t h eir comm u nities

by HELEN OROMBI

A

t the age of 9, Florence Muindi had a life-changing experience. “At school during recess, my classmate shared that she had accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, and she really wanted me to experience it, too. So she explained in a way that I understood enough to make that decision. When we went back into class after recess, I asked the teacher if I could make an announcement, because my friend had made clear that if you accept Christ you have to confess him. So I explained to them what had happened, and many people in that class actually made a decision out of that confession!”

So began the native Kenyan’s lifelong passion for sharing and incarnating the love of Christ. When her father died in a tragic accident some years later, Muindi, who was just getting ready to graduate from high school, began asking God some tough, existential questions. “What was Dad’s purpose in life that you would believe he had completed it and would take him home?” led to “What is my purpose? In what particular way do you want me to bring glory to you?”

As she sought God’s will for her life, Miundi began to understand that she would one day minister to the poor by bringing health to communities. College led to medical school, which led to a master’s program in public health followed by further training in systems management to learn how to respond to crises that affect large populations.

While in Ethiopia with a mission agency with her husband, Muindi felt God leading them to create an organization that would give them the structure and accountability they needed to do good work among the poor. In 2000, they founded Life in Abundance International, a nonprofit that PRISM 2008

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Right: Children stand outside their home in the slums of Addis Ababa.

Opposite: Doctor Muindi ministers to a patient during a mobile clinic. is headquartered in Ethiopia and currently works in seven African countries.

Led by an international team of country-specific directors/ boards, Life in Abundance takes a unique approach by dealing exclusively with churches. “When we sense God calling us into a particular community, we begin by finding a church in that area that is looking to transform its community,” explains Muindi. “Once we find a church—or even just a small group of believers, which is often the case in those countries that are hostile to Christianity—we do a community diagnostic, either through prayer walking or through medical outreach clinics, which help us prioritize and decide which needs can be addressed through the church. Then we design churchbased ministries.”

Some of the most common ministries launched by Life in Abundance are HIV/AIDS outreaches and ministries to street children.They also do dental care, eye care, and homevisit medical care ministries, health education training, water and sanitation projects, and holistic transformation initiatives.

Poverty alleviation through income-generation activities and microenterprise is another aspect of their work.

By way of example, Muindi recounts the transformation of Mekanisa, a slum community in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. “The church we decided on working with in Mekanisa was very small,” she says. “They had about 25 members and were meeting every Sunday in a tiny rented room. It was filthy and located right next to a crowded refugee camp, so lots of people passed by every day asking for help from the church. They were feeling pressure to meet needs, but they didn’t know how and didn’t have many resources.”

Small as it was, the church was already hosting a compassion project, sponsoring 320 children from surrounding slum homes.The pastor asked if Muindi would do a health screening for these children. The results of the screening were alarming. According to Muindi, 85 percent of the children had an active disease process, with the five top diseases being worm infestation, skin diseases, eye infections, respiratory infections, and AIDS-related illnesses; 60 percent were dealing with more than one. Although they all walked away with medicines for their conditions, Muindi knew that, due to their current living conditions, most of them would be right back where they started within three months of treatment.

Clearly curative care was not the solution.

“Years before, God had called me to a three-fold ministry to the poor: heal, feed, and deliver. Heal their diseases through health education, treatment, and primary healthcare interventions. Feed the hungry through nutrition education, food provision, income generation, micro-entrepreneurships, and skills training. And deliver them from the cycle of pov-

erty—break the yoke of Satan, the slavery to sin.”

Determined to help the church help its neighbors, Life in Abundance began training a team of church members to do community healthwork, which involved home visits and health education. They invited the families of the 320 children to hear the results of the health screening and emphasized that medicine was not the solution—the community itself was responsible to ensure health for all. From among those gathered, more team members were selected, more training ensued, and a life-changing, community-owned movement began.

“They soon mobilized families to do things like sweep the streets, clean the public toilet, create an environment where the children could play safely, and begin to address the gangs in the area so there could be peace,” Muindi recalls. “They formed committees in the community so they could be empowered to speak as one voice.” The church became the place where people gathered to plan, pool resources, and receive some services. A team was trained to go out into people’s homes to pray with them and introduce them to Christ. “People began to be saved.”

“We met a group of women, most of whom were lepers who had settled near the local leprosy hospital and whose only source of income was begging,” she continues. “So we got a grant and started a revolving loan program at the church.

We trained the church folks in microenterprise—how to look at the market to see what opportunities exist to generate income. By beginning small, they slowly built confidence in themselves and eventually came to believe that they could not only help themselves but also go on to help others.”

Fast forward to today: The church has grown from 20 members to 700 members and planted two additional churches in the neighborhood, each with 200 to 300 members, and transformation is visible.

“There used to be a lot of insecurity in that community because of the gangs, but that has completely changed as

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point and meeting place of the community efforts. We do not set up institutions. If working with orphans, we look for families through the church who are able to take them in.

We do not own the ministry; it belongs to the church. We are there to facilitate and see it grow, but once we feel that a church has embraced it and are running with it, we move on to a new church.”

Muindi insists that the work of Life in Abundance could not go forward without its corporate commitment to Scripture-reading and prayer. “We go into areas where there is great suffering and injustice, places where evil is thriving.

It’s not something we can tackle by strategy or because we have medical training; we know that we are coming against the kingdom of darkness. But we do this because of Christ.

We’ve given our lives so that others may have life and have it in all its fullness.” n

people have begun to find their place in society,” says Muindi.

“We targeted the gangs, did retreats for them, invited them to fun events, and most of them changed. In fact, two of the former gang leaders are now youth pastors in this church.

That is transformation—when people begin to change inside in such a way that there is a physical manifestation of change.

The community has cleaned up. The church started a school so the children study right inside the church. Just the church coming to an understanding of their mandate to serve and bless the community is evidence of transformation. Today, Christians are respected in that area because they are doing exactly what they are supposed to do as a church.”

Instead of creating new institutions or launching new nonprofits, Life in Abundance empowers existing churches to do the work of the church. “Our goal is to empower the church to be the change agent. We provide pastoral training and leadership development; we teach them how to write a grant proposal and relate to partners outside the church.

Instead of building an office or new building, we work from the existing church building so that it becomes the focal

A native of Uganda, Helen Orombi is a doctoral student in ministry at Palmer Seminary in Philadelphia. She also works as an outpatient therapist with urban children.

Defender of Widows, Father to the Fatherless continued from page 19. a positive impact on the lives of the widows.

In recent years GOWAN’s activities have attracted the attention of the Kaduna State government. “In the past, Muslim leaders hated Christian communities,” says Agang.

“But now they see churches supporting Muslim widows and orphans. This has attracted the attention of Muslims in government and they are reaching Christian communities with social services. Now, Muslims from other parts of Kaduna State are asking us to extend our programs to their communities.”

“They are tired of the wars, violence, and the killings,” continues Agang. “‘Please come to us—this is the type of thing we want,’ they always plead with us. So I believe something positive is happening through this ministry, and it is encouraging. That is why we would not shy away from this approach we have taken.” n

burn Christian churches. “So we see our task as empowering these Muslim youths so that they are not idle and susceptible to being manipulated by their politicians to wreak havoc on the church,” says Shamang. “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. That is why we have extended our activities to these Muslims. We believe that it would be difficult for politicians to recruit these youths to cause violence if they are engaged in productive activities.”

On the whole, Shamang says their ministry strives “to create a dynamic community that imbibes the spirit of tolerance. We are happy that we now have Muslim women and youths working alongside Christians in our communities.”

He also says they have seen a reduction of religious violence in the area.

GOWAN’s ministry is nondenominational and encourages interaction of Christians irrespective of their church affiliation.

In this way true Christian unity can be attained in the body of Christ. “This has now broken the suspicion that had existed between churches in these areas,” Agang says. Reports from the various churches in the area show that widows are among those who actively support mission work. The ministry leaders see this as further evidence that GOWAN is having

Obed Minchakpu (obedminchakpu@yahoo.com) is a “media missionary” with a diverse educational background in theology, journalism, physics, and mechanical engineering. He also ministers to persecuted Christians in Nigeria, where he lives with his wife and four children in the city of Jos.

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