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AHN logo   April 2014 NEWSLETTER
Anglican Health Network elects new chair

Revd Canon Desmond Lambrechts was elected chair of the new board for the Anglican Health Network at its inaugural meeting on 28th March 2014. 

Desmond has served as an ordained priest for 33 years in the province of Southern Africa, now as Provincial Canon. He has held positions on several provincial and diocesan commissions and was Director of Programmes for AnglicanAids. He regularly advises Archbishop Thabo on health policy.

Desmond was appointed by the Deputy President of South Africa, Kgalema Motlanthe, as chairperson of the South African National AIDS Council and is a member of the trust board representing civil society. He also served as the deputy chairperson with the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, on the country coordinating mechanism for The Global Fund in South Africa. He is currently chair of the Board of Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and Education in South Africa.

Desmond is a lifelong fellow for the Southern Africa-United States Centre for Leadership & Public Values programme between Duke University and the Graduate School of Business, Cape Town. He is currently reading for a PhD in Practical Theology; “The assessment of care and support groups in the Diocese of False Bay”.

In the Diocese of False Bay, he is currently co-chairperson for the Department of Social Development. He is a member of the Ecumenical Health Alliance in Africa and has represented the Anglican Church in Southern Africa in various workshops at CAPA.

Desmond’s strategic leadership in the area of Health has strengthened the vision of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. He is passionate about working towards the establishment of parishes as health literacy networks where communities can access services at any given time.

New AHN Board members include:

Dr. Alan Crouch, Anglican Church of Australia

Naveed Khurram, Church of Pakistan

Revd Dr. Brendan McCarthy, Church of England

Revd Daniel Nuzum, Church of Ireland

Observer - Marie Preston, Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia

The network continues to be coordinated by Revd Paul Holley in Geneva, and its programmes are directed by Lee Hogan in Houston.

In response to the new board and the election of Canon Lambrechts, Revd Paul Holley said, 'We are grateful for the support of the initial board and advisory council that helped to establish AHN. With a new board comprised of provincial representatives, we look to take AHN to the next phase of development. In doing so, we are fortunate to have Desmond's experience and leadership to support us as we move ahead'. 

Among his first steps as chair, Desmond is committed to inviting feedback from provincial health coordinators across the Anglican Communion. He said, ' The role of churches in promoting health and bringing healing is a key feature of their mission. Governments recognise this and in many cases are supporting partnerships. AHN provides the opportunity to share learning and to facilitate collaborative projects. I look forward to finding out more about what Anglicans are doing and to working with fellow board members to support and encourage this critical work of the Kingdom'.

News from the Network
Archbishop Justin visits Congo hospital

Archbishop Justin visited HEAL Africa in Goma with the Archbishop of Congo and the UK’s Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds, to learn more about the devastating impact of sexual violence in conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and see how the Anglican Church is working to end it. HEAL Africa is a hospital which provides medical, psychosocial, spiritual and economic support to survivors of sexual violence, and is partnered with the Anglican Church of the Congo and Tearfund.

  More information about the project and the visit can be found on this link.
 

Medicaid Expansion and the Spiritual Side of Health Care: An Interview with Matthew Ellis of Episcopal Health Ministries

Matthew Ellis is the CEO of Episcopal Health Ministries in Indianapolis, Indiana, which works to promote health ministries in Episcopal congregations throughout the country.  In this interview for the Center for American Progress he describes how congregations can promote health initiatives. The interview can be found on this link.
 
 

Training surgeons in the Diocese of Egypt

The first two residents of the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) program at Harpur Memorial Hospital in Menouf, Dr. Shady Fayik and Dr. Nayer Naiem, started their training in January 2014. Both men are from Assiut and work at Harpur Memorial Hospitals in Menouf and Sadat City. Shady and Nayer are taking the PAACS course to develop their surgical skills to serve the Lord.


 
Further details of the course can be found on the following link.
Zambia Anglican Council fights Malaria

The Anglican Church in Zambia says the fight against malaria in the central African region cannot be won unless all stakeholders come together to address the disease, which remains a “major public health and development challenge on the continent.”

More on this story on the following link.


 



Church in the Province of the West Indies tackles non-communicable diseases

Bishops, clergy and laity from the Church in the Province of the West Indies, gathered in Barbados in August for Congress 2013. The Chairman of the National Commission on Non Communicable Diseases delivered a major presentation and inspired delegates to take action in their parishes. In November, the church passed a resolution supporting the work on non-communicable diseases by the Healthy Caribbean Coalition. It sent a representative to the Coalition’s 5th Annual General Meeting held in Trinidad. 


          

Meanwhile, the Diocese of Barbados continues to present workshops on how to manage diabetes and on HIV prevention.
The Association of Chaplaincy in General Practice launches its website

The UK’s Association of Chaplaincy in General Practice exists to enable Chaplaincy in General Practice to be delivered to agreed national standards. It does this through:

  • promoting awareness of chaplaincy in General Practice
  • facilitating the setting up  of this service within General Practices
  • providing training and professional support to those providing chaplaincy

 

          

Details can be found on the following link.

Medical missions provide care for Haitians and Dominicans

In total, 14 U.S.-based medical mission teams will travel to the Dominican Republic in 2014, up from nine teams in 2013. It’s as much about being a Christian mission and accompanying the Dominican church as it is about providing medical care, say team members. “In giving of their time, the teams are showing an example of God’s love to all humanity,” said Karen Carroll, an Episcopal Church-appointed missionary serving the Diocese of the Dominican Republic.

More on this story.


          

Dr. Richard Taft of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Greenville, North Carolina, treats a young patient during a medical clinic at San Pablo Apostol in Jimaní.

 
Drugs and dignity key to ending AIDS

A road map to increase faith-based organizations’ work in providing life-preserving treatment, especially in low-income countries and among marginalized populations in all parts of the world, is a key outcome of a consultation to expand access to treatment for people living with HIV, co-organized by Caritas Internationalis and UNAIDS, held in Rome, 25-26 February 2014. The meeting was co-sponsored by the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA), among others.


          
For more details of this meeting, follow the link.
DIFAEM Symposium in Tübingen, June 2014

What’s the added value and the specific role of Christian health services? How do they contribute to a better future for billions of people lacking access to quality health care? DIFAEM is organizing an international symposium addressing these questions. The symposium will gather Christians sharing the passion for Christian health care both in the global South and North. The symposium will celebrate the 50th anniversary of a consultation in Tübingen that enthusiastically affirmed the Christian healing ministry. 

For further details, follow this link.





         

News from African health leaders in DR Congo and Tanzania
Bishop Elisha Tendwa calls for support:
I work in the Diocese of Katanga in the Democratic Republic of Congo as Missionary Bishop from Anglican church of Tanzania. The diocese of katanga is a very large and remote region bordering Tanzania. I minister in KALEMIE in TANGANYIKA DISTRICT. The situation of the pigmy people is very poor. They need help physically and spiritually, particularly in health and education. 
Contact Bishop Elisha on elishatendwa (at) yahoo.com

Meet Dr. Philippe Amani Busane from the Anglican Church of Congo, currently studying psychiatry in Senagal. He has a research interest in the treatment of Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis: 
The Anglican Church of Congo, especially the diocese of Bukavu, North Kivu, Boga and Aru, treat many people with psychological problems whose management requires a psychiatrist next to the priest or pastor in charge of pastoral dialogue.

For more information, follow the link.

Revd Isaac Mgego, Director, Berega Mission Hospital, Diocese of Morogoro, Tanzania writes:
On 22nd January, the bridge connecting Berega Mission Hospital was washed away by floods. This presents a major challenge for both the health of the local population and the sustainability of the hospital. 

To support the hospital at this difficult time, contact hospitalberega (at) yahoo.com

     



    

The 2013 Faith in Health and Healing Conference hosted 60 presentations. Reports have been posted online: Faith in Health Net

 
AHN Resources

The AHN website contains a stock of reports on faith based health care and global health: Resources 

Opportunities for blogging and comment are available on the AHN website: AHN Blog

 
Keep up to date

AHN Coordinator, Paul Holley tweets regular updates. Follow on Twitter




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