Two Mission Network Partners teamed up to report the growth and progress of peacebuilding efforts in West Africa:
- Germain Coulibaly, representative, Centre Evangélique de Formation en Communication pour l’Afrique (Evangelical Center for Training in Communication for Africa – CEFCA)
- Bienvenu Kadja, director, La Casa Grande Fifatan
Background
Africa is made up of 54 countries, two independent states, and several territories with over 2,000 distinct languages. Although Christianity in Africa dates back to the 1st century AD, historical colonialism and cultural and language barriers have created divisions.
CEFCA is a non-profit, apolitical Christian educational organization based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Founded in 1985 by 35 delegates from five African countries, CEFCA aims to train pastors and church leaders in French-speaking Africa to effectively use available media to communicate the Gospel and the story of Christ within their cultural contexts and enhance leadership within their organizations.
La Casa Grande Fifatan is a Christian home for children who have nowhere else to live because of the death of parents, abandonment, etc. The children at La Casa Grande are raised in a Christian family setting, which provides for their needs and offers hope for the future through a stable environment, education and job training. There are currently 36 children in residence, 31 supported in the community, an addition 220 local children who now attend the La Casa Grande school, and 46 who are in the La Casa Grande daycare. It is the only school in the region that teaches three languages besides the local language: English, German and Spanish.
Steve Wiebe-Johnson, now retired Mission Network co-regional director for Africa and Europe, who translated during the presentation, described these two ministries as “giving all to relationship building.”
Use what you have
Coulibaly said CEFCA “builds relationships across regions and cultural and religious boundaries to build shalom.” He described the Christian and Muslim conflict from the past 15 years that has further divided communities. In addition, many communities struggle with poverty. He said that they teach church leaders to “use what you have” – to find something in the local community and culture that they can use to unite and to grow the community.
We have to make peace because we have to live together.
Because many African communities have a history of oral and singing traditions, CEFCA teaches ethnomusicology as a way to share Bible stories and peace teachings through songs and theater. Many African communities create a circle around a tree to discuss big issues and concerns – Imbizo. CEFCA encourages that as a way for church leaders to discuss methods of peace within the community that is authentic to their culture.
CEFCA’s goals are to enhance their Christian leadership training initiatives with pastoral care, micro enterprise development and project management education.
Protect the children
A favorite Youth Venture guide*, Kadja, talked about the growth La Casa Grande has experienced since its inception in 1997 to meet the needs of the community. He said La Casa Grande started as a Christian home for vulnerable children with the mission of “protecting the children” – providing a safe, nurturing Christian home. Since then, La Casa Grande has expanded into a Christian education center for Benin youth as well as a community educational resource for Christian-based sustainable agriculture, recycling, and composting. To address diseases affecting children in vulnerable communities, they also teach about clean water and environmental hygiene.
La Casa Grande now employees a small staff who collect compostable and recycling materials through the community and then sort and process all the materials into products used at La Casa Grande and sold locally. Compost, biogas and biocarbon (charcoal) provide La Case Grande with low-cost necessities and additional income.
They also added a program to strengthen the employability of women and youth through work-study and literacy.
Their plans are to expand even further to provide for more vulnerable children with additional trade skills training for older youth, a renewable energy and eco agriculture educational program, and scripture into additional languages.
*Our Youth Venture program does a two-week service trip to La Casa Grande for ages 15-22.
