Latest News
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AFJN Welcomes New Fellow: Rev. John Bosco Lugonja
Please join us as we welcome Rev. John Bosco Lugonja to the Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) as our newest fellow.
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AFJN Poster Presentation for USAID 2020 Summit on Strategic Religious Engagement
The USAID Summit on Strategic Religious Engagement began in 2020. The event was originally to be held in Washington, DC in October and would have various types of engagement but due to COVID-19, it had to be moved online. The Africa Faith and Justice Network was able to submit a poster presentation “People Centered Projects Transforming Communities.”
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AFJN Expert: Aniedi Okure
Aniedi Okure is a Catholic priest and a member of the Order of Preachers (OP). Since 2011, he has served as the Executive Director of Africa Faith & Justice Network (AFJN). Under his leadership AFJN has expanded its personnel and programs; from a Washington focus on United States-Africa policy to building coalitions of Africans across the continent and engaging them in social analysis and practical advocacy for systemic change in their communities.
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Welcome to Our 2020 Fall Intern, Mariah Omer
Mariah Omer is a candidate in the MA: Theology and Peace Studies program at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana. She is completing a first year of study and is expecting to graduate in May 2021.
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Tell Senate to Support a Global Strategy to fight COVID-19
To prevent and stop the global economy from further collapsing, as was the case in 2008, to protect further losses of U.S. jobs, and to save lives the Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) is asking the Senate to support the issuance of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The SDRs are special bonds to member nations and SDRs do not cost the U.S. anything. We are also asking for debt relief and additional foreign aid to respond to humanitarian crises and COVID-19 related challenges.
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Welcome to Our 2020 Fall Intern, Iman Mekonen
Iman is a junior at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she majors in international social justice studies and minors in political science. She is also studying Arabic as her language of choice. In the local community, she serves as a youth mentor for underrepresented communities and is a member of VCU Globe, a globally focused organization that interacts with international students and community members. At VCU, Iman works as the editor of the Spectrum (Arts & Culture) section of The Commonwealth Times, VCU’s student newspaper, where she reports on the arts and culture scene in Richmond.
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Faith Based Organization Call on US Senate to Act on COVID-19 Global Response
On September 17, Africa faith and Justice Network was one of 17 faith based organization which sent the letter below urging Senators to act on a global response to COVOD-19 to save lives, protect the global economy and jobs in the US and abroad. We are calling on every Senator to support: the issuance of 2 trillion in IMF Special Drawing Rights (SDR), expanding debt relief, Twenty billion in foreign aid. Why is this relevant to the American people? Part of the answer is in the July 9, 2020 letter by twenty nine Senators to the Majority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Schumer in which they said: “it is clear that no matter how successful we are at fighting COVID-19 here at home, we will never stop its spread – or prevent it from rebounding back to our shores – if we are not also fighting it around the world. U.S. global leadership in combatting COVID-19 is directly tied to protecting the health, security, and economic interests of all Americans.”
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AFJN Seeks New Executive Director
The African Faith & Justice Network (AFJN), a Catholic education and advocacy network based in Washington DC, seeks a full-time Executive Director to lead the network’s growing impact in Africa and the U.S. The position involves advocacy with U.S and African Government entities as well as significant travel to Africa.
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Job Description: Executive Director, Africa Faith and Justice Network
About the African Faith and Justice Network The Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) is a Catholic network of individual and organization members focused on Africa and the experience of its people. AFJN is committed in faith to collaborate in the task of transforming United States mentality and policy on Africa. AFJN serves as an instrument…
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Goodbye Dear Friend – Lucy Tyson Huffman (1941-2020)
On August 27, 2020 the Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) said goodbye to Lucy Huffman, a dear friend passionately dedicated to the mission. Not even ill health could deter her from serving.
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AFJN in the News: AFJN Exe. Director Okure on the Role of International Priests in the US
On August 27, 2020, AFJN Executive Director Rev. Aniedi Okure OP, was quoted in Maria Benevento’s article “Filling vital US ministry roles, foreign-born priests need deliberate support to thrive” in National Catholic Reporter.
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AFJN in the News: AFJN in independent catholic news on Modern Forms of Slavery
On August 22, 2020, Ellen Teague referenced an AFJN publication in her article “Remembering the Salve Trade and its modern forms” for independent catholic news. In the section “Slavery and Africa” Teague writes: “According to ‘Feast to Famine: The Course of Africa’s Underdevelopment’, written by Bill Rau and produced by the Africa Faith and Justice…
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AFJN Exe. Dir. Aniedi Okure featured in an Katolicka Agencja Informacyjna article on Kamala Harris as Joe Biden’s vice presidential running mate
On August 14th, 2020, the AFJN Exe. Dir. Aniedi Okure was questioned on his thoughts regarding the controversy of Joe Biden’s choice of Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate in the article “‘Left-wing anti-Catholic’ – Catholics about a candidate for US Vice President”.
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AFJN Exe. Dir. Aniedi Okure featured in Crux on Kamala Harris as Joe Biden’s vice presidential running mate
On August 13th, 2020, the AFJN Exe. Dir. Aniedi Okure was questioned on his thoughts regarding the controversy of Joe Biden’s choice of Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate in the article “Black Catholics Laud Harris Pick; Others Scrutinize Past Record”.
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AFJN Exe. Dir. Aniedi Okure America Magazine/Catholic News Service on Kamala Harris
On August 13, 2020, Catholic News Service’s journalist Mark Pattison’s article “Black Catholics laud Kamala Harris pick; others scrutinize past record” quote Rev. Aniedi Okure on the historic instance.
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AFJN Exe. Dir. Aniedi Okure featured in Kerknet on Kamala Harris as Joe Biden’s vice presidential running mate
On August 13th, 2020, the AFJN Exe. Dir. Aniedi Okure was questioned on his thoughts regarding the controversy of Joe Biden’s choice of Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate in the Kerknet article, “Kamala Harris Is Not Only Criticized By Donald Trump”.
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AFJN Exe. Dir. Aniedi Okure featured in the Catholic Courier on Kamala Harris as Joe Biden’s vice presidential running mate
On August 13th, 2020, the AFJN Exe. Dir. Aniedi Okure was questioned on his thoughts regarding the controversy of Joe Biden’s choice of Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate in the article, “Black Catholics Laud Kamala Harris Pick; Others Scrutinize Past Record”.
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AFJN Exe. Dir. Aniedi Okure featured in The Tablet Catholic Newspaper on Kamala Harris as Joe Biden’s vice presidential running mate
On August 13th, 2020, the AFJN Exe. Dir. Aniedi Okure was questioned on his thoughts regarding the controversy of Joe Biden’s choice of Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate in the article “Some Black Catholics Laud Harris Pick While Others Scrutinize Past Record”.
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In the News: AFJN cosponsored event featured in Vanguard
On August 11, 2020, the Africa Faith and Justice Network’s co-sponsored event on AGRA was featured in Agbonkhese Oboh’s article “HOMEF, AFJN, others fault AGRA, seek alternative for agric in Africa” featured in Vanguard. Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/08/homef-afjn-others-fault-agra-seek-alternative-for-agric-in-africa/
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Online Event 8/6/20: AGRA’s Failed Promises – Liberating our Agriculture
A recently released report by a coalition of German and African civil society groups, “False Promises,” shows that the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is failing on its own terms. Based partly on a research paper by Timothy A. Wise, the report underscores the destructive work of AGRA and similar models of agriculture in Africa.
