WCC NEWS: WCC conducts training on HIV, mental health, and human rights in Namibia

The World Council of Churches (WCC), in collaboration with UNAIDS and national resource persons, conducted capacity-building programs on HIV, mental health, and human rights during the annual youth assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia from 31 October to 3 November in Ondangwa. Nearly 500 youth participated in the assembly. Dr Manoj Kurian conducting capacity-building programs on HIV, mental health, and human rights during the annual youth assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia. Photo: WCC 15 November 2024 During the assembly, comprehensive training program sessions included various group work sessions, debates, and discussions on HIV, mental health, and human rights. The platforms provided space and opportunities for the youth to bring up critical issues to strengthen their capacities and knowledge in dealing with the topics.  Ester N. Sakaria, a youth leader, said: "There is a good level of knowledge regarding HIV prevention and mental health among the youth. But the complex reality that youth face today—stigma, economic challenges, unemployment, peer pressure,  the expanding scourge of alcoholism and drug abuse, the power imbalances in relationships and gender-based violence, cyberbullying, the lack of trained personnel, limited resources—all contribute to access, help, and treatment and in promoting mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing.” The church leadership took up the commitment to continue to engage with these key issues, with the guidance of the youth, to develop a plan of action to address mental Health and HIV in a substantive manner in Namibia. Rev. Josef Ngula, director of Mission, Diakonia, and Social Services of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia, said: “The church needs to be an increasingly friendly place where the young people do not feel judged but rather valued and experience the church as a place where they can contribute and can share their vulnerability in confidence and feel supported.” See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland