Diocese of Winchester » overseas development

MU welcome member from Baghdad to Winchester Cathedral Prayers Wed 7th March

Administrator — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 14:46:51 +0000

On the first Wednesday of every month, Mothers’ Union members in the Diocese of Winchester meet for prayer and worship in the Epiphany Chapel of Winchester Cathedral.

In March members from Eastleigh Deanery will lead our worship as we celebrate together our work supporting marriage and family life and support in prayer other members in more than 80 countries in which Mothers’ Union is active.

At this particular service we hope to be able to welcome to a Mothers’ Union leader from Baghdad in Iraq. We hope that we might welcome you too?

The services starts at 10.30am on Wednesday 7th March 2012 and will last about half an hour. After the service we adjourn to the Refectory for refreshments.

Prayer, Faith, Policy and Action – ours… and yours!

Administrator — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:58:00 +0000

As always, and despite the way the financial climate is impacting on both the income and expenditure of charities like Mothers’ Union, there is much to thank God for, and get involved in, among the work of Mothers’ Union members around the world. Here’s just a few things to use:

We remember in prayer those in Christchurch, New Zealand: MU_Prayer_earthquake_Christchurch

Prayer is always at the heart of every Mothers’ Union gathering and all the project work that we do around the world. Resources for the mid-day prayers of supporters for the next couple of months are here:
Midday_Prayers_March_2011

Woman carrying thatch in Kajo-Keji

Midday_Prayers_April_2011

In the latest Mothers’ Union Faith and Policy Watch (published jointly with the Church of England) there are details of government announcements relating to weddings and marriage, as well as the Law Commission’s consultation on marital agreements (pre-nuptual, post-nuptual and at seperation) and asks how these ideas can be related to the vows in the Anglican rite of marriage. The paper also asks if the last government’s target of eliminating child poverty by 2020 has been forgotten? The 4 page newsletter can be downloaded here: Faith_Policy_Watch_Mar_11

Red Nose Day takes place on Friday 18th March. Money raised from the day helps Comic Relief support projects that transform lives throughout the UK and Africa. One such project is Mothers’ Union’s Literacy and Financial Education Programme in Sudan. Last year it was successful in getting a grant of nearly £1million from Comic Relief, because it is proven to be successful at helping to alleviate poverty and inequality. We’re hoping that this work may soon be active in areas of Southern Sudan, including our link in Kajo-Keji.

Although this seems like a lot of money, the current financial climate continues to present us with enormous challenges to ensure that we can continue our work. Although we make every effort to be cost-effective with our plans, we still need to find money for our work in the UK and overseas. If you would like to help us why not take a look at our national website for the different ways you can support us: Mothers’ Union – Giving

Worship and our ‘Wave of Prayer’

Administrator — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 11:50:27 +0000

The work of Mothers’ Union and it’s members in the Diocese of Winchester and it’s partner dioceses will be at the centre of all prayers shared by Mothers’ Union members worldwide between January 21st -25th as it becomes for that period the focus of Mothers’ Union ‘Wave of Prayer’.

There is much more information about our links in Northern and Southern Uganda, Southern Tanzania and Southern Sudan here, and through the International ‘drop down’ boxes at the top of this screen. We should be particularly mindful as we pray this year of the referendum in Southern Sudan featured by the BBC here and in pictures here, and the security and future issues surrounding the results of the (expected) vote for independence.

There will be local services going on across the Diocese of Winchester during this period, where prayer and worship can be shared, and news gained of the specific areas of the world with which we share in prayer. Below are the details of the service to be held in Winchester during the period. If you have a service happening with your Mothers’ Union group in the Diocese of Winchester, please share the details using the ‘comments’ box below.

Winchester Deanery will be holding their Wave of Prayer Service at
St. Lawrence’s Church, Winchester City Centre on
Tuesday, 25th January

You are welcome to meet from 10.00 am for pre-service Coffee, and the service starts at 10.30 am.

Worship will be led by Deanery Chaplain, Revd Mike Gardner and the
Guest Speaker will be Mrs Angela Bushell, talking about our wider diocesan link with Burma.

Monies raised from retiring collection will go the to work of the Mothers’ Union Overseas.

Would you walk 15 miles to your health centre?

Administrator — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:08:26 +0000

MASASI HEALTH CENTRE PROJECT – TANZANIA

Sick people in Masasi currently have to travel 25 km (15 miles) to the nearest health centre and 16 km to the nearest dispensary just to buy drugs for pain or for prophylaxis treatment for malaria, which is among the top ten diseases in Tanzania. In addition to this, there is inadequate supply of clean water in the region, high rates of malnutrition of under-fives and adult illiteracy.

Masasi is our link Diocese in the South of Tanzania, a region regularly affected by severe drought and consequent food shortages and one of the poorest parts of Tanzania. At this time when our permanent international links are at the centre of prayers for the whole of Mothers’ Union around the world (from 21st – 25th January) it is great to be learning news of new projects in these places.

Because of its respected reputation in development work, members of the local community in Masasi approached Mothers’ Union to share their concerns about this situation. To assess local needs, Mothers’ Union carried out an assessment in each of the eight areas (archdeaconries) using focus group discussions and other techniques. The views of village government leaders, religious leaders from a variety of denominations, school teachers and students, and representatives from the different villages were also collected.

The assessment found that delays in treatment and a lack of medicine for malaria and other transmitted diseases is causing a rise in maternal and child mortality. The inadequacy of current healthcare is leading many people to consult traditional healers.

The research helped identify that the most effective solution to the current situation is an essential drugs pharmacy easily accessible to people in the local area is vital. The establishment of the pharmacy will enable minor health problems to be treated locally and in a timely fashion. The pharmacy will provide preventative and curative treatments, treating minor illnesses and referring more complicated cases to other organisations for further treatment or consultation.

A suitable building has already been identified to house the pharmacy. It will be staffed by two medical professionals who have been fully trained in running essential drugs pharmacy services. Their previous experience includes running a pharmacy in the private sector and working for 30 years as a fully trained nurse in a government hospital. It is estimated that more than 10,000 people a year will directly benefit from the project whilst the entire community will benefit as the project focuses on service delivery and health care for all.

Mothers’ Union in Masasi expects the project to cost approx £9000k per year for the first three years, after which it is hoped that it will become self-sustaining through its profits. At present Mothers’ Union leaders in Masasi think they can raise £1,200/year of this cost, but the rest of the money needs to raised for and provided through the Mothers’ Union Overseas Fund.

It may be that your group, and you as an individual, might be interested in raising awareness of this project as an example of how the Mothers’ Union operates internationally. By doing so you can raise money for our Overseas Fund. If you want information or a speaker to help you do this, please contact us using the links along the top of this website.

Relieve, develop and plan for the future

Administrator — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:47:15 +0000

Mothers’ Union members are active in an incredibly diverse number of ways in their communities around the world.

There are many development projects being resourced. Recent posts and our information pages detail some of them, including the Family Life Programme in Uganda, and the Literacy and Development Programme.

Other projects run by Mothers’ Union worldwide are featured in the latest Overseas Development Report including healing the wounds of conflict in Kenya, peace building in Sudan, and a goat project among repatriated women in Burundi.

Sudan, DR Congo and Kenya all feature in the latest Relief Fund Update which shows how Mothers’ Union members can be resourced incredibly fast to provide relief for emergency situations that arise due to natural disasters like draught, or the impact of conflict in their communities.

In the UK and the UN Mothers’ Union is also active keeping an eye on how governments engage with family and marriage issues. Since this is conference season, the latest Policy Watch document details a paper on women’s issues published by the Liberal Democrats and a report on the impact of family breakdown, as well as looking forward to the theme of next years UN Commission on the Status of Women.

Mothers’ Union members that meet together regularly are encouraged to make use of these downloads to inspire discussion, action and fund-raising in their local communities. You are also invited to respond with your ideas for action directly to the local Trustee board using the ‘comments’ facility on this posting.