March 5 - Dispatches from the Front Line Against Malaria
Article: One World Religion
Just over 40 religious leaders sit in the 34 degree heat in Moma, Mozambique, waiting for the malaria training team to reach them. About half are Muslim, the rest are Christian - Catholic, Methodist, Anglican, Evangelical, Adventist. Sitting patiently and talking amongst themselves, it's a colourful picture of religious co-existence. The idea is simple: to harness the power of faith communities in Africa, working together across religious divides to reach the remotest of villages bringing the crucial health messages (and where possible the insecticide-treated bed nets) required to prevent death from malaria.
Yesterday in Moma we saw perhaps the most effective and purposeful interfaith meeting I've witnessed. "We're not divided into Muslims and Christians, we're united against malaria", said one speaker, to loud applause.
The training was interactive, practical and focused. It was moving and at times funny. It started with a Muslim prayer, was introduced by women singing and dancing - a song all about malaria and the inter-religious training initiative. And it ended with a Christian blessing on their work.
The model is designed to be sustainable and easy to replicate. First, a national inter-religious co-ordinating council (known locally as a "PIRCOM") is set up, led in Mozambique by Anglican Bishop Dinis Sengulane and Islamic Congress President co-chair Dr Hassan Makda. They brought together leaders from a total of 10 different religions to serve as council members. Then the model fans out: provincial PIRCOMs bring the religious leaders together on a regional basis to get training and teach others about malaria.
Yesterday in Moma we saw perhaps the most effective and purposeful interfaith meeting I've witnessed. "We're not divided into Muslims and Christians, we're united against malaria", said one speaker, to loud applause.
The training was interactive, practical and focused. It was moving and at times funny. It started with a Muslim prayer, was introduced by women singing and dancing - a song all about malaria and the inter-religious training initiative. And it ended with a Christian blessing on their work.
The model is designed to be sustainable and easy to replicate. First, a national inter-religious co-ordinating council (known locally as a "PIRCOM") is set up, led in Mozambique by Anglican Bishop Dinis Sengulane and Islamic Congress President co-chair Dr Hassan Makda. They brought together leaders from a total of 10 different religions to serve as council members. Then the model fans out: provincial PIRCOMs bring the religious leaders together on a regional basis to get training and teach others about malaria.
The Catholic woman lay leader, the Muslim Imam, and the Evangelical preacher I met are not just trusted message carriers, they reach areas the Government can't. CIFA's vision is that through partners in Africa and across the world, the PIRCOM model of inter-religious co-ordination and community health empowerment can be spread.
In too many parts of the world, the stories we hear about faith involve conflict and the fights exploited or justified by adherents of different religions. The causes are deep and complex, the need for reconciliation urgent.
