CCA Organizes Skill-Building Training for HIV and AIDS Advocacy Facilitators

Programme Review and Programme Direction

Two key deliberative sessions during the 15th CCA General Assembly are the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions.

The Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions will both be conducted in three groups relating to the CCA’s programme areas, namely, (i) General Secretariat (GS), (ii) Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF); and (iii) Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia (PD).

Assembly participants will have the option to join one of three groups for both the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions. For the sake of coherence, the assigned group will remain the same for both sessions.

General Secretariat

The General Secretariat oversees the coordination of programmatic, administrative, and financial activities of the organization. The GS comprises various departments such as church and ecumenical relations, relations with ecumenical partners, finance, administration, and communications, which provide crucial support and services for the implementation of programs and contribute to the overall functioning of the CCA.

Programmes: Relations with member churches and councils, ecumenical partners; advocacy at the United Nations; ecumenical responses to emerging issues in solidarity; income development and finance; and communications.

Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)

Under the MU programme area, the CCA accompanies Asian churches to strengthen their mission and witness in multi-religious contexts, revitalise and nurture church unity and the Asian ecumenical movement, and develop contextual theological foundations.

Programmes: Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU); Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS); Asian women doing theology in the context of wider ecumenism; contextualisation of theology in Asia and ecumenical theological education.

The EF programme area focuses on nurturing and developing ecumenical leaders in Asia. The programme aims to enhance spiritual formation and theological understanding, enabling people to actively engage in ecumenical dialogue and collaboration.

Programmes: Ecumenical Enablers’ Training in Asia (EETA); Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI); Youth and Women Leadership Development; Ecumenical Spirituality and Nurturing of Contextual Liturgical Traditions; Asia Sunday

Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)

The BP programme area is dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation in Asia’s diverse contexts. Through training, advocacy, and dialogue, the programme addresses the root causes of conflicts, empowers communities, and fosters sustainable peacebuilding initiatives.

Programmes: Pastoral Solidarity Visits; Churches in Action for Moving Beyond Conflict and Resolution; Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia (YAPA); Ecumenical Women’s Action Against Violence (EWAAV); Eco-Justice for Sustainable Peace in the Oikos.

The PD programme area focuses on promoting justice, human rights, and social transformation in Asia. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and raising awareness, the programme addresses systemic injustice, empowers marginalised communities, and advocates for prophetic actions and meaningful change.

Programmes: Human Rights advocacy; Migration, Statelessness, and Trafficking in Persons; Asian Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network; Asian Advocacy Network on the Dignity and Rights of Children (AANDRoC); Ecumenical Solidarity Accompaniment and Diakonia in Asia (ESADA); Health and Healing; Good Governance; Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA).

No preference updated.

    Group photo1

    The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) organized a skill-building training for prospective Facilitators of HIV and AIDS advocacy from churches and related organizations in six countries in Asia.

    The training held from 14 to 16 March 2018 at the CCA headquarters in Chiang Mai, Thailand was part of the new initiative of CCA, Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia – ATCHAA.

    In his introductory remarks at the opening of the training, Dr. Mathews George Chunakara, General Secretary of CCA said that “CCA has been journeying with the member Churches and Councils in Asia for more than twenty five years in addressing the menace of HIV and AIDS, ever since CCA started its ministry sensitize the Asian churches on HIV and AIDS, and subsequently assisting churches to strengthen capacities to deal with HIV and AIDS”.

    The CCA General Secretary further outlined CCA’s plans for embarking new initiatives to intensify involvements in advocacy efforts and advancing the capacities of member churches and councils.

    “The most recent initiative of CCA in developing collaboration with the UNAIDS will be beneficial for Asian churches to enhance capacities to address the HIV and AIDS situation in many parts of Asia”, added Mathews George.

    The participants shared experiences from their own settings and emphasized that Churches can play key roles to be instruments of healing for people living with HIV and AIDS.

    The training focused on participatory learning process followed through Knowledge Quiz, Attitude exercises, Assessments and Exposure visits to HIV and AIDS programme Centres in Chiang Mai.

    The participants from Thailand mentioned that “Thailand has been addressing the HIV and AIDS issue for a long time, and have made lots of advancements in eliminating mother to child transmission of HIV and also addressed issues related to key affected people.

    Twenty participants from Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand attended the workshop together with CCA staff members in charge of the programme and Kathrin Theurer of the Bread for the World.