CCA’s Skill Building Training focuses on HIV and AIDS Advocacy by Churches

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).

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10 July 2018
36063123_10212858422358487_7991916346570964992_nParticipants of the Skill Building Workshop on Churches Effective Response on HIV & AIDS in South Asia Sub-region

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

Organized in collaboration with the National Council of Churches in Nepal (NCCN), as part of the special project Action Together in Combating HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA), the training was held from 21 to 23 June 2018 in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The training workshop was attended by twenty six participants who represented churches and ecumenical organizations from five South Asian countries.

A similar activity of skill-building training was conducted in March 2018 for the participants from the Southeast Asia sub-region.

R.C. Acharya, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches in Nepal (NCCN) welcomed the participants and expressed gratitude to CCA for choosing NCCN to be the host.

Acharya considered the workshop held in Nepal to be a great opportunity for the churches in the country to connect with their neighboring countries and to strengthen their sub-regional ecumenical partnership while addressing the growing menace of HIV and AIDS.

Dr. Ruben Del Prado, Country Director of UNAIDS Nepal presented an overview on the HIV and AIDS situation in South Asia. He expressed UNAIDS’ appreciation to be part of CCA, a faith-based organization’s training programme focusing the faith-based communities on HIV and AIDS advocacy.

Dr. Prado added that such initiatives of CCA would be of great help in contributing to the sustainable development goal.

The participants who had undergone a participatory learning process shared their work experiences in responding to HIV and AIDS from their own contexts. They emphasized that churches should reflect on their work and assess their capacity in responding effectively.

Dr. Mathews George Chunakara, General Secretary of CCA stated that CCA’s special focus on HIV and AIDS activities such as skill-building training for church workers on advocacy was part of CCA’s ongoing initiatives to combat the growing menace of HIV and AIDS in Asia.

“The churches with deep roots in most countries in  Asia would be in a much better position to play important roles in reducing stigma,  discrimination, prevention, care and support for people living with HIV and AIDS”, added the CCA General Secretary.

The participants expressed their commitment to actively engage their churches and communities in journeying together with the ‘People Living with HIV and AIDS’.

Several follow-up activities have been planned for initiating advocacy by local churches and national ecumenical councils in different South Asian countries.