UNISOES Cooperation Circle in Bahia, Brazil, celebrates WIHW 2019.
The United Religions Initiative global network is celebrating World Interfaith Harmony Week (WIHW) around the planet. The United Nations has designated February 1-7 of every year as a time to celebrate interfaith peace and cooperation worldwide.
Congratulations to two URI Cooperation Circles who won the WIHW 2019 top prizes! Cape Town Interfaith Initiative (FIRST PRIZE) and URI Brasilia CC (THIRD PRIZE).
Note: Click the yellow arrows on either side of the photos to scroll through the slideshows below.
View celebrations by region:
Africa
Cooperation Circle: Cape Town Interfaith Initiative
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town Interfaith Initiative, a URI Cooperation Circle based in Cape Town, South Africa, won the World Interfaith Harmony Week 2019 first-place prize this year!
"This year, for the first time, the Cape Town Interfaith Initiative took the prayers from the places of worship to the people. We decided that from now on, every year we will identify a troubled location and take our prayers there. The violence in some of our suburbs is so bad that 'death by violence' daily figures are considerably higher than those in war zones in other parts of Africa." The prayers were aimed at touching and uplifting the people who were most in need, as well as raising awareness of the responsibility to be good neighbors to each other - wherever we may live. People came from many faiths, including Buddhist, Baha'i, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Hare Krishna, Brahma Kumaris and Unitarian participants, and brought poems, prayers, songs, and other contributions to a sense of unity and encouragement.
"My deepest desire is that this award will serve as encouragement and hope for the many grassroots cooperation circles in Southern Africa who are doing transformative and important work," said Berry Behr, primary contact person of the Cooperation Circle. "It is work from the heart, for the heart and the dedication of my colleagues in interfaith is inspirational. Interfaith work is an act of healing for the planet and her people. I feel so blessed that I get to do this work every day, not just during World Interfaith Harmony Week. Tonight I am humbled, and proud, and so very grateful to our Creator, to my team, my colleagues, the amazing organisations who support this work and of course, to the judges."
Cooperation Circle: Restoring Community Visions International
Location: Bugiri, Busoga, Uganda
The event brought together people from different faiths (Muslims, Catholics, and Anglicans) to clean up Al-Jama mosque and St. Mary's Church of Uganda. Later, we had a dialogue where spiritual leaders, their followers, political leaders, and the community at large had a discussion on the way forward. We discussed how to bring an everlasting peace to Bugiri - which seems to have been lacking before the event.
"The event fulfilled the passion I have for the community," said one participant. "It also fulfilled the objective of the RCVI - of bringing different faiths to work together. The event set a precedent, being the first interfaith harmony celebration in the history of Bugiri District ever since its creation in 1979 from Uganda."
Cooperation Circle: House of Hilkiah Foundation
Location: Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria
A team from House of Hilkiah Foundation visited Mbawa Community IDP camp in Daudu, Guma LGA Benue state, Nigeria. The camp has a total population of 3,015, including Women-1820 (Widows-137, Girls-83) Men-465, Children-730. The female leader showed us around, narrating their ordeals in the camp ranging from lack of food and water to how they have been neglected by the government. We interviewed some of the women, who lost their husbands and children due to the crisis of the herdsmen. They told us they were all farmers and farming was their source of livelihood. The invaders displaced them to have no shelter, burning their crops and leaving them homeless and with nothing to eat.
The team brought writing materials for the children and food. They will look for support, partnership and collaboration from other organizations to assist in organizing an empowerment program for the women in the camp. That way, the women will be able to make a living that can sustain them and their families, and also have access to basic needs like food, clothes, sleeping arrangements for them and their families, and books and sitting arrangements for the children.
See more details and photos in the PDF report below.
House of Hilkiah Foundation CC celebrates WIHW 2019
Asia
Cooperation Circles: WAKE CC, COPE Pakistan CC, Bright Future CC, Paras Welfare Foundation CC, Women and Children Development Program, WIN CC (a URI Multiregion CC)
Location: Lahore, Pakistan
URI Women Wing Pakistan organized a "Joining Global Community" program with WIN URI, another URI Cooperation Circle. They joined in prayer on 7th February, 2019 in Lahore, Pakistan. Twenty-five participants attended this WIHW program. They were the members of different Cooperation Circles, including WAKE CC, COPE Pakistan CC, Bright Future CC, Paras Welfare Foundation CC, Women and Children Program CC and Amman Pukar Foundation, all joining in prayer with fellow URI members around the world. The majority of the participants in this interfaith program were women, both Muslim and Christian.
See the PDF below for more details and photos.
World Interfaith Harmony Week 2019 by URI Women Wing Pakistan
Slideshow: Pakistan celebrates WIHW 2019
URI Women Wing Pakistan - Prayer
URI Cooperation Circle: Karickam International Public School CC
Location: Kerala, India
We held a Peace Poster Procession conducted in connection with Harmony Week, where children marched with signs promoting peace. Over 700 students and community leaders marched through the streets with peace posters in their hands. Additionally, seventy students from various schools participated in the Inter-school Quiz conducted on Saturday as part of Harmony Week.
Slideshow: Karickam International Public School CC celebrates WIHW 2019
Cooperation Circle: Palki Peace Circle
Location: Kolkata State, West Bengal, India
"We know that World Interfaith Harmony Week is an annual event to be observed during the first week of February, starting in 2011. Palki Peace CC is proud to announce that it has become their annual program gradually. As every year, Palki Peace CC has celebrated WIHW on 2nd February this year as well. The main focus was to enhance mutual understanding, harmony, cooperation among different religious people. It was a sincere effort from our side to establish ‘Love of the god, and Love of the Neighbour’ and to promote harmony between all people regardless of their faith. The celebration was started with lighting candles and prayers.
As every year, we are able to celebrate with a midday meal of hotchpotch, potato curry, chutney and sweets for destitute people, irrespective of their caste, creed, colour or religion. Though the celebration itself was a big deal, the preparation was started one day earlier. We are feeling blessed by feeding about 7,000 people. Our goal is to establish PEACE among different people of various ages and religions. We feel very satisfied that, this year we were able to distribute blankets and clothes (200 pcs) among the street children and destitute of various religions.
The World Interfaith Harmony Week always gives us an opportunity to fulfil our desires at the grassroots level with this noble work. The programme was started around 10 a.m. and continued up to 5 p.m. (IST). It is relevant to say that, we have raised fund by our own to make this event successful. It is all your blessings, support and good wishes that every year Palki Peace CC is able to celebrate WIHW in such a huge manner."
- Abhirup Khan, Palki Peace CC Coordinator
Slideshow: Palki Peace Circle celebrates WIHW 2019
Europe
URI Cooperation Circle: URI CC Lienz/Austria
Location: Lienz, Austria
URI Cooperation Circle (CC) Lienz/Austria shares a beautiful plan for World Interfaith Harmony Week, which is February 1-7 every year. They invite you to join their project, "Rain of Friendship," by writing loving thoughts (with non-toxic colours, on edible paper) and placing them in a body of water. As the loving thoughts break down in the water, they will become clouds and travel far, bringing a rain of blessings from heaven to earth. See more.
Cooperation Circles: URI Europe CC, DMLBonn CC, URI Germany CC
Location: Germany
Supporting the WIN-URI CC and Wisdom Circle (two URI Multiregion groups), as well as the Voices for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons (another URI group), I will be reading the nuclear prayer on February 7, 2019, at 12:00 noon.
Cooperation Circle: Stichting Interreligieus Beraad Segbroek
Location: Segbroek, The Hague, The Netherlands
The Foundation Interreligious Council Segbroek (IBS) is very active in an important area of a very multicultural city, The Hague, in the Netherlands: Segbroek.
In 2019, IBS organized for the fourth time a celebration of World Interfaith Harmony Week (WIHW). IBS acts as an example of interfaith events for other areas in the city. Members of 5 mosques, 3 mandirs, 4 churches and some philosophical organizations engaged in activities for society, to connect people of several cultures and traditions with each other. Read more and see photos by clicking the PDF report below.
Latin America and the Caribbean
Cooperation Circle: URI Brasilia CC
Location: Brazil
Slideshow: URI Brasilia CC celebrates WIHW 2019
URI Cooperation Circle: UNISOES - BRASIL
Location: Bahia, Brazil
The URI - United Religions Initiative - Cooperation Circle (CC) UNISOES - Union of Spiritualist, Philosophical, Scientific and Religious Societies and the House of United Religions (HUR) join the initiatives of all URI Cooperation Circles to celebrate the World Interfaith Harmony Week, event of the calendar of the United Nations for the period from 1 to 7 of February 2019.
In order to express our indignation at the conduct of religious intolerance that has motivated attacks on African-Brazilian temples and their practitioners in Bahia and in different places in Brazil, the leaders and representatives of different traditions that make up the UNISOES CC and the HUR have chosen to celebrate World Interfaith Harmony Week in a Umbandist Center, exactly on February 2, the day when African-born religions dedicate to Iemanjá, divinity revered as "goddess of salt water".
During the interreligious act, UNISOES CC supported the campaign "The Planet Is Sacred and Wants Peace", of the House of United Religions, which promotes respect for the various forms of reverence for the divine. In the event, people committed themselves to continue working for more awareness of unity in diversity. Members of UNISOES CC and the House of United Religions joined the people of the temple for the dance for Oxóssi, an entity worshiped in religions of African matrix. UNISOES CC celebrated the World Week of Interfaith Harmony starting from the concept of religious diversity as "the different paths for spiritual progress and for peace."
Learn more and see more photos in the PDF below.
Cooperation Circle: Círculo de Cooperação URI Goiás
Location: Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
The Areião Park in Goiânia was again the scene of a beautiful interfaith confraternization: the IV URI Goiás Walk Against Religious Intolerance: walking together we understand each other. It was a beautiful and harmonious walk where the goal was to bring together people from the most diverse faiths; spiritual, religious and non-religious traditions for friendly conversation and sharing of spiritual practices. In addition to the guests, several people who passed by the park joined the act.
After walking around the park, everyone went to a bamboo grove in the middle of the park where an Interreligious Circle was held, where participants introduced themselves and shared a little of their faith. The members of each present tradition made a participation, whether in the form of spoken message, music, prayer, song or dance. The following traditions were represented: Umbanda, Candomblé, Bhrama Kumaris, Catholic Church, Evangelicals, Kardecism, Union of Vegetable, Santo Daime and atheists. It was a great opportunity to make rapprochement, exchange contacts, and get to know each other's religion.
Read more and see more photos in the PDF below.
Slideshow: Círculo de Cooperação URI Goiás (PDF)
Cooperation Circle: CC Curitiba
Location: Curitiba, Brazil
Interfaith Municipal Ceremony: The URI CC Curitiba helped and participated in an interfaith event at the City Hall of Curitiba on January 21, on the occasion of the National Day of Combatting Religious Intolerance, and also celebrating the World Interfaith Harmony Week. More than 60 representatives and leaders of religions and spiritualist organizations were present.
"Being and Living, we live under a deep and magnanimous auspice. The Power and Energy of the Cosmic Mother give birth to a new humanity, where what we understand and assimilate as concepts, forms and postures, created a new Being and Life. New approaches and recognition of common values have created new alliances that have united the best found in us and have given greater expression to our lives as planetary citizens, sharing all the promising achievements in each area of Being and Living. We are no longer the same and the apparent distraction of our young people can only be a waiting time, to assimilate and express clearer, faithful and dignified commitments, at first with specific groups, and soon with humanity. All with greater harmony with the Soul and the Divine Spirit that inspires us to express more accurately the Being and Living. Let us be attentive to the insinuations, requests and internal commands, for this is our moment to reveal and awaken the Being that will propitiate and enable a new and splendorous Living. All in unison with Planetary One Life."
- Happiness and Peace, Luiz Omar, coordinator of URI CC Curitiba.
Slideshow: CC Curitiba celebrates WIHW2019
Cooperation Circle: MIR - Interreligious Movement of Rio de Janeiro
Location: Rio de Janeiro , Brazil
Opening event of the Week to Combat Religious Intolerance The URI Cooperation Circle MIR - Interreligious Movement of Rio de Janeiro celebrated the World Interfaith Harmony Week and the National Day to Combat Religious Intolerance (January 21 in Brazil) in conjunction with other organizations in the Association Scholem Aleichem - ASA. The objective was to alert people and society as a whole to the problem of intolerance generated by disrespect for the various beliefs in the world. In this sense, this celebration is considered a milestone in the fight for respect for religious diversity, since in addition to warning about discrimination in the religious sphere, it proposes equality to profess different religions and beliefs.
Slideshow: MIR - Interreligious Movement of Rio de Janeiro CC celebrates WIHW 2019
Cooperation Circle: Campinas CC
Location: Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
The URI Cooperation Circle Campinas, with great partnerships and supporters, held an ecumenical and interfaith event themed “Solidarity to the victims of Brumadinho and defense of the environment: Campinas for a Better Life” to celebrate the World Interfaith Harmony Week on February 9, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., at Largo do Rosário, the main public square of Campinas. Representatives of 11 different traditions and religions participated. There were moments of harmony and communion among all the participants who deepened on the path of mutual respect. In total, approximately 300 people were present.
Slideshow: Campinas CC celebrates WIHW 2019
Cooperation Circle: CC Meipi (Movimiento Ecuménico Interreligioso de Pueblos Indígenas)
Location: La Paz, Bolivia
Forty members of the CC Meipi (Movimiento Ecuménico Interreligioso de Pueblos Indígenas) met on February 10, at the Nest of Peace Healing Center, located in the desert on the shore of Lake Titicaca, to perform spiritual healing therapies in the chapels of purification, conversion, confirmation and celebration in the framework of ecumenical and interreligious dialogue in the Week of Interreligious Harmony.
Slideshow: Meipi CC celebrates WIHW 2019
Cooperation Circles: Grupo Inter-Religioso de Sào Paulo CC and Fé-minina CC
Location: São Paulo, Brazil
Slideshow: Grupo Inter-Religioso de Sào Paulo CC and Fé-minina CC celebrate WIHW 2019
Cooperation Circle: Constructores de Puentes / Bridge Builders
Location: Argentina
Six members of Bridge Builders Cooperation Circle, in Argentina, visited the prison in El Chaco to create bridges of friendship and social reintegration through interreligious and intercultural dialogue. This activity was held on February 4, 2018 from 5-7PM.
Constructores de Puentes / Bridge Builders Cooperation Circle celebrates WIHW 2019.
Cooperation Circle: Fundación FEMAS
Location: San Salvador, El Salvador
On February 7, 2019, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, 12 members of the CC Femas met in San Salvador yo hold an interreligious prayer for migrants, asking for peace in the world and specifically in Latin America. They prayed for the homicides to stop and for their brothers to not have to migrate from their countries, and that people would be respected their human rights in every country.
Cooperation Circle: Latinoamericano de Músicos
Location: Mexico City, Mexico
A meeting of communities: We held activities of movement, music and emotional exploration for spiritual work and emotional balance. These were directed to the public in general. In Mexico City, on February 2, 2019 this beautiful activity was carried out with children and young people. We have planned a community ecumenical maneuver for the beginning of March with the same harmonious and solidary, human intention.
Latinoamericano de Músicos celebrates WIHW 2019
Cooperation Circle: CC Mukua (Mujeres Kunas Artesanas)
Location: Ciudad de Panamá, Panamá
On February 3, members of CC Mukua participated in the meeting "Peace Between Brothers". The Evangelical Church of God invited CC Mukua to make known their Kuna worldview. Fany González was in charge of sharing her experience on interreligious and intercultural dialogue from her worldview. The most important part of this experience was the establishment of an interreligious dialogue for peace and the cultivation of friendship between brothers of different religions.
CC Mukua celebrates WIHW 2019
Cooperation Circle: Circulo De Cooperación para el Diálogo CC (For Dialogue CC)
Location: Caracas, Venezuela
On February 7, 2018, a radio program Hoy Exactamente Ahora was carried out, transmitted by www.radiocomunidad.com on Interreligious Harmony, conducted by the Marina Tirado Buddhist Nun, with the participation of some of the members of the CC for the Dialogue from Caracas. The main theme was to recognize the imperative need for dialogue between different religions and to improve mutual understanding, harmony and cooperation among people.
Cooperation Circle: Circulo De Cooperación para el Diálogo CC (For Dialogue CC)
Location: Caracas, Venezuela
We celebrated with an Interreligious Meditation Sangha of Tibetan Buddhism of Lineage Drikung Kaiyo Venezuela and Zen Soto, to ask for the freedom of the Venezuelan people and the cessation of the dictatorship, and respect for human rights. This meditation was held on Saturday, February 10, from 2-4 pm.
For Dialogue CC celebrates WIHW 2019
Cooperation Circles: Movimiento Ecuménico Interreligioso de Pueblos Indígenas, CC Qewña, Comunidad Cósmica
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
In the city of Buenos Aires, the CCs Indigenous Peoples of Argentina, Cosmic Community and Qewña participated in a reflective discussion on the Week of Interreligious Harmony on Saturday, February 2, between 1 and 5 pm. Mother Earth, Pachamama, inspires the world to work for HARMONY and UNDERSTANDING, among religions. The Indigenous Peoples of the world have learned from Mother Earth to live in Peace and Harmony with ourselves, with the cosmos, with all living beings (animals, stones, rivers, etc.), with the spirits of our ancestors, who guide us and motivate us every day to dialogue with all our diverse brothers.
“I urge all religions to understand our way of seeing, thinking and living in the world. We do not want to impose this form only to allow ourselves to be what we have always learned from our Mother Earth, from Rivers, from Birds... May the week of Interfaith Harmony help reflect that Indigenous Peoples have different ways of understanding the world. We do not want to overwhelm or impose our thinking. We only want to live as we understand the world; discrimination and intolerance sicken our beings.”
Movimiento Ecuménico Interreligioso de Pueblos Indígenas, CC Qewña, and Comunidad Cósmica celebrate WIHW 2019
Cooperation Circle: CC Quinaroes
Location: Trujillo, Venezuela
On Thursday, February 7, from 5 to 7pm in Lagunillas, there will be an interreligious conversation about the importance of harmony and the unity of all human beings. We will work together to understand the concepts of tolerance, respect, unity in diversity and human rights. This conversation was held with the young leaders in training, who, in their spare time, are preparing themselves in the development of biodegradable soaps, in addition to studying a degree in Biology and Chemistry at the illustrious University of Los Andes in Trujillo.
CC Quinaroes celebrates WIHW 2019
Cooperation Circle: URI Brasília
Location: Brasil
Together with União Marista do Brasil CDDR Baha'is Fundação Grupo Esquel and CONIC - Conselho Nacional de Igrejas Cristãs, URI Brasília celebrated Harmony Week with women of different institutions praying together with other women from WIN URI CC in various countries.
Middle East and North Africa
Cooperation Circle: Palestinian Women for Peace Society
Location: Hebron, West Bank, State of Palestine
The members educated local women on how to recycle and live more environmentally responsibly, then shared a community meal. See wonderful photos by clicking on the PDF link below.
Charter for Compassion Yemen celebrates WIHW 2019.
URI Cooperation Circle: Charter for Compassion Yemen
Location: Yemen
As participation in the World Interfaith Harmony Week, we completed our first stage of our campaign to support Yemeni children who are suffering from the war and we targeted most families who are missing basic life needs such as food, medicine and clothing. We selected 18 of those families and provided them with food baskets that are sufficient for a month. This campaign succeeded with your generous support and contributions. Our next project will be to provide infants and toddlers (0 to 2 years old) with formula and milk. Each can of milk costs $18. Every kid needs an average of 4 cans per month. Our goal is to provide milk for 100 children. We hope that you continue supporting the Yemeni people and children in particular in these difficult times.
URI Cooperation Circle: URI Jordan, Seeds of Peace, Desert Bloom
Location: Jordan
URI Jordan, Seeds of Peace, and Desert Bloom celebrated World Interfaith Harmony Week 2019 with 25 Muslim and Christian refugee children from Iraq and Syria. See the slideshow below.
Slideshow: URI Jordan, Seeds of Peace, and Desert Bloom celebrate World Interfaith Harmony Week 2019
The URI Multiregion
Cooperation Circle: Unity Earth
Location: New York, NY, USA
Unity Earth partnered with other organizations in the celebration of 2019 World Interfaith Harmony Week in New York, NY, USA. (See photo below.)
See more photos and read the full press release here.
Cooperation Circles: URI Wisdom Circle, Women's Interfaith Network of the URI
Location: Canada
Five Minutes of Prayers and Meditation for World Peace: We request all to join their hearts and thoughts together for five minutes on the closing day of World Interfaith Harmony Week, Thursday, February 7th -12:00 Noon (your time). We will combine our prayers, meditations and good thoughts to support each other, unify our energies and elevate the consciousness of the Whole -- building global harmony and peace.
Cooperation Circle: CARAVAN Arts
Location: United States
This year we chose to mark World Interfaith Harmony Week with the announcement of our upcoming exhibition, "ABRAHAM: Out of One, Many." This timely exhibition focuses on what we can learn from Abraham's story about living together more harmoniously. Three globally acclaimed Middle Eastern contemporary visual artists from the faith traditions of Islam, Christianity and Judaism have each created five paintings that interpret Abraham’s life and faith journey for us today, serving as a guide toward creating cultures of peace, harmony, justice and healing – all as descendants of a shared heritage. The exhibition will premiere its global tour in Rome, Italy at St Paul’s Within the Walls Episcopal Church the first weekend of May 2019 and will then be showcased in the United Kingdom over the summer of 2019, before touring the USA through the end of 2020. We also posted daily inspirational quotes by world-renowned figures to promote harmony, peace and social justice throughout the week.
North America
Cooperation Circle: Tri-City InterFaith Council
Location: Fremont, California, USA
The event, “Power of Love Extending Harmony,” hosted at Niles Discovery Church, strengthened ties within the community. At the event, fourteen different faith tables had informational displays with pictures and brochures sharing their traditions. After an hour of visiting the tables, attendees transitioned into an educational group activity focused on the different practices of various faiths. Participants chose an educational activity they would like to participate in, which included music, poetry, art, public speaking, and book groups that focused on exploring different faith practices.
Learn more and see photos here.
Cooperation Circle: Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County
Location: Pleasant Hill, CA, USA
The theme of unity rang consistently throughout the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County’s (ICCC) WIHW Concert, “One Power,” hosted at the Christ the King Catholic Parish and named after the inspirational song performed by well-known musician Daniel Nahmod. A much larger number of community members attended this year’s event than last year. Loel Bartlett Miller, secretary of the ICCC, attributed the large turnout to the excitement from Nahmod’s performance. The group was first exposed to Nahmod’s encouraging lyrics of peace, love and compassion across all nations, cultures and faiths when six members of the ICCC participated in the Parliament of World Religions in Toronto, Canada, in early November of last year.
Learn more and see photos here.
Cooperation Circles: Interfaith Works and Women Transcending Boundaries
Location: Syracuse, NY, USA
In Syracuse, New York, InterFaith Works (IFW) collaborated with Woman Transcending Boundaries, both local non-profit organizations, to hold their 9th Annual World Interfaith Harmony Assembly at the city’s Southern Missionary Baptist Church to celebrate WIHW. Inspired by the banner draped behind the church’s altar, this year’s theme was “We Are Family.”
Learn more and see photos here.
Cooperation Circles: Unity and Diversity World Council, Camp Anytown Las Vegas, Rothko Chapel CC, Interfaith Café, University of Rochester Interfaith Chapel
Location: New York, NY, USA
To commemorate World Interfaith Harmony Week, select URI North America Cooperation Circle members gained exclusive access to UN headquarters and staff in New York. Read the members' reports about their experiences and see photos here.
Southeast Asia and the Pacific
Cooperation Circle: The URI Southeast and the Pacific office
Location: Southeast and the Pacific
The URI Southeast and the Pacific (SEAPAC) regional office shares a PDF feature about World Interfaith Harmony Week 2019. Click on the green arrow below to view the document.
URI SEAPAC region celebrates WIHW 2019.
Cooperation Circle: Restoring Community Visions International
Location: Bugiri, Busoga, Uganda
The event brought together people from different faiths (Muslims, Catholics, and Anglicans) to clean up Al-Jama mosque and St. Mary's Church of Uganda. Later, we had a dialogue where spiritual leaders, their followers, political leaders, and the community at large had a discussion on the way forward. We discussed how to bring an everlasting peace to Bugiri - which seems to have been lacking before the event.
"The event fulfilled the passion I have for the community," said one participant. "It also fulfilled the objective of the RCVI - of bringing different faiths to work together. The event set a precedent, being the first interfaith harmony celebration in the history of Bugiri District ever since its creation in 1979 from Uganda."
Cooperation Circle: House of Hilkiah Foundation
Location: Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria
A team from House of Hilkiah Foundation visited Mbawa Community IDP camp in Daudu, Guma LGA Benue state, Nigeria. The camp has a total population of 3,015, including Women-1820 (Widows-137, Girls-83) Men-465, Children-730. The female leader showed us around, narrating their ordeals in the camp ranging from lack of food and water to how they have been neglected by the government. We interviewed some of the women, who lost their husbands and children due to the crisis of the herdsmen. They told us they were all farmers and farming was their source of livelihood. The invaders displaced them to have no shelter, burning their crops and leaving them homeless and with nothing to eat.
The team brought writing materials for the children and food. They will look for support, partnership and collaboration from other organizations to assist in organizing an empowerment program for the women in the camp. That way, the women will be able to make a living that can sustain them and their families, and also have access to basic needs like food, clothes, sleeping arrangements for them and their families, and books and sitting arrangements for the children.
See more details and photos in the PDF report below.
