Initiated through the board's Women's Division and mission personnel unit, the new missionaries will work in targeted priority areas specified by the women and youth themselves. Most of the group took part in an Oct. 10 boardwide commissioning service in New York.
Raised in Cameroon, Catherine Akale is returning to her home country to work across the sub-Saharan region on social and economic justice issues facing women. Although feminists in the Northern Hemisphere speak about the "third wave" of the feminist movement, Akale explained that African women have not even reached the first wave.
"Gender segregation is embedded in church and social structures," she said. She will be consulting with other women in the region to identify their major issues of concern.
Akale believes the empowerment of African women will come through education. "We will begin seminars and workshops, hopefully enabling women to be on an equal ground with men in church, society, economics and employment," she said.
She admitted that initial resistance might come from male church leaders, who might not want an awareness of equal rights and equal opportunities to be hammered too strongly, fearing loss of their leadership. "That's why I would like to work around those fears, taking on some of the cultural issues of respect, and show that even within that, there's room for women to participate on an equal basis within the institutions, society, households and wherever there are talented women." .
Violence against women will be a major challenge, according to Akale. "Most African cultures have conditioned women to be secretive about intra-family violence," she explained. "The cultural aspect of violence is another issue. Because many women are economically dependent on men, if there is a violation of their rights, there is a fear of losing security and contact with one's own family."
John Yambasu also will be working in sub-Saharan Africa with United Methodists, Methodists and ecumenically in youth leadership development and networking programs. During the past 15 years, Yambasu said, organizing programs to help empower youth has impacted his own life and broadened his perspectives about the needs of young people.
When civil war broke out in Sierra Leone, he developed the Child Rescue Center there, an orphanage for 40 children. The center housed children who fought in the war, had been abducted and were homeless. Later, a clinic was built to provide medical treatment to all of the children, including those of teen-age mothers who were raped during the war. Now, the center provides free education for 100 children at the primary school level.
"When we look at the African continent today, it is one that is full of crisis. If it is not war, it is political unrest, hunger, poverty, illiteracy and disease, the most critical of which is the AIDS crisis," Yambasu said. "In all of these crises, young people play the most active role. They are also the perpetrators and victims. If any difference is to be made on the continent, we need to begin preparing our young people to be able to make a positive impact on the continent."
Roseangela Oliveira will help organize women for mission in Latin America and train them for participation in all levels of the church, as well as help them address issues such as violence, health and women's human rights.
One training method involves using schools of mission organized by the Methodist women's organization of Brazil in partnership with United Methodist-related Bennett College in Greensboro, N.C. "The women's organization is doing their own leadership development, which is new for us in Brazil," Oliveira said. "They are working on women's issues. We will help them participate with women across Latin America to network, gain new experiences and support work they are already doing."
All nine members of the pilot group of regional missionaries are experienced in mission, and five of them have been recipients of Women's Division scholarships.
Martini is executive secretary of communications for the Women's Division, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.