Welcome
The International Anglican Family Network (IAFN) is one of the Networks of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a forum for the exchange of information about the challenges facing families in different countries and cultures and the practical work being undertaken by churches and individual Christians. …More
The Aims of the International Anglican Family Network
Since 1991, IAFN’s work has focused on the production of three newsletters per year on issues affecting families. The aim of the newsletters is to set challenges and problems in an international context and to give information about practical projects and work being done by churches and communities to help. Articles are written by people from many different countries within the Anglican Communion. The range of topics covered in the newsletters: eg Street Children, Fathers and Families, HIV/AIDS, Children and War, Community Families, demonstrate the many areas where individuals and groups, often linked with churches, are active in responding to families in need. The newsletters provide an educational resource for both the developed and the developing world, helping all to learn more about the resources and dedication of the many women and men within the worldwide Anglican family whose work is often unknown. Their stories provide a stimulus for greater understanding and further action.
A number of printed copies of the IAFN newsletters are available to those who request them and the newsletters are also available on this website.
A more recent development has been the holding of regional consultations. The first was in Nairobi in 2003 which enabled delegates from different parts of Africa to come together and discuss the difficult and important issue of Violence and the Family. A further consultation was held in Seoul in October 2007, in partnership with the Korean Church, when delegates from different countries in Asia considered the impact of Globalisation on Family Life highlighting issues such as migrant workers, the bride trade and family violence.I n October 2010 IAFN held its third regional consultation on violence and the family, in Aotearoa New Zealand in partnership with the Family Centre, Lower Hutt, which brought together participants involved in Anglican family ministries across Oceania. A major outcome of this consultation was an Action Plan for the Churches which set out the six steps taken by the participants to prepare themselves to tackle violence and the family. See the Consultations Page for more information.
Current News Items
29-Nov-2012 Archbishop Rowan Williams' statement on the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children
14-May-2012 Anglican Communion Family Network targets birth registration, invites input
06-Dec-2011 Advent a time for Anglicans worldwide to engage with birth registration for all
18-Nov-2011 Archbishop of Canterbury's Statement for the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children
10-Jan-2011 Ecuador: Workshop on domestic violence
Current Newsletter
The stories gathered in this newsletter 'Divided Families' describe some of the causes of separation and the pain and loss that go with it. But they also speak of innovative and hopeful projects undertaken by Anglican churches and Christian organisations which set out to heal and restore, offer practical support, and make life more bearable for those who have been cut off from their loved ones and those who would normally provide for the safety and daily needs of home and family. …Read online
Birth Registration Blog
IAFN is promoting the potential of churches to work with state and non-governmental agencies in order to help families overcome the obstacles to birth registration, and has set up a blog in the hope that Anglicans (and maybe others too) will find it useful for sharing information about birth registration in their own area and ideas to overcome obstacles to registration.