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Newsletters

 

Recent Newsletters


The Impact of Globalisation on Families and Communities.
This newsletter follows the consultation organised by the Family Network in co-operation with the Anglican Church of Korea and held in Seoul n 2007. It includes articles based on papers presented by several of the delegates. These tell of the impact of global economic forces on families in Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, The Philippines, Singapore and Australia, with the growth in the numbers of women and men working away from their homes and the resulting pressure on them and their families. The article from The Philippines shows how the bride trade, with women seeking to escape poverty through marriage abroad, can result in their exploitation and abuse. Additional articles from Argentina, Bangladesh and UK make clear that problems caused by agribusinesses and migrant working are by no means confined to countries in Asia, but occur in many parts of the Communion. Efforts are being made by churches and specialist organisations such as the Asia Pacific Mission to Migrants to help migrant workers through centres offering support, advocacy and friendship. Globalisation may well be here to stay but we need to be aware of its negative effects on many families, and the prayer of those at the Consultation was that their deliberations will encourage all parts of the Anglican Communion to work to support families in whatever situation they find themselves and so demonstrate the love of Christ in action …more

Previous Newsletters


  • The Impact of HIV/AIDS on Children
    It is estimated that worldwide some 15 million children have already lost one or more parents to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Apart from the devastating effects of bereavement, many orphaned children have to cope with the care of siblings while others are themselves infected by the virus which can be transmitted to them at their birth. In some parts of the Anglican Communion, the statistics are known and horrifying; in others the known numbers are small but the problems of combating ignorance and stigma are huge. In this newsletter, stories from many different Provinces of the Anglican Communion reveal the terrible disparity of provision for children affected by HIV/AIDS, but all tell of faithful work being done to protect and help them: education projects; medical care, support projects which provide food and clothing or simply friendship and a chance to forget about HIV
  • Urban Families
    Over half the global population now live in towns and cities. Cities with over 10 million people are becoming commonplace. Elsewhere smaller settlements are exploding with rural migrants. And cities are young places, as young adults are most likely to move to urban areas to make their new homes. Urban life exposes young people to new worldviews, technologies and lifestyles. It also exposes them to the inequalities of the society where they live as shanty towns grow up near gated communities. In the midst of our cities - and the slums - are stories of hope, of risks taken in faith. Articles in this newsletter show glimpses of visions of a different city - one of possibility, of energy and safe spaces; the place where the stranger can become the neighbour and where new expressions of community can flourish
     
  • Slavery and the Family:Past and Present
    The newsletter, published at Trinitytide 2007 Anglican World, marks the 200 years since Britain abolished the Slave Trade and looks back at the history and achievement of William Wilberforce, inspired as he was by his study of the Bible and Christ's teaching. But the main focus of the newsletter is to show that 1807 did not mark the end of slavery as a practice or system. The newsletter also tells of work being done to help the victims of modern forms of slavery and calls on Christians to recognise today's oppression and - like Wilberforce - labour to oppose it.

  • Community Families (Newyear 2007)
    explores the significance and nature of different forms of community: L'Arche communities for the disabled; communities for children who have no families; migrant communities and religious communities. The newsletter contains articles from South Africa, Botswana, Uganda, Kenya, Cambodia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and UK.

  • Acts of Terror and the Family (Trinity 2006)
    contains moving stories from all over the Communion, written by people who have suffered from acts of terror. They tell of the loss of family members and the pain of bereavement, the trauma of terror and its effects on the family and the wider community. At the same time there is hope in their journey towards recovery and healing and their efforts to lessen such pain for others.

  • Families and Health (Newyear 2005/2006)
    contains articles from a wide range of countries in Africa, Asia and parts of the Western world telling of the efforts to combat malaria and malnutrition and work to promote understanding of HIV/AIDS and to prevent its spread.

  • Women and Poverty (Trinity 2005)
    tells of "the feminine face of poverty" and shows how women are often the most afflicted by poverty because of factors such as their lack of economic power; skills and status and the need to care for their families. Yet women's voices have not often been sought or listened to. In this newsletter, articles from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Uganda, South Africa, Brazil, Burma, India, Bangladesh, Israel, USA and UK enable the voices of some women to be heard.

  • Families at the Frontiers of Faith (Eastertide 2005)
    This newsletter shows how many people face up to inter faith issues in family life, in inter faith marriages, in bringing up young people in an inter faith context. Projects and individuals in Jerusalem, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Indonesia and UK work to break down the religious barriers and develop understanding of a common humanity.

  • Moving Families (Michaelmas/Advent 2004/2005)
    tells the stories of people displaced from their homes by violence: in the Sudan and the Congo, Burma and Kosovo. Articles reveal the struggle to re-settle in a new land, often not knowing whether close family members are alive or dead. The newsletter also has articles about migrant workers in China, the Philippines and Hong Kong telling of their exploitation and encouraging action by churches and Christians to welcome and support them. The final section is about travelling families - the difficulties of gypsies in UK and the rapid changes to the life of nomads in the Sinai desert.

  • International Year of the Family: Ten Years On - Problems and Progress (Trinity 2004)
    asks what has been achieved since the International Year of the Family in 1994. Articles from a wide range of countries tell of the increasing number of single parent families, of the changing role of parents with more women becoming the breadwinners and some men becoming more involved with the care of their children. A major concern over the ten years is the spread of HIV/AIDS and the newsletter tells of practical projects developed to help those affected by the pandemic.

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  • Abandoned Children (New Year 2003/2004)
    tells of children fending for themselves in the face of danger and disease not only without adequate material resources but also without the love and emotional support that all human beings need to survive. But as well as of the horrors, articles tell of the work being done: the provision of refuges and day care for children in Brazil, Bolivia and Argentina, Burundi and Rwanda; the work of a church in Estonia to repair the building and use it as a centre for hungry and neglected children; the work of organisations in Scotland and England where even in such wealthy countries run away children and children in care need vital support.

  • Violence and the Family (Michaelmas 2003)
    This newsletter follows the regional African consultation held on this theme in Nairobi in 2003. It draws on the issues discussed with great energy and application by the 32 delegates at the conference and sets out their recommendations for action. Perspectives are also included from other parts of the Anglican Communion, showing how violence against women and within the family is endemic across the world and calling on the Church to listen and break the silence about such abuse.

  • Children and Work (Trinity 2003)
    In 2003, the International Labour Organisation estimated there were 246 million working children aged between 5 and 17. Although some tasks can teach important skills, for millions their work is dangerous and destructive, depriving them of their childhood, if not their life. Articles from India, Malawi, Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania, Zambia, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Sri Lanka, China, USA, Brazil, Argentina, Spain and Scotland show the international nature of such exploitation of children and work being done - often linked with churches - to help them.

  • Food and the Family (Christmas 2002)
    This newsletter is one of startling contrasts. In some Western societies, obesity and ill health are the problems, while in many developing areas of the Anglican Communion the articles highlight malnutrition and starvation. But the picture is not simple and articles from UK tell of anorexia, a form of self starvation and its effect on family members. Other articles look at the effect of globalisation and practical ways forward such as the Fairtrade movement which works to ensure that food producers in the Two Thirds world are adequately paid for their produce.

  • The Burden of Care (Michaelmas 2002)
    tells of parents coping with a disabled child, of children coping with disabled siblings and of how many find joy in caring and manage to care for numerous additional family members orphaned through AIDS. In countries such as Papua New Guinea and parts of Africa, the extended family and local community frequently help. But even here, the culture of such support is being weakened and the Church, as an intergenerational community with a mandate to care, needs to encourage the work already being done by organisations such as The Mothers' Union, the Salvation Army and many others, and increase its support for those whose burden is too heavy.

  • Women and the Family (Trinity 2002)
    Many African mothers are desperate to get funds to help them educate their daughters and enable them to escape the cycle of poverty, early pregnancy, single parenthood and more poverty. Research shows that educating women and girls is the single most effective strategy for reducing poverty. Several articles in this newsletter show that women in many parts of the world are now the breadwinner for their families. For some, this can develop their opportunities and this newsletter also celebrates the strength of women, working to bring peace in the Sudan, more social cohesion in S. India, learning new skills in the Lebanon. But the extension of "women's work" can also be an added burden - particularly if there is little partnership between men and women in the many tasks of family care.

  • Family Breakdown (Christmas 2001)
    The articles in this newsletter tell of increased marriage and relationship breakdown, more children on the streets, more despair fuelling alcohol and drug abuse. But the picture is not all bleak. A Canadian author points out that a marriage breakdown may, in some cases, represent a new start, free from hidden violence and abuse. Many articles tell of vigorous efforts, from all over the Anglican Communion, to help the casualties of family breakdown, both parents and children and the potential of churches and parishes to provide a supportive "family."

  • Children and War (Michaelmas 2001)
    In 2001, a UN Report concluded that in as many as 50 countries children are suffering in the middle of armed conflict. Increasingly in some areas children are specifically targeted, recruited as combatants or abducted to serve as sexual slaves to soldiers. Articles from Burundi, Sierra Leone, Congo, Rwanda, the Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania, give glimpses of the horror. Not only Africa is affected: authors from Iraq, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Cambodia, Palestine, Israel and Northern Ireland write of the violence perpetrated against children and tell of the ministry of the Church to these casualties of war.

  • Education and the Family (Trinity 2001)
    tells of the "treasure of education" which is lost through war, poverty, family breakdown or - in parts of the world - is denied to girls and women. The articles give voice to those for whom education is not provided by the state free of charge and shows how the gender gap has a high cost with an increased mortality rate among babies born to ill-educated women. In the developed world, articles from Australia and New Zealand and UK emphasise the importance of value-based education and the need to support and strengthen families.

  • Faith in the Family (Christmas 2000)
    outlines changes in society which affect families and their faith. Now the transmission and nurturing of faith is not "fashionable"; it has to be worked for in a range of ways by parents, by church evangelism, by modern communications, by fathers as well as mothers. There is Good News in the newsletter. Some articles, eg from Paraguay and Australia, tell of difficulties leading to deeper faith and commitment.

  • Prison and Families (Michaelmas 2000)
    The families of prisoners have been described as invisible, the forgotten victims. Partners and children, parents and relatives are often stigmatised and placed in situations of great hardship through no fault of their own. Articles in the newsletter tell how churches and church organisations in USA, South Africa, Nigeria, Zambia, Kenya, Ghana, Dominican Republic, Pakistan and many other countries have set up projects to help both prisoners and their families.

  • Fathers and Families (Easter 2000)
    Throughout the Anglican Communion, there is evidence of the dislocation of rapid change, often in part brought about by economic forces which undermine the role of men for example as "breadwinner" of the family. Many of the articles tell of the difficulties of fathers, particularly the young men who have had little education or job opportunities. At the same time, research from many countries shows the importance of fathers in the upbringing and nurture of children.

  • Water and the Needs of Families (Advent 1999)
    For those in rain-drenched countries, imagination is sometimes needed to grasp the importance of water. But in many parts of the world, water is a matter of hard labour and survival. And wherever there are water shortages or pollution, it is the poor who suffer most. Articles from a wide range of countries tell of projects and partnerships to provide clear water and so fight disease, of education about environmental degradation and increasing water shortages. Articles written by expert contributors from USA show that the global water situation concerns us all.

  • Single Parent Families (Michaelmas 1999)
  • Prostitution (Trinity 1999)
  • Women's Voices: Lambeth 1998 (report of some aspects of the Spouses' Programme at Lambeth)
  • Families: The Challenge to the Church (newsletter for 1998 Lambeth Conference, July 1998)
  • Families and Disability (Easter 1998)
  • Young People: Risk, Exploitation and Abuse (Advent 1997)
  • The Challenge of Parenthood (Michaelmas 1997)
  • Moving Families: Migration, Immigration and Asylum (Easter 1997)
  • HIV and AIDS and Young People (Advent 1996)
  • Strengthening Marriage (Michaelmas 1996 )
  • Women and Violence (Lent 1996)
  • Tackling Poverty in Families (October 1995)
  • Street Children (February 1995)
  • Cohabitation - A Challenge for the Church? (October 1994)
  • Elderly People and the Family (March 1994)
  • HIV and AIDS and the Family (October 1993)
  • Refugees and their Families (Spring 1993)

Please note: the views of individual contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the International Anglican Family Network

The IAFN newsletter is distributed with Anglican World magazine. The relavant issue dates are indicated above. You may subscribe to Anglican World using the online subscription form. Further information about Anglican World is available from the magazine's section on the Anglican Communion web site.

Some of these newsletters are available in a separately-printed version.
Please contact the Network Co-ordinator at: -

IAFN office
PO Box 54
Minehead
Somerset
UK
TA24 7WD

e-mail: mail@iafn.net

 

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