Vision Statement
We are the family of God in Southern Africa, a community of believers living joyfully in communion of life with God, creation and one another, in a world of brotherhood, sisterhood and
participatory structures, as a result of our openness and learning together from each other. In this family, all seminaries, ministry formation and training programmes for the whole community
emphasize the spiritual and social dimension of our faith life and human dignity as our core value. Our formation leads to growth and confidence in people committed with competence and
courage to selfless action for a just and peaceful world and the integrity of all creation"
The Alliance is a vehicle for the promotion of quality partnership fueled and directed by the
energies of southern Church actors in collaboration with their northern counterparts. Once members of the Alliance have established internal communications infrastructure, shared
adequate information and experience, sufficiently strengthened their advocacy capacities, and defined their specific roles within broader advocacy movements, they will be better equipped to
pursue highly targeted and well-defined advocacy initiatives.
Regional Justice And Peace Project Summary
The Regional Justice and Peace Project (RJPP) is a distinct time-bound project that is part of an ongoing process of cooperation and reflection among Catholic partners engaged in the promotion
of Justice and Peace in Southern Africa. The process, which has come to be known as the "Regional Reflection on Justice and Peace in Southern Africa", was launched in response to the
expressed desire of CCJPs in the region to strengthen communication towards improved collaboration. It reached an apex in September of 1998 when CCJPs throughout the region
convened a meeting – under the title "Mutare Reflection" – with IMBISA and three CIDSE partners (CRS, CAFOD, and Misereor) to discuss matters of Justice and Peace and to explore avenues for continued cooperation.
Participants at the Mutare Reflection agreed that the Church's potential for Justice and Peace work in Southern Africa was being curtailed by the fragmentation of national CCJPs in the region. They
agreed that concrete action steps should be taken to improve communication and information sharing among national CCJPs. They further elaborated a list of priority Justice and Peace issues
around which effective forms of cooperation could be built. Economic justice, well illustrated by the African debt crisis, was first on this list of priorities. With the pursuit of integral human
development as the common denominator, participants at the Mutare Reflection decided that their shared desire for continued cooperation should be concretized into a project proposal. That
decision resulted in the development of the RJPP.
Representing extensive stakeholder participation, the RJPP provides resources for improved
communication and information sharing in the region. The project promotes a culture of cooperation that encourages project participants to use these resources towards integral human
development. In doing so, the project seeks to strengthen the advocacy skills of participating CCJPs while capacitating them to pursue proactive engagements in the field of economic justice.
The goal of the Regional Justice and Peace Initiative is to enable Justice and Peace activists and people of the Catholic Church in Southern Africa to realize their potential to pursue integral
human development in quality partnership with each other and their northern counterparts.
The specific objectives of the Regional Justice and Peace Initiative are as follows:
1. By the end of the project, a resource network for information sharing, exchange of ideas, technical assistance and support will have been established, made accessible to
and utilized by all participating members of the alliance.
2. By the end of the project, members of the CAJPSA will have increased knowledge
and skills necessary to design and launch independent and/or collaborative advocacy campaigns, particularly in the realm of economic justice, based on their respective needs, priorities and cultural approach.
3. By the end of the project, members of the CAJPSA will have achieved quality partnership through new forms of cooperation and better understanding of their complimentary roles.
Contact Persons: Fr. Antonio Nunes Wuawaya, Sr. Basilia Dembetembe LCBL
to impart to the Coordinators of the Catholic Commissions for Justice and Peace (CCJPs) clear
Christian Ethical Vision in their approach and dealing with social issues so as to accomplish a proper Christian Mission.