Human and Community Development

Climate change is one of the challenges we are facing today. Recently we have seen several leaders speaking- out and mobilising the society to take meaningful action. Pope Francis is one of these leaders and he has gone further to produce an encyclical on the matter titled “Laudato Si”, Care for our Common Home. At L'Arche Zimbabwe we have a core member who always reminds us to be considerate of the environment. Douglas is a quiet person who does not say a word verbally but speaks considerably through his actions. He does not see a piece of paper on the ground and leave it there. He always pick and dispose them in a bin. In some cases when he feels like making a statement, he holds on to a pile of paper for some hours, long enough to make you notice. In his small efforts, Douglas reminds us of our responsibility towards the environment. He calls us to recognise that we are sustained by the environment and in turn we need to be considerate of its welfare.

First published on  http://ajanweb.org/ajan-lenten-reflections-2017 Today’s reading is about one of the outstanding stories in the bible (Jn 4:5-42) What makes it unique is the fruitful relations it portrays. From our childhood Sunday school teachings, we know somehow that the Samaritans and the Jews were not really on speaking terms. Yet the Lord found this as a rich opportunity to plant a seed of mutual respect, common good and love within mankind. He did not worry himself about perceptions, social constructs and widespread beliefs about Jews and Samaritans. He was crossing boundaries to reach out to others. Working with young people over the past 10 years, I have experienced three main scenarios in relation to HIV. I have seen children born with the virus maturing into their adolescence (thanks to ART). I have encountered young people infected mostly through sexual contact and I have met others infected by accident. All had one experience in common wh...

As we start the New Year, it is important for us to borrow from a very long standing tradition of making resolutions. There are those who like trading blindly and to those this notion makes no sense. However these people risk repeating the same mistakes over and over again. Making resolutions as young people moves us towards a reflective life which is embraced consciously. We become custodians and Pilots of our own lives. The process of making resolutions invites us to look at what we did best, perhaps in our behaviours or in other spheres of our lives. In the same regard, we look at what we did poorly and need to improve. From these experiences, one has to identify few practical things to work on throughout the year. For some it is deciding to quit smoking, taking alcohol and casual sex. For others it is the decision to pray more, helping others more, to start reading books, and perhaps contribute to environmental action. What are your 2017 Resolutions?