Micah Challenge in Zambia

Andy Clasper (Queens Road Church, Wimbledon) recently travelled to Zambia with Joel Edwards, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance and Chairman of the Micah Challenge International Council. Andy was appointed as the new executive director of anti poverty coalition Micah Challenge UK in June of this year.

Micah Challenge is an international movement of local churches and Christian agencies who want to be a prophetic voice in support of the world’s poor, encouraging governments to fulfil the promises they made – through the Millennium Development Goals – to eradicate poverty by 2015. Micah Challenge UK has Terry Virgo as a member of its Council of Reference. Three of the key members of Micah Challenge UK are World Vision, Tearfund and the Evangelical Alliance.

One of the main campaigning priorities for Micah Challenge UK at present is HIV and AIDS, tying into one of the Millennium Development Goals which is to halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015.  Andy spent time whilst in Zambia at an HIV and AIDS unit as well as with a team of volunteers who take clothing and food to AIDS sufferers and orphans in their homes.

Andy said: “As I talked to the community care volunteers I was struck by culture shock.  I couldn’t work out why so much of their work was focused on orphans.  ‘Orphans?  We don’t have an orphan problem in the UK ‘, I thought.  Then a statistic I’d read earlier really came alive for me: the average life expectancy in Zambia is 37.   And if the average is 37 there’ll be a good deal of people dying younger.  And that’s going to leave a lot of vulnerable children.  I asked how many of the children they dealt with had been orphaned by HIV and AIDS and the answer was as many as 75%.  16% of the population of Zambia’s population is HIV positive.”

Andy also met a group of pastors from rural churches who were playing a crucial role in removing the stigma of HIV, meeting the practical needs of those that have contracted it, and bringing about behaviour change to halt the spread.  This also was a profound moment.  “I was so impressed by these guys – the way they led their congregations and communities, the way they were looked to by government as key influencers in society.  They asked me to bring a message to the government in the UK: they were doing all they could and asked that we do the same – supporting charities and speaking to government – so that together we could tackle HIV/AIDS.  I would urge churches in the UK to add their voice to this cause.”

For more details about Micah Challenge UK, log on to www.micahchallenge.org.uk