Congo
ADRA Sends Aid to Thousands
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency is coordinating emergency relief supplies for thousands of people who have been displaced by violence near the border of Congo and Rwanda. Food prices have gone up more than 50 percent in some areas, and supplies are dangerously low. ADRA teams are providing food, blankets and emergency supplies to those who have fled their homes. The United Nations reports there are nearly 1 million refugees in Congo.
SOURCE: Adventist News Network
South Africa
Top Adventist Leaders Take Test for HIV/AIDS
As a public statement that the HIV/AIDS pandemic requires practical attention in the community, 54 Adventist leaders in the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division participated in voluntary HIV testing. An entire day of the division’s year-end leadership meetings was devoted to the HIV/AIDS issue, which affects nearly every family in the region. There are more than 3 million Adventists in the division, considered one of the fastest growing of the world church.
SOURCE: Adventist News Network
Vietnam
Government Recognizes Adventist Church
In October the government of Vietnam granted the Seventh-day Adventist Church official recognition, giving it legal status to operate. For the first time since 1975 leaders met in Ho Chi Minh City to elect officers and hold a constituency meeting. With official recognition, the next priority for Adventists in Vietnam is to purchase land for a Bible school. Currently there are 13,000 Adventists in Vietnam.
SOURCE: Adventist News Network
South Korea
Language School Receives Best Brand Award
The SDA Language School in Seoul received a 2008 Best Brand award by the Korea Consumers’ Forum. The school was honored in the Language Education category and was among 60 Korean corporations to receive a Best Brand Award. The award is given based on a consumer satisfaction survey of over 1.5 million Koreans.
SOURCE: Adventist News Network
United Kingdom
Fire Destroys Adventist Headquarters
A major fire has gutted the building that serves as headquarters for the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s British Union Conference. The blaze appears to have started during maintenance work taking place Nov. 16, 2008. No casualties or injuries were reported. Don McFarlane, BUC president, says, “It is a comfort to know the work of the church is not primarily done in an office building but by our many thousands of members through the UK and Ireland in towns, villages and cities where they live.”
SOURCE: Adventist News Network, British Union Conference
Chile
New Program Empowers Women
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency hopes to empower 200 indigenous Mapuche women through a literacy and training program in southern Chile. The one-year program teaches basic math and literacy skills with the intent of helping women begin businesses in wool production, poultry raising, agriculture and cooking. The program also aims to raise awareness of women’s rights. ADRA is administering the program in partnership with education and business organizations in Chile, including one of the nation’s top producers of wood and paper products.
SOURCE: ADRA
