Thursday, March 8, 2012

AHN: a brief exposé of current activities

The challenge for AHN is to connect people with similar interests so that collaborative venture can add value to Anglican health ministries. Modern technology makes that possible, and we are about to launch into the next stage of web design to try to make that effective amongst our existing 250 members and those many more who will join us in due course. In the meantime, here is a snapshot of what conversations and projects are taking place:

  • The Tanzania health microinsurance project is due to launch at the beginning of October. The AHN marketing team is set to promote the policy in 21 parishes of the Diocese of Dar es Salaam with a target of recruiting 20,000 members by the end of the month. An immense amount of work is going on in the background to make this unique approach work successfully. 
  • I will be speaking at a conference on Religion and Public Health at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. Archbishop Thabo will be present along with a range of religious leaders from around the region.
  • Our colleagues in the Province of Central America are in the process of contacting Anglicans throughout the continent to draw their interest in AHN, in particular with the backing of Elizabeth Barahona and her able translation support for our Spanish version website.
  • The Harpur Community Health Centre in Sadat City, Egypt is preparing for its official opening on 1st December.
  • An October meeting is set in the Church of England to plan a major national conference on health and healing
  • Discussions are taking place with various donors and microinsurance agencies to allow us to invest in our capacity to pilot health microinsurance more widely.
  • I am attending a WHO consultation with civil society on combatting TB
  • Conversations on the health challenges faced by indigenous communities are beginning to emerge between Anglicans in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
  • AHN is involved in the planning of a major international faith-based health conference for November 2011
  • Discussions are underway in relation to developing a public health curriculum to train Anglican health practitioners.
  • Whilst all this is going on, I am constantly gathering information about Anglican health programmes from around the communion; a community health project in Mozambique, the opening of a hospital in Myanmar, the development of nursing schools in DR Congo and Nigeria, the renewal of hospitals in the Church of North India, the struggle with flood damage in hospitals in Pakistan, the development of primary care projects throughout Africa - and so much more.

It is timely then that we shall gather some of our founding participants to review the strategic direction of AHN at the end of October. As well as look at how we can design our information systems so that we can more effectively engage people in collaboration with each other, we shall consider the most pressing needs and opportunities which are currently presenting themselves.

Meanwhile, please feel free to express your interest in these and other projects so that we can begin to build this collaborative momentum in order that we may offer God's healing ministry more bountifully.

Paul

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