Network of Earthkeeping Christian Communities in South Africa
NECCSA Update: January 2006
A monthly newsletter on Church and Environment in South Africa
1. NECCSA Membership
NECCSA has increasingly become a communication network for Christian individuals and groups engaged in earthkeeping in the South African context. As stated in its constitution, the purpose of this network is “to stimulate a concern for the environment and, more specifically, for environmental justice amongst Christians in South Africa. It will provide a communication network to share information, visions, stories, resources and creative suggestions with one another in order to support, encourage and inspire others to address environmental concerns effectively and from within a Christian orientation.
As a network, NECCSA does not function as an independent organisation with its own programmes. This would ensure that it remains quite trim! Its main activities are maintaining the NECCSA website and distributing the monthly NECCSA updates. Although the communication is available to all interested people, with access to the internet, without cost, NECCSA encourages people, groups and organisations to become life-long members – as a symbolic step to indicate their commitment to earthkeeping.
According to the revised constitution, there are no specific obligations for NECCSA members, but they are called to accept ownership of the network, to send in their stories and perspectives on earthkeeping and to inform others of environmental concerns, meetings, conferences, liturgical resources and other publications. It would also be helpful if members can forward email addresses of people who would be keen to receive the monthly NECCSA Update. In this way we can raise an environmental awareness throughout South Africa. Members are also called to support NECCSA financially in order to maintain the proper functioning of the network.
2. 2nd International Conference on God & Creation
Craig and Tracy Sorley from the Brackenhurst Environmental Programme in Limuru Kenya writes that this organization has been working for the past 3 years to awaken the church to its responsiblility in glorifying God by caring properly for His creation. This year they are hosting the 2nd International Conference on God & Creation: Mobilizing the Faithful to Celebrate and Care for God’s Creation, to take place from March 8-11, with the target audience being church leaders from across East Africa and elsewhere.
The report that since the first conference on God & Creation was held in January, 2004, an awakening has begun in East Africa. A growing consensus amongst prominent church leaders is pointing to a simple truth: As Christians we have an urgent and profound responsibility under God to care for creation! Like other countries in Africa, Kenya now faces a range of significant environmental concerns which threaten the God-given beauty of the nation and the future of its people. In fact, a number of Christian leaders now admit that this crisis will impact Kenyans on a scale similar to that of the AIDS pandemic.
South African church leaders may not be able to attend this conference in Limuru, Kenya, but the organisers deserve the support and prayers of their South African friends. You may contact Craig and Tracy Sorley for more detail in this regard: ctsorley@att.net. You may find more information on the following website: www.careofcreation.org
3. Conservation and Poverty
Allen Goddard, the director of A Rocha South Africa, based in Pietermaritzburg, wrote this article on the relationship between conservation and poverty, which is indeed crucial, especially in the Southern African context:
Conserving biodiversity and simultaneously uprooting poverty is challenging because most forms of environmental degradation and most forms of poverty are interlinked and not accidental. They have been caused, directly or indirectly, by centuries of social and political exploitation. So, the messages of many prophets about injustice and exploitation that fill half of the Old Testament are apt for the world today. Then as now, poverty and destruction of the environment are the result of social and political selfishness. The interests of the few have been served best by creating structures to keep the many in abject poverty. And simultaneously, Creation’s resources have been exploited. Apartheid is one recent example. Ongoing multinational exploitation of the Amazonian biosphere and peoples is another. Social, economic and environmental injustices persist worldwide. Small wonder then that both conservation, and uplifting poor communities present one pivotal challenge – transforming wealthy people’s attitudes and behaviour patterns in politics and economics.
A Rocha in South Africa is making a start towards integrating conservation and poverty alleviation, in our Living Msunduzi Waterways Project in Pietermaritzburg. Between its sources, and the confluence with the Umngeni River, (about 70 km) the Msunduzi flows through valleys which are home to 600 000 people, who have either inadequate, or no waterborne sewerage infrastructure. Too little has changed in these communities since Apartheid. Rates of HIV infection, life expectancy, unemployment, and poverty related crimes are shocking, especially juxtaposed with the standard of living of South Africa’s small affluent elite. The Msunduzi also meanders through Pietermartizburg’s urban and industrial centre. So water quality is poor. E.coli pollution ranging from 20 000 to 1000 000 E.coli per 500ml, and toxic industrial effluents threaten the survival of a surprising range of wild plants and animals in the riparian zone. Good summer rains, and the water releases from Henley Dam for South Africa’s two biggest canoe marathons are a meagre guarantee of survival to flagship species like the River Monitor, Giant Kingfisher and Cape Clawless Otter.
Riverside, A Rocha’s temporary headquarters in South Africa, stands 12 metres above the Msunduzi. In the last year, A Rocha has created employment for Nkosinathi Chonco and ad hoc day workers, to transform a two-kilometer stretch of the riverbanks below Riverside into a conservancy. Invasive Syringa and Sesbania trees have made way for Current Bushes, Quinine Trees and Wild Bananas. Small businesses, local schools and neighbouring residents are our project partners, donating funding necessary for this livelihood creation project. One partner, the Duzi-Umngeni Conservation Team (DUCT), a group of canoeist conservationists and engineers, is following A Rocha’s lead by fundraising for community employment projects to create a riparian conservancy all the way from Pietermaritzburg to Durban!
South Africa is like the world in one country. Our past has been sorely shaped by social and environmental injustice. And our future viability as a nation depends largely on meeting the basic needs of millions of poor people, while simultaneously safeguarding our country’s scarce water resources, yet astoundingly rich heritage of biodiversity. Working for A Rocha in this challenging context offers hope. As Christians we understand the whole environment to be an open not a closed system. And in particular, Creation’s systems and creatures are open to the Creator, Jesus Christ. A Rocha also affirms the cultural resourcefulness of all peoples irrespective of belief. We strive to conserve the integrity of biospheres in a way that creates livelihoods and promotes co-operation between rich and poor for viable communities. A Rocha’s ethos reaches to the heart of the poverty-ecology challenge. We are pioneering conservation practice where healthy ecosystems, equitable livelihoods and healthy communities will be mutually sustaining.
Notes:
· You are welcome to distribute this NECCSA Update electronically to any other interested person. You are also welcome to send news to be included in the next NECCSA update to emcemp@iafrica.com by 15 February 2006. You may send such contributions in the language of your choice.
· NECCSA’s website address is www.neccsa.org.za where membership details can also be found. You are invited to accept ownership of this website in order to use it to share information on Christianity and earthkeeping practices. Please send any information to the email address above.
· NECCSA’s banking details are: First National Bank, Musgrave Rd Branch, Branch code: 221126, Cheque account number: 62035719064.
· If you prefer not to receive the NECCSA Update in future, please send a message in this regard to the email address mentioned above.
· Distributed by EM Conradie 25/01/2006