THE RISE OF PRO-LIFE AFRICA

Celebrating the Rise of Pro-Life Work and Mission in Africa Edited by: Obianuju Ekeocha

Vol I Issue 1

2013

For more African Pro-Life updates visit: www.cultureoflifeafrica.com contact: cultureoflifeafrica@yahoo.com

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Renewed commitment to Sanctity of Life in Africa

OWERRI CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCECE The Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri in Nigeria, scaled up their Pro-life Mission by organizing a two-day Pro-life Conference last June with the theme: Protecting Human Life from Conception to Natural Death. This ground-breaking event ignited a powerful pro-life spark in Owerri as thousands of attendees and participants enthusiastically absorbed the good and sound information that was presented to them. For many of them , it was their first real exposure to the truth about abortion, contraception, the homosexual agenda, promiscuity , pre-marital sex and pornography , all of which are now being insidiously woven into the fabrics of our society. This march in Owerri left an indelible memory in the hearts and minds of many as a powerful testimony of the unanimous pro-life stance in the typical African society. Christopher Okoro Contact: beprolife@yahoo.com HAPPY HOME FOUNDATION The increasing activities of the proponents of the Culture of Death in many parts of Africa ,has led to a threat to the dignity of the human person. As African nations are being pressured to embrace abortion and contraception our values continue to be eroded, infidelity is enabled, premarital sex increases , the perception of babies changes, the view of sex as sacred becomes distorted and the vision of human life as sacred is twisted . This was why the Happy Home Foundation (HHF) organized a 2-day conference in Enugu, Nigeria last May to address these new threats to our culture and our way of life. They brought in amazing pro-life speakers who spoke on the most neuralgic topics of our time. At the end of the conference, many lives were touched and many hearts were moved to recommit to building up an authentic Culture of Life in Africa. Dr Regina Akosa contact: happyhome_foundation@yahoo.com

Marching for Life in Owerri, Nigeria

The conference culminated with a spectacular March for Life rally through the City of Owerri which was led by the Archbishop of Owerri, His Grace Archbishop Anthony Obinna, And for this march, people from all walks and stripes of life came out with much zeal and zest, to witness to the sanctity and dignity of life, motherhood and marriage. And with remarkable African vitality, verve and vigour, they sang , danced and prayed that social poisons like abortion and same-sex marriage will never be accepted in our culture and so never be legalised in our country.

A cross-section of speakers & organizers at the HHF Conference

Society as a whole must respect, defend and promote the dignity of every human person, at every moment and in every condition of that person's life. To be truly a people at the service of life we must propose these truths constantly and courageously(Pope John Paul II Evangelium Vitae #81-82)

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Human Life International

Making great strides for the Sanctity of Life in Africa
UGANDA

Last September, HLI Uganda in collaboration with the women guild of Soroti Catholic Diocese organized a major women's conference that drew about 5000 attendees. HLI Uganda has also been involved in organizing most recently an amazing youth pro-life conference and a march for life which attracted thousands of Ugandans. In all of these events, our hope and dream is to help to build up a great civilization of love where every life is cherished, respected and protected from the moment of conception to natural death . Fr Jonathan Opio Contact: jonatheopi@yahoo.com KENYA
Fr Jonathan Opio addressing the 5000 attendees of the Conference

The conference was aimed at sensitizing women on the significant, serious, dangerous and many times deadly side effects of contraceptives and abortion. The women were also encouraged to continue teaching their children true African values. There were a broad array of presentations including topics on strengthening faith within family life; and how to work for a sustainable family-based income. There were also many women during the event who courageously recounted their bitter experience of coercion and sterilization by powerful officials who are now committed to the aggressive contraception campaign in Africa. This is on the rise in many rural parts of Africa as contraception promotion is getting incentivized by wealthy western philanthropists who are investing so much in African Sexual and Reproductive Health. One cant help but wonder why contraception is getting incentivized for Africa while real basic amenities are not!

HLI Kenya has had a very fruitful year in 2013 as we have had so many great opportunities to spread the pro-life message in various parts of Kenya.

Marching for life in Nairobi, Kenya

We have also collaborated with many other groups to sensitize and educate so many people on the Sanctity of life. Ann Kioko Visit HLI at: www.hli.org Contact: hli.nairobi@gmail.com

Marching for Life in Kampala, Uganda

HLI Pro-Life Kiosk Exhibition showing foetal development to high school students

One cannot think that a society can effectively combat crime when society itself legalizes crime in the area of conceived life (Pope Benedict XVI ,October 2006)

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The Dignity We Deserve in Africa

Universal Chastity Education
A light shines from Uganda, where there has been the most remarkable reduction in HIV/AIDS prevalence of anywhere in the world. The Ugandans have successfully promoted to their youth a lifestyle of respect for sexuality and saving sex only for a faithful marriage. Universal Chastity Education (UCE), is dedicated to these principles and to helping people around the world to find new hope in Christ, be victorious against HIV/AIDS, and to living healthy lives. Since UCE began, 9 years ago, 241,923 young people have committed themselves to Christ, and to abstain until a faithful marriage in Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania, and the USA. Last year, 32,515 young people stepped forward into new life by committing to chastity at UCE outreaches. This is a message the youth desperately need and want. One young Tanzanian girl said it best, when after an outreach she said, No one has ever cared about us enough to bring us a message like this. No one has believed in us, or even told us that there is another way to live. We have heard your message, and I promise you that from today forward we will change our lifestyle. On March 7th, 2013 that student and 271 of her peers from Ukwega Secondary School, Tanzania committed themselves to live anew, to strive for purity, and to abstain until marriage. Andrew Dernovsek Visit UCE at: www.uceglobal.org Contact: contact@uceglobal.org

Foundation for African Cultural Heritage

In a world that is being deformed by the venom of the Culture of Death, the human being becomes a dispensable object to be bought, sold and used. And human trafficking festers. With the poverty and desperation in many parts of Africa , millions of Africans have become a target for traffickers. The healthy ones among us have become a steady stream of organ supply, our women have fallen prey in the dark world of surrogacy, our young and vulnerable ones are being bought and sold in the black market that feeds the world-wide prostitution rings. And Africa continues to suffer loss and violence. So in response to this, last October FACH organized a powerful conference in Lagos, Nigeria to bring this scourge of human trafficking into the public consciousness.

In order to fight and end human tracking in Africa, we must work diligently together as a society to raise the dignity of every human person from the moment of conception to natural death. Dr Nkechi Asogwa Contact: nkechinyelum@gmail.com

A Student holding up his newly signed chastity commitment card

A cross-section of the speakers at the Conference

There can be no avoiding the duty to offer, especially to adolescents and young adults, an authentic education in sexuality and in love, an education which involves training in chastity as a virtue which fosters personal maturity (Pope John Paul II Evangelium Vitae #97)

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AFRICA LOVES LIFE AFRICA CELEBRATES MOTHERHOOD AFRICA VALUES FAITH & FAMILY SO LET US KEEP AFRICA PRO-LIFE!!!

The peoples of Africa respect the life which is conceived and born. They rejoice in this life. They reject the idea that it can be destroyed, even when the so-called 'progressive civilizations' would like to lead them in this direction. (Pope John Paul II Ecclesia in Africa #43)

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