Bishop Zoule and Simone Baigo-Dari from the Central African Republic will speak
at Adult Forum on October 16
In the Central African Republic the norm is for girls of 13 to have arranged
marriages. A privileged few are being enabled to pursue an education at a Catholic
High School through the sponsorship of the Evangelical Lutheran Church-Central
African Republic (ELC-CAR). The ELC-CAR has begun a project to develop and build
a Safe Haven (or training center) with the emphasis on meeting the needs of
women and children. With the long civil war, the unstable government, high unemployment,
lack of education opportunities for women, and the rise of violence, especially
against women, the ELC-CAR established the formation of a Safe Haven as a priority
of the church.
The ELC-CAR has developed plans to build the training center guest house in Bouar where it has property. The plans call for a phased-in project with offices for the ELC, meeting rooms, kitchen and dining hall and a dormitory for up to 40 guests. The project will be coordinated and managed by the Central African Women for Christ of the ELC. Lutheran Patners in Global Ministry located in Minneapolis, the Eastern North Dakota Synod, and our Synod (Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast) are partnering to underwrite this work. Bishop Zoule and Simone Baigo-Dari, chair of the Women’s group, will share their lives and work with us during the Adult Forum on Oct. 16 in the basement adult classroom.