Eastern Africa
The Eastern Africa Jesuit Province, located in the Great Lakes area in the Horn of Africa, is dynamic and youthful. Formed in 1986 and consisting of Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, South Sudan, and Uganda, 200 Jesuits in the province serve more than 240 million people in a region roughly the size of the United States east of the Mississippi River.
Despite challenges including civil conflict, poverty, famine/drought, migration/displacement, governance, and diseases associated with underdevelopment, the region is full of tremendous hope, faith, and vitality.
Midwest Jesuits have served and cooperated in the work of the Eastern Africa Province since 1987, serving in a variety of ministries including:
- Pastoral: Parish staffing; sacramental and youth ministry
- Education: University and seminary teaching; parish schools and high schools; vocational and agricultural training
- Spiritual Direction and Religious Formation: Retreats and on-going formation of diocesan clergy, religious, and lay ministers
- Health Care: Care for people affected by HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria; dispensaries, nutrition, and clean water projects; drug/alcohol ministries
- Refugee Accompaniment: Ministry and psycho-social support to forcibly displaced people and advocacy on their behalf
- Social Action: Ongoing outreach efforts to the economically poor and those affected by civil conflict
- Social Analysis: Faith-informed reflection on the common good and issues of social importance (e.g. sustainable development, good governance, economic justice)
- Humanitarian Relief: Drought relief; supporting local dioceses and religious congregations in supplying direct food assistance
- Peace Building: Conflict transformation and mediation, public forums, and moderated discussions; trauma counseling; graduate programs in peace studies and international relations
