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WCC addresses inclusivity at consultation in Finland

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network shared insights and inspiration during a panel discussion at the Mission Partnership Consultation in Finland, held 26-30 August.

Women with disabilities participating in tree planting exercise in Bujumbura.

Women with disabilities participating in tree planting exercise in Bujumbura, Burundi, with the WCC EDAN project.

Photo:
Faustin Renzaho/NUDOR
27 August 2024

An international event of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, the consultation was last held in 2014 in Järvenpää, Finland. 

The gathering hosted representatives from the church’s partner organizations around the world from countries such as Japan, Taiwan, Angola, Cambodia, and Colombia.

The theme of the meeting was “Your Will Be Done – Church and Mission in Changing Landscapes.”

Anjeline Okola, programme coordinator for the WCC Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network, shared an overview and update on the Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network, which has a portion of its work funded by the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission. 

Okola and others reflected on the theme of the day, "Give us our Daily Bread.” She challenged participants to look at the fact that God created all people, therefore everyone should be treated and respected equally. 

“Inclusion of persons with disabilities is essential to make sure that all people can enjoy their human rights and be a meaningful part of their community,” she said. “As persons with disabilities have been marginalised for a long time, many kinds of changes have to be made.

“The world needs to transform to respond to a multitude of crisis and for it to transform, we need to be the drivers of that transformation,” said Okola.¨

Download the presentation from the WCC Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network