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Bishop Stafford Moses – Diocese of False Bay visited the Grade 6s at St Michael’s School in Khayelitsha to celebrate Earth Day and bless the planting of the trees. The school is situated in a very sandy and windy area and the trees will serve as a windbreak and shade for the play area. Rev Deon McDillon challenged the children to fight the ‘Cape Flats flower” which is plastic lying everywhere. Planet v Plastic is the theme for this Earth Day.#EarthDay Archdeacon Lundi Joko encouraged the learners to take care of the trees and Bishop Stafford blessed each tree with holy water. Rev Charles Ndlebe, Rev Kulana Makhallima, and Rev Khulile Mafenuka joined the Bishop from the Khayelitsha cluster of churches Rev Rachel Mash and Bino Makhalanyane joined from Green Anglicans. We are very grateful for the wonderful work of Grade 6 teacher Miss Babi in her passion for the environment! The trees were a generous donation from the DFFE

The servers met at All Saints Stanger to recommit to the ministry and receive training for the work of serving God’s Church. A key thee of the training was the implementation of what we do sacramentally, as acts of service in the world. “If we carry a Candle on Sunday we are to carry the light of Christ in practical ways everyday.”  Being a server means serving God in the world he created and redeemed and serving creation by caring for it is fundamental to Christian service. “He who plants a tree, plants a Hope” – Thomas Fuller. As Mvoti Archdeaconry we aim to save our environment and teach the younger generation to keep their environment clean and how to plant a tree. We plant a tree whenever we meet as a group, be it a meeting or social gathering in out Archdeaconry, this initiative is headed by our Youth Chaplain Chris Robson.

The clergy of the Diocese of Christ the King met on Maundy Thursday to renew their vows and receive the newly blessed oils. The Bishop also blessed Spekbome for each Parish. The trees were given by Department of Forestry and Environment   Canon Mpho Mohale   

Canon Nikki Arthy and her husband Dr Giles Field recently travelled thousands of kilometres from the UK to the Kingdom of Eswatini in southern Africa. Canon Nikki was on sabbatical from her role as Rector of Gloucester City Centre and City Canon at Gloucester Cathedral. She and Dr Giles lived and worked in Eswatini 30 years ago which is where their commitment to the environment began. The Diocese of Eswatini hosted Nikki and Giles and took them to visit some of their environment projects. They were delighted to meet Bishop Dalcy Dlamini and tour some of the projects with her, together with her team of Green Anglicans who are the Project Officers. We were pleased to show them the Goats Project, Forestry Project, Piggery Project and the Communion Forest Project. Whilst in Eswatini, Giles and Nikki responded to the calling to be good stewards of creation by planting trees to offset the carbon emitted in their travel. Nikki’s tree marks her sabbatical and Giles’ tree marks his retirement. Two further trees were planted for their sons, Joshua Sizwe and Dominic Sipho making a total of four mango trees planted as part of the Communion Forest Project in celebration of mother earth. ‘We are so impressed by the energy as Green Anglicans of the Project Officers Mncedisi Masuku and Thuli Encongwane,’ writes Canon Nikki. ‘We thank Bishop Dalcy and her team for their warm welcome back to Eswatini and for continuing to inspire us in our joint commitment to the environment.’ The Diocese of Eswatini will grow and nurture the trees. Meanwhile, Nikki and Giles will encourage their friends and families to support both the Communion Forest Project and the Goats Project by donating a tree and / or a goat when celebrating special days such as birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, weddings or ordinations.  If others would like to donate a tree or a goat, please contact Mncedisi Masuku by email [email protected]   Mncedisi Masuku, Green Anglican and Project Officer, Diocese of Eswatini

Palm Sunday Procession, just as the people of Jerusalem threw down their clothes so that Jesus could ride in comfort into Jerusalem, the youth of the Diocese of the Free State committed to preparing the streets for the Messiah by cleaning up the streets in front of the Palm Sunday procession. They also educated the community about saving water, as world water day was on the 22nd of March. The Congregation Of St. Edward’s and St Peters  Anglican Church, Diocese Of The Free State, Hit The Streets With Placards And Refuse Bags. We Were Raising Awareness On The Importance Of Saving Water. We Were Letting People Know About National Water Week And Friday, March 22nd, Which Marked The Annual International Water Day. The Young Boys And Girls Helped Pick Up Litter In Front Of The Procession, Which Was The Task Of Green Anglicans. This Symbolized The Cleaning Of The Way As The Lord Jesus Christ Enters The Jerusalem Of Our Hearts, Souls And Minds. Morena Pule, Rethabile Maloisane

The impact of spiraling informal settlements in the country cannot be ignored as one of the leading factors that are exacerbating climate change. Their increased vulnerability to climate change, the lack of resources, and ill preparedness for disaster further exacerbate the devastating impacts of climate change. Unprecedented population increase, homes and other buildings infrastructure in urban area increases the exposure and vulnerability to floods, crime, and fires. A lack of basic needs and services leads to informal settlements having impacts on the environment.  A recent tour to Tembisa informal settlements by CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE STRATEGY AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN WORKSHOP delegates revealed that the informal settlement may have resulted from various factors that include rapid urbanization, lack of affordable housing and unequal distribution of resources and opportunities. Despite efforts made by the government to improve housing conditions and living standards, the informal settlement continues to grow due to high demand for housing and feasible alternatives. The settlement is facing significant environmental injustices and human life as people are vulnerable to infectious disease. Poor sanitation, lack of access to clean water, poor drainage systems, poor waste management, over population were major and identified as environmental issues. The observations were that the area is vulnerable to flooding, veld fires and diseases leading to loss of human and artech life. Therefore, the CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE STRATEGY AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN WORKSHOP which included government stakeholders, different departments, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), aimed to come up with solutions and mitigation to informal settlements and their impacts in the country. The workshop proposed that the government should create mutual relationships with the people living in the informal settlements. This included coming up with realistic solutions tailor made to address the problems encountered, as well as empowering communities with agency and networking capacity on climate resilient human settlements. Furthermore, the workshop raised the need for active involvement of the communities in the planning and implementation processes as this would inspire a buy in from communities and increase the success of any endeavor made to address the problems encountered in the society. The plausible mitigatory measures suggested included building safe homes and settling people in safe places to preserve those ecosystems. Also, addressing vulnerable settlements that are settled in unsafe places. The government should also consider establishing and the enforcement of strong intergovernmental and societal laws and the arrangement of informal settlements in the country. More so, there is need for the mobilisation of financial resources, creating free educational awareness campaigns on dangers of informal settlements, investing in natured based solutions, fighting mass and illegal migration from the neighboring countries were among recommendations made to the government to respond to climate change and informal settlements .