Church aid forms global network

Church-based emergency and development organizations all over the world – including Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Indonesia and the Philippines – are about to create one of the world’s biggest networks. The name of the new body will be the ACT Alliance with a common income of more than US$2 billion dollars and a staff of 40,000, including volunteers. The formal launch of the new alliance will take place in March of next year in Malawi.

    The General Assembly of ACT Development, holding its meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina has decided to unify with the emergency network, ACT International. Both alliances are based in Geneva, bringing together more than 150 agencies, churches and organisations. The director of ACT International, John Nduna, says the new movement will be a professional and Christian alliance working on emergency and development. ACT saves thousands of lives every year, it is impossible to say how many.

    “The magic of ACT is the cooperation with churches all over the world. When most infrastructure collapses, there is still a church that operates and that we are working with. That represents a unique network.” He says.

    Action by Churches Together (ACT) International is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working worldwide. ACT is of Protestant and Orthodox observation and is drawn from the membership of the World Council of Churches and Lutheran World Federation.