Health Ministries

Dr. Damas Lushima, wearing a mask and a Global Ministries vest, stands in front of the Ebola treatment center at the Rwampara General Referral Hospital in Bunia. As health department coordinator for the East Congo Episcopal Area, he oversees The United Methodist Church’s integrated response to the 17th Ebola outbreak affecting Ituri Province. Photo courtesy of the Eastern Congo Health Council.

Church steps up Ebola response in Congo

Facing a deadly Ebola flare up, the East Congo Episcopal Area of The United Methodist Church is rolling out an integrated response — spiritual, medical and community based — to protect the most vulnerable populations.

Global Health

Lab technician Arike Joel (right) conducts HIV testing during a soccer tournament hosted by The United Methodist Church at Imvepi Settlement in Arua, Uganda. The medical testing is part of the church’s Kick Out HIV campaign, which focuses on HIV prevention and self-care in refugee camps. While players battled for victory on the pitch, health workers offered confidential HIV testing and counseling on the sidelines. Photo by Juma Denis Daniel, UM News.

Church uses soccer to ‘kick out HIV’

As World Cup fever heats up, a United Methodist ministry is using soccer tournaments as a tool for voluntary HIV testing in Uganda.

Local Church

Five-year-old Crystal Buta participates in a Zumba class at Chisipiti United Methodist Church in Harare, Zimbabwe. The women’s organization at Chisipiti launched the all-ages dance classes to foster community and combat rising stress and anxiety. Photo by Kudzai Chingwe, UM News.

Drawing closer to God through dance

United Methodist church in Zimbabwe hosts Zumba classes to help community members shake off stress and connect physically and spiritually.

Global Health

Marie Otshumba, one of the beneficiaries of The United Methodist Church’s Maternal, Newborn and Child Health program, holds son Amisi alongside nurses at Lokole United Methodist Hospital Center in Kindu, Congo. After five years of repeated miscarriages, Otshumba said the prenatal care she received through the church program transformed her pain into joy. Photo by Chadrack Tambwe Londe, UM News.

Prenatal care transforms grief into joy for Congolese mothers

In Congo, The United Methodist Church’s health program is restoring hope to women who had suffered repeated miscarriages.

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