Namibia Missionary Oblates JPIC Office
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate have a significant presence in Namibia. Oblates work in all of the country’s dioceses where they serve in churches, schools, and chaplaincy and run community development and training projects. Recognizing the need for coordinated action on the needs of the poor and abandoned, the Oblates in Namibia established a Justice and Peace ministry. The JPIC office aims to help local Oblates with educational resources on social justice ministry in Namibia and to collaborate with other Oblate Justice and Peace offices around the world.
The Namibia Oblate JPIC ministry focuses on actions to combat human trafficking, support non-governmental actions to fight corruption and monitor basic income grants. Special attention will be given to raising awareness in the light of Catholic Social Teaching. The oblates in Namibia run hostels for students who come from distant farm areas, and work with refugees. The work is informed by a preferential option for the poor and marginalized and a fundamental commitment to social justice.
Namibia is one of the recipients of US Foreign Assistance and a trading partner of the United States. One the main challenge facing Namibia is the prevalence of HIV/AIDS. In collaboration with Oblates working in Namibia, the US Missionary Oblates JPIC office will focus on advocating for a sustained US commitment to its funding obligations to PEPFAR and the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS treatment programs. The JPIC office will also support the Namibia Oblate JPIC ministry, as the need arises.
Under the faith-based investor program of the Missionary Oblates, the OMI US JPIC office will collaborate with the Namibian JPIC initiative to assess international companies’ social, labor and environmental impact in the country.
For more information about Missionary Oblates in Namibia, visit www.ominamibia.com
