WARC’s Scholarship Scheme Raises Women Ministers Across the Globe

This past year the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) has awarded scholarships to the worth of CHF71,708 (£31,500) to eleven women from Africa. The scholarships have been given out as part of WARC’s continued efforts to bring theological education to more people in the South.

|TOP|The Scholarship scheme began in 2001, and has been given the title of the ‘Theological Education Scholarship for Women in the South’. Its establishment has gone a long way to allowing theological education to become more accessible to women in the South who are blocked in their efforts into ordained ministry.

The funds provided help towards the women obtaining a first degree of a diploma in theology, state WARC. The scheme also allows the women’s studies to be carried out in their own homeland or region.

Since 2001 when the scheme was established, more than CHF183,000 (£80,300) has been handed out in scholarships to thirty women from Africa, Asia, the Pacific as well as Latin America.

Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth, executive secretary of the Church Renewal, Justice and Partnership Office of WARC said, “Since the early years of the Alliance there has been a concern about the lack of women in leadership positions within the family of Reformed churches.”

She continued, “Enabling women to access theological education in preparation for the ordained ministry became a crucial step in redressing the injustice that women continue to suffer at the hands of male-dominated leadership within the church.”

|AD|The money that WARC has been able to offer to the scheme has come from church and mission organisations across Europe, as well as individual WARC-member churches offering donations.

WARC’s Sheerattan-Bisnauth has called for other churches to support the scheme now. In particular churches with smaller numbers of ordained women were highlighted as potential donors to the project.

The 2005 scholarships were awarded to:

- Euphasie Inkuine Bongo, Presbyterian Community of Kinshasa, Church of Christ in Congo;
- Pati Kyafa, Reformed Church of Christ in Nigeria;
- Amina Purucuma, Evangelical Church of Christ, Mozambique;
- Aguéira Ouedraogo, Association of Reformed Evangelical Churches of Burkina Faso; (Unfortunately, Ouedraogo died in a tragic road accident on her way to the airport to fly to Porto Novo, Benin, to begin her studies.)
- Jane Gakaara, Presbyterian Church of East Africa, Kenya;
- Marie-Françoise Mindjimba, Presbyterian Church of Cameroon;
- Augustine Ngo Menda, Presbyterian Church of Cameroon;
- Muke Nagaju, Presbyterian Church in Rwanda;
- Everlyne N. Biboko, Reformed Church of East Africa;
- Lena Jesang Rop, Reformed Church of East Africa;
- Sally Too, Reformed Church of East Africa.

The World Alliance of Reformed Churches is a fellowship of 75 million Reformed Christians in 218 churches in 107 countries.