Liaison Desk Africa

The Africa Liaison Desk is part of the "Mission and Partnership" Department of the EMS and is responsible for communication and co-operation between the two African partner churches and other churches within the EMS community. The African partners in the EMS are the Moravian Church in South Africa (MCSA) and the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG). Maintaining the partnership with these churches was one of the duties that was given to the EMS when it was founded. In addition, the desk accompanies the friendly relationships between South West Germany and the African partner churches of "mission 21 - Basle Mission", in particular the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (PCC), the Presbyterian Church of the Sudan (PCOS) and the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN).

The Africa Liaison Desk is responsible for:
· organising and co-ordinating ecumenical staff exchanges with partner churches. Normally, ecumenical workers live and work in and together with the partner church for a period of three to five years. Exchanges can also takes place between partner churches. For example, the MCSA was the first church of the EMS community to receive a worker from Ghana.
· placing young people with African partner churches as part of the Ecumenical Volunteer Programme.
· supporting partner churches financially. This refers mainly to programmes and projects implemented by the partner churches such as school education, health care and AIDS work, work with disabled people or even theological education.
· accompanying and qualifying partnership work between parishes or superintendent's districts in Germany and parishes or districts in Ghana or South Africa.
· implementing country-related PR work and educational work. Realising co-operation with African communities in South West Germany on a regional level.