Thank You, WNCC! From Africa University

The Western North Carolina Conference has been consistently generous in helping Africa University to equip and deploy leaders with the appropriate skills and outlook to transform communities. We simply cannot say thank you enough!

Despite the current public health and economic challenges, our shared ministry remains vibrant:

• Preparations are underway for both in-person and online delivery of instruction (2020-2021 academic year), beginning in August.
• Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the province where AU is located have been relatively few—29 to date with no deaths. Zimbabwe as a whole had 734 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of July 6^th, with nine deaths. 197 persons have fully recovered, 528 individuals—most of whom are returnees from other countries where case-loads are much higher—are receiving treatment.
• AU’s ongoing contributions to stemming the spread of COVID-19 include the manufacture of hand sanitizer and PPEs. The university has also developed its own disposable mask prototype for commercial production and some of the students are making reusable cloth masks.
• AU students are also doing their part to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on vulnerable families—launching successful appeals and giving up meals in order to supply food, medicine and other essentials to their neighbors.
• Seventeen (17) students from the Democratic Republic of Congo are currently benefitting from endowed scholarships established at Africa University by the Western North Carolina Conference. Eleven of those students are female and four are nearing graduation.

 
Thank you for loving your neighbor as you do and for building a tremendous legacy through Africa University. Africa University’s transformative ministry is thriving because United Methodists continue to pray for and invest in it. Best of all, the steadfast generosity of Western North Carolina United Methodist congregations inspires and sustains our students as they grow in faith, claim and work towards God’s promise of abundant life.