By Paschal Norbert
ABU DHABI, APRIL 23, 2024 (CISA)- Rt Rev Willybard Lagho, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Malindi and chairperson of the Commission for Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism at the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) will represent Kenyan religious leaders at the Convening of Champions meeting set take place in Abu Dhabi, UAE, from April 23 to 25, 2024.
Under the theme, “Convening of Champions: Ethics Education to Contribute to Global Citizenship and Build Inclusive and Peaceful Societies.” The high-level three-day meeting is organized by a consortium of partners of the Ethics Education Fellowship and hosted and sponsored by the Muslim Council of Elders and the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity in Abu Dhabi.
The objective of the Abu Dhabi meeting is to reflect on the transformative role of ethics education in contributing to social cohesion and as a critical aspect of sustainable development, particularly in the current world context and how it can address the needs of children to support their holistic well-being.
“The three-day event will allow to showcase the excellent results of the implementation of the ethics education programs in all participating countries, share the results, discuss challenges and opportunities, and explore scalability and sustainability of the national ethics education programs as well as explore potential collaborations with diverse partners,” says the organizers.
According to María Lucia Uribe, the Executive Director of Arigatou International, Bishop Lagho’s expertise and commitment to religious empowerment and education in Kenya owing to his years of championing inter-religious dialogue and ecumenism will “be invaluable in inspiring our fellows and contributing to meaningful discussions.”
Rolled out in October 2022 with the initial pilot running until December 2023, the Ethics Education Fellowship project is an initiative of the Guerrand-Hermès Foundation for Peace, Arigatou International, KAICIID International Dialogue Centre, the Muslim Council of Elders, the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa and the UNESCO New Delhi Cluster Office. It is implemented in six countries including Kenya, Seychelles, Indonesia, Nepal, Mauritius and Indonesia.
Ethics Education as defined by the Cabra Community College aims to encourage and provide a space for children to develop awareness of different perspectives, reflect on their views and biases and think critically, question and take action on equality and justice issues in their communities.
Arigatou International, a non-profit and partner organization of the fellowship- that works with people from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds to promote children’s rights and well-being at all levels, notes that since enrollment the fellowship program has made significant strides to strengthen the sustainable delivery of ethics education programs for children.
It states, “Through the program, 323 teachers have been trained, paving the way to impact 4,430 children in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya, Mauritius, Nepal, and Seychelles in its first year.”
