Judith Alyek, Chairperson of the Lango Parliamentary Group also Woman Member of Parliament for Kole District, has called on religious leaders to integrate teachings on wealth creation into their sermons to combat poverty.
During a capacity-building training in Kole District organized by African Church Aid, Alyek emphasized the need to empower church leaders with transformation tools to help their congregants improve their livelihoods.
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The 2019-2020 household survey by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), which indicated that around 8 million Ugandans were living in poverty, as measured by income levels.
Hon ALyek stressed the role of the church in mobilizing communities towards economic empowerment.
“You know people are in different groups and poverty does not spare any group in the community… I’ve thought of calling and bringing on board the church leaders and the Christians of different denominations because I know through church they can work very hard in order to fight poverty…” said Alyek.
Alyek urged the clergy to adopt and promote wealth creation initiatives, regardless of their sources. “The church leadership should take it up that the believers they lead should not be poor people they should be hardworking people. Whatever project comes to the church, they have to embrace all of them, irrespective of whether these projects are from government or non-governmental organizations,” she added.
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Tim Abels, Executive Director of African Church Aid, echoed Alyek’s sentiments, stressing the importance of knowledge sharing in community transformation. “… we’ve seen so much generosity to so many, but we don’t see a lot of sharing of knowledge. That’s going to take a cultural shift,” he said.
Church leaders expressed optimism about the initiative’s potential impact. Rev. Geoffrey Bala of Alito Archdeaconry noted that the training could prevent backsliding and increase fellowship.
Peter Omara, Assistant Pastor at Omoloadyang Pentecostal Assembly of God, highlighted the training’s benefits for family and community life.
African Church Aid operates across Africa, strengthening churches and transforming vulnerable communities through projects such as virtual water initiatives, agricultural programs, income generation activities, schools, and Bible training.
