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CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (October 29) - Veterinary medicine received a boost recently in the Central African Republic (CAR) thanks to the combined efforts of the Department of World Mission of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC), a California Covenant church and an internationally known mission ministry.
After visiting the Covenant's Fulani ministries, Tom Wanous of Christian Veterinary Mission (CVM) recommended that a veterinary missionary become part of the denomination's Fulani ministry team. Wanous, whose trip was supported by Peninsula Covenant Church in Redwood City, California, visited at the request of Covenant missionary Roy Danforth, who serves in Fulani ministry through agriculture in Gamboula, CAR.
Wanous, at far left in the accompanying photo (click the photos for full-screen view), and Danforth are meeting with several tribal representatives. The other two photographs below show Danforth and Wanous inspecting cattle in the field and Tom checking out a calf.
CVM assists veterinary ministries all over the world by offering information, assisting in seminars and in placement of short-term and long-term missionaries. Surveys were conducted in the three CAR locations where the Covenant is ministering to the Fulani, including Bata, Yaloke and Gamboula.
At all three sites, Covenanters are partnering with the Grace Brethren International Mission (GBIM) and Union of Evangelical Brethren Churches. Roy and Aleta Danforth partner with the Evangelical Baptist Church and the Swedish Baptist Mission in Gamboula. Meanwhile, Covenant missionaries Paul and Sheryl Noren serve in Bata and Karen Benson and Barb Boca serve in Yaloke.
These surveys were an important step forward in helping shape Fulani evangelism strategy, according to Pete Ekstrand, ECC regional coordinator for Africa. In April 2001, Covenant missionaries held joint strategic planning meetings with missionaries and national pastors of various Fulani ministry partners and noted the importance of veterinary ministry to the Fulani.
"Since the Fulani are herdsmen and their cattle are very important to them, caring for their cattle is potentially a key way to build relationships with them," Ekstrand said.
At Gamboula, Roy gave Wanous a tour of the area's agroforestry ministry, which teaches the Fulani how to plant and care for fruit trees, beans and pasture grasses native to the area. Wanous then headed to Bata and Yaloke with GBIM country team leader Jim Hocking and Free Church missionary Kim Cone, visiting with local chieftains and examining their herds. They discussed the difficulties in raising cattle and how a veterinarian might help.
With government veterinary services nearly non-existent, Wanous believes immediate help is needed in that area - he recommended that the Department of World Mission staff Fulani ministries with veterinary assistance. He also suggested that veterinary medicine workshops should be started within six to nine months so that veterinarians can teach Fulani herdsmen how to better diagnose animal illnesses and use veterinary medicines.
The good news is that local chieftains seem willing to let veterinarians come and help their villages, according to Danforth. He hopes such ministries will open the hearts of the Fulani to Jesus Christ more readily.
"The Fulani chieftains were excited at the prospect of receiving assistance for their cattle herds and were looking forward to the upcoming seminar," Danforth said. "One chieftain expressed it this way: 'It is amazing to see that a white man from America would come all the way to my village just to go and look at my cattle and offer help. This is a true sign of love for a group of people.' To be able to help the Fulani at the very heart of their way of life will have a tremendous effect on them and communicates God's love for them," Danforth noted.
Covenant World Mission is seeking two veterinarians, one willing to work in the Gamboula area and one with the Grace Brethren. For more information, email Pete Ekstrand at pete.ekstrand@covafrica.org or Ken Satterberg at klsatt@yahoo.com