Introduction
Since the very beginning of its history, the Church in Africa has been concerned about financial autonomy. The first missionaries did not come with only the Bible and the crucifix. They came with everything they thought would be useful for evangelization: books, hymns, tables to improvise for altars, and even slates and blackboards to use in teaching the new converts how to write, read and calculate. They built the Church. Among them were craftsmen, stonemasons, carpenters, architects, builders, missionaries or technical assistants. As a result the team as a whole was able to motivate the new converts and offer them technical advice and guidance on the construction of churches, schools and suitable housing for the priests and catechists who were in charge.

Certainly, the purpose of mission is to announce the Good News, Jesus Christ, and the objective of all evangelization is to present the whole message of Christ, a message of liberation from sin and its consequences, liberation for each person individually as well as human societies in their diversity. Evangelization therefore, must touch the most important aspects of the person’s life and society, such as education, health, housing, food, clothing and the other values essential to the dignity and respect of the human person. For this reason, authentic evangelization requires the Church’s involvement in these various domains and in every other programme or activity promoting the development of the human person and society.

If evangelization is to be carried out successfully, materials and substantial financial means are also necessary. But very often the local Churches of Africa are far from having enough of these means at their disposal and sometimes they are even tragically lacking in them. It is therefore urgent that the local Churches in Africa take as their objective to provide for their own needs as soon as possible and to assure their financial self-sufficiency. The Pope himself requests this of them:
«I earnestly invite episcopal conferences, dioceses and all Christian communities of the continent’s Churches, insofar as it is within their competence, to see to it that this self-sufficiency becomes increasingly evident» (Ecclesia in Africa, n. 104).

In response to this synodal recommendation confirmed by the Pope, a certain number of religious congregations, dioceses and episcopal conferences have been considering the problem of financial autonomy. The Association of English-speaking Episcopal Conferences of West Africa (AECAWA) declared:
"This year we have seriously discussed and reflected on the theme «A Self-reliant Church», a subject which is most appropriate for our sub-region, which is grappling with the fact that political independence does not mean much without economic emancipation and self-reliance. The expatriate missionary is giving way to an indigenous Church in our countries. Along with that, our local Churches have been awakened to the situation in which the flow of personnel and other resources associated with the missionary period have been drastically reduced. We are, therefore, faced with the real problem of supporting ourselves as local Churches. The issue of self-reliance therefore has to be addressed seriously”.

It was both in response to this appeal, as well as with the aim of playing a part in this ongoing reflection by the African Church, that MAC/RCA drew up the following questionnaire and sent it to leaders of congregations or religious institutes working in Africa.

With regard to self-financing of a diocese, a religious institute, a parish, a work, a house of formation, etc.: What means have you adopted? What results have you obtained? Can you give the reasons for the success or failure of these means? As a result of your experience and your reflection, what are your suggestions for attaining the financial self-reliance wished by Ecclesia in Africa n. 104?

We have received about thirty replies, coming from different areas of sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. We would like to have received more answers, but the diversity of origin and the practical realism of those who did reply provides us with a significant overall view of the object of our research. We have been helped as much by the documents, A Self-reliant Church (an AECAWA publication) and From Dependence to Responsibility. Ecclesial Experience of Taking Responsibility for Development.

In this presentation we first of all want to give the content of all the replies; this will give us an idea of the initiatives undertaken, the results obtained, and especially the practical suggestions regarding financial self-sufficiency. Then we will try to present reflections situating the project of financial self-sufficiency in a larger vision of Church autonomy.


I. EXPERIENCES AND MEANS ADOPTED FOR FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

1.1. Previous conscientization and awareness.
Before talking about concrete experiences and practical realizations, many replies stressed the need for a preliminary period of conscientization and awareness for all the members of the Church in Africa in order to create an indispensable change of attitude and mentality on several fronts. Two assumptions particularly need to be changed:
First of all there is the erroneous idea inherited, perhaps from history or from a superficial observation of Church life, which considers the Church as rich.
"We are aware that a good number of Christians think and say, the Catholic Church is rich, the Vatican distributes money, the Bishop has money, the diocese is rich, our parish is rich, etc.: It is high time we rid our minds of this myth, that the Church has an inexhaustible supply of funds from which it can continue to draw." (AECAWA).

There is also a sort of lack of concern, a pervading lack of interest in financial administration. During a meeting of bishops and major superiors in Chad, it was pointed out that few people and institutes are interested in administrative and financial matters, even if all of them benefit from these services and are often very demanding of them.
Change of mentality is indispensable if financial autonomy is to be achieved, given that administration does not enter into the mentality of many people. We need to know the reason. Why is it that so many people show such a lack of interest in administration? "Probably there is a lack of personal inclination or a feeling of incompetence, but certainly in the Church and religious life also a degree of intellectual laziness. Could we not go further and ask ourselves whether we are not too used to living without being concerned with material things? "

It is thus of tremendous importance to prepare and conscientize the people. The required change of attitude needs time and concrete means to bring it about. A good number of replies drew attention to such initiatives. Here are a few examples:
§ Work out a series of steps for reflection, at least for the leaders, to make people realize the necessity of financial autonomy for a better mission;
§ Take the time to reflect together on the feasibility of a project or a programme...
Similar initiatives have been taken at the level of general councils. Here is an example from one congregation:
§ “With the help of an expert financier, the General Council set up a study covering the next 20 years for the whole Congregation. Each province was asked to study its accounts and budgets to have a better idea of future needs. Some time in the future, a working capital based on the study of accounts, resources, income and expenditure, would be allocated to the Province for its administration and financial autonomy in the light of this study of accounts, resources, income and expenditure”.

Indeed, for a long time, it seems that development has only been seen in terms of building capital; with this must now be included the development of human resources through education, formation and the imparting of information. This is the aim of conscientization and of increasing awareness. However, creating awareness and concrete initiatives must always go hand in hand.

1.2. Concrete experiences of financial self-sufficiency.
Raising awareness is a pedagogical step that should normally lead to activities and practical undertakings. Here are various initiatives described in the replies.

1.2.0. At the diocesan level
We begin by giving a typical example from a diocese in Zambia which correctly situates financial autonomy in a more global vision of autonomy. The diocese is trying to achieve autonomy through what it calls " the three selves":
▪ self-ministering (local clergy, sisters, laity, volunteer catechists)
▪ self-propagation (local people in charge of the growth of the Church)
▪ self-support financially (local Christians raise the funds necessary for the life of the Church).

The basic principle is that ordinary church expenses should be covered by local contributions. Only extraordinary expenses (the building of the church, convent, seminary, means of transport) should justify looking for external aid. The Basic Christian Community should be able to cover all its expenses, including the building of its chapel (usually these chapels have a thatched roof but if the roofing consists of metal or of sheets of asbestos, they can look for funds from outside). The parish must cover the following expenses:
▪ salaries of catechists, parish employees, the priest’s cook;
▪ the expenses of administration, the office, the liturgy
▪ part of the priest’s travelling expenses
This is the plan of a specific diocese; but the replies to the questionnaire spoke of other initiatives from the varied realities of the Church in Africa.

1.2.1 At the school level
We give, as an example, a recent occurrence in Mali:
The people of four villages analysed their need, put their hand in their pocket, donated, and got down to work. Without help they have created a community school. They paid the teacher, thanks to the harvest from a collective field and modest contributions from the pupils’ families. For the buildings, they are using two pro-fabricated alphabetization rooms that an international organization set up there in the village a few years ago without consulting the people.
This is closely linked to the recommendations in the responses to the questionnaire concerning school institutions.
§ Fees with other activities of the students ensure the functioning of the school.
§ Agriculture, especially rice paddy cultivation has been the mainstay of the institution; work is mechanized, but the plantation, the hoeing and a good part of the harvesting are the responsibility of the pupils.
§ We conduct short courses on modern agriculture for rural farmers free of charge; we produce enough for these courses; the pupils grow the vegetables they need.
§ At Musoma, Tanzania, pupils and masters assure the functioning of a workshop; thanks to the revenues raised they have been able not only to face the expenses of the running of the workshop but also to equip and furnish the library each year.
§ The advantages are, in effect, not merely material: pupils are taught theory and practice of modern methods of agriculture; the spirit and heart of a farmer is communicated to them; this is the greatest asset for all countries based on agriculture.

Not only the successes but the difficulties also are mentioned:
§ At Morogoro, Tanzania, we have made up for our deficit thanks to the Province and the Generalate; it is a novitiate and the expenses are enormous.
§ At Arusha, Tanzania, we have tried to launch a travel agency which unfortunately had to be closed. That was due to a mistake we made. We should have made a good feasibility study concerning the possibilities of this venture. We discovered that our strategy presented many gaps.

1.2.2 Hospital and dispensary level
This was picked up from the programme of one diocese:
“The first step has been to establish health officials, chosen by the people from their own villages and to make sure that they are trained. After that, the villages succeeded, thanks to the contributions, in setting up little pharmacy boxes with essential medication for the most common illnesses. At the same time a Health Committee was formed in each village to assure transparent management and to create, with the small profits, a village development fund serving to finance works useful to the community, like the development of the village spring”.

One must be conscious that if one truly wishes to resolve the problem of health, action for development must be addressed. It must be realized that prevention is better than cure to eliminate the causes, so as to break the evil cycle of sickness and under-development. It is the people themselves who are called to accomplish active work: the dispensaries are built by the people themselves, and quite simply they want them to be centers from where the health ministry spreads out everywhere to the villages; they want them to be places of consciousness- raising, information, formation and prevention.

Other replies to the questionnaire described some initiatives in precise terms.
§ We make sure that health institutions (hospitals, dispensaries, clinics) are self-supporting, by contributions from the patients and customers to cover running costs, salaries, medicines, maintenance.
§ We promote income-generating initiatives and activities to compensate for volunteer work in grassroots community.
§ We appeal to the generosity of the people to contribute in kind, by service, or with money.
§ We use all opportunities to solicit local funds for our purposes, such as: government grants, local fund-raising approaches, local insurance and cooperative loans, and we appeal to the generosity of the well-to-do.
§ At the health center (in Basoko, Kisangani) treatment is paid for on arrival; it is free for the poor who are looked after by the parish.

1.2.3. At the parish level
Let us begin with a concrete example:
Educational programmes have been conducted in a parish in Zambia: parishioners gave voluntary labour for brick-making, the building of a new church and its maintenance; they are able to make their contributions because of their crops.
Other practical initiatives towards financial self-sufficiency mentioned are:
§ establishment of production centers: garage, printery, carpenter’s shop.
§ chancery services: accommodation, shop, transport, trucks.
§ annual tithes paid by the faithful.
§ The parish priest receives a small refund for transport expenses when he visits a center.
§ The setting up by the parish of an informal day-care center.
§ A private telephone booth; the profits go to the running of the parish (Senegal).

1.2.4. At the level of religious communities:
Paid work: professionally qualified sisters receive a salary as teachers or social workers. Income-generating activities, through produce sold at the local market or in conjunction with an international market. Requesting contributions from individuals or from local groups for services rendered. Investment in a production project (agriculture, carpentry, cattle raising, printery). We make our living by agriculture and cattle raising, says one Madagascan superior. One photo-copying machine enables us to pay a good part of the boarding expenses of our juniors, says a regional superior.
New ways of doing and behavior developing financial autonomy are mentioned, such as:
• Maximum use of local products as priority
• Simplifying of life style taking into account financial means (African menus, fewer drinks, reasonable use of telephone and car).
• In schools run by religious, annual per capita contribution by pupils for the formation of candidates.
• Funds available for running costs or for a production project managed under the supervision of experts.
The experiences of some cause certain reservations in others.
§ Some congregations have bought cultivated land or apartments to rent out. We have not adopted this approach, because it puts us into an ambiguous and unenviable entrepreneurial position. But it seems often to be successful in attaining self-financing.
§ Other congregations have sent some of their members to Europe or America in order to earn better salaries and thus contribute towards self-financing in their province of origin. We have not done that so far... our African sisters are too young. Of course that should be undertaken more for reasons of mission than for purely financial reasons.

1.2.5. A style of formation concerned with financial autonomy

1.2.5.1. For agents of development
Through various courses and professional training those in development work are assured the supervision they need to enable them to analyse their life situations and help them to find solutions to their problems themselves. Also certain approaches have been initiated towards learning techniques, group animation, improving cash crops and crops for local consumption. The course begins with a look at daily life, the difficulties each person normally encounters. From there the course programme is decided. Then, by various inductive methods, the participants search for the causes of these difficulties. After that, they draw up some plans of action, the subject and method of which they study and discuss in groups.

1.2.5.2. Formation for the consecrated life
In the postulancy and pre-postulancy the young candidates take full responsibility for their upkeep, and when necessary we try to find them activities with some remuneration. In the novitiate, importance is given to domestic activities; the novices work in the garden like the people of their country, plant fruit trees, raise some cattle

1.3. Contributions from outside (NGOs, Generalates)
A good number of responses note that this self-sufficiency is done in collaboration with the general administrations almost all of which are situated in economically developed countries in Europe or North America. A sufficiently large fund is put at the disposal of the African province which manages it as best it can, without touching the capital as far as possible. The principal strategy undertaken by most of our provinces at work in Africa has been the establishment of investment funds from the "mother province". These funds are then at the disposal of the African groups and belong to them, as a sort of congregational "patrimony". The African groups decide how to maintain the investments and use the interest. More and more, these groups have to live on the basis of these fixed investments, rather than on direct annual infusion of funds, from Europe or America...
Created capital is placed in a country with a strong currency; the interest provides for the running of the sector for administration, formation and apostolic works. This capital belongs to the sector; it is a congregational fund which may not be touched without the authorization of the superior general. The creation and financing of mini-projects assist running costs and provide investments in apostolic activities.

In summary
▪ Agriculture and cattle raising and, to a certain extent, processing industries are forming the basis of financial self-sufficiency.
▪ The normal running and maintenance of institutions (schools, parishes, hospitals and other such institutions) can be easily managed by local resources. But then, economic management and proper planning must be the key words.
▪ External aid is devoted only to initial infrastructures like buildings, vehicles, and formation expenses.
▪ For religious congregations, self-sufficiency rests on the salaries brought in by members, thanks to their diverse intellectual or manual activities, and on other initiatives taken in economic matters.
▪ Technical and agricultural schools seem to have succeeded in being self-sufficient, above all if they can involve the students in actual work situations. Financing is then assured jointly by the students’ school fees and the students’ manual work.
▪ In the health sector, positive experiences of self-sufficiency are also recounted by one or another hospital center thanks to contributions from patients, people’s collaboration, the government or local Church which pay for the poor.
▪ Parishes, like dioceses, try to be self-sufficient by appealing to parishioners for help, agricultural initiatives, cattle farming, child-care centers which charge, or other public services like providing a private telephone booth, garage, workshops. Add to these the contributions received from the faithful.


II. REASONS FOR SUCCESSES IN FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

2.1. Favorable Milieu
In recent years, many countries, like Cameroon, experienced the phenomenon of the acceleration in the process of structuring in the rural sector. Several factors have been very influential in this growth; some of these have been the direct result of crises, but even more than those, must be acknowledged «the presence and the development of organizations that support local initiatives, the spreading of information about the experience of other countries more advanced in this process, the tolerance and, even more than that, the explicit encouragement, of public officials».

2.2. Working in solidarity
By organizing themselves as a community the farmers can make their voices heard, their interests considered worthwhile, and they can dialogue with the organizations and the services in charge of the economic policy of their region. Unless they have the capacity to organize themselves, to participate, to make the effort needed to improve the work, the production, the economies and social framework of the villages, they will not find the tools to react against the authorities’ traditional and modern opposition to change and to reply to the challenges.

2.3. Active participation of everyone
Concrete examples of this participation are given by some schools.
§ By his activity and well-directed manual work, every student is able to bring to the institution 60% of his own yearly fees contribution.
§ Food for the students became much better (eggs, vegetables); expenses were not increased thanks to their own activities; they contribute to stabilize the prices.

2.4. A more rational restructuring
Besides these concrete examples of financial autonomy, the importance of a more rational restructuring is underlined also, like:
▪ giving young religious a practical formation: sufficient intensive courses in economics, management, bookkeeping, administration
▪ assuring good skills training in management for all members of the community
▪ keeping community members informed of the financial situation
▪ encouraging economical practices which avoid spending on useless luxury items
▪ being strict regarding financial directives from the finance commission or council of the institution, parish or diocese
▪ assuring a preliminary study of the feasibility and profitability of any project
▪ assuring the follow-up of the undertaking as well as transparency and strictness of management.
These positive results are not obtained in a day or two. "Educating our members and those who help us is a process which takes time and patience", said another superior who replied to our enquiry. On the other hand, these approaches have not yet shown striking or lasting results. The experiences of twinning are still too recent for us to draw valid conclusions from them.


III. OBSTACLES TO FINANCIAL AUTONOMY

Experiments have taken place; positive results have been recorded, but the Church in Africa is still far from the financial autonomy desired. Obstacles and difficulties are not lacking.

3.1. Unfavorable climate and disasters of various kinds
Natural disasters, and even more so man-made ones come periodically in one or another country of the continent. Here is a litany:
• Inclement weather provokes disasters of all sorts
• The soil is poor and produces very little.
• Water is scarce and very expensive when used for cultivation
• Birds and rats destroy everything
• Cyclones reduce everything to zero.

3.2. The great poverty of the people, a serious handicap

3.2.1. Material poverty
There is actually the extreme poverty of the population which not only is not in a position to bring a positive contribution to the effort for financial self-sufficiency, but in a way prevents it from going ahead because of theft, pillage or other ways of appropriating things. It is said that sub-Saharan Africa is the only region in the world where the proportion of the population living below the poverty line has not stopped increasing up to the present.
The local population lives at the subsistence level or below, by means of agriculture. The poverty of the people does not allow them to acquire suitable tools, and this handicaps the performance because of obsolete materials.
It makes it difficult for families to pay for their children’s schooling. The poverty at issue here is "...the absence of good teaching, effective health care, roads and bridges being in a good state of repair, employment, export possibilities, the just application of the law, a reliable and trustworthy banking system." (Statement of a Justice and Peace Seminar in Cameroon).

3.2.2. Moral Poverty
Besides that, there is not only material poverty. « In other words, poverty is not reduced to the economic dimension; there exists another type of poverty or misery in humankind which is not material destitution: the absence of love, kindness and ideals which respond to the most profound human needs, the hunger for education, justice, integrity. The Christian’s mission today is not only to bring something material to others, but also to help them find again the fundamental values of life ».

3.3. Aid mentality...

3.3.1. Resulting from a spirit of dependence
This mentality is a reality, and its causes are many. One notes in particular the pastoral of reliance, a pastoral of aid and dependence. It is decided that the people of a village need a church, that the parish priest is eager to build it, literally all by himself, without anybody else making their contribution. The result of such a practice can only engender the idea that the Church is the business of the priests, and of "white" priests in particular.
This kind of pastoring does not envisage the problem of associating the people with the effort of developing their Church and country. It does not let them take their own life and their Church’s life in hand. It was done to keep them still dependent.
The "pastoral of dependence" has silently passed over the urgency of reminding Christians that the first duty of humankind, especially those who live in a situation of misery and extreme precariousness, is to obey the commandment of God which speaks of using the strengths, the potentials and resources of nature in the service of human beings and human communities.

3.3.2. The aid mentality is characterized by a great dependence
This aid mentality is profoundly anchored in certain people. It is the result of constantly receiving everything from elsewhere. It maintains a real dependence in some and a paternalistic attitude on the part of those who can provide aid: the parish priest, the congregation, an organization. This kind of attitude is far from favoring financial self-sufficiency.
The parish priest is a little bit like Santa Claus, and this does not favor financial independence. "What strikes me is the tremendous dependence at all levels on outside help. Before tapping whoever it is, first of all , it is necessary to have the hope of finding sponsors for funds. It seems to me that this is a great handicap (including a psychological dependence) which prevents people from taking lasting initiatives " (Malawi).
The policies of certain international congregations favour this aid mentality when they take full responsibility for young candidates (prepostulancy and postulancy) and totally assure the livelihood of their communities without looking for resources in the country of implantation itself.

3.4. Shortage of stable work and pathetic salaries
Almost everywhere in the African milieu there is an abundance of workers and shortage of employment. The economy is not sufficiently developed to absorb all the work force available and this grows by 3% each year. Add to this the decline or stagnation of paid employment, the fall in actual salaries and a deterioration in working and living conditions. The majority of active Africans do not work in the modern sector, but in precarious economic activities with poor productivity, such as food-producing agriculture, or in the informal urban sector which forms a group of a large number of little trades. On the other hand, the abundance of workers lowers salaries to the minimum level; but this is the only alternative to indigence.
It can also be pointed out that in the trades, a sense of accomplishment is lacking. In part the cause could be the mediocre resources used, but it has to be acknowledged that a certain haste to make money, and also a significant professional negligence, could be at the root of the poor quality of local products; consequently, people prefer to buy imported products, and this leads to a certain indifference, if not disdain, for what is "home-made" in spite of advertising efforts.
This general situation cannot but affect the effort for self-reliance of the Church in Africa. This needs to be taken into consideration.

3.5. Constant socio-political crises

3.5.1. The ruling class has little competence
Fratricidal wars, corruption, the context of insecurity, among other scourges, continue to mortgage every effort to redress the economic and development situation. Julius Nyerere had counted very much on self-reliance; he judges the behavior of the ruling African class severely.
• The governments in power do not always favor advancement towards a promising future.
• Our leaders do not have enough sense of the common good;
• they engage in accords which are not always favorable to taking personal responsibility and independence.

3.5.2. A feeling of resignation in young people
The great dream of thousands of African students today, Mbembe said, is not to cause a revolution. It is, above all, to escape from their situation of origin which, for the majority, is farming. Today, after the failure of alternative politics, disputed elections, after the serious consequences of so many Structural Adjustment Plans (redundancies, significant lowering of salaries, strikes) and the devaluation of currencies, what the young inevitably resort to, in preference to all of that, is a feeling of resignation.

3.6. General economic crises and serious endemic deficiencies in management
The economic crisis which has struck most of the countries of sub-Saharan Africa for several years, and which does not spare any social category, has aggravated some situations already extremely precarious, like the economies of the rural villages.
The economy is being bled through the monstrous expenses of governments, but also by social evils such as dishonesty, corruption, moral degradation. All the individual or social bearing factors have demeaned the sense of work and the people’s taste for initiative.
Considering the efforts and the initiatives for self-sufficiency of Church institutions in Africa, the responses show a certain number of deficiencies and breaches in management and administration. They indicate that there is often:
• Absence of serious and correct accounting by those in various posts
• Lack of strictness and transparency in management
• Lack of time or constancy in regular follow-ups of initiatives
• Lack of information and communication at the grass-roots level; it can be noted, for example, that the faithful do not know the needs of their Church and they imagine that the tithes serve only for the livelihood of pastoral workers who often have a lifestyle above their own. Added to this is the behavior of certain pastors and other church leaders who act as if they have "made it" and give the impression of wealth.

3.7. Other external difficulties
Finally it is noted that this effort to be self-reliant is not without the inconveniences of international competition in trading, the phenomenon of the world market, and even the lack of understanding by some NGO friends.
Throughout recent decades, international competition has eliminated traditional works and handicrafts. In general, modern enterprises, above all the multinationals, employ a technology used in developed countries which uses a lot of capital but little labor. These innovations combine elements of quality necessary to be competitive on the world market. This has repercussions on our initiatives for self-reliance.
The initiatives and the undertakings which seem to succeed come up against the problem of fresh supplies and outlets. The world market is in the process of tightening up. Africa, a developing continent, has been hit by the drop in price of raw materials for industry: bananas, cocoa, etc. This has repercussions on self-sufficiency.

▪ Unfavorable climate and disasters of various kinds
▪ The great poverty of the people, a serious handicap
▪ The aid mentality is characterized by a great dependence
▪ Shortage of stable work and pathetic salaries
▪ Permanent socio-political crises
▪ General economic crises and serious endemic deficiencies in management
▪ The phenomenon of the world market and globalization


IV. SUGGESTIONS FOR SELF-FINANCING

After this general view let us now see the details of the practical suggestions that came from the survey. Let us include, as well, those of the international aid organizations, of the diocesan synods of Episcopal conferences, of the central administrations of European or American religious Congregations, working in Africa and having a significant and growing number of members

4.1. Call for a change of heart, mentality and attitude
The regional conference of bishops of English speaking West Africa has this to say:
"To achieve this objective, we appeal to all of you, our brothers and sisters, for a change of heart and attitude. The Church does not have an inexhaustible supply of reserves, nor do our partner Churches outside the sub-region. It is the ordinary people in those Churches who contribute to the support of the missions because of their faith, their commitment and their concern. We believe that genuine self-reliance must address this question by way of a critical self-examination."

4.1.0. Need for changes in political attitudes
The Church has the obligation to contribute to the formation of men and women with a vocation for politics that they might be committed towards the construction of a State that can guarantee the dignity of its citizens and have concern for the poor. Development, especially in rural areas, cannot ignore the changes that must be promoted in the African States, in particular with regard to the mechanisms of domination and exploitation where the little people remain the victims. It is time that the State become an active and important agent of an alternative model of development where the human being is at the center, that it make choices for an effective and efficacious development that sets priorities in its objectives and its spending, for a better service to the nation.

4.1.1. Need for changes in economic performance
It is a matter of reopening the discussion about a model of development that is based on the exclusion of the majority of the populations, when making important decisions and sharing profits and power. When engaging in a critical self-analysis, one can spot, in the present context, improper performances which are often responsible for poor productivity. They can be reduced to by-products of the modern civilization, or to traditional practices which today need to be re-examined. With this in mind, a strategy of formation and education is imperative, especially for farmers. Its aim will be not only to find technical solutions, but first of all to educate the consciences and the knowledge of the people. It is a question of being aware of what is happening in the country, of understanding that any agricultural or commercial initiative requires an analysis of the situation, to discover the real causes of stagnation and of marginalization.

4.1.1.1 Towards a more jointly responsible economy
There is need to promote together the growth and development of production cooperatives, the technological research, a network of commercialization, a system of social services, an educational center. The common denominator for these experiences is to launch, at local level, a chain of small, local enterprises, strengthened by ethical policies and an education concerning values. This type of ethical formation is the key for the new strategic project which consists in giving life to a co-responsible economy. This is qualitatively different from a neo-liberal economy. It is inspired by another logic; it favors reciprocal aid, the integral development of the whole person, and a harmonious relation between man and nature.

4.1.1.2 Towards a cultural evolution
There is need for a powerful cultural questioning and a profound mutation of mentalities in the "traditional" as well as in the "modern" societies. Only under that one condition can we talk and work for a liberation of the man of today, that he might be the artisan of his own economic, political and social development. It is therefore, necessary that a new conscience come to birth in the villages, that we assume a critical attitude which, while radically attacking a dominating trading system, must also transform a traditional culture that no longer responds to the requirements of today but is in need of a creative incentive.

4.2. Reassess our needs and know the sources of revenue
First of all we must know our real needs, then reassess our sources of revenue, and exploit them to the maximum by means of local investments. We have resources, properties, and we have the land that can be made to yield.
While in Cameroon, John Paul II stated that it is normal that each country in Africa take responsibility for its own development and be encouraged to do so. Developing countries should feel that they are the principal artisans and the first ones responsible for their economic and social progress; the development of peoples begins and finds its most appropriate way of getting down to it in their efforts for their own development, in collaboration with the others. « To advance in this road, the countries would themselves need to discern their own potential, and clearly recognise their needs, in keeping with the particular situation of the population, of the geographical setting and of the cultural traditions ».

4.2.1. Priority for the rural population
We must start projects that will truly respond to the needs of the people of God. Long neglected by the state politics, it seems that rural villages should be given renewed attention. That is an inevitable choice in a continent where, despite the heavy urbanization of the last decades, 70% of the population continues to live in the countryside. Therein lies the priority for the rural population.
The economy of the countries is determined by an agriculture that constitutes the major part of our export revenues, and a large number of our population is employed in the agricultural sector. The majority of the laity lives in rural areas and is generally given to agriculture. It is then simple wisdom that the Church concentrate its attention and its effort on basic agricultural industries, when it judges it to be necessary and useful to engage in business and to find the funds for its own activities or to reinforce the economic capacity of the laity. Investments in the large cities, such as undertaking to rent materials and buildings, petrol stations, pharmacies, does not seem to be appropriate to the needs of the needy. These are risky sectors, and the investments in these enterprises can, not only not bear fruit, but also lead to serious financial losses and other harmful consequences for the Church.

4.2.2 Recognition of the basic needs
The economic context is encouraging for a good number of African countries. The rate of economic growth has become, since 1995, higher than the increase rate in population. But the rate of investment remains weak: less than 20% of GDP. Public investments are diminishing. There is an interest for investing in activities of basic necessities and in the service infrastructures, notably in agricultural exploitation, cattle breeding, providing water and drainage systems and irrigation works, not forgetting the needs of big cities, like garages, workshops, lodgings, etc.
The planting of trees to restore forests that have been destroyed by man increases chances of rain in zones that have suffered from desert conditions. This can be an appropriate income-generating project for rescuing the finances of the Church and of civil society, while at the same time serving ecology.

4.3. Elaborate projects of integrated self-financing

4.3.1 The necessity of a forecast
A good elaboration of projects is a condition for success. There is need then, to see that the undertakings are properly prepared, that is, that the principal objective of the project be well identified, that there be a report on its feasibility, giving details of all the significant financial, technical and economic aspects. The report should also give details of how the project will be financed until its completion. That will avoid the frustration of beginning a project without being able to bring it to term because of lack of funds.
To be sure, all activities must not be dependent on money, but it is important to think seriously about the question if a project is to be income-generating or if the objective is rather to render a service, whether or not it brings in revenue. This distinction is important, for it will have implications in the preparation of the project and in the process to follow in gathering the needed funds.

4.3.2. Importance of a follow-up
A committee that follows the process of the project needs to be established to identify the sectors where the real expenses differ substantially from the estimated budget forecasts. That could prevent later overspending when nothing could be done to redress the situation. It is then important to think of establishing an executive committee of affairs in each diocese.

4.3.3. Take into consideration the milieu and the context
In the elaboration of the project, it is necessary to create an awareness among all the members of the province who are directly concerned with the project, as well as lay collaborators, so as to sustain interest and participation. Also care must be taken so that the enterprise does not hurt religious spirit, especially if it concerns enterprises of commercial nature. We have to take into account, as well, the socio-political and economic context, which always plays a dominant role. Many possibilities of real transformation of the economy are at play in the political domain of every State.
The administration itself may, at times, become an economic impediment of the first order, if it practices or favors explicit plundering, generalized corruption, or repression. Socio-political instability, like violence, can hinder minimal financial functioning. We have to be aware of this in the elaboration of the self-financing project.

4.4. Search for and find an investment fund
What is needed is to find the capital outlay or investment fund, preferably of the short term type. This would facilitate organizing of SME (Small & Medium Enterprises) with an industrial structure. It is necessary to study the matter well, to know if there are marketing prospects and if the promoter is capable of carrying it through successfully.

4.4.1 To accept with dignity
The help of the Mother Church or mutual aid agencies is here solicited. That is indispensable to get employment and resource-generating projects started and supported. Autonomy or self-reliance does not mean to refuse all exterior aid, but it is a matter of not accepting everything that is offered. We must dare to tell generous donors: "We do not want the help that you offer as it does not correspond to our needs."

4.4.2 An appeal to the expertise of the laity
A special appeal is made to the clear-sightedness of the laity and their business acumen: "We call on our lay faithful to put their expertise in fun-raising, financial management, marketing and business acumen at the disposal of the Church, to enable it to attain financial self-reliance".

4.5. To realize mini development projects
To realize mini-projects is much more in keeping with the possibilities of our institutions. There is need to revise, with the aid organizations, the possibility of financing self-reliant projects presented by the Congregations; these have repercussions on the population.

4.5.1. By creating small local enterprises
The establishment of small industries is recommended, as we can assure the management of these. These include, agriculture and intensive cattle-breeding, small industries of transformation: mills, bakeries, oil-works, slaughterhouses, brick-making, carpenter shops, garages, vending shops.
As the small or medium farmers represent the majority of the agricultural producers in almost all the countries of Africa, there is need to favor the means which promote, among others: the participation of the farmers in the modernization of the structures of production, a study of their particular systems, access to new technologies and technical assistance, a link with the national and international market, without neglecting the local consumption needs, attention to conditions and typical requirements of the diverse local products, agricultural credit, the distribution and registration of property, information on the market, credit, supplies on the way, rural energies, public health and educational services.

4.5.2. Establishing insurance and credit societies
There are suggestions for the creation of agricultural insurance, the opening of shops where one can purchase heavy working equipment on credit: motorized cultivating, grinding, husking equipment, set up in small commercial units. Productivity is relatively easy, but to sell is not.
The possibility of finding supplies of primary products as well as the possibility of selling the produce is essential when the project responds to a need in the region. It is advisable to reorganise the financial markets that they might furnish small loans to micro-enterprises and to independent profit-making employers.
It is true that financing agencies prefer big projects, but these have a survival problem in the present African situation. Therefore, "there is need to find avenues for the production of diversified agro-industry that supports small and medium enterprises, that may satisfy the basic needs of the population, that consolidate the acquired technology of the society and favor equity and sustainable growth."

4.5.3. Assuring commercial prospects for the products
We have definitely passed from a bartering to a marketing economy. In the present system of production, it is currency that has universal value. It is up to pastors as well as to the faithful to measure its importance and to use it with diligence, to satisfy the innumerable needs that they must face.
The outlet for commercial products can be assured locally or in the exterior. In any case, it is recommended to remain informed about the currents in international trading, respect the commercial laws, provide the merchandises on time and to see to their constant improvement.
Without a doubt, economic improvement happens first of all, when there is exterior trading. The European requirements for manufactured products in Africa is on the rise (low-priced sport clothing; the confection of Malagasy products furnishes the prominent French names: Celio, Prenatal...). Nevertheless, the primary sector has still to be modernized, for example, the diversification of agriculture calls for the abandonment of extensive cultivation, to give way to profit-making products more easily exportable (cut flowers, tropical fruits, vegetables).
On the other hand, there is need to be aware that the import of cheap products from foreign countries, reduces the value of local products and discourages everyone that would like to work.

4.6. Strive for investments in common
The investment fund can be used for acquiring a sufficiently large domain capable of being exploited for self-financing, or for the necessary formation of youth and their subsistence. That project would be advantageous if done together, among religious Communities or between the diocese and religious Congregations. That would also be a witness of solidarity and of communion and would have a better chance of succeeding. The project can be studied and realized by many Congregations or with the diocese. It is a matter of working together, as much as possible, and to avoid being "each one to himself”. The example of men’s monasteries established close to women’s monasteries for a common spiritual and material benefit, is striking.

4.7. In great solidarity with the people

4.7.1. The people are an inalienable power
We should not really do anything over and above the people and without them. But with them and in their midst, we are able to do everything: to give life, to be organized, to destroy and to build, to elaborate the project for the future. There is no development project that can be parachuted from above without taking into account the concrete situation and the necessity of getting the people involved in its conception and realization. Beyond a simple preoccupation of efficiency, this undertaking is linked with the conviction that man has a dignity that comes from his being created in the image of God, collaborator in the creation, and which finds its full meaning in the incarnation of the Son of God.

4.7.2 They contribute to their own liberation
There is no project for self-financing that can be achieved except through a true solidarity with the people of God. This means sharing with people their struggles, especially in times of need, like during tribal confrontations, and demolition of houses in the shanty towns of big cities; it means also, denouncing injustices and remaining by the side of the victims against their oppressors, becoming the voice of the voiceless; it means, contributing to their development as persons, helping them to come out of their impoverishment. We speak of impoverishment, because poverty does not occur just like that. It is the result of actions of other persons. People need to be liberated from their oppressors. And the oppressors are found also in the very heart of the African countries.


4.8. The spirit of sharing among priests, religious and the laity

4.8.1 The sharing of material goods
It is essential that priests, religious and lay people learn to give and to receive from one another. Something is already being done, as in the practice of the "car pool" for example, when those who have a car make it available to all, in special events (Ordinations…).
The spirit of sharing should not be reduced to the use of a car; it applies also in other services, including food and other equipment. For example, a city parish might have available resources and revenues which it could share with other less fortunate parishes.
There is need to insist on a greater solidarity within the local Church, to prevent requests from being made in the exterior, except when the local resources, at regional or national level, are not sufficient.

4.8.2. Sharing of personnel
"In this spirit of the Church as family which implies solidarity, the sharing of personnel and other resources at every level, there is need to encourage the dioceses, the parishes and the institutions to share with those who have less, to give one another a hand to build a Church that is self-dependent…” (AECAWA)

4.9. The personal involvement of each one

4.9.1. Working to earn one’s livelihood
To arrive at true self-financing, it is important that each member try to earn his livelihood; that means that wherever he is, he must have a work that provides a remuneration enabling him to live.
If one is to struggle against hunger and malnutrition, there is need to work, in order to provide food for oneself which cannot be obtained otherwise.

4.9.2. Making one’s contribution towards autonomy of the Church
Each member of the community will thus be made aware of his responsibility for assistance to be given to the pastors and the payment of the tithes due to the parish. That implies continual education on the part of the parish priest and the group in charge.

4.9.3. Making one’s contribution for the elimination of poverty
Through "concrete actions regarding the causes of misery, ignorance, illness, injustice; an action that allows each person to stand on his own, to be responsible for himself and others, and to exist as an image of God."

4.10. Need for a rigorous financial management and an understanding of economy
We reproduce here a diocesan text which speaks at length on this subject:
"We all agree that there cannot be development without a serious management. We who are of the diocese of Pala, have chosen self-promotion as the primary objective of our developmental activities. But can one have self-promotion if people do not know how to manage with more rigor what they produce and what they dispose of? If we are logical with ourselves, we have to make management a priority: in our priestly and religious communities, in our parishes, in the institutions entrusted to our care, like schools and dispensaries, in all our interventions in favor of development".
The need to keep accounts rigorously in every domain, is obvious. The diocese must insist on complete financial accounts if it wants to succeed in controlling expenses and eliminate wastefulness.

4.10.1 Establish a budget and stick to it
The Church which desires to be "autonomous", must seek to reduce its expenses. To achieve this, it is necessary that it establish a budget from which it can evaluate the expenses in different sectors. It is true that it is not easy to plan a budget, but even before the most complex situations, it should be possible for a parish or any other institution, to identify somehow, the foreseeable expenses as well as the revenues for a given period of time; and those who are responsible should seriously examine the distinguishing features of the expenses and revenues.

4.10.2. Seek to reduce expenses
Examples of reduction of expenses can come from priests and religious. They can let the laity know that money for expenses can be entrusted to them with confidence. For example, priests can use the space around their residence to cultivate and thus reduce the Church expenses for feeding them.
That would be a very powerful example for Church members about what can be done to become an "autonomous" church whether through small or important actions.

4.10.3. Transparency in management
Good business management is a requirement of financial sponsors, which is an added ingredient for the respect due to democracy and human rights. It is a delicate exercise. The struggle against corruption is one of the elements of good governance, which is a necessary pre-condition for prosperity.
It is therefore recommended, as much as possible, to centralize administration and to inform all concerned. That is what was done in Mauritius, when a whole organization was programmed, followed up by a group of experts: publication of the accounts of each parish every year, payment of a certain sum by each parishioner, a regular collection of funds. All that requires good development and organization on the part of the local Church, a will for clarity and transparency, an ongoing accompaniment by competent people.

4.11. The need for a managing and auditing committee

4.11.1 A managing committee is inevitable
There is need to stress that financial management can never be the responsibility of a single person. There is always need to have a committee of several members especially for the heavy expenses of large resources... ex: a factory with high potential for development, directed by a professional manager who controls all its activities and workers (technical, executive staff, laborers). A Committee made up of highly qualified personnel needs to be set up to manage this investment and to make it yield maximum profits. That is the claim of the Diocesan Synod of Kisangani (Congo): "That the Financial Councils requested by the CDC (Art. 492-493) really exist”.


4.11.2 The control of accounts is reassuring
All financial operations should be controlled by qualified auditors chosen by the parish for examining the accounts. Proper accounting and an effective auditing should constitute the essential elements of the life of the parish, and that should be applied to all financial operations, income and expenses, and no activity should be exempt from the control of the auditor, other than where the competent authority makes exceptions for valid reasons.
Financial responsibility also means that there should not be any "sacred cows", that is, untouchable accounts. It can happen, for example, that during the year, certain expenses acquired an untouchable character simply because the parish could not do otherwise at a certain point. But the very fact that it happened in the past does not mean that these past expenses are beyond the control of the auditors in present circumstances.
The Bishops of the AECAWA recall the importance and the obligation of this good management in the following recommendations, which confirm what was previously said: "We call for a judicious use of our scarce resources, for transparency, honesty and accountability in our financial management. The setting up of financial and development committees at all levels - dioceses, parish and all institutions - is essential for achieving this goal".

4.12. Assure a solid management training
The persistent problem of the qualification of priests coming out of our formation institutions was brought out, with particular reference to their capacity to confront the requests of our times and of the immediate future. For the moment it is rare that a priest coming from the seminary, has the qualifications and know-how in the technical and professional domains: engineering, law, medicine, accounting, commerce, finances, business administration.

4.12.1 Initiating pastoral agents in management
The time has come to seriously consider the inclusion of a few courses in these domains in the seminary curriculum, which would call for a few adjustments in the actual system without departing radically from the orthodox formation.
When looking at the complex and ever changing reality, we cannot be satisfied with a few years of initiation to the religious life or of a relatively important knowledge received during the philosophical and theological formation. Besides, we very quickly notice that the instrument is not well adapted to apostolic work. To know how to do something and do it well are two aspects that we must learn to unite. The competence and the professional conscience must merge so that the pastoral agents might effectively be the best servants in the exercise of their tasks.

4.12.2 Forming self-help communities
From all this we can conclude that the specific characteristics of a church that can count on itself are: having a competent and available personnel; the capacity to produce, to hold on to and to manage a healthy financial account, financial growth and authentic human and spiritual development.
In this perspective, the proposal is that in the formation of the church personnel (clergy, brothers, sisters, laity), there be an adequate initiation in the financial domain, of accounts and commerce, etc., that the pastoral agents might understand and participate intelligently in the effort of self-financing.
This formation will be assured at all levels of development (schools, social centres, houses of formation...). The educators in the seminaries will themselves be formed for management, by helping them to acquire practical and economic know-how, in administration, in accountancy, in management, in procedures for investments.

4.13. Maintaining a simple life-style
Self-financing can be advanced or prevented by the level of life that we adopt. There is need then, to become aware of the present cultural factor. First of all, assimilation without having reservations about the style of western consumption caused by the constant badgering of the media, can be interpreted as an imperative need for accumulating large inputs of money. The new generations rapidly forget the modes of life and possibilities within their own cultures.
It is an undeniable fact that "the style of life and the way of being inevitably distinguish religious in the society. They form unified, organized, powerful, superior groups by what they have, by what they know, and by their power. Their residences, their means of travel, their way of dressing, their diet..., reflect a particularly high position on the ladder of the struggle for vital needs."
Another undeniable fact is that most Africans must face difficulties to make ends meet. Many of them live in poverty and in misery, caused by the tragic waste of available resources, the instability of politics and social disorientation. The revenue of a parishioner cannot nourish him and his family. Before such situations, we expect that the Church or the parish that depends on the good will of the parishioners, be a little more circumspect in their manner of living. Confronted with such a milieu, priests and religious have no other choice than to live simply. By adopting a simple life style that allows no room for ostentation, they will control and reduce consumption, and create a financial surplus that will add to their resources.

4.13.1 Through a revision, a downgrading of the level of life
In general, the clergy and religious live too much above the average level of life of the populations. They should then do a revision and downgrade their life style to be closer to that of their compatriots: to live simply with means adapted to the milieu, like for example, living in the building flats. The means need to be improved, but not necessarily according to a western model of the past.
A regional conference exhorts its Gospel workers as follows:
"Let the pastoral agents give testimony to a simple life style! Those in charge in our churches should avoid luxury (vehicles, feasts) in the midst of a hungry people... Thus, we remind the clergy and religious men and women of the necessity of adopting a modest life-style, taking into account the appeal of the Council Fathers: "Led therefore by the Lord’s Spirit, who anointed the Savior and sent Him to preach the Gospel to the poor, priests as well as bishops will avoid all those things which can offend the poor in any way. More than the other followers of Christ, priests and bishops should spurn any type of vanity in their affairs. Finally, let them have the kind of dwelling which appears closed to no one and which no one will fear to visit, even the humblest." (Decree on the Ministry and the Life of Priests, No. 17)

4.14. Work for the cancellation of the international debt

4.14.1 It is the cause of much misery
The majority of responses expressed were about the international debt. It has been affirmed that "in the interest of the people, international debt must be annulled because it is the poor who must pay for those who have benefited from it" (Angola).
Moreover one can see "that it is morally objectionable to make future generations in the developing nations inherit the debt burden incurred by their forefathers, while their
counterparts in the industrialized creditor-nations reap resources they did not labor for. We therefore call for debt cancellation as we approach the Jubilee year 2000 as a way of restoring equality and human dignity" (AECAWA).

4.14.2 It has inspired the PRSA... a veritable inhuman dictate
It is equally important to rethink with a critical mind the Plans for Reinforced Structural Adjustment. These are programmes that have been imposed in view of helping the countries to remain solvent and to reimburse their debts.
But already, drastic consequences of the "Plans for Reinforced Structural Adjustment" can be felt in the "lack of medical material, the meagre salaries of functionaries, the enormous classes for the teachers, because of the restrictions." (Uganda)
The sectors that provide aid should question how the assistance is done. Especially when it is based only on the economy! Does it help to redress, or on the contrary, does it create a perpetual dependence?


SOME REFLECTIONS BY WAY OF CONCLUSION

The movement towards responsibility and self-sufficiency is bound to be a slow process, especially when people have become used to living in a system of dependence. Nevertheless it is certainly high time that Africa and its inhabitants "speed up the passage from the economy of receiving to the economy of producing". Only by producing can the people of Africa become self-sufficient, and the same principle applies to the Church.
The present situation of the Church in Africa is that it is moving towards self-sufficiency, but this still remains in the realm of an objective waiting to be attained. There is no question of refusing external collaboration, but collaboration must not be allowed either to destroy autonomy or to dictate policy. To fulfil its mission of evangelization, the Church in Africa needs to draw on its own internal resources instead of simply seeking external help.
Priests need a supplement from abroad in order to maintain a reasonable standard of living. Many dioceses depend on overseas partners for money to buy the means of transportation necessary for the apostolate. They also depend on subsidies from Rome. Religious communities receive support from their headquarters in Europe or America, and other institutions strive to find overseas agencies to help them to make ends meet.
Experience shows however that the help needed is not always available, and certainly the present arrangements cannot go on indefinitely. Even if the overseas agencies were willing to continue with their contributions, the situation cannot be regarded as ideal. The time has come for the Church in Africa itself to generate the financial support necessary for evangelization. The answers to the questionnaire showed what is in fact being done in this respect.
At the same time, the Church lives in society. It is part of society, and it is society which determines to a large extent how far the Church can go in financial self-supporting. There must therefore be efforts towards the construction of a society which will help financial self-sufficiency in the Church. The Church has its own contribution to make towards the establishment of a truly democratic society in which all persons without exception can feel called upon to join in the pilgrimage towards the Father. The Church must work for a society in which the poor, the weak, the marginalized, receive their share of the common resources and the services which they need.

Towards a Real Democracy
The State, and society as a whole, have the obligation to ensure the fundamental rights of all citizens, which include: security, housing, food, access to health and education services.
This is what we mean by a democratic society based on participation, a political and economic system in which all the citizens have an effective say in its management.
The effort towards an authentic democracy is one of the principal ways in which the Church can work with the people. The lay Christian involved in the democratic struggle in the spirit of the Gospel is the sign of a Church that wishes to play a part in the construction of a just society. One of the most urgent tasks for the Church in Africa today is to train men and women, young people and adults, to take responsibility for the reformation of their society. Lay movements in the Church should not simply encourage people to take an active part in the life of the Church, but should also act as training grounds in which people prepare for a committed life in the secular sphere.

Towards an Economy of Solidarity
The economy is an important part of society and it has important repercussions on the Church’s efforts towards self-financing. The economies of Africa are weak, and helping Africa to emerge from poverty is one of today’s crucial tasks. Strategies have to be devised to counteract the tendency of the present international economic order to reduce labor costs and to lower wages.
The Church has a part to play in establishing a better economic order. The aim must be to work together for collective liberation, to create an economy of solidarity which will combine the individual and the collective aspects. In the precarious situation of the peoples and societies of Africa, mutual support is indispensable to achieve goals which are beyond the reach of individuals working alone. It is through active cooperation that people come to learn the strategy of solidarity.

Towards a Liberating Education
In addition to political and economic action, there must also be action in the field of education. There has to be a reassessment of the contents and objectives of educational programmes. The present educational system relies on unadapted traditional methods and on collective representations derived from foreign and alienating patterns of thought. Western cultural and socioeconomic systems are presented as universally valid and the only possible models for all African countries which aspire to development. Not surprisingly, there has been a massive exodus of Africans to Western centers of learning. Well-educated Africans prefer to send their children abroad to schools in France, Germany and the United States, in order to acquire the knowledge and competence, and especially the diplomas, which will guarantee them a well-paid position when they return home.
It is vitally important for the Church to continue to put its resources into national education, but this must be done with a critical eye on the programmes offered in schools.
There have to be bold initiatives to adapt to the local context and to the real needs of young people and their countries. The Church should pay particular attention to education in the rural areas. The poor quality of the teaching and the lack of resources often mean that children from rural schools are unable to progress beyond the primary level. Yet these are the children who will constitute the Church of tomorrow.

Autonomy Beyond Financial Self-Sufficiency
An autonomous Church is a local Church capable of determining the direction and evolution of its own development according to its particular circumstances, its specific problems, and the available resources. An autonomous Church is therefore one which is in control of its mission, with a clear idea of what it needs to progress, its own order of priorities, its own legislation and policies. It is also a Church which has a fundamental understanding of the difference between what can be done by its own local resources and projects for which outside help will have to be sought.
When we speak of the autonomy of a Church or of any institution, we are not implying that its aim must be to live in isolation, nor that its members should restrict their concern to their own internal affairs without consulting the experiences of other communities.
In the area of evangelization in particular, autonomy certainly does not mean that a local Church should remain closed in on itself. The Pope himself has warned Churches old and new of the problems which can arise from too much emphasis on self-reliance. In fact, self-reliance is not the same thing as self-sufficiency, for the grace of the Lord will always be needed. The self-reliant Church must not shun all contact with other Churches. What makes a Church self-reliant is its capacity to act efficiently and to control its own programme and activities, while continuing its desire for dialogue with other Churches, giving in all charity and humility what it has to offer to others, and receiving with gratitude and dignity whatever it feels necessary and useful to accept from others. The Church-Family is a Church in Communion.

The Path Towards Autonomy
The first step is to have on the spot the personnel and the structures necessary for an effective mission of evangelization. This means a competent pastoral team and suitable equipment and services: pastoral centers, places of education and health care, the practical arrangements for making these services available to all the people inside and even outside the Church.
The second condition is that the Church have the capacity to finance all its evangelizing activities, either in whole or in part, without having to depend wholly on outside help. The ideal is for each Church to be in a situation in which it has total control of its resources. It is however not always possible for a diocese to possess all the necessary resources in every area, although in some areas it may have a surplus. This is why it can be useful and even necessary for neighboring Churches to help each other by a mutual giving and receiving.
The third condition follows from the previous one. This is the capacity and the will to share spiritual and material resources with other Churches. There will then be a relation of authentic interdependence with other Churches, not only in terms of finance and personnel, but also in terms of ideas and procedures which promote efficiency in the activities of evangelization.
This mutual sharing between different Churches was a characteristic of the primitive Church established by St Paul, who devoted a substantial part of his activities to collecting for the poor members of the Christian communities. The aim of the pooling of goods in the first Christian communities (Acts 2: 44ss; 4, 32:34ss) was to live and to manifest the communion and solidarity between them.
St Paul’s example shows that there must be an authentic interdependence between the Churches, not only in terms of finance and personnel, but also in terms of ideas and procedures which promote efficient evangelization. In this way the Church will be accepted and respected as a useful force in the society in which she acts.
The different Christian Churches are called to live in solidarity within themselves, with each other, and with the people of Africa. This was the vision of the meeting of the World Council of Churches in Harare in 1998:
" We are happy to perceive within the Churches of Africa the vision of a pilgrimage of hope in the development of the continent in the twenty-first century. We are determined to develop this vision which promises to the people of Africa a life in dignity. We believe that this same vision is rooted in the African concept of man, in African spirituality, and in the morality of community solidarity.
"This vision summons us to work together in a creative but always cooperative fashion, standing by the side of those among us who have burdens too heavy for them to carry, and breaking down the walls which divide us and make us slaves.
"It is a vision which can be realized if Africans agree to work together in a spirit of Panafricanism, and if they use their natural human resources responsibly and according to the principles of morality, in collaboration with each other and in partnership with nature. "