Charity Afful is an international Global Mission Fellow with the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries, engaged in a two-year term of service. The Global Mission Fellows program takes young adults ages 20-30 out of their home environments and places them in new contexts for mission experience and service. The program has a strong emphasis on faith and justice. Global Mission Fellows become active parts of their new local communities. They connect the church in mission across cultural and geographical boundaries. They grow in personal and social holiness and become strong young leaders working to build just communities in a peaceful world. Charity is a member of Bishop Lunge United Methodist English Church in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The church is related to the Central Congo Annual Conference. In Sunday school, Charity taught English language to the children. “Assisting with teaching children the word of God,” she said, “gave me a chance to know better and learn about God.” She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental studies and English and a master’s degree in Human Rights, Peace and Development at Africa University, Mutare, Zimbabwe. “Systemic barriers,” Charity explained, “continue to cause socioeconomic issues for local communities, particularly in Africa. These gaps range from environmental concerns to homelessness, from social intolerance to abuses of human rights, from careless government oversight to deteriorating educational standards, from drug usage to gender-based violence and social inequities.” Lacking the capacity to address such issues, political systems exacerbate problems. “Communities are left to struggle with these challenges and the effects that come with it,” Charity said. “Those of us [who want] to contribute to the solution are constrained by our skill sets and lack the experience necessary.” Charity believes the Global Mission Fellows program holds the key as she broadens her knowledge of volunteering in her community. “The most effective technique to develop leadership skills,” she said, “is through volunteering. In many ways, it aids in career development.” Charity looks forward to learning and building critical, interchangeable work skills such as task management, leadership, collaboration, communication and organization, while establishing a connection with the community. “I will gain experience working as a team member in various settings and with various types of people,” she said. “I will enhance my talents and apply them to fill skill shortages in my team and the community. I’ll gain the knowledge I need to tackle similar problems in my own community and future career.” Charity is especially concerned about the many older adults, widows and other people who fight to survive. “African society, including the church, has not yet accepted women as partners on an equal footing,” she said. “As a result, many African women are left to struggle alone with their children. Most lack the necessary education and means of subsistence to maintain their families. The number of this group increases daily. “While society downplays its obligation, the church fills the gap by offering support and psychosocial support services. This is carried out by many factions.” Charity was inspired by her father, Innocent P. Afful, a Global Ministries missionary. He died April 17, 2023, at age 49. “I have seen missionaries put their faith and all in their work, and believing that God is using them to change the lives of the communities, they are serving,” she said. She welcomes the opportunity to join Global Mission Fellows. “I can bring transformation wherever I go,” Charity asserted.

Emeline Joyce Ngaha Dingueis an international Global Mission Fellow with the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries, engaged in a two-year term of service. The Global Mission Fellows program takes young adults ages 20-30 out of their home environments and places them in new contexts for mission experience and service. The program has a strong emphasis on faith and justice. Global Mission Fellows become active parts of their new local communities. They connect the church in mission across cultural and geographical boundaries. They grow in personal and social holiness and become strong young leaders working to build just communities in a peaceful world. Emeline is a member of the Yaoundé University Protestant Chaplaincy in Cameroon. “I have been serving mainly in the compassion ministry,” she said. “I also assist the worship committee whenever they have events. I also serve in the marriage ministry at the level of event planning and coordination.” She earned a Bachelor of Science honors degree in medical laboratory sciences (premedical orientation) at Africa University, Mutare, Zimbabwe. She led the liturgist team at AU. A love for education brought Emeline to where she is today. “I come from a region of Cameroon characterized by a high percentage of school dropouts and restricted access to education for young girls,” she explained. “It is still taboo for young girls in my rural community to aspire to anything other than marriage, and the societal constructs around this culture are a serious obstruction to their dreams of a better future.” At age 17, Emeline refused to comply with a forced marriage planned by her uncle because she yearned to get a university education. “That was a disappointment to many relatives,” she said, “who looked forward to sharing my bride price.” Emeline believed that education could lift her and her community out of unjust standards. “My journey and experiences among others,” she said, “shaped my aspirations and, eventually, helped me to determine what mattered most to me.” Graduating from high school was supposed to mark the end of Emeline’s education. Refusing to settle, however, she took matters into her own hands. “I was nominated for the Open Dreams College Prep Academy,” she said, “which helps high- achieving, low-income students who show academic intelligence and need only a little impetus to attain their full potential.” Then she was offered a full scholarship by the Mastercard Foundation. “Owing my good fortune to the serendipity of becoming a Mastercard Foundation scholar,” she said, “I resolved to pay it forward by extending the same help to those from less-fortunate backgrounds through commitment to community service.” During her gap year, Emeline organized a series of capacity-building workshops across public schools in Cameroon. The goal, she noted, was “to reach out to underprivileged young people and equip them with tools to strengthen their skill set and enhance their eligibility for opportunities that would otherwise be out of their reach. “This experience enabled me to appreciate how empowerment could go a long way in providing an enabling environment for people to grow and lift themselves out of challenging circumstances.” Global Mission Fellows seems like a perfect next step for Emeline who anticipates serving with “a unique platform of like-minded and purpose-driven people.” She expressed eagerness “to leverage our voices and skills individually and collectively to tackle the pressing challenges of our respective contexts and beyond.”