Religious Liberty: Conference Planned for January 2005 in Trinidad

An international conference on religious liberty will be held Jan. 19 to 20, 2005, in Port of Spain, Trinidad, the International Religious Liberty Association announced. It will be followed Jan. 22 by a “Festival of Religious Freedom” to be celebrated by members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Delegates met with the nation’s Chief of Justice, Justice S. Sharma, and Acting Prime Minister Joan-Yuielli Williams late last month and government officials in Trinidad and Tobago have expressed great interest in the planned events, asking many questions about religious freedom in the world. [ANN Staff]

Adventist Student Wins Place in Art Exhibition, Inspired Through Mission Trip

Inspired by experiences with Aboriginal communities in northern New South Wales, Australia, Jonathan Otto’s work was chosen for the ArtExpress Tour, a statewide exhibit of visual arts projects from graduating secondary school students. “I was stoked when they told me that my work had been chosen,” says Otto, a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Charlestown. “It’s been a dream of mine since I began making art at school.” Otto’s artwork, entitled “Karl-Maliyaa,” or “Friend,” depicts a smiling Aboriginal child giving a thumbs-up gesture. Otto work was inspired by his visits to Walgett with a community service group known as StormCo (Service To Others Really Matters). [Adam Sparke]

ADRA Afghanistan Strengthens Community Based Healthcare

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Afghanistan has been awarded funding worth US$1.99 million from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement a three-year basic health project in the Panjab and Waras districts of Bamyan province. Begun in October 2003, this project, called “REACH,” seeks to improve the health of women of reproductive age and children age five and younger by reducing the most common causes of mortality and morbidity. [Todd Reese]