COTONOU DECLARATION

Statement made by the participants after the conference marking the tenth anniversary of the African Family Life Federation (AFLF), held from January 24th to 26th, 2012 in Cotonou, Benin.

Have faith! Rise, He is calling you!

Preamble
Before our Father Bishops from Rome, Poland, Africa and Madagascar, we, the delegates of member associations and prospective members of AFLF  from different African countries (South Africa, Benin, Burundi, Burkina Faso , Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mauritius, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Madagascar, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Togo, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe), as well as our expert guests, friends and benefactors from Germany, France and the Holy See (Pontifical Council Cor Unum and Pontifical Council for the Family) and the Pontifical Institute John Paul II of Benin, having met  and having reflected deeply, in light of the Church documents on the issues about the person, marriage and family, especially his identity as a basic unit of society,  are challenged by the forces (African culture and foreign) that impede the development of the life of families in Africa.

Our expectations:
1. That  SECAM  helps AFLF activities and services  to be known by the  various Episcopal Conferences in each country.

2. That Episcopal Conferences include the anthropological aspects of marriage and family in the curriculum of the training of priests.

3. That Dioceses:

Ø insert into their  pastoral plan, the family as the subject and recipient of the Christian message on love and life.

Ø encourage the implementation and development of operational Family Life services , with adequate  follow up and monitoring.

4.That AFLF  Committee:

Ø Provides information to the Pontifical Council for the Family and SECAM  about its activities

Ø Serves as an interlocutor between financial agencies  ........and member associations

Ø Harmonizes  training programmes as a model reference to the various associations.

 5. That Associations :

Ø Share experiences and welcome input from others.

Ø Make available activity reports and statistics on a regular and permanent basis.

Ø Establish mechanisms for the continuity of their activities.


            Done at Cotonou, January 26, 2012

            AFLF  Committee