Supporting pandemic response matters
Oklahomans must aid Africans in fight against COVID-19, variant
As a Christian, I believe we are all children of God and in our moments of need, as Jesus showed us, we need to bear one another’s burdens.
Right now, Africans are suffering as the delta variant wreaks havoc across the continent, because just 3% of Africans are vaccinated against COVID-19. As a result, hospitals have been forced to turn desperate patients away because they do not have enough oxygen ports or beds.
This inequity is staggering and unacceptable. Ultimately, it’s un-Christian.
In this moment of crisis, Christians around the world must do whatever we can to aid our African brothers and sisters. Thankfully, there’s a movement among Christian leaders here in Oklahoma and across the country to help them — at no cost to taxpayers.
Churches and faith organizations are united in support of providing critical economic relief to help struggling countries in Africa and around the world purchase vaccines and build medical infrastructure. Specifically, we are calling on elected officials in Oklahoma and across the country to push for an additional allocation of reserve funds from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) called “Special Drawing Rights” (or SDRs) to help those who need it the most.
I’ve seen firsthand what compassion can accomplish. Our church is in its 13th year of partnership with an organization in Zambia, building infrastructure projects that improve quality of life for local communities. I know our partners and friends there can overcome COVID-19 with the tools to do so. But right now, they just don’t have the resources they need.
So it’s no surprise that African leaders came together earlier this year to assert the benefits of this economic relief. This financial resource would empower countries in Africa to vaccinate their populations, boost the capacity of their health care systems, and direct their own economic recoveries.
It’s the Christian thing to do. It’s also the practical thing to do.
A new allocation of relief from the IMF would boost the U.S. economy by allowing lower-income countries to import more U.S. agricultural products and other supplies. The Center for Economic and Policy Research found that during the pandemic, 3,861 jobs were lost in Oklahoma due to implications of a decline in goods exports. We can get those jobs back in our state and help African nations at the same time.
More than 240 religious, humanitarian and other organizations across the country have come together to support this economic relief.
On behalf of the coalition, I want to thank Sen. Jim Inhofe for advocating for Africans throughout his entire career. Last year, the senator introduced an amendment for 2 trillion IMF Special Drawing Rights. Following through on his commitment to the African people could save countless lives.
We have an obligation to our brothers and sisters who are suffering. Rarely do we have such an enormous opportunity to make the world a better place at such little cost.
Offering a helping hand is the Christian thing to do. That’s why I’m calling on our U.S. senators and representatives from Oklahoma to empower struggling African nations to combat the pandemic — and I’m hoping you will, too.
The Rev. Jon Middendorf is the senior pastor at Oklahoma City First Church of the Nazarene.
We have an obligation to our brothers and sisters who are suffering. Rarely do we have such an enormous opportunity to make the world a better place at such little cost.