National & Overseas Projects

National Projects

Bye Buy Childhood 

MU launched the Bye Bye Childhood campaign in 2010 to challenge the commercialism and sexualisation of children.  MU believes that children should be valued as children, not consumers. Yet marketers target children’s natural inexperience in order to reach the household purse.  Giving children the message they are what they own rather than valuing them for who they are can negatively affect their well being.

Since that time we have seen significant action taken by Parliament, industry and regulators to ensure that marketing and goods aimed at children are appropriate.

Thursdays in Black

Thursdays in Black grew out of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Decade of Churches in Solidarity with Women (1988 – 1998), in which the stories of rape as a weapon of war, gender injustice, domestic abuse, violence, and many tragedies that grow outward from violence became all the more visible. What also became visible was women’s resilience, agency and personal efforts to resist such violations.

The campaign is simple but profound. Wear black on Thursdays to show that you are part of the global movement resisting attitudes and practices that permit rape and violence. The Faith & Policy Unit in Connor encourages members to remember Thursdays in Black, an ongoing worldwide initiative and not just for one or two Thursdays.

16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence 

MU is shining a light on violence against women and girls with a clear message that it is not ok. We are calling on communities around the world to understand the many different forms of abuse that gender-based violence takes from controlling behaviour by a partner to rape as a weapon of war. Changing culture to end gender-based violence takes all of us working together to spread the message IT IS NOT OK.

International Projects

  • Literacy and Financial Education programme in Malawi, Burundi, Sudan, South Sudan and in 2015, through the Mums in May project, where 98% of women in the refugee camps are illiterate. 
  • The Relief Fund provides financial support for communities who face disaster. Aid is always sent through Mothers’ Union Community Development.
  • The Family Life programme
  • The Parenting Programme