Global News by Tag: religion
KELANIYA, SRI LANKA – Nilantha Dias and his father operate a flower boutique in Kelaniya, a small town near Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital. The shop, which specializes in flowers and other items used for worship, is one of 11 boutiques that belong to the much revered Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara temple here.
KAMPALA, UGANDA – Tom Kasekende, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, says he grew up in a polygamous home in which his father had several wives.
“I grew up in a polygamous family,” he says. “My father had many wives, some of them I did not even know. I would just hear about them as a child.”
GOTHALAPANI, NEPAL -- Laxmi Devi Bhul, 12, sits on a dirty straw mat covering the floor of a rickety wooden hut more than 150 feet away from her family home. The grass roof is so low that she cannot stand up. The wooden shed was originally made for the family’s cattle, but Bhul’s father recently built a new shed for the cattle, adjacent to the home, because he did not think the old hut would withstand another rainy season.
So now, the old shed serves a new purpose.
NAIROBI, KENYA -- Bishop James Okombo, 51, stands more than 6 feet tall with a white collar around his neck. At first, he looks like an ordinary pastor.
But unlike other bishops, Okombo uses the pulpit to preach the message of hope, tolerance, and access to medication and condoms for people living with HIV in Kenya.