Welcome to Update
The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund
Newsletter - February 2012
Mission Statement
As an instrument of faith, PWRDF connects Anglicans in Canada to communities around the
world in dynamic partnerships to advance development, respond to emergencies, assist
refugees and act for positive change.
This list is an outgoing communication service from PWRDF only.
Esperanza
Half a Million People Receive Help through PWRDF/CIDA Joint Effort
A Growing Balcony
Health Clinics Saving Lives in Burundi
Fast for Life – Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance
50 Leaders Weekend - justgeneration.ca
Reflections:
Remembering Bishop Samuel Ruiz: Justice and Indigenous Rights in Mexico and Canada
Staff Comings and Goings:
Kenya-Naba Gurung
India/Sri Lanka Delegation
Esperanza
PWRDF staff José Zárate and Simon Chambers were in Mexico in February. Please visit www.pwrdf.org for the
latest stories, updates and projects supported by Anglicans through PWRDF .
Yesterday I flew from Toronto to El Paso, Texas with Jose Zarate, PWRDF’s Canadian Indigenous
Communities and Latin America-Caribbean Development Program Coordinator (yes, Jose does have the
longest job title in the organization, if not in the world!) After some flight delays, we arrived at our hotel
to be greeted by Padre Gollo, a Catholic priest who works with the Paso del Norte Human Rights Centre
in Ciudad Juarez.
For those of you who don’t know, El Paso and Ciudad Juarez (Juarez City) are basically the same city.
The US/Mexican border just runs through the middle of the combined metropolis. Juarez also has the
dubious honor of being one of the most dangerous cities in the world due to incredibly high levels of
violence, murder, assassination, and torture. According to Padre Oscar, the founder and head of the
Centre, over 2600 people have been murdered in Juarez since 2008.
Now back to the regularly scheduled blog entry.
Padre Gollo drove Jose and I over the bridge from the US to Mexico, passing run down buildings on both
sides of the border. He told us about the economic woes of El Paso and of the protection rackets in
Juarez that have driven small business owners to close up shop.
We arrived at the parish of Jesus Obrero shortly after 4:30, and were led straight into the church, just in
time for a mass to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Centre. As we were introduced to the various
priests and staff from the Centre who would be participating in the service, I looked down the centre
aisle of the church.
It was lined with saw dust and had pieces of paper with years written on them (starting with 2002),
candles, pottery, and other symbols of the work of the Centre. Each of the groups who were
participating in the service carried a symbol of its own, which were added to the timeline at the year
where they started working with the Centre.
Our symbol was a globe, to represent international solidarity, which we placed in the year 2006.
The service itself focused on the Road to Emmaus reading, recalling Jesus’ accompaniment of the
disciples who were hurt and confused after their friend and teacher had been killed by the Roman
government. The passage represents the work of the Centre very well!
Instead of a traditional sermon, each of the groups got up and explained their symbol (a task which Jose
took on for us, as I don’t speak any Spanish. He spoke very well of our work and our solidarity with the
people of Juarez.)
After the groups had had a chance to speak, Padre Oscar invited the families who have been helped by
the Centre to speak. For me, this was the most powerful part of the service. I didn’t need to be able to
understand what the people were saying to feel their pain, and to know how the Centre had helped
them. One of my few words of Spanish is “gracias”, and I heard that from every family who spoke. They
are all so thankful for the work of the Centre.
This mass could easily have been one about pain and frustration, but it wasn’t.
Instead, it was about a new Spanish word for me: esperanza- hope. Each of the families who was there
was a symbol of hope, of the determination to make Mexico a place of safety, dignity, respect, and love.
The Paso del Norte Human Rights Centre stands as a beacon to that hope for the community in Juarez,
and it was a privilege to stand with them yesterday at their anniversary service.
Today we visit the Centre itself to learn more about their work, to meet the staff, volunteers, and some
of the families who come to the Centre. Tonight we drive to Ciudad Chihuahua to begin the second
phase of our Mexican trip.
Throughout the trip, I will keep the Centre’s message of esperanza, of hope, close to my heart.
View more stories on: Field Blog
http://pwrdf.org/2012/esperanza/
Half a Million People Receive Help through PWRDF/CIDA Joint Effort
Between August 2008 and December 2011, PWRDF programs in Bangladesh, Burundi, Mozambique, and
Tanzania were funded in conjunction with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
Working with local partner organizations in each country, the $4,956,000 program reached over 557,000
people during the three years of the project.
Partners’ programs focused on health care, environmental sustainability, and promoting good
governance, including the construction of health clinics, working with farmers to promote chemical-free
farming techniques, and a focus on enhancing the role of women in local communities.
Over the next few weeks, PWRDF will be highlighting several of the stories of success from this program.
Josephine Kabanga is a farmer, a widow, and the mother of six children. She had been living as a
refugee in Tanzania, but returned home to Burundi where she received training as part of the PWRDFCIDA program, implemented by the Anglican Diocese of Bujumbura. Here is her story:
When I came back from the refugee camp in Tanzania, I did not have anything. My husband’s family had
taken back our land. I had to start from scratch. I was living in my mother’s house that had a small plot
of land, but we did not use it for agriculture. In the refugee camp we didn’t have much to do. I didn’t
even know how to work the land and grow vegetables and fruits. Through the program I learned so
much. I have planted ‘lenga-lenga’ [amaranth], onions, and egg plant. I have also planted bananas,
papayas and an avocado tree. I have a goat and my children can have milk from it every day. We don’t
go hungry anymore. I sell lenga-lenga in the market and bring home 6,000 Burundian francs a day. Some
days even more. Before, I could not even make 1,000 Burundian francs a week. We had our first papayas
from our trees and next year I will have my first bunch of bananas. My life has changed. And I am sure it
will continue to change even more.
http://pwrdf.org/2012/half-a-million-people-receive-help-through-pwrdf-cida-joint-effort/
A Growing Balcony
Simon Chambers
Elide Barthole is lucky to still be living in her home in Carrefour, Haiti. Over half the homes in her
community were destroyed in the 2010 earthquake. Elide’s home looks somewhat unique, however,
among those houses still standing in the area: it has no open land around it, but her balcony is
surrounded by greenery.
Elide’s is one of 80 households in Carrefour that are part of an urban agriculture project PWRDF is
supporting through CEDDIEC, the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti’s development organization. In this
program, 300 households around the Port-au-Prince area receive seeds, compost, agriculture training,
and insecticides.
Households are chosen for the program based on the size of the household and having at least one child
suffering from malnutrition living in the household. Preference is given to vulnerable households (those
headed by a single woman for example).
Elide spends about an hour a day working with the plants on her balcony. In the 3m X 6m area, she is
growing tomato, eggplant, basil, capsicum peppers, chili peppers, congo beans, parsley, lemon grass,
and lettuce. She makes her own fertilizer by mixing sand and charcoal, and gathered the various
containers she uses to grow her vegetables from Port-au-Prince.
She has already started to harvest basil from the garden, which she shares with her neighbors to use in
making tea.
http://pwrdf.org/2011/a-growing-balcony/
Health Clinics Saving Lives in Burundi
Photo: Zaida Bastos
Supported by a PWRDF/CIDA-funded health sector program between 2008-2011, the Anglican Diocese
of Bujumbura, a PWRDF partner, built health clinics in the communities of Bitare and Rumonge,
Burundi. The clinics, equipped for diagnosis and treatment of common illnesses such as malaria and
diarrhea, also have delivery rooms, treatment rooms, a laboratory, a pharmacy, and eight beds for
overnight care. The Bitare clinic opened in 2009, and the Rumonge clinic opened a year later.
The clinics are providing service to an area with tens of thousands of Burundians who had to walk for
hours to reach the nearest medical help before the clinics opened. Since the clinics opened, their staffs
of trained nurses and lab and pharmacy technicians have treated 18,147 patients, of whom 11,258 were
children. The staff at the clinics are paid by the Burundian Ministry of Health.
The Ministry was also involved in training 660 community health educators who have been active in
teaching Burundians about maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, and
nutrition. The increased education level has led to an increased use of health services in the area.
The cooperation between the Diocese of Bujumbura and the Burundian government, including the
ongoing commitment from the Ministry of Health to staff the clinics, is ensuring that health care will
continue to be available to improve the lives of tens of thousands of people in Bitare and Rumonge in
the years to come.
http://pwrdf.org/2012/health-clinics-saving-lives-in-burundi/
Fast for Life
The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance is an international network of churches and church-related organizations
committed to campaigning together on common concerns. Current campaigns focus on HIV and AIDS and
Food. PWRDF is a member of the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance.
Join with churches, Christian organizations and people of faith around the world in prayer and fasting on
Ash Wednesday, 22 February 2012.
Ash Wednesday is a day of repentance and it marks the beginning of Lent. Ashes were used in ancient
times, according to the Bible, to express mourning. Dusting oneself with ashes was the penitent's way of
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expressing sorrow for sins and faults. Take this day to “Fast for Life” and to reflect on our own
consumption and commit to doing what we can to overcome hunger and contribute to global food
security.
More than one third of the food produced on this planet for human consumption is wasted. This
amounts to approximately 1.3 billion tons of lost food per year. In developing countries, waste occurs
mainly at the point of production – due to limitations in harvesting methods, preservation techniques,
packaging and distribution systems - while in developed nations, waste results from consumer
behaviour and inefficient processes in the supply chain.
Christians must not be passive witnesses to the fact that 15 million children worldwide are dying of
hunger per year, especially when we consider the amount of food that is going to waste. In a world
challenged by climate change, a rising population, and a global economic crisis, we need to be smarter,
more efficient, and fairer about the way we produce, distribute and consume our food.
All the people had enough to eat. When they finished, Jesus said to his followers, "Gather the pieces
of fish and bread that were not eaten. Don't waste anything."
- Feeding of the Five Thousand, John 6:12
Fast for Life! Ash Wednesday: What Can I Do?
There are many resources and ideas to assist those participating in the Day of Fasting for Life. These
include prayers, bible studies, reflection questions and action ideas.
World Waste Map
A world map with examples of commendable actions on food, along with various links to suggested
readings can be found here
Worship
Your church, women’s group, prayer circle, club or school is encouraged to join people from all over the
world in prayer during Ash Wednesday. Plan bible studies and group prayers for the day or hold a special
order of worship service. If your church is developing worship materials for Ash Wednesday please send
them to us to share with others.
You can find Fast for Life worship resources on food waste here. Use, adapt and share these resources
for Ash Wednesday to reflect on the numbers of hungry people and the amount of food that is waste
and lost along the way.
Action Ideas
As a family, set up a "waste-tracker" sheet on your refrigerator or near your waste bins.
Designate one family member to be the “waste buster” for the week and mark down how much food
was wasted each day (i.e. fresh produce that went bad, food bought that expired and had to be thrown
away, cooked food that wasn’t eaten). At the end of the week, discuss as a family ways to reduce this
waste and options for disposal, such as composting. Find the Waste Tracker here.
Familiarise yourself with the chain of people involved in getting the food from the ground to
your table. Invite them to answer the ‘Waste not, want not’ questionnaire available this week in our
2012 Fast for Life resource library. Form a study group to look at the responses and come up with action
that your community can take to reduce waste. Why not a community compost or lobbying for a waste
reduction law? Find our Questionnaires here.
Reverse your shopping list. Start by looking at what you have at home and how you can use it
prior to going to the store for more food. Pick up wasted groceries from local grocer and host a ‘Cooking
from Scraps’ night at your local community centres or youth club.
Teach teens how to make ‘recipes from waste’ at after school groups and the difference
between the ‘sell by date’ and the ‘consume by date’. Host a cooking competition with local
cooks/restaurateurs to see what innovations can be created with leftovers.
Support farmer cooperatives to help smallholder farmers 1) be more efficient with their
planning by knowledge sharing, 2) assist each other in times of risk and in marketing their products, and
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3) work together to receive credit from agricultural financial institutions or advance payment from
purchasers.
Discuss these issues with your government, and advocate for investment in infrastructure and
transportation and proper waste management. See the online good practice map for actions to suggest
to the decision makers in your area.
These ideas for actions have been suggested by our members. Use ideas that work best in your context,
be creative in adapting them or making up your own! Send in your suggestions to ccampeau@ealliance.ch
http://www.e-alliance.ch/en/s/food/sustainable-consumption/fast-for-life/
50 leaders Weekend - justgeneration.ca
At the recent 50 Leaders weekend at the Sorrento Centre the Saturday evening prayer time was an
activity called “Spiritual Practices”. The room set up with a number of prayer stations and participants
were invited to attend as many of the stations as they wished. The activities varied from writing a letter
to God (a real letter with pen and paper!), to lighting a candle for someone who needed some extra
support, to creative expression with pastels and paper, and many more…
This session had a half an hour on the agenda – but the participants took well over an hour engaging in
the different forms of prayer. It was an amazing experience seeing them delve into things so deeply.
The following prayer was created at a station with a laptop that had the traditional form of the Lord’s
Prayer on the screen. Participants were invited to adapt the prayer as they wished. Over the hour+ that
we spent together this prayer shifted into many different forms (it was actually really amazing to go
back and read it again and again). This was the final version.
Our loving creator, rock of our salvation,
Holy be Your beautiful name,
Your dwelling place come,
Your love be known
By everyone on earth.
Give us today the things we need,
and forgive us our faults,
more than we forgive those who offend us,
and journey with us away from temptation,
and protect us from harm.
For blessed is the space,
and the capacity and the delight,
beyond earthly time.
Amen.
Reflection:
Remembering Bishop Samuel Ruiz: Justice and Indigenous Rights in Mexico and Canada
On January 24, 2011 Bishop Samuel Ruiz of Chiapas, Mexico died at the age of 86. He had been bishop
for 51 years, including 40 in Chiapas. With his death, the church lost a great leader; his ministry was a
model for church leadership, for justice, and for Indigenous rights in Mexico and beyond. To honour his
impact on ecumenical, social justice, and human rights communities in Canada, KAIROS collected
testimonies and photos from people who have been inspired by his life. You can see them here.
One year later we are still remembering and commemorating. A
public event and liturgy is scheduled for Wednesday, February, 29 at
Loretto College, Blue Room, 70 St. Mary Street (near Bay & Bloor),
Toronto. The event will celebrate Bishop Ruiz’s life and speak to the
current situation of injustice in Mexico with special reference to
migrants and indigenous people. It begins with an ecumenical
memorial service at 5:30pm and continues with a public forum at
7pm.
Father José Aviles, Vicar for Justice and Peace for the Diocese of San
Cristobal de las Casas, and Bishop Mark MacDonald, National Indigenous Bishop of the Anglican Church
of Canada, will participate. For more information please contact Rachel Warden, Latin American
Partnerships Coordinator, rwarden@kairoscanada.org
Photo: Erika Del Carmen Fuchs
Staff Comings and Goings:
Kenya-Naba Gurung
PWRDF Humanitarian Response Coordinator Naba Gurung will be in Kenya from February 21 through
March 4th to participate in the ACT Alliance joint monitoring visit of households supported by the
Alliance’s response to the drought in Kenya. This appeal targets 35,802 households and the year long
implementation period began in August 2011 and runs to July 31, 2012.
ACT Alliance members in Kenya are working to provide drought affected households with food, water
and other life supporting services such as emergency safety nets to cushion them from the adverse
impact of the drought, particularly families with indentified vulnerable groups and those with children
under the age of five years who will receive supplementary feedings. The appeal activities also provide
affected families with appropriate early-recovery opportunities such as the restocking of herds,
rehabilitation of low cost water structures, water bore holes, drought resistant crop varieties and other
interventions to enable affected people to recover.
Naba will also visit Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya where PWRDF supports awareness and income
generation projects for HIV and AIDS affected people and visit a PWRDF supported housing project for
the refugees and the host population. Funding for this housing project came from the Manitoba Council
for International Cooperation and Saskatchewan Council for International Cooperation.
India/Sri Lanka Delegation
After almost 30 years, Sri Lankan refugees who fled to the Indian state of Tamil Nadu to escape the civil
war in their country are preparing to return home. PWRDF has worked in partnership with the
Organisation for Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation (OfERR) since 1983 in a variety of community
development projects implemented by OfERR in many of the refugee camps. The main objective of the
delegation is to strengthen PWRDF’s response to humanitarian need and to support international
refugee return. The anticipated outcomes, immediate and long-term, are to increase PWRDF capacity to
support returning refugees and to increase the knowledge and understanding of the PWRDF network
around refugee return issues and support for refugee rights.
PWRDF is sending a nine member delegation to India and Sri Lanka between March 10 and March 23.
Representatives from the various networks of PWRDF include a board member, youth council member,
refugee member, a diocesan representative and a former board member. Executive Director Adele
Finney and two members of the Public Engagement team, Suzanne Rumsey and Christine Hills will
accompany and support the delegation.