PWRDF UPDATE December 2007
Welcome to Update - The Primate's World Relief and Development Fund newsletter and information bulletin for subscribers.
PWRDF is the Anglican Church of Canada's agency for international development, relief, refugees and justice issues. Please contact Yvonne Lane for more information on any of the following items.
1. justgeneration.ca – launch of new Youth website
2. 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
3. World AIDS Day
4. PWRDF Staff Travels & Updates
5. Under the Sun – Issue #39
6. Refugee Network
7. Partner News
8. Local Heroes
9. Looking ahead
1. PWRDF Youth Initiative
Website: It's finally up and running!!! The justgeneration.ca website is now 'live' - with youth-focused partner profiles, the complete downloadable version of 'Off-The-Grid' (and jeopardy template), and much, much more!!! Check it out today and let us know what you think. Watch for up and coming updates and our own video presentation!!!
Podcasts: In celebration of the launch of Off-The-Grid, and in commemoration of World AIDS day, which happened December 1, you can now check out 2 brand-new podcasts - "Is God Green?" and "The Virus that's Killing the World".
Off-The-Grid incentives: If you hold an "Off-The-Grid" event at your parish or youth group, let us know and we'll send you 2 free fair trade t-shirts for free. There are also fair-trade and eco-incentives for individual participants, including our new corn plastic fair-trade logo mugs! Check out all the details on the (ever-evolving) "Off-The-Grid" section of the website!
To read how youth in the Diocese of Huron got involved and spent a weekend without iPods and cellphones , check out http://www.anglicanjournal.com/
Recent events: You can read all about the recent youth council meetings and other great events on www.justgeneration.ca
Canadian Foodgrains Bank Youth Food Study Tour to Honduras: justgeneration.ca (PWRDF's Youth Initiative) is looking for 2 or 3 Anglican Youth (ages 18-24) who would be interested in going to Honduras from February 15th to March 1st (the days may change by a day or two) on the Canadian Foodgrains Bank Youth Food Study Tour. If so, contact us at info[at]justgeneration.ca ASAP - as we'll need to get your application in by early January. Drop us a line if you're interested and we'll send you more details about the trip!!!
2. Universal Declaration of Human Rights
On December 10, 2007 , the Secretary-General and High Commissioner for Human Rights launched a year-long celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. http://www.knowyourrights2008.org When the United Nations proclaimed them on December 10, 1948, it called for “the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want …”
3. World AIDS DAY
Our PWRDF community celebrated World AIDS Day in their own special way in Parishes across Canada:
- Anglican Parishes of the Central Interior hosted the AIDS Photo Exhibit at the end of November; and then it went on to the Diocese of British Columbia;
- St. Anne’s (Byron) London – received our Ribbon of Hope to display in the church
- All Saints Cathedral, Edmonton – used one of our Community Ribbons,
- and St. James’ Cathedral, Toronto, used another of our Community Ribbons at a vigil for meditation, prayer and reflection on World AIDS Day on December 1, 2007.
4. PWRDF Staff News & Travels
Glen Spurrell, Africa Program Officer, was in Timmins, Ontario, in the Diocese of Moosonee recently. He was one of several guest speakers at a conference hosted jointly by the Diocese of Moosonee and the Anglican Fellowship of prayer. Glen spoke on the work of PWRDF and in particular the projects supported in Africa – he put together an interesting powerpoint presentation. If you would like a copy, please email Yvonne .
Zaida Bastos, Development Coordinator for Africa was traveling in South Africa and Mozambique in October and November. Some of the good news to come from Zaida’s visit:
• Development of a new partnership of a pediatric clinic in Hamburg, Eastern Cape, South Africa where children living with HIV/AIDS will be better assisted with anti-retroviral drugs
• Zaida has prepared a gender learning program and the first module was presented to 30 participants in Mozambique. This is a two year program and will work with men and women to undertake gender relations and learn how to work better together.
• The John Wesley Centre in Etwatwa, South Africa has developed a new program for children traumatized by the disease or death of parents from HIV/AIDS. The “Play Therapy” identifies children that are having behavioural problems at an early stage and helps them to cope with their loss. The Etwatwa model of HIV/AIDS orphans growing up in the care of the community as opposed to the institutionalization of orphaned children, is being replicated in other communities as the children thrive and blossom into well-adjusted young adults.
Naba Gurung, Development Program Officer for Emergencies and Cheryl Curtis, Executive Director attended CFGB Board meetings in Winnipeg.
Jose Zarate, Coordinator of the Canadian Development Program facilitated an inter-indigenous exchange initiative with three people from the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) from Northern Ontario on a visit to the Drug and Alcohol Recovery and Education (DARE) Network in Thailand on November 24 - December 2, 2007.
- DARE is a local organization of trained ethnic addiction workers dedicated to the prevention and treatment of drug and alcohol addiction among ethnic (indigenous) population from Burma living along Thai-Burma border. DARE Network and NAN are partners of PWRDF. The NAN delegation was able to visit three refugee camps where they met with local service-oriented groups of women, men and youth to share addiction specific knowledge/skills plus analysis on the political and social contexts of the program approaches and delivery of services..
Both organizations face serious substance abuse problems and family violence with multidimensional underlying issues related to disempowerment. Both are taking action with community based solutions and external supports, but also face challenges in accessing resources.
PWRDF said goodbye to Diana Mavunduse, Communications Coordinator in November. We wish Diana well in her new endeavours and shall commence the process for a replacement in the New Year.
5. Under the Sun – Issue #39
Our newsletter, Under the Sun was recently distributed to all parishes. The issue covered Refugee and climate change issues. All copies of our newsletter and the pew bulletin stories which are mailed out at the same time are included on our website : http://www.pwrdf.org/resources/newsletters/ and http://www.pwrdf.org/resources/bulletin-stories/ .
6. Refugee Network
The end of November was a great opportunity for many people involved in the work with immigrants and refugees across the country to meet in Ottawa.
The PWRDF Refugee Network had the opportunity to meet and to continue its discussions on how to improve the Network support as well as its work as Sponsorship Agreement Holders. Among other things, we confirmed the decision of PWRDF to sponsor 50 Refugees as one of the ways to celebrate our 50th anniversary. To communicate more accurately the work done by Network members, we developed a profile of the activities of the Refugee Network.
Further details on these will be shared in our next update edition. Right at the end of the Network meeting, many members joined other Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH's) to attend the SAH Forum. Participants took part in the SAH's Governance discussion, had the opportunity to meet and discuss with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) officials, and attended workshops on resettlement, case identification and health and mental health issues.
A few of our Refugee reps then attended the Canadian Council for refugees (CCR) Fall Consultation. One of the highlights was the "Proud to aid and abet refugees" campaign being launched as over three hundred refugee workers gather for the opening plenary. The arrest in September of refugee worker Janet Hinshaw-Thomas, charged with people-smuggling, has caused shock waves throughout the refugee-serving community, as people realize that they too could be prosecuted for their work helping refugees.
Section 117 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act should be reformed to ensure it is not used against individuals who assist refugee claimants for humanitarian reasons." For further information check out the CCR Campaign web page.
7. Partner News
KAIROS
KAIROS Times, December issue is now available – please check to see how you can plan a Kairos Sunday for 2008 and many other interesting articles: http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/index.asp
The KAIROS Board met recently and has elected the new Board. Cheryl Curtis, our Executive Director has been appointed chair and Omega Bula from the United Church is vice-chair. New nominations from PWRDF staff to KAIROS were approved for the following program committees: Global Partnership and Education, Global Economic Justice, International Human Rights, Education and Animation, and Indigenous Rights.
8. Local Heroes
St. John the Evangelist, Ottawa as part of their speaker series, invited Bishop Mark MacDonald and Robert Watts from the Truth and Healing Commission to speak about Confronting our Aboriginal History: Toward Healing and Reconciliation. Jane Maxwell moderated the lively event and CBC provided media coverage. If you would like more information about the event, PWRDF will be happy to connect you with Jane.
9. Looking Ahead
PWRDF 50th Anniversary Celebrations
Probably 2009 is the farthest thing from anyone's mind right now, but that cannot be said about staff at PWRDF.
The celebrations to unfold in 2009 are a wonderful opportunity to join together as Anglicans and rejoice in what has been accomplished by PWRDF in the past 50 years.
The next six months will be filled with meetings, planning and creating resources and events that will commemorate the 50 years that Anglicans in Canada have displayed their faith-in-action by supporting PWRDF. Each Email Update will share more news and we will be asking you for your thoughts and input. We look forward to sharing this journey together. If you have any questions, please e-mail Debra Pickfield or call 416.924.9199 ext 205.
International Development Week – February 3 – 9, 2008 – held annually, the first full week of February, IDW highlights and illustrates the work of Canada’s development community and is an opportunity to increase awareness of the role we all play in international development, learn more about life in developing countries and find out how we can be more actively involved in international development. For more information, http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/idw .
May joy be your gift at Christmas,
May love be in your life,
May hope be in your heart, and
May peace be in our world.
