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PWRDF UPDATE June 2009

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 sustainable development, relief, refugees, and global justice. With the support of Anglicans from across Canada, PWRDF makes financial and human resources available to support partners’ initiatives to improve the quality of daily life and address the root causes of poverty and injustice. This list is an outgoing communication service from PWRDF only. Please contact Yvonne Lane at ylane[at]pwrdf.org for more information on any of the following items:

Partner Safety

As is often the case in Latin America, PWRDF is currently very concerned about the safety of its partner, Miriam Iquique, who is the coordinator of the Ecumenical Women’s Network (REM) in Guatemala.  Miriam has recently had her son kidnapped, some cousins assassinated, and Miriam herself has suffered two assaults and in the past, telephoned death threats.  As Suzanne Rumsey, LA/C Program Coordinator, notes, “it is difficult to determine whether or not Miriam is being targeted for her organizing work among rural, Mayan Indigenous women, that is, whether these attacks are politically motivated.  Nevertheless, those of us in PWRDF who have met and worked with Miriam are gravely concerned for her safety.”

We ask for your prayers of solidarity for Miriam, her husband and nine children and for all those in Guatemala who are victims of violence.

Please see update to this story on our website.

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PWRDF Partner Receives International Recognition

PWRDF recently learned that one of our partners in El Salvador, ADES (Association for Social and Economic Development, Santa Marta), was one of a group of Salvadoran organizations to receive the prestigious Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award. 

Established by the U.S.-based Institute for Policy Studies, the award is named after the late Chilean diplomat, Orlando Letelier, and IPS staff member, Ronni Karpen Moffit, who were killed in 1976 in Washington D.C. by a car bomb planted by agents of Chilean dictator, Augusto Pinochet.  Since 1978 the award has honoured individuals and organizations throughout the Americas for their work to defend and promote human rights.

In its letter to the National Coordination on Mining in El Salvador (of which ADES is a founding member), the IPS recognized “the valour with which it undertook the struggle, in spite of all the challenges, to transform El Salvador into the first country to prohibit gold mining.  This is a victory for rural communities and for the environment, helping to prevent the great devastation of open pit mines… the displacement of peasant communities and the enriching of corporations at the expense of the poor.”

PWRDF joins other partners in congratulating ADES for its steadfast and persistent work of empowering local communities to defend and promote their human rights. ADES was the partner that made ceramic medallions for our 40th anniversary and are featured in the video “Strength of Many Hands”.

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Voices of Hope/Pew Bulletin Stories – now available

If you regularly check the PWRDF website (www.pwrdf.org) you will see that we have been including regular stories about our work, including pdf versions.  Some of the most recent stories include:

PWRDF Partner Miriam Iquique under threat in Guatemala
Integrated community development in East Africa
Ecumenical community projects in Cuba
Education on the trains in Mozambique
Community response to HIV/AIDS in South Africa
Gender justice around the world
Celebrating Songkranti in Bangladesh

Please keep checking our website for more and new stories.

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Humanitarian Response

Naba Gurung, our Program Coordinator for Refugees and Emergencies has provided the following update about displacement in Pakistan:

As Pakistan military and militants enter the third week of armed conflict, over 2.5 million people have been displaced by violence and the numbers are expected to rise. The United Nations Refugee Agency believes this may become the largest displacement of people since the Rwanda crisis and is calling for hundreds of millions of dollars in international aid for relief efforts.
Displaced people in Pakistan are facing a crisis in food, clean water and shelter. Many people have witnessed violence, and education and health services have been disrupted. A major concern is the medical assistance needed by those fleeing the fighting and forced to live in camps or with host families.
PWRDF is working with church denominations in Canada through the Canadian Foodgrains Bank to help thousands of displaced families.  The local partner Church World Service - Pakistan/Afghanistan, a member of the Action by Churches Together International network, is responding to the needs of the most severely affected and working to ease this humanitarian crisis.

To contribute to the above or any of our recent appeals, please refer to our website http://www.pwrdf.org/give/ or contribute directly through Canada Helps.

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Poverty Justice Camp to be held in Halifax

Simon Chambers says:
It’s been a rare treat to be part of the planning process for Justice Camp this year.  The camp is taking place in Halifax and environs from Aug 8-15, 2009 with the theme of “Finding Abundance”.  The planning team has done a great job of approaching the concept of Poverty in a variety of creative ways!

The camp will explore a broad range of issues through 3-day immersion experiences (each participant will choose one immersion).  Immersions include:

  • Housing and Homelessness, Urban Poverty Information, Education and Public Policy, Economic Development and Education, Global Abundance, Survival .... Homes, Food and Work, Combating Cultural Poverty, and Disabled and Marginalized Groups.

I’m really excited to be able to be part of the camp, which has embraced the goal of creating an intergenerational experience with 50% of participants being between 18-30 years old, and 50% older.  The planning team has embraced this idea, which has led to a lively, fun-filled experience.  If the camp involves half as much laughter and community, it will be a fantastic week!

Poverty Justice Camp will provide a great chance for people to come together, share their passion for justice work, learn more about issues of poverty and abundance, and return home empowered to work as advocates and activists! The registration deadline is June 12.  More details and registration information can be found at their website at www.justicecamp.ca.

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50th Anniversary Projects

One Voice CD - We are producing a double CD set of performances of Canadian musicians.  The CDs are entitled One Voice with the individual CDs subtitled Celebration and Inspiration respectively. Artists include Bruce Cockburn, Oscar Peterson, Blue Rodeo, and Chor Leoni, among many others! 100% of the proceeds from the sale of these CDs goes to support the work of PWRDF around the world. Individual tracks will be available for purchase on iTunes. Watch for an order form to pre-order your CDs! We plan to distribute the CDs in September.

Liturgical Stoles – PWRDF is deeply grateful for your contribution and support of the beautiful work of the women of Guatemala who embraced PWRDF’s 50th anniversary celebration and graced us with their hand-woven stoles. After our last e-newsletter we received a great response and all the stoles were purchased in that same week. Your support has not only provided Miriam and many others with a sustainable future, it has also ensured a safe and caring community of faith which crosses all boarders and boundaries.  We are also very grateful to all our readers for your very supportive response to this e-newsletter.

To find out more about 50th anniversary events and photos, please check out our website www.pwrdf50.org 

June 11 – National Day of Reconciliation

On Thursday, June 11 National Chief Phil Fontaine of the Assembly of First Nations invites individuals, groups, and communities in Ottawa and surrounding area to come together to acknowledge the apology and participate in a national symbolic act of reconciliation.  For more information please check out www.afn.ca 

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June 20 - World Refugee Day

World Refugee Day (WRD) is fast approaching.  The theme in 2009 focuses on refugee needs and is titled " Real People, Real Needs."  UNHCR has chosen this theme to highlight the human story of refugees and their needs and, to increase awareness and understanding about the importance of meeting those needs.

Despite the efforts of many, including UNHCR, the needs of refugees worldwide including shelter, health, education, food security, sanitation, the prevention of sexual violence and even legal status in countries of asylum, are far from being met. Behind these unmet needs are not just numbers but real people with real stories.

To support this theme, UNHCR has produced a poster for distribution to those wishing to mark the event.  UNHCR short movie Global View 2009 is also available. Your orders can be sent to nyembwe[at]unhcr.org .  The deadline for receiving orders is 5 June 2009.

If you would like your event to be posted on the WRD page www.unhcr.ca/wrd, please send a message to nyembwe[at]unhcr.org

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June 21 – National Aboriginal Day

June 21 kick starts the 11 days of Celebrate Canada! Which includes National Aboriginal Day (June 21), Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (June 24), Multiculturalism Day (June 27) and concluding with Canada Day (July 1). http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ach/ev/nad/index-eng.asp

Assembly of First Nations celebrates National Aboriginal Day by calling on all Canadians to stand together in support of First Nations children and youth.

2009-10 Annual Resources - **repeat information*

Please note that this year, the annual resources will not be automatically distributed to all parishes as in the past.

As we streamline our processes and cut costs, we shall be advising all parishes of this in June and requesting that they confirm in writing whether they require and use the existing resources, or whether changes should be made to their order.  Please make sure that your parish is made aware of this, and that they respond accordingly, otherwise, we cannot guarantee that resources will be available, particularly for last minute requests.   Please watch out for this mailing in your parish and make sure that we receive a response, so that we can support your work.

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Family Calendar Focus 2009

For June, our calendar activities include the design of a mini poster to reduce, reuse, recycle and determine how the 3 R’s will help others.  The activities also include a game from West Africa, thinking about what it means to “pass the peace” in Church and some ideas on how to celebrate life.  Do involve your children, grandchildren and Sunday School children in these activities – and enjoy!

You can also learn more about the life of Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka living in exile in India on the calendar page.

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Donor Relations

PWRDF is committed to strengthening relationships with all individuals and groups that support PWRDF.  We know that as a result of all members in the PWRDF community we are able to make a significant impact.  In support of this commitment to strengthen relationships we are delighted to introduce Patience Mbwizhu as our Donor Relations Officer.

Patience will be responsible for sharing insights from parish events and experiences, evaluating resources and events that were successful, and just as importantly not so successful events (it's how we learn), developing ways to recognize and acknowledge the work of PWRDF supporters, and seeking and listening to ideas on how to grow together in the stewardship journey.

As you have heard us say often over the past year, one of our goals at PWRDF is to build awareness with all Anglicans from coast to coast to coast.  In every diocese, in every parish, and in every pew, PWRDF is committed to be the Anglican response to relief, refugees, development and social justice.  Patience will work hard to ensure we meet the needs of our supporters.  Please feel free to contact her at 416.924.9199 ext 320 or pwrdf[at]pwrdf.org.

A great way to donate is by honouring those who are special to you by making a gift to PWRDF.  Not only do we have sympathy cards, but also special occasion cards to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or any special occasion with a gift to PWRDF.  Check them out at http://www.pwrdf.org/resources/general-resources/#c1904 and order through pwrdf[at]pwrdf.org.

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Thank You

Thank you for supporting The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF)

 

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