It’s a new year, and a brand new THINKfast kit has arrived!

If you participated in a THINKfast before, you should have received your 2012 THINKfast kit by mail. If not, register your group online, by clicking on the THINKfast tab above, and request a copy, along with your
FREE T-shirts!

This year’s kit includes great new activities, peaceful reflections and questions to get your group thinking and talking about small-scale farming and climate change.

Let’s work together to promote ecological justice and raise funds to support Development and Peace partners in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.

Last year, THINKfasters raised $193,095! That’s amazing!

A big congratulations to our top regional fundraisers:

British Columbia/Yukon:
St. Thomas Aquinas High School, North Vancouver      $7,471
Church of the Ascension, Parksville     $2,222
St. Mark’s College, University of Vancouver     $2,690
Vanier Catholic Secondary School, Whitehorse     $755

Alberta/Northwest Territories:
J.M. Picard Ecole/School, Edmonton      $2,865
St. Thomas Aquinas Middle School, Red Deer     $1,911
St. Stephen’s Parish, Central Alberta     $3,053

Saskatchewan:
E.D. Feehan Catholic High School, Saskatoon     $1,724
St. Peter’s Parish, Regina     $325

Manitoba:
St. Boniface Diocesan High School, Winnipeg     $4,052
St. Paul the Apostle Parish, Winnipeg     $1,859

Ontario:
Bishop Reading Catholic High School, Milton     $8,707
St. John the Divine Parish, London     $3,374

Quebec:
St. Raymond’s Parish, Candiac     $170

New Brunswick:
St. Theresa’s Parish, Fredericton     $1,000

Nova Scotia:
St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Parish, Lakeside     $4,025

Prince Edward Island:
St. Paul’s Parish, Summerside     $170

THANK YOU for all your hard work and for your commitment to helping a just world take root.

Remember, if you have any questions or would like more information about our online fundraising software, the kit or THINKfast in general, please contact Shelley Burgoyne at sburgoyne@devp.org, Raphael Arens at rarens@devp.org or Pat Hayward at phayward@devp.org.

Peace and many blessings on your THINKfast this year.

Shelley

Food and Justice

On December 10th, the students of the Development and Peace group, at King’s University College (UWO), gathered to break the bread and celebrate a socially just diet! The entire meal was made with ingredients from within a 100-mile radius of our city, in order to support the local economy. What does this have to do with Development and Peace’s focus on environmental and ecological justice?

The food industry is one of the leading causes of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions on the planet. In fact, large-scale cattle, poultry and pork factory farms are the leading cause for methane emissions. Folks around the world are recognizing the potential that dietary choices have to impact social and environmental justice, which are intrinsically inter-connected. 

Through supporting a local diet we are supporting diverse forms of justice in a myriad of ways. One such way is that we reduce reliance upon the destructive use of fossil fuels, through minimizing the distance food needs to travel from crop to kitchen. 

A Kind Diet

The 100-mile diet fosters community and relationships between buyer and farmer. Although today, we can step into the florescent beauty of the supermarket and pick up a lovely avocado from Guatemala, we do not have the opportunity to thank or enter into a relationship with that farmer. Food is an incredible way to bring people together, whether it be through fair exchange of goods or through breaking the bread with our families and communities. When we know where are food is coming from, and of whose hands it was nurtured, we are able to have a more respectful and attuned awareness to those involved in its production process. Furthermore, this encourages the producer to be offer healthy and fresh food for their suppliers, and to be fully accountable for their produce!

Finally, localizing our diet is a great way to foster a sustainable, resilient and diverse local economy. One of the best ways to address impeding issues of climate change, is to create resilient and self-sufficient communities. Through supporting local trade and exchange, we foster an interdependent economy based upon diverse sectors, goods, and services. If a community is fully dependent upon one large supermarket, the moment something falters within its production practices, the entire community is affected. Through localizing our economies, we are creating a more resilient and sustainable means for future survival and well-being. 

Our Menu

We ate: homemade pasta (Ravioli stuffed with pumpkin and goat cheese), a garden-fresh salad, homemade bread with delicious marmalade, butternut squash soup, a local organic pork roast, and finally a delicious apple cinnamon dessert. 

We had an incredible time talking about the implications of our diet on the environment as we shared this incredible meal. We lived a fun, creative and delicious alternative to large-scale food industrialization, through our collective meal. Food is an incredible way to foster community, trust and interdependent living. We encourage other D&P groups to celebrate a deliciously local meal with your own communities, families and friends! 

- Your brothers and sisters in London, Ontario

By Erynne Gilpin

The deadline for applications has been extended to
December 11, 2011!

Development and Peace’s Youth Program is organizing a pan-Canadian Youth Delegation to attend the Peoples Summit on the Environment in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, in June 2012! This summit runs parallel to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio + 20, and will be a dynamic experience for young leaders of the organization. The focus of this international conference also coincides with D&P’s current five-year theme of environmental justice!

Given this unique opportunity, this tour will replace the immersion trip usually organized for youth each year.

Please note that this is for young leaders who have been active for at least one year with Development and Peace and that all youth leaders, whether or not they have already participated in an immersion trip, are encouraged to apply to attend.

Download the application form here and please email your applicaton to me at sburgoyne@devp.org. The deadline to submit your application form is Sunday, December 4, 2011, December 11, 2011. Three Anglophone and three Francophone youth leaders will be selected to join the delegation and will be contacted before Christmas.

The statue of Christ the Redeemer overlooks Rio de Janiero

To be eligible, you must:

• Be between 18 and 30 years (18 years old at the start of the tour, or 30 at the time of application).
• Have been an active youth leader of Development and Peace for at least one year and your involvement must have been consistent and notable throughout the year.
• Be a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident.
• Be willing to share your journey with other youth and your community prior, during and after the trip through fund-raising, organizing events and via social media.
• Be available for conference calls on a semi-regular basis from January to June, 2012.
• Be available for travel between June 9 and June 29^th, 2012.

Exact dates for travel are not yet decided, as we are waiting on official dates to be decided by the Peoples Summit organizers. There will be two days of orientation immediately prior to departure and approximately 15 days on the ground in Brazil where we will also have the opportunity to meet with some of Development and Peace’s Latin American partners.

Further details are given in the application form, but as always, feel free to contact me with your questions, or leave a comment below! We hope that you can join us on what is sure to be a fantastic learning experience.

Peace,

Shelley

I am sure you are asking yourself, why is she writing on the blog.  Well this year, I have the opportunity to do a co-op with Development and Peace. Here, I get the chance to run projects in my school concerning the topic of water bottles. Even though Development and Peace’s focus this year is the Ecological Justice campaign, the water campaign is still going strong at my school. I am in charge of this campaign at my school and Development and Peace is helping me along the way, to make sure this campaign will reach its full potential, and to make sure that I am able to succeed.

In my blog posts, I will be documenting my struggles, my successes and the outcome of my journey along the way. I know this won’t be easy, but I am certainly up for the task.

Have you done the Bottled Water campaign at your school? Leave a comment with your best ideas!

~Rachelle

Through all of this work, my goal has been to be a dynamic voice to represent youth at the big family table that is D&P.

Now, as Youth Programs Officer, I hope to continue the fabulous work to support the vibrant youth involvement across the country.  I’m delighted to work with such impassioned, hard-working and participatory people!

Please feel free to email me at any time with questions or concerns, or just to say hello! shelley.burgoyne@devp.org

And come find me on Facebook so we can be friends. I look forward to working with you toward a more just world!

Peace,

Shelley

Using facebook & social media – contact your MP.

Get informed and ask the question:

What is Canada doing to protect civilians, particularly women and children, from the violence in the DR Congo?

TAKE ACTION:

http://youth.devp.org/action-drc/

At the official launch of our new graphic novel series AFRICA IN IMAGES, I had a chance to meet face to face with all the people who worked together to create the first book on the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Roza, or the Courage to Choose Life.

During the launch event I made notes in the empty space around the intense and powerful images on my very first copy of the graphic novel as I listened to our riveting guests. Sister Marie-Bernard Alima, from the Justice and Peace Episcopal Commission of the DRC and Most Rev. Nicolas Djomo, President of the Conference of Bishops of the DRC, spoke powerfully about their work bringing peace to their country.

One of the key moments that stimulated this whole comic project began with a meeting between Soeur Marie Bernard and young people at the College de l’Ascension, where the students wanted to develop something to mobilize people around what was going on. It all came from a desire to empower people, to encourage each other and collaborate on a project of solidarity, with a focus on respecting the initiatives of the people of the DRC and the work of the Commission. Hence the graphic novel-style education campaigns began, highlighting the impact of the violence, but more importantly, the initiatives and empowerment of the Congolese people.

With 60 million Catholics in the Congo, the Church is working full-time to restore human dignity – to renew a respect for the dignity of each person, and to live out this mutual respect. They shared with us their communitarian approach to reconciliation, touching on the physical, moral and spiritual needs of the people. Sister Marie Bernard told us about how the programs allow people who have suffered, and are so discouraged, to be able to stand up again and take up life and have courage.

The Justice and Peace Commission wants all of us to join them in their work of evangelization – to preach the gospel of human dignity. The Commission believes strongly that those who have suffered can and will reflect upon their situation and read their context: where we are, what happened, what can we do. This analysis and reflection work is critical to rebuilding confidence and bringing forth new leadership = confidence gives courage. The graphic novels speaks to the courage of women to rebuild, to lead their families when their men are knocked down. The Congolese women are saying “Get up, Come on, We can do this, Together we are strong”!

For Sister Marie Bernard the most inspiring thing she has experienced is this link between confidence and courage. How? Again and again Sister Marie Bernard has met a woman who doesn’t know how to read, and through learning this important skill she finds her voice and gains confidence. This woman then takes her new capacity to the next level and leads her community to humanize their society during and after the dehumanizing experiences of war. From hell and back – this is the power of believing in the dignity of the person.

Join us in supporting the Justice and Peace Commission of the Congo with Development and Peace. Stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who have the Courage to Choose Life!

by Genevieve Gallant

Read the comic: http://youth.devp.org/2011/10/urgent-action-the-congo/

Urgent Action: http://youth.devp.org/action-drc/

You can help by circulating this video and denoucing the human rights situation in Cambodia. We must urge the Canadian government to ask the Cambodian government to launch an investigation into the beating of Suong Sophorn and bring the police officers responsible to justice.

Only 779 out of some 4,000 families are still living in the Boeung Kak Lake area. The others were subjected to a campaign of threats and intimidation to accept inadequate compensation or resettlement to a site 20km away from their work and livelihoods.

On 11 August, the prime minister authorized 12.44 hectares of land within the Boeung Kak Lake development area to be handed over to the remaining 779 families for on site housing in plots with legal ownership.

However, the Municipality of Phnom Penh (MPP) has excluded 96 families in villages which it claims do not live within the 12.44 hectares. The families whose homes and businesses were destroyed on 16 September are among these 96 excluded households.

Here are some facts on the current situation and info on what Development and Peace, with Caritas Internationalis and YOUR help, are able to do to respond to food crises that have afflicted vulnerable communities.

Drought in the Horn of Africa     

What is the situation in the Horn of Africa? 

The Horn of Africa is currently experiencing the worst drought in the region in 60 years. According to the United Nations, there are currently 11.6 million people who are affected by this drought and in need of humanitarian assistance. The number of people affected per country is as follows:

• Ethiopia: 4.5 million people    

• Kenya: 2.4 million people

• Somalia: 3.7 million people

• Djibouti: 146,600 people

Famine has been declared in two parts of Somalia and the United Nations is warning that other parts of the country may soon be in the same situation. 

As a consequence, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti, who are coping with food and water shortages in many communities, are experiencing a dramatic influx of refugees coming from Somalia.  An estimated 1,500-2,000 Somalis are crossing the borders into Kenya and Ethiopia every day in need of aid.

The health of the populations in all affected countries is excessively precarious and children are most vulnerable. In some areas, 25% of children are suffering from malnutrition, which can have lifelong health impacts. 
The situation could deteriorate further if expected rains in October and November are insufficient.  

The Horn of Africa is a dry arid region that is susceptible to drought conditions. Pastoralist and nomad populations have long developed ways to cope through poor rainy seasons, however, in recent times, several factors have made it increasingly difficult for communities to pass through lean periods.
Changes in climate, conflict, rising food costs and competition over diminishing resources have all exacerbated the situation and contributed to the crisis we see today. To learn more, read our Backgrounder.

What is DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE doing?

DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE has a long history in the region, consistently responding to food crises affecting the most vulnerable communities for over 35 years. The symptoms of this crisis had already begun to reveal themselves as far back as two years ago and DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE put in place projects to respond to growing needs in Ethiopia and Somaliland, a sovereign region in Northeast Somalia, as early as 2009. These projects helped communities to gain better access to food and water. To learn more, visit this page.

Currently, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE is working in collaboration with Caritas Kenya, Caritas Ethiopia and Caritas Somalia, which have all mobilized to provide aid and relief. Emergency interventions needed to save the lives and livelihoods of people, include the following:

• Supplementary food distribution to vulnerable groups, including infants, pregnant and nursing mothers, the sick and the elderly;

• Supplementary feeding for severely malnourished children;

• Food distribution to other affected people under a food for work/food for assets/vouchers system;

• Water and sanitation assistance such as providing storage facilities, drilling of boreholes for water extraction, scooping of water dams/pans, supply of fuel and generator spare parts for existing boreholes, and maintenance of broken water systems;

• Emergency medical supplies to health units;

• Managing livestock destocking (commercial sale and slaughter) and restocking, water, feed, and veterinary services;

• Seed distribution for short crops.

DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE and its Caritas partners always try to reach groups that are most vulnerable. In this case, relief interventions will aim to reach the elderly, children under 5 years of age, pregnant and lactating mothers, people living with a long term illness and refugees who have not reached camps.

DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE also expects that some long-term projects will be required to help communities re-launch their agricultural practices and to put in place preventative measures and long-term sustainable development projects so that communities can be in a better position to cope with drought conditions in the future. 

Is Development and Peace providing aid in Somalia?

It is very difficult for humanitarian agencies to intervene in Somalia as the government there has forbidden most from operating in the country. Caritas Somalia is unable to operate directly in the country, however, it is intervening through traditional local partners with food distribution and it also plans to distribute tents. Although Caritas Somalia’s humanitarian interventions cannot be easily coordinated, they will continue to intervene where they can. In addition, other Caritas partners are responding in Somalia and assessing the needs of Somalis who have crossed the borders into Ethiopia and Kenya. 
  
Are donations made to Development and Peace being matched by the government?

 Yes, donations that are made by individuals to DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE between July 6th and September 16th, 2011 for the drought in the Horn of Africa will be matched by the Canadian Government. Please note that the matched funds go into a common fund that is managed by the Canadian International Development Agency. The government then distributes the funds based on proposals submitted by eligible organizations responding to the crisis, including DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE, and which meet established criteria.

What are DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE’s administrative fees?

DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE applies an administrative fee of 15% against donations made by the Canadian public for emergencies. This is needed to cover associated financial and administrative costs along with the cost of developing and managing emergency relief programs. This 15% fee is divided as follows:

•  5% is needed to cover extra work generated by the emergency, such as accounting procedures, registration of donations, answering phones, fundraising, sending receipts, etc.
• 10% is allocated directly to the costs of managing emergency relief programs, employing staff, to offset operational costs, for travel, communications, etc.

How can I donate?