On January 12, 2011, the world will be marking the one-year anniversary of the tragic earthquake in Haiti. This is an important time to take stock of the current situation in Haiti, to assess what has been done to support the Haitian population in recovering from this terrible disaster, and to reflect on the enormous challenges remaining to be met.
We are using this occasion to say thanks, once again, to all who so generously responded to our appeal on behalf of the people of Haiti, with donations of more than $20.5 million, and to acknowledge the tireless and determined work of our partners with whom we are participating in rebuilding this shaken country.
Development and Peace is launching a new special dedicated page on our Website, reporting on the first year of reconstruction activities and projects. We encourage you to visit our page and to share this link as widely as possible: http://support.devp.org/site/PageNavigator/Haiti
Two major Canadian daily newspapers – The Globe and Mail and La Presse – will be featuring a series of profiles of our work in Haiti, from Jan 11-13, featuring a different theme and perspective on the inspiring work of our Haitian partners in leading the recovery efforts. Check it out: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/partners/sif/dp/
Thank you to everyone who has helped in this campaign and for your continued generous support to our reconstruction program in Haiti. I am certain that you will share in the justified pride and inspiration that we all feel in learning of the work of our partners, as we join together in expressing our solidarity with our Haitian sisters and brothers.
British Columbia/Yukon: St Thomas Aquinas High School, North Vancouver $10,851.30 AND St Andrew Catholic High School with Victoria-area parishes $2,424,29
Alberta/North West Territories: J.M. Picard Ecole, Edmonton $2,365.35 AND Holy Trinity Parish, Spruce Grove $1,770.00
Saskatchewan: Sacred Heart CHS, Yorkton $1,920.00 AND St Peter’s Parish, Regina $325.00
Manitoba: St Boniface Diocesan High School, Winnipeg $3,072.00 and St Patrick’s Church, Winnipeg $1,361.25
Ontario: Bishop Reding CHS, Milton $10,784.69 AND St John the Divine Parish, London $2,718.55
Quebec: Villa Maria High School, Montreal$1,215.00 AND St. Agnes Parish, Halifax $500.00
New Brunswick: St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, Halifax $1,807.35
PEI: St. Pius X & Holy Redeemer Parishes, Charlottetown $782.00
TOP MONEY RAISED!
HIGH SCHOOL: St Thomas Aquinas High School, Vancouver, BC $10,851.30 AND Bishop Reding CHS, Milton, ON $10,784.69
PARISH: St John the Divine Parish, London ON: $2,718.55
UNIVERSITY: Carleton University, Ottawa ON $1,096.84
MOST IMPROVED!
Immaculate Conception Parish, Prince George, BC $610 (240% increase)
Cardinal Newman CHS, Toronto, ON $750 (220% increase)
St Patrick CHS, Thunder Bay, ON $710 (220% increase)
TOP # of CARDS SIGNED!
St Mary’s CHS, Kitchener: 2, 217 signatures
St Peter’s CSS, Peterborough: 1, 455 signatures
Thank you EVERYONE! Congratulations to our “winners”.
Do you want to know how your group’s THINKfasts have done over the years? Motivate your fellow fasters with startling statistics! Contact us and we will dig up ancient info and find you modern motivating facts (ex. who is your biggest competitor?)!
As we prepare to take a short break to give thanks for all our bounty, we have some very encouraging news for the victims of the flooding in Pakistan.
Development and Peace’s national collection, recieved through public donations and in our churches, thanks to the support of the CCCB, has allowed us to raise over $ 2.5 million for the Pakistan emergency. Amazing! Of this total, nearly $ 500,000 came from the Toronto diocese, via ShareLife.
Very soon, our Program Officer for Emergency Relief, Barbara Trachsel, is leaving for Asia and will be in Pakistan to assess the situation and to coordinate the next steps in our emergency relief program. She will be keeping us posted, giving us news of our partners and their work, which we will be sure to share with you.
We want to take this opportunity to thank all our members and donors for their incredible support. This situation was receiving very little media coverage and not enough public sympathy. As usual, the collaboration and generosity we have witnessed has impressed us and humbled us.
In great thanks and wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!
What’s our emergency relief program in Pakistan?
Here’s one example…
Development and Peace is supporting the distribution of aid in all four of the country’s provinces.
It is helping Caritas Pakistan provide food, shelter, non-food items and health care to 12,490 families (see map).
Learn more about our emergency relief programs and updated news from Pakistan here.
As of September 20, Development and Peace has recieved over 1 million dollars for the victims of flooding in Pakistan.
Through Caritas Philippines a 3 month project has started, bringing aid to 250,000 people in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Punjab.
Click here for up to date info on Caritas Pakistan, and here for info on the emergency relief projects.
Beginning in late July, heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan have causing the worst flooding the country has ever experienced. The floods have displaced thousands of people, destroyed houses, hospitals and schools, and have washed out roads and bridges.
According to the Government of Pakistan, 13.8 million people have been affected in all five provinces of the country and 1,600 have died.
Flood-ravaged communities are faced with food shortages, undrinkable water, destroyed crops, and lack of shelter. Many people have also suffered injuries or have become ill due to the unsanitary conditions.
Several communities have been cut-off by high waters and collapsed infrastructure, which is hampering the emergency response. Communications are also very difficult as telephone and electrical poles have come down.
“There are so many people who are in grave difficulty. It’s such a traumatic situation for those who have lost everything and who have to rely on others even for a drink of water,” says Anila Gill, national executive secretary of Caritas Pakistan.
As the monsoon season has progressed, the situation has become increasingly critical and could still worsen as rains continue. The full extent of the damage is still unknown, however, the United Nations estimates that billions of dollars will be needed in order to restore livelihoods and rebuild infrastructure in the country.
I can honestly say I had no idea how difficult it is to plan a fundraiser; or any event for that matter. On June 10th 2010 at Lula Lounge we opened up the doors to new faces and hopefully a new initiative.
About two months ago I met with an old friend from soccer named Alex Van Den Hoef who is the lead singer for a huge upcoming band called “DUBBS”. After playing a little bit of catch up, we immediately started to think of how we could work together in an effort to try and educate youth on the work of Development and Peace, as well as social justice issues worldwide. The idea of an event just seemed to fit perfectly for what we were trying to achieve and really what could be more fun?
After a month of preparation and organizing, the event finally kicked off with now four separate performances and a DJ. A strong D&P presence filled the room as Raphael, Luke, Genevieve & Elizabeth set up a room in the back to facilitate questions and interest around Development & Peace from everyone who joined us this evening.
As a bus load of youth arrived from AjaxD.J Busty was spinning some crazy beats and instantly had the crowd on the dance floor. Our first three performers were fantastic each performing one or two tracks. I have to give a big shout out to B-NYCE, LEX MARCELLO, and A-GAME for their contributions to this event.
Our headliners - and the group who helped brainstorm this whole initiative – DUBBS lit up the stage with an incredible performance. I would also like to thank DUBBS for all of their support, time, and effort in helping to make this event so successful.
Everyone who attended was raving about all of our performers, our DJ and the concept behind this event.
I would finally like to thank everyone who attended and helped make this night a huge success – Raphael, Luke, Genevieve, Elizabeth, Ashleigh, Andrew, Sarah, Lula Lounge, to all my friends & guests who showed up to support Haiti and Development & Peace.
Holy Cross High School in Saskatoon hosted its 10th Annual Lunch Box Auction in support of Development and Peace on May 13th.
Classes prepared lunches which were then auctioned off and purchased by students. Each lunch had a themeincluding a Medieval Feast for 12, an Avatar party for 10, a Tailgating party for 8 and even a Pork Roast for 30. In all there were 23 meals. The goal in bidding on a lunch is to pay the highest price for a meal, not to get the best deal!
One of the most coveted meals is the Staff Room Lunch. Each year the Grade 12 class competes with the staff to purchase a lunch which is then served in the school staff room. This year the students won it again. For the privilege of eating in the hallowed staff room the students paid over $17,000! The generosity of our student body is overwhelming.
The total amount raised was $31,037.35. The auction is a great project for developing a spirit of solidarity among our students and with others in the Global South.
Just Youth Group – Holy Cross High School
- Michelle Dinter-Lipinski
Ever wondered how the Box Lunch Auction got so big and did so well? A small committee starts it off every year until the entire school is involved. Here’s their how-to video!
On June 10th 2010 we will be hosting an evening of fun, awareness, and raise money for Haiti; all taking place at Lula Lounge – 1585 Dundas St W. in Toronto. Doors open at 8pm.
Our aim is to increase youth awareness about the work of Development & Peace and to raise money for our emergency relief fund for Haiti – currently close to 20 Million dollars.
Dj Busty C.E.O of Bold Productions has offered to spin top 40 for us all night, with a guest performance by Dubbs.
For the first time they will be performing their single written for Development and Peace called “We will never surrender”.
This all ages event (drinking for 19+) is going to be an awesome night for young people to come together and help make a change.
Come support Development and Peace, friends, family members, and even strangers are all welcome. Max capacity is 250 so make sure you are there early to ensure you get in. If you would like to confirm in advance I have 50 spots available on a guest list.
More than two months after the quake, the Haitian government is estimating the number of deaths at 222,517 and the number of injured at 310,928.
On February 28, more than 654,215 people were displaced from Port-au-Prince to other departments in search of safety, shelter or income prospects. It is now estimated that 1,301,491 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are living in makeshift or more organized camps in the areas affected by the disaster.
After two months, more than 4.3 million people have received food aid and 1.2 million have received daily rations of drinking water. More than 300,000 people, children and adults, have been vaccinated. About 56% of the 1.3 million people needing shelter assistance have had access to emergency shelter materials.
The main challenges currently being faced are supplying all temporary sites with clean water, installing sanitary facilities at the sites and providing transitional housing for displaced populations so they can face the rainy season in safety and prevent the outbreak of epidemics.
For the displaced populations, the rains, alongside stagnant pools of water and pools of waste water, represent a significant health risk and an increase in respiratory infections.
A recent needs assessment in emergency food security estimates that more than 50% of the population requires food aid in the earthquake-affected areas (70% in the camps for displaced persons). Seeds are currently being distributed to farmers and communities and this distribution will continue until the end of April.
Development and Peace Emergency Relief
Development and Peace, as well as its entire network in Canada, mobilized quickly and extensively in response to the earthquake in Haiti. The organization has raised over $19 million to date.
The campaign was launched on the morning of January 13 and media response was very positive. The campaign for Haiti was supported by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops as well as by many dioceses all across Canada. Collections were organized quickly in the churches and the dioceses’ various Websites invited the public to make online donations to Development and Peace.
As of March 23, 67% of the funds raised ($12,889,185.27) were from the dioceses; close to a million dollars ($925,839) was collected in schools (330 schools participated) and the religious communities contributed $635,145;
More than $2 million came from individual donations (from the general public); the Haiti emergency has caused more than 8,000 new donors to put their trust in Development and Peace.
On February 18th, 2010, Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School kicked off its annual 25 hour Thinkfast!
Over 40 students participated in the fast, raised money and awareness. The event was filled with education, community, enthusiasm and an important display of solidarity with our sisters and brothers in the Global South!
Students were very busy being farmers and CEO’s with our guest speaker Julie, from Development and Peace.
An awesome justice-themed Amazing Race game was held later in the evening. We then learned about the multi-national food industry with a screening of “Food Inc.” The second day of the fast was aimed at bringing awareness to the school community. Students were given the D&P postcards and petitions for their fellow classmates to fill out; all of them were! Our fast closed with a liturgy filled with song and a strong sense of community.
The final fundraising count will be finished shortly. We will post an update once the final numbers are in!
In collaboration with Catholic Students’ Week, students at colleges and univeristry campsuses across Canada are inspiring their Catholic community to be informed, liturgical, and active witnesses on campus to the love of God and of neighbor.
Catholic Students’ Week ends on March 21st with Development and Peace’s Solidarity Sunday – when we join with the rest of the Canadian Church to share our resources with the poor in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Here is a list of all the Development and Peace Makes a Difference week events on campuses:
BC
Vancouver, Corpus Christi and St. Mark’s College at UBC
March 14, 11am: Mass and Soup lunch with Development and Peace guest speaker
AB
Edmonton, St. Joseph’s College
March 21, noon – 2pm: Development and Peace Talk followed by Sunday Brunch hosted by D&P and Campus Ministry
MB
Brandon, University of Brandon
March 14-15: 25 hour THINKfast!
ON
London, King’s University College at the University of Western Ontario
March 21st: Solidarity Sunday Mass with Development and Peace presentation on agrofuels
Toronto, Ryerson University
March 21, 5 pm: Mass and Haitian Dinner in solidarity with the victims of the earthquake.
St. Michael’s Cathedral collecting donations for Development and Peace
NB
Fredericton, St. Thomas University
March 15, 10am – 1pm: Development and Peace Share Lent bake sale and card signing
March 16, 6:30pm: Development and Peace screening of Food, INC with pizza and card signing
Development and Peace THINKfast! during “D&P Makes a Difference week: March 14th – 21st
We are using this occasion to say thanks, once again, to all who so generously responded to our appeal on behalf of the people of Haiti, with donations of more than $20.5 million, and to acknowledge the tireless and determined work of our partners with whom we are participating in rebuilding this shaken country.
Here’s one example…
Holy Cross High School in Saskatoon hosted its 10th Annual Lunch Box Auction in support of Development and Peace on May 13th. 
On June 10th 2010 we will be hosting an evening of fun, awareness, and raise money for Haiti; all taking place at Lula Lounge – 1585 Dundas St W. in Toronto. Doors open at 8pm.
