Solidarity in Lebanon: Permanent Peace Movement

The first two days of the 2011 Development & Peace Youth Solidarity Trip to Lebanon were spent meeting with members of the Permanent Peace Movement in Beirut, and understanding the organization’s important work within the context of the current social, economic and political realities in Lebanon.

The Permanent Peace Movement (PPM) is an independent Lebanese Non-Governmental Organization founded in 1986 at the height of the Lebanese civil war by a group of young university students unified by their common vision for the future and their aversion to war. 

They considered that peaceful means for conflict resolution are the most useful of all, and that when these are exhausted, one should resort to non-violent means and never to violence. 

Such a commitment to peace building within Lebanon is an incredible challenge – this is a country brimming with domestic tension as members of 18 various sects, within a population of less than 4 million people, have repeatedly entered into violent conflict. 

Sectarianism within Lebanon means that political office, government positions, and senior military and security appointments are divided based on the principle of religious balance.  

Thus, it appears that for many Lebanese, political, economic or cultural survival is dependent upon occupying positions of power in order to protect the rights and values of their own group.  Moreover, divisions within the country are not simply predicated on religion, but on various political ideologies, which further fragment groups.

It is apparent that there are no easy solutions to ending violence and preventing further conflict. Indeed coming from a generation of Canadians which have little experience with war, the situation appears absolutely overwhelming.

We are super impressed with the energy, initiatives and commitment of the staff and volunteers of PPM – who work on limiting the arms trade, give conflict resolution workshops weekly, as well as creating opportunities for youth who are Christian or Muslim, Palestinian or Lebanese to come together, all while they continue to advocate for and promote alternatives to violence based in the Middle East experience.

By Alex Wright

To read more blog posts about our trip click here!

Solidarity in Lebanon: D&P in Middle East

Development and Peace in the Middle East!

The stimulating, challenging and inspiring experiences we are living out during our Solidarity Trip in Lebanon are being added to the blog throughout the summer. But before you continue to see what we did, who we met, and what we learned about peace-building and development, here is more information about Development and Peace’s programming in the Middle East region.

Ever since it’s founding, Development and Peace has been coming to the aid of people in the Arab world who find themselves in difficulty. Here are a few programs you might remember supporting, from a snapshot of our presence and support in the last ten years:

- during the ”war on terrorism”: emergency relief and reconstruction in Afghanistan and in Iraq

- during the huge earthquakes: emergency relief and reconstruction in Iran and in Pakistan

- during and after the Israeli wars: emergency relief and reconstruction in the Palestinian Territories and in Lebanon

Development and Peace is continuing to build and strengthen action for peace and development in the Middle East – that is our goal and you and I are involved in helping to realize this goal through our support of partners in Lebanon.

Cruise through our blog posts to find out more!

The Courage to Choose Life

Development and Peace Launches Graphic Novel that Tells Story of Hope in the Democratic Republic of the Congo:

READ OUR NEW GRAPHIC NOVEL!

Graphic Novel — Story of Hope in the Congo

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), violence has become a way of life. Violence against women is out of control and rape has become a weapon of war.

In many instances, armed men will overrun a village, attack the inhabitants, rape the women, destroy crops and leave in their wake a path of terror and destruction.

For those who manage to escape, they must return to their villages in the aftermath and try to heal from trauma and re-build their communities with a culture of peace.

This is the story told in ournew graphic novel: ROZA or the Courage to Choose Life, written and illustrated by Congolese artist Séraphin Kajibwami and published by Development and Peace in collaboration with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).  The graphic novel includes an overview of the issues affecting this resource-rich country.

The graphic novel will be launched on Tuesday, April 5th with special guests Sister Marie-Bernard Alima, the secretary general of the Justice and Peace Episcopal Commission of the DRC and Most Rev. Nicolas Djomo, President of the Conference of Bishops of the DRC, both of whom are working to bring peace to their country.

Development and Peace supports several projects in the DRC to strengthen democracy, empower women, ensure fair control of natural resources and establish peace in the country.

OFFICIAL LAUNCH
Tuesday, April 5th, 2011
5 p.m.
Maison de l’Afrique, 6256 Henri-Julien St.

Watch for this graphic novel to be distributed in your region this fall!

Interested? Contact Genevieve Gallant, Youth Programs at Development and Peace: ggallant@devp.org 1-800-494-1401 ext 230

Humanitarian Crisis in Cote d’Ivoire

Political turmoil in Cote d’Ivoire leads to humanitarian crisis: Development and Peace supporting aid – more needed

The deteriorating political crisis in Côte d’Ivoire has left over 350,000 people displaced within the country with little access to food or health services. If tensions and violence continue to rise the humanitarian situation could worsen as more flee with little hope of returning to their homes in the near future.  

Development and Peace is responding with a contribution of $50,000 towards emergency relief, being organized by local agency Caritas Côte d’Ivoire. Aid is being provided to the displaced and host families, and includes the distribution of food, hygiene kits, blankets and other household items, as well as health services such as screening children for malnutrition, improved access to clean water, and ensuring the safety of those displaced.

Côte d’Ivoire has been in a political crisis since 2002, when electoral candidate Alassane Ouattara was excluded from elections. Divisions within the country led to conflict and the country in fact split in two. Scheduled elections for 2005 were postponed repeatedly and finally took place in October 2010. However, the in-office president Laurent Gbagbo refused to admit defeat to Ouattara, which plunged the country into turmoil. 

Ongoing violence has forced thousands to flee their homes, either crossing into neighbouring countries or moving to other regions of Côte d’Ivoire. It is estimated that the number of internally displaced people has increased five-fold in as little as two weeks, placing strains on host families and leaving people vulnerable to hunger and disease.

“A critical humanitarian situation is unfolding in Côte d’Ivoire and it can’t be forgotten. People are living in fear and need help,” says Barbara Trachsel, Emergency Programs Officer at Development and Peace.

Development and Peace is encouraging Canadians to further help with this emergency response by making a donation to Development and Peace by telephone (1 888 664-3387), online or by sending a cheque made out to Development and Peace and indicating Côte d’Ivoire Crisis and sending it to:

Development and Peace
1425 René-Lévesque Blvd. West. 3rd Floor,
Montreal  QC  H3G 1T7

We are also currently leading its annual Share Lent fundraising campaign. 10% of donations go towards an emergency relief fund, which allows Development and Peace to respond immediately to humanitarian crises in the Global South, especially those which risk being overlooked or forgotten, such as this one. By supporting Share Lent, you help Development and Peace respond throughout to year to situations like the one in Côte d’Ivoire.

A Cup of Justice: Ottawa coffeehouse

For more information on Development and Peace’s Share Lent campaign, and to see where Fr. Luis will be throughout his stay in Ottawa, visit the Share Lent blog.

Centro Prodh:

Since its foundation by the Jesuits in 1988, the Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez Human Rights Center (Center Prodh) has worked to defend, promote and increase respect for human rights in Mexico.

As a result of its efforts, inspired by close contact with victims and characterized by professionalism and a holistic perspective in defending and promoting human rights, Center Prodh has achieved:

* The successful defense of crucial cases of human rights violations, including the liberation of a number of prisoners of conscience.

* The strengthening of human rights activists’ work in various regions of Mexico through trainings, workshops, and courses.

* Successful activism, litigation, and other participation before international bodies such as:

• the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
• Inter-American Court of Human Rights
• UN treaty bodies, and special mechanisms such as the UN Special Rapporteurs
• collaboration with organizations, among others:
  • Amnesty International
  • the Washington Office on Latin America
  • Human Rights Watch
  • the World Organisation Against Torture
  • the International Commission of Jurists
  • the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL)

  * An active presence in various networks of Mexican human rights organizations and fruitful dialogue with academic and research bodies.

Happy International Women’s Day!

March 8, this year, International Women’s Day is 100 years old!

Here is a flashback to what it was like in…

1911

More than one million women and men attended IWD rallies campaigning for women’s rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination. However less than a week later on 25 March, the tragic ‘Triangle Fire’ in New York City took the lives of more than 140 working women, most of them Italian and Jewish immigrants. This disastrous event drew significant attention to working conditions and labour legislation in the United States that became a focus of subsequent International Women’s Day events. 1911 also saw women’s ‘Bread and Roses‘ campaign.

1913-1914

On the eve of World War I campaigning for peace, Russian women observed their first International Women’s Day on the last Sunday in February 1913. In 1913 following discussions, International Women’s Day was transferred to 8 March and this day has remained the global date for International Wommen’s Day ever since. In 1914 further women across Europe held rallies to campaign against the war and to express women’s solidarity.

excerpts from http://www.internationalwomensday.com/

At Development and Peace

Partner Profile: Afghan Women’s Resource Centre (AWRC)

The AWRC is an organization that uses microcredit to help Afghan women start small businesses and generate revenues so that they may fight their way out of poverty.

For Pary Gul, 30, the AWRC has changed her life and that of her family. She lives with her husband, their four children as well as her mother. With so many people to support, the family simply could not meet its basic needs.

Thanks to a loan of 5,000 afghanis (about $120.00) from the AWRC, Pary was able to buy a small bread oven and firewood and start baking dough brought to her by the community’s other women. After two months, Pary started preparing regional dishes (sambosa, manto and bolani) and baking her own bread in a traditional Afghan clay oven called a tanor, while her husband busied himself selling the bread. Through monthly payments, she managed to repay her loan quickly while providing for her family.

for more on our programs in Afghanistan: http://www.devp.org/devpme/eng/international/afghanistan-eng.html

Today let’s give thanks for, and celebrate, the strength and wisdom of women — sisters around the world who are working with their families and communities, in peace and with justice, to bring about God’s reign on earth!

by Genevieve Gallant

Banana Co Displaces Afro-Colombian Peace Communities

Since early December, hundreds of private contractors of multinational banana corporation Banacol have illegally invaded and occupied Afro-Colombian peace communities in the Curvaradó river basin in order to clear the land for banana cultivation.

Their actions have been supported and assisted by local paramilitaries, army soldiers and municipal governments.

The peace communities’ collective territory is protected under Colombia’s Constitution and protective measures under the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. According to documents released by the Colombian human rights organization, Intereclesial Comisión de Justicia y Paz (Justicia y Paz) , Banacol workers are displacing vulnerable Afro-Colombian peace communities, thus enabling the corporation to occupy sections of communal, resource rich land.

This violates the sovereignty of the long-standing communities, and puts them at risk for complete displacement from their collective territory in a country with almost 5 million internally displaced people. They are also bulldozing the subsistence farmers’ crops, destroying natural habitats and contaminating waterways.

Flyers posted in poor neighborhoods and communities across the northwestern part of the country lured the squatters into Curvaradó in the Urabá region of Chocó, Colombia. The flyers assured three months of paid living expenses, titles to 2.5-hectare plots, materials and pay to build settlements, and a contract with Banacol Inc. to grow bananas.

What the flyers didn’t include is that the Curvaradó territory is already inhabited by Afro-descendent communities, committed to maintain their collective territories, granted to them under law 70 of Colombia (1993), which recognizes and protects Afro-Colombians’ right to collectively own and occupy their ancestral territory.

The “bad-faith occupiers,” as the Curvaradó residents call them, are mainly made up of vulnerable individuals; some displaced by violence in other regions of the country, some farmers without land, and others recently unemployed by palm oil or banana plantations. Unfortunately, their vulnerable situations put them at risk to be taken advantage of by the corporate agenda, promising them “the good life”, and thus at risk to further impoverish other vulnerable communities for their gain.

According to the ancestral inhabitants, the invaders admit that they collectively own the land, but contend to remain on the stolen plots because it is their only opportunity for work. Banacol, as so many other multinational corporations, has pitted these vulnerable populations against one another, putting them at higher risk of oppression.

The squatters say they expect to receive up to 180,000 pesos ($90 U.S.) for each hectare cleared. So far, according to Justicia y Paz, they have cleared-out over 200 hectares and built over 122 temporary huts and camps. The “bad-faith occupiers” are still arriving by the hundreds. Although the squatters would not identify who the money is coming from, the promised contracts with Banacol implicates them as the instigators and funders of an intended illegal displacement for profit.

The peace communities filed a legal complaint with the municipality of Carmen del Darién, but no response has been taken by local authorities thus far. The Carmen del Darién police ordered an eviction of the illegal occupiers, but then said that they do not have the resources to carry out such an action.

The most recent demonstration of state support and collusion with the illegal occupation was the funneling of flood victims relief funds to the illegal land invaders by the Mayors Office in Carmen del Darién, according to Justicia y Paz.

For more on History + Consequences of Occupation + Banacol’s Bloody Bananas

in Multinational Banana Corporation Displaces Afro-Colombian Peace Communities

by Megan Felt

Share Lent 2011 goes 2.0

Building a world of justice

Compassion goes hand-in-hand with solidarity

Share Lent 2011 is the annual awareness and fundraising campaign of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace.

Jesus felt compassion when faced with human suffering. We are called to feel that same depth of compassion when faced with the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.

Through your generous donations to Development and Peace this and every Lent, you help build a world of justice.

A blog for Share Lent!

This year, in addition to the printed material, Development and Peace has also created an interactive blog that will use the testimony of members to publicize the work being carried out by its partners in the Global South.

There you will find photos, videos and articles to share.

The blog will be active starting on the first day of Lent, March 9, 2011. You can subscribe to the blog right away! You will receive an invitation to follow the blog during its launch and a weekly update of published articles.

In the meantime, you can receive daily information about Development and Peace, its campaigns and its partners in the Global South by becoming part of our community in the social media:

 New: Participate in fundraising online

This year, for the very first time, you can participate in our online fundraising efforts for Share Lent by creating a personal page. Offer your talents to those who need them (music, gardening, cooking) and, in exchange, ask your entourage to give to Development and Peace.

Fundraising online will be possible starting on March 9, 2011. You can sign up now to the blog to receive the necessary information in the week before Lent.

Share your comments and questions here and stay tuned for updates from the Share Lent Blog 2011.

Raphael Arens
Online Outreach Officer

The Right to Housing

A roof over one’s head is an essential right as stipulated under article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The right to housing
In Makoko, one of Lagos’ poorest neighbourhoods, thousands of people are crammed into precarious dwellings built on stilts.

Furthermore, over 3,000 families have been violently evicted from their neighbourhoods, where some have lived for at least 50 years. Without warning, they lost everything.

So under the pretext of ridding Lagos of petty delinquents and unhealthy areas, hundreds of thousands of families living in shantytowns have been thrown out and their lives torn apart.

As a result, people who have practically nothing have been left even more destitute.Yet shouldn’t urban development benefit the people already living there?

Trampled rights
“Forced evictions should be illegal. The city of Lagos needs to be developed, but it can’t be done by demolishing schools, churches, homes and the lives of penniless people”, explains Félix Morka, Executive Director of the Social and Economic Rights Action Center (SERAC).

SERAC not only defends the rights of evicted people, but works with them to develop positive sustainable development projects. For instance, a housing co-op is in the works in Lagos. A nearby brick factory will use recycled materials, thereby reducing housing construction costs while creating jobs for young people.

You can help us fight for human rights in Nigeria and elsewhere in the world by giving generously. More than one billion people live in insecure housing, while 100 million are still without homes.

Yet much can be achieved. That’s where DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE, partnering with other like-minded organizations, steps in. For example, in Paraguay, SERPAJ encourages citizen participation in the poorest parts. In Philippines, UPA offers training and documentation on demolition projects that affect vulnerable communities.In Brazil, MAB holds training and educational activities.

Donate today so that everyone may have a decent home, or lead a THINKfast at your school or parish, or start a creative online fundraising activity this Share Lent (coming soon)!