CARITASNEWS #150 | SPRING 2017
THE GRATITUDE EDITION “I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders.” Psalm 9:1
> AFRICA EMERGENCY APPEAL Working together to help millions affected by starvation
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> BREAKING BARRIERS IN VIETNAM Disability support
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services are offering new hopes to overlooked members of society
> CARITAS FAMILY Sharing the
journey of change
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THANK YOU FOR CARING
FROM THE CEO Spring is a time of new possibilities. As new life springs forth all around us, we too can be imbued with a renewed vigour for God’s many gifts to us. Caritas Australia celebrates the strength of our partner communities and the generosity of our supporters, who have given 11 million dollars towards Project Compassion this year. The generosity evident in each donation is changing lives.
Thank you for supporting Project Compassion 2017. This year’s campaign raised $11 million for work in 129 long-term development programs in 29 countries all over the world. With the close of the 2016/2017 Financial Year, we are truly grateful for the support given to the over half a million people facing famine in Africa, through the Caritas Internationalis network.
In my four years at Caritas Australia, our overseas community partners have consistently expressed their thanks for the positive work our supporters make possible. For example, during my visit to Bougainville, I was humbled to witness first-hand the work of our Caritas partners, the Sisters of Nazareth. They have been remarkably successful in empowering women and educating men about the challenges of domestic violence. As in my meetings with all of our partners, I was humbled to witness their strength and resilience. Recently, I had the privilege of being with our partners in Kenya, who are affected by a large-scale drought which stretches across East Africa and Yemen. There I saw for myself examples of extraordinary hope and resilience in rural farming communities with little or no food. Your generosity for the East Africa Emergency Appeal has already raised over $2 million dollars. Continued donations will help save lives throughout the affected countries. In solidarity with our sisters and brothers in the many communities assisted by Caritas and our partner agencies, thank you.
Paul O’Callaghan, CEO
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Young Syrian refugee living in Tripoli, Libya. Photo Tabitha Ross, Caritas Syria.
Contents 03 THANKSGIVING AND PRAISE 04 VIETNAM 06 EAST AFRICA 07 PACIFIC 08 TIMOR-LESTE 09 JORDAN 10 CARITAS COMMUNITY 12 BECOME A GLOBAL NEIGHBOUR
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Cover: Children like Mai, who has Cerebral Palsy, aren’t alone through disability programmes supported by Caritas Australia in Vietnam.
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Caritas Australia is fully accredited by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Please note: some of the programs featured in this issue of CaritasNews are funded by Caritas Australia and the Australian Government.
GRATITUDE AND THE STRENGTHS BASED APPROACH
Thanksgiving and praise DATES FOR YOUR DIARY • September 8 – Women for the World (WFTW) community campaign launch. Register your attendance or find out how you can host your own WFTW event at womenfortheworld.org.au • September 27 – Share the Journey kickoff. Find out more about Pope Francis’ worldwide Caritas campaign for migrant and refugee rights at caritas.org.au/sharejourney
Turkana villagers are affected by drought in North-West Kenya, but the Caritas network is on the ground to provide much needed support. Photo: Bill Corcoran & Thom Pierce, Caritas/Trocaire.
• October 4 – St Francis of Assisi day, which closes the season of creation (1 September- 4 October). Find out more at caritas.org.au/climate
Caritas Australia’s belief in the strength people have to make changes in their own lives, opens us up to the possibility of grace. This consciousness of the grace and mercy of God creates a deep sense of gratitude, for the inherent strengths and abilities of communities where we work and for you, our supporters, who make this ‘journey’ possible. Caritas Australia’s approach to development takes into account the dignity of the human person, equity among all peoples and the common good of everyone in the community. This approach highlights that human development cannot be separated into individual components (such as health, education or shelter), nor can it focus solely on economic growth. Instead, Caritas’ programs are designed to promote the development of the whole person, in every dimension of life. This Strength Based Approach isn’t about material assets or resources, it’s about people themselves, whom we believe are made in the image and likeness of God, and whose natural resilience and inherent goodness point us to our creator. In this spirit of gratitude, we say ‘thank you,’ to you, our supporters and friends who help make our work possible and, echoing the words of the Psalmist say, “we give thanks to you, God, we give thanks to you, as we call upon your name, as we recount your wonders.” - Psalm 75:1.
“We give thanks to you, God, we give thanks to you, as we call upon your name, as we recount your wonders.”
Caritas Australia's work in Papua New Guinea is creating community stability and growth. Photo: Cassandra Hill, Caritas Australia.
- Psalm 75:1
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SOUTH-EAST ASIA: VIETNAM
Life without barriers Since 2009, Caritas Australia has funded the Empowering People with Disabilities program. Run by the Sustainable Rural Development Centre (SRD) in Vietnam, thousands of people living with disabilities have accessed their vital services. Around 6.7 million* people are currently living with a disability in Vietnam, and their challenges are compounded by cultural stigma, which results in a life of seclusion and shame. Now through collaboration with the Centre for Sustainable Rural Development (SRD), Caritas Australia is bringing sustainable livelihoods to the most marginalised and vulnerable communities. For participants in the program, the result is a better and more just future. SRD, a Vietnamese non-profit organisation was formed to bring sustainable livelihoods to the most marginalised and vulnerable communities. *UN development figure
REELING IN THE CATCH Hong Thi Hoa lives in the village of Trung Hai, in Central Vietnam. In a village where fishing is traditionally men’s work, Hong’s work as a fisherwoman makes her stand out. As a single mother, she has a daughter to support and educate and this is the driving force of her hard work. “I need to work hard to afford my daughter’s education.” Her disability, which has affected the strength in her legs, makes it hard to reel in heavy fishing nets and make a living. Supported by Caritas Australia’s “Empowering People with Disability” program, she has now found an innovative way to grow her income and this has changed her life. Through a loan from the project, Hong was able to invest in a small motorised fishing net. At the touch of a button she can now reel in a substantial catch, with relative ease. “I am very proud. I enjoy being a role model to show that as a woman with a disability I can still do hard work. I know I can do it!”
“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” - Matthew 4:19 “Before I could only reel in my net by hand 3-4 times a day, now with the motor I can triple that amount,” says Hong, pictured here with an innovative fishing solution enabled by Caritas Australia’s support. Photos: Patrick Makenen.
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NO LONGER ALONE
15% of the
Little Mai’s parents could only find work in a far off province, and were forced to give her to her grandmother for care. They hated being away, but had no other choice because of the demands of work. Vietnam Programs Coordinator at Caritas Australia, Patrick Makenen, recently visited Mai and her family in Vietnam and spoke of their story. “When Mai’s parents came home to visit, SRD heard their story and asked them to join the program. The training they received to raise livestock as a stable income has given them hope that they can now stay together and this has changed their lives,” Mr Makenen said.
tire world n e ’
opulation sp
For the parents of six year old Mai, who has cerebral palsy, the Caritas Australia SRD partner program has granted new life-long possibilities and hope for the future.
lives with a disability
Vietnam signed the UN convention on the rights of children with disabilities in 2007
Young Mai has also become stronger and more independent through the SRD program. “Doctors have taught her parents’ home-based physiotherapy methods which over time has relaxed her muscles enough to be able to move,” Mr Makenen said. “Before she could not lift her head and was completely bed-ridden but now she can move her hands and feet, sit up and even crawl!” However it’s the sense of hope that the program has inspired, which has changed things more than anything for Mai and her parents.
*Sources (UN and World Health Organisation)
“Through the “Club for People with Disabilities”, they’ve met other parents in the same situation to share experiences and learn from them. They are no longer alone,” Mr Makenen said. “So much has changed for them in such a short period of time. For all of this, and for the support of Caritas Australia, they are very grateful.”
Mai is now more physically mobile thanks to therapy provided by the Caritas Australia funded program. Photo: Tran Thi Thanh Toan, Sustainable Rural Development.
It’s the sense of hope that the program has inspired, which has offered a more just world for Mai and her parents.
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LEARN Watch Hong’s new fishing techniques in action at bit.ly/fishing-net-video
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AFRICA EMERGENCY APPEAL
Millions face starvation in East Africa 23 million people are currently on the brink of famine in South Sudan and other areas of East Africa and Yemen. Through your support, Caritas Australia is delivering life-saving food and water to countries most in need, including South Sudan, Kenya and Malawi.
Caritas supporters can make a difference
The East Africa food crisis remains, in scope and severity the largest humanitarian crisis since the Ethiopian famine of 1984. 70% of Africans depend on agriculture as a source of income, and the drought, in addition to the rigorous demands of constant farming, have rendered land untenable.
Visit caritas.org.au/africa to find out more.
The generosity of Caritas Australia’s supporters is making a tangible impact to those affected by this crisis. Caritas Australia, through the Caritas Internationalis network, is working to support 585,105 people across Kenya, Malawi, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan, by providing: • clean water • food items such as beans, sugar, salt, oil and maize flour • sanitation supplies • and other emergency supplies
“Through the Caritas network we’ve already supported over half a million people.”
Caritas Australia CEO Paul O’Callaghan recently visited Kenya to take stock of the severity of the crisis and to stand with the affected communities.
- Paul O’Callaghan, Caritas Australia CEO
“Three million in that country (Kenya) alone are going hungry,” Mr O’Callaghan said. While in Kenya, he encountered not only the dire struggle of desperately hungry people but the resourcefulness and resilience of our partners and the people they work with. “I met one woman who only had enough for one small meal every two days. She hoped that this would be enough for her and her young children,” Mr O’Callaghan said.
People in need Eritrea
Sudan
SOUTH SUDAN
South Sudan
Ethiopia
13 million
ETHIOPIA
Uganda Democratic Republic of the Congo
Somalia
Kenya
Tanzania
Malawi
7.7 million
SOMALIA
6.7 million
KENYA
2.7 million
MALAWI
6.5 million Figures taken from: UN, Reliefweb, Caritas Internationalis.
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Photo: Mohamed Sheikh Nor, Caritas Australia.
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DONATE Your donation will help Caritas Australia continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Africa. Donate now at www.caritas.org.au/africa
LILLIANNE FROM BOUGAINVILLE
Gaining confidence and raising her voice 10 years after the end of Papua New Guinea’s Civil War, the path to recovery for Bougainville depends, to a great extent, on the wellbeing of its youth. For Bougainville’s young people today, whose childhoods were tainted by the civil war, support and encouragement is a crucial means of healing from their nation’s traumatic past. By equipping youth with sustainable sources of income and training them in leadership skills, Caritas Australia, with support from the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, is empowering the young people of Bougainville to fully participate in the their nation’s future. When Caritas Australia first met Lillianne she was a shy 21-year-old. Now, through the work of the Caritas Australia supported Bougainville Youth Initiative (BYI), she is raising her voice to become a strong advocate for her community’s development and progress. “After attending the Bougainville Youth Initiative’s financial literacy training, I prepared a similar workshop and brought all the youth leaders in my parish together to train them. I don’t want our young people dependent; they must be independent,” Lillian says.
CHALLENGING PREJUDICES “The common culture in Bougainville and PNG is that men take the lead and women often sit back and listen. But, since the training, women are now thinking, ‘I can speak… I can take a major role.” – Bougainville Program Manager, Roslyn Kuniata.
Lilianne has become a community leader through the Caritas Australia supported Bougainville Youth Initiative.
PREPARING FOR SUCCESS The group meet regularly to work on their leadership approach and plan how they will assist parish youth groups. Lilianne has now been appointed as the Vice President of the Bougainville Catholic Youth Association. Now as the Acting Vice President of PNG’s Central Deanery, she mentors and leads the way for other young women to follow in her footsteps.
LEARN
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Learn more about Caritas Australia’s work in Bougainville at www.caritas.org.au/png
Lilianne and other young people are learning income development skills like brick-making through Caritas Australia’s Bougainville Youth Initiative. Photos: Cassandra Hill, Caritas Australia.
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FIRST AUSTRALIANS IN TIMOR-LESTE
Weaving cultures together In Timor-Leste, the sacred house, or Uma Lulik, holds deep cultural and historical significance. It is an ancient but living thread which binds the past to the present. A group of First Australian female arts workers from Caritas Australia partner Djilpin Arts Aboriginal Corporation in the Northern Territory visited Timor in June. They participated, not just in the daily life of local Timorese communities, but through the educational exchange program, were able to share their stories within an Uma Lulik. “The Djilpin group is now part of our memories, their visit to the scared house in Letefoho Manufahe and meeting the Elders of the house, makes them part of our oral history,” said Fernando Pires, Caritas Australia’s Country Representative for Timor-Leste. “This will be retold to future generations to come.” Though they couldn’t speak each other’s language, the women of both groups came together to share a common creative spirit through the craft of weaving.
“One of the ladies spoke later of weaving their countries together as one. This was representative of so much.”
First Australians and Timorese women outside of an Uma Lulik, or sacred house. Photos: Sascha Costigan.
FIRST AUSTRALIANS
TIMORESE FIRST PEOPLES
In Arnhem Land there was a concentrated period of massacres and warfare between the 1880s and 1890s.
1,400 Timorese killed by militias following the vote on independence but the country is now on a positive path to development.
Australia became a signatory to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2009 but is yet to recognise any rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to self-government.
Following a United Nationsadministered transition period, TimorLeste was internationally recognised as an independent nation on 20 May 2002.
Through cultural enterprises, Djilpin Arts Aboriginal Corporation provides regular employment for eight artsworkers and seasonal employment for over 75 people in a community of roughly 500 people.
49.9% of the Timorese population live under $1.90 but the program is working to improve livelihoods.
-Sascha Costigan, First Australian Programs, Caritas Australia
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ACT To purchase artworks from Djilpin Arts Centre visit www.djilpinarts.org.au First Australians and Timorese women share the experience of weaving.
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SYRIA: SIX YEARS ON
Voices of Syrian refugees This year marks the 7th anniversary of the escalation of violence in Syria since the start of the conflict in 2011. The United Nations has referred to the Syrian situation as the largest humanitarian crisis since World War II.
The war has claimed more than 400,000 lives and uprooted more than half of Syria’s 22 million people. Some 14 million people need help and 40 percent of them are children. There are 11.5 million who have no access to hospitals or doctors. These huge figures are hard to comprehend. But through Caritas Australia’s work with its partners in Jordan, survivors, and especially children, are receiving an education and are being supported to start new lives.
CARITAS AUSTRALIA SUPPORTING SYRIANS IN JORDAN This is the first generation of children studying in Jordan and through free educational support like literacy and numeracy classes as well as trauma counselling sessions, we are offering a framework that helps to promote academic improvement both at school and at home. Caritas Education Programs, implemented by our partners Caritas Jordan and Catholic Relief Services (CRS), are empowering children in Jordan1. Amona, a mother supported through Caritas Australia programs, is stitching at home to help support her family. Photo: Megan Gilbert, Catholic Relief Services.
1 Through generous support of the Australian Government’s Humanitarian Partnership Agreement.
VOICES OF SYRIAN MOTHERS “Being away from home is the most difficult thing but I’m thankful that my children can go to school. I’ve always said I have hope that we can go back to our country because we have faith in God.” – Mariam, 45 “I hope my children will be in good condition, have a good education and a better future.” – Amona, 42 “We’re afraid of ISIS, that’s why we came here but Syrians are very smart and clever. We can handle everything anywhere. When the war is over, we will make it a beautiful country again.” – Salwaa, 74 Caritas Australia’s education programs enable children who would otherwise not have the opportunity to access education, hope for the future.
DONATE
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Your donations are helping to restore hope to families who are coping with the impact of the Syrian crisis. Support the Middle East Crisis appeal now: www.caritas.org.au/middle-east-appeal
Caritas Australia’s Humanitarian Programs Coordinator, Suzy McIntyre with a young Syrian girl supported by programs in Jordan.
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CARITAS COMMUNITY
Thank you! WEEK 1 LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR
“I have been active in my community, especially with the People’s Organisation and my neighbours. I always help them.” – Dinia
Here are just a handful of the hundreds of letters of support written to Dinia by you, the members of our Caritas family. Dinia's story featured in Project Compassion 2017. Philippines
Patulay Kang manalig at m anampalataya na maganda a ng buhay. Pag palain ka at ang iyong pamilya. Continue to b eliev life is good. M e and have faith that ay God bless you and your family.
gles your strug f o r a e h r sorry to loss of you e h I was very t in f eath, our grie and feel y use of his sudden d ome. inc eca husband b by the loss of your s ed purpose a f o h t g compound n e r t ge and s en will be Your coura support your childr others to ildren and h c you work r u o y o iculties. ght t a shining li overcoming your diff u who see yo
WATCH
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Watch a 2017 Project Compassion Thank You video from our CEO, Paul O’Callaghan at bit.ly/Project-Compassion
On Sunday May 21, church leaders, parishioners and students participated in the procession of Our Lady of Fatima in Adelaide’s South Parklands. Taking up the call to pray and work for peace, the Catholic community of Adelaide raised $10, 000 for Caritas Australia’s peace and development work.
Catholic High School students process to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima and to raise money for Caritas. Photos: Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide.
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CARITAS COMMUNITY
I send my love and prayers across the miles that you m ay find the strength you need to get through each day. My heart go es out to you, my spirit prays for you. My love surrounds yo u. Though I cannot be with you in person, my friendship is always with you. You are g oin successfu g to be very l and pro vid everyone. You are d e for oin great job and keep g a the best. it up. All God will bles Take care of yourse s you. lf.
WATCH
> I hope you will be able to learn more so you can be of even greater help to your friends and neighbours.
Watch a video of Dinia receiving your letters of support at bit.ly/Dinia-messages
inspiration You are a true iful heart. and have a beaut e very best I wish you all th love to you and send all my ul family. and your beautif
Australia
*Names of supporters have been removed for privacy.
Over 500 people attended 3 events held in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra and more than $138,000 was raised for the work of Caritas Australia partner, Maryknoll Cambodia. Guest speaker and Director of the program, Sr Leonor Montiel (Len), shed light on how people are being given a chance to live a new life with dignity, improve their economic wellbeing and become independent. Guests at Women for the World’s 2017 Sydney event.
Another successful year for Women for the World, continuing to empower women and their communities on a global scale through Caritas Australia.
We are giving women around Australia the opportunity to host their own Women for the World event in the month of September. By raising funds for Women for the World we can stand in solidarity with our sisters facing poverty and injustice. To register go to womenfortheworld.org.au or call us on 1800 024 413
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CARITAS CAN COMMIT LONG TERM THANKS TO YOUR GENEROSITY. The long term presence Caritas Australia has in vulnerable communities is vital for their sustainable development.
Photo: Richard Wainwright
In Sri Lanka, Caritas Australia was able to provide emergency relief after the civil war. When the initial needs of the community were met, Caritas Australia shifted focus to livelihoods programs. This approach ensures long term and sustainable development for the community. By becoming a Caritas Australia Neighbour, your monthly donations will ensure we can stay and work alongside vulnerable communities long into the future.
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