Under the Sun June 2024

WORKING TOWARDS

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TRULY JUST, HEALTHY AND PEACEFUL WORLD

RENEWING LAND AND LIVELIHOODS

PWRDF partner TSURO Trust restores hope in Zimbabwe

BY JACKIE KOSTER, DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS AND PARTNERSHIPS

THE scars are visible.

Deep gullies. Deforested hills. Washed out roads. Five years after Cyclone Idai, the scars are still visible.

It hit Chimanimani, Zimbabwe with unprecedented force. From March 14 to 17 the cyclone’s heavy winds and sustained rainfall triggered landslides and flash floods. But the scars go beyond the landscape. The storm claimed 300 lives, displaced thousands and impacted the livelihoods of over half the population of Chimanimani District.

Livelihoods of people like Mercy Gwegweni. Gwegweni has lived in Zandonyi village since marrying her husband 29 years ago. Together they raised their three children in the village. Though it is remote, it was well connected to nearby centres with good access to schools and health care. But Idai’s flash floods washed out bridges and left many road impassible. The nearest clinic is now a 15 km walk. And Gwegweni is unable to get her tomatoes, once a valuable cash-crop, to market.

COVID worsened the situation. Tourism, already badly affected by the cyclone, all but disappeared in 2020. To make money to buy household essentials some people turned to gold mining. The destruction caused by Idai opened up land to artisanal mining. While mining policies are in place enforcement was limited. Many miners used

chemicals such as mercury and cyanide to separate gold from the ore and soil. This contaminated by-product was freely released into rivers and water catchments creating highly toxic water for those living downstream. This has led to a sharp increase in cyanide poisoning.

Driving through the winding roads of hilly Chimanimani it is easy to understand why tourists would be attracted to the beautiful landscapes. The hilly terrain

is marked with tall eucalypts trees and waterfalls. This unique biosphere represents 30% of Zimbabwe’s biodiversity and is home to 74 species of plants and birds that are only found here. The events of the last five years have demonstrated the fragility of this landscape and the livelihoods that depend on it.

PWRDF’s partner, TRUSO Trust, has been working in Chimanimani for more than 20 years. Founded by farmers coming together to form cooperatives and learn new, sustainable agricultural techniques, TSURO Trust has long been a champion for preserving the unique eco-system of Chimanimani.

A new three-year project has begun to renew and preserve this unique landscape. Working in partnership with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and with support from Global Affairs Canada, the project introduces nature-based solutions (NBS) that aim to protect, manage and restore ecosystems as well as address societal challenges, such as food security.

As Roseline Mukonoweshuro, TSURO’s Nature + Project Manager explains, “It isn’t about choosing livelihoods or the environment but, instead, choosing livelihoods and the environment.”

Jackie Koster, PWRDF’s Director of Programs and Partnerships, had the opportunity to see the work of TSURO Trust with a representative from Global Affairs Canada and the Canadian Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Alder Aristilde.

A SPRING MOMENT

BY MAYERLY DIAZ

In Colombia, ILSA works primarily with women from marginalized communities to develop economic empowerment. PWRDF partnered with ILSA on a four-year project to build agricultural skills and economic independence of women in communities affected by climate change and mining activity. The partnership began in 2019 with a three-year project, and was renewed with a four-year project that will run until October 2026.

For this issue of Under the Sun, ILSA staff member Mayerly Diaz reflects on the theme of renewal in ILSA’s work and in Colombia in general. This reflection has been translated from Spanish.

AT ILSA, we fully support the spirit and idea of cycle renewal. We believe that in Colombia, we are in a “spring” moment because new spaces for social transformation are opening with the current government. There are a series of transitions underway in the public policies of this government and for the first time, social movements find themselves included in some way in the National Development Plan, in the local plans and, of course, in the aspirations and demands of peasant women and environmentalists who are part of the national development plan. They defend strategic and important territories such as the Pisba moorland and they are also reflected in the policies of the National Development Plan. We read this as a spring moment.

If we focus on the process supported by PWRDF, the concept of renewal is evidenced first in renewing discussions by women associates – some long-standing, some new to the process, while others have left; this has allowed a constant intergenerational exchange of knowledge and leadership, or what they call intergenerational relay. Normally the processes are of young or old, but in this process, there has been a mixing of generations. There has also been a renewal of structural ideas that transform immediate and future realities in two ways, that is, the thoughts and practices that older women have been able to leave as a legacy and the innovative or novel contributions that young women contribute. This is a safe space that recognizes both ancestral and novel contributions, achieving a key combination for transformation and with it, community renewal in favour of common goals.

At ILSA, we continue weaving this alliance, from what we can contribute to renewing relationships with the environment, as well as implementing practices which transform bad relationships with nature and ecosystems that have generated the global environmental crisis that is occurring.

Without a doubt, the women who are direct beneficiaries are doing many things for the recovery of the territory, for the Páramos and for a more productive and sustainable relationship with the ecosystem. Read a Q&A with members of ILSA on page 3.

Mercy Gwegweni’s livelihood was destroyed by Cyclone Idai in 2019, but with help from TSURO Trust, she is recovering.

Corn plants are layered with thick grass mulch to preserve moisture amid the drought.

PARTNERSHIPS GROW AND THRIVE

Growing skills for success in Uganda

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GRICULTURE makes up more than a quarter of Uganda’s economy, yet youth from rural, agricultural communities are being left behind as education moves towards preparing them for jobs in industry and the service sector. This has led to a mass exodus of young people to more urban centres in search of lucrative jobs in these alternative sectors.

In 2021, the Uganda Demographic Household survey indicated that less than half of the working age population was employed during the previous calendar year, while secondary school enrollment rates also dropped from 30% in 2016 to 25% in 2017.

To combat the issues of youth unemployment, declining secondary school enrollment and rising malnutrition, PWRDF has renewed its partnership with St. Jude Family Projects, an organization working towards poverty eradication by promoting integrated, organic farming for sustainable livelihoods.

The project will promote agricultural entrepreneurship in the rural communities of Masaka, Rakai, Sembabule and Mpigi in Uganda’s Masaka District. This project began in November 2023 and will run until October 2026. It is PWRDF’s third project in with St. Jude.

“Agroecology for School Nutrition Enhancement and Entrepreneurship” takes a two-pronged approach

to addressing the targeted issues:

• a nutrition component within schools to keep youth fed and well-nourished through the day – a major incentive for young people to attend classes, remain in school, and improve performance.

• a more culturally relevant school curriculum within rural communities and offers activities to develop the agro-ecological entrepreneurial skills of young people, so they can remain in their communities while supporting themselves and their families. Some of the specific activities include learning about soil, soil fertility and water conservation and harvesting for teachers and students, as well as training on comprehensive aspects of agro-ecology. Demonstration gardens and agro-forestry tree saplings will be planted at schools. They will be supported with the construction of underground tarpaulin-walled water harvesting tanks for maintenance of tree nurseries and irrigation of crops.

Appropriate seed and planting materials will be provided to schools for vegetables, fruit, tubers and grains, and will be replenished on a seasonal basis.

Through addressing the issues of hunger and malnutrition, and the impractical approach to agriculture currently offered in schools in Masaka District, this project will reduce youth unemployment and underemployment by nourishing students, keeping them in school longer, and equipping them with practical skills and education to break the cycle of poverty, improve their livelihoods and allow them to stay in their home communities.

Recovering in Kenya

SEVERAL years of severe drought conditions across the Horn of Africa have left many communities facing extreme food insecurity and famine. Crops and livestock have been devastated, leading to an increase in food prices, and inter-ethnic conflicts over scarce resources. One of the worst-hit regions is Marsabit County, Kenya, which has witnessed the death of over a million animals.

In 2022, PWRDF joined a response from the Humanitarian Coalition (as a member of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank), to the emerging crisis in the Horn of Africa. Working alongside local partner, Church World Service (CWS) Kenya, the initial response saw food transfers sent to 4,000 of the most vulnerable households – feeding approximately 20,000 people. By 2023, the severe drought continued with no end in sight, marking six missed rainy seasons, the worst drought in the region in 40 years. PWRDF extended its partnership

Warming Ukrainians in winter

SINCE Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, PWRDF has been supporting Ukrainian organization Fight for Right. Founded in 2017 by a group of Ukrainian women with disabilities, Fight for Right seeks to provide support and improve health and safety for people living with disabilities. Ongoing war and Russian occupation have made life for those with limited mobility or impaired vision increasingly difficult. To date, Fight for Right has supported nearly 20,000 Ukrainians living with disabilities.

During the height of the invasion, Fight for Right shifted its focus to provide emergency humanitarian aid, successfully evacuating more than 1,500 people with disabilities and their families to safer areas. This, as well as emergency medical aid, was made possible through the PWRDF-supported TEPLO project. The project is also providing essential medications, rehabilitation, and more than a thousand units of assistive technologies, including wheelchairs, hearing aids, crutches and more.

Freezing temperatures, snow and ice are particularly challenging for Ukrainians with disabilities. TEPLO provides adequate clothing and other supplies needed to survive the winter for those in need. In 2023, TEPLO provided 6,000 people with power banks, heaters and gas stoves. The program also provided warm clothing and other warm essential non-food items for internally displaced people and cash assistance for winterization.

Preparing for disaster in Cuba

LONG-STANDING and massive sanctions placed on Cuba by the United States decades ago, as well as more recent restrictions, have left Cuba with limited financial resources and access to trade, with devastating consequences on the country’s supply of food, medicines and medical supplies and other essential resources. Further, natural disasters like Hurricane Irma and COVID-19 further decimated the already-limited resources within communities.

PWRDF has partnered with the Episcopal Church of Cuba (ECC) for more than 10 years, working within the country on the Integral Development Program (PDM). The PDM – which was renewed for a new phase in August 2023 – aims to create disaster management preparedness and resilience, including improved diets, reduced food scarcity, and increased economic independence for families living in lowincome and rural communities across the country. The program has a particular focus on empowering women, mothers and their children. Through the PDM, community members learn about saving money and other strategies for financial security, good agriculture practices, animal husbandry and food conservation, while some people will also be trained to become leaders in these initiatives.

In 2020, PDM project participants who were trained in climaterelated disaster resilience, were able to use their skills to respond to the pandemic. Local Community Promoters sprang into action, with special care given to the most vulnerable community members. Within days, thousands of COVID-19 related information materials were produced and distributed in schools, churches and other community spaces. Community members also donated fabric and came together to create cloth masks, with an aim to reduce the spread of the virus. This new program phase will build upon best practices and lessons learned during previous phases, seeking to further engage local communities, responding to their needs as they identify them.

with CWS to provide even more food ration baskets to more households. A typical basket included 50 kg of maize flour, 10 kg of red kidney beans, 3 litres of cooking oil and 0.5 kg of iodized salt. Families with pregnant and lactating women and children under two – which account for approximately 50% of households – also received 5 kg of nutritional supplement Corn Soya Blend Plus each month.

Towards the end of 2023, rain finally returned to the Horn of Africa. But the road to recovery is long. PWRDF renewed its partnership with CWS Kenya as it transitions its support to an early recovery phase. This extended project phase – which concluded in February 2024 – provided 330 households with community rehabilitation activities such as cash-for-work, replacing lost livelihood inputs, and training in sustainable and climate resilient food production and livelihood activities. This training included poultry raising, kitchen gardens, village savings and loans associations, pasture conservation and gender equity.

Scan this code with your device to view a video of ECC’s Dr. José Bringas at PWRDF’s AGM in 2023.

St. Jude Family Projects leads young people in planting trees as part of a reforestation program.

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NEW LIFE IN COLOMBIA’S PÁRAMOS

Participants in ILSA’s “Building alternatives for good living with rural women of the municipalities of Pisba Páramo” share their reflections on renewal in March 2024. Translation by Jeannethe Lara.

What does the theme of renewal mean to you?

Adelina Córdoba Parada: Renewal is very important. I feel that at the beginning [of this project] I was a seed and I blossomed individually and collectively with what it means to be a woman, and now I can continue to strengthen myself and apply my learnings through the process, replicating and reaching many more women in my region.

Claudia Pidiache Ruíz: Personally, renewal has been a fundamental pillar of the woman that I am rebuilding in myself. I learned to end cycles that had been hurting me, to leave the past behind, not to torture my mind for things that no longer have a solution, but to be a physically capable, and mentally stable woman to all the challenges that come my way in the course of life.

Yoley Duran Duran: Renewal is very important, because to know, recognize or learn better the issues to address, is to be able to make clear, concrete proposals that bring new ideas to the territories and end up making an impact, that is, achieving significant changes in policies, but also in society.

How has ILSA’s project helped you with agriculture and your livelihood?

ACP: The project has contributed to the development of our agriculture and farm field work, to be more aware of the importance of the care and protection of our mother nature, a healthier interaction with her, respect for the new generations so they could enjoy what we enjoy to

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this day. In the same way, it has transformed our mind with the acquisition of new knowledge that we have applied in the territories and in our organizations and communities.

CPR: The project has strengthened our knowledge and the ancestral knowledge of the older women, and the younger friends have taught us to apply new techniques that are friendlier to our mother earth. The project has also helped us to be economically stable women.

YDD: The project has affected us in a very positive way since we have learned to better value our work and that of other colleagues. It is also a great support for our independence and economic and personal growth.

How has the project helped you in protecting or improving the ecosystem and your life?

ACP: The project has helped me learn how to defend the Páramos through legal means, and how to mobilize ourselves to learn the mechanisms with which we must defend our territories and ecosystems. In addition, I learned how to care for, propagate and plant native trees in areas that need it to protect water. I also learned to look for strategies and allies that help us conserve and protect life in our territories and even to link all the people who inhabit it.

CPR: It has given us more opportunity to continue growing in our personal lives and it has improved our quality of life and that of others, in addition to the contributions that we give back to the planet. For example, the beekeeping project and the orchards focused on caring for the environment and protecting pollinator species.

YDD: We learned an organizational way of working in common unity and to value the time of the other colleagues as well as teamwork, problem solving and management. In

WRDF has a new face on the Fundraising and Supporter Relations team. In January 2024, Abdi Ali joined PWRDF full-time as the new Supporter Relations Program Officer. He replaces Christine Hills, who retired in December 2023 after more than 20 years with PWRDF. Abdi first joined PWRDF in October 2023 as the part-time World of Gifts Assistant. If you called to make a World of Gifts donation over the phone, you may already recognize Abdi! In his new role, Abdi will be supporting PWRDF's Fundraising and Supporter Relations team and our volunteer network.

"I'm very excited to meet PWRDF supporters and volunteers, as we work towards the shared mission of contributing to a brighter tomorrow,” Ali said.

the ecosystem, we have seen better livelihood alternatives and different ways of earning money while being friendly and respecting the environment, since there are economic production practices that were being developed and that affected the Páramos such as the planting of potatoes or onions, livestock and others that have been replaced by friendlier forms such as beekeeping or community ecotourism, among others.

What does spring mean for the Páramos ecosystem and for you?

ACP: The Páramos can recharge from the rain, winds, and sun that spring brings. For me it is a very beautiful process, to see how from the ground the sprouts of new lives that fill my environment with harmony emerge. It is beautiful to see my garden fill with much more life and to see the strength with which the plants grow, and above all, the new petals of the flowers that fill the life of the countryside with colour. Even after the recent fires,, especially the one in the Berlin Páramos located in the department of Santander, something unimaginable happened. Days after the great fire, it rained, and the frailejones (native and endemic plants of the Páramos) that seemed to be incinerated, sprouted.

CPR: Spring is the symbol of renewal, the hope of a better tomorrow, and the opportunity for life for all.

YDD: Just as spring is important for other types of ecosystems, it is also important here since it helps the propagation of species, especially flora, but also fauna that are in the moors. Spring allows the ecosystem to continue to exist and be conserved as a whole. I believe that nature is wise and for this reason the more natural each process, the better, to continue the cycle of life.

HURRICANE FIONA UPDATE

On September 24, 2022, Hurricane Fiona made landfall in the Maritimes and Atlantic Canada. The category 4 hurricane caused power outages and loss of property on a devastating scale. PWRDF donors responded quickly and generously. After consultation with representatives from affected dioceses, PWRDF transferred $50,000 to the Diocese of Nova Scotia and PEI.

To date, PWRDF funds have supported several important efforts as the Diocese rebuilds and recovers, including the installation of storm-resistant doors at St. Mary’s in Port Dufferin, a community climate crisis forum at Christ Church, Dartmouth, eco-anxiety and mental health workshops in the Parish of Aylesford and Berwick, support to strengthen Eastern Shore Parishes for coastal ecosystems and climate change preparedness, and much more.

Adelina Córdoba Parada is a member of ILSA.

The frailehones, a native plant of the Páramos, have sprouted, seemingly up from the ashes, after being engulfed by fire.

BY ABDI ALI Supporter Relations Program Officer

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PREPARING FOR CLIMATE DISASTER

Christ Church, Dartmouth, in the Diocese of Nova Scotia and PEI, took proactive steps towards climate crisis preparedness with their workshop titled “Climate Crisis Preparedness: Physical and Mental: Building Neighbourhood Resilience.” The event featured presentations from certified counsellor Nancy Blair, middle school teacher David Paterson and Emma Norton from the Recover Initiative NGO. Blair addressed mental preparedness for the climate crisis, emphasizing that anxiety is a natural response to the world’s challenges. Paterson shared innovative teaching techniques to help students visualize the climate future. Norton highlighted her organization’s efforts to promote deep retrofits of buildings for reduced carbon footprints. Andy Sherin – PWRDF’s parish representative at Christ Church – led an asset-based community development process, encouraging participants to identify and apply neighbourhood assets to climate resilience actions. Christ Church plans to implement several of these actions, supported by a grant from the PWRDF Hurricane Fiona Fund.

GOAT GET’EM

During Lent 2024, the Cathedral Church of the Redeemer in Calgary organized an inspiring and effective PWRDF Almsgiving Project. The narthex was filled with a symbolic display of goats with the goal of collecting a minimum of $480 to purchase a dozen goats for community health workers in Malawi. The project was aptly named “Goat Get’em.”

In the heart of Malawi, goats play a vital role in not only providing protein but also supplementing the income of Partners in Health Community Health Workers. In the end, individual parishioners and church groups (including the choir) donated enough funds to purchase 37 goats!

MUSIC FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE

St. Matthew’s, Islington in the Diocese of Toronto raised $2,000 through a benefit concert for Ukraine on February 4, 2024. Located in the west end of Toronto, St. Matthew’s holds a special connection with a significant Ukrainian immigrant population, many of whom arrived as refugees in the aftermath of the outbreak of war in 2022. The concert featured the exceptional talents of soprano Natalya Gennadi, pianists/ keyboardists Michael Arnowitt, Liliana Benker, and Tyler Versluis, and violinist Anton Yeretsky. The program included unique selection of contemporary compositions by Ukrainian artists and resonated with the audience. More than $2,000 was raised to support Ukraine through PWRDF’s partners there.

COMMUNITY COMPASSION MAKES A GLOBAL IMPACT

Last December, the Anglican Parish of Cambridge & Waterborough in New Brunswick successfully completed their 9th annual Advent Challenge for PWRDF, raising an impressive $1,465. Using PWRDF’s World of Gifts guide, parishioners selected meaningful gifts for partners in countries across the globe. They contributed $600 to Goats for Health Workers in Malawi and $400 towards PWRDF’s equity in the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. Individual donors further added $170 to the campaign and Toonies for AIDS added $342.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND HONORARY ASSOCIATES

You’ve seen the good work of PWRDF and want to do more. You are ready to give more of your valuable time to help make a world of difference. Or maybe, you know someone who is passionate about PWRDF. We are currently seeking nominations for the following two categories:

• Board of Directors – PWRDF is searching for individuals with backgrounds in global development and relief, environment, law and ethics, refugees and migration, financial management and business, fundraising and building alliances, Indigenous affairs and labour relations.

• Honorary Associates – This honour is given to individuals who have given prolonged and exceptional volunteer service to PWRDF. Applications must be received by June 28, 2024, 5 p.m. ET. For more details or to nominate someone, visit pwrdf.org/board-of-directors.

FROM KITCHEN TO FARM

The Bishop’s Kitchen Party at Holy Trinity Emmanuel Parish in Dartmouth, N.S. united about 100 people from across Dartmouth for a rousing good time. Musician Bryan Cable entertained the group and Archdeacon Katherine Bourbonniere was the night’s emcee, with a special appearance from National Indigenous Archbishop Chris Harper. The Parish’s collective support of the “Buy a Farm” campaign in honour of Bishop Sandra Fyfe’s ministry helped raised $4,077 for PWRDF. These funds supported nine food security projects in eight countries.