| News | |
| Thailand: today is the day to push for mine clearance |
| Project Updates | |
| Haiti: three schools rise in rural areas |
| Spotlight | |
| Rwanda: suspended lives, waiting for a durable solution for Congolese refugees |
| Voices | |
| Cambodia: surviving mines and war was just the beginning Philippines: carpentry in a post-conflict and post-disaster community |
| Campaigns | |
| Ethiopia: Somali women refugees, more hopeful now than ever |
| Dispatches is a fortnightly e-mail bulletin of the JRS International Office. It features refugee news briefings, press releases, featured articles and project updates from our people in the field. |
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Thailand: today is the day to push for mine clearance
Bangkok, 4 April 2012 – In more than 70 countries today, the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, thousands of people will roll up their trouser legs and stand side-by-side with survivors and communities affected by landmines. These campaigners will be taking part in Lend your Leg – an inspirational global day of action launched last month – to call for an end to the curse of anti-personnel mines. Lend your leg today. "With the simple action of rolling up your pant leg we want to remind the world that landmines still present a huge danger and continue to devastate many innocent lives. We want all landmines in Thailand to be cleared by 2018 in accordance with the deadlines set out in article five of the Mine Ban Treaty", said Norwegian People's Aid Thailand Programme Manager, Aksel Steen-Nilsen. In 2001, Thailand had around 2,557 square kilometres of mine-affected areas. After 10 years of de-mining by NGOs like the Thailand Mine Action Center (TMAC), around 528 square kilometres of suspected and confirmed hazardous areas are now left to be cleared, according to the Level 1 Survey by Norwegian People's Aid. In addition to four humanitarian mine action units, four demining NGOs are working using the Land Release methodology. "We believe this approach will speed up mine clearance operations, and if Thailand has commitment from the top, this will enable the country to meet its deadline", added Aksel. "Raising awareness and providing assistance for mine action and victims is very important. Thailand has made significant progress over the past 13 years. The quality of the lives of survivors has been increased significantly, but some of my friends still can not access [specialised] services very easily. We really hope the effort will continue and victims on the ground will receive more benefit from this. I don't want to see any more new victims in Thailand in the future", said the leader of the Pong Nam Ron Landmine Survivor Network in Chanthaburi province, Chusak Saelee. Haiti: three schools rise in rural areas
Thiotte, 19 April 2012 – Students in three communities in and around this small town of Thiotte in the mountains of Haiti have been able to move into new schools because of a partnership between Jesuit Refugee Service USA and the Sacred Heart Parish. JRS USA has contributed US$135,000 for the construction of the three new schools, and is providing a stipend for teachers of US$5,000 to each school for two years. In additional, JRS USA provided US$25,500 for 560 desks at the three schools. The St Mary Magdalene School in central Thiotte was built on an empty lot behind the church. Construction started last July and the school opened on 5 December. Currently there are 220 students in total, enrolled in three preschool classes, one elementary and two middle school classes. There are eight teachers, who, like those at the other two schools, were recruited through the parish. Although the teachers are not yet professional, they have received training and will gain teaching experience at St Mary Magdalene before completing their training. "The students are very happy. They never had classrooms or school materials before, now they have chairs, desks and a recreation area. It is like a fantasy", said Fr Louiders Jean Pierre of Sacred Heart Parish. "It's like entering a new house", added school principal Wilcar Theodore. Faced with challenges. After the earthquake of January 2010, more than 7,000 people were displaced from the affected area and sought shelter with relatives in Thiotte. Another influx consisted of people who returned from the Dominican Republic to help care for family members affected by the earthquake. As a result, enrolment in local primary schools increased about 25 percent. The second school, St Anthony’s, has risen in the jungle in the remote Bois d'Orme area near Thiotte. The Bois d'Orme community is isolated and the road is terrible and rocky. It is a single-track up and down steep hills through dense trees, and can only be driven in four-wheel drive equipped vehicles. People walking it have to step into the brush to make way for passing trucks. Students had previously been meeting outdoors under tarpaulins, but their new school has five classrooms, an office and a latrine. "There are currently 78 students, but each day more students show up. Word of mouth spreads the news about classes and so more students attend", said Fr Jean Pierre. The 'nearby' public school is over-crowded – nearby being a relative term, as it means a strenuous hike over several hills in the rugged landscape – and Fr Jean Pierre believes some students will leave there to attend the new parish school. "Normally, Bois d'Orme is a farming community, but the rains were light last year which caused additional hardships. In addition to farming, community members trade goods at the Dominican Republic border, which is not far. This is one of the poorest communities along the border," said Fr Jean Pierre. Many children attending school are underfed, and Fr Jean Pierre is seeking a way to provide a meal or two to them while they are at school. The third new school is St Michael's, on the grounds of a church on the mountain road outside Thiotte. St Michael's currently has 113 students, and classes started in the new building in October 2011. Previously students met in the dilapidated church. The project to bring these schools to Thiotte leveraged community support to bring the building phase to a successful conclusion. Locally available building materials and labour were instrumental in the construction of the new schools. The long-term outlook for the schools of Sacred Heart Parish is good, as at least two of them have already been in operation for five years. Additionally, the Diocesan office will absorb the upkeep costs of the new buildings and infrastructure. The move into the new buildings bodes well for the continued education of students in the area. Jesuit Refugee Service USA believes that given educational opportunities, young people are able to build their communities and thus to strengthen and stabilise their countries for generations to come. Rwanda: suspended lives, waiting for a durable solution for Congolese refugees
Kigali, 10 April 2012 – For 17 years, Congolese refugees in Rwanda have had no choice but to live in three immense, overcrowded camps. Of the 55,000 refugees, many have lived there since birth and know no other life. For some, the idea of a world outside seems as foreign as another planet. The great majority fled the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as the country disintegrated into conflict shortly after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Many share the same deep desire to return home to the valleys of North and South Kivu, but are sadly aware that the perennial conflict raging around their former villages makes this highly improbable. In the interim, they find themselves living like prisoners, locked up and suspended in an eternal limbo with little space to build a future. JRS has been working in two camps in Rwanda since 1996 – Kiziba in the east and Gihembe in the north – offering a range of education services at nursery, primary and secondary levels. Assistance is also provided to those in the most vulnerable circumstances: older persons, persons with disabilities, orphans, widows and single parents. Speaking to staff on the ground in the two camps every morning, they will tell you they are committed to restoring in refugees the dignity they deserve, confidence in themselves and hope for the future. Few possibilities. But what future is possible? Officially there are three ‘durable solutions': voluntary repatriation to their country of origin, integration into the host country with consequent granting of Rwandese nationality, and resettlement in a third country. Although many refugees want to return home, a land rich in natural resources where earning a living might not be so difficult, they know it is a remote possibility. In the eastern DRC, particularly North and South Kivu, instability and insecurity reign due to the presence of numerous armed rebel groups. Refugees know this, and have resigned themselves to wait for better times. The possibility of integrating into Rwandese society inspires even less hope, as it is not likely to become a concrete reality. This small landlocked country is one of the most densely populated in the world, and it is desperately difficult for a refugee to find work or a portion of land to farm. In practice, none of the refugees in Kiziba or Gihembe will tell you that deep down they cherish hope of becoming a Rwandese citizen. They are well aware the difficulties involved would outnumber the advantages. Resettlement in a third country, such as the US or Canada represents a wonderful dream for many refugees, who have given up the idea of going home and would prefer to live in a highly industrialised nation. The resettlement quota for refugees in Rwanda in 2011 was 1,100. This year, UNHCR hopes that this figure will double. Although this solution may appear enticing and effective, it is still a privilege only for the rare few. In the meantime, they will continue in camps, where they depend on humanitarian agencies for all their services, with little hope of employment in the formal economy, until one day someone makes a decision to end their limbo. Danilo Giannese, Regional Communications and Advocacy Officer, JRS Great Lakes Cambodia: surviving mines and war was just the beginning
Siem Reap, 5 April 2012 – "If you write about my story, you'll never finish". Han chuckles, revealing a mouthful of dark, empty crevices. Her teeth are yellowed and cracked, but don't be fooled by her appearance life has not worn her down yet. In more ways than one, Han is a typical middle-aged Khmer woman. She doesn't remember the year she was born and tries not to remember the horrors of the Pol Pot era. She does, however, remember the day she stepped on a landmine. She was fifteen years old when she was ordered by the occupying soldiers to "clear the forest", a tactic often used in the war to verify an area was clear of landmines and other explosive remnants of war before soldiers themselves would cross. This time, it wasn't. Living in a remote village 60 kilometres away, it took hours to reach the from Siem Reap hospital. But had it been closer, it wouldn't have made a difference. The blast had completely taken off Han's left leg. After a month in hospital, Han eventually went back to her village only to be thrown out of her neighbour's home where she had been living since the death of her family under Pol Pot. Destitute and alone, Han lost hope. "I didn't think that I could keep on living..." she leans back in her chair and looks down at her three-year-old grandson. He is playing on the ground beside her now broken, footless prosthetic. A moment passes before she looks up and smiles warmly, saying "but then my village leader started to help me. They built me a little house and slowly I got better… My hope came back." Never giving up. Like most Cambodian women, this incident marks only one of many challenges that Han has had to face in her lifetime. Only 45 (she estimates), Han has suffered the tragedy of having lost her husband and four of her six children. She struggles to support her remaining two children and two grandchildren, particularly since the floods ravaged her village in September of last year, destroying the livelihood of the entire community. No doubt, this will be a very hungry season ahead. Han does not want to talk about the remaining landmines that she fears surround her village, the death of her children or the devastation caused by the floods. Currently, Han's main concern is her eighteen-year-old daughter who she tells me is experiencing "bad spirits". Han pulls up the sleeves of her shirt to reveal bite wounds along her arms. Flustered, concerned, confused, Han immediately begins to tell me stories of her daughter who presumably is experiencing some sort of psychological trauma; something so unexplainable in rural Cambodia that "bad spirits" is the only possible explanation. "Bad spirits haunt my family…" she tells me while shaking her head. "Today has been a difficult day..." When asked how she gets by on the more challenging days, she suddenly throws back her head and laughs at the naiveté of such a question. "No one else can stand up and take care of my family! I must continue!" For Han, the answer was obvious. Philippines: carpentry in a post-conflict and post-disaster community
Bubong, 16 April 2012 – Fortunato Anggot, 56 years old, has been a carpenter since he travelled with his father as a 16-year old apprentice. "I've learned carpentry from my father, who was called to build houses in many places", he said while fixing a window jam. Perhaps that explains why he has brought his own 18-year old son along for this assignment. JRS hired Natoy, as friends call him, to build permanent houses for the 50 Muslim families who lost their homes during the typhoon Sendong that hit Bubong, Lanao del Sur in December 2011. It is the rainy season, so Natoy and his son are sheltered in the village hall where they live and work, shaping wood into doors and windows. Natoy has been doing carpentry in post-disaster and post-conflict Muslim communities in Mindanao for four years. The JRS local partner, MuCAARD, first hired him to build core shelters for Muslim families whose houses were burnt during the 2008 violence. "I have worked in places where it is hard to sleep soundly at night. I always remember the exit route in case armed groups decide to attack", he said. But the Muslim residents here have assured him of his safety as he builds their houses. "They respect me even if I am a Christian and I have no problem with them". The place where Natoy lives is a mixed community of Christians and Muslims. His brother has married a Muslim. In 2008, his town in Kolambugan, Lanao del Sur was attacked by Moro rebels and houses would have been completely burned down, if not for the intervention of Muslim leaders living with them. Rebuilding a community. Back in Bubong, Natoy assesses the task ahead. He has already put up 15 houses with the assistance of the community. The family who will own the house helps haul the timber and provide an extra hand in the laborious process of roofing, walling, and flooring. "There are aspects in building the house that I have to personally take over such as scaling and measurements, polishing the timber to shape", Natoy said, explaining the technical components of carpentry. But the work is not always smooth. There are times when the extra help is not there, as families must work on farms or gather pebbles to sell instead of helping him finish the house. There are more houses to be built after the first 15 are finished. Natoy remains positive to accomplish his task despite the challenges: irregular rains in summer, the strong winds last week that blew away the roof of some houses, and the ongoing rido (clan conflict) that turned violent in March. Watching Natoy fit the zinc roof into the structure and work with the family who will live in the house, I can see his commitment. I can also see that something more than housing is being built in this Muslim community. Trust and dialogue about life emerge between him, a Christian carpenter, and the Muslim community with whom he works. It struck me that in the end, this dialogue of life and faith often becomes more solid and enduring in the process of reconciliation in post-conflict and post-disaster communities than the physical houses they will build. "I work as hard as I can and people know that. I have a commitment to build these houses for the typhoon survivors in this area", he said. Louie Bacomo, JRS Asia Pacific Regional Programmes Officer Ethiopia: Somali women refugees, more hopeful now than ever
Dollo Ado, 16 April 2012 – Everything about the demeanour of the Somali refugees in Melkadida camp who participated in the International Women's Day celebrations last month encapsulated their desire and hope for change. Melkadida, host to more than 40,000 people, is among the many refugee camps hosting Somali refugees in southeast Ethiopia, on the border with Somalia and Kenya. Thousands of Somalis were forced to flee their homeland because of the deteriorating political and security situation, the absence of a clear state protection, drought, failed harvests, violence and poverty. It is the women and children who bear the brunt of the failure of the Somali state to protect its citizens. Already disadvantaged in many different ways within Somali society, the continued disintegration of the state only aggravates this experience. Despite the difficulties they continue to face in accessing adequate education and health services, decent housing and sufficient food, the women have demonstrated their ability to cope. The resilience of Melkadida women. The women's day celebration in Melkadida camp was a clear expression of this resilience. Amidst the daily challenges faced by women refugees, their resilience demonstrates that today's struggles produce a better tomorrow not only for themselves, but for the world over. The day began with women leading a march around the camp, holding banners and placards stating their demands. One read "Girls should also attend school", and another, "Stop the violence against women". These clear, precise messages, directed especially at the men in the audience, were followed later with speeches by women leaders. As the activities of the day progressed, the women sang and danced to locally-composed Somali music, and performed dramas. With a strong, clear and united voice, they demanded respect and equal access to services and opportunities. The confidence with which they voiced their demands proves that their daily struggles to improve the lot of women refugees in the camp have not been in vain. Somali women in Melkadida have become the face of the struggle for others in vulnerable circumstances whose marginalised backgrounds have not stood in their way of demanding change in their treatment, and promoting their real desires, aspirations and dreams for future progress. As the main breadwinners for their families, women bake food, sell it in the Suka (small shops) and graze goats and sheep. What many believed were the limits to what the women can achieve must now sit back and take notice. Hope as an engine of renewal. Their ability to adapt to life in different contexts will serve them as they respond to future challenges. Somali women have demonstrated that hope remains the engine of renewal. On International Women's Day, they used their past suffering as an opportunity to press forward and demand changes to a status quo that, today more than ever, continues to threaten the well-being of women. Discrimination in education and the workplace, gender-based violence and disrespect for women's rights remain challenges. In showing that dignity, respect and peace know no gender and transcend cultural, religious, political, social and ideological boundaries, the Somali women showed that JRS efforts have not been fruitless. We must redouble our efforts to ensure that the change which began as a small seed in the lives of many Somali women may provide a contribution, however tiny, towards fundamental change in the lives of many more. Godfrey Ogena and Firkite Tarekegn Psychosocial team, Dollo Ado district JRS Ethiopia |
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| JRS DISPATCHES is sent from the International Office of the Jesuit Refugee Service, CP 6139, 00193 Roma Prati, Italy. Tel: +39-06 68977468 Fax: +39-06 6897 7461; Email: dispatches@jrs.net; JRS online: http://www.jrs.net; Publisher: Peter Balleis SJ; Editor: James Stapleton; Translation: Carles Casals (Spanish), Edith Castel (French), Simonetta Russo (Italian). JRS Dispatches No. 316 Editor: James Stapleton |
