Issuu

Supporter Update

WINTER 2013

Act for Peace

OR F E N I Z A TERS EW MAG

POR P U S E C A E ACT FOR P

Urgent need in Syria: how your gifts are helping Your gifts in action in Iraq, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe Australians fill the Christmas Bowl

Act for Peace is the international aid agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia and a member of the global ACT Alliance. ABN 64 493 941 795

Richard Wainwright/Act for Peace

In this edition

We hope you enjoy reading this magazine. If you’d prefer not to receive it in the future, just let us know by calling 1800 025 101 or emailing us at info@actforpeace.org.au.

Helping drought-hit farmers feed their families in Zimbabwe................................3 Keeping children safe in Iraq...............................................................................................................4 Hope after conflict in Sri Lanka........................................................................................................5 Syria crisis: how your gifts are keeping families safe and healthy.........................6 Want to take action for peace?.........................................................................................................8 A bulletproof Arms Trade Treaty: you helped make it happen................................9 “We have so much to learn from others”: Act for Peace supporter profile......................................................................................................10 Australians fill the Christmas Bowl............................................................................................... 11

Connect with us at facebook.com/actforpeace and twitter.com/ actforpeace for regular updates on the people you’re supporting.

agency and faith-based non-government organisations, which will help strengthen protection for the 40 million refugees, internally displaced, and stateless people worldwide. Many of our projects involve being part of a global network working for change. That was certainly the case with the international campaign for an Arms Trade Treaty. The success of that campaign is a tribute to people all over the world - including you, our supporters - who spoke up for a global treaty that will save lives. You can read more about the success on page 9. Act for Peace supporters were among those who received honours in the Queen’s Birthday honours list. Congratulations to those of you who were recognised in this way. I’d like to pay a special tribute to the Most Reverend Michael Putney, President of the National Council of Churches in Australia, who has been made a Member of the Order of Australia. I’m very proud of all that we are able to achieve together. Thank you for your generous support — without it, our programs and campaigns would simply not be possible. I hope you enjoy this edition of Supporter Update. In peace,

From the Executive Director Welcome to your first edition of Supporter Update. I’m excited to have this new opportunity to let you know about how your gifts are helping people from some of the most conflict-affected places in the world - like Syria and Iraq - and to celebrate the generosity and commitment of you, our supporters. As an agency, we’re committed to building a community of people who are passionate about peace and standing alongside the vulnerable, and to finding practical ways for you to be part of this. One example is International Day of Peace this September - turn to page 8 to find out how you and your church or community group can get involved.

EXCITING INITIATIVES

We’re working on some exciting initiatives at the moment, including: a major peace building program with faithbased organisations in Myanmar; enhancing protection for vulnerable people in Afghanistan; and assisting our partners in developing Community Safety Committees. And, as I write this column, a member of our staff has just finished moderating a dialogue between the UN refugee

Alistair Gee Executive Director

SYRIA PALESTINE

SOUTH SUDAN

Front cover: Sixteenyear-old Hana, who fled Syria with her family, is now receiving emergency assistance and going to school with the help of your gifts. Read her story on page 7.

IRAQ

AFGHANISTAN PAKISTAN

BURMA/MYANMAR

TAMIL NADU, INDIA ETHIOPIA SOMALIA

PHILIPPINES SRI LANKA SOLOMON ISLANDS VANUATU

ZIMBABWE

AUSTRALIA ACT FOR PEACE PARTNERS ACT ALLIANCE MEMBERS

FIJI TONGA

YOUR GIFTS IN ACTION Helping drought-hit farmers feed their families in Zimbabwe Shami So Mpofu lives in the village of Marufu, in the Masvingo province of southern Zimbabwe. Farmers here are suffering because of increasingly unpredictable rainfall, which makes it difficult to plan when to plant their crops. It means they can’t grow enough to feed their families and keep their children healthy, or to pay for essentials such as clothing. But, with your support, all this is starting to change. Your gifts are supporting a garden and nutrition project here, which is already having remarkable results. You’re providing training, so farmers like Shami learn to save rainwater and introduce more sustainable farming methods. And you’re also helping to distribute seed varieties which can grow in dry conditions. For Shami and her community, life has been transformed. “There are 40 households in our village that are part of the project, and everyone works in the garden,” says Shami. “The project has benefited us with much better crops. We can sell the excess vegetables to provide money for school fees and clothing for our children.” This is just one example of how the poorest and most vulnerable people in Zimbabwe are fighting back against the effects of climate change. With your help, the farmers here are planting vegetables like sweet cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, onions and pumpkin. It all means their children are getting a healthy, nutritious diet. “The project has also provided us with training on the nutritional benefits of vegetables,” says Shami. “We are thankful for all of our supporters, including Act for Peace. You have changed our lives. Thank you!” Act for Peace Partners Malcolm and Gloria McArthur travelled to Zimbabwe as part of a study tour with Act for Peace in 2012. Read their first-hand account of the farmers they met on page 10.

We now have much better crops and excess produce to sell and help us look after our families.

Nearly 1,200 farmers in Zimbabwe are enjoying better crop yields thanks to conservation farming. $25 can provide a vegetable seed pack for a nutrition garden that can support up to 20 families. To give to Act for Peace today complete the enclosed reply slip, call 1800 025 101 or visit www.actforpeace.org.au/zimbabwe

YOUR GIFTS IN ACTION

“Children will now grow up safer thanks to this knowledge.” Keeping children safe in Iraq In March we wrote to many of you about the work your gifts have supported in Iraq, a country littered with landmines and cluster bombs as a result of decades of conflict. These deadly remnants of war pose an especially grave risk to children, who often mistake mines for toys or play things. We recently heard from our partner, the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), which is working in Iraq to provide education on the risks posed by landmines. This education is part of the curriculum at Brayeti primary school, in northern Iraq. With the help of your gifts, children are taught what landmines and explosive weapons look like, and what to do if they see one. Mahdi Khalil Mohammed teaches fourth grade at Brayeti.

She says that having mine risk education within the school syllabus is having a powerful impact both among students, and in the wider community. “I am very happy and proud to deliver mine risk education messages,” she says. “Children will now grow up safer thanks to this knowledge, and also share it with friends and family, further helping the community. “MAG’s support to the school has been very good. We need to continue with follow up and refresher training so we are kept up to date with new messages and teaching materials. We hope more teachers will receive training in the future.” Thank you for helping to keep children safe in one of the most heavily landmine-affected countries in the world.

With education, children are kept safer from deadly landmines and other remnants of war. Sean Sutton/MAG

Sean Sutton/MAG

YOUR GIFTS IN ACTION Hope after conflict in Sri Lanka You may remember Kamala, a young Sri Lankan woman whose story we shared when we wrote to you about our Christmas Bowl appeal last year. Kamala fled the violence of civil war in her homeland for the safety of a refugee camp in Tamil Nadu in south east India. We caught up with Kamala again earlier this year in Vavuniya, northern Sri Lanka, where she and her family have now safely returned. Kamala and her husband are among the hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans who were forced to flee as a result of the civil war that gripped their country between 1983 and 2009. It was a bombing close to their home in 2007 that drove them out of their country to Tamil Nadu - but they vowed to return when it was safe to do so. Their daughter, Sruthi, was born in the refugee camp that was their temporary home. It was not an easy place to bring up a child - but they were safe from the conflict, and support from people across Australia through Act for Peace helped to provide vital health care to their baby. As well as this, Kamala learned new skills to help prepare her for life back in Sri Lanka. Today, Kamala is working as a nurse and Sruthi, now six years old, pictured at right with Kamala, has been going to primary school since January. With help from our program partner in Sri Lanka, Kamala and her husband are hoping to breed livestock, so they can earn extra income to support their family. “I am very happy from having come back to Sri Lanka,” says Kamala. “There is nothing like being in your own land. In India we were looked after very well but I am so glad to have returned to my own country.” Thanks to your support, coupled with grants from the Australian Government, Act for Peace has helped to provide shelters for families who have returned to Sri Lanka. We’re also giving support that will help families to start again, including cows, goats and chickens; fishing nets; and tools for small businesses, such as sewing machines. And thousands more returned refugees and displaced people in Sri Lanka are being given the vital documentation they need to access basic government health services, education for their children or land titles. Your gifts have given people like Kamala hope of a new beginning - thank you.

LEAVE A GIFT IN YOUR WILL & MAKE A LASTING DIFFERENCE By remembering Act for Peace with a gift in your will, you will be making a unique and lasting commitment. Your legacy will help us continue to provide aid and life-changing support to people who need it most. For more information on how to leave a gift in your will, please contact Howard Graham on 1800 025 101 or hgraham@actforpeace.org.au.

There is nothing like being in your own land.

EMERGENCIES

Syria crisis: how your gifts are keeping families safe and healthy Fifty-year-old Nisreen, pictured above with her granddaughter, lived a happy life with her husband and family in Syria. She worked picking tomatoes, and her husband was a labourer. The conflict in Syria changed all that. “They came and they slaughtered the people,” Nisreen recalls of the day the violence reached their village. There was an old man and they entered his house and slaughtered him. There was a car full of youth carrying some groceries … and suddenly we saw an army car come and hit them with artillery. One of them was the son of our neighbour. It’s something that makes your heart hurt.” Nisreen’s house, like others in the village, was burned to the ground. With nothing but the clothes on their backs, Nisreen and many of her family fled their village in fear for their lives. Nisreen had to face unimaginable violence, but she and 13 others from her family are now safe in Zaatari refugee camp in northern Jordan. Your gifts are helping to provide people in the camp with shelter, food and safety.

Our partners are working hard, but they are struggling to keep up with the increasing and overwhelming need - and funding for life-saving resources is quickly running out. To make a gift today, please visit www.actforpeace.org.au/syriacrisis, or free call 1800 025 101.

EMERGENCIES Escalating violence Terrible violence like Nisreen and her family have experienced is escalating and it’s now estimated that nearly seven million Syrians are in urgent need of help. Each day, thousands are fleeing their homeland for neighbouring countries including Jordan and Lebanon. Many have fled with little or none of their belongings. Many, like Nisreen, settle in refugee camps such as Zaatari, which is now home to more than 125,000 refugees. Others settle in host communities in urban areas and are living in cramped conditions, either in makeshift shelters or overcrowded flats.

aining e food packages, contand lentils, id ov pr to g in lp he e Your gifts ar rice, dried beans, bulgur wheat e nutritious items lik keep Syrian refugees healthy. to

For refugees who arrive in urban areas, the most pressing needs include food, shelter, basic household items and access to health care and education. Your gifts are supporting our project partners to co-ordinate the urgent response. They’re working with local groups to identify the most vulnerable refugees, including the disabled, ill and elderly. With your help, they are starting to rebuild their lives. Dr Farah Atallah, from our program partner the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees, says life is extremely difficult for these urban refugees. But he says support from the international community, and especially from churches, is making a difference. “Through our work helping the Syrian refugees we as an ecumenical organisation are sharing the burden with the Jordanian government and the local NGOs in helping these people. Let me express our great thanks … we are very grateful to Act for Peace”. Your gifts are helping to provide food packages so families can stay healthy. You’re providing shelter and rent subsidies, so refugees are safe and secure. And you’re helping to distribute kits containing household items like blankets, soap, and laundry powder, so people can stay clean and stay free of disease. Mothers with babies have also received parcels containing items like nappies and baby soap.

Education is crucial Sixteen-year-old Hana and her family fled their village in Syria after there was a raid that hit their home. “When our house was bombed we left our house and the bombing was still happening,” she says. Hana and her family are now living in a tent in the Zaatari refugee camp. They, like other refugees, have found shelter here and have been provided with emergency assistance. Right now, this aid is vital. But once their immediate needs are met, it’s crucial that children in the camps are able to go to school. Because young people like Hana are the future of Syria. They represent the hope that this country can rebuild once the conflict ends. Hana’s dream is to become a doctor. “We all go to school even with the difficulties that we suffered here,” she says. “We all would have the resolve to study. What makes me stronger to study is so I can return to my country and build it for my future.” All names have been changed to protect identity and security. Photos: Richard Wainwright/Act for Peace

Hana (holding exer and shelter at Zciaase book) and her friends have no education that w tari camp, but are going to sc t only received food up more than halfill help them, and their commun hool and getting an it from Act for Peacof the Syrian refugees living in thies. Children make e 6,000 school-ag has helped to provide new schoe camp. Support ed refugee girl ol uniforms rekindle their dreas, so they can return to school antod ms for the future .

CAMPAIGNS AND ADVOCACY Want to take action for peace? Harness your church’s voice to help tackle the root causes of conflict on International Day of Peace, September 21. International Day of Peace is a global day of action and awareness. A day when people power helps to reduce suffering caused by conflict. While many developing countries are gradually overcoming poverty, the most conflict-affected countries are being left behind. Almost one in four people in the world are trapped in a cycle of conflict and poverty. This September, you can take action by demanding the government meets its commitments on aid and increases the proportion of aid spent on programs such as weapons control, mine clearance, preventing child soldiers and peace-building.

SIGN UP TODAY Register your church or community group today and we’ll send you an action kit with a petition and action cards to distribute in your church and community. Your kit will also contain: • A guide on how to take action • A poster to advertise your event and ideas to get you started • Discussion points for social justice and mission outreach groups • A media guide with tips on how to get your event covered in your local newspaper Visit www.actforpeace.org.au/peaceday to register your church for International Day of Peace and to get your free action kit. For more information, email info@actforpeace.org.au or free call 1800 025 101 and speak to Corinne.

AID BUDGET - YOUR VOICE WAS HEARD There was good news when the federal budget was poverty will get the life-changing aid they desperately handed down in May. The government announced that need. the aid budget will grow by $518 million from last year. Of course, there is still work to do. The government After the budget was announced, Foreign Minister has for the second year in a row pushed back its Bob Carr noted the strength of the campaigning on commitment to increase overseas aid to 50c in this issue from people like you. He also noted that every $100 of national income. That goal is now community lobbying led to former Treasurer Wayne not expected to be reached until 2017–18. And the Swan agreeing to place a cap on the amount of aid government also confirmed that it would again divert that can be diverted towards asylum seeker support. money from life-saving overseas projects to domestic programs, using $375 million of the aid budget to fund This positive outcome was only possible thanks to domestic asylum seeker programs. people like you who emailed the Treasurer before the budget was released, asking him to ensure the Together, we’ll need to keep the pressure on the government stood firm on its commitment to foreign government to support people living in poverty. Watch aid. The decision means many more people living in this space for how you can get involved.

CAMPAIGNS AND ADVOCACY

A bulletproof Arms Trade Treaty: you helped make it happen After years of global campaigning, the countries of the world passed the Arms Trade Treaty at the United Nations in April. The treaty means that for the first time in history, the international trade in small arms will be regulated - saving lives, protecting communities, and helping to stop the transfer of arms and ammunitions that fuel conflict and poverty.

Delegates vote for th and campaigners at Contr e first eve the United ol Ar m s a r r m g N s lo . a b t T a io l You, our supporters, played a role in this success. Hundreds of he treaty n t s r e in a t y N t e o w w r il e you added your signature to petitions calling on the Australian to commit l prevent the trade gulate the internatioYork celebrate the Government to push for a strong, effective treaty, and shared the nal in w g e nocide, wa message with friends and family so they could take action too. r crimes a eapons that are lik trade in small ely nd attacks Act for Peace worked with churches around the world as part of the on civilian to be used s. World Council of Churches’ ecumenical campaign for a treaty. We also worked with a coalition of groups in Australia to lobby the Government for a strong stance on the treaty.

On June 3, the treaty opened for signature, marking the next step in the campaign to regulate the international trade in conventional weapons. Australia joined the signatories on the opening day, and the Hon. Dr Mike Kelly, Minister for Defence Materiel, said Australia was proud to be among the first countries to sign the treaty. “That so many countries voted in favour of the Arms Trade Treaty resolution on 2 April … and that so many signed today, is a clear demonstration of the strength of international sentiment on the need for such a treaty,” said Dr Kelly. “The effect of illicit and unregulated trade in conventional arms cannot be understated. This trade has fuelled conflicts and often affects the poorest and most vulnerable communities, including women and children.”

GIVE A GIFT THAT BUILDS PEACE Give a gift of a cricket farm, and help a refugee from Myanmar to rebuild their life. There are more than 100,000 people living in camps on the Myanmar-Thailand border, having fled the conflict in Myanmar. They have no reliable source of income to pay for food and other essentials. They are often reliant on food aid, and don’t get the nutritious meals they need. This Gift for Peace can help a refugee family to earn a basic income, giving them the skills and tools to start a cricket-raising business. By selling the crickets, they’ll get a reliable source of income. They’ll also be able to supplement their diet with these protein-rich critters. Gifts for Peace are gifts that rebuild lives. We’ve got gifts to suit all budgets and occasions. To see the full range and to place an order, visit www.actforpeace.org.au/giftsforpeace or free call 1800 025 101.

IN YOUR COMMUNITY “We have so much to learn from others” In 1975, South Australian couple the Rev. Dr Malcolm and Gloria McArthur made a commitment to Act for Peace that is still going strong. Since that moment, they’ve been Act for Peace Partners, making monthly gifts to support people in communities affected by disaster and conflict. Last year, Malcolm and Gloria were among 27 Act for Peace Partners who travelled through Ethiopia, Kenya and Zimbabwe to visit some of Act for Peace’s programs and see your support in action. In 2010, they were also part of an Act for Peace study tour group that visited Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Malcolm M

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Malcolm says that the Act for Peace projects he has been lucky enough to see in developing countries “tick all the boxes” for good aid: they work through local partners and with local communities, they are based on community development, and make use of local materials and local staff. In Zimbabwe, Malcolm was moved by the way the conservation farming program was empowering farmers and making a visible difference to the lives of their families. “We saw the pride of farmers in southern Zimbabwe as they improved their crops through simple things like light tillage, use of mulch, and access to better seeds, which led all the local farmers clamouring to join the program,” he says. “The farmers were growing enough that they could sell some corn and pay for their children’s school fees. Other local people could see the success of it and wanted to be part of it.

Malcolm and Gloria joined other Act for Peace supporters on a visit to programs in Africa in 201 2.

“Once you see these projects on the ground and develop those personal links, it becomes part of your life. Exposure visits like these are invaluable.” Malcolm was General Secretary of the South Australian Council of Churches for nine years, and says that the ecumenical nature of Act for Peace’s work is a big factor in his ongoing support. “I like the idea of supporting and working with Christian groups in other countries to improve the lives of people there,” he says. “We have so much to learn from others.”

BECOME AN ACT FOR PEACE PARTNER TODAY Our Partners make regular gifts to support the work of Act for Peace. By giving regularly, Partners help us to budget with much greater certainty, which means our partner organisations in the field can confidently launch projects, hire specialist staff, order equipment and supplies and effectively deliver much-needed assistance to communities affected by conflict and violence. Regular giving also reduces administration costs, so more funds go to support our projects. If you’d like to become a Partner, just complete the response slip enclosed with this magazine and return it to us in the reply paid envelope provided. Alternatively, contact Howard Graham on 1800 025 101 or hgraham@actforpeace.org.au.

IN YOUR COMMUNITY Australians fill the Christmas Bowl Thousands of people supported Christmas Bowl in 2012, with ecumenical services, carol nights, street stalls, children’s events and more helping to raise $2.3 million. Thank you, from all of us at Act for Peace - and from the people in communities affected by conflict and disaster who will receive new hope as a result of your generous gifts. We’d love to hear what you’re planning to do for Christmas Bowl 2013. Let us know at info@actforpeace.org.au.

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Ch ildren at Hobart North Un iting Ch urc h hand-made Christmas Bowls. raise their

JOIN OUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM When an emergency happens, it’s vital that we are able to start responding immediately. We’re looking for enthusiastic volunteer co-ordinators to be part of our emergency response team, and help us raise life-saving funds. As an emergency fundraising co-ordinator you’ll work alongside local churches, councils and volunteers to organise local fundraising for emergency appeals. You’ll be supported by your state or territory Development Officer every step of the way. To find out more about the role visit www.actforpeace.org.au/emergencyfundraising or free call 1800 025 101 and speak to Kizzy.

The Victorian Chr is Stephen’s A nglic antmas Bowl launch at St Churc h, R ic hmon d.

Act for Peace - NCCA M: Locked Bag Q199, Queen Victoria Building NSW 1230 T: 1800 025 101 F: 02 9262 4514 E: info@actforpeace.org.au www.actforpeace.org.au ABN 64 493 941 795