if you want peace, work for justice - Caritas Australia

Khin: Thai-Burma borderThe obligation to earn one , s bread... presumes the right to do so. A society in which thisright is systematically denied... cannot be justif ied..., nor can that society attain social peace.Pope John Paul II, The Hundredth Year (Centesimus Annus),1991, 43Exiled from BurmaKhin is 10 years old. She sharesa rented room in Ranongprovince, Thailand, with hermother and younger brother.Her father lives away, workingas a cook. “We came here fromBurma ten years ago,” Khin’smother explains. “It was gettingharder to survive.” An estimated twoSri Lankamillion people have fl ed to Thailand toescape poverty, violence and instability in Burma.Caritas Australia’s partnerCaritas Australia supports several programsalong the Thai-Burma border, including aJesuit Refugee Services (JRS) project focusedon the children of migrant workers in Ranong.These children cannot go to Thai schoolsdue to language differences, fees and lack ofdocumentation. JRS’ community-based learningcentres offer them primary education and abridge into Thailand’s school system.Supported learningKhin is in grade four at Ban Klang learning centre,one of six JRS schools for 5-14 year olds. CaritasAustralia supports JRS in renovating buildingsand providing books and tables. Each studentalso receives a uniform, textbooks, stationery,and milk and lunch each day. The Burmesecommunity supports the teachers by offering giftsin kind and volunteering where possible.“I like to read in school.I like everything aboutthe school.”NepalBangladeshIndiaBurma/MyanmarLaosAlthough she is the smallest student in herEnglish course, Khin listens and speaksconfi dently in class. She rarely loses the smile onher face: “I like English the best, because Englishcan be used everywhere.” Khin’s parents did notattend school themselves but are supportive ofJRS learning centresRanongThailandChinatheir children’s education.Khin’s mother explains: “Iwant them to be educatedbecause it’s so diffi cult tofi nd work.”High cost of livingLife for Burma’s refugeesand migrants can be a dailystruggle to make ends meet.As Khin’s mother recalls: “Whenwe fi rst came to Thailand, we wantedto save money to go back to Burma and build ahouse. But just having enough money to live dayto day here is diffi cult. I work every day from 5amsometimes until 10pm.”Many of Khin’s friends’ parents also work longhours in the informal job market. Khin knowssome students who have dropped out of school“because some of their parents have no moneyand they want to work to help their parents”. ButKhin and her parents are determined she willfi nish school. “My children have no papers forThailand, no birth registration. I want them tolearn Burmese, Thai and English. That’s a veryimportant skill,” Khin’s mother explains.CambodiaVietnamMalaysiaSingaporeIndonesia“In Thailand theBurmese have to workvery hard.”More than one thousand children have nowattended the learning centres. The long-termgoal is to turn them into transition facilitiespreparing children to enter Thai schools. Lastyear 176 students, with JRS scholarships, beganstudying in Thai schools. It is hoped many morewill do the same.Effective supportWith your support of Caritas Australia, JRSadvocates for Burmese children’s right toeducation, working with principals and teachers,local authorities and parents. They also visithomes to provide information on work permitsand healthcare services. Last year, less than fi vepercent of children dropped out of the schools –a remarkable achievement.AmbitionsKhin has great ambitions. “I want to be a teacherwhen I grow up... Please open more schools likethis one. This is very good for poor families whocannot afford to send their kids to Thai schools.”Your donation to Caritas Australia’s ProjectCompassion supports long term partnershipsfor justice and transformation in more than35 countries around the world.khinActivities(RE, HSIE/SOSE, PDHPE, English)Look at the Photo gallery:Thai-Burma border PowerPoint onthe DVD/website.How is the JRS project helping Khinand her family to have opportunitiesthey otherwise would not have had?To enter the formal job sector inThailand, Burmese refugees needwork permits. Imagine that you areadults with young children. Youhave just been told that you are notallowed to work as you are refugees(not Thai citizens) and will not begranted a work permit. Write yourdiary entries for a day, for a monthand then a year later. Will it be apeaceful future? Why/why not?Do you agree with Pope John Paulll (see above) that there cannot bepeace without a right to work?Khin’s education is helping herrealise her goal of becoming ateacher; but education is not justfor employability.For discussion: How does goodeducation build peace?For additional activities, seepage 8 and www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassionPhotos: Molly Mullenif you wantpeace, work forjusticePOPE PAUL VI3

Judy: PeruIf we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten thatwe belong to each other.”Mother Teresa6Life in Cerro CandelaJudy, 39, lives with her husbandand eight children in CerroCandela, a shanty town onthe outskirts of Lima, Peru.Unemployment is high.There is no running wateror sewerage system and nopaved roads. Judy says: “It’s avery polluted environment… weget frequent sicknesses, infectionsEcuadorPeruCerro Candelaand skin complaints.” Yet there is verylimited access to quality health care and socialservices. Judy explains that poverty can cause alot of stress, and violence is common.“It’s a very ‘macho’society with high levelsof domestic violence.Some kids end up ingangs.”Caritas partner, MFHSIn 2004, Caritas Australia began supportingMercy Family Health Service’s (MFHS) Maternaland Infant Health Program. Guided by the beliefthat health is a right, not a privilege, this meetingof basic human needs contributes to a spirit ofjustice and peace in the shanty town.“I was attending health talks in the soup kitchenand the health promoter suggested we take ourchildren for a check-up at MFHS... They referredmy daughter Vania, 3, who was anaemic and hadparasites,” Judy recalls.Childcare centreMFHS’ childcare centre provides children withstimulating activities and two meals each day.It also offers medical testing and attention ifrequired. Parents are linked to local services,advised on how to prevent ill-health andencouraged to use MFHS’ health professionals.Vania , s check-up at the clinicVenezuela GuyanaSurinameColombiaFrench GuianaCommunity healthpromotersCommunityownership of theprogram is key toits sustainability.Twenty-fi vecommunity healthpromoters havebeen trained toidentify childrenat risk, makefollow-up homevisits, collaborate with local government andgive talks on women’s health, HIV andAIDS, dental hygiene and selfesteem.More than 2,500 peopleattended these talks last year.“Thanks to the health promoterswe’ve learned a lot about preventingand minimising illness. We don’thave to travel a long way to getmedical attention now.” Judy explains.SanitationJudy says that people now have hope of bringingabout change. Supported by the program, Judyis taking part in the struggle to get running waterand sewerage: “We’re learning how to conserveand care for water. We’ve had lots of meetings,a march and will soon build a proper toilet andbathroom in our house.”Improving healthThanks to your support for Caritas Australia, thecommunity is now much healthier. More than40,000 consultations have been provided at littleor no cost, including gynaecology, paediatrics,dermatology and tuberculosis screening –services the community could otherwise neitheraccess nor afford. This year, more than 40percent of the children in the nutrition program areno longer malnourished and will soon leave theprogram so that others may enter.“I’ve learnt how to carebetter for my children.”Earning a living“[The childcare centre] is a big help,” Judyrefl ects, “because it gives me time to earnmoney to provide for my children. I prepare foodearly in the morning and sell it on the streets andin the markets.”A brighter futureToday, Judy imagines a brighter future: “I hadproblems with my oldest son and said to him: ‘Wedon’t have riches but I want you to be something!’He went back to school. I decided I would gowith him and now I’m starting the fi rst year ofsecondary!”“A million thanks to people in Australia. You helpus unconditionally to give our children a betterquality of life. Your help is a real blessing fromGod for us!”Your donation to Project Compassionallows Caritas Australia to continue aid anddevelopment work shaped by Catholic SocialTeaching principles, in over 35 countriesaround the world.if you want peace, work for justicePOPE PAUL VIChileBoliviaParaguayBrazilArgentinaUruguayJudyActivities(HSIE/SOSE, RE, PDHPE)Look at the Photo gallery: PeruPowerPoint on the DVD/website.Identify factors in Judy’s environmentthat could lead to violence, both withinfamilies and in the local area.How does the MFHS program help toreduce domestic violence?Make a list of everything you needto live a fulfi lled life. Discuss theresults. Are some suggestions wantsrather than needs? Have you includedemotional and social needs? Whichneeds, including emotional andsocial, are being addressed by theMFHS program?Read John 10:10 or watch theanimation at http://bit.ly/oSam8L by oneof our sister agencies. How should John10:10 infl uence the type of project thatCatholic aid agencies support?List fi ve confl ict-affected countries andfi ve countries at peace. On the WorldBank’s website, look up statistics bycountry for each country you havelisted. Make a chart noting statisticson poverty, life expectancy, sanitation,education and health. Does yourevidence suggest any link betweenconfl ict and unfair lack of access tobasic facilities?For additional activities, seepage 8 and www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion.Photos: Luis Paz

Audrey: Australian IndigenousPeace is not merely an absence of war... Instead, it is rightly andappropriately called an enterprise of justice.”Second Vatican Council, The Church in the Modern World(Gaudium et Spes) 1965, 78DjarindjinAudrey is a Bardi woman fromDjarindjin, a remote community200km north of Broome inWestern Australia. She livesthere with her husband andfour children.DjarindjinBroomeAs in many Indigenous Australiancommunities, ‘lifestyle’ diseasessuch as diabetes, heart disease, strokeand kidney failure are common, and are majorcauses for shortened life expectancy. This is partlybecause the metabolism of Aboriginal Australianswas, for thousands of years, accustomed to amigratory lifestyle of hunting and gathering. Ithas not adapted well to the less active lifestyleand more starchy and sugary Western dietof recent generations. Also, many Aboriginalcommunities live in remote areas where fresh foodcan be diffi cult to obtain. Just a few years ago inDjarindjin, diabetes rates were well over 30 percent– many times higher than the Australian average.Caritas partner, UFPACaritas Australia supports Unity of First People ofAustralia (UFPA) to run a Diabetes Managementand Care Program in Djarindjin and in eight otherremote communities across the Kimberley region.UFPA is run by Indigenous people and works throughcommunity networks. The program emphasiseswellness rather than sickness, and aims to preventdiseases like diabetes and to improve healthcare.Audrey heard about the program in 2005 whenUFPA staff visited her children’s school to talkto students and parents. She wanted to help toimprove the health of her family and community.“Aboriginal people dietoo young from diabetes– it is important to stopthis.”AustraliaVolunteer carersUFPA trains volunteer carers like Audrey tohelp their communities to deal with and prevent‘lifestyle’ diseases like diabetes. Audreyencouragedfamilies to cometo the initialcommunity healthassessment.Many adultsand childrenwere found tobe overweight,making themmore prone tochronic diseases.As a scout leaderIn the communitygardensand member of the communitycouncil, Audrey encourageslifestyle changes, healthydiet and exercise, all of whichhelp to prevent the onset ofdiabetes. She also works toimprove the quality of life forpeople who have diabetes.Change is evidentBehaviour is changing in all ninecommunities supported by UFPA. There areedible community gardens and cooking classes,a school breakfast program – now managed byteachers and parents, and education programs indiabetes and nutrition. The community stores arestocking healthier food choices, leisure and sportsinitiatives are well attended and the leadership ofElders is again becoming increasingly vital.Self-helpNow there are fewer people with diabetesand people are looking after themselves. AtDjarindjin’s most recent health assessmentthere were no new cases of diabetes recorded.“Perhaps the greatest satisfaction I’ve felt isknowing how good my own results were by goingto the clinic and checking my sugar levels,”Audrey tells us. Yet she adds, “Diabetes is still abig challenge for our community.”“There are lots of peoplewith diabetes here butbefore, people didn’tknow about it.”Building relationshipsUFPA’s program has built bridges between thecommunities and medical, government andeducational services. It has done this through theconsistent presence of community-based carers, byencouraging activities that promote a healthy lifestyle,and by always respecting community customs.Thanks to your supportUFPA’s work has created opportunities for someof the most marginalised people in Australia togain greater knowledge and understanding ofchronic illness and make changes that they valueand choose themselves. It is reducing the gapin health status between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians.“My hope for the future for our community is forbetter health,” Audrey tells us. “Thank you forbringing this program to our community.”Your donation to Project Compassion allowsCaritas Australia to continue partnering withcommunities to enhance their human dignity andtheir capacity to respond to their own needs.AudreyActivities(HSIE/SOSE, RE, PDHPE, English)Look at the Photo Gallery:Australian Indigenous PowerPointon the DVD/website.Divide a page into two. On one sidenote the diffi culties encountered byJudy’s community; on the other notethe initiatives which combat diabetes.Discuss how and why the lifestyle inJudy’s community is changing.Diabetes is a ‘lifestyle disease’. Yetlifestyle is not always freely chosen.What infl uences/enables you tochoose a particular lifestyle?UFPA is reducing the gap in healthstatus between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians.Write a speech explaining some ofthe historical reasons for this gap andwhy it is unjust.To fi nd out more, look athttp://bit.ly/oP988Z .If you have more time, watch part of“The First Australians” series(www.sbs.com.au/fi rstaustralians).Why does inequality often lead toconfl ict? If half the people in yourclass were randomly chosen to enjoytwo break-times each day and theother half allowed only one breaktime,what might happen?For additional activities, seepage 8 and www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion.if you want peace,work for justicePOPE PAUL VIPhotos: Richard Wainwright7