Hurricane Ida: Crisis in El Salvador

 

Courtesy SHARE Foundation (http://share-elsalvador.org)

Last week, we tweeted that Hurricane Ida hit the heart of El Salvador. Subsequent updates from the field have showed us how bad things really are. The storm destabilized weather patterns. Torrential rains & terrifying floods ripped through the capital city of San Salvador and 60% of the countryside. Nearly 200 people lost their lives, and over 10,000 lost their homes. Neighboring cities became islands, inaccessible except by helicopter. Crops were decimated, and those lucky enough to keep their homes lost access to vital services, health care, and food.

 

The SHARE Foundation, the Salvadoran Red Cross, and international aid workers work tirelessly for short term relief, but the real challenge comes after their efforts, with rebuilding and reconstruction. With worldly possessions washed away, how will Salvadorans live? With food stocks completely wiped out, how will Salvadorans eat? Looking forward to the second and future phases of recovery, the SHARE Foundation plans to restore agricultural production, emphasizing family farms & women’s co-operatives.

 

Courtesy SHARE Foundation (http://share-elsalvador.org)

For over a decade, MAZON has partnered with the SHARE Foundation to support agricultural programs & initiatives. Now, at this time of Salvadoran crisis, we ask you to partner with us for an emergency grant. Your support enables us to feed families in the short-term, and stay involved in the region in the long-term, as we have after Hurricane Katrina, to insure a healthy, sustainable recovery.

 

Please donate now. Under special instructions, tell us your donation is for El Salvador.

Darfuri Refugees’ Letter to President Obama

Last week, we brought you reflections from Rabbi Lee Bycel as he embarked on a visit to a Darfuri refugee camp in Chad. He returns with this letter from the Darfuri refugees to President Obama.

Senator Barack Obama at Save Darfur Rally in 2006. Photo courtesy Flickr user jillaryrose (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jillaryrose/).

Guereda, Eastern Chad
Rosh Hashanah 2009

A letter to President Obama from the Darfuri refugees,

As a rabbi I sit here welcoming in the new year with Darfuri refugees, people of great courage, strength and determination. I am here to celebrate the opportunity of a new year, with people who need not just our prayers but also our actions.

I have spent the day at the Mille camp, home to 17,000 Darfuri refugees. I first came here in 2004, soon after their arrival. A few remember my visit.  They all remember your visit to Mille, also in 2004. Several people showed me their picture with you and told me how happy they are that you are now president.

Mr. President, the years since your visit have taken a great toll on the people. Some of the 13 year old girls you met are now mothers. Many of the boys are now soldiers. Many refugees have died and many new ones have arrived. The UN tents which are now severely torn and ravaged reflect the lives of the refugees.

"Darfur Refugee Family" Courtesy Internews Network (http://www.flickr.com/photos/internews/)

Fifty babies a month are born in the Mille camp. Six hundred a year; about three thousand since your visit. Children like Sulaman, Hassan, Sumayah and Kadidya. They have wonderful smiles and beautiful eyes. Like our children, they want security, food, water and shelter. Thanks to the US, other countries and the humanitarian community, they have the minimal amount of each in order to survive.

For them, for their parents, their daily prayer is to return to Darfur. They are innocent, good people, as you have said “victims of genocide.”

Enough is not being done. They are waiting…waiting very patiently for their nightmare to end. I have synthesized their message for you.

Remember us. Remember your time here at Mille. Remember our situation. Remember our faces. We want to go home to Darfur and live in peace. We want to rebuild our lives. Please, please Mr. President do everything in your power to help us. Too many years have gone by. We need you. We do not know what to do but have great confidence in you. Our prayers are with you and your family.

Thank you,

The Darfuri refugees in Mille, as communicated to Rabbi Lee Bycel on September 18, 2009.

Rabbi Lee Bycel is a MAZON board member and Executive Director of the Berkeley-based Redford Center. The Redford Center inspires positive social and environmental change through the arts, education and civil discourse.  For suggestions on actions you can take regarding Darfur please visit the Save Darfur Coalition.

A New Year: Is There Hope For The Darfuri People, For Us?

"Women on Outskirts of Camp Djabal" Courtesy Flickr user oncedaily (http://www.flickr.com/photos/oncedaily/)

No one says it…but the uneasy feeling was palpable.  I  could see the questions in their eyes:  Why are you going to spend Rosh Hashanah in Darfuri refugee camps in Eastern Chad?  Why would a rabbi welcome the Jewish New Year in a place where there are no Jews?  Do you really think going will make a difference?   I understand these questions.  I only regret that they are rarely asked aloud.  I have had lots of time to reflect on these questions on this three day journey to a place that is far more distant from San Francisco than the days of travel to get here.

I am here in Eastern Chad, this epicenter of human suffering.  I am here with fellow human beings, reminding them that we do care and we have not forgotten.  I am here listening to their stories and letting them know that I will bring their stories home.  I am here because our worlds are inextricably linked.

I first visited here in 2004 and since then I have returned several times.  The Chadian people are some of the poorest people on the planet.  Here, 275,000 Darfuri refugees have found a fragile safe haven in UN tents.  These shelters provide minimal protection from the harsh conditions of sub-Saharan Africa and not much more from the storms of conflict.  The plight of the Darfuri people – the nearly three million displaced from their homes and the four hundred thousand dead – has been well documented.  Our advocacy and diplomacy has had some impact on decelerating this genocide, now in its seventh year.   Our humanitarian aid has saved lives.  Still, the situation on the ground remains dismal.

"Children Playing in Camp Djabal" Courtesy Flickr user oncedaily (http://www.flickr.com/photos/oncedaily/)

Rosh Hashanah is a holiday that celebrates renewal and creation.  It implores us to care for each other and to care for this planet.  It reminds us that as long as there is life there is hope.  What better place to welcome in the New Year than with the victims of man’s brutality to man.  Although we have yet to turn our powerful prayers into a world that is just and humane, I have hope—and hope is all these refugees have.  It is their lifeblood.

As I sit here with new friends and refugees whom I have known for years, I marvel at their ability to survive. The soul of a refugee camp resides in the courageous people who dwell within it. The silent screams that echo through the camp are those of a people who are asking if the world still cares.  My presence, it could be any of us, conveys that we do care and we are doing our best to restore their lives.

These refugees are the victims of horrific events: genocide, climate change, lack of resources and a world that is confused about its humanitarian priorities. It is no longer possible to separate these problems; real solutions will only come when we think and act in integrated ways. Ways which allow people to live with inalienable rights – to food, shelter, potable water and the absence of violence in their day to day lives.

There is currently much discussion about the role of the US and what international pressure should be applied to change the situation.  This work is essential and provides hope for long term solutions.    Immediate humanitarian needs, however, cannot be overlooked.  My friend Adam cannot wait another year for drinkable water; his daughters cannot wait another day for a life without the constant threat of rape; the elderly and the infants cannot survive another winter without shelter from the torrential desert rain.  Where will the aid come from unless we help to provide it?

"Darfur Refugee Children Smile" Courtesy Internews Network (http://www.flickr.com/photos/internews/)

Is my trip making a difference?  I see a difference in the smiles of the children. I feel it when I hold a refugees hand.  I witness it when I visit the aid clinics. Perhaps the difference isn’t quantifiable, but it is profoundly apparent to me.

Soon I will be returning home renewed and filled with hope for the New Year, thanks to the brave spirit of the Darfuri people. Experiencing the horrific conditions of their day to day lives brings an indescribable perspective to my own challenges and reminds me that my life will never be full until their suffering is over.

Our humanity is defined by our actions—our ability to show compassion, to empathize with others, and to do something constructive—and opportunities to help others are present each and every day.  For us, remembering the Darfuri people is a measure of our conscience and humanity. For them, it is their hope for survival. That is why I have returned to Chad.

Rabbi Lee Bycel is a MAZON board member and Executive Director of the Berkeley-based Redford Center. The Redford Center inspires positive social and environmental change through the arts, education and civil discourse.  For suggestions on actions you can take regarding Darfur please visit the Save Darfur Coalition.

The Carrot & The Shotgun

Courtesy Flickr user Steve Rhode (http://www.flickr.com/photos/steverhode/)

Recently, MAZON welcomed Bob Forney, former President & CEO of the Chicago Stock Exchange & America’s Second Harvest (now Feeding America) into our offices to share the successes of his current efforts with The Global Foodbanking Network. Founded in 2006 as a collaboration between Feeding America, Food Banks Canada, Red Argentina de Bancos de Alimentos & Associación Mexicana de Bancos de Alimentos, The Global Foodbanking Network (GFN) establishes & supports food bank networks serving over a billion people worldwide who suffer from hunger and malnourishment. Mr. Forney has personally been involved with GFN programs in Jordan (which, besides hungry Jordanians, has seen an influx of a million Iraqi refugees in recent years), Turkey, Argentina, Canada, South Africa & Israel (these last two funded by MAZON seed money).

Why food bank networks, as opposed to more localized service centers? Mr. Forney offers a real-world example from his experience working with food suppliers. If Kellogg’s has a defective batch of Rice Krispies that tastes fine but doesn’t snap, crackle & pop to perfection, they can’t ship it to grocers, but it costs them money to dispose of it themselves. If Kellogg’s were to donate it to a single organization, that group would need access to a secure warehouse, industrial equipment & staff capable of receiving, storing, sorting & distributing 300 metric tons of rice before it goes bad. Few groups can manage that, and unfortunately the Rice Krispies goes to the dump – but with a food bank network, an infrastructure exists that can meet everyone’s needs across different regions.

The problem with some well-meaning organizations, according to Forney, is their inability to break barriers & collaborate. Nobody’s mission statement requires them to work alone, and ending hunger is one of the few things all people agree on – from everyday citizens, farmers & grocers to large-scale suppliers & politicians – but long-term change can only occur with a committee of the whole.

This is where you, the donor & concerned citizen, come in. You have the carrot & the shotgun to entice and, if necessary, force organizations to work together. Without your donations of time & resources, no organization can function, but with your help, ideas & pressure, organizations can break barriers, work together & end hunger once and for all. Hunger’s greatest ally is distance – the distance between the poor & accessible food, and the distance between organizations looking to save the universe by themselves. That distance separates a billion people, and it’s our responsibility to close the gap and bring everyone back together.

Teach A Man To Fish

While we all understand that feeding the hungry is an essential step toward repairing the world, effectively battling hunger requires not only treating the symptoms but also giving individuals the tools to control their own lives.  In the U.S. and around the globe, MAZON supports not only food providers but programs that work to build sustainable growth within communities that have slipped through the cracks of the modern world.

One of our newest grantees, Ikamva Labantu, operates out of Cape Town in South Africa. Ikamva Labantu, which means “The Future of our Nation,” traces its origins to the work of Helen Lieberman during the era of Apartheid. Lieberman worked with impoverished women in townships surrounding Cape Town to build solutions from the inside-out, rather than outside-in.

From those humble beginnings was born Ikamva Labantu, which now serves as an umbrella, funding and supporting over one thousand projects around South Africa that focus on building and maintaining sustainable development. They aid children, youth, adults, families, seniors and the disabled, supporting programs such as foster homes for orphans, food garden projects, home-based care training programs, youth life-skills programs, and training seniors to care for seniors.

Taken as a whole, Ikamva Labantu employs a novel and much needed strategy to tackling hunger in these impoverished townships, adopting a business model to focus on building social accountability. The trustees and Board of Directors are successful businessmen and women who bring corporate expertise to financial & management issues, including constantly auditing all funding.

As Ikamva Labantu states: “It is only by handing individuals control of their own lives that we can set them free to support themselves in a meaningful, sustainable way.” In other words, “Teach a man to fish…”
-Written by Peter Gjerset, Donor Services Associate at MAZON

Heroes For Haiti: Hollywood United & You

Courtesy Friends of the Children of Lascahobas, Haiti

Haiti remains one of the poorest countries in the world: 80% of Haitians live under the poverty line, with 70% unemployed. Hurricanes flood the streets, while deforestation devastates the soil & eliminates key sources of fuel. Last year’s food riots have ceased (after bringing down the government), but shortages & malnutrition still plague Haiti.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that there are many ways to become a hero for Haiti.

This Saturday, August 8, Hollywood Unites For Haiti, InkTip & the HollyShorts Film Festival unite for a fundraiser reception at The Kress in Hollywood. Hosted by Hollywood Unites For Haiti founder & president Jimmy Jean-Louis (“Heroes”), the event features a gallery auction of portraits by pop artist Nicolosi, a raffle of Haitian art & special screening of the finalists for HollyShorts Film Festival’s Webisode category. All proceeds benefit Hollywood Unites For Haiti, and donations are also accepted at the door. For more information, or to RSVP, please email rsvp@hollyshorts.com.

If you can’t make Hollywood Unites For Haiti’s reception, the group also accepts donations of sports equipment, toiletries & computers for Haitian children’s programs. Several MAZON grantees also do important work in the region. The Lambi Fund of Haiti has a number of sustainable agriculture projects, including reforestation, goat & pig breeding, and training impoverished farmers on techniques and technologies appropriate to the region. Many of our synagogue partners & donors in Florida have collected funds specifically for The Lambi Fund. For over 30 years, Friends of the Children of Lascahobas, Haiti has brought medical services & screening to the border town of Lascahobas, where half the children under 5 are malnourished and only 25% of the population has access to clean drinking water. They have also set up a cooperative in Lascahobas so that Haitian mothers can work together to manage precious resources and create sustainable economics for their families.

Donations to MAZON ensure the continuation of work to end hunger in Haiti. With our combined efforts, we can all be heroes for Haiti.

Darfur/ICC Documentary The Reckoning on PBS Tonight @ 10PM

Former child soldiers of the Thomas Lubanga UPC militia, Ituri, eastern Congo (Photo Courtesy PBS)

One of the most vibrant subjects in Darfur Now (our review here) is International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo and his efforts to prosecute Sudanese minister Ahmad Muhammad Harun & Janjaweed militia leader Ali Kushayb for war crimes. Those interested in a follow up should check out The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court, premiering on PBS tonight (July 14) at 10PM. Filmmaker Pamela Yates & team spent three years following Moreno-Ocampo & the ICC, as the organization itself struggles to survive. Should prove very interesting.

Check out the trailer below (warning – some gruesome images may not be safe for work / children):

The GATEway Project

In a riverside settlement, the villagers noticed a baby in the river, struggling and crying. They all looked on in horror; the baby was going to drown! 

One charged into the river to save the baby. The village rejoiced. Then, the villagers noticed another baby in the river, and several rushed in to save that baby.  Soon, more babies were seen floating in the river, and the entire village set to work saving them as fast as they could. 

It was a lot of work, and the village people began to organize their activities in order to save the babies as they came down the river. As everyone else was busy in the rescue efforts to save the babies, two of the townspeople prepared their ship to sail upriver.

“Where are you going?” shouted one of the rescuers. “We need you here to help us save these babies!”

“We are going upstream to stop whoever is throwing the babies in!”

It’s important we remember this story, as told by MAZON President H. Eric Schockman at a food conference organized earlier this year by the Jewish sustainability group Hazon. In light of the global economic & food crisis, it’s more important than ever to “save the babies” – provide for the hungry through direct service. But we should never lose sight of our main goal – to end hunger at the source, once and for all.

At MAZON, we have long encouraged our partner organizations to take up advocacy in their communities; it is even a requirement for our grantmaking. But a key element was missing – you, our donors in the greater Jewish community, who have proven to be our loudest voices & strongest supporters. We have created a powerful new website, The GATEway (Global Advocacy as a Tool for Engagement) Project, to involve, inform & empower you to help us tip the scales against hunger once and for all.

The first thing you’ll notice after logging onto The GATEway Project website (http://gateway.mazon.org – no “www”) is a Hunger Clock, silently ticking the number of hunger-related deaths this month worldwide. This figure is sobering & saddening. It’s also a cry for action. Now. But what can I do? How can I help? Click on the “Take Action” tab, and GATEway lists Action Items (currently, Senate Bill 3529, The Global Food Security Act), who to contact and what to say. Advocacy sounds complicated, but don’t be afraid to speak out; it’s as easy as writing a letter or making a phone call (imagine you were talking to a friend or a relative). We’ve included a toolkit from American Jewish World Service, and there are plenty of facts on global hunger & advocacy in Jewish tradition you can cite in your letter. You can even copy and paste directly from the toolkit.

For almost 25 years, you have partnered with us to grant millions of dollars to “save the babies”, and we are beyond grateful. Now we ask you to continue defying expectations and join us in sailing ships as well.

El Salvador Days 6 and 7 (March 15 and 16, 2009)

March 16, 2009 marked a day in history for the El Salvadorian people and we were able to be a part of it as we witnessed the nation’s presidential elections as international observers. At 5 a.m. we entered a polling place, a high school, in the southern part of San Salvador. In El Salvador, citizens not only vote by city/region but also by their last name. We were at the polling place with individuals with last names that begin with “M.” Approximately 45,000 were expected throughout the day. Although the polls didn’t open until 7 a.m. we witnessed the organization of each of the 92 voting areas. Four individuals (four from each party, dressed in non-party colors) began the process of putting up signs and lists to indicate where voters should vote. Additionally, they confirmed that the count of the ballots was correct and that they had enough materials for the day.

At 7 a.m. the polling place opened. The high school became filled with individuals, some in political party shirts, and others plain clothed. There were children with their parents, elderly, those who had experienced the war, those who wanted to be heard…etc. Voters in El Salvador approach the voting table and have their ID’s checked against the registry, and then they received a signed and sealed ballot. The ballot contains images of the flags of the two parties and in the voting booth; the voter is to place a “X” on the flag of the party they are voting for. After voting, they place their ballot in the ballot box, they sign their name on another registry and then dip their finger in ink that stays on the skin for about two days to avoid duplicate voting.

Watching the polls get set-up.

For 10 hours I watched as people voted. At the high school, the current President and his wife came to vote, as well as the current mayor of San Salvador. The polls were civilized throughout the day. At 5 p.m., the polls closed and the counting process began. Each table was responsible for counting the unused ballots and confirming the amount of people who voted at their table by checking both registries. Then the ballot box is opened and each ballot is counted. The ballot is unfolded and presented to the people around the table and the passed to the party representative based for whom the vote was for. Once the count was finalized, the party that won at the table chanted for their party. By 6:30 p.m. most of the tables completed their counting and the FMLN seemed to have had the lead. As we left the polling place and embarked on El Salvador’s roads, those who support FMLN took to the streets in celebration. Although it was not confirmed that the FMLN had officially won, people were optimistic.

As I write, FMLN has claimed victory, but the final vote won’t be finalized until sometime on Tuesday. It is time for great change in El Salvador.

This is my last day in El Salvador, I would like to thank the SHARE Foundation for organizing this experience for us. It is truly one trip that I will remember for a lifetime.

The MAZON delegation.

Thank you for reading. Adios!

Heather Wolfson

El Salvador Days 4 and 5 (March 13 and 14, 2009)

The past day and half has been incredible. On Friday morning we made the two-hour drive to Chalatenago in the northern part of the country.  We met with the leaders form the community of Guarjila to discuss their partnership with SHARE as the CCR, a grassrooots board of leaders in the neighboring communities.  Many of the people living in the north were originally refugees who were in Mesa Grande refugee camp about 12 miles inside Honduras.  The first group left the camp 22 years ago and entered back into El Salvador with nothing.  They had plastic to lie on the ground and a few blankets.  Today, the region has homes, restaurants and roads.

The CCR addresses health, education and building organization within the region.  The CCR represents 110 communities in 22 municipalities.  The CCR works side-by-side with the municipalities to develop a united front.  The CCR leaders shared with us two of their latest concerns:  1.  The question of mining for gold in the region; and 2.  The mega-highway project that would ultimately connect all of Central America.  The Pacific Rim Company recently came to El Salvador looking for areas to mine.  The CCR and many residents don’t believe mining is possible.   According to the CCR, the company would only leave 1% of their profit in the country.  Many of the jobs mining would produce would also come from other countries, therefore it will not help to stimulate the economy.  Additionally, the region sits along the Lempa River that goes from the north to the south of the country.  The CCR is concerned that first, there is not enough water to successfully do the mining and secondly, they are concerned about contamination. As they said, before gold, they would rather have water.

Although mining is their first concern, the mega-freeway may also impact the region.  First, many people will be displaced by the building of the freeway and as such will have to re-create their lives elsewhere.  Furthermore, many hotels and restaurants have taken interest in developing the areas off of the freeway.  As with the mining, there is a concern that the money would not come back into the community.

Evely Laser Shlensky, a long-time MAZON board member is traveling with us.  She visited Honduras 22 years ago on an interfaith mission to the Mesa Grande camp.  She accompanied the first group to the border.  Jose Angel Serrano, a CCR member, remembered Evely joining refugees on the buses.  Over lunch, Evely and Jose recounted the “Exodus” over two decades ago.

Evely & Jose

Friday evening, we joined the Jewish community for Shabbat services.  The community warmly embraced us.  Additionally, Knesset member Ron Cohen was at services to address the community.  He too is in El Salvador as an international observer.  The service was traditional but you could feel the ruach (spirit) throughout the sanctuary.  Members of the community welcomed us into their homes for a traditional Shabbat meal.  El Salvador had a larger Jewish community prior to the war, today there are only about 50 families, but they are loyal to Judaism and sustaining their community.

Saturday morning I had the opportunity to visit the Divina Providencia, the home of Monsenor Romero and the site of his assassination.  Romero was for the people.  He became Archbishop in 1977 and decided to live at the Divina with the sisters in a very small room.  He didn’t want anything elaborate as he wanted to live like the people of El Salvador.  He was outspoken and cared about the poor.  He knew the risk of uniting with the poor and pursuing social justice, but he knew that this was what he was meant to do.  On March 24, 1980, Monsenor Romero was assassinated.  Today, individuals are still trying to pursue justice on behalf of Romero.

Saturday afternoon will be filled with formal election training.  Sunday we will be at our polling place at 5 a.m. to begin election observations.  The polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. we will then witness the counting of the ballots at the polling place.  Due to our long day, I will most likely write Monday to debrief about the election.

Until next time…

Heather Wolfson