This photo was taken in an area where violence had broken out over local border disagreements. War scattered populations and caused confusion when returnees claimed land others settled on when they were chased from their own land. Photo by Karen Kasmauski for CRS
by John Lindner
Why is there so much tension among southern Sudanese?
Ever had a problem neighbor?
Earlier this year, we had three vehicles in various states of repair jacked up in my driveway. Family priorities meant we’d neglected the yard; weeds rose like ground fog. We have two fences in desperate need of repair and paint. The barn is missing a rather prominent board, making one whole wall look gap-toothed. The roof screams for new gutters. The list goes on.
At one point, I turned to my wife and said: “I’ve become the neighbor I’d always feared I’d live next to.”
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Posted
September 2nd, 2010 in
Peace in Sudan by:
John Lindner |
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Two Pakistan flood survivors face rebuilding homes and lives where swollen rivers swept away houses and destroyed crops and bridges. Photo by Laura Sheahen/CRS
When floodwaters rose in his village in southern Pakistan, Muhammad Idrees spent the long, hot days floating. Sleeping on a raft built from tree branches, watching over his waterlogged house, Muhammad battled mosquitoes and snakes. His wheat crop was gone; so was some of his livestock. He piled household goods in the middle of the raft, determined to keep what he could.
Muhammad’s wife Sharifa had already fled their village by boat with their three children.
“I was shouting because the boat seemed unbalanced,” remembers Sharifa, 30. With other women and children, they stayed away almost a month.
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Posted
September 1st, 2010 in
Asia by:
John Lindner |
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Tekwaro Onyala and his wife Agnes Avma Onyada are growing sweet potatoes. Photo by Karen Kasmauski for CRS
by John Lindner
Here’s a partial list of flashpoints in southern Sudan:
- Tension between north and south in the shadow of an upcoming referendum on unity or secession.
- Disputed north-south border.
- Oil fields located near the disputed north-south border. Both sides would like to see the oil on their side of the line.
- A long history of civil war has shattered traditional forms of conflict resolution.
- Greater availability of weapons.
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Posted
September 1st, 2010 in
Peace in Sudan by:
John Lindner |
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These guys are playing soccer with a makeshift ball. Most of the people in this village have recently returned from Uganda where they lived in exile during the last war. CRS’ southern Sudan appeal aims to keep them from having to run from violence again. Photo by Karen Kasmauski for CRS
by John Lindner
If you read yesterday’s Sudan blog post, you know that, in a shocking development, I was sent to report on CRS peacebuilding work in southern Sudan. The rest of this week, I’m going to write about the looming crisis in southern Sudan and CRS’ novel response.
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Posted
August 31st, 2010 in
Peace in Sudan by:
John Lindner |
3 Comments »
Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, is struggling to recover from January’s devastating earthquake. The work is complicated by capacity, human, resource, and infrastructure constraints. In response, Representative John Conyers (MI) recently introduced H.R. 6021, the Haiti Emergency Assistance and Reconstruction (HEAR) Act which provides an effective policy framework for long-term recovery and development efforts in Haiti and allocates generous funding over 5 years towards this goal.
As stated in a letter of support for HR 6021, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services believe that the recovery efforts in Haiti require a strategy for long-term recovery and sustainable development that coordinates different U.S. government agencies in a comprehensive approach while engaging faith-based organizations and other groups with expertise and experience in Haiti. CRS and the USCCB believe that this bill represents a serious effort to address the long-term recovery needs of the Haitian people.
Please contact your Representatives today and urge their support for H.R. 6021 which provides a strategy and funding for long-term reconstruction and development in Haiti.
Posted
August 30th, 2010 in
by:
John Lindner |
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We passed this old rusty tank on Road to Nimule. It’s exactly what I like to see in a tank: inoperable and with weeds growing out of it. But it was a graphic reminder of the long war that southern Sudan has endured. Photo by Karen Kasmauski for CRS
by John Lindner
One of the cool things about working at CRS headquarters in Baltimore is the “brown bag lunch” meeting. They run about an hour and feature speakers bringing news from somewhere around the world. Topics range from irrigation in Afghanistan to cassava rot in Uganda and … and ….
OK … they’re a lot more interesting than I’m making them sound.
So on Wednesday, June 30, I checked into the Sudan brown bagger. I felt like I needed to learn more about what was happening in southern Sudan because CRS is making an unusual plea for support there and as website editor I knew I was going to be seeing more stories about it.
The two speakers were Sudanese Bishop Eduardo Kussala and CRS Sudan country representative Dan Griffin.
Bishop Kussala outlined the situation in southern Sudan:
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Posted
August 30th, 2010 in
Peace in Sudan by:
John Lindner |
1 Comment »
The following is a summary of advocacy efforts during the last two months, what has been accomplished, and what you can do to follow-up with your Congresspersons during the Congressional recess that end on September 12.
Climate Change: We asked you to urge key senators to include and strengthen provisions in climate legislation that would protect poor and vulnerable people, in our country and around the world, from the impacts of climate change and the effects of policies needed to address it. Unfortunately, the Senate will not consider climate legislation this year. When Congress takes up this important legislation in the future we will call on you again to urge your members to strengthen these protections. In the meantime, we will continue to engage the Administration and members of Congress about the bishops’ priorities and to educate Catholics about this important issue.
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Posted
August 29th, 2010 in
by:
John Lindner |
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Excerpted from the Archdiocese of New York website:
Maybe it’s because “back to school” is in the air, but after my second trip to post-earthquake Haiti earlier this month, I find myself thinking of those “three r’s.” Not reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic, but this time relief, rebuilding and renewal.
As Chair of the Board of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), I accompanied Ken Hackett, the president; Dr. Viva Bartkus of the University of Notre Dame, a member of the board; and Bishop Dennis Madden, our vice president, to Port-au-Prince the week before last.
Neither Dr. Bartkus nor Bishop Madden had been to Haiti before, and they were aghast at the devastation. Rightly so. Ken and I had been down there only a week after last January’s horror, so, while we shook our heads again over the extent of the destruction, we did see some signs of progress, and whispered a prayer of thanksgiving that the overwhelming generosity of God’s people was having an effect in relief efforts.
Read the full version here.
Posted
August 27th, 2010 in
by:
John Lindner |
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On August 20, seven youth and faith formation ministers and two CRS staff members traveled to Bolivia and Peru through the Called to Witness program that provides short-term, firsthand experiences of the developing world as seen through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching. Kathy Regan, consultant, Our Sunday Visitor curriculum division, certified spiritual director – Soul Purpose Ministry, Shenandoah, Iowa, filed this reflection.
Today in Bolivia I met a people who draw life from the land . . . a land dry and rocky . . . to some almost desolate . . . a people with weathered faces who live a simple life just trying to survive . . . connected to the land . . . to family . . . to the community . . . and to God . . . whose only water source is a polluted creek bed a three-hour walk away.
But on Tuesday, August 24, 2010, lives forever changed for this simple community of 44 families . . . as life-giving water flowed through the pipes and down the Andes Mountains into their homes and school.
Water . . . life-giving water . . . now flowing into their lives. There was dancing . . . and celebration . . . there were tears and laughter . . . there was food and rejoicing.
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Posted
August 27th, 2010 in
by:
John Lindner |
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From our partners at Caritas, to whom we extend our sincere condolences:
Caritas is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Bishop Jaime Prieto Amaya , President of Caritas Colombia.
Monsignor Prieto, 69, Bishop of Cúcuta died in Bogotá last night on 25 August following a serious illness.
“Monsignor Prieto was dedicated to bringing peace to his country. Right up until the final months of his life he worked hard for justice on behalf of the poorest and most vulnerable people in Colombia,” said Lesley-Anne Knight, Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis.
Posted
August 26th, 2010 in
by:
John Lindner |
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