News Briefs: May 25, 2006
ELCIC and CLWR urge government response to crisis at Augusta Victoria Hospital
Following up on their commitment to closely monitor the financial crisis at Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH) in Jerusalem, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) and Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR) signed a joint letter to the Minister of International Cooperation, the Honourable Josee Verner, urging the Canadian government to provide funding directly to humanitarian agencies, such at AVH, in lieu of funding to the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The financial crisis at AVH, a health care institution sponsored and operated by the Lutheran World Federation, is the result of some governments within the international community—including Canada, the United States and the European Union—halting payments to the PA, which has affected their ability to honour contractual obligations to AVH for the humanitarian services the hospital provides.
In the letter to International Cooperation Minister Josee Verner, ELCIC National Bishop, Rev. Raymond Schultz, and CLWR Executive Director, Mr. Robert Granke, call attention to the, "serious possibility of bankruptcy and closure [of AVH] due to the financial situation of the Palestinian Authority," and urge Minister Verner to, "consider funding directly humanitarian activities through private institutions such as AVH."
At a recent meeting in Winnipeg with Dr. Tawfig Nasser, Chief Executive Officer of AVH, Dr. Nasser reported to both the ELCIC and CLWR that the hospital had not been receiving their payments of approximately $300,000 USD per month for several months and, "as a consequence, [AVH is] unable to pay the salaries of their staff, and cannot restock essential medical supplies."
An initial $60,000 USD has been allocated by the ELCIC and CLWR for emergency support of the hospital. On April 3, the ELCIC announced a commitment of $50,000 USD for AVH and on April 6, CLWR issued an appeal in support of AVH and announced a commitment of $10,000 USD for the AVH appeal. A shipment of blankets and quilts will be sent out to AVH by CLWR later this month.
Both the ELCIC and CLWR urge members of the ELCIC and the Lutheran community to give their support to the letter to the Minister of International Cooperation and call attention to the financial crisis at AVH as a result of the Canadian government's action by contacting their local Members of Parliament. To read the full letter to the Minister of Cooperation or to view a sample letter to local Members of Parliament, visit the ELCIC website at www.elcic.ca.
—ELCIC News Release and CLWR News Service
BC Baling Day shipment to LWF-Jerusalem
British Columbia’s annual CLWR Baling Day took place on May 18 and 19. Lutheran congregations and groups in the lower mainland of BC donated 1,931 heavy blankets, 307 baby quilts, 1,362 layettes, 614 kits and 15 boxes of soap, which were baled and loaded into a 20-foot container by a group of volunteers. This container is now bound for the port of Haifa and ultimately the Lutheran World Federation’s program in Jerusalem. Among the beneficiaries of this shipment will be Palestinian children in local schools, and children and adults receiving care at Augusta Victoria Hospital.
—CLWR News Service
Planting Seeds of Community Resilience
People in Chimpa Rodeo, Bolivia, have high hopes for the lumpy seed potatoes they’re proudly showing their visitors. The 35 families in this community in the remote Bolivian highlands are convinced that recovering dozens of varieties of “heritage” seed potatoes is a critical part of preserving their culture.
It’s a jarring three-hour drive through the mountains along a winding gravel and dirt road from Sucre—the nation’s capital—to Chimpa Rodeo, a cluster of humble buildings surrounded by fields nestled in the hills.
Women in the community wear the postcard-perfect traditional bowler hats and brightly coloured blouses and skirts that seem typical of the highland indigenous people. You hear laughter everywhere. It’s hard to see how the outside world is encroaching on their way of life. But it is.
An innovative project initiated by CLWR and shaped by the community aims to strengthen the community’s resilience so that it can cope with change. It’s not a matter of protecting the community so much as ensuring it will have the confidence and resources to control how change occurs.
“The objective is to preserve natural resources and cultural identity,” says Alberto Choque who works with IPTK, a community organization that is actually implementing the project on CLWR’s behalf. These are seen as two of the fundamentals of strengthening the community’s resilience.
Together with the people of Chimpa Rodeo it was decided that the project would focus on:
- “Tuber recuperation”—seeking out different varieties of traditional tubers like potatoes and okra.
- Creating a seed bank so that highland communities can share their high quality seeds.
- Organizing events where farmers can share their knowledge.
- Encouraging communities to renew their traditional understanding of the world, universe and afterlife.
- Traditional weaving.
When the project began in 2002, the people of Chimpa Rodeo set a goal of collecting 24 different varieties of potatoes. By October 2005, they had collected 33 varieties and were still looking for more.
“The customs of our forefathers were being lost,” explained one of the farmers in the community. “Thanks to the project we are recovering the knowledge of our forefathers.”
He said the community has also quit using chemical fertilizers on their fields and is using livestock manure instead. “We are saving money because we don’t have to buy fertilizer,” he said. The potatoes are bigger, too.
IPTK has encouraged communities to organize regional fairs and agriculture shows so that people can share information and knowledge.
CLWR funding has also supported community interchanges, training in natural resources management, soil conservation, reforestation efforts and more.
—CLWR News Service
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