Page 27 - Presbyterian Connection, Spring 2020

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SPRING 2020
Connection
PRESBYTERIAN WORLD SERVICE & DEVELOPMENT
Peace, the Foundation of Development
By Guy Smagghe, PWS&D Director
This new year started with the news of the assassination of an Iranian gen- eral in Iraq—a destabilizing event for a large part of the world. For a moment, my peaceful world felt under threat. Living in a large city like Toronto, one never knows when it could become a target. I had flashbacks of 9/11 when I rushed downtown to take my young daughter out of daycare—not know- ing if an airplane might fall from the sky as had happened in the US in the preceding hours.
Most people who were born in Can- ada have not experienced war first- hand, have only experienced peace. When there is peace, we are able to
send our children to publicly funded schools, access quality health care services, have regular jobs with stable incomes, which can be used to satisfy our other needs. When there is peace, we can walk in the parks of our cit- ies and watch children play freely. We can have leisure time to go to movies or restaurants. We can go to church and worship God and be grateful for the bounties of the ear th.
We shouldn’t take peace for grant- ed. Peace is so precious—it’s the foundation of our lives’ enjoyments. Like our health, it is easy to take peace for granted. It’s only when we are sick that we realize how impor- tant health is to our enjoyment of life. And it’s when we see the prospect
of war that we realize how important peace is.
One of my favourite prayers is the prayer of St. Francis: “Make me an instrument of your peace.” It calls us to foster peace in our lives and to not stand still in the face of those who put it in jeopardy. Where there is ha- tred, let us sow love. Where there is despair, hope.
PWS&D is in a key position to pro- vide hope in times of despair. In col- laboration with Canadian Foodgrains Bank, we are able to provide hope through the provision of food to peo- ple affected by conflict. With the ACT Alliance, we can provide clean water, sanitation, health services, education and psychosocial support to affected families.
In Bangladesh, where over 740,000 Rohingya people have sought ref- uge, we are providing food to fami- lies who had to run away from their burning villages in Myanmar as they
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees seek peace and safety in camps in Bangladesh. PHOTO CREDIT: PAUL JEFFREY/ACT ALLIANCE
PRESBYTERIAN
27
Champions’ Corner
were chased away by armed forces of their own government. In Yemen, where over eight million people are on the brink of famine, we help offer hope by providing food and access to clean water to families who had to leave their homes because they were under attack. It’s impossible for most of us to imagine the hardship experi- enced by these families.
As instruments of peace, we need to become more sensitive to the threats to peace. What are our leaders
doing to preserve peace in our com- munities and to work toward peace globally? Are we helping foster con- flict anywhere in the name of our eco- nomic well-being? What if we were at the other end of those actions?
As Christians, we are called to pray for and act as instruments of peace. Jesus, as it is relayed in the scriptures, left us his peace for us to share. PWS&D is one way to do this by providing life-saving support where peace has been shattered.
sion to the most vulnerable. The first Wednesday of each month, Champi- ons come together in spirit to pray for the work of PWS&D around the world.
A Day in the Life of a Champion: Marion Lade Marion Lade knows how important it is to pray for those in need, be- cause she does so throughout the year with a group of people from her congregation in Comox Valley, B.C.: “There are approximately nine of us who meet on each second Wednes- day...to pray for people both within and outside our congregation. Not just those within our community— but far afield.” Eager to share the resource—a prayer guide that lists current requests from PWS&D part- ners and provides sample prayers to help anyone unsure of what to say— with her church’s prayer group, Marion comments, “I keep our group aware of the need to pray for the people who benefit from the projects PWS&D supports.”
While some Champions pray in groups, others address the requests on the Champions Pray resource in quiet solitude. Regardless of where or how they are coming together, Champions’ prayers are passion- ate—and they are making a differ- ence.
Champions Pray is just one part of the vibrant volunteerism of PWS&D Champions. Visit WeRespond.ca/be- a-champion for more information.
Supporting Rohingya Refugees
Sharyl Eaglesham, from Winni- peg, Man., invited her community to pray for the needs of people around the world during First Presbyterian Church’s Advent prayer vigil.
By Emma Clarke, PWS&D Communications
Wednesdays have a reputation of be- ing difficult. Beyond the busyness of work, the flurry of church and social engagements and the hustle of chil- dren’s extracurricular activities, the mid-week energy lull often makes the day less than exciting. One Wednes- day a month, however, Champions look at the calendar and smile, be- cause it’s time for Champions Pray.
PWS&D Champions are volunteers who are passionate about the work of PWS&D. Champions engage PCC congregations from across Canada in the mission and ministry of PWS&D.
Often, Champions put together meaningful events to raise aware- ness and funds for PWS&D’s work. Yet, they have even broader hori- zons when it comes to responding to Christ’s call to feed the hungry, comfort the lonely, seek justice for the oppressed and show compas-
By Emma Clarke, PWS&D Communications
Of the 742,000 Rohingya refugees who have fled brutal persecution in Myanmar, over half are children. Sadly, the number of girls and boys who have lost one or both parents exceeds 35,000. Day after day, these children open their eyes in a Bang- ladesh refugee camp feeling com- pletely alone.
Sufira, a resilient 17-year-old Roh- ingya orphan, remembers how it felt to leave her home behind: “We cried all the way.”
Forced to flee by mass killings, ar- son and sexual violence against her ethnic community, Sufira departed Myanmar with her family by her side. Yet, her mother fell ill and died shortly after they arrived in Bangladesh. Her brother soon ran away.
Most days, Sufira sits in the bam- boo house where she lives, joined by her grandmother’s sister or by other women from back home. She relies on this community to keep her spir- its high and on a few men who fetch provisions for her with food vouchers. Thankful for their suppor t, Sufira com- ments, “I hope the food will continue.”
PWS&D, through Canadian Foodgrains Bank, is one of several
Life can be lonely for Sufira, a 17-year-old orphan, who lives in a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh. PHOTO CREDIT: WORLD RENEW/LISA NIGHTENGALE
organizations responding to need in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camp. Here, most refugees are completely reliant on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs. While the World Food Programme is providing rice, lentils and oil, other food is difficult to access. As a result, many people’s diets are deficient of various nutrients.
To meet the need for healthier and more diverse foods, PWS&D partners with World Renew at the Foodgrains Bank to provide food vouchers for families in great need. These in hand, Sufira and others can feel the dignity that comes with the freedom of choice, as they make purchases
of nutritious food that contribute to the local economy. In this project, the Government of Canada matches funds 4:1, enabling us to help more people like Sufira.
While Sufira continues to deal with the emotional aftermath of her flight from Myanmar and the loss of her family, the support she has received makes her life a little easier. Unfortu- nately, there are many more stories like Sufira’s and the need of Roh- ingya refugees is immense, with no end in sight. To suppor t PWS&D’s ongoing effor ts to provide assis- tance, please visit WeRespond.ca/ Rohingya-refugee-crisis.