Are Average Canadians Unknowingly Arming Child Soldiers?

I went to see Dr. Samantha Nutt last night who was the keynote speaker at the Ploughshares 35th Anniversary Celebration.  Dr. Nutt is the founder of War Child North America and the Author of "Damned Nations - Greed, Guns Armies and Aid". She is a woman small of stature with a giant message and passion for humanitarian work.  She told some heart wrenching and horrific stories from her times in war-torn Somalia and didn't pull any punches.  She was AMAZING!

I will do a more thorough discussion on her book later but right now I would like to outline some simple points that really struck home for me. 

Arms spending globally is at a level not seen since the end of WW II.  It averages about $235 for every person living on this planet. Who is profiting from the sale of arms? 

APPARENTLY WE ARE!!!

According to Nutt, every Canadian who pays into CPP is investing in arms manufacturing.  Isn't that a mind blowing revelation?  Canada is also among the top 10 countries supplying small arms globally.  I didn't know. 

Nutt also went on to say that that every teacher's pension fund in Canada is invested in arms manufacturers.  So our teachers will have a great retirement at the expense arming child soldiers.  Teachers will hate knowing this and many will simply refuse to believe it.  But only teachers have the power to change it. 

It is not just teachers pension funds though. Many of the mutual funds in our RRSPs are invested in arms manufacturing too.  Only YOU can decide where your money is invested.  It's not easy though. Investment funds and corporate ownership are so convoluted that a truly "Ethical" fund is nearly impossible to find. 

Are YOU aware of any of this?   I thought not. 

She stressed that we as Canadians need to educate ourselves on the realities of the world.  With corporatization of investments, we are all investing money in things we would never dream of supporting.  Just as many of us have no idea where our food comes from, we have lost the ability to know where our money is being invested. 

Did you know that Canada is the biggest mining country in the world?  70% of the mining done on this planet is done by Canadian mining companies.  Many of them do not follow the same standards for human resource management that we do in Canada and often have human rights abuses charges on their records.  Of course many do not follow the same level of environmental care and diligence that they do here in Canada either. (As an aside, Denise Wamsley, from our office, was chastised by visitors to Guatemala regarding the harm Canadian mining companies are responsible for in Central America.  It seems the rest of the world knows more about what Canadian companies are doing than do Canadians!)

In her article in the Globe & Mail entitled "Should NGO's take the corporate bait?", Nutt says the combined annual net profit for the three (yes just 3) mining companies CIDA is supporting through a new NGO partnering initiative is more than $4 Billion.   Read the complete article here.

Dr. Nutt says the hope lies in us.  We CAN make a difference in the world by educating ourselves so we stop profiting from war and in making informed buying decisions and informed investing decisions. 

So.  Where will you go from here?  Perhaps a good step would be to read her book. Buy it here. It could change your life.  I for one don't want to be profiting by putting killing machines in the hands of children.

Ignorance IS bliss.  But at what cost? 

Christmas 2011

Dear Friends,
Christmas.  It's about people.  It's about love and caring and sharing.  My wish this Christmas is to inspire people to cut down on the trappings of life, increase our joyful memories, lighten our ecological footprint and help build global community at the same time.  Let's begin in India.

Rupa Kumar is the director of the CORDI Women's Centre.  Rupa shared with me once about how they celebrate Christmas in Chennai, India.  The part that stood out the most for me was the singing of Carols on Christmas Eve.  They do it a little differently than we do.  Rupa says they go out about midnight after the service and go to people's houses and sing carols and then get invited into the recipient's home for a sharing of love and hope and light snacks.  This goes on for quite a while.  Rupa tells me that after three o'clock in the morning sometimes they have to sing four or five or more carols ever increasing in boisterousness before the people will get up and come downstairs and invite the carolers into their homes.  This usually finishes up by sunrise Christmas morning.  

I don't know about you but most people I know may have a problem with this middle-of-the-night awakening.  In south India where Rupa lives this is an important ritual and people hope and expect to participate in it.  People are at the center of the celebrations, sharing and making memories. 

Our memories tell us what is most important in life.  David Suzuki ended his impassioned talk at World Accord's recent event by sharing a personal story about one of his last visits with his 85 year old father before his passing. That visit lasted a month and was one of the best visits he'd ever had.  They shared stories and memories, laughter and tears sometimes both at the same time.

As Dr. Suzuki puts it, “In all our weeks together, he never talked about a set of fancy clothes, a big car or a special house - that's just stuff.”  Every memory worth keeping and worth sharing was about time spent doing things with friends and family; the people of his community.  Things like fishing, camping or hiking. In David Suzuki's case it was nearly always something involving nature.   

Think about your most precious memories.  Are they about stuff - things you have managed to accumulate?  Or are they about friends and family?  I would guess that even if a “thing” was involved, it was the sharing of it with someone special that made it a memory worth keeping. 

In order to help make some fabulous memories this year, why not give gifts that aren't about stuff but about sharing time and experience?  What gifts could you give someone that would allow you to share precious time with them?  Dinner, dance lessons, a cooking class (together of course), a canoe trip or tickets to live theatre are among the thousands of choices you have at your fingertips.  You could also give a gift that would allow your kids to do something special with their friends  helping them build treasured memories. 

Not every gift we give has to end up in a landfill some day.  Certainly your gifts to World Accord can make a difference that will last a lifetime and beyond. 

Tara Nirayla is from the village of Karabari in eastern Nepal. She is a village leader in what has become a beautiful community. After a few years this village is ready to move beyond our support. The people are happy and healthy, excited and hopeful for their future.

David Suzuki also talked about the blurring (and even disappearance) of the line between our wants and our needs.  Even what would once be considered a nice-to-have or an extravagance has now become a need.  What about the developing world?  In most areas where we work, the programs you support can make the difference between two or three meals a day, or being able to afford medicine for a sick child or shoes so a child can attend school.  In my book those are needs and having to choose between medicine and food is no choice at all.  

Like cherished memories, gifts to World Accord have the possibility of lasting so much longer than many of the things we spend spend so much on these days.

Thank you for  taking the time to read this letter.   On behalf of  the staff and volunteers at World Accord, all our partners and the thousands of program participants around the world, I wish you and your families a wonderful Christmas of  Joy, Hope, Love and Peace. May you create many new memories to cherish for a lifetime. 

David Barth, Executive Director

Planting Hope in Haiti

If you went to Haiti to look for signs of a brighter future, where would you go?  A few days ago I found myself in the mountain district of Fon Batis, a 100 km north of Port-au-Prince, being inspired by farmers.

I was there with FIDA-PcH (Productive Cooperatives of Haiti), World Accord’s partner in that country. FIDA-PcH has worked with farmers in Fon Batis for years: helping to organize cooperatives, providing credits, and offering literacy classes and training on sustainable farming.

Fon Batis sits atop a rugged, rocky, dry mountain chain. Years of producing coffee and charcoal have left very few trees, and growing food there is difficult, even with FIDA-PcH’s help.  Following the massive earthquake that struck Haiti last year, thousands of the families who lost their homes moved to the countryside.  Some came to Fon Batis looking for safety, shelter and food.  Local people accommodated them, but food is scarce, and now there is even more pressure on the land. 

In February, World Accord and FIDA-PcH began a project to help Fon Batis and nearby Saint Marc to respond.  Since then, FIDA-PcH has been helping 120 farmers from 6 coops learn to grow garden crops in the dry season.  With training in organic growing, seeds and ongoing technical advice, these farmers will be able to produce more food for themselves and for local markets.  Farmers improve their incomes, but everyone benefits from having better access to local, healthy food during the “hunger months.” 

At Fon Batis I observed a training workshop, where about 20 farmers – all but two of them women – learned to produce compost and grow leeks during the dry season.  One technique involved protecting seeds with ash and banana leaves until they become strong enough to stand the sun.  FIDA-PcH estimates that each farming family will improve their income by at least $150 with that crop alone.

I have always thought that putting seeds in the ground is a great act of faith.  The commitment of these particular farmers – having lived through hurricanes, earthquakes and social turmoil – humbled me.  Like all Haitians I met, they were eager to work and rebuild.  Their work and hope in the future of Haiti should spark our own faith in that country. 

By Nelson Rosales

Three Cups of Education

There sure has been a lot written on the web lately about the Greg Mortenson scandal.  (See the "60 Minutes" clip on YouTube here.) Was "Three Cups of Tea" more fiction that truth?  I am afraid only Mr. Mortenson himself will ever be able to really answer that question.  What I would like to do is speak a little to some of the criticisms I have read and why they may or may NOT apply to the work World Accord supports. 

The first lesson (cup of education) - "For" or "With"

It has been said that Greg Mortenson builds schools "for" Afghans and Pakistanis. According to the fastcompany.com blog entitled: What The Scandal Of "Three Cups of Tea" Author Greg Mortenson Is Really About, Adam Braun of Pencils of Promise says:

"The schools that aren't being used are usually those built for locals, rather than those built with locals. Education is much more complex than just putting up four walls, so those that only focus on the build itself will see higher rates of school abandonment."

In the same article, Laura Freschi of the Aidwatchers blog points out "most of the money CAI (Mortenson's charity - Central Asia Institute) spent on schools--$3 million out of $4 million--went to building, not teacher salaries, school supplies, scholarships, or followup. CAI--and other organizations--are just dropping schools into Afghanistan and hoping teachers and students show up."

At World Accord International Development Agency, we would  agree with Braun.  It is one reason why World Accord has never once built a school "for" anyone. Our volunteer-led Construction Expeditions only build schools "with" communities.  Generally, a community our local partner is already working with makes a request for a school. The community supplies the land and generally has the footings laid before our volunteers arrive on the scene.  Our volunteers work together with students, their parents and other community members to build a school.

        A chain gang of students passes along building materials.

Cup of Education # 2: Providing Education is for the State.

Laura Freschi of Aidwatchers would seem to imply that charity should support teacher salaries, school supplies and administrative support. I strongly disagree with Freschi's views on this. Nearly ALL our funds for the construction expeditions go for infrastructure including desks.   It is not sustainable for us to carry salaries, supplies and administrative costs.  We will only build a school building where classes are already being held without proper educational facilities. If those things are not supplied by one level of government or other, building a school will be a fruitless exercise.   In a blog entitled "Cup Half Empty" at foreignpolicy.com, Mosharraf Zaidi writes:

"Charity and philanthropy cannot service the needs of a country that has more than 70 million children between ages of 5 and 18. Only a state-financed education system, with serious oversight and accountability instruments built into it, can address the challenge here." (in Pakistan) 

Zaidi is right.  We can't do it for them but we can assist them in doing it for themselves. 

The third cup: Education alone is NOT the answer.

The blog entitled "Three Cups of Fiction" at schoolingtheworld.org states:

"...the idea that building schools and getting every kid on the planet inside them is a solution to the problem of global poverty, for example, is a real whopper."

We have to agree.  That is why "education and schools" is only one aspect of a more integrated approach that World Accord develops in partnership with participating communities. The aim is to eliminate the barriers that hamper development. Of course we can't eliminate all the barriers or the more institutionalized ones, but those the communities can address with our help.  Sometimes that is just enough to clear the way for people to grow in capacity and become more self-determined. 

To sum up.  While we help communities in their efforts to create schools, education needs to be state supplied and still remains just one piece (though an important piece) of the puzzle and problem of global poverty.

The Indigenous Experiment. What Works Best?

I just returned from a week in Guatemala visiting projects with a family of World Accord volunteers and their friend.  Nelson Rosales and I, with the help of Mujeres en Accion's staff and driver, took our group to a number of villages to learn about the projects. We also took in some geological and cultural sites to learn about the country and the people.

The adults in our group would discuss various elements of our learnings as the days progressed.  One day the comparison was made between the indigenous of Canada and the indigenous of Guatemala. Who was actually better off today?  That evening I ended up in a discussion with Nelson on the same topic. We later learned that two other members of the group were having the same discussion in their room. 

I think most Canadians would agree that how our governments in the past have treated the indigenous peoples of Canada hasn't really worked all that well.  It has been a massive social experiment - one that is still ongoing and inconclusive.  A similar experiment is ongoing in the US with their indigenous peoples as well as Australia and many other countries around the world.  Our current experience was with the Maya - indigenous to Guatemala. 

It is true that when the Spaniards came to Central America many indigenous people died.  And when the land was divided, sold, granted, stolen, etc very little land ended up in the hands of the primarily agrarian Maya.  During the civil war in the 1980's more than 200,000 of the Maya were killed in the attempted genocide by the government and army.  Today the Maya of Guatemala are mostly landless though some few own small plots for farming. They are a source of cheap labour for the land holders and many rent land or do crafts.  Mostly they are still very poor.

And yet we found that they are mostly pretty happy people that are all too willing to share with us what precious little they have.  They are quick to smile and share a laugh. There is a sense of community. There is once again a sense of pride and people are not scared to look you in the eye though this was not always the case. 

The debate goes on.  In some countries the indigenous were simply extinguished like in El Salvador.  In others they ceased to remain separate and distinct as they blended with their Spanish conquerors. Their previous culture and language lost forever.

The human race has much to answer for.  How we treat our mother earth and how we treat each other and the experiment is ongoing.  How are we doing? Can we change course?  What will a successful outcome look like?  So many questions and the answers are scarce.  What can we do to help make the planet and the human race become the possible? 

 

Sabina, in the mountains near Chichoy, found the market flooded with weavings - the most traditional of Mayan handicrafts - and unable to earn a living with the labour intensive trade.  She borrowed money from Mujeres en Accion to rent land and began to plant and harvest Camomile for tea.  She is very happy with the increased level of income from the change.