International Peace Day - 2012

In 1981 the United Nations General Assembly declared, in a resolution sponsored by Costa Rica, the third Tuesday of September (the opening day of regular sessions of the General Assembly) as the International Day of Peace devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace.

In 2001 a new resolution was passed by the General Assembly, sponsored by the United Kingdom (giving credit to Peace One Day) and Costa Rica (the sponsors of the original day) to give the Day of Peace a fixed date and declare it as a global ceasefire day.

Today is set aside as the International Day of Peace which occurs annually on September 21. It is dedicated to peace, or specifically the absence of war, such as might be occasioned by a temporary ceasefire in a combat zone. It is observed by many nations, political groups, military groups, and peoples.

To inaugurate the day, the "Peace Bell" is rung at UN Headquarters. The bell is cast from coins donated by children from all continents. It was given as a gift by the Diet of Japan, and is referred to as "a reminder of the human cost of war." The inscription on its side reads: "Long live absolute world peace."

Each year individuals and organizations from 175 nations gather to promote peace in their communities and the world. At this very moment, UN peacekeepers around the world are risking their lives in the name of peace.

I send grateful thanks to a good friend of mine, Elvis Chinchilla Hernández , from El Salvador, who spent 18 months in Liberia as a peacekeeper.

These men and women in blue helmets – more than 100,000 in total, making them the second largest deployed military in the world – can be found in 16 of the world's most dangerous conflict areas. They are stationed in such hot spots as Lebanon, Haiti and Sudan, and are fighting to preserve and ensure peace.

Sometimes that means disrupting drug trafficking and maintaining law and order. Sometimes it means disarming former combatants and disposing of mines. And sometimes it means organizing elections or helping countries develop legal frameworks to ensure continued justice. In any case, this work is critical to American national security interests, yet it often goes under appreciated in this country and elsewhere.

*****

September 21st is the date generally associated with the Autumnal Equinox – a time of great astronomical and spiritual significance for a great many people.

The United Nations General Assembly re-opens on or around this date every year. In this sense, it is a very symbolic time globally. The following statements are excerpts from

‘100 reasons to ban nuclear weapons’ :

because nuclear weapons threaten humankind. Let's get rid of them for good -

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

because as UN Secretary-General, I believe there would be no winners in a nuclear war

because nuclear weapons do not discriminate -

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

because it will make the world safer for our children and grandchildren -

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

because the resources it will free up could fight climate change -

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

because the resources it will free up could fight global food insecurity -

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

because the world will be more secure and stable without nuclear weapons.

because disarmament and non-proliferation are inextricably linked to development, human rights and peace.

because the resources it will free up could fight global poverty -

UN Secretary-

because we are serious about the future of humankind

because while nuclear weapons exist, accidents can happen

because 6.8 billion people are at risk

because any feud between countries could be a death warrant for the planet -

Michael Douglas, UN Messenger of Peace

because billions are spent on a tool of self-destruction while many die of hunger

(sent from Poland)

because killing people by any means is simply wrong; why on earth do we accept the idea of total destruction?

(sent from Canada)

because love, empathy, collaboration, understanding, generosity, unity, forgiveness, goodwill, kindness, caring, reason, and compassion are answers, not weapons of mass destruction

(sent from the USA)

because peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding -

Albert Einstein

because the future of our world depends on sustainable development for the preservation of lives and families, not building nuclear weapons

(sent from Nigeria)

go to the united nations website for more information about the efforts toward world peace.

International Peace Day - 2012

peacesojourner

World Water Day - 2012

Today, March 22, 2012, is World Water Day

Most of us have always had access to running hot and cold water and could not imagine life without it. The following paragraph is an excerpt of an article I wrote when I lived in El Salvador, Central America, some years ago.

“I am living in a small room (6’ x 6’) in the local church. I have no TV, no radio, no sink, no phone, and no fridge. Actually, I do have a sink but it is outdoors and I use it to wash clothes and dishes and to store water in daily for use during the times when there is no water available. We do have water on this street but only from 7 am to 11 am every day. (4 hours) and that is not guaranteed. It is actually very liberating washing the body, the clothes and dishes (not at the same time) outdoors in the sunshine. :-) The sink is called a pilar and is very important to the way of life here. One learns to adapt very quickly and as soon as the water is turned on in the morning I hurry to get the very cold water, wash, and get ready for the day.”

While in El Salvador I witnessed many things related to water. I was in a small village outside of Santa Ana and most of the people had no running water. There was a very small waterfall at the end of ‘la linea’ (the railroad line) and the women would bathe there. Washing their hair and showering with their clothing on, while washing their dress at the same time. Then, still wearing the clothing, let it air dry in the sunshine. After this they filled large containers with water and carried them on their head to their homes.

The next village over was Masacua, and all of the people shared one water pump in the center of the village. Later, another more modern water faucet was installed (still only one for the whole village). The entire community turned out for the blessing of the water – giving thanks to God that they finally had clean running water from a deep well. There were no toilets in Masacua at the time I arrived there and a few months later some young men came from Belgium and installed some raised toilets – one for each family. The villagers would chuckle because the toilets were built up high and one had to walk up about eight cement steps to reach it - they were flushed with chemicals and a bucket of water. They named them the ‘tronos real’ (royal thrones).

I witnessed the factories from the United States pumping chemical waste into the local rivers which turned the water dark brown. No concern was given that this was the water that the local people had to drink. I agonized over the fact that in the United States they had to follow environmental safety laws and in Central America there are no such laws and the local children are dying from the contaminated water. I complained loudly to the companies but no one listened. I still feel that if the companies know that their product pollutes the water then they have a moral responsibility to put precautions in place.

In the first weeks that I was there I became very ill from drinking the water and after about two months I decided I would buy bottled water so that I would not get sick again. I'm sorry to tell you that the local people did not have the option to do that and I felt uncomfortable about it but I decided that in order to be effective in my work there I needed to stay healthy.

There was a very ingenious local water site that the men had built. There was a small river in the town from which the men had channeled the water into a swimming pool where the children could play, and the same water was again channeled into about 50 stone community sinks where the women would come and wash their clothes. The wastewater from the sinks was then directed back into the flow of the river. The women would place the clothing on the bushes along the river so that they could dry in the sunshine.

Another common sight was to see men washing daily at a public stone pilar (sink) along the side of the road on their way to work.

I had heard from the women that Health workers from other countries had come to the village to teach the women about the basic hygiene of washing their hands after everything that they do, to prevent the spread of germs. The women explained to me that they felt this was ridiculous as the one heavy container of water that they carried home daily could not be wasted on repeated hand washing.

I could give many more examples. One thing that I learned personally was to value water and when I returned to the U.S. I became very frugal with the use of water. So much so that one day the local Water Department made a visit to my home because they were sure that the water meter must not be working. My bill for several months was only $7. I explained that I had learned how to conserve water while living in Central America. They found it hard to believe but found nothing wrong with the meter. :-)

Friends, according to the United Nations, about 1.4 billion people lack access to clean water and 2.4 billion people lack adequate sanitation. Because of this, over 9,000 children die daily. Please check out the United Nations website to see what you can do to help.

peacesojourner

Did you know that today is World Toilet Day?

Did you know that today is World Toilet Day?

I am guessing that most of you reading this have lived your entire lives with access to indoor plumbing and a working toilet.

I am also aware that some of my readers may still not have running water or a flushable toilet in their home. While many of us take for granted that we will always have daily access to a bathroom there are millions of people in many developing countries who are denied this basic need every day.

You're probably wondering: Do we really need a National Toilet Day? The answer is yes. It is a day set aside to try to bring awareness to people around the world.

A group called ‘Water For People’ supports long-lasting solutions that empower communities to solve their own sanitation problems. They have asked bloggers to talk about this topic today so I am glad to do so.

Even thought at first glance World Toilet Day may seem frivolous there are activists in Washington D.C and around the world who use this day to call for increased access to basic bathrooms for everyone.

A toilet is actually a luxury in many areas of the world. Lack of toilets can spell trouble in the form of contaminated water and the spread of diseases such as cholera. Our friends in Haiti lived this experience this past year - 1,180 have died so far. The huge humanitarian operation in Haiti appears to be losing the battle against the latest catastrophe occurring in the poor Caribbean nation. 20,000 people have been treated in hospitals for the diarrheal disease, which can kill in hours through dehydration if not treated quickly.

It is estimated that 2.5 billion people worldwide do not have access to clean toilets and make do by using plastic bags or hustling off into the bushes.

Educate yourself about the lack of sanitation in the world. The facts are staggering - it is the world's biggest cause of infection. Safe disposal of children's feces leads to a reduction of nearly 40% in childhood diarrhea.

What percentage of the world uses toilet paper? The answer is: 30% –alternatives for the other 70% include hands, water, sand, small rocks, mud, leaves, rope, seaweed and corn husks.

So, when you sit down on your throne today, keep in mind that this is a day to remember that not everyone has the same ability to do what you’re doing. Not having a toilet would be like camping outdoors in the woods your whole life, don’t you think?

When I lived in El Salvador I met people in the rural communities who did not have electricity, running water or indoor plumbing. They dug out an open pit in the ground to dispose of fecal waste and when it was almost full they would cover it in with soil and then dug out another. In one community that I spent time in, some Dutch volunteer workers had built each family a raised commode (with a door) outside of the home which was built up high on cement cinder blocks. One had to go up several steps to use the commode and the waste would fall into a chemical filled site below. The villagers laughed and said that they now had royal thrones.

I once attended a gathering in the village where the local pastor conducted a religious service of thanking God for the gift of access to running water. Every villager was in attendance to give thanks to God and to witness the blessing of the water. The same volunteers from Holland had dug for water and it was finally being channeled into a pipe and one faucet. This single outdoor faucet was for the entire village to share. Before the installation of this faucet the villagers had to travel long distances to collect water and carry it in containers, balanced on their heads, back to their homes.

I also witnessed similar conditions in rural India, especially in the Dalit (formerly known as the Untouchables) community.

So there you have it - World Toilet Day is a day marked to make us aware that over 2.6 billion people in other countries across the globe do not have basic sanitation, causing widespread diseases and deaths every day.

Some may pooh-pooh the whole idea – yes, I said it :-) but really, why not stand up so that others can sit down this World Toilet Day!

******

1 out of 5 children die of diarrheal disease, which means the mother in this photo can expect to bury at least one of her children before their 5th birthday.

*****

To learn more about this go to - http://www.worldtoiletday.com

UNICEF is also committed to improving toilet and sanitation conditions worldwide.

Why not volunteer to help with labor or a financial donation? Check them out.

peacesojourner

Bishop Romero killed in his church March 24, 1980

Oscar Romero: Bishop of the Poor

El Salvador, Central America

8/15/17 - 3/24/80

In 1980, Archbishop Oscar Romero promised history that life, not death, would have the last word. "I do not believe in death without resurrection," he said. "If they kill me, I will be resurrected in the Salvadoran people.”

Oscar Romero gave his last sermon on March 24, 1980. The homily, however, his fate was sealed on the day before when he took the terrifying step of publicly confronting the military. He begged for international intervention.

In 1980 the civil war claimed the lives of 3,000 per month, with cadavers clogging the streams, and tortured bodies thrown in garbage dumps and on the streets of the capitol weekly. With one exception, all the Salvadoran bishops turned their backs on him, going so far as to send a secret document to Rome reporting him, accusing him of being "politicized" and of seeking popularity.

Unlike them, Romero had refused to ever attend a government function until the repression of the people was stopped. He kept that promise winning him the enmity of the government and military, and an astonishing love of the poor majority.

Romero was predictable, an orthodox, pious bookworm who was known to criticize the progressive liberation theology clergy so aligned with the impoverished farmers seeking land reform. But an event would take place within three weeks of his election that would transform the ascetic and timid Romero.

The new archbishop's first priest, Rutilio Grande, was ambushed and killed along with two parishioners. Grande was a target because he defended the peasant's rights to organize farm cooperatives. He said that the dogs of the big landowners ate better food than the campesino children whose fathers worked their fields.

The night Romero drove out of the capitol to Paisnal to view Grande's body, and the old man and seven year old who were killed with him, marked his change. In a packed country church Romero encountered the silent endurance of peasants who were facing rising terror. Their eyes asked the question only he could answer: Will you stand with us as Rutilio did? Romero's "yes" was in deeds. The peasants had asked for a good shepherd and that night they received one.

Romero's great helplessness was that he could not stop the violence. Within the next year some 200 religious instructors and farmers who had watched him walk into that country church were killed. Over 75,00 Salvadorans would be killed, one million would flee the country, another million were left homeless, constantly on the run from the army—and this in a country of only 5.5 million. All Romero had to offer the people were weekly homilies broadcast throughout the country, his voice assuring them, not that atrocities would cease, but that the church of the poor, themselves, would live on.

By 1980, amidst overarching violence, Romero wrote to President Jimmy Carter pleading with him to cease sending military aid because he wrote, "it is being used to repress my people." The U.S. sent $1.5 million in aid every day for 12 years. His letter went unheeded. Two months later he would be assassinated.

On March 23 Romero walked into the fire. He openly challenged an army of peasants, whose high command feared and hated his reputation. Ending a long homily broadcast throughout the country, his voice rose to breaking, "Brothers, you are from the same people; you kill your fellow peasant . . . No soldier is obliged to obey an order that is contrary to the will of God . . . "
There was thunderous applause; he was inviting the army to mutiny. Then his voice burst, "In the name of God then, in the name of this suffering people I ask you, I beg you, I command you in the name of God: stop the repression."

Romero's murder was a savage warning. Army sharpshooters on rooftops shot down, in front of the cathedral, at those who attended Bishop Romero’s funeral. To this day no investigation has revealed Romero's killers. What endures is Romero's promise.

Days before his murder he told a reporter, "You can tell the people that if they succeed in killing me, that I forgive and bless those who do it. Hopefully, they will realize they are wasting their time. A bishop will die, but the church of God, which is the people, will never perish."

Excerpts taken from an article by Renny Golden, co-author with Scott Wright and Marie Dennis of Oscar Romero: His Life and Teachings.

*****

Until his assassination by right-wing gunmen, Archbishop Oscar Romero (1917-1980) of San Salvador spoke out courageously in defense of human rights and social justice in strife-torn El Salvador.

On this 31st anniversary of his death, the people will march through the streets carrying that promise printed on thousands of banners and will ride on buses or walk to the city of San Salvador to remember the gentle man they called Monseñor.

Bishop Romero had the courage to stand up to protest persecution of the poor,

because it was the right thing to do.

I highly recommend viewing the movie ‘Romero’ (1989) which tells the story

of the life and death of Bishop Oscar Romero.

peacesojourner

Sunday Reflection - Pray for the people in Haiti and El Salvador

Shortly after the deadly earthquake hit Haiti on January 12 of this year I visited a local Buffalo organization by the name of VIVE. It is a residence for refugees who are making their way from unsafe situations in the country of their birth and they come to Buffalo for refuge, most of them are on their way to Canada.

The daughter of a woman who had escaped the hardship of the earthquake painted a mural on the wall of one of the planned dormitories.

That mural shows very well what is in the hearts of the women who are still in Haiti.

Women in Haiti

photos by peacesojourner

For today's reflection I want to share with you a portion of a letter that I received this morning by e-mail.It is from a young man who I met while I was living in El Salvador. He has a wife and young children - I was teaching English in the village and he became one of my students. We became friends - he learned English from me but I learned so much about the Salvadoran culture from him and his family.
Since that time he has travelled to several countries working as a Peace Keeper for the United Nations.He stays in touch with me and tells me what is happening in those countries. He is currently in Haiti and he wrote the following letter to me:

Hello,

Hope everything is fine with you and your love ones.

I'm in Haiti since last march, 18th and will be here for one year or probably more, but I have not decided yet, it will depend on my family.

As you know, back at home I work in the Police Force, they are the ones who sent me here to work for MINUSTAH, United Nations Mission in Haiti. so I'm working as a police officer here.

I have seen may foreigners here, some of them working for United nations, others for NGOs, others for Humanitarian organizations, etc. I have seen some people belonging to religious institutions also working for the Haitians.

The situation in Haiti is not good; thousands of internal displaced people (homeless, living in tents in a country of hurricanes), violence is high (homicides, rapes and kidnapping happen day by day); the political situation seems to be a "time bomb" that can explode at any time. too much poverty; however some people appear to have a lot of money, driving expensive vehicles like "hummer", things are expensive.

My family is ok, but with too much stress because of the serious situation in El Salvador, related with criminals and violence.

take good care of you.

bye, sincerely (EC)

*****

As you go about your life today I ask you to pause and remember the citizens of Haiti and the volunteers who are there to help them. Also reflect on the situation in El Salvador and in many of our own cities here where young gang members are committing acts of violence and killing each other. Ask yourself if there is a way that you can help in some way.

Take a moment for prayer.

Thank you -

peacesojourner

p.s. - on a lighter note, I am so proud of how EC expresses himself in English - maybe in some small way I helped him when I was his teacher.

This must be how educators feel when they see their students graduate. :-)

Happy News - The Gift of Vision

Ophthalmologist Dr. Vivian K. Fasula, left, and opticians Arnold Edelman and Marsha Edelman, will be going to Nicaragua on Jan. 16 for two weeks to provide sight-saving services to the poor.

photo by Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News

On a distant mission to give sight, eye doctors from Lockport, Western New York will take their services on the road to help needy in Nicaragua.

For the third consecutive year, Dr. Vivian K. Fasula will be in a remote part of Central America, using her skills to help impoverished patients whose vision problems, ranging from crossed eyes to blindness, wouldn’t be treated otherwise.

Dr. Fasula and two opticians, Marsha and Arnold Edelman, will leave Jan. 16 for San Carlos, Nicaragua, on a two-week mission organized by Medical Ministry International. The interdenominational Christian group puts together about 65 overseas medical, surgical, dental and eye missions each year, sending volunteer doctors and nurses to impoverished countries.

Their January schedule includes missions to the Dominican Republic, Malaysia, Jordan, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, the Philippines and Guatemala. Nicaragua is the second-poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

Dr. Fasula who has been practicing in Lockport since 1984, will be in San Carlos for the second consecutive winter.

Last year, after landing in Managua, the capital, the doctors were taken by military helicopter to San Carlos, which has a regional population of about 9,000. The 180-mile journey would have taken 12 hours using the challenging roads.

For the local residents it is a 12-hour slog through the rain forest to get from San Carlos to the nearest ophthalmologist, in Managua.

Besides helping new patients she will visit last year’s patients to follow up on the cases of those she operated on to correct crossed eyes, those whose cataracts she removed and a boy whose sight she saved after a stick pierced his eye.

Being cross-eyed isn’t just a cosmetic problem; it can produce double vision and eventually blindness. “After a while, the brain just shuts that eye off,” Fasula said.

“There are a lot of cataracts. We ended up doing about 200 [last year],” Dr. Fasula said. The hospital in San Carlos had decent lighting and anesthetic equipment, but no microscope, a must for sensitive eye operations. So they brought one with them.

Five thousand pairs of used glasses, mostly gathered by Lions and Rotary clubs, were distributed to the locals, who lined up for hours before the eye clinic opened at 6 a. m.

Manufacturers donate all the medical supplies. Last year, armed Nicaraguan Army troops drove the materials to San Carlos.

“One lady had the densest cataract I’ve ever seen in my life,” Fasula said. “Some of these people were totally blind with the cataracts.”

One 14-year-old girl, Wendy, was blind because of her cross-eyed condition and because of childhood surgery for congenital cataracts that wasn’t followed up with proper treatment. Her parents walked in with her from a town four hours away from San Carlos.

Wendy’s eyes were repaired, and she was given glasses. “She can see for the first time in her life. It was like a miracle,” Fasula said. “This year when I come back, I’m going to have [lens] implants for her.”

“When I returned home and when I went to bed at night I was thinking of the patients. I started thinking - why was I so lucky to be born in this beautiful country that we live in? There but for the grace of God could have been one of my children.”

The volunteers must pay all their expenses. “It’s $975 per person; we don’t know what the airfare is,” Arnold Edelman said. Whatever the tickets cost, the doctors will have to pay. The total tab will probably be about $2,500 each.

excerpts of this article taken from tprohaska@buffnews.com

*****

When I lived in El Salvador I witnessed similar teams of physicians who would come annually to treat local residents. I can also testify that those glasses that you may have contributed to the Lions club really do get used. One of the things that I did there was to distribute the previously used glasses to those losing their sight. The people were so happy to receive them.

I also would often ask myself 'how did I get so lucky to be born in a country (England) with top medical care available to every person there?'

Many thanks to these volunteers for stepping up to help others.