We are part of the Easter Story - Victory for Life!

A posting from Julie Perreault, D and P program officer writing from West Africa...

Pour moi, Pâques prend une dimension bien spéciale cette année. Ma traversée du désert africain a été marquée par la misère des gens, par quelques doutes et, je dois l’avouer, un certain découragement devant la tâche à accomplir.

Mais au bout du voyage, ressurgissent des images fortes : celles d’hommes et de femmes, qui, au nom de leur foi musulmane ou catholique, se lèvent et se battent pour la justice. Ils sont mes repères de vie et d’espérance dans cet océan chaotique où seule la pauvreté, la survie et l’injustice semblent émerger.

Comme toujours, l’humain engagé et entêté à faire advenir le meilleur, à faire gagner les forces de vie sur les forces de mort me ravive et me dynamise dans ma foi et dans mon engagement. Joyeuses Pâques solidaires!

http://www.julieenafrique.blogspot.com/ - Check it out for more postings.

Bling Free Day at St Joe's High School in Saskatoon

Taking action in response to too many stories of irresponsible mining,
staff and students at St. Joe's had a "Bling Free" Day.
Leaving jewelery, ipods and cell phones at home students were a sign of solidarity
and created more awareness that our hunger for "bling" promotes mining and is part of the chain of problems.

Elliot Lake parish THINKfasts

12 youth in

Elliot Lake parish,

Our Lady of Fatima

THINKfast on Good Friday

and raise $1200 to make a difference through D&P!

That's an average pledge of $100 - wow!

Benefit concert held in Quebec City raises $1400!

Des jeunes de Québec, impliqués à Développement et Paix, ont organisé, le 6 mars, un spectacle bénéfice, le Cabaret Solidaire, qui a permis d’amasser 1 400$ pour l’organisme.

C’est au café-bar l’Agitée que plus de 100 personnes se sont présentées afin d’assister à cet événement musical riche en diversité et en saveurs internationales. Sept groupes et artistes de la région ont pu donner des prestations musicales de qualité qui ont grandement été appréciées par les spectateurs.

Parmi les groupes : Mamadou Kane et ses percussions africaines ;
Jumba, gagnant de Cégep en Spectacle avec ses compositions rock progressives ;
Ryna Wolteger et sa musique Tzigane de l’Europe de l’Est ;
Félix Culpa et ses aires de « ska franco festif » et enfin, Stephane Eduardo, qui a joué quelques-unes de ses pièces de didgeridoo.

Age is just a number, and in our case, our number has a lot to tell the world!"

Students rave about the First ever Catholic School Justice Workshop
sponsored by the Archdiocese of Winnipeg Catholic schools and the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace

On February 19, sixty students and teachers attended representing eight schools: Our Lady of Victory School, St. Gerard’s School, St. Mary’s Academy (jr and sr), St. Ignatius School, St. Augustine’s School from Brandon, St. Boniface Diocesan High School, St. Jean Brebeuf School and Christ the King School.

Shaya Gasnarek, a grade 8 student from St. Augustine’s school in Brandon really enjoyed the workshop,
"The way that you told us how we have power [to create change] over and over again really made us think we can make a difference. That's really great to hear, especially [since] every day people tell us we don't, that we're just kids, but now we know we're not. Age is just a number, and in our case, our number has a lot to tell the world!"

Manitoba rocks! Way to go!

You may kick me off my land but you can't keep me down

Did you know that almost 9% of Colombia's population have been displaced from their homes? That's 3, 800,000 people!

For the past 20 years, forced displacement has been one of Colombia's most serious humanitarian problems. All the different parties of the armed conflict have systematically used it as a war strategy -- a fact that reveals the structural character of the conflict.

Richard Simard, Programs Officer alerted me to this great video...

"Our Colombian partner "Asociación Campesina de Antioquia - ACA" produced and diffuses this video (with English subtitles) on the situation of the displaced populations.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=GjjNxJmndso
We often say in Colombia, there are no displacements because there is war, there is war so that there are displacements."
Displaced people have rights. With ACA's work and others, may they be realized. La Lucha continua.

The Asociación Campesina de Antioquia (ACA) works with displaced farmers and their families in Antioquia, many of whom have been forced to live in makeshift houses on the outskirts of Medellin where they have no access to basic services and where theres is no decent land for them to work. Many are forced to beg in the street to provide for their families. The ACA also works to put the problem of Antioquia in a national perspective: a team of filmmakers travels across Colombia making documentaries about rural, afro-Colombian and indigenous communitie who find themselves caught in the middle of Colombia's war.

From latin rhythms to 100 mile meal

University of Toronto Newman Centre D&P group's

THINKfast began with a Latin Rhythms workshop and

closed with an incredible 100 mile meal

with lots of excellent stuff in the middle!

Stay tuned for a photo.

Cardinal Carter CHS of Toronto making a difference

CARDINAL CARTER (TORONTO)

HOLDS AMAZING THINKfast

with 102 people
and more than $5500 in donations



Can you tell what's happening in these dramas of communities affected by mining??



After 24 hours... food never tasted so good! Thanks Cardinal Carter.

1st Ever THINKfast in Petty Harbour and Goulds, NL

Tana Kayler, NL youth rep reports...

Our fast was awesome this year!!!!! We had a great time! raised over $1,100 !!!! so reached my personal goal of doubling the amount from $500 to $1,000 and

we almost reached my doubling goal of youth participants from 10 to 20 ...

Some highlights:

community game with lego - Our group made flower garden & palm trees, low southern houses, church with steeple, car, people & a bridge - amazing i know and we built a community centre when we rebuilt it after the company destroyed it!

Father Paul did an insane job with jeopardy he had crazy categories -

gospel gals & bible boys, famous fasters, bible villians etc.

6 min film on making fair trade coffee in Mexico

theatre "golden rule" was great!

Add up score for lent 2007 calendars and 6 lowest scores got bling stickers

We're going to be an annual travelling THINKfast road show and pick up people each year. Last year at St. Teresa's, this year at St. Kevin's, next year...stay tuned!

Gold doesn't glitter for some in Honduras

On tour in Ontario, Pedro Landa of Caritas Tegucigalpa (a D and P partner) is speaking at parishes, schools and on campuses giving first hand accounts of the negative impact of mining in Honduras.

About 85% of the mining companies in Honduras are Canadian. He doesn't want to blame the Canadian people. But he wants them to know that "the jewelry that they are wearing is the result of suffering of people and destruction of environment."

Last night at Trent U, tonight at the OECTA AGM to address shareholders in Goldcorps and next week with government officials in Ottawa, Pedro is a forceful and convincing advocate to regulate Canadian mining operations.

http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=932278

When the Canadian company Manhattan minerals wanted to make an open pit gold mine right in the middle of their town, the people of Tambogrande tried to stop it. Against incredible odds with the support of Development and Peace and others, the community was able to prevent the mine. Their creativity and persistence are an inspiration to all. You can watch their story online at http://www.guarango.org/

Together, we can make a difference.

In our current campaign, we are working hard so that no communities have to face these same threats without the right to defend their rights and their environment. http://www.devp.org/

D and P makes a difference in El Salvador

"Gracias por su apoyo!"
- Thank you for your support

CRIPDES of El Salvador recently sent us this photo thanking us for our international solidarity to help defend the persons of CRIPDES of El Salvador who had been imprisoned for about twenty days when accosted by police on their way to a rally for public water for all.

They were absolutely liberated last Tuesday from the outrageous accusations of participation in terrorists' acts having caused riot public. Our

PARTNER CRIPDES celebrates this nice win against injustice. http://www.cripdes.org/