CAMBODIA: A “Drop of Hope”
An irrigation project has been initiated in the apostolic prefecture of Battambang. The project is aimed at offering villagers access to water all year round so as to improve agricultural productivity and provide drinking water. The project, called “A Drop of Hope,” is being coordinated by Pablo Figaredo, a Spaniard and the nephew of Jesuit Bishop Enrique Figaredo, the apostolic prefect of Battambang. It envisages the widening of the Sangke River and the installation of four water gates along four kilometers of the stream. The project will allow approximately 1,000 hectares to be tilled during the dry season and will encourage people to remain in the area for work and not leave for other places such as Thailand. Work began after discussions with local authorities. Pablo said they called the project “A Drop of Hope” because the area is so badly affected during the dry season when crops shrivel and die. He added that the lack of water when the river shrinks prevents any economic and social development. One of the villagers, Seum Soeu, told UCA News that the project would change people’s lives: “For so many years during the dry season we have faced difficulties in finding drinking water when the river was low.” He continued. “There are not many wells in the village. We thank the Church for this meaningful and fruitful project.” The project will be completed in 2011 and the cost is being covered through the help of benefactors in the Spanish city of Gijon. IRELAND: Marathon for faith and justice Slí Eile (“the faith that does justice”) is an organisation of the Irish Jesuits that provides a wide range of faith and justice activities for young adults ages 18 to 35. In a monumental effort to raise funds for Slí Eile, director Padraig Swan completed a grueling 56 kilometres in the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town, South Africa, in April. It took him a mere 5 hours, 40 minutes to cover the distance. And he doesn’t plan to stop there; rather, he will run a further three marathons this year, hoping to significantly add to the more than €10,000 he has raised to date. Slí Eile‘s Audrey Hogan was at the Cape Town event too, encouraging Padraig. After the marathon they stayed another two weeks to visit the projects in South Africa and Zambia where Slí Eile volunteers will work this summer. Padraig Swan wrote: “They will work at building a school and toilet block in a very rural area of South Africa and work with an orphanage, school, street kids projects, a hospice for the dying and agricultural projects in Lusaka, Zambia.” He added: “The work carried out by all Slí Eile volunteers in Africa and elsewhere (Colombia and Jamaica) has a lasting effect on the local communities that we visit as well as having the profound effect on the volunteers themselves.” LEBANON : Celebration at the Church of Jamhour College On the 31st of May, the solemn Mass for Pentecost Sunday was celebrated in the Church of Notre Dame de Jamhour Jesuit College in Lebanon, in the presence of educators, parents, alumni and friends. The occasion was the annual feast of the College and the 40th anniversary of the church. When the College was built in 1950 a competition was launched for the construction of a church for one thousand people, big enough to house all the students. The winner was a young French architect, Jacques Bosson, but the church was never built for lack of money, and the location remained empty. In 1964 Father Bonnet-Eymard took up the idea of building the church. Beginning with the original concept, the architect removed the interior columns and proposed a circular prayer space where everyone may see the altar. The altar is not in the middle of the room but at its side, so that all seem to be in front of it. The windows were fabricated by stain glass window master Gabriel Loire, from Chartres, France. the windows were created using unique modern techniques. The presentations are symbolic and inspired by the bible. Gabrial Loire calls the windows Hortus conclusus, ” the Closed Garden.” For more information: http://www.ndj.edu.lb THAILAND: Against landmines The Jesuit Refugee Service recently commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty (signed by Thailand on the 3rd of December 1997) and its own more than decade-long campaign to warn Thais of the dangers of mines. Many Thais have lost legs, arms or their lives because of the mines left behind by fighting in several border areas of the country. “The landmines are a silent war. This is an international problem,” said Emilie Ketudat, coordinator of the Thailand Campaign to Ban Landmines of JRS-Asia Pacific to the UCA News. “Even when the war is over, landmines continue to haunt people for years after.” A commemorative event was held in May at the Jesuit center in Bangkok. It included an exhibition on the landmine situation, past and present, stories from landmine survivors, a de-mining demonstration, a band performance by people with disabilities, artistic activities for children and video presentations. Thailand’s landmine problem is less well known than the problem in neighboring Cambodia where wars have left a deadly legacy of mines. According to Landmine Monitors Report 2008, Thailand is also affected by landmines and other unexploded ordnance that remain after the conflicts on its borders with countries such as Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. VENEZUELA: Award for two students On the occasion of VIMUN (Venezuelan International Model United Nations), held at the Colegio Santiago de León in Caracas, two students of Fe y Alegría colleges were received prestigious recognitions, one as “Mejor Delegado” and another one with “Tercera Mención Honorífica”. VIMUN, is an intercollegiate program held on the campus of IESA (Institute of Higher Learning in Business Administration), a non profit institute. It brings together hundreds of students from more than 20 Caracas colleges to participate in a program modeled after the United Nations.