Photo Voice

Ten Palestinian children from the village of Al-Walajeh, near the city of Bethlehem, were given cameras and trained to take photos which explored their village and told some of the stories of their lives.

On the occasion of International Youth Day 2013, the children shared their photos, their stories, their lives. One of these was teenager Layali who photographed one of the games children play; "Palestinian vs. Israeli army", which mimic the home invasions, arrests and violence that the children witness in the village. She also documented the weapons that the Israeli army leaves in the village and how children play with them.

(Excerpt from World Vision Jerusalem, West Bank, Gaza)

Collateral

Ten years ago (almost to the day) George and his family, (wife and 2 daughters: 12 and 15 years old) were in their car on the way to do the weekly shopping in Bethlehem. It was their day out together, Mum and Dad always made this a priority.

But, today two events that they could never have known about would conspire to make this a day the family could never forget. (Event 1) In the centre of town an ambush had been established, waiting for a target: a small car, with three suspects. As George drove into town in his small car he saw three empty military vehicles on the side of the road, but there was nothing unusual about that in this city - and certainly nothing to worry about. But, (Event 2) he wasn't to know that the car behind him was the target.

When the shooting stopped the three people in the second car were dead; George had nine bullets in him, his wife next to him had been hit with shrapnel, his 15 year old daughter had a bullet in the knee and his 12 year old daughter was dead.

I was sitting in a library dedicated to his daughter as George told his story in a voice that was laced with both passion and pride - but not hatred, not revenge, not regret! Of course he misses his little girl, and obviously he regrets her death, but he refuses to hate and blame.

George lives forgiveness. Soon after the event George and his family were contacted by the Parent's Circle - Families Forum, a grassroots organisation of bereaved Palestinian and Israelis. The family joined the group and have, for ten years, been part of the voices crying out for justice and reconciliation as a road to peace.

PCCF "is a joint Palestinian Israeli organization of over 600 families, all of whom have lost a close family member as a result of the prolonged conflict. Joint activities have shown that the reconciliation between individuals and nations is possible and it is this insight that they are trying to pass on to both sides of the conflict. Moreover, the PCFF has concluded that the process of reconciliation between nations is a prerequisite to achieving a sustainable peace. The organization thus utilizes all resources available in education, public meetings and the media, to spread these ideas."

This is a two sided story, there are tragedies on both sides - the causes and the options are complex but George finishes: "God asks us to forgive, but not to forget our rights; to live side by side - Christians, Jews and Muslims together. There is enough land for us all to live with respect for one another."

I'm Not a Dancer - Just ask my Wife and Daughter

"I'm a lover not a dancer, I'm a lover not a dancer

I'm just a little bit tired if you know what I mean.

Don't want to be in a crowd when I can be in a dream"

(Jim Steinman)

In this past week I have had the privilege of visiting some amazing places, Gaza, Jerusalem, Ramallah and Bethlehem and meeting some spectacular people. There are so many stories I could tell but one that remains etched in my hearing and memory starts with a Child Friendly Space (CFS) in Gaza. 

It takes about 1.5 hours to travel to Gaza from Jerusalem - but the contrasts between the two are numerous and stark. This is a tough place and it breeds a tough, resilient people. Amongst these are a group of a dozen young girls who have come to a CFS to learn English. Climbing the stairs to the second floor of a very basic concrete building I hear the sound of very loud Arabic music. I walk through the door to the sound of a unison Arabic greeting. Standing in four straight lines are the young girls from 12 to 16 years old in white hijab, black clothes and shy but large smiles and dancing eyes.

They sing an Arabic welcome song and then one of them comes to the front and in English announces that the visitors will now join them to sing a song. We form a circle, wondering what on earth we are in for, and they start singing, in English, and doing the actions to "If you're happy and you know it: clap your hands... stamp your feet... nod your head... turn around... shout "Allah, Allah". I join in and together we pound our fists in the air as we shout Allah.

But they thought that was it, no way - in Australia we "do all five" I say! So we lead them in a hilarious version of all five and finish laughing and dizzy together.

Back in our seats, the girls tell us that they would like to perform asong that they had learnt in English. To the accompaniment of a track from Maher Zain the sing and dance to "Freedom". With enthusiasm and passion they raise their arms and emphasis the two fingered Peace symbol as they sing this prayer for peace and freedom.

Swallowing the lump in my throat it is time to watch as the girls transition from this cry for hope to perform a traditional wedding dance. Dressed up as groom and bride, it is exciting and thrilling to watch the intricate hand movements and footwork, until one of them grabs my hand and pulls me up to join in - don't they know I'm not a dancer!

I don't dance, I have enough trouble with the waltz, (just ask my wife) let alone doing the fancy footwork of the 'groom'. But laughing at the uncoordinated white guy is a great stress relief, and after all it's all about humanitarian relief. (I am glad to say there is no photographic evidence that can ever be produced!)

I am always reminded in these visits of the reason I do what I do, and why it matters. I wish I could convey that message to you, but please know - giving hope, as intangible as you may think it is, matters, and means much to girls like these.

Purim in Jerusalem

They seemed to come out of nowhere: there were angels and demons, cowboys and witches, Mad Hatters and Cheshire Cats. I know I had been travelling for a while and it was 3:00am, but seriously, I was not hallucinating - on the main highway into Jerusalem, near the Ramallah turn off - there were groups of young people, who didn't seem to be drunk or stoned, dressed up and dancing on the road!

Welcome to Jerusalem! (See some of my photos in the slide show.)

I had no idea what was going on but decided to keep it to myself until, as I walked through the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, I saw more and more strange, 'happy' people. Adults, children, grandparents and teenagers all dressed up in costumes with faces painted. On Ben Yehuda Street, the main street of West Jerusalem, there were two orthodox Jewish men dancing to very loud music wearing jester hats to the delights of passers by and locals.

Finally I hear, its the Purim festival, a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction in the wake of a plot be Haman, (read the book of Esther in the Bible). A rather bizarre but happy welcome to the Holy Land.

In the meantime, day 1- I have had the privilege of walking some of the Via Dolorosa, wandering through the Old City, visiting some of the Chapels, Churches and Cathedrals and meeting some of the locals, all who have "half price sales today, sir, only look!"

Tomorrow and in the days ahead I will be visiting some of the projects that we manage in the region, amongst them child friendly spaces, women's empowerment, Keeping Children Safe Online and economic development for marginalised people. So, hopefully, more to come...

Collaboration

I had the privilege of leading a session here in Albania on collaborative leadership. Here’s some of what I said -

It’s amazing what can be accomplished when instead of defaulting to competition we opt for and work towards collaboration! Leadership that builds consensus and collaboration does not necessarily come naturally to people. We are all human beings and therefore, at least a little selfish.

The most efficient way to lead, if you want to be completely pragmatic about it, is dictatorship. But power corrupts and whilst decisions will get made and orders are carried out, often those decisions are bad. Dictatorship, even benevolent dictatorship, is neither healthy nor endorsed by any faith or religion.

So, what does collaborative leadership look like? Rather than marching at the front of the line we come alongside people; we ask questions, then listen well, encourage and strengthen. We don’t do people’s work for them, but we do coach and encourage them. A collaborative leader remembers that the goal is both accomplishing the task and building the strength of the team.

Collaborative leaders are alongsiders. They truly believe that the people on their team might have a solution to a problem that they hadn’t thought of and are not threatened by that. They are willing to help and to be helped, to speak but also to listen, to teach but also to learn.

Collaboration is not the same as delegation - where the leader tells others what to do. Rather, a collaborative leader listens and actually expects the people she leads to solve problems and move forward together.

Collaborative leadership is completely dependent on Trust and Trust is built by Character, Competency and Vulnerability.

Character is being who you say you are, making sure your No is No and your Yes is Yes, making sure your promises are kept – being honest, being truthful, being kind – being a person of integrity.

Competency is about using your abilities and gifts to do your job well and properly. It’s marked by your willingness to combine your knowledge, your skills and your behaviours in an effort to engage people and effect a transformation.

Vulnerability is about being a learner, being willing to say “I don’t know, teach me”. Vulnerability is not about weakness - it’s strength! It’s about putting others before selfish ambition and goal, it’s about inclusion and acceptance even at the risk of rejection, it’s about designing in the face of reality rather than idealistic utopianism – and being willing to change, adapt and fail. (But it’s not generally what the world expects!)

We are charged to be people of collaboration! Not outsider professionals or disengaged managers, not insiders protecting an agenda or a portfolio – but alongsiders, transformers, learners, and leaders.The easy way may be dictatorship. The harder, messier, chaotic, unpredictable - but more sustainable and empowering way is collaboration, interrelation and transformation.

I suggest to you today that the greatest example (and risk) of collaboration is the relationship of humanity with God. You and I are God’s collaborative approach to the future – we are the sustainability plan.

Mother Teresa, in whose homeland (Albania) I write today, challenges us with her words:

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centred.

   Love them anyway.

If you do good, people may accuse you of selfish motives.

   Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you may win false friends and true enemies.

   Succeed anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.

   Do good anyway.

Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable.

   Be honest and transparent anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.

   Build anyway.
People who really want help may attack you if you help them.
   Help them anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt.

   Give the world your best anyway.

<< MY PRAYER FOR YOU >>

May we seek to know ourselves, with all our complexities,
    as only The Creator (Al-Khaliq) knows us.
May we come to accept ourselves, with all our strengths and weaknesses,
    as only The Giver of Life (Al-Muhyi) accepts us.
And may we allow the Merciful God (Ar-Rahim)
    to change us more and more into true reflection of The Provider (Ar-Razzaq).
Amen.

Snow Fall

It's about a 15 minute taxi ride from my hotel to the foot of Mt Dajti and the start of the longest and highest Gondola cable car ride I have ever been on. It spans 4.2km, rises across the valleys and up the 1.6km high mountain at a speed of about 6m per second, which means the ride takes about 13 minutes.

The clouds were low, but not on the mountain as my Gondola rose up the mountain this morning, but I had only been on top of the mountain about 10 minutes, taken the obligatory photos of the city from the cliffs edge, walked up towards the forest when the clouds came down, and so did the snow. At first it was wet and sharp but it soon turned into light but steady flakes which quickly covered the old snow carpet and turned the whole mountain into quite a beautiful 'christmas postcard' with pine trees dusted with fresh snow and previously quiet, sober adults and young people into snow ball throwing monsters.

Mt Dajti is a beautiful place. A national park with some nice walks - but this morning, even the horses were trying to find shelter. There's a rotating bar seven stories above the mountain top, but this morning there was no view - just a curtain of cloud and snow. With a hotel and a couple of restautants this 'balcony of Tirana' was an amazing refresher for me - and not just because it was freezing.

Land of the Eagle

Over night clouds have descended over colourful Tirana (capital city of Albania) and the snow capped mountains to the east block out a hopeful glimmer of sunshine. The temperature has dropped and the rain is falling steadily. But despite the gloomy outlook, the city laid out before me, home to about one million people is, to me, a fascinating mosaic of the unusual and the fascinating, the depressing and the hopeful.

Just across the way is a once grand marble and glass pyramid erected many years ago to celebrate a past dictator, a man that ruled over Albania for about 40 years and announced Albania to be the world's first 'atheist state'. Since his departure and the movement of the country to a Republic, some have demanded it's destruction - not wanting to celebrate a dismal period: others, more pragmatic, have advocated for its conversion to a worthwhile purpose. But today it stands as a sorry sight painted with graffiti, glass broken, marble damaged and dirty - once proud but now embarrassing.

A little further around, bordering Skanderberg Square a huge colourful mosaic billboard dominates the skyline and the front of the National Museum, whilst next to it the Opera House or the Palace of Culture stand guard around the statue of Skanderbeg on his horse, the hero of Albanian liberation from the Ottoman Empire.

The buildings of the city are colourful. As you look into the distance toward the mountains the houses and apartment buildings are painted all kinds of pastel colours - reminding me of a painting by Max Beckamnn. But prominent in the scene are the large modern St Paul's Cathedral with it's beautiful stained glass window celebrating Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa and just around the corner a brand new Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania, with it's rich gold trim and towering bell tower. (The colourful icon frescoes on the walls are still being painted.)

In the foreground of this picture a park with a pond and fountain are already alive with the 'children of the eagle', (one of the meanings given to the Albanian name). Despite the steady rain and the cold temperature, people are meeting for coffee. This, my local friend tells me is code for, "let's talk". Family and community are the central cog of the culture - relationship and friendship are the currency.

I don't pretend to be an expert on Albania or her people, but from my very short time here I have heard people speak of hope in a way that gives me confidence that, despite the enormous and myriad challenges they face, the future is in good hands.

To Albania and Palestine

Tonight I completed the first part of my journey that has brought me to Tirana, the capital city of Albania, where I will attend and a regional Development, Learning and Impact conference, before meeting with Youth and implementing partners who are part of our Youth Empowerment and Anti-Trafficking project.

Tirana is the first stop on this trip that will take me on to Palestine, where amongst other things, I will meet with youth in Gaza and Bethlehem who are part of the same Regional project.

As with most of my first visits into countries in this part of the world, I was not sure what to expect and, since I arrived at dusk, I am not sure what the city looks like yet. But the scenery on the way in was amazing. I flew into Tirana

It was cold, 10 C, and high, snow capped mountains guarded the airport and the city beyond. But then as I was driven into the city to my hotel, it didn't take long to remember what driving was like in this part of the world. A Mercedes taxi cut in front of us and across three 'lanes'; my driver used his horn to voice his protest before a bright yellow Lamborghini roared past and came to a fast stop as the traffic found five lanes on a three lane road, while other vehicles just stopped and parked wherever they wanted.

But that's just first impressions, perhaps in the cold light of day tomorrow I'll have something different to report.

Sri Lanka, mama enewa (මම එනේව)

I’m moving on - but not far! 

Soon, I will be taking on a new challenge for World Vision Australia as the Program Advisor for South Asia.

This means that after 22 months I will be shifting my focus eastward from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Eastern Europe to Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. As Program Advisor I will take a strategic overview of the region whilst mentoring, coaching and supporting program managers responsible for four of the countries - but, Sri Lanka is my special responsibility.

For those that know me, this is an exciting opportunity! Having grown up in Sri Lanka and worked there off and on over the last 15 years the opportunity to focus my attention on managing World Vision Australia’s engagement with World Vision Lanka is a great privilege. (Someone is going to pay me to visit my Sri Lankan family - oh and work too I guess!)

World Vision Lanka is "restoring the right to dream” throughout the island. Working in 20 districts and 1,120 villages, the 500 plus (fulltime) staff work to transform the lives of approximately 240,000 children and 150,000 families.

Amongst these “dreamers” is Niroma, who is now in her final year of medical training at the Anuradhapura Base Hospital. She says: “I always wanted to be a doctor when I grew up, but I knew it was difficult for my parents to support all three of us to get through school. But my parents always said that education is the only way to get out of poverty. So I wanted to study hard... [and] with World Vision coming to my village things changed.” Niroma was supported to be in school, she learnt English, she was helped with school supplies, and “my first stethoscope is a gift from World Vision.” (Statistics and story from: WV Lanka Annual Report)

So, after some exciting opportunities and learning lots from the people I have had the privilege of meeting in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Eastern Europe, (thank you to you all) I move on to learn more about my second home, and get involved in the lives of a new group of people in Nepal, Bangladesh, India and the Philippines.

Keeping Children Safe Online

There have been some terrible reports of children who have taken their lives as a result of cyber-bullying, others who have trusted online stalkers and many who just get themselves into trouble because they were not being smart on-line, and many parents have no idea how to monitor and help.

In 2009, when a mother noticed that while her six-year old son was playing computer games an inappropriate advertisement appeared on the screen the Keeping Children Safe Online (KCSO) Project was born.

I have the privilege of managing this regional project which is being implemented in 4 countries, (Armenia, Georgia, Lebanon and Palestine). KCSO has been a very successful 3 year pilot that has introduced some very basic, but surprisingly simple safety tips and protocols for parents and children. It’s mission is to help make the online world safer for children, while providing youth and children with skills to protect themselves and others from online abuse and sexual exploitation. It is a two-tier initiative which focuses both on good practices, guidelines and tools for children and their caregivers around online safety as well as creating a complaint mechanism to provide a forum to raise concerns around incidents of child pornography, racism, trafficking, fraud and consumer protection.

Assessments carried out in Jerusalem-West Bank-Gaza, reported that while 83% of children use the Internet and more than 60% of homes have access to the Internet, only 1% of children and 4.5% of parents are aware of the risks of using the Internet and social media.

Through KCSO children are being trained on how to stay safe online and in turn, how to train others. The training targets children from 7 to 12 and 13 to 18 years old. In addition, the training aims to provide caregivers with tips on how to keep their children and students safe online. Training sessions on the Internet and its evolution are also provided to adults who are Internet-illiterate to encourage them to go online.

SAFER INTERNET DAY – FEBRUARY 5, 2013

For the upcoming Safer Internet Day (SID), our team is planning a variety of activities with the aim of promoting and raising the profile of the project and the importance of staying safe online on a national level. These activities will include sending informative text messages and holding a talk show with cyber police. Press releases, newspaper advertisements on online rights and responsibilities as well as news articles will be shared. In addition, Facebook page advertisement banners, a project website, SID posters and a video with children talking about their online rights and responsibilities are planned.

"Children of today are very dependent on the Internet; they find it everywhere,” says our project coordinator “We shouldn't try to ban them from using the Internet. Instead we should encourage channels of communication for them to trust us and come to us when they face online problems."

With the use of advanced technology and smart devices, use of mobile technology has expanded from 90% in April 2009 to 240% in April 2010 and with it, online risks.

A staff member at the Palestinian Ministry of Social Affairs explains, "I try to have my use of Internet to be something useful, but we do also use other networks like Facebook and social media. You do sometimes enter a different world and controlling this world is difficult. Without a doubt, the use of Internet is growing every day, and our protection while using it has to grow. Having resources to protect children online is very important, but I think that it is vital for parents, who spend the most time with their children, to know how to monitor their children’s use of the Internet and how to discover what the children are using the Internet for.”

Overseas Aid: An Australian View

A quick look at what Australian people know and think about Overseas Aid.

Sabra goes to School Now

“Every morning when my brother used to get ready for school and walk out of home with books, I used to cry over my fate. I asked myself, ’Why am I a girl?’ I used to think that if I had been a boy then I would have been blessed with the most precious gift in the world – education.” (Sabra, 14  years old)

Sabra’s village has a primary school that is located less than 10 kilometres from one of the largest universities in the province. Despite that, Sabra’s story is the same as that of most girls and women in Pakistan who are still bound by traditions which limit their access to an education: because they are girls.

In Sabra’s village women have had little to do with anything outside the home. It is assumed that every girl will be a housewife and that they will look after the home; so girls don’t need to go to school. Across the country, girls’ enrolment in both primary and secondary school still lag behind those of boys.

But things were to change for Sabra: we would never wish for disasters, but sometimes these events can create opportunities. When Sabra’s village was badly affected by flood, a Child Friendly Space (CFS), or ‘tent classroom’, was erected. (These ‘tents’ aim to help children regain a sense of normality and stability after losing their homes and routines during emergencies. They provide both formal and informal learning, including life skills and child rights.)

Paradoxically whilst the flood wreaked havoc, it opened the door to education for Sabra. Villagers saw our female staff visiting regularly and teaching women and girls about health and hygiene. For many girls and women this was their first contact with formal education and it marked the beginning of many changes in the community’s thinking, including challenging some of the barriers to women’s access to education.

People began to appreciate that education for girls is as important as it is for boys. They realized that women are not born to remain at home. But, perhaps even more importantly, they learned that even if they preferred to stay home, education could raise their awareness of things which could help in daily life, such as self-protection and health.

“I used to force my mother to talk to my father about my education, but she couldn’t manage to talk to him on this. I was burning from the inside every day. I wanted to gain an education but my age was passing and it was creating more barriers for me to convince my parents,” Sabra remembers.

Sabra’s Mum, Bakhtawar says: “I knew my Sabra’s passion for education. But, as she was getting elder day by day, it became hard for me to ask for her to be enrolled in school. It was next to impossible when you [face] thinking like: ‘if girls and women go into school then who will take care of the house and the cattle?’ But thanks to God. You arrived in our village and talked about the gender equality which gave us confidence to talk to our men and they also realized that there is no difference between men and women. All these things lead us towards the new beginning and took us on the path of enlightenment”.

When parents saw that their children were happy about attending the ‘tent classes’ and noticed dramatic changes in their behaviour - such as improved personal hygiene - they were convinced.

The project is finished now, our staff have left the village, but almost every girl in the village is going to school and instead of reverting back to how things were before the flood, the village is running their own child protection centre.

Over 300 children, including 134 girls, have been registered in the child friendly space and most girls who are now of school age, including Sabra, are enrolled in local government schools.

“I want to become a doctor and it’s my dream to serve my community,” says Sabra. Her Mum couldn’t be prouder: “I don’t know how far Sabra will go to pursue her dream, but I am happy that a ray of brightness has been lit, which has put an end to a darkness we’ve been facing for centuries.”

Some Pakistan Statistics:

• Literacy –Males: 69%, Females: 46% (Rural - 63% & 35%)
• Primary School Enrolment (age 5-9) –Boys: 69%, Girls: 56% (Rural - 76% & 59%)
• Secondary School Enrolment (age 6-16) – 80%. Boys: 64%, Girls: 36%
• Out of school (age 3-5) – 57%
• Illiterate Mothers – 66%

 (Edited from a story by: Jatoi Attaullah)