Refugees on Hunger Strike in Melbourne

The Australian Tamil Congress (ATC) is deeply concerned about the physical and mental well-being of the Tamil refugees currently on hunger-strike in Melbourne. Two men on hunger-strike were admitted to hospital yesterday, one with internal bleeding and another who is diabetic but is declining medical treatment.

"The act of indefinite detention is soul-crushing. It squeezes out any hope of a normal life and leads to severe mental health issues. It is utterly inhumane and many of these men, women and children who have already experienced trauma in their home countries do not deserve to be mentally tortured even further," said Mr. Bala Vigneswaran of the ATC.

"It is time to question one's conscience and make policies that are humane. We call on the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and the Attorney General to act as matter of urgency to bring an amicable solution immediately for those on the hunger-strike and a just solution for all in indefinitely detention. The ATC will be ready to provide any assistance to the Department and the genuine refugees so as to avoid any further deterioration in the physical and mental well-being of these people," he added.

There are nearly 60 recognised refugees in Australia detained indefinitely following adverse security assessments by ASIO. Most of them are Tamils. There are four women and seven children among these long-term detainees. Two women have delivered children while in detention, and two women lost their husbands who were killed in the final stages of the war in the island of Sri Lanka. All their children, who are also in detention with them, are less than 10 years of age.

(Australian Tamil Council - Australia)

What has the Australian Government Promised?

In the year 2000, all the nations of the world, including Australia, came together and for the first time in history they all agreed on 8 global goals to help end poverty. These 8 goals are known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). By 2015, the MDGs aim to:

1. Halve Extreme Poverty and Hunger
2. Primary Education for All Children
3. Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
4. Reduce Child Deaths
5. Improve Maternal Health
6. Combat HIV/AIDs, Malaria and other Diseases
7. Environmental Sustainability and Clean Water/Sanitation
8. A Global Partnership, including more and better aid

As a wealthy country, Australia has promised to help fund the MDGs and help end poverty. Along with other wealthy nations, Australia has repeatedly agreed that our ‘fair share’ is to give 0.7% of our national income towards fighting global poverty. That’s just 70 cents in every $100. Many other wealthy nations are already giving 0.7% – including the UK who have kept their aid promises despite a struggling economy. Australia has the strongest economy of all the wealthy nations, and yet the Australian Government is one of the least generous and is falling far behind on its aid promises under the MDGs.

This year is the last Australian Election before the MDGs finish in 2015. Now is the time to hold our political leaders accountable to delivering the promises they have made to the world’s poor.

 

MOVEMENT TO END POVERTY is a joint petition of the Make Poverty History and Micah Challenge coalitions. Collectively, the aid sector is aiming to get 500,000 signatures by September to demonstrate strong public support for increased aid. I encourage you to sign the petition and share it with your family and friends. Let's try and hold government to one of the promises!

When Hope Blooms again...

It is school holidays for Pavithran (7) but the little boy cannot be separated from his school books. Every morning he spends time studying and learning with a teacher – a university student – who helps him revise lessons and be prepared for the new school year.

Watching him study is a dream come true for Subhashini (25) his mother. Nothing makes her happier than to see him with his books. “My favourite subject is math,” Pavithran smiles shyly as he turns page after page covered with sums he has completed.

Growing up at the heart of war, education was not a choice for children in Kilinochchi; survival was. As the war became intense education slipped further away from them into a blurry dream. “Schooling was interrupted all the time,” says Subhashini who was in school at that time, “We all had a thirst to study and just like other children we had dreams. I wanted to become a Math teacher.”

Even with roofs damaged by shelling and bullet-holes in the walls children went to school whenever possible until the schools were too damaged to function or had to house displaced families. But there was also another reason why children in Kilinochchi stopped schooling.

They had to get married to avoid recruitment into the armed group. Subhashini (then 16) made the same choice. Subhashini could never imagine Pavithran or any child in her village would ever know education for she didn’t know if anyone would survive the brutal war. But her family survived and many others did too. Though they were broken and traumatized, they returned ‘home’ to rebuild their lives right from the beginning.

World Vision together with other organizations and the government supported their return and assisted them through the resettlement and rehabilitation, catering to their immediate needs. “World Vision provided us with goats to support livelihood recovery and I trust I will be able to get a stable income from it,” she said.

Today, the young mother of two is hopeful once again. “My only dream is to see my children have a good education and be able to achieve their dreams. Education is becoming expensive for us and it will become more difficult to afford when my two-year old also starts with preschool. I am hopeful World Vision would support my children’s education,” she beams.

“I feel very proud and happy when I go through my son’s school books,” smiles Subhashini, “I can see that he excels in Math. That was my favourite subject too.” Helping children return to school was a priority for World Vision and immediate action was taken to renovate and rebuild their damaged school buildings providing them a safe place to study once again.

While World Vision’s work in Kilinochchi is moving from relief mode to an Area Rehabilitation Programme, there will be a lot more work to help children continue schooling and catch up on the studies they missed.

Hopefully Pavithran and his brother or any child in Kilinochchi will never have a reason to give up schooling.

(World Vision Lanka Newsletter - Kathika)

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.