Update

Caritas Aotearoa New ZealandThe Catholic Agency for Justice,

Peace and Development

www.caritas.org.nz

Charities Registration No: CC36055 ISSN: 1174-6793 (print) ISSN: 1178-5721 (online) issue no.60 summer 2012/2013

Tutu ana te puehu Stirring up the dust

Adolfa gets ready for Mass in the Kapo community, Papua New Guinea. A Caritas pilot project growing cocoa and coconut here has improved livelihoods, and is now being taken up in other villages across three provinces.

We have entered the Year of Faith honouring the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. Pope Benedict says this year (11 October 2012–25 November 2013) ‘is a summons to an authentic and renewed conversion to the Lord, the one Saviour of the world’. Let us commit to a renewed, genuine love for all peoples, especially the poor, in whom we see the face of Christ today.

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CARITAS OCEANIA GATHERS IN VANUATU OCTOBER 2012

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand Director Julianne Hickey and three other Kiwi staff attended the annual forum of Caritas organisations working in the Pacific in October. It was held in Port Vila, Vanuatu. About 30 people attended from Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Australia and New Zealand, as well as Caritas network representatives from Rome and the USA. Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand Chair Mark Richards and Monsignor Gerard Burns (President of Caritas Oceania) were also there.

In a statement, Caritas Oceania Forum participants said that while many people see the Pacific as a paradise, ‘the paradise of yesterday may not be the reality of today or tomorrow. Climate change is threatening the existence

Next year’s Lent Appeal reflects on our place in the world as part of the Pacific community, and the call by the New Zealand Catholic Bishops for us to take a more active role in responding to our Pacific neighbours’ needs. As our main fundraising activity each year, it helps maintain our vital work overseas and in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Our Lenten visitor will be Olivina Mulikiha’amea Tu’iono from Caritas Tonga. Olivina will be sharing stories of Caritas’ work in tsunami response, creating livelihoods and dealing with the impact of climate change – challenges faced by many Pacific nations.

Caritas’ theme for Lent 2013 comes from Ecclesia in Oceania, the Papal letter arising from the Synod of Catholic Bishops of Oceania. This recognised that as peoples of the Pacific we have our own unique way of walking in Jesus’ way, telling His truth and living His life.

of islands, peoples, livelihoods, cultures and ways of life. Since we met last year, more Pacific communities have had to leave homes, and have seen further loss of land, coconut trees and fertile soil. We must adapt and find ways of coping because we want to survive.’

Our Pacific partners spoke about challenges they are facing and the current initiatives to address them. Key issues included: the gap between rich and poor; building resilience – preparation for emergencies; gender/domestic violence; encouraging communities and families to take responsibility for helping themselves; and off-shore processing of refugees.

Lent 2013: Lent in the Pacific – Follow faithfully, Tell courageously, Live joyfully

Please give generously so we can helP others helP themselves

2013

— EcclEsia in OcEania

Tell courageously

Follow faithfully

live joyfully

an aPPeal on behalf of the new Zealand catholic bishoPs conference

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MUFTI MANIA DAY SUPPORTS EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHERS IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS

Each year the New Zealand Catholic Primary Principals Association (NZCPPA) organises a Mufti Mania Day to raise money for poor and vulnerable communities. Since 2007 they have partnered with Caritas to support a project. This year it has enabled Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand to assist an early childhood teacher training programme in the Diocese of Gizo in the Solomon Islands.

Ezekiel Horoa, from the province of Malaita, is one of the kindergarten teachers who will participate in this training programme. Because of the high rate of youth unemployment, he was forced to move to Noro, on the island of New Georgia in Western Province, to look for work. Ezekiel tried to get a job in the SolTuna cannery (one of the largest tuna canneries in the Pacific, a joint venture between Japan and the Solomons). Unfortunately, without contacts in the cannery he couldn’t. During his search for work he kept up his visits to the local church, in the parish of St. Eusebius, and was asked to help lead the parish youth group. His potential was noticed by the principal of the parish kindergarten, who invited him to help there on a regular basis.

Over the past year Ezekiel has grown into this role and loves being a teacher, something he never considered when leaving his home to search for work in a factory. Over the next 10 months he will complete the Early Childhood Education (ECE) field training module which will enable him to enter certificate studies at the Solomon Islands College of Higher Education (SICHE) in Honiara. After he completes his studies there, Ezekiel will become a fully qualified teacher. The Diocese of Gizo provides support to kindergarten teachers to attain

Ezekiel Horoa, Principal Freda Levi and Parish priest Fr. Stephen at the kindergarten entrance, Noro, Western Province, Solomon Islands.

the SICHE qualification because after gaining this, the Solomon Islands government covers their wages – a win-win-win situation for the local community, the Diocese and the Government.

Thank you to everyone who participated in Mufti Mania this year. Your donations have made a real difference.

Supporting SahelThanks to Caritas supporters, and a grant from the New Zealand government, over 57,000 families have been supported through the drought in the Sahel region of West Africa. This meant that more than 400,000 people had food and necessary healthcare, and their families were able to stay together. They were able to prepare their lands for the planting season, and now that the rains have come, they are looking forward to a good harvest. This was all possible through your prayer, solidarity and donations of over $150,000. THANK YOU.

A girl in Guesse Village, Niger, where Caritas programmes have been operating.

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CARITASUpdate is the newsletter of Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand, and is published three times a year. It is distributed to Caritas supporters, and widely throughout the Catholic community and beyond.

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is the New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ agency for justice, peace and development. We promote and support work for justice and true human development in New Zealand, the Pacific, Asia, Africa and Latin America.

editor: Martin de Jonglayout: Rose Miller, Kraftworkprinting: Prestige Print

contentsAll articles, stories, reports printed in the CARITASUpdate may be reproduced with acknowledgement.

Contributions are invited from anyone interested in work for justice, peace and development in New Zealand and overseas. Letters will be printed at the discretion of Caritas. The opinions expressed in CARITASUpdate do not necessarily reflect the views of Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand.

addressCaritas Aotearoa New ZealandCatholic Centre22–30 Hill StreetP O Box 12193Wellington 6144 New ZealandPhone (64-4) 496-1742Facsimile (64-4) 499-2519Email caritas@caritas.org.nz

CARITASUpdate is printed using mineral oil-free inks and on paper produced from sustainably managed forests or recycled sources. Prestige Print holds a gold Enviromark certificate.

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The Catholic Agency for Justice, Peace and Development

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is a member of Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of 165 Catholic aid, development and social justice agencies active in over 200 countries and territories. ‘Caritas Internationalis’ literally means ‘love between nations’, and we are called to be a sign of the love of God for all humanity, a love that knows no bounds or boundaries.

Caritas GiftsCaritas Gifts has a bright new look this year. We now have a wider range of alternative gifts to suit many different interests and budgets. While Caritas Gifts are perfect for Christmas presents, they are also great for any occasion: birthdays, Baptisms, Weddings, etc.

You can order online at www.caritasgifts.org.nz or phone us on 0800 22 10 22 for a catalogue.