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Uncategorized, Women's Empowerment and Peace Building (Maluku, Indonesia)
September 13, 2023

Reverend Jeny Mahupale is the Project Manager of the livelihoods and peacebuilding project we support in partnership with the Protestant Church of Maluku (GPM). She wrote this letter to partners in Australia about her team’s work to help families across six villages be able to start their own gardens and build local food security.

Dear friends,

Greetings from beautiful Maluku!

We often tell each other here that Maluku is filled with the ‘grace of God’. There is an abundance of beauty and natural resources, people are kind and hospitable and have a strong sense of local wisdom.

The main challenges here are poverty and malnutrition among families, as well as the effects of conflict, COVID-19 and recent earthquakes. And here in the east, Maluku and Papua have always been overlooked from the rest of Indonesia and suffer unequal development.

So, the church has a big role to play.

Before we started kitchen gardens in the community, the Protestant Church of Maluku (GPM) built our own to show people what was possible. So many of them have come to learn!

We started our garden by improving a vacant area that used to be landfill and, just a few months later, we now have sixteen garden beds filled with water spinach, kale, pumpkin and other vegetables on the way.

We even sold our organic spinach to a local restaurant!

We quickly realised how great it is for our physical and mental health too: clearing the land, preparing the soil, creating organic fertiliser, planting the seeds, watering. We understood that this work is not just about gardening and food production, it’s about our whole lives.

Through the process we developed better relationships and attention to the soil, the weather, the environment and each other.

We feel like we grow as the garden grows. We want that for the whole community.

UnitingWorld is our only international partner, and I want you all to know that we see you as part of this community, serving here with us.

Thank you for helping us to grow strong as an organisation ourselves. Over the last ten years you’ve helped us to stand on our own two feet and we hope the partnership continues to get stronger and stronger.

Please pray for the people of Maluku and that we at GPM can keep living, keep serving our communities and keep giving life to those who really need it.

We are all praying for you in Australia too.

In peace,

Rev Jeny Mahupale,
Protestant Church of Maluku

P.S. Here’s some of what we’ve been growing and harvesting in the community lately! We’re planting tomatoes this week too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Want to help?

We’ve launched an appeal to support our partners in Maluku and Timor-Leste to tackle the food crisis and build local food security.
Please visit www.unitingworld.org.au/foodcrisis to donate.

 

by
Uncategorized
July 19, 2023

In the final months of the financial year, you, our supporters, helped us reach our target of $500,000 to support the life-changing work of our partners.

The funds we raised together helps us to co-invest with the Australian Government and make a bigger impact through our poverty alleviation and climate change projects.    

Thank you to everyone who helped us get there! It will go a long way to help end poverty and injustice in our world through the love and dedication of our partners in in the Pacific, Asia and Africa.

Each one of you was part of the story we told. Komang and his family were able to discover a whole new future, free from poverty, because of the network formed by you and others working together to make powerful change. 

We are now in the middle of collecting reports, information and stories on what was achieved in the last financial year, and we look forward to sharing our Annual Report with you later this year.

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Uncategorized
March 15, 2022

Dear fellow environmental defenders,

Good day! I hope this message finds you well during these trying times.

 

Amidst the challenges we faced during COVID-19 pandemic, the series of typhoons and

the volcanic eruption in Tonga, we are continuing to face environmentally destructive

projects that contribute to the climate crisis that threatens the lives especially of

vulnerable communities. Mining operations, logging projects and nuclear pollution

persists aggravating existing issues in different parts of the Pacific. In addition, not only

nature is in danger but also its defenders. There have been reports of instances of various

civil political human rights violations that hinder our advocacy of environmental protection.

 

It is in this light that the Asia Pacific Network of Environment Defenders (APNED) with the

support of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Office of the High

Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) Pacific Office in cooperation with partner

organizations in the Pacific invites you to the Stand For Our Rights: A capacity building

activity for environmental human rights defenders in the Pacific on 16-18 March 2022.

 

The three-day activity aims to a sharing of experience and knowledge among

environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs) in the Pacific, to share introductory

knowledge on international human rights mechanisms, monitoring and documentation of

human rights violations, free, prior and informed consent, and launching environmental

defenders campaigns and to develop recommendations or initial plans for collaborative

initiatives in the region.

 

The first day of the training on March 16 will be an online forum that will discuss the main

environmental issues in the Pacific that is open to the public. On March 17-18 will be the

training proper which will also be online is for registered participants only since there are

only limited slots.

Below are the registration links for interested individuals:

Day 1 Online forum (March 16) – Register here

Day 2 Training Proper (March 17) – Register here

Day 3 Training Proper (March 18) – Register here

Attached is the concept note for further details. For questions, you may reach us via

info@apned.net or apned@protonmail.com

Thank you and we hope for your positive response!

Sincerely,

Lia Mai Torres

Secretariat

Asia Pacific Network of Environment Defenders (APNED)

by
Uncategorized
February 23, 2022

More than half of all Australian adults haven’t made an official will to protect their loved ones and the causes they care about most.

For retired Reverend Paul Bartlett, making plans to leave a legacy of life for others is the most natural thing in the world.

“I visited Bali some years ago and heard from people the way a relatively small amount of money, gifted to livelihood and other projects like clean water, could transform their lives,” Paul says.

”I still have in my mind images of those people who embody for me a real sense of new beginnings.”

Aware of the impact he can have beyond his own lifetime, Paul has decided to leave a gift in his will to the work of UnitingWorld.

We invite you to consider doing the same.

UnitingWorld has partnered with Safewill, a leading Australian online will-writing platform that shares our vision of lives made whole and hopeful.

Until the end of February, you can write your will quickly and easily from home for just $80, 50% off the usual cost. It takes less than twenty minutes to protect those you love and there’s no obligation to leave UnitingWorld a gift as part of the process. Of course, we hope you’ll consider extending the commitment you’ve shown us throughout your life; your bequest, no matter its size, can go such a long way toward building the world we all long for.

Visit us at www.unitingworld.org.au/bequest and if you’d like to know more, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at info@unitingworld.org.au.

by
Uncategorized
June 22, 2021

We had a fantastic night last night chatting by Zoom with our partners from DeafLink in Sri Lanka (a ministry of the Methodist Church of Sri Lanka).

Reverend Gnanarajah shared with us his personal call to ministry alongside people with disabilities – his son was born deaf and this prompted him to consider the potential of people with disability in his broader community. He persuaded his church to employ him leading a team who create education, training and awareness for people with disability. Gnanarajah loves the work, regarding it as a real challenge and a call to serve among those who have enormous potential but very few opportunities.

Gnanarajah’s team took us inside a classroom on the East coast of Sri Lanka where some of the teaching staff and students shared with us the challenges and joys of working together. During lockdown, the staff have created workbooks and online resources for their students, and these materials are being shared by other schools with the support of the Government.

At the conclusion of the call, we asked Gnanarajah how we could support his team in prayer and our supporters online also asked the DeafLink team to pray for us here in Australia.

Please pray:

  1. For families who have more than one child at home with a disability. It’s very difficult for them during lockdowns to educate their children while also keeping food on the table.
  2. For the staff of DeafLink and the teachers who are training in inclusive education. Opportunities for children with disability to learn and earn are always very limited
  3. For the Methodist Church of Sri Lanka as people to travel to serve others in remote areas – taking food, health education resources and encouragement. COVID-19 has decimated the tourist economy and many are without work.

We asked our partners to pray for us:

  1. That Australian people might grow in compassion toward refugees and asylum seekers, especially those from Sri Lanka, and that our government might have a change of heart toward people like the Muragappen family.
  2. That Australian congregations would grow in generosity and awareness of the need of our partners and the value of standing in solidarity through prayer and giving
  3. That as individuals we might experience something of the conviction and call displayed by so many of our partners who serve in incredibly difficult places
  4. For all asylum seekers and people living far from home in Australia, including the South Sudanese community represented on the call by a number of young people and pastors in QLD.

Keen to donate to help keep this project, and the work of our partners across Asia, Africa and the Pacific, strong? Please give here:

http://www.unitingworld.org.au/joinhands

 

by
Blogs, Uncategorized
May 24, 2021

Here’s how!

First, some good news – the Australian Government really likes us because we’re accountable and creative with how we use their money, and we get great results! 🙂 They make grants available to us, but we need to co-invest in order to do the project work.  We’ve committed to contribute $1 for every $5 of what the Government makes available to us. Your contribution means we can match the government funding successfully, gain access to the full amount on offer and change more lives!

Okay so the more we give, the more you get?

Not exactly. Each year the Government makes Australian aid funding available to NGO’s like us based on their budgets. How much of that we can apply for and win depends on a whole range of factors. One of them is contributing funds from our own donors to match the grants. Another is demonstrating how much public supporter funding we’ve been able to attract over the past few years.

So the bucket isn’t bottomless, but your help means we can take advantage of everything on offer and potentially increase our share.

Your donation helps in a couple of other really important ways:

  1. It shows the Government that you trust us and believe in our work, which in turn increases their faith in us. This means they’re more likely to offer us a larger slice of the funding pie in the following year – and that’s a win for all of us!
  2. When you donate, you send a message loud and clear to our leaders that you’re prepared not to just give lip service to the idea that we should be good global citizens – you’ll put your money behind your ideals. With Governments watching closely to see which issues their people care about, this is one of the most powerful signals you can possibly send.

But wait – does this mean I should save up all my donations throughout the year and just give to this campaign?

If you can possibly manage it, it’s great to give to a range of our Campaigns. Here’s why:

Some of our partners aren’t large or sophisticated enough to handle the reporting and administrative standards for Australian Government grants – think about South Sudan where our partners are struggling to feed themselves, and electricity/internet is completely unreliable.

We rely on people like you to fund these projects and help us equip our partners to build the capacity they need so that they can be sustainable – longer term.

So what’s the best way to make my donation go furthest for good with UnitingWorld?

The choice is yours! There are benefits to each way of giving, including the incentive of a tax deduction, helping show your support of international aid to the Australian Government, responding compassionately in an emergency, or funding work that has few other sources of income.

Another excellent way to increase your impact is by becoming a regular giver.

  • Regular income provides security for our partners and helps them plan effectively
  • We don’t need to spend quite as much on promoting our work and encouraging people to give
  • We can use your gift when and where it’s needed most.

Global Neighbours are given annual updates about the impact of their work, and can choose exactly which other appeals and communications material they receive. We are incredibly grateful for this community of faithful supporters.

If you’re keen to check it out, visit us here

by
Uncategorized
April 13, 2021

The Pacific Conference of Churches’ (PCC) annual Pacific Day of Prayer will be observed this year on Friday 7 May.

The liturgy for 2021 year revisits the theme of the 11th PCC General Assembly: ‘Singing the Lord’s Song in Strange Lands and Times.’ Click here to download PDF

The introduction from PCC General Secretary Rev James Bhagwan has been republished below.

Songs of Lament, Songs of Resistance, Songs of Hope

Warm Easter Greetings from the Pacific Conference of Churches Secretariat!

I apologise for the delay in this Pacific Day of Prayer Liturgy which this year, revisits the Theme for the 11th PCC General Assembly and is at the heart of our work from 2019 to 2023: “Singing the Lord’s Song in Strange Lands and Times”.

To say that these past 14 months have been difficult would be an understatement. This has been a major challenge for our Pacific people as also around the world, in a way that we have most likely not faced in the last 100 years. COVID-19 has shown our resilience in many ways. Amid sickness and death, unemployment, increased gender-based violence and socio-economic and political challenges, we have strengthened our spirituality, adapted our worship and drawn on our culture of sharing and caring as community and our indigenous knowledge to survive and help others in need.

Yet while the world’s focus is on COVID-19, in our region we continue to face the impacts of Climate Change – rising seas, ocean warming and acidification and extreme weather such as severe tropical cyclones. Lockdowns have been used to impinge due governance and democratic processes in some Pacific Island countries. Our sisters and brothers under the weight of colonial powers face not only economic, ecological and social oppression, their communities are at risk from COVID-19 because of decisions made by their colonizers. Under closed borders our seafares cannot return home, and while larger countries are not sending their citizens as tourists (thus compounding our economic challenges with the collapse of the tourism industry across the region), they are extracting our people as labourers under seasonal worker programmes and labour schemes to fulfil their needs. Under neo-colonialism and neo-liberal economics, extractive industries further desecrate our land and pillage our sea as many of our governments follow policies that lead us further into the foreign debt trap.

And so we cry our songs of lament, protest, hope and justice.

This year’s material includes some information on the impact of COVID-19 in our region, names of some our leaders who have died and the names of 16 West Papuans who were killed in the last 2 years by Indonesian Security forces.
I appeal to our member churches that we endeavour to make this not only a day of prayer observed by women’s fellowships but use this material throughout the church, whether on 7th of May as the first Friday in May, or during your annual conferences and synods or on another day this year.

God’s blessings and our love be with you all.

Rev. James Bhagwan,
General Secretary
Pacific Conference of Churches

by
News, Uncategorized
February 10, 2021

Do you remember Paramjit, from Amritsar in India?

We bought you here story a few years ago as part of Lent Event. Watch it here!

A mother of four and the sole provider for her family, she was struggling to put food on the table until our partners, the Church of North India, offered her training to work in one of their education centres.

Paramjit grabbed the chance with both hands – and life dramatically improved. But where is she now? 

India has been through the throes of one of the world’s most serious outbreaks of COVID-19, and many families in the Amritsar region have relied on the church to bring them food during the lockdown. Over the past months, cases have dropped and work has now resumed where possible. Schools are back. And Paramjit? 

“Life is so much easier than it was five years ago, even though the pandemic has made things difficult for so many,” she told us. “I’m still working, my husband is around to support the family, and we are all happier now.”

It’s fantastic news considering everything they’ve been through.

“The Church has always been there for the community, not just spiritually but spreading information about the importance of education and helping children right through to graduation,” Paramjit told us. “During the Pandemic, they were there to help people survive with food, masks and sanitisers.”

Paramjit says her greatest hope is that she might be able to continue to reach people in the villages, and that others would have the same opportunity as she has had. She’s determined to use all the support she’s been given to help others.

COVID-19 threatens 150 million people just like Paramjit with a return to extreme poverty. Help us keep the good news stories coming – get on board with Lent Event this year and help our neighbours stay strong www.lentevent.com.au

 

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by
Uncategorized
June 16, 2020

In February 2020, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Marise Payne requested the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade – Foreign Affairs and Aid Sub-Committee to inquire into strengthening Australia’s relationships with countries in the Pacific region.

UnitingWorld made a submission in April and was published on the Committee’s website here.

We made the following recommendations:

1. Engage with and through Christian churches in Pacific countries

  • Christianity is the dominant paradigm in the Pacific, it is the language of life and culture.
  • Churches are the most influential non-government community network in the Pacific.
  • Existing church-led Australian engagement can be leveraged for growth and impact.
  • Pacific diaspora embedded in Australian churches can be leveraged.

2. Engage with Pacific Regional Christian organisations

Regional multi-church organisations such as the Pacific Conference of Churches, and similar bodies at national level, are places that draw together influential leadership from across the Pacific communities and provide a valuable space for high return on relational investment.

3. Deal with the issue of climate change with integrity

This is the biggest existential issue in the Pacific, driving both rapid-onset disasters and slow-onset destruction of livelihoods. Acknowledge that this is not just an ‘aid’ issue but one that requires regional and global collaboration on a range of fronts.

4. Create space for alternative models of development

Recognise that development and social flourishing for the Pacific people must be self-determined with due weight given to indigenous wisdom, culture and context. GDP and economic growth may not be the desired indicators.

5. Address the Pacific societal impacts of the labour mobility scheme

The current high rates of working age adults spending extended periods away from their partners and children is causing significant social dysfunction in Pacific communities. Increased remittance income is being offset by marriage breakdown, juvenile delinquency and addiction issues.

6. Align Australia’s emission control policies to signal a clear commitment to climate change mitigation

Australia’s credibility in the Pacific is significantly contingent on a consistent policy approach to climate change. Offering aid-based solutions to the Pacific while signalling a lack of commitment to curbing fossil fuel emissions locally is counter-productive.

Click here to download the full submission.

Due to COVID-19 and its impact on countries in the Pacific, the date for submissions been extended to 30 June.

by
News, Partnering Women for Change (Pacific Region), Project Updates, Uncategorized
April 12, 2019

Project Update: Kiribati Safe Families, Healthy Communities

The Kiribati Safe Families, Healthy Communities project has gone through two phases.

In the first phase of the project, we worked with RAK (Reitan Aine ki Kamatu – Women’s Fellowship of the Kiribati Uniting Church) to support the establishment of raised vegetable garden beds through resources and training.

Kiribati women identified this as important for three main reasons:

1. Food security
With the increasing effects of climate change on their tiny islands growing food had become more and more difficult. With the rising sea levels, the fresh water table has become contaminated with salt water and is too brackish to grow most crops. Also, this sea-level rise has seen king tides and tropical depressions cause widespread regular flooding, damaging low level food crops.

Kiribati

2. Improved health
As a result of the limited availability of fresh foods, people turn to the imported foods. These include a large diet of 2-minute noodles, excessively fatty cuts of meat (often deemed unsuitable for human consumption in Australia) and preserved sugary foods (as they last the long sea journeys to Kiribati). All this is resulting in national poor health and increased incidents of diabetes.

3. Increased usable income
If the families and communities can grow more of their own food, they will need to spend less on the expensive, poorly nutritious imported food, thus releasing more income into the family budget for school and medical fees.

During the training activities on gardening, composting and healthy cooking (developed and conducted locally), conversations about healthy family and marriage relationships and the protection of women, girls and children were facilitated. The learning from these conversations highlighted specific community needs for families in Kiribati and our partners have been sharing their insights with us.

Gender-based violence is a huge issue in Kiribati and young girls are particularly vulnerable. With Kiribati being so isolated, there is a steady flow of foreign ships into the port bringing supplies. Among communities with little income and high unemployment, young girls are vulnerable to trafficking.

We are currently in the early stages of the second phase of this project with RAK and Kiribati Uniting Church (KUC), which currently consists of 2 main aspects:

1. Theological training and resourcing of Pacific Gender Equality Theology for leaders across the church, women’s fellowship and youth groups. The aim is to shift the patriarchal paradigm and equip the church and its leaders to be able to engage effectively in conversations about gender, domestic violence, child abuse and exploitation with families within their communities. Our partners have identified this as an important part of building safe families in Kiribati.


Gender Equality Theology workshop in Kiribati Feb 2019

2. Evaluation of the ‘healthy communities’ aspect of the project. We are working with our partners to identify the aspects of the garden phase that worked well and the reasons why it was less successful in some locations. We anticipate that after developing a better understanding of the factors that affect project impact, we can move to build on the foundations of food security and increasing people’s incomes, while recognising that it is both spiritual and physical needs.

Gender Equality Theology workshop in Kiribati Feb 2019

As the theological training component of the project is the most active right now, the Kiribati Safe Families, Healthy Communities project is now part of the Pacific Partnering Women for Change project. We will post updates on both aspects of the project as we gather information and take the learning forward with our partners in Kiribati.

RAK Project Coordinator Bairenga wanted to say thank you for the prayers and donations of UnitingWorld supporters for enabling the work of our partners.

She recorded the below in April 2019.

Thank you from Kiribati! from UnitingWorld on Vimeo.

Thank you to everyone who has supported this project!

All photos by Natasha Holland, International Program Manager, UnitingWorld

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