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100 Years in the Amazon Basin October 18th, 2012
Fr. Seamus Finn OMI with Fr. Roberto Carrasco Rojas OMI in Iquitos, Peru
A recent trip to the Peruvian Amazon served to remind me of the vast expanse of the region and the great diversity that lives within its boundaries. While I was ready for the heat and humidity that Iquitos is known for, I was hardly prepared for the great network of major rivers that are an essential part of transportation in the region…
Read Fr. Seamus Finn’s latest post on Huffington Post
Engaging Corporations to Stop Human Trafficking October 17th, 2012
Human trafficking – the recruiting, transport, harboring or receiving of persons through force, coercion or fraud – targets vulnerable people who are then exploited through forced labor, bonded (debt) labor, prostitution or other sexual exploitation, or as child soldiers. It is a crime without borders; every country in the world has been touched by human trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit, or destination for victims.
Thus begins an article on human trafficking describing the work of members of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR). “Leveraging Corporate Power in the Fight Against Human Trafficking,” explains how ICCR work on conflict minerals, the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act, and investor work around the London Olympics has helped to reduce the incidence of human trafficking, and to raise awareness of this heartbreaking issue.
Interested in more information on how corporations can address the issue? Read Corporate Strategies to Address Human trafficking, a joint publication of Christian Brothers Investment Services, ICCR and ECCR.
VOICE Wins Significant Housing Agreement with Bank of America October 12th, 2012
On the evening of Monday October 1st, VOICE (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement) had a remarkably successful action to push forward mortgage relief for affected homeowners in Prince William County, VA. Following all-day, intense negotiations, last minute accommodations, and a lot of fluid politics, 800+ VOICE leaders packed St Paul United Methodist Church in Woodbridge, VA and emerged with some impressive agreements.
Click here to read more »
Oblate Newsletters from Iquitos, Peru Highlight Work with Indigenous October 11th, 2012
Fr. Seamus Finn, OMI on a recent visit with children at the parish of Santa Clotilde
An interesting and informative series of newsletters from the Oblates in Iquitos, Peru, is now available on the Spanish section of this website.
The Oblates are working in the Parish of Our Lady of the Assumption, located in Santa Clotilde, a town on the Rio Napo in the Amazon rainforest of Peru. It has a population of about 2,000 people and serves as the capital district for about 23,000 people in 100 villages, spread over 400 km. of the Napo River and its tributaries. All transport is river water, with occasional planes. Most are native peoples who continue to live through hunting, fishing and subsistence farming.
Today in the parish, Oblate Fathers Edgar Nolasco OMI, and Roberto Carrasco Rojas OMI, with the Pastoral Coordination, Apostolic Vicariate, San Jose of the Amazon, are working with Norbertine priest and medical doctor, Jack MacCarthy, O. Praem, and many lay workers and volunteers.
For more information and to access the newsletters, please visit http://omiusajpic.org/espanol/global/america-latina-y-el-caribe/peru/peru-iquitos/
IMF Gold Sale Profits Benefit the World’s Poor October 1st, 2012
Jubilee USA Supporters Picket the IMF
The International Monetary Fund Executive Board has approved the final 2.7 billion dollars from recent gold sale profits to support the world’s poorest. The total gold sales windfall has now reached nearly 4 billion dollars to benefit the most vulnerable. One of the most powerful institutions in the world decided the right way because ordinary people cared – and acted.
At first, the IMF barely acknowledged the profit and assumed it could remain in their general reserves. Word leaked out about possible major renovations of the IMF office space in Washington, DC.
In response, Jubilee USA, of which the Oblates are a member, delivered tens of thousands of petitions and organized 60 global partners to push the IMF towards debt relief. At the end of February 2012, the IMF Board made a decision on the first distribution of 1.1 billion dollars after Jubilee, the ONE Campaign, ActionAid and Oxfam International met with the IMF staff.
These efforts pushed the IMF to approve the first 1.1 billion dollar distribution AND the second 2.7 billion dollar distribution to support concessional lending in the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT) and extend a 0% interest rate that will make this trust available for future generations beyond 2014. While many of us have concerns about IMF lending, this 0% extension on existing loans will mean real relief for millions of people and translate into direct support for low-income countries.
For more information about Jubilee USA, please visit their website – and get involved! Go to: www.jubileeusa.org
