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JPIC Staff Visits Bangladesh May 3rd, 2013
Christina Herman, JPIC Office Associate Director, visited Bangladesh in late March/early April. Her daughter, Emma, accompanied her, taking thousands of photos and copious notes. Fr. Joseph Gomes, OMI graciously hosted a ten day trip around the Sylhet region of NE Bangladesh, which provided a fascinating look at the lives of the indigenous Khasi people and the issues confronting their villages. The Oblate mission in Bangladesh started in the Sylhet region, and there are a number of parishes among the indigenous peoples of the area.
Frequent national strikes (or hartals) called by a political opposition determined to undermine the government made the trip challenging, but the group covered a lot of ground.
Sharif Jamil, Buriganga RiverKeeper
In Dhaka, Christina teamed up with the Bangladesh WaterKeeper, Sharif Jamil, in an examination of environmental and labor issues related to the leather and garment export industries. They visited the Buriganga River, leather tanneries north of the city, a massive garment factory, and had a number of informative meetings with factory owners and managers, labor union organizers, and environmentalists.
Polluted Water from Leather Tanneries flows into the Buriganga River
The tanneries are a large source of pollution for the main river flowing through Dhaka, a megacity of an estimated 18 million people. Millions depend on the rivers for bathing, washing clothes, and transportation, yet they are heavily polluted with industrial and human waste. Human Rights Watch recently issued a study of the health impacts of the tanneries, which matched the findings of this trip. Untreated industrial waste flowing from the garment factories is common. A huge factor in the pollution is the lack of adequate sewage treatment for the city’s burgeoning population.
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New Library Center inaugurated in Killinochchi, Sri Lanka April 12th, 2013
A state of the art library in Killinochchi, North Sri Lanka was officially inaugurated in February of 2013. The library center was a wonderful initiative of Fr. Jeevendra Paul OMI and the Oblates of Jaffna in partnership with Lebara Foundation, UK. It is a vitally important development in the rebuilding of the north after a devastating civil war.
The Lebara Library will maintain an important collection of books, journals and reference materials for the use of the children and adults of the community. A language lab will assist the children and adults to become competent in English as a second language. Other foreign languages will be added according to need.
The I.T. Unit consisting of twenty-eight computers offers access to the Internet and web, an essential element in meeting the demands of a globalized world.
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Solar Roofs in the Oblate Delegation of Pakistan January 24th, 2013
Oblate Philosophate, Lahore roof with solar panels Fr. Basharat EXUPEAR OMI (right) with Oman Ashraf
Several houses in the Oblate Delegation in Pakistan have been blessed with solar energy systems. On three roofs, solar electric panels stand facing the sun, which convert sunlight into electricity. These houses are: Mazenod House (Superior’s residence) Lahore; Oblate Philosophate, Lahore; and Oblate Juniorate, Multan.
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March for Life 2013 January 18th, 2013
The March for life this year is on Friday, January 25th . March for Life is an annual march in Washington DC to protest the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.
Big crowds for the annual March for Life protest are expected to hit Washington, as hundreds of thousands of pro-life supporters attend the 40th anniversary event.
Each year, Missionary Oblates in Washington, DC host seminarians attending the March to Life rally. We are looking forwarding to hosting a group of seminarians again in 2013.
Learn more at www.marchforlife.org/
Jubilee USA Meets with White House Staff January 3rd, 2013
On December 20th, the leadership of the Jubilee USA Network met with Gayle Smith, Senior Director at the National Security Council and Special Assistant to President Obama on issues related to debt forgiveness, Vulture funds, tax havens, responsible lending and borrowing, and international financial institution reform. Fr. Seamus Finn, OMI attended the meeting on behalf of the Oblates, who are members of Jubilee USA. Learn more…
