The conflict in Syria has been ongoing for over three years now, and it has forced 2.8 million to flee the country. It is a shocking number that makes us take a moment to reflect on the sheer number of people who have abandoned their homes to escape the violence. Yet such a large number can make us lose sight that it represents 2.8 million individuals, each with a name and a story, each who had a home and a history that was all left behind with only bits and pieces carried away in a suitcase.
This past Good Friday was marked by the tragic death of Fr. Christ Forman Wilibona, a priest in the diocese of Bossangoa in the northwest of Central African Republic (CAR), who was assassinated. Reports say he was shot six times by armed men while riding on a motorcycle through traffic. He was on his way to Paoua where he was the parish priest at Saint Kisito church.
Namibia is the 34th largest country in the world and receives the least rainfall in sub-Saharan Africa. Last summer, the country faced its worst drought in 30 years. Almost half of the population, or 1 million people, has suffered from or still suffers from hunger today.
Each year, Pax Christi International, a global Catholic peace movement and network that works to help establish peace, respect for human rights, justice and reconciliation in areas of the world that are torn by conflict, gives out the Pax Christi International Peace Award to honour an individual or organization taking a stand for peace in the world today.
Since becoming its own nation in 2011, South Sudan has struggled to establish a society of peace and democracy. Lingering tensions that exist between various armed political and ethnic groups, which pre-date the creation of the country, were re-ignited in December 2013, when clashes erupted in the capital Juba. Since then, violence has spread to other parts of the country.
March 15th marks three years since Syria entered into a civil war that has had devastating impacts on the Syrian population and enormous repercussions on the entire region of the Middle East. This crisis shows few signs of abating, and the humanitarian needs continue to rise with each passing day that this crisis endures.
Gilio Brunelli, Directeur of International Programs
On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the earthquake that struck Haiti, there are neither particular preparations nor special expectations in the streets of Port-au-Prince. There are no plans on the part of civil society, and there are only rumours that the government will organize something to commemorate this sad event. But three days before the fateful moment, we still do not know what the nature or scope of this “thing” will be. Nobody has the heart for it anyway.
Gilio Brunelli, Director of International Programs
No need to be in Haiti itself to realize that the world of reconstruction of this country is both disparate and complex, and to see the variety of initiatives that have burst on the scene there. In Miami airport, where I wait for my flight to Port-au-Prince, I notice a group of men and women dressed as "volunteers." It says in red and bold characters on their shirts “Volunteer work for Haitian children." In their case, it's clear; they are going to Haiti for the children. I then observe a couple in their fifties with a guitar.
In the summer of 2010, Pakistan experienced one of the worst monsoon seasons in its history. Heavy rains left one-fifth of the country submerged in water and approximately 20 million people were affected by this natural disaster.
Development and Peace has increased support to relief efforts in the Philippines thanks to the outpouring of generosity from across the country in response to Typhoon Haiyan.
