Blog

On April 25, 2016, which marked the first anniversary of the earthquake in Nepal, I travelled to the country to spend two weeks assessing the changing context and monitor the projects supported by Development and Peace. I was also there on behalf of our organization to show our solidarity with the Nepalese people, who were commemorating this sad event.

This coming May 23^rd and 24^th, over 5,000 participants are expected to attend the first World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Turkey. Heads of state, government leaders, as well representatives from the private sector, multi-lateral organizations, youth, civil society, and the NGO community, including Caritas Internationalis, of which Development and Peace is a member, will take part in this meeting. 

There is no question that the extreme weather being caused by climate change is impacting the lives of small family farmers and their ability to grow food. Just a few weeks ago in the Philippines, 6,000 farmers blocked a portion of a main highway to demand government assistance after drought hit hundreds of thousands of hectares of farmland. The protest degenerated, farmers threw rocks and police responded with force. One farmer was killed, and dozens of others, both farmers and police officers, were wounded in the confrontation.

Thiramaya is 103-years-old and lives in Thokarpa-7, Sindhupalchowk in Nepal. One morning, she suddenly heard a loud noise that she believed to be a helicopter passing low over her home – which was something unusual. She can’t walk on her own, and normally people have to carry her from one place to another, but that day she managed to limp outside to so she could see the helicopter. This was when her house collapsed and she realized she had survived an earthquake.