Somewhere South of the Border

(to the tune of “Over the Rainbow”)

Somewhere south of the border

People plead,

“Won’t you join us in working

for more justice and peace?”

Somewhere up in the Andes

there is gold,

but the people love water

more than gold, so we’re told.

Now mining companies have come

to get the gold–then off they run

No respect

for human rights or Mother Earth

they only care for what gold’s worth

but not for people.

Somewhere south of the border

our friends say,

“Please help stop open pit mines…

and you must act today”.

So D-J-P-C joined with those

in Peru and with others too

to say NO

to Newmont Mining Corporation’s

violation of the Earth and

human rights too.

Somewhere south of our border

hope flies high,

they are acting for justice–

why then don’t you and I?

WE WANT PEACE

(to the tune of “Jingle Bells”)

Let’s close the SOA,

Put an end to genocide,

No coups by CIA

Don’t give folks cyanide.

We speak on human rights,

The effects of gold-mining,

We work for Immigration Rights,

Help Project CURE shipping.

(Chorus)

Hey!

We want peace, justice too,

One world family.

We can do it together,

So join DJPC. (Hey!)

We want peace, justice too,

One world family,

We can do it together,

So join DJPC.

Only a week ago

We marched with Occupy,

Said NO to corporate greed,

and Wall Street’s alibis.

We want a more just world,

where peace is breaking out,

Our Justice banner is unfurled,

for Freedom give a shout!

(Chorus)

In February, Godson Beaugelin of the Lambi Fund spoke at the Salon, updating DJPC members on the work that the Lambi Fund is doing in Haiti since the earthquake in January 2010.  He shared about the difficulties and opportunities that have faced the Lambi Fund and how it has been using the donations it received following the disaster.

At the March Salon, Alejandro Alfaro, a former employee of COPAE (the San Marcos Catholic Diocese Commission on Peace and Ecology), shared about the work he did organizing the resistance in San Miguel Ixtahuacan and Sipacapa, San Marcos, Guatemala, against the Marlin Mine (a Goldcorp mine).  Alejandro talked about the difficulties of organizing people in the face of such injustice–a multi-billion, multi-national gold mining industry–and the little victories they shared, which have kept them going.  These victories include the Community Consultations that have been conducted in San Marcos (to prevent the mine from expanding) and other departments, to prevent other mines from opening.  Because the people of Guatemala have voiced their opposition to mining in their territories, mining companies with licenses have not opened any more mines.  Alejandro’s presentation was an inspiration and witness to the power of organized people.  As an action item, Alejandro directed DJPC members to many of the petitions and links they could sign to prevent future mining licenses and to the Marlin Mine to close it’s operation in San Marcos.

April’s Salon was part of a series of speaking engagements by two Guatemalan health-promoters, who are part of Promesa, an organization sponsored by DJPC.  Domingo and Pedro shared about their experiences in the mountains and what it was like to be members of Communities of Popular Resistance (CPR communities).  They spoke about the lack of healthcare that people had during the war, how they learned about natural medicines, and when they first started to receive additional education to further their knowledge as health promoters.  They also shared about the work they are doing today to improve the lives of their now-repopulated communities.  Besides the Salon, Pedro and Domingo also spoke to students at Lakewood HS and college students at Tivoli and DU.  They spoke on Jack Mudry’s morning radio show, shared with fellow-Guatemalans at a potluck with DJPC members and the REDGUA (Network of Guatemalans in Denver) organization.  They had a chance to meet other DJPC members at a fundraiser at the Buenos Aires Pizzeria.  It was an amazing trip and everyone was impressed by their stories and experiences.

DJPC has been busy so far in 2011 and our schedule is not letting up!  On May 19 we will hear stories of past GAP accompaniers, Ashley Williamson and Jason Boccaccio.  Join us at DJPC headquarters (in the Fellowship Hall of Highlands UMC, at 3131 Osceola St.) to learn more about what it’s like to be a GAP accompanier, what accompaniment is and current human rights issues in Guatemala.  If you can’t wait until May 19, be sure to keep checking the DJPC website or join us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Denver-Justice-Peace-Committee/191094847579951) to get updates on ways you can support peace and justice in Latin America!

(P.S. I’ll try to remember to upload some pictures into this post, so check back later if you’re reading this message!)

TO THE TUNE OF “APRIL SHOWERS”

Though April showers

May come your way,

Victory’s ours,

Peace on its way!

And if they’re fighting

around the world,

No use, they cannot win by war, you know,

J and P flag unfurled.

So when you see clouds

of violence,

They soon will face crowds

of nonviolence.

So keep on working for human rights,

And don’t ever lose hope,

Whenever April showers make you mope.

______

The April flowers

Will come your way,

Victory’s ours,

And justice, hey!

No more dictators,

Nor more abuse,

Because, dictating doesn’t rate, you know,

Dictators have no use.

So D J P C,

keep up your cry,

With advocacy,

Rallies apply.

So keep on doing justice and peace,

In April and all year,

Together Si Se Puede; have no fear!

LET US GO  (to the tune of “Let It Snow”):

Oh, the countries of the Caribbean

All America Latina

Have wonderful folks to know

Let us go! Let us go! Let us go!

Oh, we don’t go to just have more fun

To lay all day in the sun

There’s much more for “tu y yo”

Let us go! Let us go! Let us go!

Costa Rica, Peru, Cuba

Trinidad, Brazil, Aruba

Panama, Chile, Honduras

All of them SUPER to us!

Oh, Belize and Argentina

Nicaragua and Bolivia

Jamaica and Mexico

Let us go! Let us go! Let us go!

Oh, Suriname and French Guinea

Virgin Islands, Guatemala

Cayman Islands and Tobago

Let us go! Let us go! Let us go!

Venezuela and Paraguay

Puerto Rico and Uruguay

Montserrat, Haiti, Ecuador,

Bermuda, El Salvador.

Oh, La República Dominicana,

Suriname, St.Kitts, Guyana,

Grenada and Barbados,

Let us go! Let us go! Let us go!

So, whether islands of the Caribbean,

All América Latina,

SOLIDARITY is our goal.

Let us go! Let us go! Let us go!

_________________________

We’re Dreaming Of a More Just World (to the tune of “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas”):

We’re dreaming of a more just world

Peace breaking out on planet Earth

Whether north, south, east, west

Each place is the best

At guarding human rights for all.

We’re dreaming of a more just world

And acting so that it comes true

We are DJPC

That all may be free

Diverse but still in unity.

We’re working for a more just world

And will continue all our lives

Latin Americans our friends

Hasta La Victoria! The End!

Appropriate Technology and Sustainable Development

With the following organizations in attendance:

El Porvenir assists people in rural communities in Nicaragua to improve their standard of living through sustainable development in clean water, sanitation, and health education. To date, EP has assisted rural communities with 705 projects that now supply 105,000 people with clean water and hygenic sanitation.

Friendship Bridge  is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization whose mission is to provide microcredit and education to women so that they can create their own solutions to poverty. Currently, Friendship Bridge serves 12,000 women in predominatly rural Guatemala in areas characterized by extreme poverty and high levels of illiteracy.

The Lambi Fund of Haiti  is a unique grassroots organization whose mission is to assist the popular, Democratic movement in Haiti by providing financial resources, training, and technical assistance to peasant-led community organizations.

Potters for Peace  is a network of potters, educators, technicians, supporters, and volunteers. They work with clay artisans in Central America and worldwide on ceramic water purification projects.

Water for People is an international non-governmental development organization. They work with people and partners to develop innovative and long-lasting solutions to the water, sanitation, and hygiene problems in the developing world.

Join us as we learn about the various forms of enviornmentally friendly methods and technology being used in Latin America.

Click Here to Download a DJPC September Salon Flier (PDF)

Thursday September 16th

7:00-9:00PM

Denver Justice & Peace Committee

Denver Inner City Parish | Community Room

1212 Mariposa Street, Denver 80204 

Free parking is available along the street as well as in the lots beside the building.

Enter through the door located off of 12^th Avenue.

Website: www.denjustpeace.org | Phone: 303-623-1463 | E-mail:djpc@denjustpeace.org

This year, the 2010 Annual Awards Night will be held on October 23rd at 7pm at First Mennonite Church here in Denver.  The 2010 Global Justice and Peace Award will go to GRUFIDES, El Grupo de Formación e Intervención para el Desarrollo Sostenible, a grassroots organization based in Cajamarca, Peru that promotes sustainable development through the environmental conservation of natural resources with a particular focus on respecting human rights. Former executive director of GRUFIDES Mirtha Vásquez will serve as the keynote speaker and receive the award on behalf of the organization. The John Proctor Member of the Year is to be announced.

FRIDAY JULY 30, 2010

6:30 P.M.— 8:30 P.M.

DJPC’s Office located in the Denver Inner City Parish 1212 Mariposa St. Denver, CO 80204

Free parking available on streets and in building lots. Beverages and  utensils provided. Bring a dish (with serving utensils) to share.

R.S.V.P. TODAY!!! 303-623-1463

New house goes up with old house behind

Carrying cement block and mixing mortar by hand in 95 degree heat can be torture. Or, it can be a small offering of hope and solidarity to a family living in a one room wooden shack. Moving block after block, separating rock into piles of sand and gravel, I concentrated on the task at hand and not my aching back. I could take a break, but I hadn’t come all this way to rest and I felt better when I was working as hard as I could.  There was so much still to be done.
My husband Peter and I were in Getsemani, a community of more than 130 families in the department of Ahuachapan, El Salvador, to participate in Habitat for Humanity’s Lenten build in honor of Monseñor Oscar Romero. Thirty years ago, on March 24, 1980, as he celebrated mass, Monseñor Romero was assassinated the day after he spoke out against poverty, injustice and publicly manifested his support for victims of political violence.  Monseñor Romero became a beloved martyr and catalyst for the ensuing 12 year civil war. Yet today, the majority of the country’s 6 million people still lack basic necessities such as potable water, electricity, education and employment. It’s estimated that more than half of Salvadorans also lack adequate housing. Through local affiliates such as this one in El Salvador, Habitat for Humanity has provided more than 1 million people in 90 countries simple, decent housing and a better life.

Denise in the sand pit

Peter and I, with 3 friends, worked as part of a large group of about 70 volunteers– college students on spring break, a  high school class and a church group– to build 30 houses in 30 days to honor Monseñor’s legacy. Thankfully, we were assigned to a house where the foundation had already been dug.  Some groups had to dig foundations in the rocky  dirt– over 100 lineal feet and 2 feet deep,  with picks and shovels.  We helped two masons by mixing concrete and mortar to their specifications, delivering it, filling joints between the blocks, bending rebar, moving block, leveling dirt and a variety of miscellaneous tasks.
Habitat’s houses in El Salvador are made of cement block, heavily reinforced with rebar because of the seismic activity in the area.  The houses are generally three rooms– a living area and two bedrooms, with a bath (toilet and shower) entered from outside. Most women use firewood for cooking so the “kitchens” are outside the house so the smoke can escape. Houses average about $8,000 and the interest free loans are repaid over 20 + years. Families and/or friends contribute hundreds of hours of “sweat equity” (i.e. labor) to build the houses.

Mom and two of her kids at build site

Our family’s new house was being built next door to their old, wooden one. Mom took care of 5 children, sold chocolate- covered bananas out of her house, while her husband worked in the logging business in another part of the country.  Family incomes in Getsemeni average between US$100 and $250 monthly, and many adults work as housekeepers, security guards and market vendors.
Peter and I have been on several Habitat Global Village builds (i.e. outside the US) and upon returning, we are often asked, “Did you finish a house?”.  The answer is always “no”, we just completed a small portion.  On this trip, our basic accomplishment was helping lay about 8 tiers of cement block.  That didn’t seem like much at all.
The truth was, I wished I were in the capital, participating in the mass demonstrations and celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the death of the country’s beloved Monseñor Romero. Instead, we were in a remote area, and I moved some block.  Some sand.  Some gravel.  Some dirt.  I watched the kids that will live in the  new house and hoped that it would represent a change for the better in their lives.
We were given T-shirts that said “Somos albañiles, no maestros de obra.” That means, we are workers (or masons), not master builders.”
When I looked up that reference, I thought about the importance of being a small part of a larger whole.  Here is part of the prayer, composed by Bishop Ken Untener and often called the Oscar Romero prayer:

Some neighborhood kids look on

It helps now and then to step back and take a long view
The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a fraction
of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work…
We plant the seeds that one day will grow
We water the seeds already planted
knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development..
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of
liberation in realizing this.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning,
a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s
grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the
difference between the master builder and the worker
We are workers; not master bulders
We are prophets of a future not our own

Find out more about Habitat’s trips outside the U.S. at www.habitat.org/gv