Global Perspectives

roll up, roll up - lets change the world

2009-12-10T13:45:00.001-08:00

http://www.christianaid.org.uk/philanthropy/

Memoirs from North Korea - Day 1

2009-02-14T05:31:00.001-08:00

From Feb 3rd-7th I joined a parliamentary delegation visiting the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) headed by Lord Alton and Baroness Cox. Here is my daily account:

Feb 3rd

As we touched down in North Korea, the landscape appeared barren and brown. Although the sun was shining, the lakes were frozen over as a result of minus 13 degree conditions the week before. From the plane you could see small silhouettes of people skating on the ice.　However, my concerns over a frosty reception were allayed when we were met on the tarmac by an enthusiastic welcoming committee, including the DPRK Ambassador.

We were ushered into the VIP lounge in which we exchanged pleasantries. After a few minutes, we were asked to hand over our mobile phones。 Although not unexpected, this was a reality check for me。 With my digital umbilical chord temporarily severed, I was driven to our hotel in a brown 1960s Mercedes. Its beige seats and flannel covered steering wheel were symbolic of the fact that time too had frozen here.

On the road to Pyongyang, we passed ordered villages built in symmetrical rows. We were told that in Pyongyang everyone had jobs, a house and enough to eat. However, outside the bubble of the capital, life was much starker. The separation with the south has meant that the North can't easily afford to feed its own people. As a result, almost 2million people died of food shortages in the 1990s and still more than 37% of six year olds in North Korea are chronically malnourished.

We arrived at our splendid Koryo Hotel and unpacked bags. Baroness Cox and I went for a walk before dinner. After a few minutes we realised we had been tracked down by our North Korean guide. He told us it was not possible for us to walk alone。 We witnessed a quiet city full of greying high rise apartment blocks and ordinary people who kept their heads down as they walked past, shy of catching your eye.

We returned from our walk for a formal dinner at the hotel。 The setting was almost opulent. After a series of speeches and course after course of food, the conversation drifted to anecdotes of the North Korean's visit to London. Apparently our host had visited the Tower of London in 1989 for a reception and parked his car in the space reserved for Lady Thatcher! He said he had been invited to the UK by a young Scottish, Labour MP. No-one could think who that would have been. 'Scottish…Labour MP?' I ventured, 'it wasn't Gordon Brown was it?' They seemed to get the joke.

The night ended with a coffee with the newly installed British Ambassador. he was obviously knowledgeable and very supportive of our visit to North Korea.

Memoirs from North Korea - Day 3

2009-02-14T05:29:00.000-08:00

Feb 5th

In the morning we went to see the body of Kim Il Sung lying in state. This is not the place to describe what one sees there – suffice to say that it will remain with me for many years to come.

We left the mausoleum for the more enlivened environment of Kim Il Sung University. We were welcomed to an excellent English class where a dynamic teacher was instructing a very attentive class. Of course we had to take our turn in addressing the class but it was refreshing to see the students eagerness to learn and enthusiasm to absorb as much information as possible. If students were like this in the UK, the teaching profession would be dream vocation.

After lunch we had a meeting with the highest ranking member of the authorities on our itinerary - the Speaker at the Supreme People's Assembly. He had a calm presence and kind eyes and carried a statesmanlike air about him. He welcomed us warmly although repeated the credo about building up a powerful and prosperous nation and how their 'military first' strategy was the highest priority. Our discussion centred on how we can help North Korea move towards, not away from, the international community as means of achieving their goals for the prosperity of their country.

After our visit to the children's palace to see a celebration of the Lunar festival, I understood something of what sustains the North Korean system。　Children filled the stage and performed breathtaking gymnastic, scintillating piano concertos and wonderful dance routines which would have put my school panto firmly in the shade. But they also sang songs of devotion to The Great Leader that made your realise how quickly a person's view of the world can be set in place.

We finished our day with what can only be described as banquet with the Speaker of the Korean parliament. I counted that we were served eleven courses from trout to pheasant dishes. Baroness Cox recounted the story of Churchill, who was no fan of women in politics, but was once told by the first female member of parliament 'Winston, if I was your husband, I would put poison in your coffee.' To which Churchill replied, 'madam, if I was your husband, I would drink it!' Our Korean hosts were almost bent double with laughter.

Memoirs from North Korea - Day 2

2009-02-14T05:30:00.001-08:00

Feb 4th

The first full day started with a visit to the birth place of North Korea's Great Leader. Born in the woods around Pyongyang, Kim Il Sung had gone on to liberate Korea from the Japanese in 1945. Although his son Kim Jong Il has taken power since his death in 1994, Kim Il Sung is still considered the immortal leader of North Korea and is revered by all who live in the North.

We left the woodlands to attend a meeting with DPRK ambassador. He expressed real sadness that relations with South Korea had deteriorated badly in recent months and at one point said 'there is no telling how bad this situation can get – our soldiers are angry and indignant'. A new harder line government has won power in the South and is now insisting on new conditions before engaging. For the North, this is seen as reneging on previous bi-lateral agreements and an act of provocation by the South.

The second meeting followed soon after with the business sector. These 9 men responsible for running North Korea's big business. They talked proudly of the export, manufacturing and IT sectors in which they work. Although there is no private sector in DPRK since everything from restaurants to railways is state-owned， they know that foreign investment is critical to the country's future prosperity. We saw at least two covered markets in Pyongyang which suggested some that some liberalisation has taken place.

The next meeting was with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Kung Sok Ung. After exchanging pleasantries, David Alton asked Mr Sok about reports we had seen of North Koreans dying in their attempts to flee the border and about the conditions in the prison camps where at least 200,000 are reportedly held. Finally, he raised the level of military spending in North Korea - 30% of the county's GDP and asked if this could be better used in other areas. Mr Sok refuted the claims over human rights abuses as Western propaganda and branded all 'defectors' from North Korea as criminals (something David Alton countered because he had met at least one escapee who had been born in the camps). Although Mr Sok said he would welcome further assistance on the food security question, he repeated the mantra that while hostile relations with the US and the South remained, a strong military was essential.

I was impressed by David Alton's skill in surpassing platitudes without losing a sense of respect for our hosts. Politicians have too often been given a bad name but it is impressive to see the 'dark arts' deployed to such good effect.

The day ended with dinner at the invitation of a few of the embassy staff and a small number expats that are teaching English in Pyongyang - we ate fine food and drank beer before I retreated to bed.

Memoir of North Korea - Day 4

2009-02-14T05:27:00.000-08:00

Feb 6th

We finished our time in North Korea with a visit to the beautiful mountains North of Pyongyang. We visited a museum - perhaps the only one in the world - which contains hundreds of gifts from the leaders of nations who wanted to honour the life of the late Kim Il Sung. Gifts from a list of leaders including Stalin, Tito, Mugabe, Honeker, Chairman Mao, Castro, Ceausescu were a sobering reminder of the lure of totalitarianism that defined the last century.

We took the opportunity to visit churches – Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox which are starting to emerge – and we impressed upon those we met the importance of allowing religious liberty to prevail. Some progress has been made in terms of them being able to build new buildings which was positive. The priests we did meet talked enthusiastically about their congregations though clearly allegiance to Kim Jung Il is a prerequisite for all in North Korea. It wasn't clear how easy it is for ordinary citizens to practice their faith freely.

Our last meal in North Korea was dinner at the revolving restaurant at the top of the Koyro hotel。 It was an opportunity to thank our hosts。 I made a speech in which I admitted that I had come to the country with that attitude 'that I thought I knew what is best for North Korea'. I felt it important to express how humbled I had been by the sincerity and kindness with which we had been received. I hadn’t expected it but my comfortable preconceptions had been challenged.

I went onto say that there is a big job to do if we are to build a more peaceful and equitable world. We would all need to be willing to learn from each other.

10 things you might not know about North Korea

2009-01-31T10:06:00.000-08:00

Next week, I am visiting one of the most closed countries on earth – it is one of the few remaining Stalinist states. Here are a few key facts:

1. After a half century of isolation, North Korea remains has one of the largest standing armies in the world.
2. 80,000 South Korean civilians are thought to have been abducted by North Korea during the Korean war (1950-53)
3. In 1994, The Great Leader Kim Il Sung died after 50 years of undiluted power.
4. Succession went to Kim’s son Kim Jong-il – a man whose birth was apparently marked by a sightings of a double rainbow and a new star
5. An estimated 2 million people died from food shortages in North Korea during the 1990s.
6. In 2002 US President George W Bush named the country as part of an "axis of evil"
7. In 2006, North Korea became the ninth country to possess nuclear weapons
8. In June 2008, the authorities in the capital Pyongang finally handed over a list of the country's nuclear assets and in the October agreed to give international inspectors full access to its nuclear sites
9. Military spending is still 20% of GDP
10. There is no internet connection in North Korea

Christmas Day at Crisis 2008

2008-12-27T07:22:00.000-08:00

My second day at Broadway Centre felt very different from the first. By now, I felt like a veteran of the system. I generously helped to give guidance to volunteer virgins who looked as disorientated as I did on my first day. The absence of public transport meant that I had cycled for an hour in quiet London streets to arrive at Shepherds Bush and the exercise had put a spring in my step.

It struck me throughout the day that the Crisis centres are set up at Christmas as much to benefit the volunteers as they are for the guests. Everyone of the 40 volunteers had their own reasons for being there. One volunteer from Sunderland told me that she had lost her husband six months ago. Another volunteer was there to escape the spectre of another family Christmas. For me, the main driver was to find an antidote to the self-pity that threatened set in because I couldn’t spend Christmas with my own family.

From that perspective, the guests are very gracious. They sense the vulnerability of the volunteers who want to engage.

After I finished my morning security shift, I got a cup of tea and sat down in the café. I started chatting with Noel – an Irish guest who must have been in his late 60s and had spent 15 years sleeping rough in some of the toughest areas of London and Birmingham. He hadn't seen his wife and children for 25 years but he said he would never stop loving his wife, as long as he lived. His face and hands were badly scarred from what look like severe burns. Although he wore dark glasses, his piercing blue eyes would look at you over the top of his frames when he wanted to be sure you were listening.

I made the mistake of straying onto the issues of politics with Noel. In no time at all, Noel was expressing his apoplectic anger at the sight of Polish and other immigrants who were diluting British culture and using services that they had never contributed to. The issues he raised were a common theme that emerged from guests who felt the help on offer was not reaching the people who really needed it. The tension between the Eastern European guests – many of whom were much younger– and the ‘local’ guests was palpable.

I decided to chance my arm at connecting with some of the Polish guests. It was much tougher. Many could barely speak English. They could play table tennis however. I confidently challenged one guest to a game. Unfortunately, I lost pretty quickly to a Pole who I can only assume must have been a table tennis champion in his home town!

The day finished with an uplifting debrief where we heard Edwin’s story – a volunteer who had almost died on the streets but who had literally been saved by visiting a Crisis Centre. He now gone 14 years without a drink and there was no more powerful advocate for the value of the work Crisis does.

Boxing Day at Crisis 2008

2008-12-30T01:31:00.000-08:00

By the time I completed my third and final day volunteering at Crisis, I was starting to develop my own ideas about how the day centre could be run...

Some of the guests had expressed unhappiness at management’s insistence that guests showered before they were able to take advantage of the massage services on offer. I agreed and took this up with some of the ‘green badge’ supervisors. It seemed altogether the wrong message that we considered guests to be in some way unclean – especially as some of the guests were cleaner than the volunteers!

My many hours on security had also convinced me that we needed to take a harder line on preventing alcohol into the centre. The day before (Christmas Day) the police had arrived as trouble started to brew between guests. It was all drink related and I thought that was entirely preventable with a zero tolerance approach to allowing alcohol onto the premises.

But given that this was my last day, I thought I better concentrate my efforts on engaging the people I had come to serve. My answer was Chess.

It didn’t matter what country guests came from, chess was universally understood and could be played regardless of an individuals grasp of English.

My miserable defeat to one of the guests exposed my own prejudice. When we started, I assumed the ragged looking man opposite probably couldn’t tell his bishop from his knight. How wrong I was! It was actually embarrassing as he took my Queen without reply and set about cutting through my defences with consummate ease. What frustrated me was the speed with which he made his moves – I didn’t have time to think!

The highlight of my final day was meeting and talking to George. George was a statesmanlike Jamaican born man in his fifties who looked a little like Morgan Freeman. He was the most articulate person I can remember meeting. It wasn’t long before I was recommending that he run for London Mayor!

What I found absorbing about him was his twinkling eyes and that he would lightly touch your arm every time he wanted to make a point. He rattled through his views on European integration, immigration, culture, economics and the war in Iraq. With souring rhetoric, he concluded one monologue about terrorism which was punctuated with emphatic hand gestures, saying, ‘you see, we must take a stand, we must take a stand.’

So I finished my time with Crisis. I was certainly uplifted, surprised and inspired by the buoyancy of the individuals I had met. I had found little trace of self-pity – just a group of people who had come up against life’s harshest realities and were busy trying to survive.

Christmas Eve at Crisis 2008

2008-12-26T03:32:00.000-08:00

This Christmas, I decided to volunteer at the Broadway Centre for the homeless with Crisis.

Like starting anything for the first time, it takes a while to find one’s feet. As my two year old boy would say ‘it is a little bit scary.’

The day began with a short induction – 24 volunteers crammed into a smelly room. None of us had met before and with next to no training we were being tasked with running a day centre for 100 guests over Christmas. After some rather poor jokes aimed at breaking the ice, our team leader started allocating tasks.

My first shift was on security. The first guy that walked past told me that he thought I was a sanctimonious middle class do-gooder. He probably had it right.

Anyway, I was kitted up with a radio and told to monitor who was coming in and out. It was freezing. Just when I was beginning to think this was a complete waste of my time, two guests, David and Wayne showed up.

David was a hooded 25 year old who looked like he was in his mid 30s. He had a quiet demeanour although you could tell that, like a volcano, any eruption would be quite dramatic. David told me that he had spent the last three weeks on the streets. In that time he had been assaulted twice – leaving him with stitches in his head which he proudly showed me.

Like most people who end up on the streets, David was heart broken. He had split up with his girlfriend who had disappeared with their 9month old daughter. The council had told him that due to his criminal record, David was a ‘danger to his own daughter’ despite the fact that he had seen his partner hold a knife to his daughter’s throat. He was coming to terms his enforced estrangement from his family – with absolutely no power to address the situation.

David’s friend Wayne was a little more inebriated. Clutching a tin of cider, Wayne was busy confessing his undying love to my security colleague, ‘the beautiful Ellen’. His love was evidenced when he ran off to the shops and used his scant resources to buy Ellen a box of Ferrero Roche. Quite a gesture.

After two hours on the door, I moved inside and listened to a talented musician entertaining the guests with moving covers of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah and David Gray’s Babylon. I met two more guests who described themselves as the old gents fo the centre. One was a totally toothless Scottish guy called Gordon (he advised me to look after my teeth while I still had them) and his pal David – another David – who was a former employee of the Bank of England (from 1963 to 1976 he told me). These guys were great company – the kind of individuals who you felt had a much deeper understanding of the way the world worked than I would ever obtain.

I resisted the temptation to grab the mike and entertain the guests with a few tracks of my own and decided instead to help out in the kitchen. The ladies in the kitchen were impressed with my mopping skills. I had to let them know that I wasn’t this good at home and that really I was just a show-pony. So that became my nick-name for the rest of the day. I thought ‘Mark the show-pony’ was rather apt.

From Faith to Ideology

2008-12-24T01:41:00.003-08:00

The Mumbai terror attacks last month are ample ammunition for some to point to the destructive and divisive role of religion in the world today.

In some respects, I agree. The single biggest threat to peace between peoples of the world is the journey from faith to ideology. It is the distortion of religious thought and spiritual manipulation that cannot be underestimated in its explosive power to breed enmity.

That is what has been happening in the southern states of Pakistan where the major it the Mumbai killers have come from. It is not that the political situation in Kashmir or the crushing urban poverty has driven these men to calmly walk into cafes, hotels and community centres and wantonly kill. It is a brittle and narrow belief system that leads individuals to apocalyptic conclusions about the future and a delusional sense of the importance of their own contribution to the struggle.

This comes to the heart of the distinction between faith and ideology. Religious faith is an essentially humble commitment to a spiritual journey that brings opportunity to find reference points to understand God and give meaning to the complexity of our own existence. Ideology is a fixed world view – set of hard-wired beliefs that is less about spiritual growth than about controlling peoples behaviour and thinking from an individual to societal level.

When Muslim men in Pakistan and Bangladesh throw acid into the eyes of women as is increasingly common in agricultural heartlands such as the Punjab state; that is ideology at work. When Protestant gangs in Northern Ireland take a hammer to another (Catholic) man’s knee and render him unable to walk for a lifetime; that is ideology at work. When individuals fail to countenance any possibility that they could be wrong or could learn from those of different tradition; that is ideology at work.

But when men like Martin Luther King sustain their campaign for civil rights in America – knowing that it could end his own life prematurely; that is faith at work. When women like Aung San Suu Kyi refuse to take a loaded offer to leave Burma and visit her dying husband, Michael Aris, in the UK – because she knew the ruling junta wouldn’t let her return; that is faith in action. And when ordinary individuals choose to open their homes and hearts to others at Christmas; that is faith in action.

Although ideology often masquerades as faith, the two are quite different. It is my view that genuine religious faith has been the inspiration behind some of the greatest individuals who have ever lived. Genuine faith has the power to release individuals to be the best the best they can be. It stands to reason perhaps that ideology also has the power to deceive people into being the worst they can be too.

What we need to do examine ourselves – how far have we gone in turning our faith into an ideology?

Finding Solace

2008-11-16T14:30:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I heard a story about a Rwandan choir who needed help. I was immediately intrigued. The choir in question is the Solace Praise Choir – a gospel choir made up of young people who have been orphaned either through the 1994 genocide or its related cousin – the HIV pandemic.

The choir formed because of the work of Solace Ministries which I visited in 2004 and has been providing exemplary vocational training as well as emotional and spiritual support for traumatised children and widows ever since the genocide.

Now, this talented and ambitious choir wanted to record their music as a precursor to a possible European tour. They found a European recording company who claimed they would record an album for them. Money was paid for their services but the choir got nothing in return as the music producers ran off with the cash.

This choir who had all endured so much now faced the prospect that their music dream was in tatters.

There didn’t appear much that anyone could or would do. That only changed after a tragic set of circumstances. In May of this year one of my friends, Jo Swann, decided to take her own life. It was a shocking piece of news. Although a few years older than me, Jo had been one of the individuals from my youth that had shaped the person I am today. A big group of us came to her funeral to remember Jo.

As friends old and new talked together at the funeral, a question emerged; why couldn’t we raise funds to build a state of the art recording studio in Kigali to give the Solace Praise Choir (and many others) the opportunity to record music? It would be an answer to the choir’s prayers and a fitting way to honour Jo’s life. Out of this very sad event, the energy for something very good was released.

So, in January 2009, a group are going to Rwanda to fit a recording studio. It will cost £15,000 and we need to raise the funding in just two months! The benefits of the studio are clear:
- providing a much needed source of revenue for Solace Ministries – who will hire the studio out to organisations such as the local university
- providing training opportunities for young people interested in music production
- giving opportunity for the Solace Praise Choir and other musicians to record their music and share it with the world

Music has a unique power. Every culture has its musical its traditions. Music can inspire, lift spirits and provide comfort. That is what I call finding solace.

ENDS
If you want to help, please visit, www.studioforsolace.co.uk.

The fierce urgency of now

2008-11-09T05:56:00.000-08:00

When Obama launched his presidential campaign 22 months ago in Chicago, Illinois – he borrowed an expression from Martin Luther King when he talked about the ‘fierce urgency of now’. Despite only being a senator for little more than 2 years, Obama didn't wait to be invited to apply for the most influential job in the world.

His sense was that he could not afford to wait - not due of personal ambition - but because of his conviction that the world desperately needs a new breed of leadership which calls out the good latent in the human heart.

Despite his audacious belief that he was the man to do it, that sense of urgency that has propelled Obama – beyond all expectations - to become the 44th President of the United States of America.

Obama’s victory is a game changing moment in history.

Certainly, on the issue of race, we have taken a huge step forward. It exposes the poverty of equality of other nations. The UK's wretched record on involving ethnic minorities at the top table of political power is a case in point. We have only ever had 3 black cabinet ministers (Barsoness Scotland, Baroness Amos and Paul Boatang) in the history of British politics!

Obama's victory is also an opportunity to challenge the fundamental assumptions that so often underpin modern life. Might is right; feed the greed; me first; dog eat dog – these are all expressions of a world view that panders to the dark side of human nature. We have colluded in convincing ourselves that ‘we are only human’.

What Obama’s rapid ascent demonstrates is that people right around the world want their leaders to raise sights, chart a course and help us rediscover our truest sense of self.

The gap between who we are and who we could be is often not large. It takes relatively small steps for us to find the capacity for courage, sacrifice, love, humility, creativity and kindness.

There is an urgency for us individually and corporately to start finding and living by these qualities. The stakes have never been higher. Just when we face some of the most serious threats to life on this planet, Obama has reminded us that today’s reality does not have to be tomorrow’s destiny – it is ours to shape. While cynicism has dominated public life, Obama has galvanised millions with a vision that the best in human history is still in front of us, not behind us.

The poet Ben Okri puts it better than me when he writes 'In a time when people no longer dream great dreams, in which there are fewer great adventures of the spirit, in which we are encouraged to dumb down, to have such a man running for the highest office in America is nothing short of an extraordinary act of the imagination.'

We must take hold of this moment. If we conclude that no one person can change anything, we will be proved right. If, however, we resolve to live by our highest ideals, there is no reason why justice, freedom and equality can’t make serious inroads on the territories of injustice and suffering.

Despair is not an option; indifference must be banished. As Admiral Nelson once said ‘England expects each man to do his duty’. None of us can hide. We all have the power to choose what is right and good. Now is the time to make the change.

Double or Quits Marathon Challenge

2008-09-05T15:02:00.000-07:00

In memory of my grandfather - one of the best grandfather's in the business - who passed away on Sept 2nd 2008, I'm running the New Forest Marathon on Sept 21st. I need your help (not just your money) in getting me round....

Here's my idea.... you make pledge to me via www.justgiving.com/markrowland for Christian Aid's work with poor communities. The twist is that if I run the race in 3hrs 33min or under (beating my twin brother's time), then you agree to double your sponsorship level.

Given that my best marathon time (i've only run one) is 4hrs 17mins, some would say I'd have more chance of outsprinting Usain Bolt. Nevertheless, I am up for the challenge if you are.

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. If you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

Thank you for standing with me.

Mark

Remembering Grandpa – Hugh Robin Rowland (1915-2008)

2008-09-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

When God was writing the job description for the role of Grandfather, I think he must have had our Grandpa in mind. He was the model of what all grandfathers should be. Kind, patient, seemingly all-knowing and great company.

Most importantly for a Grandpa, he was also a fantastic link to our heritage - connecting us naturally to values and a world that it would be easy to forget.

We all respected Grandpa because we knew he had really lived. Anyone who has settled in three different continents, risen up the ranks of the Colonial office, played off an enviable golf handicap of 14, had a sillouette which directly resembled that of Winston Churchill and outlived the reigns of 19 different British Prime Ministers, deserves respect.

Given his intellect, Grandpa could illuminate parts of history that we would otherwise be ignorant of. He once brought to life for me Harold Macmillan’s ‘wind of change’ speech, whilst walking on the cliffs above Birling Gap. He explained how it was a turning point in our country’s sense of identity and signalled the end to the colonial era. It directly affected Grandpa and Grannie – just four year’s later Nyasaland was independent of Britain and they returned to the UK.

At a time when many of us place a premium on personal happiness, Grandpa embodied the value of the ‘service above self’. I felt it was only right to ask the British Government to recognise the contribution that Grandpa made to Queen and country. I wrote to Douglas Alexander MP, Secretary of State for International Development and to his immense credit, I received a response within days paying tribute to my Grandpa and ‘his impressive career overseas working for the UK Government’.

But Grandpa was very long-suffering of his grandchildren. He had our number all right! He always knew when we were playing a prank and was happy to play along. I once provocatively asked him if he thought it would be a good idea if Britain got rid of the monarchy, a la France. He was quick to dispatch the question saying, ‘I’ve never heard such nonsense in all my life’. His mock admonishment was laced with a typical softness in his voice and a twinkle in his eye. The repartee that you could share with Grandpa was something special.

Although the world Grandpa was born in changed almost beyond recognition in his lifetime, ours was a contemporary Grandpa. He had a laptop and could surf the web before most of us! My first laptop was one of granpa’s hand me downs! How many other people had grandfathers who they could stay in regular e-contact with his family as they travelled to different corners of the globe? That was our Grandpa; open to new ideas and new ways of doing things.

More than anything, Grandpa was a true English gentleman – never imposing but honourable, humble and humorous.

This is our time to say goodbye to you Grandpa; to thank you for the love you poured into us; and to re-affirm our commitment to pass on to our children, your example of how to live with faith, dignity and grace.

ENDS

Death of Dad

2008-05-20T15:24:00.000-07:00

On the scale of pernicious social mores, the current dilution of the role of the father has to be up there.

Today, the British parliament has voted against amending a Human Embryo and Fertilisation Bill which is, among other things, will remove the obligation on IVF doctors to consider a child’s ‘need for a father’. Furthermore, parliament has opposed a further bid to ensure there is a "father or a male role model" before fertility treatment.

The legislation is designed to ensure that singletons and same sex couples are not barred from gaining access to the same fertility opportunities as heterosexual couples. That is a good thing. Our concept of what a ‘normal’ family is must and should broaden. However, while I’m in favour of the right for gay couples to be able to have a family (which they are currently doing), this legislation confirms what has already been accepted in society at large: namely, that fatherhood has been relegated to an optional extra – like a plasma TV – a nice bonus if you can get it.

Modern life puts men and women in an unenviable position. Traditional gender roles are no longer economically, let alone socially viable. Rising house prices and above inflation increases in commodities have outstripped salary increases and left the family unit with little choice than to double their earning power. However, at a time when long-hour working cultures are reaching unreasonable levels (nine to five jobs are almost considered part-time), there is renewed pressure - especially on men - to be family centred. So while society has eroded the once clear roles for men and women, it has left them with real existential confusion over the most appropriate priorities.

But if a relationship falters (and 50% of first time marriages still end in divorce), it is often assumed that the dad must move on. Separation from his children is considered less intense – something he just has to deal with. With 62% of divorces including children, this is becoming an epidemic of silent grief.

By any measure the current family justice system is running a mock. A standard custody arrangement ‘allows’ fathers to see their children once every other weekend – which is regarded as generous if the mum is working.

The legislation passed today simply echoes the legal bias facing dads seeking custody of their children after a divorce. How can father’s claim equal legal rights to their children when legislation now states that the need of a father is not a valid consideration? Why do we talk the language of equality and then quickly drop that lexicon in this context? Is there any evidence that children raised by single fathers fare worse than those by single mums? I haven’t seen any.
What is wrong with a presumption towards shared parenting – surely the best parenting is both parents? Why aren’t we seeing more mediation and less legal wrangling? Why can’t the law seek as much possible to maintain the previous status quo which in most cases is what is best for children? Above all, why are we left with an adversarial, winner takes all system?

All of this heartache for fathers, you may say, is nothing compared to the years of discrimination, marginalisation and chauvinism that women have had to endure down the centuries. I agree. But we diminish our society if we think that women are any more liberated by the subjugation of fathers.

I am quite sure that the litany of angry and bitter fighting over children (which the lawyers encourage) neither brings the best out mothers or fathers. More crucially, the child is the net loser. Maybe the British parliament should do something about that.

ENDS

World’s Apart

2008-05-15T13:16:00.000-07:00

Something is happening in the world of philanthropy. Formerly the space reserved for the noble – it is being increasingly colonised by a new breed of smart (often young) business men and women.

These ‘social change agents’ range from the high profile – such as the sports shoe tycoon, Sir Tom Hunter - who has made no secret of his desire to give away $1billion, to the more discrete such as the anonymous Arab Sheik who recently gave the government of Bangladesh over $3billion to help the country recover from recent floods.

What these converts from business have in common is a recognition that commercial thinking and practice has a central role to play if this generation is to do a better job at sharing resources, empowering the vulnerable and protecting the planet.

We all know the trends are alarming. By 2030, the world’s population will have increased by another third – to 9 billion. Intra state fighting (which now far outstrips conflicts between nation states) is continuing to rise as the unholy scramble for the world’s resources intensifies. As geologists issue warnings that we are touching the limits of the world mineable assets, the relentless demand for gas, oil and coal continues unabated. In China, there are currently a modest 37 million vehicles in circulation. By 2030, this is predicted to increase to a staggering 270 million. All of this set against the reality that the ‘easy oil field’ finds of the Middle East are not repeatable.

In the next few years, $100 barrels of oil could seem cheap. Dfid predicts that we will see the price of oil rise to $150 per barrel in the next three years.

Inevitably, as basic commodities become more expensive, it is the poorest who suffer the most. Even today, 554 million people are without access to energy sources. What chance do they have of claiming their energy rights if trends continue? 85% of India continues to live on less than $2 per day – that in a country whose economic growth is the envy of all bar China. With these disparities, it may be that certain communities or even countries may not get any energy supply at all.

There is a fundamental and glaring discrepancy between the language used by international leaders in their desire to cut Co2 emissions while at the same time facilitating a massive demand for energy – fuelled by an unquestioned commitment to maintain economic growth.

Many ‘new philanthropists’ have little time for government quangos – they are also scathing of a voluntary sector that has failed to deliver meaningful progress with the $100billion that is passed its way each year. Their message to charities is forthright, if not pugnacious: stand aside – you’ve had a go at this – now let someone else try.

Understandably, there are those in the not for profit sector who view the new kids on the block as a threat. They would rather that these individuals worked through traditional structures and at least learnt from the sectors’ decades of lessons on the pitfalls of development. The fear is that the brash ‘business knows best’ attitude belies the complexity involved in bringing real social change.

However, if we are to meet the challenges of tomorrow, an inclusive movement which harnesses the talents and resources of every sector of society is the greatest challenge. That takes a quality of leadership rarely seen – to use the language and win the confidence of those outside your natural orbit. The synergies between voluntary and commercial organisations are only just now being explored. Commercial companies are talking to large NGOs about developing business models designed to create jobs in the poorest communities while still making a profit to ensure real sustainability.

Whether the philanthrocapitalist model gains traction will owe much to the extent to which old stereotypes and prejudices can be laid aside in favour of genuine collaboration. Currently the worlds are often too far apart to enable a meaningful conversation.

what's wrong with cuban communism?

2008-02-26T13:10:00.000-08:00

As you take the air-conditioned coach from Varedero to Havana, you could be forgiven for thinking that a world without McDonalds and Starbucks might not have been such a bad alternative.

The palm trees sway gently, weighed down by an abundance of coconuts on the white sands of the Caribbean beaches. The people seem proud of their history and culture and prepared to withstand the tide of global economics, which is flowing in the opposite direction.

Make no mistake; Castro's legacy is that Cuba is communist but what of it? Can it be that the only communist country West of Korea could actually be serving its people effectively?

If you are a Cuban today, there are no waiting lists for hospital operations – the Cuban government has invested hugely to give every man, women and child the opportunity for comprehensive health care free of charge. Cuba also boasts some of the most advanced medical research into some of the world’s deadliest diseases.

Neither are there are there students concerned about how they are going to pay tuition fees and be able to afford to live – every Cuban has the opportunity to free tertiary education – and I mean free. Students at Havana University get their food, accommodation, books and even pencils paid for by the state.

And there is no New Deal scheme to get the unemployed back to work because 100% employment was one of the key aims of the Revolution in ’59.

In fact, on the face of it, the Communist system in Cuba seems to have ‘delivered’ exactly the sort of public service provision that so many voters seem to be demanding in this country.

The Revolution in 1959, led by the young Fidel Castro, seems to have achieved its goals of establishing an egalitarian society based on the humanist values of equality, liberation and fraternity. The armed revolution was achieved with the might of a handful of determined guerrilla revolutionaries – idolised in the face of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara who fought for Cuba’s autonomy despite being Argentinean. These men succeeded in getting the support of the illiterate farmers to fight with them to over-turn the US administered regime, overseen by the Cuban dictator, Batista. Years of domination by the imperialists of Britain, Spain and then the infamous US were over, with a revolution promising to make Cuba independent and close the gap between the rich and poor.

So why can't we be more generous to the ageing Castro as he bows out after 49 years at the helm?

Take a closer look. The crumbling wall-paintings of Che Guevara and the victorious Revolution are a clue as to why the communist ideals have not served their people as well as it might seem. The flag-ship social reforms hide the truth that the cost for the ordinary Cuban in terms individual freedom has been colossal. In the clamour for our trains to run on time and for our schools to be better resourced – we would do well to remember that protection of our right to be genuinely free citizens is the greatest public service any government can provide.

‘There are no rich people in Cuba’ we were told. ‘Everything is owned by the state. We are given on average $15 a month salary and that is basically the same whether you are a bar-man or a doctor.’ In fact, Cuba has a problem because many of her doctors and lawyers are leaving their profession to serve drinks to tourists in hotels. The money they make in tips puts them among the most plentiful in the country. The goal to eradicate extreme poverty has been pursued by making relative poverty the norm for all.

Although there is not the atmosphere of intimidation and fear that characterised the Soviet forms of communism, control is central to the sustaining of this system. Castro shruged off calls for greater democracy by pointing to the ‘democracies’ of countries such as Brazil where thousands of street children are left to fend for themselves. ‘Why isn’t the international community bringing sanctions on these countries?’ he asks. But this evasion misses the point. There is no greater oppression than to deny citizens a genuine stake in their own destiny.

The ironies couldn’t be more stark. The revolutionary heroes risked everything on the chance they might win liberation and independence. Yet in sustaining the communist system they have placed national identity ahead of individual freedom. They have placed equality as the highest goal and clipped the wings of a nation’s ambition.

The Cuban revolutionaries believed that human effort alone could rid the world of domination and exploitation. Towards that end, the revolutionaries set about re-educating citizens about the benefit of ‘voluntary participation’ (work without rewards) and the evil of competition.

The critiques of capitalist globalisation should be heeded. Reforms in the WTO and IMF need to happen in order for global trade justice to prevail. It cannot be right that the amoral market should be left to determine the value of commodities with no reference to the context within which those goods were produced. However, capitalism works because it works with the grain of human nature rather than against it.

Castro believes that communism has transformed ordinary Cubans from once dreaming of their own happiness to dreaming of the happiness of everyone.

The reality is much sadder: no one in Cuba dreams anymore.

A tribute to Jessica Smith

2008-01-10T12:26:00.000-08:00

Jessica Smith died in her sleep on December 27th 2007 – aged 22

A tribute:
It is an honour to stand before you today to share some memories and reflections of a talented, beautiful and wonderfully energetic young woman who we were all privileged to know. We want to use today celebrate Jess’s life because she was certainly something special.

I first knew Jess as a fresh faced graduate – working in my first job at Jubilee Campaign. Ever since I’ve known her, two aspects of her personality stood out to me: her natural confidence and her determined courage.

Her confidence shone through when Danny (my boss at the time) thought it would be good for her to get some experience working in the office. She used to come for several weeks in the summer – starting out as an assistant in the office and finishing virtually running the office!

She didn’t let being the youngest or least experienced in the office hold her back. Jess threw herself into it – especially helping me in the campaign to free James Mawdsley from prison in Burma. She intuitively took the side of the under-dog and I know how proud she was of being part of the Jubilee’s narrative of fighting injustice.

She was also courageous. I remember being on a train with her one day and getting into some detailed discussion on ethics or religion. It upset the man sitting across from and suddenly interrupted – telling me I should keep my opinions to myself and not impose them on Jess. Before I could respond and much to my relief, Jess looked at him with a hint of distain and told him directly, ‘I can think for myself, you know’. That was Jess – like an arrow straight and true - never afraid to engage in the big issues and never afraid to speak her mind.

I also remember smiling wryly one day when danny told me that they’d realised that Jess had given shelter to a girl who had run away from home. Jess had fed and looked after her for three days without anyone knowing! That takes a certain courage.

But I also saw that courage when Jess was ill. I got a phone call from Jess at work a few months ago after I hadn’t heard from her for a long time. She was calling from hospital but she wasn’t afraid to reach out and let me know she needed a friend.

CS Lewis once wrote ‘the pain now is part of the joy then’. That’s why we’ll miss Jess so much because she brought so much life, so much energy and so much joy.

10th January 2008 St Paul’s Church, Addlestone

New York's Big Idea

2007-10-10T07:35:00.000-07:00

The Statue of Liberty is the only statue in the world to represent an idea and not a person, apparently.

So said our softly spoken guide (whose white wavy hair and furrowed brow reminded me of Brookes, the old librarian lag from Shawshank Redemption - minus the pet raven). The statue was given by the French on October 28th, 1886 to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independance and has come to personify what New York is all about. The famous torch made of 22 carot gold - a reflection of the undying pursuit of freedom, the robe, a symbol of liberty and integrity, the seven points of the crown symbolising the seven seas of the world, the book held in the statue's left hand represents bill of rights which underpins the US constitution and the Roman numerals on the book read 'July 4th 1776' - reminding us of the founding father's vision to build a new nation based on the ideal of democracy.

Today, New York means so many different things to people; Joe Demagio's legacy, $1 Hot Dogs, Madison Square Garden, the Imagine memorial, just about all Meg Ryan films, that day in September 2001...

For me, New York is a testimony to human endeavor and the value of thinking BIG. There is tremendous energy and optimism in the every corner of the city and it is mirrored in the people you meet.

It is one of the most technically advanced and fast moving cities you can visit. And yet not even 250 years ago, Manhatten island (which is the only one of New York's five borough's to have kept its indigenous Indian name) was just a tree-lined and rocky peninsula. Our guide told us that Manhatten has the greatest geological variety of rocks in the world - another dubious factual claim but one which he explained was the reason why it has been possible to build so many buildings in such a concentrated space.

It is undeniable that incredible innovation and creativity have been let loose in New York. When immigrants started pouring into Ellis island after the second world war at the rate of 50,000 per day, it was hard to envisage that these disperate communities could create one of the most vibrant urban environments - ok, i'm going to do it - in the world.

New Yorker's 'can do' approach shames the British 'could do but probably won't do' attitude. In New York i am reminded that it is okay to have wild ambitions and certainly not to fear failure. It is possible to create something that is far beyond our initial imaginings. It takes the commitment of lots of individuals and the shared belief that the today's reality doesn't have to be the same tomorrow.

New York isn't perfect, far from it. But you have to be heart hearted not to appreciate what has been achieved. New York represents more than an idea: it is living evidence of the audacity of the human species to realise their dreams.

Fighting the good fight – Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

2007-07-20T00:46:00.000-07:00

The pressure was evidently taking its toll. Revd Ayano Chule had reached breaking point. For an Ethiopian man to weep openly in front of near strangers is very rare. But meeting a man like Revd Ayano is a rare occurrence. He is one of the very first religious leaders in Ethiopia to be openly living with HIV. Not only that - he is pioneering a movement to challenge religious leaders to overcome the stigma, denial and discrimination on HIV in their communities.

But he is paying a high price. In the last 9 months, Revd Ayano has been thrown out of his home on four separate occasions. When landlords have discovered his status, they have packed his bags and simply left them on the doorstep. He told us that he could deal with the abuse, harassment, rejection and even physical assaults but he could not successfully continue his work without a safe place to live.

It was clear we were in the presence of a leader. But you have to protect leaders. Thankfully, the philanthropist with whom I was travelling recognised this immediately and agreed to pay for accommodation that would be secure from arbitrary eviction.

‘It is not HIV that kills’, Revd Ayano reminded us. ‘‘It is ignorance, fear and prejudice which kills. If people don’t know their status, they are a danger to themselves and to society. Accurate information is our greatest weapon. No amount of money will solve the problem without education.’’ Although 1 in 11 people in Ethiopia are HIV+, false information is still rife. Up to 80% believe that HIV is caused by sin or judgement while others believe it can be ‘healed’ through repentance and the administering of holy water.

With 99% of people in Ethiopia affiliated to a religious grouping, Revd Ayano knows that religious leaders hold the keys to changing attitudes towards HIV. His wants to see priests and immans be empowered to be ‘heralds of hope’ in calling their communities to be sanctuaries of compassion.

The need for this work was illustrated to me while visiting the home of Abeba Naiza. Abeba is a grandmother who lives in one of the slums in Addis Ababa. She looks after her children’s children because 3 of her 7 daughters have died from HIV related diseases.

One of the children in the home is Herione (which means fruit of the vine). Aged 5, she was just 14 days old when her mother died. Although she will not remember her mother, she did contract HIV from her and lives each day secretly taking the ante retroviral treatment that she needs. Her grandmother asked me to keep my voice down when discussing Heriones’ health for fear the neighbours would find out about her status.

The work Christian Aid is funding in Ethiopia is aiming to create a society where girls like Herione can live free from shame. Revd Ayano reluctantly conceded that most people suspect some moral malpractice is the cause of his status. In fact, he contracted HIV through his wife – who was his only sexual partner. Agonisingly, he endured watching her and their young son die from the virus before deciding to continue the battle against HIV on the front-line.

When asked how he finds the strength to continue, he answered, ‘God has given me a vision. I have the opportunity to save lives because I am HIV+. That is why I carry on.’

ENDS

Leffe village, Ethiopia, July 12th 2007

2007-07-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

It is a scene reminiscent of England. Rolling hills, green fields, muddy tracks.

But this isn't England. A line of us are walking single file approaching the Muslim village of Leffe in the Siltie region of central Ethiopia. It is the rainy season and on the surface at least, all seems lush and fertile.

But the green vegetation flatters to deceive. The water table remains dangerously low and access to clean water is the single greatest challenge facing the villagers we are about to meet.

As I climb up a bank, what confronts me needs to be seen to be believed. Half a dozen women are wading knee deep in turgid, brown coloured water. They are helping each other fill brightly coloured jerry cans as part of a daily routine to collect the 20 litres of water they need. Buzzing mosquitoes surround them – this is their natural breeding ground and malaria is a real and ever present threat.

I speak with one of the women, Fatima Ahmed, who is carrying her three year old daughter on her back as she collects water. She tells me that she sometimes she sees worms swimming in her water but she has limited choice. The only alternative is a one and half hour walk to the nearest stream.

In a neighbouring village, I saw women digging sand wells in the riverbed. The women dig up to three metres deep and wait for water to infiltrate through the sand. They spend seven hours every day digging, waiting, collecting and walking. Day in, day out - collecting water has become their life.

This situation is typical in rural communities where access to drinking water is as low as 3%. Despite claims by the Ethiopian Government to provide water for all through a universal access program, communities across Ethiopia, aren’t holding their breath. The only way Leffe village will gain access to water in the forseeable future is a planned Christian Aid project which aims to provide 53,000 people with accessible water within 1km of their homes. Leffe is one of the 18 target villages and understandably Fatima said that this project would transform her life. It would give her the time to earn a living, to look after her children and to plan for the future.

That prospect is only threatened by £440,000 needed to leverage a further £1.2million from the European Commission to fund this project . It seems a small price to pay for the social return it will generate.

There is an Ethiopian saying that water and mothers are the same – both are considered good. But the sight of women collecting dirty water reminds me that not all water is good. It certainly isn't reminiscent of England.

Growing a way out of poverty

2007-05-14T02:20:00.000-07:00

Click here to watch Christiain Aid's TV ad. Come on, give what you can. We'll make it multiply.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzMzjjVwi8k

Christian Aid week address

2007-05-14T01:21:00.000-07:00

Sunday 13th March 2007 - St Mary's Holmbury

Thank you for your warm welcome.

I am delighted to be here – especially at the beginning of Christian Aid Week. My wife Nicky and five month son Cohen are here today. This is the first time Cohen has heard his father public speaking – I’ve asked him to pay close attention in the hope that next time he it will be him up here instead of me!

I am passionate about Christian Aid week for two reasons: it has the power to inspire us and it has the power change lives. I want to take this opportunity to talk about both these aspects .

Before I do, perhaps I’ll give you a little of my background: I was raised in Rwanda by missionary parents. As a result, I saw from a young age what it meant for communities to struggle under the weight of poverty and I think it it planted a desire in me to want to work for a equitable world. Since graduating I have had the privilege of visiting countries such as Kenya, Sudan, Brazil and Rwanda - working with poor communities to strengthen the ability to meet the challenges they face. Last year my wife and I went work on the Thai/Burma burma border to get our hands dirty in the process of grass root community action.

Sometimes we feel like the boy in Robert Louis Stevenson novel, who said the world is so big and I am so small, I do not like it at all, at all. The statistics are frightening. When 30,000 children are dying every day of preventable diseases and as I heard this week that 27million people are still trapped in slavery – it is easy to despair.

CAW is about reviving our faint hearts. It is about re-committing ourselves to the battle for justice and affirming our faith that we can do something to change the world.

Does anyone know how many ordinary people leave the comfort of their own home to collect money during CAW? Incredibly, the figure is 300,000.

Does anyone know how much is raised in Christian Aid Week? £15million is raised - the biggest community fundraiser in the country.

That is an incredible achievement and should be a source of great encouragement to us. Although it is 50 years old, it is more important today than ever. A recent poll by the Sunday Times indicated that 8 out of 10 people under the age of 35 have no links with their community whatsoever. It labelled my generation as the ‘can’t be bothered’ generation. Arguably, CAW has never been more counter-cultural and therefore essential to challenging cynicism and promoting active compassion.

So CAW is inspires us but it also changes lives.

I realised this when working in Burma. Christian Aid does a lot of work in Burma – providing emergency supplies to ethnic groups in Burma who have been forced from their homes by the Burma Army. It the world’s longest running civil war and over 500,000 have been forced from their homes and are living in temporary shelters or just under cover of the jungle. It is a desperate situation. The communities I visited were clinging to hope. After brutal attacks from the Burma Army, many had lost everything: from those whose legs had been blown off by a landmine to those who had lost family members or their homes. And yet they had not lost the courage to keep going.

Last week one of the relief workers who worked with the Free Burma Rangers that I worked with was executed by the Burma Army. It was a reminder of the sacrifice and courage that people are taking to provide hope, help and love to people in trouble.

I want to finish with a story of one of the bravest woman I have met. I learnt from Bertrude Mutandigo that good can come from even the worse situations.

A few years ago I returned to Rwanda with my father on a work trip. We met many survivors of the Rwandan genocide – we heard many horrific stories Bertrude’s story stood out.

During the genocide that killed 800,000 in 100 days, Bertrude was raped many times by several soldiers. As a result she contracted HIV and had a child who also had HIV. When we met bertrude, she needed a home away from her town because some of the soldiers were continuing to threaten her.

As I watched this elegant woman tell me her story, I was struck by her resilience and total lack of self pity. It would cost only £2500 to build a new home. I returned to the UK and together with a youth group, we put on a special fundraising night. We raised enough to build her a home and some milk so that she could sell the milk. Bertrude sent us this pot to say thank you. On the side of the pot she had woven the words ‘Dieu est Amor’ – God is Love.

Christian Aid week is about demonstrating that God is Love.

A voice from the wilderness

2007-03-05T14:06:00.000-08:00

This latest entry was written by one of the bravest men I have met.

He cannot be named because the work he does takes him illegally into Burma to stand with the oppressed (and largely forgotten) ethnic minority groups. Despite being listed as an enemy of the state by the ruling junta, he continues to lead a subversive movement bringing hope and help deep into Burma's jungle.

The force of his personality and power of his example has left an indelible mark on my life.

Here he sets out why Burma is deserving of our attention. Try finding any argument with it.

10 reasons to fight for freedom in Burma

1. For human dignity.
The power of the oppressor is unrestrained: Girls being raped, children chased from their homes, parents murdered, restricted education, and people living in fear are wrong. Arbitrary arrests, and forced relocation are other tools of the regime. Human value crosses all political, religious, economic, and social lines and for this we need to stand with the people of Burma.
2. For the restoration of democracy.
There was a democratically elected government that was forcefully displaced by a brutal dictatorship.
3. For the release of political prisoners.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, who is still under house arrest, is one of thousands of political prisoners.
4. For ethnic rights, honor and future peace.
Ethnic minorities comprise over 40% of the population of Burma and thus should be equitable partners now and in Burma's future. Without them there is no just or durable solution for a peaceful and democratic Burma. Burma's brutal campaign against the ethnics has resulted in more than 1 million IDPs, over 1 million refugees, and gross human rights violations such as Burma's large scale use of landmines to target civilian populations. Many of the ethnic peoples of Burma were allies for freedom in World War II. It is a matter of honor not to forget them.
5. For public health.
There is a growing AIDS epidemic in Burma, and in overall health, Burma ranks as one of the worst in the world. Approximately one out of every 10 children in Burma die before their 5th birthday. The ratio is twice as high among the thousands of families forced to flee their homes by the military's ongoing campaigns.
6. For an end to religious persecution.
There is widespread religious persecution in Burma and this is a violation of a foundational and sacred human right.
7. For an end to forced labor and use of humans as minesweepers.
The regime forces thousands of people each year to work on State projects and during military campaigns uses people to carry supplies and as human minesweepers.
8. For the protection of the environment.
Unchecked and large scale clear cutting of some of the worlds last remaining natural teak and other tropical hardwood reserves, toxic mining practices, and the poorly planed building and proliferation of dams are among the many destructive practices that are damaging the country now and for future generations. The wanton and unchecked destruction of the environment in Burma is not only harmful to Burma, but to all of the surrounding countries.
9. For the control of narcotics.
Burma is one of the main producers of amphetamines in the world, and is #1 in Southeast Asia. Burma, behind Afghanistan, is the #2 producer of Opium/Heroin in the world.
10. For regional security.
Burma is building up its military with assistance from other area dictatorships and this along with its interest in a nuclear program makes it a regional security threat. Its immoral leadership and lack of accountability also make it a potential global threat.We the global community have the opportunity to work with the people of Burma for change. Our goodwill can encompass more than just narrowly perceived national interest. Freedom everywhere is good for all people and we of every nation must be able to stand with others even if there is no perceived or immediate benefit for us. Each of us can live our lives for the highest things, to use the best of our heritage, values and prosperity to be part of positive change in the world. This takes courage, selflessness and finally a belief that all people count.
May God give us all wisdom, love and humility as we move forward with the people of Burma.

A relief team leader

30 years on: remembering Janani Luwum

2007-02-19T13:40:00.000-08:00

On February 16th, 1977 – days before I was born – one of my great heroes was killed by one the 20th century’s most notorious despots.

Archbishop Janani Luwum led the Anglican church in Uganda in the mid 1970s at the height of Idi Amin’s brutal reign. During Amin’s seven year rule from 1971, Amin killed thousands and forced millions more (mostly ethnic Indians) to flee Uganda.

Luwum was one of the few not to be quieted by Amin’s intimidation. He found the courage to preach a message love while Amin practised his politics of hate. In spite of the grave risks, Luwum openly exhorted people to follow Christ in defying tyranny, standing up against evil and speaking the truth.

Eventually, he was accused of treason and was arrested and put on military trial.

Before the trial could take place, Luwum disappeared. It was later verified that Luwum was forced into a confession of guilt, was beaten, abused and eventually shot – his bullet riven body was thrown from a speeding car.

While Amin pretended the death was accidental, the people never believed him. For Amin, it was a massive mis-calculation. When 25,000 people came to Luwum’s funeral, Amin must have known that his time was running out. His once immutable power only last lasted for another year – although he was never convicted for his crime.

Free from Idi Amin's grip on power, Uganda is now seen as one of the success stories of Africa. Much of its bi-lateral debt has been paid off which has enabled 2.2 million people to gain access to water in Uganda and millions more children have the opportunity for an education.

If you go to Westminster Abbey, you will see eight statues of individuals – all of whom have been martyred because of the threat their faith posed to those in power. Luwum’s statue is one.

To me, Luwum’s statue is a reminder that his sacrifice 30 year’s ago is still changing lives today.