wfn.org | Re: Keeping the Faith amid uncertainty in Zaire

[Mennonite Central Committee Communications]

TOPIC:  KEEPING THE FAITH AMID UNCERTAINTY IN ZAIRE
DATE:   April 4, 1997
CONTACT:  Pearl Sensenig
V: 717/859-1151 F: 717/859-2171
E-MAIL ADDRESS:  mailbox@mcc.org

AKRON, Pa. -- "In a holding pattern" is how Mennonite Central
Committee (MCC) workers in Kinshasa, Zaire's capital, describe the
current situation in that country, embroiled in civil war since October
1996.

Meetings between the government and rebels, known as the Alliance,
are scheduled for next week in South Africa.  Zairians hope a peaceful
solution can be found, but they also want change, report Ann and
Bruce Campbell-Janz, MCC's Zaire program directors.    Few
Zairians have any confidence left in President Mobutu, who has ruled
the country for the past three decades.  Most say nothing can happen
until he leaves.  The rebels, who now appear to control about a fourth
of the country, say they will continue fighting until negotiations start.

The atmosphere in Kinshasa is less tense than it was in March when
residents feared government troops would begin looting the city. 
Although people are still nervous, the current head of the military has
so far been a deterrent; in the past, he has ordered looting soldiers
shot on sight.

"It is also the case that a lot of prayers were answered," wrote the
Campbell-Janz couple in an e-mail to MCC headquarters.  "People are
praying now more than ever." 

A Zairian Mennonite pastor last week commented to the couple that
"we're all in the same boat."  

"Sometimes we, and the international media, get focused on the needs
of foreigners here.  However, the average Zairian suffers from the
same insecurity -- probably to a greater degree -- than do the
expatriates," reflect the MCC workers.

They say their role is "to stand beside our Zairian Mennonite brothers
and sisters."  But they are quick to add that Zairians are also
supporting and encouraging them.

The Zairian Mennonite pastor's parting word to them was "foi," or
"keep the faith."

MCC has five workers in Zaire.  Ann and Bruce Campbell-Janz live
in Kinshasa.  They are most recently from Newmarket, Ont.  Michael
Salomons works with Zairian Mennonite church development projects
in Bandundu province near Zaire's border with Angola.  He is from
Rocky Mountain House, Alta.  Krista Rigalo and Fidele Lumeya work
with peace and forestry projects in rebel-controlled Bukavu near
Zaire's border with Rwanda.  Krista is from Crystal River, Fla., and
Fidele is from Kikwit, Zaire.
                             -30-
pls4april1997TOPIC:  MCC SUPPLIES MEAT, GRAIN TO HELP AVERT FAMINE IN NORTH KOREA
DATE:   April 4, 1997
CONTACT:  Pearl Sensenig
V: 717/859-1151 F: 717/859-2171
E-MAIL ADDRESS:  mailbox@mcc.org

AKRON, Pa. -- Half a bowl of rice.  That's the rationed daily amount
of food for North Koreans.  People supplement this by foraging for
leaves, roots and wild plants.

United Nations officials who recently traveled to politically isolated
North Korea report signs of malnutrition in children, who are
"clearly, clearly smaller," and warn that the entire population of 23
million is weakening.  North Korea's government says the country
will run out of food this month.

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is joining with Caritas, a
Roman Catholic relief agency, and other groups to send emergency
food shipments to North Korea to try to stave off famine, which
appears imminent.  Some governments, including the United States
and Canada, have also contributed aid, although only a fraction of
what is needed. 

MCC will provide $200,000 Cdn./$150,000 U.S. to purchase corn
and rice from Vietnam that is scheduled to arrive in North Korea this
month.  From its warehouses in Kansas and Pennsylvania, MCC is
also shipping 115,200 cans of beef to arrive by May.

As well, MCC Canada is working with other Canadian groups to send
15,000 metric tons of wheat in conjunction with Canadian Foodgrains
Bank.  Last year MCC worked with the same partners to supply 4,350
metric tons of Thai rice to North Korea. 

"In 1995 and 1996 summer floods destroyed 890,000 acres of crop
land," explains Ann Martin, director of MCC's East Asia programs. 
This amount is equivalent to 360,000 hectares.

However, Martin notes the food crisis is also due to the North Korean
government's agricultural policies.  "Observers report that annual
grain production has been declining for the past 13 years, and that
people have somehow managed to cope with shortages until the recent
floods," she says.

Regardless of the difficult political situation, "MCC is committed to
feeding hungry people wherever they are, including in North Korea,"
says Martin.

MCC's food aid will be distributed by Caritas with help from the
World Food Program (WFP), a United Nations agency.  The WFP
will also assist in monitoring to assure the aid reaches those who need
it most.  The North Korean government recently granted WFP
workers permission to travel to any region of the country.  MCC has
no workers in North Korea.

"Aid groups are pointing out that North Korea now faces a food
shortage more severe than the one that led to the deaths of a million
people in Ethiopia in the early 1980s," says Martin.  In 1984
Ethiopia, with a population of 48 million, faced a shortfall of 1.9 tons
of food.  In 1996 North Korea, with a population of 23.9 million, was
short 1.8 million tons of food.  The percentage of shortfall is 47
percent in the North Korean case compared to 32 percent in Ethiopia's
case.  

The coming months will be especially hungry ones, since the next
harvest will not be ready until October.  People are already trying to
sell their household items to buy food.  "Food aid during the next half
year will save many lives," says Martin.

To contribute money to MCC's relief efforts for North Korea,
designate your check for "North Korea Hunger Appeal," #712-2015,
and mail to your nearest MCC office.

U.S. farmers can support the famine response by selling commodities
on MCC's behalf, instructing that proceeds be designated for North
Korea and sent to MCC at P.O. Box 500, Akron, PA  17501.

Canadian farmers can donate grain to the MCC account at the
Canadian Foodgrains Bank.  The Canadian government often matches
these grain donations; however, North Korea is on the list of countries
ineligible to receive Canadian foreign aid.  Together with other church
agencies, MCC and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank are encouraging
Ottawa to lift the government's ban on aid to North Korea.  Even if
Canada does not match the donation, MCC and the Canadian
Foodgrains Bank will still send the food. 

                             -30-

pls4april1997

MCC photos available:
1)  North Koreans line up to receive their rations -- now only 100
grams/3.5 ounces of rice per person per day.  (Photo by Rick Fee)
2)  At the Ephrata, Pa., material resources center, youth from the
Sommerville Baptist church in South Carolina prepare canned meat for
shipment to North Korea.  From Pennsylvania, the meat will be
trucked to Texas where it will be loaded on the "Xian Xia Ling." 
This ship is scheduled to arrive in Nampo, North Korea, in May. 
(MCC photo by Tony Siemens) DATE:   HELPING HANDS STILL NEEDED FOR K'EKCHI' STUDY CENTER
CONTACT:  Emily Will
V: 717/859-1151 F: 717/859-2171
E-MAIL ADDRESS:  mailbox@mcc.org

A joint release of MCC and Eastern Mennonite Missions

AKRON, Pa. -- Block by block, a new study center for K'ekchi'
Mennonites in Guatemala is being constructed.  But North American
work teams are still needed to lend a hand.

Since ground-breaking this past January, the foundation for the
auditorium has been laid, and block walls are going up.  When
finished, the study center will boast three classrooms, a library,
dormitories, office space and a dining room/kitchen, in addition to the
auditorium.

To date, work teams from Pennsylvania, Iowa, Eastern Mennonite
University in Harrisonburg, Va., and from Belize have joined
K'ekchi' Mennonites in the building project.  Menno Loewen, a
Colony Mennonite from Belize who runs a construction company, is
currently serving as project coordinator. 

The study center fulfills K'ekchi' desires to offer opportunities within
their own communities to youth.  Schools in the Guatemalan
countryside are often very poor, offering up to grade 4 only, and with
frequent teacher absences.  Partly because of lack of educational
opportunities, K'ekchi' youth are being lured to the cities and even
into military service, losing their cultural roots and family
connections, says Ed Stamm Miller, of MCC's Latin America
department.

The  K'ekchi' Mennonite church wants the study center to offer both
primary and secondary education, as well as vocational training and
Bible study.  It will also be used as a general church center.

Despite their material poverty, K'ekchi' Mennonites are contributing
both money and lots of muscle power to the project.  Teams of up to
15 K'ekchi' are working full time on the center, except during corn-
planting season in May.  A K'ekchi' team works alongside groups
from other countries.

MCC hopes to recruit three work teams of six to eight persons each
for three periods this summer: May 30 to June 13, July 19 to August
2, and August 16 to 30. (These teams are needed in addition to teams
from Indiana, Kansas and Pennsylvania already set to go this
summer.)  To learn more, contact Stamm Miller at: phone (717) 859-
1151; fax (717) 859-2171; or e-mail, ecm@mcc.org.

                             -30-
esw4april1997TOPIC:  MCC VOLUNTEER, COLLEAGUE PRODUCE FIRST OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
TEXT FOR VIETNAMESE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
DATE:   April 4, 1997
CONTACT:  Pearl Sensenig
V: 717/859-1151 F: 717/859-2171
E-MAIL ADDRESS:  mailbox@mcc.org

AKRON, Pa. --  Thanks to the efforts of a former Mennonite Central
Committee (MCC) volunteer and her Vietnamese colleague, health
professions in Vietnam now have an illustrated, 220-page textbook on
basic occupational therapy -- written in their own language.

As Gail Dick's MCC assignment in Vietnam drew to an end late last
year, she set out to review the two-and-a-half years of training she had
done with her colleague, Ms. Lien.  As the two re-read lesson after
lesson, they ended up producing a professional-level textbook,
something that hadn't previously existed in Vietnam.

Ms. Lien is now using this material to train others who work with
disabled children, particularly those with cerebral palsy.  MCC has
also sent copies to the rehabilitation departments of Vietnamese
hospitals, pediatric treatment centers, medical schools and
international agencies that work in the field of disabilities.

And the two authors hope many more copies now exist.  The book
was packaged with a spiral binding so it would be easy to photocopy
and share with others.  "I didn't want this to be a book that sat on
someone's shelf," says Dick.

Dick has now returned to Winnipeg, Man., where she is a member of
St. Margaret's Anglican church. 
                             -30-

pls4april1997

MCC photo available:  Gail Dick and her Vietnamese colleague, Ms.
Lien, recently completed a textbook on occupational therapy for
Vietnamese health professionals who work with people with
disabilities.  (MCC photo by Betsy Headrick McCrae)TOPIC:  TEN THOUSAND VILLAGES NAME EXPANDING
DATE:   April 4, 1997
CONTACT:  Larry Guengerich
V: 717/859-1151 F: 717/859-2171
E-MAIL ADDRESS:  mailbox@mcc.org

AKRON, Pa. --  From Los Gatos, Calif., to Baltimore, Md., and
from Calgary, Alta., to Montreal, Quebec, the brick-red logo of Ten
Thousand Villages is being raised with increasing frequency.  The
new name and logo, which started as a designer's sketch shown to 21
SELFHELP Crafts representatives in May of 1996, has turned into a
reality.  After spending many hours in meetings developing the
identity and deciding how to implement it, those involved are now
being rewarded by seeing the new signs go up across North America.

Both artisans that Ten Thousand Villages buys from and store
customers are excited about the new name.  St. Mary's, an artisan
group in Ahmadabad, India, responded to the new name by saying, "It
was a pleasant and enriching experience to read of your new name and
theme.  Ten Thousand Villages touches the Indian nerve very deeply
...  The meaning of the logo has been a tremendous source of
inspiration."  

Customers are also responding with enthusiasm.  Ron Hershey, Ten
Thousand Villages store manager in Mechanicsburg, Pa., reports that
shortly after replacing the SELFHELP Crafts of the World sign, a
woman entered the store.  As she examined the selection of
handcrafted items, she remarked that this was her first visit to the
store.  "I went by the SELFHELP Crafts sign almost every day for
the past two years, but never came in," She said.  Her reason?  "I
wasn't interested in craft-making supplies."  

The woman shared that when she saw the new sign, it was so
attractive and evocative that she just had to come in and explore what
the store was all about.

Currently, nearly 30 stores in the United States are using the new
identity, with more slated to adopt it in the near future.  According to
Ten Thousand Villages (Canada) Director Doug Dirks, "We now have
a dozen stores using the new name and logo with nearly all the
Canadian stores set to adopt the new identity by early summer of this
year."  The Ten Thousand Villages logo will also make its way into
the nearly 300 consignment sales held in North America in 1997. 
^From large Mennonite relief sales to the 170 sales held by
Presbyterian church groups, all will be spreading the message of Ten
Thousand Villages to North American consumers.       
                             -30-
Larry Guengerich, Ten Thousand Villages
pls4april1997
MCC photo available:  Pictured is the newly renamed Ten Thousand
Villages store in Mechanicsburg, Pa.  The logo beside the name
represents visually the organization's mission.  The continuous line
forming the buildings reminds us that we are all linked as we live on
this earth.  The logo's cultural architecture represents homes of people
with whom we work, in many cultures and places.  Lit windows and
doors speak of human beings sheltered there-people much like
ourselves in many ways.  The warm red color and hand-crafted look
of the logo represent the materials and methods used to make the
items marketed by Ten Thousand Villages.  (Photo supplied by Pat
Gasswint)TOPIC:  NEW VIDEO TRACKS DAY IN LIVES OF BOLIVIAN "WORKING CHILDREN"
DATE:   April 4, 1997
CONTACT:  Emily Will
V: 717/859-1151 F: 717/859-2171
E-MAIL ADDRESS:  mailbox@mcc.org

       AKRON, Pa. -- Everyday is one of hustle and bustle for 12-
year-old Samuel Ardalla and his brother, Victor, who is 8.   Los
Ninos, a new Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) 14-minute video
for children (in English), follows the boys through their day.
       Afternoons after school, these "working children" in Santa
Cruz, Bolivia, dart in and out of traffic, washing windshields to earn
money for their family.  While their parents are loving and concerned
for their children's well-being, the family needs the extra income the
boys can bring home.
       To help children like Samuel and Victor, MCC workers have
begun a special recreational and tutoring program.  MCC staff teach
"working children" how to stay safe on busy streets and encourage
them to plan for their futures by staying in school or re-enrolling.
       To borrow Los Ninos, contact your nearest MCC office.  The
video may also be purchased from MCC in Akron for $25 Cdn./$20
U.S.

                             -30-

esw4april1997

MCC photo available:  Samuel Ardalla with his pet parakeet
"Mariguita."  Samuel is featured in the new MCC video Los Ninos.TOPIC:  "WAY OF THE CROSS" IN NEW O
POOR PEOPLE
DATE:   April 4, 1997
CONTACT:  Deborah Fast
V: 717/859-1151 F: 717/859-2171
E-MAIL ADDRESS:  mailbox@mcc.org

NEW ORLEANS--"Christ continues to suffer and die in his people,
the poor," said Don Everard, organizer of the "Way of Justice, Way
of the Cross" procession held in downtown New Orleans on Good
Friday morning, March 28.  MCC workers joined other Christian
groups, some 200 people in all, seeking to link Christ's suffering with
the suffering of poor people today.

MCC workers organized the first "station" of this traditional Roman
Catholic observance.  The station, called, "Jesus is condemned to
death," focused on street and domestic violence.

"We are all condemned to death," a narrator began.  "We die
violently each day in drive-bys [street shootings], robberies, domestic
disputes and drug wars. Our lives are being taken from us, as well,
through fear," the litany continued.

Sally Jacober, MCC New Orleans program coordinator, read the
names of 34 people killed by violence in New Orleans so far this year. 
At least 15 names were missing from the list, she noted, and two
more had appeared in that morning's local paper, the Times Picayune.

MCC workers held up a sheet on which was written the 34 names. 
As Jacober read: "Jesus, victim of violence, died on a cross," the
other four twisted the sheet, and with a piece of wood fashioned a
cross. 

The first station of "Way of the Cross" ended with prayer: "For all
who work for justice, for all who overcome fear and help resolve
conflicts nonviolently, and for all who teach such skills we give you
thanks, O God. We thank you for light arising out of darkness, for
comfort in the midst of confusion, for hope springing out of sorrow."
                             -30-
Sally Jacober

dlf4april1997

Sally Jacober is from San Francisco, and is a member of First
Mennonite Church in San Francisco.  Other service workers in New
Orleans are: Brenda Zook, of Hagerstown, Md., who is a member of
Hebron Mennonite Church in Hagerstown; Kelly Going, of Wallkill,
NY., who is a member of Wallkill Reformed Church; Julie Litwiller,
from Lancaster, Pa., who is a member of East Chestnut Mennonite
Church in Lancaster; and Suzanne Southard, of Shawnee, Kan., who
is a member of Prairie Baptist Church in Prairie Village, Kan.

MCC photo available: One way MCC has responded to violence, and
the high rate of homicide in New Orleans is the formation of
SURVIVE, a support group for surviving family members.  In this
1995 photo Barbara Martin, left, leads a meeting of SURVIVE.  MCC
photo by Howard Zehr.TOPIC:  FLORIDA AGENCY CELEBRATES DECADE OF HOUSING FOR "LITTLE HAITI"
DATE:   April 4, 1997
CONTACT:  Deborah Fast
V: 717/859-1151 F: 717/859-2171
E-MAIL ADDRESS:  mailbox@mcc.org

MCC workers involved from the ground up

MIAMI, Fla.--Forty-five families in "Little Haiti," a poor
neighborhood here, now own homes because of the work of Little
Haiti Housing Association (LHHA).  MCC workers have been
involved from the ground up.

The nonprofit housing agency celebrated its 10th anniversary on
March 21, recognizing those who gave life to the idea of providing
adequate, affordable housing for Little Haiti's residents.

One of these people is Jon Nofziger, a Mennonite Central Committee
(MCC) worker who served in South Florida from 1986 to 1988.  In
his work with urban ministries of the United Methodist Church,
Nofziger learned of housing needs in Little Haiti.

Nofziger observed that many families spent up to 70 percent of their
already meager income on rent and utilities.  Little Haiti's poverty
rate of 45.6 percent is significantly higher than the city-wide average
of 31.2 percent, and three to five times the rate of the state as a
whole.  Population is concentrated, with an estimated 70,000 people
living in an area comprising only three square miles.

Residents shared Nofziger's concern, and in several meetings with
church leaders in late 1986 and early 1987, they decided to start a
community housing agency.  Little Haiti Housing was born.

Start-up funds came from Nofziger's family, who pooled the money
they would have spent on Christmas gifts in 1986.  This effort raised
$317--enough to fund LHHA's incorporation as a nonprofit
corporation in March 1987.

The mission of LHHA was and continues to be to provide adequate,
affordable housing for residents of Little Haiti.  Staff believe that
housing must be part of an overall strategy to help low-income
Haitian-Americans move out of poverty, and for improving the
neighborhood.

LHHA provides numerous services--landlord-tenant mediation,
housing rehabilitation and new construction, budget and credit
counselling and home-ownership preparation classes.  All classes are
taught in Haitian Creole, most residents' first language.

"There is nothing more satisfying than to see the smiles on the faces
of a family as they move out of a small, run-down apartment into a
home of their own," says current director David Harder.

A new initiative is a "homeowners' club" for families who have
bought homes through LHHA.  Members work for positive change in
their neighborhood, and also act as mentors for other potential
community leaders.

When Nofziger's MCC term ended in 1988, Rev. Paddy Poux, a local
pastor, took over leadership.  When the demands of LHHA and of
Poux's congregation became too overwhelming, LHHA asked MCC
for another service worker.

David Harder accepted this position and, with his family, arrived in
Little Haiti in late 1990.  After his MCC service term ended in 1993,
Harder was invited to stay on as executive director and continues in
that position to the present.  Harder has encouraged community
participation, and today 50 percent of the board is made up of
residents.

In addition to helping 45 families become homeowners, LHHA has
purchased a 56-unit apartment building, currently being rehabilitated. 
Construction of a 24-unit townhouse will begin later this year, and
negotiations are nearly completed on acquiring a 512-unit apartment
complex.

                             -30-
Samuel Diller

dlf4april1997

Samuel Diller is an MCC volunteer serving with LHHA.  He is from
Adrian, Mich., and attends Miami Shores Presbyterian Church.

Photo available: The Guervil family, Yva, Yvanley and Rodney,
purchased their Miami home through Little Haiti Housing's (LHHA)
home ownership program.  Rodney is a member of the LHHA board. 
Photo courtesy of Little Haiti Housing.