Last week I took the bus seven hours to Mongu in Western Province of Zambia. I would be catching a ride back with co-workers coming up through Sesheke & Shangombo. Our goal was to gain approval for the SILC project from the Director of Caritas of the Diocese of Mongu, CRS’s preferred partner of implementation in Western Province. The director also happens to be local royalty, meaning his thoughts carry more weight than the average Joe. If we did not receive approval, the project would not be going forward, no matter how beneficial it could be or how well it fit into our other programming.

We wanted to create SILC groups in conjunction with the nutritional groups and agricultural cooperatives that are already in place in five communities one-to-two hours outside of Mongu town. Not only would this have the normal benefits of SILC of increased savings, financial literacy and access to capital, but it would also bring cohesion to these existing groups, strengthening them: true program synergy.

Check out David’s complete blog post and accompanying videos here.

David Vosburg is currently a International Development Fellow at Catholic Relief Services based in Lusaka, Zambia. He is focused on growing CRS’s micro-savings program and providing support for costing analysis and compliance audits.

Well it’s a fabulous night for a moon dance
With the stars up above in your eyes

Then, without warning, Mamadou cuts in.

Can I just have one more moondance with you my love.
Can I just make some more romance with you, my love.

Who knew? Mamadou, the CRS driver, has got some pipes on him. While neither of us will ever win a Grammy, Mamadou isn’t going to let that stop him from showing off his vocals to his captive audience: Me.

Mamadou Issoufou, a driver for CRS Niger, stands with Lane Hartill, West and Central Africa regional information officer. Photo by resident of Niamey, Niger

The passenger seat next to a CRS driver is where I learn the most about the countries I visit. And the drivers who educate me are some of the most valuable employees at CRS.

There was Ken in Ghana who spoke 15 languages, and Ernest in Congo who, during the conflict, smuggled targeted church members to safety by dressing them up, hiding them in the backseat, and bribing men at road bocks. During a 17 hour drive with Moses to southern Liberia, we sluiced through roads as soupy as oatmeal and never got stuck. But that’s nothing. During the civil war, Moses sweet talked stoned teenagers into lowering their guns and letting him through road blocks.

It took some time for Mamadou to open up. We’d sit for hundreds of miles in silence. To pass the time, I made a list of the things I liked about Niger: the cattle horns as long and sleek as Harley handlebars, roasted skewers of succulent beef, tall men riding short donkeys. And then a song would come on and Mamadou would come to life, shocking me with his knowledge of American 80s music.

We both love Dire Straits and Michael Jackson in his prime. Like me, he was a break dancer in younger days. Before I knew it, Mamadou and I were talking sports – another mutual love of ours. He’s a volleyball player. We debated the merit of jump serves and how to put side English on the ball. And despite his size (he wouldn’t look out of place in an NFL locker room) he told me he loves ping pong.

Mamadou is a sports nut. During those stifling days in Niger, Mamadou filled a sports void in me that always gets deeper and darker when I’m on the road.

Mamadou and I also had something else in common: Both of us could drink incredible amounts of water. That meant Mamadou had perfected the fine art of the pit stop.

“Time to water the flowers?” I’d ask him.

“Yep!”

After our gardening was done, we’d stretch our hamstrings, Mamadou counting out the seconds like a PE teacher.

I’d jog around the truck. Sometimes I’d backpedal up and down the highway, resorting to old basketball drills to get the kinks out of my legs.

Just outside of Dosso with the temperature hovering just under 100 degrees, Mamadou who’d been driving about five hours straight, decided to join in.

“Toad! Toad!” he yelled at me.

“What?”

“Do the toad.”

“What’s that?”

“You do like this,” he said, sticking his arms straight out in front of him, and then squatting into a deep-knee bend. Then he exploded upward and landed in another squat.

I couldn’t resist joining him.

Long-haul truckers stared. Mini vans bulging with passengers gaped. Men dozing under nearby trees rolled over and must have thought they were dreaming when they saw us: A massive African man and a wiry American, bullfrogging their way up the national highway.

- Lane Hartill, CRS regional information officer for West and Central Africa

Join this webcast to discuss:

* Current trends that are influencing peace in Africa;
* The role of the Church in Africa;
* The significance of this African Synod;
* The increasingly important role of the Church in peacebuilding; and
* How Catholics in the U.S. through the Catholics Confront Global Poverty initiative, can participate in resolving conflict and building peace in Africa and around the world.

Thirty minutes of this webcast will be reserved to take questions from the audience.

- Learn more and RSVP here.

India: Let us pray that our Father quickens in us a spirit of prayerful solidarity with the people of India who have lost so much in the recent flooding.

HIV Research: Let us pray that God continues to inspire willing minds to seek out and find treatments and a cure for this horrible disease.

Catholic Schools: Thank you Lord for our schools, the teachers and parents and administrators that you send to educate our new generations.

Babies: We thank God for babies, and the incredible hardships their mothers are willing to endure.

Thanksgiving: Thank you Lord for those who persevere in the face of insurmountable obstacles. We’re grateful for the example they set.

My experience at the second Synod of Bishops on Africa at the Vatican was incredible. The three-week synod focused on achieving peace, justice and reconciliation in Africa. At the end, I felt an enormous commitment by the Roman Catholic Church to do something different on the continent. For the first time, I see a prospect for a major change in the Church that is extremely hopeful.

Five key issues that have a direct impact on Catholics everywhere, and particularly in Africa, are being addressed in the 57 propositions that emerged from the synod:

Photo by Josh Estey for CRS

• Evangelization of the family: Husbands, wives, young adults and children need to recommit to living by the tenets of Catholicism in their families. In the opening mass, Pope Benedict stressed that Africans need to beware of the “spiritual toxic waste” from the West and to fight against it. Men need to take better care of their families, turning away from drugs, alcoholism and abuse. Women need to be empowered and their role recognized as the backbone of the Church, caring for the life and dignity of each family member. And everyone needs to ensure that children are protected within families and in society at large.

• The clergy as role models and unifiers: The synod discussion was quite candid about the need for priests and other religious to live the word of God in their personal lives. It was said often that the blood of Jesus Christ needs to be thicker than ethnic, regional or political differences. The leaders of the Church need to be unifiers, not dividers, in resonance with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

• Enhanced formation: Catholic social teachings need to be a permanent part of our psyches. To achieve this, the Church needs to develop courses, programs and activities that bring these lessons to life so Catholics can intuitively act and react in ways that are aligned with these principles. Considerable attention was placed on the need to train leaders of small Christian communities. Attention was also paid to the need for new pedagogies that will lead Catholic clergy, politicians, civil servants and businesspeople to act in ways that support the common good instead of special interests or individual gain.

• Increased dialogue with other faiths: There is a need for more dialogue with people from different Christian faiths and different religions. This dialogue needs to be based on mutual respect and reciprocal tolerance, especially with regard to others’ freedom to establish religious institutions and profess their faith. Extremism and fundamentalism were condemned as harmful approaches that often promote intolerance.

• Environmental protection: The environment has been at the center of so many conflicts, particularly the exploitation of natural resources by multinational companies that fuels violence across the continent of Africa without returning much benefit to local communities. There has also been significant damage to the environment, which can lead to additional fighting over shrinking resources.

The openness and transparency at this synod was incredible. No subject was taboo. Everything was discussed, including AIDS, corruption, poverty and development initiatives. All the debates were publicized, allowing the public to be aware of the discussions taking place. The participation of women and people of other Christian faiths and religions was also very high.

Spiritually, I now feel so fulfilled by my faith. My faith came out of Rome reinforced, because the Church is openly—and now decisively—addressing many challenging issues to reach the vision that Jesus described for us. The spirit and enthusiasm resulting from this synod is flowing powerfully.

While southern Sudan desperately needs more schools, efforts are being made by the government, CRS and other agencies to give children the education they deserve. Photo by Debbie DeVoe/CRS

Tom Purekal moved to Juba in July 2009 to serve as CRS’ program manager for peacebuilding and governance in southern Sudan. Here is his first report from the field.

I chose a critical time to work in southern Sudan. So much of what happens over the next two years will set the tone for the country’s future, which is especially relevant for my work in peacebuilding and governance.

After finishing an intense two years with CRS in India, I was looking for a challenging project that would bring me to Africa for the first time in my career. In terms of need, Sudan doesn’t disappoint.

Due to a long civil war between the north and south, almost no investments were made in southern Sudan for more than two decades—and little was invested previously. The vast region has just a few paved roads, all in the capital of Juba. The crater-ridden dirt roads throughout the rest of the region are by far the worst I’ve ever seen. Health conditions are also poor, with Sudan ranking among the world’s worst in terms of infant mortality rates and overall life expectancy rates.

This doesn’t have to be the case though. The region’s climate allows for three crops to be harvested each year, providing people with a huge opportunity for growing food if they had sufficient access to tools, short-term financing and knowledge of improved agriculture practices. Lack of rainfall this year, however, has resulted in severe food shortages across southern Sudan, particularly in Eastern Equatoria state and conflict-affected areas of Jonglei and Upper Nile states. In addition, more than one thousand people have died this year from inter-community violence fueled by idleness, cultural differences and long-standing vendettas over land, cattle rustling and child abductions.

That said, I feel hopeful about the work CRS is doing. Our water team constructed over 90 bore wells in the past two years. Food distributions are being extended to approximately 30,000 beneficiaries to help them emerge from what we hope will be a temporary food crisis. Additional food is being provided through food-for-work projects that are constructing schools, roads and health centers—and supplementary feedings are helping malnourished children and pregnant and lactating mothers. CRS is also constructing new health centers and working with other actors to bring essential primary health services to communities stricken with malaria, acute diarrhea, poor nutrition and a lack of prenatal care.

As might be expected, I find CRS’ peace work to be most compelling and a place where we can make a distinct difference. Just recently, CRS finished a series of trainings for 34 additional civil society, government and Church representatives to help them promote peace in their communities. In conditions where many citizens are resorting to violence under extreme pressures, we look to these peace promoters to help bring unity to their conflict-torn villages. We are also encouraging peace dialogues and other projects for clashing communities to use to reduce tension. CRS’ standing as a major peace player, coupled with our development projects that address basic needs, enable our peace projects to have significant impact.

This work is especially critical in light of two major milestones that will determine the future direction of Sudan. The first is elections scheduled for 2010, which will be the first time many southern Sudanese adults will vote in their lifetimes. General awareness of the elections is high, but knowledge of requisite voter registration in November remains low. CRS is addressing this through a governance project. The second milestone is the 2011 referendum, when residents of southern Sudan will vote to remain a single country with the north or become a separate country.

Given these upcoming milestones and our pending initiatives, I hope to call southern Sudan home for at least the next two years. Needs are many. But now the country has an opportunity to think beyond mere survival and embrace the promises of development for the next generation. This will require continued hope, patience, hard work and more sacrifice to address the needs of southern Sudanese and enable the region to emerge from a generation of war into a brighter future.

“It’s like a person who [stays on edge] because he knows sickness may come,” explains Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Estevez with the Archdiocese of Miami.

Father Jean Jadotte, associate pastor of Notre Dame D’Haiti parish in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood, agrees. “We always pray that no other hurricane hits Haiti because they haven’t fully recovered from last year,” he says. “It’s like sleeping with one eye open.”

When disasters do strike, the Archdiocese of Miami among other dioceses in the U.S. are on the front lines helping Catholic Relief Services raise money or rush relief items. We witnessed many of these acts of solidarity last year with groups such as the Daughters of Charity in Miami and the Dioceses of Brooklyn, New York and Gary, Indiana.

But so far this year’s Caribbean storm season has been quiet, especially in Haiti–a relief to Miamians like Cuban-native Estevez.

“No bad news is good news,” he says. “It’s more like a quiet contentment.”

- Kai Hill, associate web producer