Citibank To Take Over "Perú's Chernobyl"

Resource:  World War 4 Report

Mon, 10/15/2012 - Creditors of the troubled Doe Run Peru company voted to sell the controversial metal smelting complex at La Oroya, Junín region, to Citibank, Peru's Energy and Mines Ministry (MEM) announced Oct. 11. The New York financial giant will have responsibility for reorganizing the smelter's debts and environmental management plan, as well as those of another scandal-ridden project that will be transferred, the Cobriza gold and copper mine in neighboring Huancavelica region. After three years of being idled by government order over pollution concerns, the decrepit Oroya smelter, which has been dubbed "Peru's Chernobyl," resumed limited operations in July. The local dispute over the issue bitterly divided the local community, pitting campesinos who oppose the smelter against residents employed by Doe Run, who were laid off when the plant was ordered shut. 

Last year, Doe Run Peru was cited by MEM for resuming construction of a tailings containment area at Cobriza without approval. The mine is still officially halted pending an environmental impact review.

Rural Women In Perú Cope "Where Life Is Very Sad"

Resource:  Inter Press Service News Agency

LIMA - When the crops in her rural highlands community in southern Peru were covered with a thick layer of ice one night, Felícitas Quispe, 43, organised her neighbours to make an effort to keep people from starving to death.

It’s been two years since the 2010 freeze left her and dozens of families without corn, potatoes or beans to cover their needs, and without pasture to graze their animals in the rural town of Chare, more than 3,500 metres above sea level in the Andean department of Cuzco.

“There was no food, so the women went with the leaders of the community to the civil defence institute and the agriculture ministry. We got new seeds that are still producing our food today, and we continue to burn manure to produce smoke to protect the crops from freezing,” she told IPS.

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Keeping Malnutrition At Bay

Resource:  UNICEF

By Rafahela García Lapouble

LIMA, Peru, 9 January 2012 – In the Andean community of Rosaspata, in Vinchos District, a community health promoter has invited children, their parents and a health centre representative to the local community hall for the area’s biweekly nutrition surveillance programme.

Villagers here are eager to talk about the UNICEF- supported programme, which has helped reduce cases of malnutrition and anaemia among Rosaspata’s youngest children.

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Has The Bible Been Corrupted?

Resource:  Got Questions

Question:  "Has the Bible been corrupted, altered, edited, revised, or tampered with?"

Answer:  The books of the Old Testament were written from approximately 1400 B.C. to 400 B.C. The books of the New Testament were written from approximately A.D. 40 to A.D. 90. So, anywhere between 3400 to 1900 years have passed since a book of the Bible was written. In this time, the original manuscripts have been lost. They very likely no longer exist. Also during this time, the books of the Bible have been copied again and again. Copies of copies of copies have been made. In view of this, can we still trust the Bible?

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First Presbyterian Of Benton Harbor, Maine

Resource:  Mission Crossroads

Mission trip opportunity:  The ministry and heart of this church is meaningful, appropriate and creative.

If Its More Convenient...

Everyone also has an invitation from Rev. John Odom of Starmount Presbyterian Church in Greensboro to hear Hunter Farrell.  Hunter will be speaking at their location on Saturday, October 12, 10-11 AM for those who can’t make the Saturday evening or Sunday morning events at Alamance Church.

View Perú Mission Network in a larger map

Hunter Farrell To Visit Alamance Presbyterian Church

Dear Friends,

Hunter Farrell will be visiting Alamance Presbyterian Church next weekend. He will be speaking about the mission endeavors of our denomination (Presbyterian Church U.S.A.) and promoting the support of our mission co-workers who are changing lives around the world alongside of our mission partners. Events start on Saturday night (October 13th at 6:00 PM) at our new outdoor Pavilion where we will share some music, hear from Hunter, and where we will be raising funds for mission work in the Dominican Republic. We will have gumbo prepared by our master chef Charles Davis. ($15/adult) We would love for you to invite others to join us. Also, join us on Sunday morning (14th) at 8:45 AM for a mission breakfast and conversation followed by 10:00 AM worship that will be sure to transform the way you look at mission work. Worship will be followed by a lunch-meeting of church leaders and mission investors. Please send me an email if you plan to attend the lunch. (jacoballengoad@gmail.com)

On a personal note, I worked with Hunter in Perú as a part of an environmental advocacy campaign in La Oroya, Perú. The campaign resulted in epidemiological studies being conducted by the Saint Louis University and international media attention being brought to a human rights issue (lead poisoning of children) and ultimately the closing of a toxic smelter. Hunter, along with his Peruvian partners, was the driving force that shaped this ecumenical campaign that reached people throughout the world as an example of the church being a real presence on issues of injustice. Above all, Hunter is a humble leader. He will tell you, it was all about our Peruvian partners, and not about him. While that is certainly true, because our Peruvian partners were the primary stakeholders, Hunter was a driving force to help organize and energize people to fight for justice. He is a doctor in anthropology and an ordained minister, and he and his wife Ruth are parents to three lovely children who were adopted in Perú, Congo, and the United States. Hunter is fluent in 4 languages including French, English, Spanish, and Chaluba and he and his family have lived much more time abroad over the past thirty years than they have lived in the United States.

This won't be a mundane weekend. I posit that it will be a transformative weekend for all of us. Come join us, and get to know one of my favorite people in this world. It is also an excellent opportunity for those who are not a member of any faith community to come out and join us. Hunter is very approachable and speaks with respect and gentleness to people of all faiths.

Hunter's visit marks an important milestone for our church, as we celebrate our church's anniversary.

Alamance Presbyterian Church's Relay that will also will give some other activities that our church has going on in the month of October.  Map Link

Peace,
Jacob Goad

Clean Water For Rural African Schools

Resource:  Engineering News

Local nonprofit water solu-tions company Round- about Water Solutions (RWS) continues to request assistance with funding to bring clean drinking water to rural primary schools in Africa through the installation of the PlayPump water pumping system.

The first PlayPump systems were installed in 1996 and RWS notes that there are now over 1 800 PlayPumps installed in South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique, Malawi, Swaziland and Zambia.

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Bethesda Presbyterian Church Supports The Backpack Project

Resource: Umbrella Initiatives

Bethesda Presbyterian Church has kindly decided to support the Backpack Project.

The Project is focused on providing academic reinforcement to children living in poverty prior to the start of their academic year and then providing backpacks and supplies to all the students who participate.

The Project has just completed a Pilot Phase in which over 150 students received backpacks in both Piura and Lima. The support of churches, local public schools, and dedicated volunteers made this project a success.

We are very thankful for the support of the church and look forward to working with BPC in this project and ensuring that interactions flow in both directions.

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Computer Software In Quechua Aims To Help Peruvian Students

Resource: Peru This Week
By Nick Rosen

Thousands of students in Peru will benefit from a program in which some of the world’s most popular computer software has been translated into, and taught in, the Quechua language.

Through Partners in Learning, the educational assistance program funded by Microsoft, the Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office suite were translated into Quechua. The program has also provided instruction for some 60,000 teachers throughout twelve regions of the country.

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United Nations Seeks $38 Million To Respond To Lesotho’s Food Crisis

Resource: United Nations News Centre

28 September 2012 – The United Nations today appealed for $38.5 million to help 725,000 people – a third of the population – in the small African country of Lesotho who are affected by a food crisis.

The number of people facing food insecurity in southern African countries has increased dramatically, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Currently over 8 million people in nine countries in the region are vulnerable to food insecurity.

Lesotho has experienced a more than 70 per cent drop in domestic agricultural production, owing to a series of flooding, late rains and early frost, the Office stated. This year’s crop failures follow poor harvests last year, which has increased the vulnerability of many of the country’s poorest farmers.

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One Third Of Lesotho Faces Food Crisis

Resosurce: Agence France-Presse

GENEVA — More than 725,000 people face a food crisis in the tiny southern African nation of Lesotho after successive disastrous harvests cut production by 70 percent, the World Food Programme said Friday.

"Lesotho is facing the devastating effects of two successive crop failures due to drought and late rainfall," WFP spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs told reporters in Geneva.

More than one third of the country's nearly two million people were at risk because of the poor harvests, Byrs said, describing the crop deficit as a "catastrophe for this little country".

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Peruvian Doctors Protest For Higher Salaries

Resource: Fox New Latino

Dozens of female doctors with Peru's social security system, known as Essalud, chained themselves to the entrance of the Labor Ministry in this capital as part of a strike headed by their union for the past 28 days to demand higher pay and better working conditions.

The physicians told reporters that they came to the ministry to protest against Labor Minister Jose Villena, whom they accused of making statements against them.

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Pro Mujer Co-Founder Honored

Resource: Pro Mujer Blog

Pro Mujer Co-Founder Carmen Velasco Selected as a 2012 World of Difference Award Recipient by the International Alliance for Women

By Ariel Slaton, Communications and Development Associate

Every year, The International Alliance for Women (TIAW) World of Difference 100 Awards recognizes extraordinary women and men from around the world – leaders of communities, organizations, corporations, regions or countries – who have taken action to support the economic empowerment of women.

We are pleased to announce that this year, Pro Mujer Co-Founder Carmen Velasco was selected as a 2012 TIAW World of Difference 100 Award recipient. Carmen was one of 22 selected in the Non-Profit/NGO category.

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