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Newsletter No.12
March 2004 |
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Steve,
Jude & Amy-Ruth in Honduras
What a great few months we had
back in the UK. As well as Amy-Ruth’s birth on 4 October, other highlights
include: holidays in Dumfriesshire and Cornwall, Clan Gathering in St Andrew’s,
three weddings, Amy’s dedication service at St Mungo’s and great times with
family & friends in Shropshire, Yorkshire, Balerno and the Lake District. It
was wonderful to see so many of you – sorry to those we didn’t manage to catch
up with.
There were some hard times too,
especially when Steve’s Dad suffered a mild stroke and then his Mum was
diagnosed with cancer after a long operation. However, both are now much better
and his Mum has recently been given the all clear which is a tremendous relief.
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Saying goodbye was really
difficult this time round but at the same time it’s good to be back. Amy
was great on all the journeys, sleeping much of the way, and has been
welcomed with open arms (literally!) into the community of Belén. She has
adapted well to the warmer climate and is generally a very happy wee soul.
She’s amazing - we are basically overwhelmed by her! |
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Work wise…
Unfortunately, once again there
are few funds for MOPAWI’s work in the Biosphere Reserve so far this year
although their work in the rest of La Mosquitia is flourishing. Consequently,
our first task in 2004 was to go to Tegucigalpa, the capital, to work with some
of the staff in the main MOPAWI office on some funding proposals. If
successful, things should pick up again in April/May with projects in
sustainable forest management, agroforestry, watershed management, community
banking and the strengthening of local organizations to campaign for indigenous
land rights. In the meantime, we are to have a more roving role, advising on
other aspects of MOPAWI’s work, not just the programmes and projects of the
reserve.
(Just to clarify, our salary is
paid by Tearfund so is unaffected by MOPAWI’s shortage of funds for the
reserve).
What do we
do?
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Our role is to work with
MOPAWI staff to strengthen the capacity of the organization to support
community groups and projects in a more effective way through: |
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·
supporting
and encouraging an integrated approach to work, addressing the needs of the
whole person, physical and spiritual;
·
workshops and
training of MOPAWI staff and local community leaders in topics such as
project design and planning, proposal writing, monitoring and evaluation;
·
stimulation
of discussion and analysis of activities;
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documentation
and systemization of experiences (many experiences are never written down
meaning that valuable information is often lost);
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provision of
technical information;
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identification of research needs in the reserve;
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networking
with other organisations working in the area;
·
enhancement
of communications within MOPAWI. |
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Deforestation Update
In our June 2003 newsletter we mentioned
that MOPAWI were undertaking a series of aerial surveys in the reserve.
From the air it is possible to get a feel for the horrific rate with which
livestock farmers from other parts of Honduras are advancing into the
reserve, felling the forest as they go. Although this deforestation is
totally illegal, the under-funded government forestry service has done
little to halt these unsustainable land use changes and the indigenous
people of the reserve are being pushed out of the areas they have
traditionally used, and depended on, for centuries. |
Almost all the rainforest has been felled in this valley during the last 5
– 10 years |
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After years of campaigning by MOPAWI and indigenous leaders, the forestry
service has now begun to take some measures against farmers involved in
deforestation but it remains to be seen how effective and even-handed their
attempts to apply the law will be. MOPAWI’s work strengthening local
organizations’ understanding of Honduras’ complicated environmental laws,
and training them how to campaign effectively for their rights, would seem
to be more pertinent than ever before. |
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Thank you
A big thank you for all the cards and
pressies that you showered upon us when Amy-Ruth was born. We tried to write to
thank you all before we left the UK but please forgive us if we missed anyone
out. We really appreciate your kindness. Thank you too to those of you who
were so generous with your time and homes during our stay. Thanks to your
cooking, everyone here is enjoying telling us that we have come back fat!
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Adios for
now
By the time you read this, Jude’s Mum and
Dad will be with us in Belén which is very exciting. We are also expecting
various other visitors later in the year including the Bishop of Liverpool,
accompanied by Tearfund staff, a group of Tearfund supporters from England,
a family of 6 and a family of 2! Amy-Ruth already has a lot of pulling
power!
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…be content with what
you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I
forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not
be afraid…” Hebrews 13: 5-6 |
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