Herminia Ajata (right), a member of the Aymara nation, and Fr Franz Berajano SJ,  a Bolivian priest, offer a ritual of gratitude to Mother Earth at the start of the first meeting of Indigenous women organized by the Jesuit Network of Solidarity and Indigenous Apostolate of Latin America. The gathering  received support from CJI. Photo: CPAL

The past year was another challenging one for many as the world continued to grapple with the devastating ripple effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the emergence of new wars and conflicts, and the intensifying climate crisis.

In the face of these and other challenges, Canadian Jesuits International (CJI) and its Jesuit partners remained steadfast in their commitment to love and serve poor and marginalized communities in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

From supporting the education of girls in communities where they are often excluded because of their gender, to teaching environmentally sound agriculture methods to rural farmers, CJI has supported projects that helped to advance UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and transform lives.

In Canada, CJI hosted in-person events and webinars to inform Canadians of the challenges faced by communities that our partners serve so that they can act in solidarity with them.

These contributions matter. Halfway to the 2030 deadline set by governments to achieve the SDG goals, a recent UN progress report shows that “we are leaving more than half the world behind.” Progress on more than half of the targets are “weak,” and 30% have either stalled or “gone into reverse,” including key targets on poverty, hunger, and climate. Individuals living in extreme poverty “increased for the first time in a generation by almost 90 million over previous predictions.” Progress regressed not only because of the pandemic, but a slowing down of efforts. “Unless we act now, the 2030 Agenda could become an epitaph for a world that might have been,” warns the report.

The generosity of CJI supporters has enabled us to support more than 30 projects totalling $1.97 million that address some of the SDGs. They provide access to education and health; address poverty, human rights violations, and climate change; promote good governance and political participation; and respond to forcible displacement and humanitarian crises.

We hope that this annual report, though by no means exhaustive, will leave you with indelible images of how your generosity and the dedication of our partners have made a positive impact on the lives of many.

We look forward to another meaningful and productive year, confident of our shared resolve to achieve justice and peace in our world, as Jesus did.