Tea plantation workers participate in a workshop about their legal rights, which was organized by the Human Life Research and Development Centre (HLDRC), a Canadian Jesuits International partner. Photo: HLDRC
On the International Day of Charity, September 5, Canadian Jesuits International (CJI) reaffirms its preferential option for the poor and marginalized who struggle for social justice, peace and dignity in the world.
CJI-supported projects reflect the Gospel call to love and care for the least among us. They also align with the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which recognizes that ending poverty is essential to sustainable development.
CJI works with Jesuit partners in Africa, Asia, and Latin America whose projects and initiatives promote human rights, economic justice, equity and inclusion, social transformation, peace, sustainability, and the integrity of creation.
One such project, the Human Life Development and Research Center (HLDRC) of the Jesuit Province of Darjeeling, accompanies tea plantation workers in North Bengal, India, who are often deprived of their rights by plantations and government agencies.
The HLDRC conducts seminars and workshops to help workers understand their rights and how to access them and helps them organize self-help groups for alternative livelihoods.
The UN established the International Day of Charity with the goal of mobilizing not only NGOs, but everyone around the world to help others through volunteerism and philanthropy. The UN recognizes that charitable organizations like CJI and its partners, helps “alleviate the worst effects of humanitarian crises, supplement public services in health care, education, housing and child protection,” and promotes the human rights of society’s most vulnerable and underprivileged.
CJI is grateful to loyal and new supporters who, in the face of so much inequality and injustice in our world, choose to be agents of change. After all, as the Gospel states: “How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses to help?” (1 John 3:17)
To learn more about HLDRC and other projects, including how you can support them: https://www.canadianjesuitsinternational.ca/where-we-work/
