On the International Day of Living Together in Peace, May 16, Canadian Jesuits International (CJI) renews its commitment to promoting a culture of peace and reconciliation through the projects it supports in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.The unrelenting wars and conflicts that continue to plague our world underscore the importance of initiatives that promote social justice, respect, hospitality, inclusion, and solidarity.In Mexico, CJI supports Conflict Resolution from the Tseltal Normative System, a project that focuses on peacebuilding from an Indigenous perspective. The Chiapas-based project, initiated by the AC Indigenous Rights Centre (CEDIAC), promotes conflict resolution mechanisms based on reconciliation and community integrity. It also supports Indigenous Peoples’ rights self-determination and governance, which are at the basis of reconciliation and peace.The Tseltal Normative System involves a mediation process that seeks reconciliation and forgiveness, and takes into account issues such as poverty, exclusion, and forced migration that Indigenous communities experience.CJI-supported projects that address issues of forced displacement of people also include a component that promotes hospitality and compassion. In Venezuela and South Sudan, for example, CJI supports the work of Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), whose programs address the growing xenophobia toward refugees and other forced migrants by members of host communities. JRS conducts education and advocacy campaigns on the rights of migrants and the importance of creating a culture of peace and hospitality.As the UN has stated when it declared May 16 the International Day of Living Together in Peace back in 2017, “living together in peace is all about accepting differences and having the ability to listen to, recognize, respect and appreciate others, as well as living in a peaceful and united way.”#internationaldayofpeace #peace #socialjustice #Indigenous #Mexico #Canada #Jesuits #pax #paz #chiapas

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide will reach an unprecedented 130 million this year. Latin America and the Caribbean accounted for one third of the 2.6 million new individual asylum applications globally in 2023, according to the UNHCR. It also hosts 22.1 million forcibly displaced people, 25% of whom are children. To better understand the situation, CJI interviewed Lizbeth Gramajo Bauer, coordinator of the Jesuit Migration Network (Red Jesuita con Migrantes or RJM) in Latin America and the Caribbean. Click link in bio to view/download our Spring and Summer 2024 newsletter and read the full Q and A.@rjm.hospitalidad#migration #latinamerica #rjmcana #jesuits #refugees

Check out CJI Executive Jenny Cafiso's editorial, Another World Is Possible, in our Spring and Summer newsletter: Click link in bio to view/download the issue.#socialjustice #jesuits #climatecrisis #ngo #malawi #India

Cyclone Freddy swept away several villages in Southern Malawi in 2023, leaving them covered in mud and rocks from mudslides. It was one of the deadliest tropical storms to have hit Malawi.Climate-induced displacement and migration have swiftly become major challenges in Malawi. This is largely due to repeated climate-related disasters and extreme weather events, such as cyclones and droughts, that the country has been experiencing in recent years.Learn more about how the Jesuit Centre for Ecology and Development in Malawi is responding to these challenges: Click link in bio to view/download our Spring & Summer 2024 newsletter.#climatechange #Jesuits #Malawi #ecology #cyclones #socialjustice

Help us raise $20,000. A long-time friend of CJI has pledged to match all donations until June 30, up to a total of $10,000.If you double your own donation, its impact, will be quadrupled!Our goal is to raise $20,000 in the next two months to support the work of our Jesuit partners who provide vital assistance to poor and marginalized people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.Together, we can make a real difference in the lives of many.Donate now: http://bit.ly/CJIDoubleImpact

CJI Executive Director Jenny Cafiso reflected on the historical and contemporary work of the Jesuits in Ethiopia during the vernissage of The Archive of the Jesuits in Canada’s exhibit, “Teachers, Philosophers, Scientists: Jesuits of Canada in Ethiopia,” Thursday, May 3, at Regis College in Toronto.Jenny said the Jesuit experience in Ethiopia underscores the importance of responding to local needs, building long-term relationships, and working with local communities. “I think this kind of historical reflection is helpful not only to see our roots, but also to see what lessons we draw from,” she said, noting that the Jesuits went to Addis Ababa at the invitation of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I. “ That's an important lesson for us to remember now, when we support projects, when we respond to initiatives, to always have our ears very close to the ground,” and respond to local needs, she said.She noted that the Ethiopian Jesuits and laypeople respond to current needs of people, including education healthcare, and support for refugees and internally displaced people.The French-Canadian Jesuits were in Ethiopia for 60 years, which showed their long-term commitment, said Jenny.Fr Gordon Rixon, SJ, President of Regis College, said the exhibit shows “the layers of relationships and richness not many people know about. This is just the beginning.”François Dansereau, Director of The Archive of the Jesuits in Canada, said the exhibit was built along research done about the Jesuit presence in Africa, by Fr Festo Mkenda, SJ, a Tanzanian Jesuit priest who recently published a book, A Splash of Diamond: The Jesuit Presence in Ethiopia from 1945 to the Present.Tessema, a member of the Ethiopian community in Toronto, expressed his gratitude for the exhibit and said, “this learning material must be shared with the next generation,” so they will learn more about the mutual relationship between Canada and Ethiopia.Learn more about the exhibit here: https://bit.ly/3Uob9vH#Jesuits #Canada #Ethiopia #Archives @jesuitsofcanada

Our Spring and Summer newsletter is out!Click link in bio and go to our website to view/download the issue.Here are some of the headlines: * 'Strangers in our country;' Climate-induced displacement and migration in Malawi * Another world is possible * Hospitality is a call to welcome migrants, refugees * NJSI, Fe y Alegria underscore right to education * 'There is joy in giving' * CJI survey says...