June 29, 2009

Hon. Lawrence Cannon

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada

125 Sussex Street

Ottawa, ON   K1A 0G2

Dear Minister Cannon:

I am writing to express the profound concern of Horizons of Friendship over the alarming news of yesterday’s military coup d’état in Honduras. According to media reports, heavily armed soldiers barged into the residence of President José Manuel Zelaya, taking him to a military base and subsequently forcing him to abandon the country. 

Horizons of Friendship is an international development organization founded in 1973 in Cobourg Ontario and is the only Canadian development organization with an exclusive focus on the region of Central America and Mexico. Our work, supported by CIDA since 1975,  grew out of the deep concern of a small group of Canadian citizens living in rural Ontario who had spent time in Honduras and, upon returning to Canada, began supporting community development initiatives in that country. In the past several months, we have led two educational tours of Canadians to Honduras.

During the past days, we have been in close contact with a number of our Honduran partners. All have expressed grave concern and indignation over the violent ouster of their country’s democratically elected President by the Armed Forces.  Partners in Tegucigalpa report a virtual state of siege in the capital including the presence of military tanks, power cuts and media censorship. Garifuna partners in Trujillo have informed us of a similar heavy military presence in their communities. In the town of Nacaome, where we support organizations engaged in rural development and the protection and promotion of women’s rights, one of our partners told us “we fear for the lives of several community leaders” who are engaged in actions of peaceful resistance to the coup d’état. 

 Horizons of Friendship shares the deep concerns of our partners over this attack against the country’s democracy.  We are also deeply concerned for the regional implications should the coup be allowed to prosper. Central Americans recall only too well the systematic violations of human rights that occurred under military rule during a period that they believed to be over.

We urge the Government of Canada to:

• Call for an immediate restoration of the country’s democracy including the return of the country’s democratically elected President;
• Press the de facto authorities of Honduras to respect the human rights of the country’s citizens.

 Be assured that we will be following the situation very closely and look forward to your response.

 Sincerely,

Patricia Rebolledo-Kloques

Executive Director, Horizons of Friendship

cc.          Hon. Peter Kent, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas)

Minister Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation

Mr. Rick Norlock, Member of Parliament, Northumberland-Quinte

Mr. Douglas Henderson, Program Manager, Community Governance and Human Rights Section, CIDA

Ms. Ute Gerbrandt, International Development Project Advisor, CIDA,

Americas Policy Group, CCIC  

The Women’s Study tour to Honduras focused on  bridging the gap between issues affecting indigenous women in the North and South, in order to initiate a discussion about the problems and solutions affecting their respective communities.

As reported by the Huairou Commission, this exchange was facilitated by  Horizons of Friendship in collaboration with its partners,  the Garifuna Emergency Committee of Honduras (CEGAH), the Huairou Commission (HC) and its member network GROOTS International/GROOTS Canada.

 The exchange was a peer learning forum where participants exchanged good practices, and discussed both their successes and challenges in securing participation in political processes. Moreover, it was an advocacy venue to strengthen the importance of women’s leadership, and address language and cultural preservation, land tenure, access to housing and basic services, climate change, HIV/AIDS, sexual and reproductive health and economic empowerment. Preparatory meetings were also held for the 8th Session of the UN Permanent Forum of Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) from May 18-29th 2009.

The Peer Exchange included indigenous  Mohawk, Ogibwe, Tlicho, and Métis women from Canada; Chortis, Pech, Garifuna from Honduras and Mayans from Guatemala who have experiences in organizing and leading communities to respond to community needs and to develop local initiatives to better their life conditions. Besides being an enriching ten-day Exchange demonstrating good practices among a total of 40 participants within the various meetings, the Indigenous women strategized to bring a strong voice at the UNPFII.

The overall planning developed by Horizons of Friendship and the local host CEGAH, for the Peer Exchange consisted of a series of round-table discussions and visits to many indigenous communities, including:

• Round-table discussion with Chorti Indigenous Women’s Association in Copan on struggle over traditional land rights and land tenure; cultural rights; access to basic services, access to justice
• Field Visit to the Ceremonial Center (commonly referred to as Copan Archaeological Park)
• Mayan-Chorti Spiritual Ceremony
• Round-table discussion with Pech Indigenous women at Moradel community on sustainable agriculture; advocacy on land tenure; ancestral rights and cultural rights
• Round-table discussion with the Garifuna Women for the Development of Mira Monte and Sta. Rosa de Aguan (community hardest Hurricane Mitch). This round-table discussion focused on building community resilience, sustainable agriculture and economic empowerment
• Round- table discussion with La Planada community on access to basic services and agriculture
• Round-table discussion with organization New Dawn, a self-help groups of people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS on responding to HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health
• Garifuna cultural and spiritual Ceremony

Aboriginal Canadian participants in the exchange were:

• Alex Luke,  Youth Outreach on Sexual Health from the Aboriginal Women Resource Center
• Faye Dewar, Social Worker and Community Organizer of the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women
• Jessica Yee, Founder and Director of Native Youth Sexual Health Network
• Patricia Lamouelle, Aboriginal Program Coordinator for the Centre for Northern Families
• Tiffany Bulmer, Youth Outreach Coordinator at the Centre for Northern Families

Top left to right: Faye Dewar,  Tiffany Bulmer, Patricia Rebolledo, Patricia Lamouelle and Andrea from Guatemala.

Bottom left to right: Josefina,  Ruth Serech, Jessica Yee and Maite  Rodriquez (Fundación Guatemala).

Sharing culture and ceremonial practices

Mayan-Chorti Spiritual Ceremony

Faye Dewar (left) and Jessica Yee (right) participate in the ceremony.

Jessica Yee participates in a Garifuna ceremony to honour the ancestors.

Garifuna Buye- spiritual guide

Sharing Knowledge

Sharing Ideas

Bringing one voice to the 8th Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

Faye Dewar speaks to Canada’s representative for Indian  and Northern Affairs at the forum.

Second from left, Jessica Yee, Alex Luke and Tiffany Bulmer

15 April, 2009

 A Civil Society Prescription for Canada at the 5th Americas Summit, Trinidad, 17-19 April, 2009

 The 5th Americas Summit represents an important crossroads for Canadian policy in this hemisphere. That’s the message in a statement from the Americas Policy Group (APG) of the Canadian Council for International Cooperation, released today.

 The APG comprises some 40 organizations, including human rights groups, churches, labour unions, development organizations and research institutions with decades of experience in the region.

 ”The Summit provides Canada an opportunity to signal a shift towards a clear priority for human rights and broad-based development over the rights of private investors in the Americas,” says Rusa Jeremic, Co-Chair of the APG and Global Economic Justice Program Coordinator for KAIROS.

 The APG statement reviews changes underway in the hemisphere and finds Canada’s policies risk placing this country on the wrong side of a crucial divide – between policies that reinforce inequalities and promote a military approach to security issues, on the one hand, and policies that support economic justice, fair trade, democratic development and corporate accountability, on the other.

 Canada’s promotion of NAFTA-style trade agreements and Canadian investment, on the pretence that human rights and democracy will “trickle down” as a consequence, is giving the country a bad name in the region.

 The APG statement presents recommendations for Canada’s policies in four key areas: Trade and Investment; Canadian Extractive Industries; Security; Democracy and Human Rights.

 ”The people of the Americas expect better of us,” says William Payne, APG Coordinator. “We can’t afford to let them down.”

Click here for the APG Statement and a contact list of Civil Society Representatives attending the Summit or available to comment on the paper and Summit proceedings.

For more information, please contact Northumberland County residents:

Bill Fairbairn – Latin America specialist

Horizons of Friendship

Tel:   905-372-5483   x21           

bilito@horizons.ca

Rick Arnold – Hemispheric integration specialist

Common Frontiers

Tel (Canada):   905-352-2430  

Tel (Trinidad and Tobago): TDC

comfront@web.ca

Peter Puxley

Media Relations – Canadian Council for International Co-operation
 613-241-7007  Ext. 327
ppuxley@ccic.ca,  www.ccic.ca

Click on the link below to see a a video taken by our partner Hector Endara from Ngobe Cultural Action (ACUN), Panama.  The video is of a workshop that took place in El Salvador in February, and was attended by Horizon’s staff Patricia Rebolledo and Bill Fairbairn.    Gracias Hector!   Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3AXtVySkmw

Kingston’s 13^th Annual Writers & Friends

Please join us on April 5^th at “Writes of Spring” for Horizons of Friendship. Come to Kingston City Hall at 1:00 PM (Memorial Hall) and celebrate Spring with some of Canada’s most engaging authors: 

Gil Adamson, author of acclaimed poetry collections Primitive and Ashland and short stories Help Me, Jacques Cousteau. Her novel The Outlander won the Amazon.ca /Books in Canada First Novel Award.  Hailed as a “linguistic romance, exhilarating in its breadth and exuberance, reminiscent of Guy Vanderhaeghe” (Boston Globe), The Outlander is a finalist in CBC’s 2009 Canada Reads competition.   

Adrienne Clarkson, Companion of the Order of Canada, and our country’s twenty-sixth Governor General. Madame Clarkson is founder of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship. She is the author of the bestseller Heart Matter. Her new book, the biography, Norman Bethune tells the fascinating story of the charismatic Canadian surgeon, medical innovator and political activist who remains a hero to so many in Spain, China and here in Canada. 

Dan Hill, one of Canada’s most respected and successful singer-songwriters, an internationally acclaimed music producer and a Grammy award winning artist. His new book, I Am My Father’s Son: A Memoir of Love and Forgiveness, chronicles his journey as he tries both to succeed in music and to win the respect of his father, a stalwart in the civil rights struggle.

Paul Quarrington, an award winning novelist, musician, screen and television writer and filmmaker. He won the Governor General’s Award for his novel Whale Music and the Stephen Leacock Award and CBC Canada Reads for King Leary. His tenth novel The Ravine was a Scotiabank Giller Prize nominee in 2008.

Kingston writer Larry Scanlan will once again host Writers & Friends.

Since 1995, the participation of more than 54 authors and hundreds of loyal supporters put Writers & Friends on Canada’s “arts” map. Together we’ve made important financial contributions to Horizons’ projects, combating poverty and inequality in Central America and Mexico.

Writers & Friends raises over $ 25,000 matched up to three to one by CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency). Horizons’ 2009 projects provide a viable alternative to marginalized communities throughout the region struggling to improve their living conditions and access health, education and sustainable development.  Horizons also supports regional projects which address the growing problem of HIV/AIDS, violence against women and migration.  With your support, Horizons of Friendship can continue to make a difference.

We promise a memorable afternoon of readings, and live music. We feature culinary delights from some of Kingston’s finest chefs, book sales by Novel Idea, book signings by the authors and our fabulous Silent Auction. Special offerings include original art by Dan Hughes and Tony Urquhart, a week’s stay at an 18th century farmhouse in the South of France, a guided art/ architectural tour of Toronto’s gallery district, theatre, music and sports tickets, fabulous wines, and unique Central American gifts. Tickets are $110;  an income tax receipt will be provided for an estimated $90.

Who says 13 is unlucky? Special opportunities await Writers& Friends Early Bird subscribers this year!  Purchase your ticket by March 14 either by ticket mail-order, or by credit card calling Horizons at   1-888-729-9928  , and you will be part of our Early Bird draw for a special appreciation package worth over $ 300, including books, wine, and advance info on Auction highlights. And, you’ll help Horizons reduce advertising costs. From March 15^th, tickets will also be available at Novel Idea, Tara Foods and Chez Piggy.  For more information, call 613 546- 9199 or contact a committee member.  We look forward to seeing you!

Voices on the Border, a sister non-governmental organization (NGO) in the United States has posted a blog on their website with El Salvadoran 2009 election updates.  Click the link below to access ‘Voices Blog’, and to learn more about the electoral process taking place in El Salvador.

http://voiceselsalvador.wordpress.com/

Voices on the Border (Voices) is a non-profit, grassroots network of individuals and organizations promoting just and equitable development in the departments of Usulután and Morazán in El Salvador.  You can access more information about their work by clicking the following link:

http://www.votb.org/

Killer’s Paradise (by Giselle Portenier) - a film and panel discussion on violence against women in Central America with special guest panelists:

Rona Donefer – Horizons of Friendship

Karen Dubinsky – Queen’s University Dept.of History

Catherine Fraser – Queen’s University Dept. of Geography

Friday, Feb.6  6 pm

Policy Studies Bldg. Room 202, Queen’s University

Admission by donation

Presented by the Kingston Central America Solidarity Committee as part of International Development Week at Queen’s

Proceeds to fund a Horizons of Friendship project to help end violence against women in Central America

Since 1999 more than two thousand women have been murdered in Guatemala, with the numbers escalating every year. Yet lawmakers and government officials continue to turn a blind eye. Powerful and uncompromising, Killer’s Paradise, by the acclaimed Swiss-born Canadian film-maker Giselle Portenier, uncovers one of the most emotionally-wrenching hidden human rights abuses taking place, while exposing the impunity allowed by an inept judicial system. 

When 13-year-old Stephanie Lopez was found killed, any evidence was buried with the body. In the three months since Jorge Velasquez’s daughter was murdered, the case file has shuffled from desk to desk with no real progress. After five years of hunting down her sister’s killers, Maria Elena Peralta is no closer to the truth. No one knows who is behind these atrocious acts and nothing is being done to find the culprits. Cases are routinely closed and the murdered women dismissed as nobodies.  

  
But there are traces of hope: a grassroots human rights movement is emerging from the country’s tainted past. Fuelled by frustration, anger, great sadness and loss, women and men are coming together for a common fight in the name of their daughters, wives and sisters. Human rights activist Norma Cruz travels across Guatemala to educate women on their rights and how to protect themselves and others against violence. Jorge finally obtains DNA testing for two suspects in his daughter’s death. Maria Elena travels to Washington, D.C. to garner support for her long-standing fight.
With stunning realism, Killer’s Paradise documents these heartbreaking stories. Victims’ friends and family, police officers and investigators, rapists and gang members – even a serial killer who still roams freely – offer gripping testimonies to the stark reality in Guatemala. Meticulously crafted and beautifully shot, Killer’s Paradise is a bold film that captures the raw emotions of all those affected and the harsh reality of a struggling nation.

 For more information please call   613 353-6650   or   613 549-0727   and go to the following websites:

www3.nfb.ca/webextension/killersparadise

www.queensu.ca/snid/idw.htm

Horizons celebrates 35 Years of Combating Poverty in Mesoamerica

 Horizons of Friendship proudly celebrates 35 years of working with grassroots organizations to combat poverty and injustice in Central America and Mexico.

 With the generous support of thousands of concerned Canadians, Horizons of Friendship has stood by its Mesoamerican neighbours through tumultuous times of political upheavals, repression, natural disasters and crippling poverty.

 Since its inception Horizons of Friendship has made a significant impact in improving the lives of the poor in communities throughout Mesoamerica and raised awareness on social justice issues in Canada. Horizons has provided support to over 100 grassroots organizations that implemented a grand total of 1120 projects. These projects have been initiated by local communities and address priority concerns such as livelihoods, health, education, environmental conservation, the rights of Indigenous people and gender equity. Since 1973 Horizons has raised close to $73 million from individuals, foundations, unions and community groups from across Canada as well as from our own signature cultural events and Thrift Shop. Since 1991 Horizons also receives matching grants from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

Our partners tell us that this vital support has helped strengthen grassroots organizations to advocate on behalf of the poor and to lead effective, community-focused development initiatives.  Horizons’ partners have brought the needs of small-scale farmers, Indigenous and Afro-descendant Peoples, women and youth to the forefront, and are pressing for improved public policy.

 Self-help projects managed by community members have helped marginalized people fulfill their basic rights of access to nutritious food, clean water, quality education, health services, more equitable gender relations and democratic citizen participation.

The next five years-Maintaining our Commitment to Mesoamerican Neighbours

 Over half of Central America’s 41.5 million inhabitants live in abject poverty due largely to unequal distribution of resources and power. Horizons of Friendship remains committed to working alongside grassroots organizations to eliminate the root causes of poverty and injustice in the region. 

Over the next five years Horizons’ will provide support to our partner through projects in:

• Alternative Socio-Economic and Rural Development;
• Human Rights and Citizen Participation;
• Health, Education and Community Action.

Furthermore, Horizons will support the following priority thematic areas for regional learning initiatives:

• Food Security and Alternative Rural Development;
• Femicide and Violence against Women;
• Migration;
• Rights of Indigenous and Afro-Descendent Peoples;
• HIV/AIDS;
• Intercultural and Bilingual Education;
• Ancestral Medicinal Systems and Citizen Participation in Health Care.

Horizons of Friendship is pleased to announce its sixth annual Founders Award (formally known as the David Stewart Medal and changed to honour Horizon’s three founding members).

The purpose of the award is to recognize those individuals in Canada who demonstrate a commitment to volunteerism and leadership in addressing social inequality and injustice. The award has been given out since 2004 to commemorate the three founders of Horizons of Friendship (the late David Stewart, Christine Stewart and Father Tim Coughlan) who created the organization on the spirit of volunteerism over 30 years ago.

Horizons of Friendship invites the general public to nominate a person who they feel meets the award criteria and whose volunteer accomplishments and leadership deserve to be celebrated. We encourage people from across Canada to nominate those outstanding diverse citizens for the Founders Award who, no matter their age or background, are setting a positive example for others by bringing about meaningful contributions through their volunteer activities.

The winner will receive a one-of-a-kind Founders Award commemorative bronze medal, specially crafted by renowned Northumberland artist Frances Gage, and a certificate of recognition. The recipient will also be recognized at a ceremony during the Horizons of Friendship Annual General Meeting. In addition, a financial donation will be made to a development project in Central America or Mexico chosen from the active group of Horizons of Friendship southern partners.

Nomination forms can be picked up at Horizons of Friendship, located in Cobourg at 50 Covert Street (Second Floor) or can be printed off and mailed directly to the office.

founders-award-form

Horizons of Friendship

P.O. Box 402, Cobourg, Ontario K9A 4L1

 This year’s nomination deadline is Friday May 8^th.

Past winners of the award include: Jim McCallum (2007); a Peterborough (Ontario) resident and founder of Friends of Honduran Children (an organization that provides education and scholarships to children and helps single mothers with housing, healthcare and employment opportunities), Raul Gatica (2006); a Mexican political refugee living in Vancouver who is a champion for Indigenous rights, Kathy Anderson (2005); a human rights activist from Nova Scotia and co-founder of Breaking the Silence Network (a group committed to solidarity work and dedicated to promoting human rights advocacy between peoples in Canada and Guatemala), and Sheila Turnbull (2004); a long-time volunteer of Bridge Street Church in Belleville, Ontario who was instrumental in establishing a volunteer food cooperative to help low-income families.

                            -30-

For more information, please contact:

Rachael Currie

Community Outreach Coordinator

Horizons of Friendship

  (905) 372-5483   ext. 24

rcurrie@horizons.ca