The PCUSA's 3-5 April fast will concentrate on the topic of Climate Change and Water with Peru as the country of focus.

In Peru, global warming is merely a starting point for injustice. As the snow capped mountains relentlessly release their melting waters to the desert lands below and eventually to the seas beyond, there is another injustice at work — the injustice of how that water is channeled.

Follow in the PCUSA's April 3-5 fast materials a collective account of the story of how water flows from one mountain area of Huancavelica to one lowland desert area of Ica — from the indigenous lands above occupied through centuries of care and tradition down to the corporate lands below who hope to generate economic growth for years to come.

Joining Hands welcomes new mission workers to Peru

It has been a while that Hunter and Ruth Farrell left Peru to serve in their new capacities as Director of World Mission and Coordinator of the Presbyterian Hunger Program, respectively. But finally, Joining Hands has again two new mission workers to join our partners in Peru in their various programs. A short introduction will help us all connect.

Gidding-Lovejoy JH team members meet with Free Trade Promoter

by Karen Wilson, Giddings-Lovejoy JH Trade Justice Task Force Chair

On January 15, 2008, the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy Joining Hands group, in conjunction with the Inter-Faith Committee on Latin America, met with Charles Shapiro, former U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela (2002 – 2004). Currently, Ambassador Shapiro is Senior Coordinator, Western Hemisphere FTA Task Force Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs and promoter of Free Trade Agreements with Peru, Columbia and Panama. On a very cold St. Louis evening, approximately 45 gathered to hear what the Ambassador would say.

Ambassador Shapiro began noting that the new U.S. administration would be facing challenges. Latin America is enthused about the new administration. They hate the Iraq war even more that the citizens of the U.S. and they hate our immigration policy. Throughout Latin America the people believe that the United States ignores them. When something big happens in the world, the U.S. consults with everybody except Latin American countries. They do not like being a marginal player in the world.

Ambassador Shapiro explained that the goal of the U.S. State Department is for Latin American countries to be successful, with a balance of power, respect for rights of minorities and to have growing economies. Poverty is a challenge. 190 million out of 500 million people live in poverty.

Other tough issues include racial minorities, women minorities, rural areas, education, medical care and narcotics. He stated that 2,700 weapons a day go south into Mexico and are used by street gangs involved in drug trafficking. He believes stopping U.S. demand for drugs would be a big help.

Ambassador Shapiro stated that Haiti is most at risk. Assistance to Haiti is reduced because of the current financial crisis. He criticized politicians saying that we need to eliminate our need for “foreign oil” rather than Middle Eastern oil, as much of our oil is supplied from Canada and Latin America. Another issue is the health of Fidel Castro and how the Obama administration will deal with Cuba under Raul Castro’s leadership.

Though I’m sure the Ambassador knew he was speaking to a group promoting “fair” trade, he was gracious enough to take questions. Of course, the questions mostly pertained to how the free trade agreements benefit corporations and the wealthy while ignoring the poor, mostly indigenous people. His response to these questions, of course supported free trade, stating that the agreements open the flow of foreign capital and make machinery, computers, electronics, etc. less expensive which is better for jobs in Latin America. When asked about debt relief for Latin American countries, Ambassador Shapiro replied that all debt to the U.S. has been canceled, though there remains considerable debt to the World Bank and the IMF. All in all, it was a very good opportunity for us to learn more about U.S./Latin American relations and for us to have an opportunity to express our opinions.

from the Giddings-Lovejoy Peru Joining Hands Partnership Team

Last summer, the Giddings-Lovejoy (St. Louis region) partnership learned about the our Peru Joining Hands partners’ (Uniendo Manos Contra La Pobreza ) broadening of priority areas. The network will continue to have a focus on the environmental issues related to the Doe Run smelting operation in La Oroya, where living conditions are very difficult. The heavy metals contamination of air, soil and water especially affect the children and pregnant women. But in addition to this long-standing effort, the network will also address trade justice and water justice.

As the U.S. partnership had been set up with three task forces, Environmental Justice, Economic Development and Human Rights, we needed to make a change in order to work more effectively with our Peruvian partners.

• The Environmental Justice Task Force will continue its efforts for those living in La Oroya and the Mantaro River Valley under the leadership of Ellie Stock.

• Water Justice is a new task force for us, with Sarah Mitchell as its chair. Just as water issues are becoming more and more critical around the globe, the same is true in Peru.

• The Trade Justice Task Force, with Karen Wilson as its chair, will be looking at free trade/fair trade issues as well as food sovereignty.

• With both the water and Trade Justice task forces being new, we are having committee members first learn as much as possible about the the issues in order to be able to be as effective as possible.

Our Economic Development Task Force had become so successful in establishing a fair trade corridor for Peruvian artisan items to be sold in the United States that this became too big a project to operate under the Presbytery. Now, Partners for Just Trade, a not-for-profit corporation that has grown out of these early efforts, handles the selling and marketing of the artisan products.

• And so, Carolyn Newcomb, who as Chair of the Economic Development Task Force has been instrumental in the creation of Partners for Just Trade, is now the overall Coordinator of the Joining Hands partnership.