NEWSLETTERLinks: Profile JH partner network UMAVIDA (Joining Hands for Life) Profile JH Companionship Facilitator Chenoa Stock Chenoa's Mission Connection Letters Huffington Post Article by Rodrigo Vazquez |
A Partnership Comes of Age
by Don Shaw, JH Chair for the Presbytery of the Cascades
Seven energetic delegates from Cascades and San Francisco Presbyteries spent twelve days in late February and early March on a whirlwind tour through Bolivia. Highlights included visits to and presentations by six partners and two associates of UMAVIDA, the Bolivian Joining Hands partner network. The delegates also participated in the annual General Assembly of UMAVIDA.
From first day to the last they were accompanied by several members and collaborators of UMAVIDA including President Wilhelm Iturralde, Coordinator Clotilde Loza, Accountant Miguelina Paredes, Companionship Facilitator Chenoa Stock, and the PC(USA) Regional Liaison for the Andean Region Sarah Henken. Tacked on the end of the visit was a tour to Isla del Sol, under the guidance of Rafael Zegarra, an expert in the culture of the region and director of one of the network partners.
This, in itself, would have made for an outstanding experience. However, the most exciting part for the delegation was the maturation of the partnership.
Wilhelm Pierola - President of UMAVIDA and Clotilde (Cleo) Loza - Coordinator of the network confer during a break at the UMAVIDA General Assembly |
From the very beginning, the trip was planned together by both partnering presbyteries – a first-ever undertaking. Once they arrived in Bolivia, they were welcomed by their Bolivian partners with enthusiasm and openness. This laid the foundation for two and a half days of joint planning, following the model of Eunice Shankland that was used in the Chicago gathering of Presbytery Joining Hands network leaders this past fall.
Immediately following the UMAVIDA General Assembly, the North Americans and the South Americans together engaged in the timeline exercise that distilled learnings from the past. This set a tone that affirmed the worth of every participant.
Deep inside the Moreno B mine on Cerro Rico (Rich Hill) the delegation learns about life, death and beliefs of miners. |
Then followed miles of travel including a flight, two long bus rides, and numerous taxi rides and shared meals during which time relationships were built and trust established. This was especially facilitated by the abundance of competent translators, so that there was always someone present who could keep the conversations flowing.
In La Paz Instituto Superior Ecuménico Andino de Teología (ISEAT - Andean Superior Theological Ecumenical Institute) hosted planning sessions in the final days of the visit. This exercise resulted in mutually defined goals for both North and South. Here Rev. Don Shaw summarizes comments on the process. |
The hard work of joint strategizing, which took place toward the end of the visit, at first seemed to be overwhelming. However, because everyone participated as an equal, whether from the North or the South or the PC(USA) professional staff, there emerged a sense of camaraderie in the group that in turn produced a strong sense of ownership in the end result – a detailed plan of action. The subtle dynamics of different cultures and different levels of affluence were quickly subsumed by the shared task to which all, together, have been called.
The delegations from Cascades and San Francisco Presbyteries with their UMAVIDA hosts in Sucre, Bolivia's Constitutional Capital. Kneeling L-R: Jay Gregory, Cleo Loza and her son Amet, Miguelina Paredes, Victor Huacani Paco Standing L-R: Ali Kent, Jean Norris, Linda Shaw, Don Shaw, Brad Hestir, Shirley Stageberg, Chenoa Stock, Wilhelm Pierola, Sarah Hanken |
After more than ten years of an on-again/off-again struggle to form strong and lasting bonds, the partnership has matured through the great successes and the very difficult challenges of the past into an open, honest taskforce with a clear sense of mission backed by a deep fondness for one another. By the end of the event, the prevailing sentiment seemed to be “best delegation visit ever.”
Sharing Our Vision of Justice For All
by Chenoa Stock, JH Companionship Facilitator
*Para leer los articulos de la auditoria ambiental y CEPA en español hhace click aqui
The delegation visit was indeed a time of sharing and planning, as well as developing our joint North-South campaign focus. Some of this campaign planning time was spent with CEPA (Center for Ecology and Andean People) in Oruro, a Bolivian mining town about 320km south of the capital, La Paz. UMAVIDA has been working with CEPA since 2008 on advocating for a government Environmental Audit for communities who have been affected by the contamination of the Kori Kollo mine. This mine was once owned by Newmont, the second largest producer of gold, based in Colorado, USA, but was sold to a Bolivian company, Inti Raymi, within the past few years.
As the communities around the Kori Kollo mine have cried out for accountability and environmental justice for their lands and water, UMAVIDA, CEPA, as well as our US Presbytery partners in San Francisco and Cascades (Oregon), have worked together over the years to promote and encourage this government audit.
|
by Evelin Bustos, CEPA Social-Environmental Justice Unit Coordinator
Our US Presbytery partners have researched and followed closely along the development of the Kori Kollo-Inti Raymi mining actions, its unspoken relationship to Newmont, and how they can be a part of the advocacy from the States. Within the past year, they helped put UMAVIDA and CEPA in touch with Dr. Fernando Serrano, Assistant Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health for St Louis University. Given his experience with the La Oroya campaign of Joining Hands Peru, we are in discussions with Dr. Serrano, asking that he carry out a human health audit for the communities, which is an area not covered by the official government audit. With this support, we are hoping this will give momentum to our ever-developing North-South joint campaign effort in Kori Kollo. As we await the official audit results to be revealed in April and think of how we can move forward with those results, we give thanks for the partnership that allows us to join hands between the north and south and share our vision of justice for all.
|
