END POVERTY. PROMOTE JUSTICE. UPHOLD DIGNITY.

The Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development

1800 024 413 www.caritas.org.au

#140 | AUTUMN 2015

PROJECT COMPASSION 2015

“WE WERE BLESSED” ERIC AND MA

REFLECT, ACT AND PRAY THIS LENTEN SEASON

Thanks to you, in 2014 nearly $11 million was raised for Project Compassion which helps Caritas Australia partner with the world’s poorest communities.

In 2015, Project Compassion focuses on the right to food, with year-round access to nutritious, affordable and sustainable food.

There is enough food produced in the world, yet nearly one billion people worldwide go hungry every day. And, as Pope Francis noted in 2013, around one-third of all food produced in our planet goes to waste.

It is a crisis which is exacerbated by financial speculation on food, diversion of food sources to energy production, food wastage and difficulties of accessing markets. The right to food protects the right of all human beings to live in dignity; free from hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition.

With the generous support of communities across Australia, Caritas Australia is working with our worldwide partners to empower vulnerable people to secure sustainable food sources and develop income streams for life, such as access to markets to sell their produce.

Food for Life, the theme of this year’s Project Compassion campaign, aligns with the Caritas Internationalis global campaign, One Human Family; Food for All, which aims to end global hunger by 2025. This movement is focused on equality, dignity and justice for all – a world where every child, woman and man can have an equal share of the abundant world that God created.

By encouraging sustainable food production, where the needs of communities and their broader environment are considered, we’re ensuring a better future for communities around the world.

In 2015, as Project Compassion gets underway, again we are asking for your generous assistance. Thank you for raising awareness among your community, raising funds to support the world’s poor, and praying for a prosperous, sustainable future for all.

In solidarity,

Paul O’Callaghan, CEO

2 | CaritasNews

FROM THE CEO

FOR THE LATEST NEWS, EVENTS AND UPDATES HEAD TO:

twitter.com/CaritasAust

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www.caritas.org.au

1800 024 413 (toll free) 9am – 5pm AEST Monday – Friday

THANK YOUThe “globalisation of indifference” was at the heart of Pope Francis’ 2015 Lenten message in which he urged people to care about others. The Pontiff prayed that during Lent, each person receive “a heart which is firm and merciful, attentive and generous, a heart which is not closed, indifferent or prey to the globalisation of indifference”.

Thank you for supporting Caritas Australia and being part of our family.

In 2014, you helped raise over $650,000 through our Global Gifts appeal. These funds will go towards our partnership programs which assist the world’s most marginalised people to live healthy, fulfilling and peaceful lives.

In 2015, we are again asking you to support Project Compassion. For great resources and fundraising ideas, head to www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion

Cover: Eric and Ma live in Fiji. Twenty five years ago they participated in a Married Couples Course at the Caritas Australia supported Tutu Rural Training Centre. The course empowered the couple to grow a sustainable source of food for life. Photo: Andrew Garrick and Drew Morrison

All photos Caritas Australia unless otherwise stated.

Caritas Australia acknowledges the traditional owners of the land.

Caritas Australia is a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID).

Caritas Australia is fully accredited by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Please note: some of the programs featured in this issue of CaritasNews are funded by Caritas Australia and the Australian Government.

CONTENTS03 PROJECT COMPASSION: FOOD FOR LIFE

04 ERIC AND MA FROM FIJI, THE PACIFIC

06 MARIAMA FROM NIGER, WEST AFRICA

07 KAREN FROM WILCANNIA-FORBES, AUSTRALIA

08 SARITA FROM NEPAL, SOUTH ASIA

09 CRISTIAN FROM PERU, LATIN AMERICA

10 VINSEN FROM WEST TIMOR, INDONESIA

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REFLECT, ACT AND PRAY

Reflect, Act and Pray with the Project Compassion Lenten Calendar app available at www.caritas.org.au/lent-calendar

This year’s Project Compassion focuses on the theme ‘Food for Life’. As we know, food is essential to sustain life, yet many of the world’s poorest people do not have a reliable food source, or enough money to buy food every day.

Pope Francis recently said, “It is a well-known fact that current levels of food production are sufficient, yet millions of people are still suffering and dying of starvation. This is truly scandalous.”

We believe that no-one’s bowl should be empty, so every day we work with our partners around the world to empower vulnerable people so they can establish sustainable food sources and develop income streams for life.

WEEK ONE: FIJI, THE PACIFICThe Tutu Rural Training Centre, which was established by the Society of Mary on Taveuni in 1969, is one of Caritas Australia’s longest running partnerships and runs courses for people like Eric and Ma from the remote northern islands of Fiji to help build strong relationships, maintain healthy families and become successful farmers. Read Eric and Ma’s story on pages 4 and 5.

WEEK TWO: NIGER, WEST AFRICAMariama is raising her daughter in a country that has widespread poverty and inequity. If her little girl becomes malnourished, she receives life-saving food and care at a Nutrition Centre run by Caritas Australia’s partners in Niger, CAFOD (UK Caritas) and CADEV (Caritas Niger). Read Mariama’s story on page 6.

WEEK THREE: WILCANNIA-FORBES, AUSTRALIAKaren is a First Australian living in a remote rural community. Like many she can’t always afford or access healthy food. At the Centacare Wilcannia-Forbes Manage Your Income, Manage Your Life Program, supported by Caritas Australia, Karen gained the skills she needed to budget and choose healthy food for her family. Read Karen’s story on page 7.

WEEK FOUR: NEPAL, SOUTH ASIAIn 2007, Sarita was struggling to feed her family. In this same year, Caritas Nepal, supported by Caritas Australia, initiated the Kolkatla Fish Raising Group, a program that works for the common good of the wider community. Now Sarita has a thriving enterprise and a life-long source of food and income. Read Sarita’s story on page 8.

WEEK FIVE: PERU, LATIN AMERICAIn a remote Andean village, the Rural Development Program run by Caritas Australia partner, Caritas Huacho is helping farmers like Cristian grow and harvest a wide variety of high-value, sustainable fruit crops which will provide a secure income and food for life. Read Cristian’s story on page 9.

WEEK SIX: WEST TIMOR, INDONESIA Vinsen is a farmer living in West Timor, Indonesia. The Sustainable Agriculture Program, run by local partner Yayasan Mitra Tani Mandiri and supported by Caritas Australia, is teaching farmers like Vinsen how to terrace land and grow sustainable crops for life, even in a changing climate. Read Vinsen’s story on page 10.

Every year, Project Compassion features six stories – one for each week of Lent. These stories are about dignity, courage and change, and it’s through your support that we’re able to share them with you.

NEARLY $11 MILLION WAS RAISED FOR PROJECT COMPASSION IN 2014.

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Vinsen, a farmer living in West Timor, Indonesia, is learning how to terrace land and grow sustainable crops for life. Photo: Mie Cornoedus

PROJECT COMPASSION

ACT> Use #ProjectCompassion2015 to share your photos and messages at www.facebook.com/CaritasAU and www.twitter.com/CaritasAust

4 | CaritasNews

When Eric and Margaret (Ma) enrolled in a Married Couples Course at the Tutu Rural Training Centre in Fiji 25 years ago, they couldn’t anticipate how it would change the direction of their lives, and set them on a path of growth for life.

Eric and Ma radiate joy. Their smiles are infectious, their unbreakable bond is plain to see. There’s no mistaking it: this happy, healthy couple are in love – after over 30 years of marriage.

Their homeland of Fiji is spectacularly beautiful, but it is not trouble-free. Comprised of more than 300 islands, Fiji has many isolated rural communities, and throughout the country youth unemployment is high, nutritious foods are in short supply, and life expectancy is much lower than in Australia. Yet Eric, 53, and Ma, 51, are thriving.

The couple grow and sell a wide range of foods including cabbage, lettuce, okra, tomatoes and cucumbers. Photos: Andrew Garrick and Drew Morrison

MARRIED COUPLES COURSE

Eric and Ma agree that the Married Couples Course they took at the Tutu Rural Training Centre changed the direction of their lives. The centre, which runs courses for people living on the remote northern islands of Fiji, empowered the couple to participate fully in making decisions about their future, so they could find personal fulfilment and grow a sustainable source of food for life.

“The program at Tutu has truly enriched us and opened a new pathway for us where we have been able to prosper safely in life,” says Eric.

Supported by Caritas Australia, Tutu has given Eric and Ma agricultural and personal training that’s enabled them to achieve things they could only have dreamt about. Together, over 25 years, they’ve built a house, established a sustainable, productive farm, and proudly raised and tertiary-educated six healthy children.

“Before that course, we used to have plans, but different plans, different ideas and we had different ways,” says Eric. “But once we’d followed this six month course in Tutu, we came to realise that we two are one. So we are always saying one plus one is one!’

ERIC AND MA’S STORY:

GROWING FOOD FOR LIFE

“I THINK WE WERE BLESSED TO BE PART OF THE PROGRAM IN TUTU. TUTU OPENED A NEW DOOR FOR US. WITHOUT TUTU WE WOULDN’T BE WHERE WE ARE NOW.”

WEEK ONE: FIJI, THE PACIFIC

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TUTU RURAL TRAINING CENTRE

The Tutu Rural Training Centre provides Fijian men and women with the skills training they need to help them transform their lives. Courses include the four-year Young Farmer Training Course, a six- month Women’s Course, and a six-month Married Couples Course. So far, thousands of people have received training at Tutu and are using their skills to raise healthy, happy families and to grow food for life.

LEARNING TO CROP SUSTAINABLY

Before Tutu, Eric worked hard on the family farm, but his labour was unprofitable. “We didn’t know how to manage a farm and to work a farm, manage our time and what to plant and how to plant,” says Eric.

At Tutu, Eric learned about planting, soil care, selling his produce and ways to crop sustainably in order to grow and maintain diverse food, as well as an ongoing source of income.

Today, the couple grow and sell a wide range of foods including cabbage, lettuce, okra, tomatoes and cucumbers. Almost all the food they eat comes from their own fields, and any profit made goes towards maintaining the farm and their livestock, including a handful of goats, ducks and chickens.

Their farm’s produce helps the family to maintain a healthy diet and avoid the serious health problems (like stroke, heart attack and diabetes) that many Fijians experience in part due to a lack of fresh, diverse foods in their diets.

“Before we went to Tutu, we just cooked whatever popped up. I didn’t even bother about if it was nutritious or not,” says Ma. “After the course, I was more aware of the real needs for the family... eating fresh vegetables and fresh fruits.”

Education and training gave Eric and Ma the tools they needed to leave behind a life of uncertainty. Today, they are regular visitors to Tutu, where they teach other couples the valuable lessons they learnt, so they too can grow food for life.

“I think we were blessed to be part of the program in Tutu. Tutu opened a new door for us. Without Tutu we wouldn’t be where we are now,” says Eric. “And it’s only possible thanks to you wonderful people of Australia, your love, your care, your concern for us Fijian people... The only thing we can say from our hearts is, thank you, thank you and thank you.”

Any profit made goes towards maintaining the farm and their livestock, which includes a handful of goats, ducks and chickens.

AT A GLANCEComprised of more than 300 islands, Fiji has many isolated rural communities, and throughout the country youth unemployment is high, nutritious foods are in short supply, and life expectancy is much lower than in Australia.

POPULATION: 861,000

AREA: 1,290,000km² throughout the Pacific Ocean

CAPITAL: Suva

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: English; however there are over two dozen Fijian dialects.

FIJI ISLANDS

ACT> Did you know that a donation of $210 could provide poultry manure for 120 acres, so farmers can fertilise their crops in Fiji? Call 1800 024 413 or visit www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion

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For most of us, it’s almost impossible to imagine what it would be like to live from day-to-day without enough food to eat. But for Mariama, a 29-year-old sole parent living in Niger, West Africa, this is the reality she and her family face most days.

“Our feeding rhythm depends on whether my mother gets to sell her vegetables,” says Mariama. “My mother sells on the side of the road because she cannot afford to pay market taxes.” This tiny, inconsistent income means that Mariama and her family exist from day-to-day, often without money to buy food and water.

“We normally store our food inside sacks,” says Mariama. “But we currently have no food to store.”

Raising a child in these circumstances is extremely difficult. Mariama does the best she can for her 2½-year-old daughter, Fati; however Fati is often sick.

EMPOWERMENT THROUGH NUTRITION

Recently Fati became malnourished, so Mariama took her to the Nutrition Centre which is supported by Caritas Australia and run by local partners CAFOD (UK Caritas) and CADEV Niger. The Nutrition Centre cares for malnourished children like Fati, and provides medical care, nutritional supplements and food so they can recover and gain weight.

In Niger, more than half the children under five years of age experience malnutrition, so the need for the Nutrition Centre is enormous. Around 509 malnourished children are admitted each week, 15 of them severely underweight. “Those who come to the Centre are mostly the poorest of the poor,” says Sr Francesca a staff member at the Nutrition Centre.

The eight-week program that Fati is currently part of has almost certainly saved her life. The nutritious food she’s given is essential to her recovery – helping her medicine to work well, building her strength and increasing her resilience to disease.

Now that Fati is gaining weight, a burden is lifting from Mariama’s heart. “My worries are beginning to disappear,” she says. “My daughter has begun playing and running around with other children. She is making great improvements.”

Top: The nutritious food Fati’s given is essential to her recovery. It helps her medicine to work well, builds her strength and increases her resilience to disease.

Above: Mariama, 29, and her daughter, Fati, 2½, are looking forward to a more secure, hopeful future.

Photos: Francois Therrian

“MY DREAMS FOR FATI ARE THAT SHE GETS HER HEALTH BACK, GOES TO SCHOOL AND BECOMES A NURSE OR TEACHER.” As Fati recovers physically, Mariama’s spirit for life is being restored through the counselling she receives at the Nutrition Centre. She attends daily classes that empower her to provide improved nutrition and hygiene that will help maintain Fati’s good health.

Mariama has also taken a sewing course, and will use her skills to earn an income so that she and Fati can look forward to a more secure, hopeful future.

“My dreams for Fati are that she gets her health back, goes to school and becomes a nurse or teacher,” says Mariama.

“I would like to say a big thank you to the Australian people for all their support to the Nutrition Centre,” she says. “Without your help, the Sisters would not be able to support us and poor children like Fati.”

MARIAMA’S STORY:

ESSENTIAL FOOD FOR LIFEIn Niger, almost three million people live in extreme poverty. More than 40% of the country’s people either can’t afford to buy food or can’t access it. Thankfully, Mariama is receiving the essential food and help she needs to save the life of her malnourished daughter, Fati.

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WEEK TWO: NIGER, WEST AFRICA

LEARN> Download the Project Compassion resources for your school, community group or parish at

www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion

Top: When Karen enrolled in the Centacare Wilcannia-Forbes Manage Your Income, Manage Your Life Program, which is supported by Caritas Australia, a whole new world opened up. Above: Karen gained the tools she needed to take control of her money, and budget so she could provide regular, healthy meals for her family.

Photos: Danielle Lyonne

Australia is known as a land of plenty. There is no realistic danger of food shortage, supermarkets compete fiercely for our consumer dollar, and we have access to a mind-boggling array of healthy produce at affordable prices. But the story is starkly different for First Australians living in rural communities.

In Central NSW, sole mother-of-six, Karen, was experiencing difficulties providing a nutritious diet for her family. “I was in a lot of debt and wasn’t handling my money properly,” she says. “Feeding the kids was about what was easiest, not what is healthy.”

Karen’s situation was made more difficult by her community’s remoteness, and the limited number of places to buy food and groceries in the area. Unsurprisingly, prices at remote-based community shops are high due to freighting costs, and lack of local competition.

Like many, Karen became trapped in a cycle of borrowing and debt that impacted her family’s daily diet. “It was not difficult to access food,” she says. “But I’m ashamed to say that sometimes my family missed out on some meals.”

Two years ago, when Karen enrolled in the Centacare Wilcannia-Forbes Manage Your Income, Manage Your Life Program, supported by Caritas Australia, a new world opened up to her.

KAREN’S STORY:

CHOOSING FOOD FOR LIFEFor many First Australians living in rural communities, low incomes, limited access to nutritious, affordable food, and poor food choices are severely compromising their health and wellbeing. Karen, 45, is now able to provide a better future for her family.

Through a series of budgeting workshops and monthly budget planning sessions, combined with nutrition workshops and cooking activities, Karen was able to provide regular, healthy meals for her family. “The workers [at Centacare] gave me the confidence that I can help myself with their support.”

HEALTHIER, AFFORDABLE FOOD CHOICES

Centacare also introduced Karen to the Food Support Program (Food Bank) where people on low incomes can buy food at reduced prices. “Having access to the food [bank] saves money that can be spent on meat for the week,” says Karen.

Coupled with access to good food, Centacare is educating First Australians like Karen to make healthier, affordable food choices. Plus, cooking lessons gave her the skills and confidence to prepare meals she’d never made before. “I learnt how to make quiche,” says Karen. “My family loved it!”

Taking control of her finances, and learning a new range of life-skills has given Karen the ability and confidence to choose foods for a healthier life and a better future for her family. And she’s now volunteering in her community and sharing her knowledge with others.

“Now my kids eat healthy and they’re willing to try new foods,” says Karen. “I want them to be healthy and strong.”

“NOW MY KIDS EAT HEALTHY AND THEY’RE WILLING TO TRY NEW FOODS.”

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ACT> Bring Project Compassion to life through our featured videos. Watch all our stories at www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion, then share them with family and friends.

WEEK THREE: WILCANNIA-FORBES, AUSTRALIA

GIVE A MAN A FISH AND YOU FEED HIM FOR A DAY. TEACH A MAN TO FISH AND YOU FEED HIM FOR A LIFETIME.

Caritas Nepal, supported by Caritas Australia, has taken this proverb to a new level, working with men and women in a remote village community to turn a disused pond into a thriving fish-raising business so together they can share food for life.

While rich in natural beauty, life in rural Nepal is difficult. Many people are very poor, unemployment is high, and they survive by farming small plots of land which grow just enough food for their families.

Mother-of-three Sarita, 34, attended school until the eighth grade, making her one of the most educated women in her village, yet her family still struggled to survive. Their small family farm simply couldn’t sustain them. “With the produce from the land we did not meet our food and basic needs,” says Sarita.

So when Caritas Nepal initiated the Kolkatla Fish Raising Group in her community eight years ago, Sarita was one of the first people to join.

WORKING FOR THE WIDER COMMUNITY

This collaborative program that works for the common good of the wider community, provided the Fish Raising Group of eight men and four women with a low-interest loan, along with all the training and equipment they needed to establish and run a successful business raising and selling fish.

Top: With a steady income from the Fish Raising Group, Sarita and her family have bought more land, invested in livestock and planted fruit trees along with their regular crops.

Right: Sarita and others in her remote village community worked with Caritas Nepal and Caritas Australia to turn a disused pond into a thriving fish-raising business.

Photos: Stephen Kadlec

SARITA’S STORY:

SHARING FOOD FOR LIFE In 2007, Sarita was struggling to feed her family. This same year, Caritas Nepal, supported by Caritas Australia, initiated the Kolkatla Fish Raising Group, a program that works for the common good of the wider community.

“This program embraced the poorest of the poor like us, gave us skills and supported us with funds to invest and make something of ourselves.”

The group leased a natural pond on the northern side of their village, and with a huge amount of hard work and dedication, their business has grown to become one of the most successful enterprises supported by Caritas Nepal.

These days the group produce around 8,000kg of fish each year, including common carp, silver carp and big head. “There is high demand for fish in our locality and also in nearby markets,” says Sarita. “We are able to sell at a good price.”

With a steady income from the Fish Raising Group, Sarita and her family have bought more land, invested in livestock and planted fruit trees along with their regular crops. They now have long-term earning power, a secure source of food for life and a healthy diet that (naturally) includes a lot of fish!

Sarita is proud that she can share food for life and can afford to educate her children. “The program has provided our family with good health and hope,” says Sarita. “And it has become a platform for the unity and growth of the community.”

“THERE IS HIGH DEMAND FOR FISH IN OUR LOCALITY AND ALSO IN NEARBY MARKETS.”

8 | CaritasNews

WEEK FOUR: NEPAL, SOUTH ASIA

LEARN> Explore the Project Compassion Global Family Table

and use the interactive quizzes to learn more about our

stories at www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion

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WEEK FIVE: PERU, LATIN AMERICACRISTIAN’S STORY:

HARVESTING FOOD FOR LIFE In a remote Andean village, the Rural Development Program run by Caritas Australia partner, Caritas Huacho is helping farmers like Cristian, 33, grow and harvest a wide variety of high-value, sustainable fruit crops which will provide a secure income and food for life.Cristian and his community live a traditional life, and until recently, the closest water source to his village was over a kilometre away; there was no running water or irrigation for their farms.

For as long as he can remember, Cristian and his family have always relied on rainfall to water their crops. Despite unreliable watering, they planted staples like potato, wheat and maize that would be likely to grow. But they were unable to sow high-value crops that demand consistent watering.

“My family and community have always worked to make sure we never lacked mountain produce,” he says. “When there were no rains we suffered a lot, because sometimes the fields would not produce. Despite that we always had some food.”

Cristian, his wife and three-year-old son live a traditional life in Peru. Cristian says his son could consider being a farmer, “because now prospects are better than in the past”.

Cristian, along with 14 other local farmers, learnt to grow and harvest sustainable, high-value orchard crops such as peaches, custard apples and avocados. Photos: Drew Morrison

DONATE> Your donation to Project Compassion will help Caritas Australia partner with the world’s poorest communities: www.caritas.org.au/donate or 1800 024 413.

“WE ALL WORK HELPING EACH OTHER. HERE, THIS WAY IN WHICH WE WORK IS CALLED AYCHAMOA, WHICH MEANS, ‘GIVING EACH OTHER A HELPING HAND’.”

In an effort to modernise their farming practices, Cristian and 14 other young farmers from his community participated in the Rural Development Program run by Caritas Australia’s local partner, Caritas Huacho.

With materials, capital and training, the program supports farmers and their families in rural areas to establish their own sustainable farms to produce reliable, profitable and long-term crops.

The program helped the 15 young men secure an unused plot of land in their village. Then with seedlings and agricultural training, they learnt to grow and harvest sustainable, high-value orchard crops such as peaches, custard apples and avocados. The farmers were also supported with materials and training to build an irrigation system to water their fields.

MORE FOOD, MORE INCOME

While Cristian raises a few cattle, sheep, guinea pigs and hens for food, it’s the new orchard that’s made the biggest impact on his family’s diet. They are now enjoying a bountiful harvest of varied, nutritious fruits in addition to their regular staples, and the family income is steadily increasing too.

“There is a good market for the peaches that we grow, which sustains our household,” says Cristian. “And custard apples, which also have a good price in markets, provide us with more income than the other crops.”

For Cristian, one of the most rewarding parts of the program has been working with his neighbours. The farmers have helped one another to learn and achieve, and are now beginning to reap the rewards of their hard work.

“We all work helping each other. Here, this way in which we work is called aychamoa, which means, ‘giving each other a helping hand’,” he says. “The fact that I and the other partners can grow and develop together makes me proud.”

Now, the 15 farmers and their families can see a brighter future. “We are less worried because we are focused on development, and with that in mind we are improving ourselves, with the help of Caritas, on the best way to produce.”

Would Cristian like his three year-old son to be a farmer when he grows up? “I would like him to be a teacher so he can come back to the community and develop it. But he could consider being a farmer, because now prospects are better than in the past.”

“NOW I DO NOT WORRY… WE WILL NOT BE HUNGRY.”

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WEEK SIX: WEST TIMOR, INDONESIA

VINSEN’S STORY: SUSTAINABLE FOOD FOR LIFE Vinsen, 39, is a farmer living in West Timor, Indonesia. The Sustainable Agriculture Program, run by local partner Yayasan Mitra Tani Mandiri (YMTM) and supported by Caritas Australia, is teaching farmers like Vinsen how to terrace land and grow sustainable crops for life, even in a changing climate.

Changing weather patterns affect us all, but there is significant evidence to suggest that the poorest people of the world are the most vulnerable to the consequences of global climate variations.

When farmers in a remote West Timor community learn to terrace land, harness water and grow sustainable crops for life, they’re able to guard against unpredictable weather and prosper.

Until five years ago, Vinsen’s farm had always experienced predictable weather, but since then the weather has become increasingly erratic and difficult to forecast, causing havoc for his crops.

RECOGNISING VULNERABILITY

Although weather was predictable in the past, it didn’t mean that farming was easy or profitable. Farmers in Vinsen’s community experienced poor soil fertility and significant erosion. They tried to combat the problem by frequently moving fields.

With this kind of farming Vinsen had no food security for his family, which made him anxious about providing for the future.

Since taking part in the program, Vinsen’s income has increased by 25% and his family are living without fear of food insecurity. Photo: Mie Cornoedus

In 2010 and 2011 things took a dramatic turn for the worse, when Vinsen’s village was hit by heavy rains and strong winds, which destroyed crops and killed livestock. Incomes plummeted and famine spread throughout the area.

Fortunately, Vinsen’s family did not experience famine, but recognising their vulnerability, he enrolled in the Sustainable Agriculture Program.

RESPECTING THE ENVIRONMENT

Respecting the environment and our role as Stewards of Creation, farmers like Vinsen learn to plant long and short-term crops. This helps to build a stable, sustainable livelihoods so farmers can survive crop fluctuations and unexpected weather events.

In Vinsen’s village the farmers learnt to terrace their land. Upland terracing and planting stabilises hillsides and provides additional security from landslides. It also helps to prevent erosion, increase soil fertility and harness valuable rainfall.

This single change has made a huge impact on both the efficiency and the sustainability of the community’s farming.

Since taking part, Vinsen’s income has increased by 25% and his family are living without fear of food insecurity. From his garden, Vinsen has produced many different kinds of plants, and has a sustainable, secure food source for life. As a result his family is happy, healthy and far less vulnerable to future climate variations.

“Before the program I was very anxious,” says Vinsen. “But now I do not worry. There is always cassava, banana and taro in the garden. We will not be hungry.”

Through the program, Vinsen also acquired the business skills to establish a savings and loan group so he can grow his income and become more independent. He’s also the leader of the farmer groups.

“I have a prosperous life, a very supportive family. For that I work very hard,” says Vinsen. “Now my children can go to school and become successful persons. Thank you so much to the people of Australia who have helped support YMTM.”

ACT> Raise funds and awareness by organising a ‘Keep it Simple’ fundraising meal and posting a photo online using #KeepItSimpleChallenge. See our website for more.

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Help the world’s poorest people access and develop sustainable food sources for life.www.caritas.org.au 1800 024 413

The Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development

could provide two adult dairy cows for a farmer, so his family can generate a stable source of income in INDONESIA

could provide a five-day training course for 10-15 people, so they can learn to raise and sell fish in NEPAL

could provide a group of 15 female farmers with vegetable seeds, so they can grow sustainable food in NEPAL

could provide ingredients, so that eight mums can learn how to cook a healthy family meal in AUSTRALIA

could provide a tray of seedlings, so a farmer can diversify the crops they grow on their farm in FIJI

could provide Food Safety Training for community volunteers, so they can assist at a Centacare Food Bank in AUSTRALIA

could provide access to ‘Farmer Field School’, so a farmer can learn new techniques and organic farming practices in NEPAL

could provide two adult dairy cows for a farmer, so his family can generate a stable source of income in INDONESIA

could provide training for two Community Relay Workers, so they can reach out to communities and help prevent malnutrition in NIGER

could provide a 105-litre water storage container, so a family of seven can have improved access to drinking water in NIGER

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Please charge my credit card or direct debit account with this amount on the 27th of each month.

YES, I want to support Caritas Australia and help people establish sustainable food sources for life.

$35 Could provide seedlings, so farmers can diversify the crops they grow on their farms

$76 Could help provide agricultural training for young farmers to cultivate land and increase productivity

$158 Could provide natural fertilisers for 90 acres, so that farmers can grow more nutritious crops

I’d like to give $ to support Project Compassion and Caritas Australia’s community programs.

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Email: ......................................................................................................................................................................................................

PLEASE DIRECT DEBIT MY ACCOUNT:

Financial Institution name and branch:

BSB: /

Account NO:

Account Name: ......................................................................................................................................................................

Signature: .................................................................................. Date: ..............................................................................

Please send me information about including Caritas Australia in my will.

Before payments commence, Caritas Australia will provide you with a full ServiceAgreement and confi rmation of your details regarding this arrangement. Payments will be deducted on 27th of the month. If this is not a normal business day, payment will be deducted on the next normal business day. For our full privacy statement please consult www.caritas.org.au or call us on 1800 024 413.

PLEASE DEBIT MY CREDIT CARD:

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Credit Card Number:

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Expiry Date: /

Name of Cardholder:

Signature: ..................................................................................Date: ..................................................................................

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Complete the form and return it in the envelope provided

or call us on 1800 024 413

visit us online at www.caritas.org.au/donate

From now on I want to give monthly

Caritas Australia strives to empower the world’s poorest people with education, training and new opportunities in life. Through a course at the Tutu Rural Training Centre (supported by Caritas Australia) Fijian couple, Eric and Ma, gained the skills to build a sustainable farm for themselves, providing a reliable income and food for life.

“I think we were blessed to be part of the program in Tutu. Tutu opened a new door for us. Without Tutu we wouldn’t be where we are now”

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