Inter Pares
February 2009
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February 2009

Dear friends and supporters of Inter Pares,

I am sending you our February Bulletin entitled Giving as an Act of Solidarity, which we dedicate to you and to all those who make it possible for Inter Pares to help sustain the endeavours of people and movements working for a better world. With your financial solidarity, Inter Pares will continue to work towards a more just and peaceful world for all.

We recently received a letter accompanying a gift from a first-time supporter. A friend of his, a long-time Inter Pares donor, had given him our September 2008 Bulletin on Burma. In his letter, our new supporter shared that he had been in Burma during the Second World War.

My first thought was about what a small world we live in! My grandfather was also in Burma during WWII as a surgeon in the British army, and the two men may have crossed paths there. And as this letter arrived at our office, I myself was in Rangoon, the former capital of Burma, for the first time. It was an enriching experience for me, having worked with people from Burma for over eight years now – first while working with refugees on the Thai-Burma border and in recent years at Inter Pares. It is wonderful to hear from our donors and to remember the human connections that exist among Canadians and the people we support in various countries.

Because of your commitment, and that of thousands of Canadians, month after month, activists around the world know they can count on Inter Pares to inform Canadians about international issues, to make connections to challenges and choices we face here at home, and to raise funds for their work. It is heartening to have the values we cherish – justice, equality, peace – affirmed with kind words and generous support.

We wouldn't be here without you.

With gratitude and best wishes,

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Rebecca

P.S. If you haven't already, I invite you to sign up for our monthly sustaining donor plan, or, if you prefer, to make your contribution today so that we can continue to support people around the world who are working for peace and justice.

Giving as an Act of Solidarity
Staff member Rachel Gouin recently travelled to Guinea-Bissau to meet with young organizers who are building a better future for their country. The following is an excerpt from Rachel's trip report.

I made my way to the youth drop-in centre, located on a backstreet of the capital city of Bissau. Twenty young people had quietly gathered and greeted me shyly. Didier, who had invited us, introduced me and explained that part of my work in Canada involves raising funds for Inter Pares' social justice programs. I had come to this tiny West African country to share experiences with young organizers and facilitate a workshop on how to garner human and financial resources for social justice work.

As a starting exercise, I asked participants to draw images of the challenges they face and the vision they have for the future. ...

Click here to read the rest of this article
Building Community Across the Atlantic Ocean
We were surprised when in August 2008, our colleague Ibrahim Ouedraogo, coordinator of the Coalition for the Protection of African Genetic Heritage (COPAGEN), asked us when the monsoon season would end in Canada. We laughed, understanding how he felt after spending a few rainy weeks in Eastern Canada. Accompanied by staff members Erum Hasan and Caroline Boudreau, Ibrahim met Inter Pares supporters in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Quebec, engaging in lively discussions on issues we all care about. ...

Click here to read the rest of this article
In it for the Long Haul
Inter Pares staff members are often asked how we maintain hope for peace and justice in an increasingly militarized and violent world. Along with drawing strength from the courageous work of our counterparts in different countries, we are continually inspired by our community of supporters in Canada. With every gift, letter or telephone call we receive, our work is reaffirmed. Despite geographic distances and varying backgrounds, our supporters make it clear: solidarity for a better world exists.

One such supporter, the Sœurs de la Congrégation de Notre Dame from Montreal, shares this sentiment with us. ...

Click here to read the rest of this article
"Burma Got a Hold of Me"
While living and working in Hong Kong in the early 1990s, Rod Germaine and his wife Adeline spent their holidays travelling in the region. They took a two-week holiday in Burma in 1990 and were struck by the disturbing contrasts: stunning physical beauty and warm, engaging people under the control of one of the world's most corrupt and brutal military regimes. As Rod says, "Burma got a hold of me." ...

Click here to read the rest of this article
The Terrain of Solidarity
The following is adapted from a recent keynote address by Inter Pares Executive Director Molly Kane to a gathering of the Canadian Association of African Studies. The complete speech is available on the Inter Pares Web site at www.interpares.ca/caas.

Yesterday, during a panel on resource extraction in Africa, one of the presenters referred to the news that day that five hundred ducks had died in a tailings pond of the Alberta tar sands, commenting that “African leaders would be happy to only have to deal with the problem of five hundred ducks dying in a pond.” We did not have a chance to discuss this comment during the panel. However, it struck me at the time that his anecdote revealed a limited understanding of how we in Canada are connected with people in Africa, and therefore what the basis of our solidarity might be. ...

Click here to read the rest of this article
Inter Pares announces its new Executive Director
It is with pleasure that Inter Pares' Board of Directors announces the appointment of Rita Morbia as our new Executive Director, effective March 1st, 2009. Inter Pares is also bidding a fond adieu to our current Executive Director, Molly Kane. Molly will be leaving the organization after fifteen years, including twelve years as Executive Director.

To read the full announcement, click here.
Recent media coverage
Inter Pares counterparts interviewed by Radio-Canada International
On December 22, 2007, a paramilitary group massacred over forty indigenous Tsotsiles members of Las Abejas, a civil society organization in Southern Mexico. Those killed were mainly women and children living in a refugee camp in Acteal, in the state of Chiapas. They were civilian casualties of an ongoing armed conflict that began with the 1994 Zapatista uprising in Chiapas. Inter Pares is supporting the work of the Human Rights Centre Fray Bartolome de las Casas, or Frayba, in pursuing justice for Las Abejas. Frayba member Michael Chamberlin, who works with victims of the armed conflict in Chiapas, was interviewed on Radio-Canada International (RCI) on December 25th, 2008. Click here to listen via RCI's Web site.

"Venezuela, Colombia Priorities Revealed"
In this article, which was published in Embassy magazine on October 8th 2008, Inter Pares staff member Jean Symes offers her perspective on Canada's engagement with Colombia. Click here to read the article.

Inter Pares staff member interviewed by Radio-Canada Ottawa (in French only)
Rachel Gouin, Inter Pares staff member, was interviewed by Radio-Canada during our holiday campaign "Give Something Big" ("Emballez-vous!" in French). Click here to listen to the clip via Radio-Canada's Web site.
Publication
"Online fundraising strategies for small budgets," by Samantha McGavin and Rachel Gouin
Fundraising for social change is about building a financial and political base for socially transformative programs. In Inter Pares staff members Samantha McGavin and Rachel Gouin's article, published in February 2009 by Grassroots Fundraising, outlines ways in which the Internet and e-mail can be harnessed in this movement-building. This article is available directly from the Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training for a nominal fee.
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Inter Pares, 221 Laurier Avenue East, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6P1
Phone (1-613) 563-4801 or (1-866) 563-4801 (toll free) Fax (1-613) 594-4704

With the support of thousands of Canadians, Inter Pares works in Canada and around the world with social change organizations who share the analysis that poverty and injustice are caused by inequities within and among nations, and who are working to promote peace, and social and economic justice in their communities and societies. Charitable registration number (BN) 11897 1100 RR000 1.

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