From: Lee Collano [mailto:http://ph.f637.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=leecollano@yahoo.com] Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 2:07 AMTo: Charles Gibbs; Barbara Hartford; Sally Mahe; libby hoffman; Bizuayehu Abiy; Elelta Asmelash; Abraham Karickam; Marites GuingonaSubject: Muslim-Christian Peacemakers SEA-K Field Report
Dear URI-MI Team,
Permit me to share with you the joys that I tried to savor for myself since the Peacemakers Circle succeeded in bringning livelihood project (at least, for this first level) to the Muslims and Christians in Brgy. 188, Tala, Caloocan City.
Yesterday, the members of the Muslim-Christian Peacemakers' Association recieved the seed capital for their individual livelihod project. They were given 5,000.00 pesos each to jump-start their own business at least, in the micro level. Once they were able to return the money to the governement (interest free) within the next 6 months the members are entitled to the next level of loan where the capital is much higher than the first one. Its about 45,000.00 pesos each for Muslim and Christian members of the association payable within 3 years free of interest.
Personally, I considered this project a breakthrough for the Peacemakers Circle since most conflict in any communities around Metro Manila is always tied up to the issue of resources and when poverty is not being attended to violence can easily erupt.
Now most of the communities around Metro Manila is asking the Peacemakers' Circle to assist them! This is a good sign for us! We're now getting more and more recognition from the ground.
Indeed, what a joy to celebrate!
Lee S. Collano
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On 2/15/08, Charles Gibbs <http://ph.f637.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=cgibbs@uri.org> wrote:
Dear Lee,
Greetings of love and peace.
What a joy to receive your report and taste the good fruits of this important work, which you shared with us in India.
I was particularly interested in the comments about the difference between the "new" and "old" members. I think we have seen some of the same in URI, where people who haven't had an experience of the global URI and weren't part of the chartering process have not had the opportunity to experience and learn the same deep values. I am interested to hear how you help the new people develop the important values that the old participants developed.
I wish you, the Peacemakers Circle and the Muslim-Christian Peacemakers Association every success.
Love,
Charles
----------------
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2008 21:59:00 +0800From: "Marites Africa"To: "Charles Gibbs" Subject: Re: Muslim-Christian Peacemakers SEA-K Field ReportCC: "Lee Collano" , "Barbara Hartford" , "Sally Mahe" , "libby hoffman" , "Bizuayehu Abiy" , "Elelta Asmelash" , "Abraham Karickam" , "Abdulhusin Kashim" , "Akmad Wahab" , "Shakuntala Vaswani" , "The Peacemakers' Circle"
Dear Charles, Barb, and all--
Peace and love to you!
I am one with you in the joy of Lee's success in his efforts! CONGRATULATIONS, LEE! At last, all the painstaking work has produced heartwarming results and the 30 members of the Muslim-Christian Peacemakers' SEA-K Association have received their much needed Php 5,000 seed money! Hurray!!!
It was a happy occasion last Wednesday afternoon for those of us who were there in the community to bear witness to the awarding of the funds to each of the members. The joy in their faces (when they came forward to receive the money) was so heartwarming that in my heart I fervently hoped and prayed that their endeavors at setting up their small livelihood businesses would succeed. How wonderful it would be to see our friends there growing in self confidence and sense of empowerment!
This is a turning point in our work in the grassroots community of Bgy 188 in Phase 12 of Tala, Caloocan City; and we are now on to the next level of our engagement there. I am seeing this year to be our last big step in the 5-year process of Muslim-Christian Relationsip-Building in that community. We started the work there in 2003, and I hope that by the end of 2008 we at the Peacemakers' Circle CC would be able to successfully step back a little more and lovingly continue to support them albeit from a farther distance.
This livelihood assistance of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that has been made possible through the tireless assistance of Lee, has generated a growth in the membership of the Muslim-Christian Peacemakers' Association CC. From 38 members, the number has now swelled to around 60. They have been divided into two groups to facilitate the application process of the Self-Employment Assistance-Kaunalaran (Progress) or SEA-K livelihood program.
With this increase in membership, the old members expressed concern over the fact that the spirit of Muslim-Christian friendship that they have nurtured through the years needed to be renewed, strengthened and safeguarded. We at the Peacemakers' Circle CC are taking this to heart and are committed to helping them address this. This is our "MI mission" for this community in 2008. I know you expressed your interest in how we would go about this, Charles.
First of all, I needed to secure funding for this project to keep our work going in this community for another year. I am counting on the approval next month of a project grant proposal that I submitted to the Australian Embassy's SGIDU (Strengthening Grassroots Interfaith Dialogue and Understanding) Program. The funds will be used for leadership training and capacity building in the community.
We plan to conduct weekly dialogue sessions for the 60 members (both old and new); we will divide the group into two for easy facilitation. This will be similar in format to the Inner Work sessions (that we conducted for the Muslim-Christian Peacemakers' CC in the past years).
The Inner Work sessions will encourage all members to share the ideals and teachings of their respective religions on certain topics/issues and how these bear on the challenges that they face in their daily lives. We believe that regular meetings that encourage the members to dialogue with one another and strengthen bonds of friendships is a powerful way to build a stronger foundation for their community. We will also conduct monthly training seminar-workshops that will develop skills and capacities needed for successful dialogue, conflict transformation, and relationship-building and strengthening.
There is much to look forward to in the months to come, and we will do the best we can to see them come true. However these events and things aspired for will unfold, I trust that all will be well in God's hands...
Thank you for your friendship and support!
Cheers!
Marites
Dear URI-MI Team,Permit me to share with you the joys that I tried to savor for myself since the Peacemakers Circle succeeded in bringning livelihood project (at least, for this first level) to the Muslims and Christians in Brgy. 188, Tala, Caloocan City.
Yesterday, the members of the Muslim-Christian Peacemakers' Association recieved the seed capital for their individual livelihod project. They were given 5,000.00 pesos each to jump-start their own business at least, in the micro level. Once they were able to return the money to the governement (interest free) within the next 6 months the members are entitled to the next level of loan where the capital is much higher than the first one. Its about 45,000.00 pesos each for Muslim and Christian members of the association payable within 3 years free of interest.
Personally, I considered this project a breakthrough for the Peacemakers Circle since most conflict in any communities around Metro Manila is always tied up to the issue of resources and when poverty is not being attended to violence can easily erupt.
Now most of the communities around Metro Manila is asking the Peacemakers' Circle to assist them! This is a good sign for us! We're now getting more and more recognition from the ground.Indeed, what a joy to celebrate!
Lee S. Collano
----------
On 2/15/08, Charles Gibbs <http://ph.f637.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=cgibbs@uri.org> wrote:
Dear Lee,
Greetings of love and peace.
What a joy to receive your report and taste the good fruits of this important work, which you shared with us in India.
I was particularly interested in the comments about the difference between the "new" and "old" members. I think we have seen some of the same in URI, where people who haven't had an experience of the global URI and weren't part of the chartering process have not had the opportunity to experience and learn the same deep values. I am interested to hear how you help the new people develop the important values that the old participants developed.
I wish you, the Peacemakers Circle and the Muslim-Christian Peacemakers Association every success.
Love,
Charles
----------------
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2008 21:59:00 +0800From: "Marites Africa"
Dear Charles, Barb, and all--
Peace and love to you!
I am one with you in the joy of Lee's success in his efforts! CONGRATULATIONS, LEE! At last, all the painstaking work has produced heartwarming results and the 30 members of the Muslim-Christian Peacemakers' SEA-K Association have received their much needed Php 5,000 seed money! Hurray!!!
It was a happy occasion last Wednesday afternoon for those of us who were there in the community to bear witness to the awarding of the funds to each of the members. The joy in their faces (when they came forward to receive the money) was so heartwarming that in my heart I fervently hoped and prayed that their endeavors at setting up their small livelihood businesses would succeed. How wonderful it would be to see our friends there growing in self confidence and sense of empowerment!
This is a turning point in our work in the grassroots community of Bgy 188 in Phase 12 of Tala, Caloocan City; and we are now on to the next level of our engagement there. I am seeing this year to be our last big step in the 5-year process of Muslim-Christian Relationsip-Building in that community. We started the work there in 2003, and I hope that by the end of 2008 we at the Peacemakers' Circle CC would be able to successfully step back a little more and lovingly continue to support them albeit from a farther distance.This livelihood assistance of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that has been made possible through the tireless assistance of Lee, has generated a growth in the membership of the Muslim-Christian Peacemakers' Association CC. From 38 members, the number has now swelled to around 60. They have been divided into two groups to facilitate the application process of the Self-Employment Assistance-Kaunalaran (Progress) or SEA-K livelihood program.
With this increase in membership, the old members expressed concern over the fact that the spirit of Muslim-Christian friendship that they have nurtured through the years needed to be renewed, strengthened and safeguarded. We at the Peacemakers' Circle CC are taking this to heart and are committed to helping them address this. This is our "MI mission" for this community in 2008. I know you expressed your interest in how we would go about this, Charles.
First of all, I needed to secure funding for this project to keep our work going in this community for another year. I am counting on the approval next month of a project grant proposal that I submitted to the Australian Embassy's SGIDU (Strengthening Grassroots Interfaith Dialogue and Understanding) Program. The funds will be used for leadership training and capacity building in the community.We plan to conduct weekly dialogue sessions for the 60 members (both old and new); we will divide the group into two for easy facilitation. This will be similar in format to the Inner Work sessions (that we conducted for the Muslim-Christian Peacemakers' CC in the past years).
The Inner Work sessions will encourage all members to share the ideals and teachings of their respective religions on certain topics/issues and how these bear on the challenges that they face in their daily lives. We believe that regular meetings that encourage the members to dialogue with one another and strengthen bonds of friendships is a powerful way to build a stronger foundation for their community. We will also conduct monthly training seminar-workshops that will develop skills and capacities needed for successful dialogue, conflict transformation, and relationship-building and strengthening.
There is much to look forward to in the months to come, and we will do the best we can to see them come true. However these events and things aspired for will unfold, I trust that all will be well in God's hands...
Thank you for your friendship and support!
Cheers!
Marites
