by Carol Rose, CPT Co-DirectorChristian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) has always lived with the tenuous balance of having the work to do, the people to do it, and finding enough money to fund it. Now, for the first time, the balance has tipped to the degree that we may need to suspend and scale back compelling peacemaking work because funds are low.
Last year the U.S. dollar was down, costs up, and donations from individuals and congregations dropped 9%. At the same time, circumstances have us needing to find new office space in Chicago. The good news is that most of you found a way to contribute even within the context of dire economic downturn. Thank you!
Unfortunately, a significant gap exists between our income and expenses. Communities caught in lethal conflict did not experience any downturn in war and occupation. They continue to engage in courageous peacemaking and ask for our partnership in that struggle.
The Palestine team has walked with partners envisioning renewed work in the old city of Al Khalil (Hebron) while it continues vital partnerships with communities around the village of at-Tuwani. That work will begin mid-May if we have the funds.
A dozen Colombians are ready to start CPT training, ready to offer their lives in teamwork that amplifies the voices of those most affected by war. We also look forward to conducting trainings in Chicago and the United Kingdom in 2009. We can still welcome new Reservists. However, we have made the difficult decision to freeze the stipended Peacemaker Corps at its current size. Must we must postpone support for those called to full-time peacemaking, while the rest of the world continues to provide financial support for people entering armed groups?
According to CPTers who have done exploratory work in the Democratic Republic of Congo this past winter, the time is ripe in the Great Lakes region of Africa for the work of nonviolence. Local groups will continue to do that work well under discouraging conditions; they have said they feel encouraged by the support and presence of outside groups like CPT. We do not have funds to send more CPTers there. Must we sacrifice the momentum and relationships we built?
CPT Iraq accompanies Kurdish Iraqi villagers displaced by Turkish bombing. A community leader turning the corner from discouragement to hope said, "This is like a dream. We want to go home." By making every savings possible—including moving the team out to the less expensive border area, which is currently under bombardment, we hope to extend support for this project through the end of the year. Continuation beyond that point can happen only if we have more income.
On every team, CPTers are drastically reducing expenses. Some have offered to work full time without pay or with deep cuts to very modest subsistence stipends. But transportation, rent, equipment, Internet to send out the news…these we cannot access without funds. Can you help fill the gap?
Note for MFMers:Ways to donate (and ensure a tax credit):
* put a cheque in the MFM offering, marked CPT
* send a cheque to CPT at 25 Cecil Street, Unit 307, Toronto, ON M5T 1N1
* donate online via
Donate, choose Mennonite Church Canada, and in the message box write CPT.
On May 14th, Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested and sent to jail, charged in connection with an American man who allegedly sneaked uninvited into the compound where she is being held in Yangon. The charges are absurd -- it is the Burmese military, now accusing her of breach of house arrest, that are responsible for the security of the compound. It is a pretext to keep her detained until after elections which are set for 2010.
