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At Martigny, in Switzerland, a pact between different generations

26 Aug 2007 | Focolare Worldwide

Martigny, 25 August 2007 Dear young people and esteemed politicians, I too would like to address a word to you during your meeting dedicated to building up the future of “our” – allow me to so call it – beloved Switzerland, given that we have already journeyed a distance together. This year, the young people are the ones who gave us the possibility of adding an enriching new stage to our journey, by inviting everyone, politicians of every persuasion and office, elected officials and citizens, to together commit to choosing fraternity as the inspiring principle of politics. I would like to propose something to all of you: to make a pact, a real and true pact, between different generations in order to give an authentic spirit of community commitment to politics. A pact of mutual love between you young people, who have the capacity to believe in the actualization of great values such as universal brotherhood, peace and freedom, and who represent the Switzerland of tomorrow, and you politicians, who already work for your people, with the weight but also the wealth of your experience, and who represent what is possible to actualize today. Why not share these riches and so enhance your real capacity to remain faithful to the commitments that you will take on? I can assure you that if you have the courage to practice this way of listening and working together, you will set in motion a new way of doing politics that will open up to new ideas, which through the “osmosis” of love will be contagious. It will then be possible to bring about what we have believed and wished for together during these days. We can work for the unity of a people only if some first begin to experience it among them. I am with you and I pray to God-Love, that God whom the Fathers of your nation wanted as the guarantor of the Federal Pact, that He may help us to make of Switzerland a united community, open and helping, a living witness on the path to a united world. Chiara Lubich

“School friends at a distance” is growing

“School friends at a distance” is growing

4 Apr 2007 | Focolare Worldwide

Thirty-five projects in twenty-nine countries of the world, and 1,847 bursaries given over five years. A network of sharing has come to life at a global level, among “Schoolmates”- school friends at a distance. This is a project of Teens for Unity, of the Focolare Movement, which is reaching more schools each year. In 2006, 455 bursaries were awarded. What is Schoolmates? With this project, Teens for Unity promote a network of relationships among schools. Classes from different countries write to one another, to share their talents and their culture, language, traditions, and their current projects for a more united world. A solidarity fund provides bursaries for courses for children in less developed countries. The commitment: Any class or group that wants to join Schoolmates, must commit itself to living the Golden Rule, “to do to others what you would have them do to you, and not do to others, what you wouldn’t want them to do to you”, to start correspondence with other classes or groups, and support bursaries for studies. A class can commit itself to one bursary per year, with each child who takes part giving 1 euro per month. The contribution can come either from personal savings, or from the involvement of the whole class in various activities depending on the creativity of the children. Eagerly awaited activities each year are the Spring Fairs. In 2007 there are 30 projects in 26 countries. Here we take a closer look at some of them. In recent years, the lack of resources and of a national programme have resulted in the collapse of the Albanian school system. The most serious problems are low salaries for teachers, and the lack of teaching materials and suitable buildings. The project aims to give the poorest children the opportunity of completing compulsory schooling, and to take professional courses to improve their prospects and to contribute as adults to the life of their nation. See the project at: http://school-mates.org/progetti/main_albania_ita.html    In Bandra the “queen of suburbs” of Mumbai, support for the most marginalized children. There are 20 million inhabitants in Mumbai, and the continual process of urbanisation has led to the formation of enormous slums where masses of people, attracted to the city by the possibility of earning minimal wages, live in extreme poverty. Before school starts, the slum children go to work in order to earn something, and are tired out by the time they arrive. Although they study hard, in those conditions they often fail. At present there are 16 bursaries in action to enable the recipients to finish their studies and find a decent job in the future. See the project at: http://school-mates.org/progetti/main_india_bandra_ita.html To improve school attendance in Albania.

A revenge of love

25 Mar 2007 | Focolare Worldwide

 I was just a girl, stunned by sorrowful experiences within the family and by the lack of real and stable affections, when I met some persons who had a joy which I thought impossible to experience in life. These persons shared this gift with me and through them I discovered God and His love towards me. For me, it was like perceiving a light during the night that guided me safely on the way of love, which was exactly what I was looking for. I am the youngest of four siblings and my parents have always had a difficult rapport with many clashes, marked by quarrels and discussions that ended up with violence. Besides my family, my father also had another family: a woman and children. For this reason and for the aggressive behaviour towards my mother, we brothers and sisters rejected our him as a father and instead of loving him, we hated him even more. Little by little, my brothers and sisters left home, for studies or to get married. I was the only one left with my parents. One day my father had beaten my mother so strongly that I had to bring her to hospital. Afterwards, she went to live with my sister and at home I was the only one left with my father. The Gospel gave me support, however, within me, I thought I could never forgive my father. One day, during this difficult period of compelled living with my father, he ran after me in order to beat me and I managed to escape just in time. I re-entered home through one of the windows, after he had gone out. It was in those moments of fear and sorrow that I decided to live radically the words of Jesus. The time had come to take revenge on my father, however, I decided to take a revenge of love! I put all things in order and cleaned the house. I prepared lunch for him and then left for work. When I returned home in the evening, my father was waiting for me. I was trembling, however, I had decided to love him no matter what. He asked me to call my mother and my sister because he wanted to speak to them. I had a hard time in overcoming their resistance and in persuading them to come over, however, at last I succeeded. My father was shaken: he asked us to forgive all the bad things he had done and he promised that he would never go back to the other family. He also asked our permission to give support through a monthly quota to his children, who were born outside wedlock and were not guilty for the mistakes he had committed. Though our financial situation was not so good we immediately agreed, and ever since the situation at home has really changed: peace has returned to our family. R. B. – (Brasile)

“School friends at a distance” is growing

“Us together with others”: toward a solidarity school

22 Mar 2007 | Focolare Worldwide

A solidarity project – Within the humanitarian campaign “the heart melts”, launched by Unicoop, an Italian supermarket chain, a new project was set off: “Us together with others”. Objective: to make Tuscany high school students aware on the topic of sharing, getting them personally involved in experiences of solidarity in poor areas. Among the chosen areas of intervention there was also Fontem, Cameroun (Africa), where Focolare Movement is present for more than 40 years. In collaboration with Tuscany and Fontem Focolare centres, some projects in favour of the Mundani tribe have been launched. On the way – From 14th  to 24th  February, a group of 20 persons participating in the project went to visit Fontem. Among them, there was: Claudio Vanni, Unicoop Director, Massimo Toschi, Tuscany Region Councillor, Piero Taiti, Health Director of Prato Hospital, and 7 students of the Technical Institute “Dagomari” of Prato, close to Florence, accompanied by a teacher. Continuous development – The visit to the new ward for infectious diseases of the hospital in Fontem and to the new volleyball court at the boarding school stimulated a great interest. However, the target of these young Italian visitors was Besalì village, in Mundani region, where a tribe of 8.000 persons lives. The trip to reach this place was really adventurous: 58 km track deep in the forest, crossing several water streams on makeshift bridges or across the stream bed. This was possible only because it was still dry season. But at the end of the journey, fatigue and discomfort totally disappeared as the Fon, head of the  tribe, the dignitaries and all the population of the village welcomed festively the group. But why Besalì? Besalì was purposely chosen in order to answer to a request of help for many boys and girls who do not have the possibility to go to school. Unicoop accepted the proposal of including along with its humanitarian projects Besalì school. Already in the past, Unicoop Directors had shown their interest in Fontem experience, offering willingly their collaboration in order to complete the installation of the electrical system in the new ward for infectious diseases. Now, the construction of Besalì elementary school is underway, and it is being erected on the land offered by the Fon and some dignitaries of the village. The works which have been carried out amidst many logistic difficulties are about to be completed.