Seeds of Love Lent 2017 Hello and welcome to week 8 of Lent! We have reached the final week of our reflections on food/livelihoods projects around the world! Over the last 7 weeks we have looked at 4 different food, or livelihoods* projects that Jesuit Missions supports all around the world. We hope it will be an opportunity for you to learn more about what JM does around the world, and perhaps even find a cause to commit to/support this Lent! * Livelihoods are the things needed for a means of living. These things, or assets, could be “tangible, such as food stores and cash savings, as well as trees, land, livestock, tools, and other resources. Assets may also be intangible such as claims one can make for food, work, and assistance as well as access to materials, information, education, health services and employment opportunities.” – United National International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) http://www.unisdr.org/files/16771_16771guidancenoteonrecoveryliveliho.pdf During this period, we have prayed, encouraged you to think about food (or fasting) and encouraged alms giving (or fundraising).

“He…showed them his hands and feet “He…showed them his hands and feet. They still could not believe, they were so full of joy and wonder; so he asked them, “have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of cooked fish, which he took and ate in their presence” - Luke 24:35-48 Let’s begin this morning’s presentation by reading and praying over the words in this scripture passage. In this passage, Jesus appears to his disciples after the crucifixion and resurrection. The disciples are ‘terrified…thinking that they were seeing a ghost…’ Jesus does a very interesting act here and shares a meal with his Disciples. Here is a reflection question: What do you think is the significance of Jesus eating with his Disciples? You can encourage students to consider that: Food is a basic and fundamental human need Jesus is both God and man and this shows his humanity Eating is a communal activity that we do with friends and family Eating is an act attributed to living things – this would help the disciples believe Jesus is alive These question is suggested only. As the presentations are designed to be given at assemblies (lasting no longer than 15/20 minutes), the questions should be more of an internal dialogue (similar to an Examen) than a spoken discussion. If there is time however, they can be discussed aloud.

Last week we heard a little about our final livelihood project – Lok Manch. To refresh your memory, Lok Manch is a project of 100 organisations (50 Jesuit and 50 lay) spanning 15 Jesuit provinces in India. It aims to help marginalised communities access entitlements to: Right to food Education Involvement in politics and policy and improved access to water, sanitation and hygiene PAUSE FOR THOUGHT: When you hear about these issues, do they affect your own lives? Have you ever been involved in any of these issues? Have you ever had them taken away from you?

Lok Manch is operating in a country full of potential. But barriers too. In particular, women and children face great challenges due to low social status. Issues like sexual harassment, trafficking, dependency on males for many services, child marriages, honour killings and low life expectancy are to name just a tiny few. Working for and with women’s groups is one of the priorities of Lok Manch therefore.

The Right to Food is another important focus for Lok Manch The Right to Food is another important focus for Lok Manch. This is because food insecurity and malnutrition rank highly in India. India is home to a quarter of all undernourished people in the world (that’s 194.6 million people! Or 3 times the population of France)* Let’s compare these facts to the global outlook. *World Food Programme (WFP)

World hunger The map* above shows the state of food insecurity worldwide (2014-16). The darker the colour, the more hunger there is in that country. Hunger is defined by the FAO as the lack of access to daily minimum food requirements. We can see that developing countries dominate the darker colours i.e. food insecurity is higher in developing countries. From the projects we’ve been looking at we can see that: Zimbabwe has high amounts of hunger. Zambia has very high amounts of hunger. India has moderately high amount of hunger. And Syria has insufficient or missing data to conduct an assessment. PAUSE FOR THOUGHT: From what you have heard about Syria, why do you think information on food insecurity is unavailable here? From what you have heard about any/all of the projects so far, how does this information above support this? *Graphic and facts compiled by the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO)

Despite this seemingly bleak outlook, global undernourishment is in decline! There are 216 million less people undernourished now than there were 20 years ago. Over half of the number of developing countries (72 out of 129) reached the Millennium Development Goal 1c hunger target of halving undernourishment in their countries. In addition, the work done by the Jesuits is effective and life changing. The Jesuits in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Syria and India are deeply inspired by a faith that does justice. We can find hope in the fact that the lives of communities in these countries are being transformed by the Jesuits on the ground and by supporters like Jesuit Missions. Jesuit Missions is committed to supporting projects that look to the future, that empower people and give people skills that they themselves can pass on to their communities.

As we look to the future, we ask that you commit to carrying on 3 things after Lent: Pray for the continued success of all of the projects Consider experimenting with new and informed ways of eating: eat local, eat fresh, eat seasonal Support Jesuit Missions’ future projects by fundraising with your school!

Settle into the presence of God ­ Settle into the presence of God Look back on the last few weeks like a film Ask Jesus to reveal: What were the highs? The lows? When did I see/give love? When did I see failure/fail? When did I see evidence of God’s work? 4) Look to the future: - End this Examen with the Lord’s Prayer Let’s look back on the weeks of Lent with an Examen. To refresh your memory: In weeks 1 and 2 we heard about the food gardens of St Rupert’s in Zimbabwe In weeks 3 and 4 we heard about the Kasisi Agricultural Training Centre (KATC) in Zambia In weeks 5 and 6 we heard about the food kitchen in Syria In weeks 7 and 8 we heard about Lok Manch in India As you look back on the last few weeks, think about: What facts/information did you hear about the projects that impressed you/warmed you/comforted you? What facts/information did you hear about the projects that disturbed/disheartened/shocked you? Looking back on the projects where did you see love in the actions of the Jesuits/project leaders? Looking back on the projects where did you see need for improvement? Where could you imply the need for improvement? E.g. developing countries still have high amounts of hunger/failure of governments to tackle hunger issues. Looking back on the projects, where did you see evidence of God’s work? This Examen has been adapted from the Fuller Youth Institute - https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/articles/ignatian-examen

© Copyright Jesuit Missions 2017 Text by Samantha Aidoo. All photos were taken in India by Lok Manch and Jesuit Missions. Users are welcome to modify the material to fit their needs. jesuitmissions.org.uk education@jesuitmissions.org.uk Facebook: Jesuit Missions UK Twitter: @JesuitMissions