Global work for justice
Working for change to sustain people and earth
Passing on the IPA Lantern
The International Presentation Association (IPA) is pleased to announce that Jessica Dewhurst has been appointed as the new Executive Director of the IPA.
“It is with great hope that I pass the IPA lantern to Jessica. I am certain that IPA is in capable hands and will continue to flourish under her guidance”. – Ann Marie Quinn PBVM, Outgoing Executive Director.
Outgoing IPA Executive Director, Ann Marie Quinn PBVM, met with Jessica in the IPA NGO New York offices in October, to formally welcome her in person and to pass on the IPA lantern. We also bid Ann Marie a fond farewell and deep gratitude as she moves to her new role.
Ann Marie wrote these beautiful words of welcome and farewell, shared with her permission on the IPA website:
“In the spirit of Nano Nagle, this moment of passing the IPA lantern symbolises more than a transition of leadership—it is a profound continuation of the flame that has guided us in our mission of justice, compassion, and service to the most vulnerable. As the lantern is handed on, we are reminded that Nano’s legacy endures through every hand that lifts her lantern, every step taken in solidarity with the oppressed.
With Jessica Dewhurst now carrying this light forward, we trust that the flame will continue to illuminate paths of hope and transformation for all”.
[Message from the outgoing Executive Director, Ann Marie Quinn, PBVM].
A New IPA Website
The International Presentation Association (IPA) is a global association of Presentation Sisters and Presentation People from across the globe, who believe in the universal value of human rights. It strive to amplify the voices of justice advocates and defenders worldwide, fostering a community dedicated to positive change.
The IPA was founded in 1988 as a global advocacy association to continue the work of Venerable Nano Nagle, into the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
It is comprised of thousands of people across the globe, who are inspired by the charism of Nano, as well as are comprised of the Presentation Sisters Union, the Conference of Presentation Sisters of North America and the Presentation Society of Australia and Papua New Guinea.
The IPA have launched a new website that offers a dynamic space where Justice Contacts, as well as anyone inspired by Nano’s mission and the global work of the Presentation Sisters, can come to connect, learn and be inspired to work for justice. See www.ipango.org
The International Presentation Association (IPA) holds Consultative Status at The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
You can contact the IPA Team by email at: ipa.ngo.rep@gmail.com
or at info@ipango.org
A New Logo for the IPA
” … the new IPA logo is more than just a design—it embodies our values, mission and global commitment to justice, peace and care for the Earth”. ~ (Lané Ferreira, Communications and Administrative Assistant, International Presentation Association).
Nano Nagle
The focal point, the inspiration of the International Presentation Association (IPA) is Nano Nagle. Our foundress, Venerable Nano Nagle, is at the centre of the logo, holding the hand of a child, while with the other hand holding up her iconic lantern. The design of this element was inspired by the installation at Nano Nagle’s Birthplace, in Ballygriffin, Mallow Co. Cork.
The image of Nano and the children walking confidently forward, symbolises a collective journey towards justice, empowerment and advocacy, reflecting Nano’s legacy of courageously leading others towards a brighter and more equitable future. She never hesitated, reminding us of our call to persevere with the vital work.
The Lamp or the Lantern
The lamp/lantern (a key element of our previous logo) has been retained in the new design to preserve Nano Nagle’s legacy and symbolism. The lantern in the logo is depicted significantly larger in proportion to the other elements to highlight its importance as a symbol for the world. It reflects Nano Nagle’s lantern as a guiding light for her community, and her continued inspiration globally. It is a call to action for us as Presentation People, to take up her lantern and continue her mission today.
The Children
Nano founded her ministry through education as she believed in the transformative power that education had, not only to change the life of one child but the entire world. The children in the logo represent the work of Nano and her Sister’s, with children through education. The children are called to action, so that we may continually work to ensure that quality education is accessible to all children across the globe.
The four children are shown in the logo in the colours green, red, orange and blue. These colours symbolise the importance and beauty of diversity. This relates to race, culture, ethnicity, religion, language and much more. This also highlights the IPA’s dedication to the rights of indigenous and tribal people. Many who have often faced systematic injustice, marginalisation and threats to their cultural heritage and ancestral lands. The young girl in orange represents the IPA’s commitment to eliminating all forms of violence against women and children, including human trafficking and forced marriages.
The United Nations UNITE Campaign to end all violence against women uses the colour orange as a symbol of hope and a brighter future free from violence. As the IPA’s specific UN Advocacy to eliminate violence against women, it was important to incorporate this element into our logo.
Collectively these elements are a call to action for the respect, celebration and protection of all diversity and the end of all violence against women and children.
The Globe
And then finally, a large globe in the background of the logo represents the organisation’s global reach and commitment to creating a better world for all. It emphasises our commitment to honouring and advancing the inherent rights of the Earth, recognising that the well-being of humanity and the planet are interconnected. We champion the principles of environmental stewardship, social justice and global solidarity. It also represents the International Presentation Association’s connection with the work at the United Nations.
It is hoped that this new logo its explanation will inspire us to take Nano Nagle’s legacy forward into the future.
Note: The explanation of the logo has been taken from a transcript of the introductory video narrated by Lané Ferreira, Communications and Administrative Assistant, International Presentation Association.
*Presentation People refers to individuals connected to the mission and charism of Nano Nagle and the Presentation Sisters. This includes lay associates, partners in mission, educators, advocates, and supporters who embody Nano Nagle’s vision of justice, compassion, and service. United by a commitment to education, human rights, environmental sustainability, and social justice, Presentation People work to create a more just and compassionate world.
Thank you Sr. Ann Marie
At the close o f the final session on our Province Justice Day 2023, Sr. Mary Hanrahan (Provincial Leader, NEP) made a presentation to Sr. Ann Marie Quinn, outgoing Executive Director of the IPA in recognition of her work, and that of the IPA Team in bringing to fruition a reinvigorated and newly focused IPA, that will support our work for Global Justice until the next Assembly.
Our Call As IPA
From the 8th IPA Assembly Closing Address (2023) by Julie Watson PBVM – Congregational Leader.
“Our theme for the Assembly – Listen! God of the Universe beckons – has been the touchstone which invited us to be grounded in the God who calls us. To pay attention, to notice, to listen to God’s call in the reality of our lives.
He came so that all may have life and have it to the full. When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion. He invites us to see and to act, to be moved with compassion, to be open to the other … This same invitation is the thread running through the life of Nano. … Nano’s way of living was nourished by the Gospel. … Nano was moved with compassion to act against the injustices of her time … Now it is our turn to step up and be midwives of an unnamed future … not just those of us gathered here at this Assembly but each one of us across the globe committed to the charism of Nano, and the call of Jesus to be His disciples, are called to live the values of justice and service in our communities and in our ministries”.
The Vision of IPA
A world in which the oneness and sacredness of life is honoured. “Love one another as you have hitherto done” ~ Venerable. Nano Nagle.
Mission of the IPA
To speak and act in partnership with others for global justice, from a contemplative stance, in a spirit of oneness with the whole of creation. “Spend yourselves for the poor” ~ Venerable Nano Nagle.
Our Call to Action
The International Presentation Association believes in and respects the dignity of all. In our advocacy we will honour and advance the rights of women and children, indigenous and tribal people, and our Planet Earth.
“Nano’s time was a time of darkness, a time where the people of Ireland were powerless & voiceless. Today our world is broken by the Cry of Earth & the Cry of the Poor. Our World is crying out for the light of Transformative Justice. It calls all of us committed to the work of Justice to live from a contemplative space, like Nano did in her time”. “I would like to take this opportunity to express a few words of gratitude. Once again to express my thanks for the opportunity to serve IPA in the position of its inaugural Executive Director over the past 5 years. It is not a position I would have imagined I would have been in when I attended the 7th Assembly, but God works in mysterious ways”.
(Anne Marie Quinn, PBVM, Executive Director, (IPA) speaking at the 2023 IPA Assembly, her last as Executive Director).
It would be impossible to share any one element of these days, but you can access a sense of the momentous value of this time by visiting the International Presentation Association (IPA) website at https://globalpres.org/8th-ipa-assembly/ alongside the various media postings shared on our communications platforms during these days. The images speak for themselves.
Heartfelt gratitude to all who worked so hard to make this material so immediately available.
In the following days and weeks update material will be shared here as it becomes available.
See also We Are All IPA!
An IPA—Action Update
“Listen! God of the Universe beckons…”.
As we journey together towards the 8th International Presentation Association (IPA) Assembly taking place in St. John’s Newfoundland, & Labrador, Canada, from 18th to 24th June 2023, we give thanks for the foresight, wisdom and commitment of those founding Sisters who saw the value of a global voice for Justice.
The International Presentation Association (IPA) came into existence thirty years ago when, in a spirit of contemplation the three global units of Presentation Sisters who met together, were overwhelmingly convinced that they could do more together than alone. This led to the formation of the International Presentation Association in 1988.
In the words of the Executive Director of the IPA, Sr. Ann Marie Quinn referring to this 8th Assembly gathering:
“With the Spirit of Nano beckoning us, we gather to strengthen bonds and deepen our commitment to act justly, conscious of the urgency of our times”.
Today, the IPA continues to expand in influence, in no small way, through its networking and collaborations at the United Nations, where the IPA has been accredited with Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) since 1999. This recognition gives Sisters working at community level, a global platform to be a more effective ‘voice for the voiceless’. They act as a global consciousness expanded to embrace a deeper understanding of the relationship between vulnerable communities and the environment.
The IPA Assemblies are vital in providing a forum for IPA Members and Presentation People around the world to foster unity and enable collaboration to further the mission of the IPA.
The theme for this 8th IPA Assembly is:
“Listen! God of the Universe beckons…”.
Prayer for IPA Assembly 2023
God of the Universe …
In this time of great vulnerability throughout our world
you beckon us to create space to engage in deep listening.
May we listen to you in silence.
May we open our hearts to listen to the voices of one another
and may we listen to all of Creation with wonder and respect.
In our listening may we be guided to:
– speak courageously,
– love inclusively,
– imagine creatively,
and co-create a more peaceful
and just world
that flows from living
a spirituality of being in communion.
Amen
International Presentation Association
International Presentation Association is a network of Catholic religious congregations of Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, friends, and associates who work for personal and systemic change for People and Earth.
Our mission is to speak and act in partnership with others for global justice from a contemplative stance in a spirit of oneness with the whole of creation. ( 2017 IPA Assembly)
See: https://globalpres.org/who-we-are/
The International Presentation Association (IPA) is an association of Religious Sisters and Presentation People. It was founded in 1988 as a global advocacy association to continue the work of our founder, Venerable Nano Nagle, into the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
The IPA Executive Director is Ann Marie Quinn PBVM and the secretariat of the IPA is based in Ireland.
As Presentation people we have become aware that we live in a global world. We are aware that everything is connected and that what happens locally affects the whole world just as what happens globally affects the local situation. Our foundress Nano Nagle had a global vision at a time when people were only beginning to discover the extent of the world’s boundaries. We know that to carry out the mission of Jesus in the spirit of Nano Nagle in today’s global context we need to think globally and act globally and locally in partnership with others.
The International Presentation Association is accredited with the United Nation’s Department of Public Information (DPI) from 1997 and with the Economic and Social council (ECOSOC) from 2000. Guided by the UN Charter, ECOSOC is the one UN body that has established rights for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to observe and contribute to its work.
“The IPA uses this consultative status to influence policies at the United Nations on behalf of people and Earth made poor and advocate for systemic justice in collaboration with other like-minded NGOs and religious organisations at the UN”.
The IPA NGO Representative at the UN connects the grass roots and the UN by bringing in the experiences of local communities to the UN and facilitating grass root participation at UN events.
An IPA—Action Update: Our new website goes ‘live’
On June 10th our new IPA website went ‘live’! The website is our digital home, enhancing the vital online interface of the International Presentation Association as a window to our mission across the IPA Network, and our advocacy work at the United Nations.
Its primary focus is on our action for justice as well as informing visitors about ‘us’ as an organisation.
We consulted with a great many people in our initial exploratory phase last summer, and again throughout the design process in order to arrive at this stage. The feedback we received guided the design and content of the final outcome. We were greatly appreciative of the comments from everyone, and for the professional feedback from those Congregations who engaged with their Directors of Communication.
We are indebted to Trish Groves from ‘Five Trees Digital’, the content writer for the website, and ‘Sprout Studios’ who designed and built the site.
It was envisaged, that in developing the website we might also design a new Logo. We then paused on this, and decided instead to refresh the existing logo.
If you look closely, you will notice that we have retained the integrity of the original work while making it just a little bit sharper for viewing online.
Our new website also has a new web address (known as the ‘URL’). See International Presentation Association – International Presentation Association (globalpres.org). A long URL can be difficult to type into a search bar, especially for people for whom English is not their first language, so happily we have chosen to go with ‘globalpres.org’.
The good news is that during the changeover process (a bit like redirecting post) we can keep both addresses and simply redirect everything to the new address.
This is YOUR website: a living space where we focus on our continuing action for justice. The launch of the site is therefore not the end; it is a starting point. To keep things up to date, we would love to receive your photographs and stories, as a window to how you are living the IPA mission today.
Making Uncomfortable Conversations Comfortable
In early 2020, when we were collectively enduring and witnessing a time of great upheaval due to COVID-19 pandemic, the IPA had identified “Elimination of Violence Against Women and Children” as its specific UN Advocacy Focus. The focus emerged from the IPA Priority Action “Women and Children”, intersecting with Priority Actions to “Honour and Advance the Rights of the Earth and the Rights of Indigenous and Tribal people” as well as the Sustainable Development Goals framework.
The COVID-19 global pandemic, intensified and worsened violence against women. The confined living conditions of lockdown, with severe health, economic and social impacts, amplified existing inequalities and power imbalances and disproportionately affected those most vulnerable worldwide.
During COVID-19 pandemic, Presentation Sisters and People have actively engaged in various projects for minimizing violence against women. As leaders in their missions and professions, they work in partnerships with women and their communities to educate and empower them with skills in all aspects. Promoting gender equality has been a critical part of preventing and addressing violence against women. This includes interventions, at global and local level, that address the entrenched beliefs and cultural norms from which gender inequalities develop in order to reduce gender-based violence. Gendered stereotypes and attitudes might influence the likelihood of a gender-based violence survivor feeling comfortable or uncomfortable, being able or unable, to seek help and report to the support services. The monumental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on entrenching gender roles and patterns of gender-based violence was the pressing reason for the current publication.
Our particular interest lies in providing a voice to women experiencing gender stereotypes and domestic violence – presenting not only their experiences, but also their needs going forward, as reflective of their culture and society.
This research publication, ‘Making Uncomfortable Conversations Comfortable’, has been conducted by Ella Rayment, Research Fellow International Presentation Association under the supervision of Dr. Despoina Afroditi Milaki, the IPA NGO Representative at the UN, as a response to the unparalleled entrenchment of gender stereotypes and domestic violence as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Setting the stage for developing IPAs advocacy work in the future, this publication will be the first of many to work with survivors and advocates to privilege experiences and present solutions to gender stereotypes and domestic violence.
As ‘IPA’ may we continuously be awakened with a global consciousness to the woundedness and pain of our world, standing with people in their struggles, while speaking and acting for justice, healing and hope for all.
See Resources – International Presentation Association (globalpres.org)
Sr. Ann Marie Quinn
Executive Director, IPA
(This publication was launched on 25th May 2022).
News Update – July 2021
Brian O’Toole, (Director of the Interprovincial Justice Desk see ) recently attended a meeting of the IPA Justice Contacts from around the world, with a view to planning how we might work together as we prepare for the 8th IPA Assembly in Newfoundland in 2022.
Since the last Assembly (Sydney, 2017) the IPA has been tasked with working together on Priority Action 2—To honour and Advance Care / Rights of the Earth and we have been grouped with others (see right) who are similarly engaged in working in this area of Justice.
Importantly, as the world prepares for COP26, postponed from last year, we see our work as an opportunity to learn and disseminate on COP26 as we try to discern all that we can and could do to advance the rights of the Earth as we work to ensure that those furthest behind are offered a place of prominence in all that we plan.
Given that the IPA UN focus is on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Children we are also looking at Priority Area 2, where the Rights of our Earth and the issues facing women and children overlap, so that we can have more impactful actions that involve those in our communities at home.
IPA Research Fellow Post
The International Presentation Association (IPA) will be leading an in-depth research project focused on various aspects of the elimination of violence against women and children, such as transforming gender stereo-types. The Research Fellow will contribute to this research by conducting an in-depth study, inter alia, on the pathways, approaches & policies of changing gender stereotypes/norms and for bringing about transformative change. The position requires a good understanding of contemporary issues in violence against women and children, as well as experience in applying quantitative and qualitative research methods. Review of applications will begin August 10, 2021. See Home – International Presentation Association for full details (click on relevant Banner on top of website home page).
Monthly IPA Justice Contact Update
Sr. Marie Therese Krueger, pbvm (IPA Programme Action Leader) regularly shares stories, events, photos or items of Presentation interest on her IPA News Update. If you had something you would like to share you can send it on to Brian O’Toole at presinterprovjustice@gmail.com who will forward it on to Sr. Mary T. You can see some of Mary T’s Update Issues HERE
IPA Matters
You can keep up to date on all matters IPA by reading their regular Newsletter – ‘IPA Matters’. In the second issue in June 2021, Sr. Ann Marie Quinn, pbvm (Executive Director of the IPA) writes in her opening message:
“The way we live and work these days has been irrevocably altered but not dominated by the COVID-19 landscape that surrounds us. Because of our commitment to working for global justice from a contemplative stance, in unity with the whole of creation, we are people of hope. In the words of Raphael Consedine, pbvm speaking of the work of Nano Nagle: “She did not spend her energies on anger or on violence in response to injustice, nor did she let herself be paralysed by the magnitude of the problems around her. Accepting the suffering which her decisions entailed, she gave to others the gift of life and of a future”.
‘Empowered in Advocating for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Children’: (IPA Webinar – 24 Nov)
The International Presentation Association (IPA) held a global webinar on the 24th November 2020 on the eve of the UN International Day for the “Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25th) marking the beginning of #16DaysofAction. The title of the webinar was ‘Empowered in Advocating for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Children’.
The IPA’s Executive Director, Sr. Ann Marie Quinn opened the webinar welcoming 130 Presentation people from Africa, Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, India, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, and the United States, placing the theme of the seminar in the context of the IPA’s status at the United Nations and the first and fifth Commitments made at the IPA 7th Assembly in 2017, namely:
- To “Respond to the cry of Earth” and to people made poor by embracing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in a Human Rights framework, addressing the issues of women and Children, Care of the Earth and Indigenous Peoples (as relevant to our local regions.) (1st Commitment), and
- To “Develop a Strategic Plan for IPA”. (5th Commitment)
Both commitments are clearly interconnected. Having a Specific Advocacy focus for IPA is critical for IPA’s presence, engagement and collaboration at the UN whether it is at the UN Headquarters in New York or Geneva (the UN Home of Human Right), or Nairobi (the UN Office for Social Protection). This sharpens the IPA’s emphasis at the UN and achieves greater impact on a global scale, as well as strengthening awareness about the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and the Human Rights Framework across the IPA Network, according to Sr. Ann Marie.
Thanks to the consultative and participatory online gatherings in April, May and July 2020, the IPA has a Specific IPA UN Advocacy Focus for the next two years. The focus emerged from the IPA Foci on Women and Children, as Sr. Ann Marie shares in her introduction to the webinar:
“Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world today and remains largely unreported due to silence, stigma and shame surrounding it.
Emerging data shows that since the outbreak of COVID 19, reports of violence against women, particularly domestic violence, has sharply increased in several countries as security, health and financial concerns heightened tensions, accentuated by confined living conditions of lockdown”.
The IPA Project for the International Day for Eradication of Poverty, is, as many of you are aware, the Society’s mission in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The focus of their project is ‘Towards the Eradication of Gender – Based Violence’.
“Our Work in PNG continues the proud tradition of Nano Nagle and Presentation People from across the globe. This project will work to empower women and children and address systemic barriers which continue their oppression”.
See link to information on the Papua New Guinea (PNG) project: HERE
Dr. Despoina Afrodi Milaki, the IPA NGO Representative at the UN made a presentation on the nature and ‘real life impact’ of violence against women and children detailing and sharing the truly shocking statistic, each figure a life. She identified 3 ways to eliminate this violence under the key headings of Prevent, Respond and Advocate.
- Prevent – by educating, awareness-raising, empowering, building, engaging in key areas. (se detail in the document link below)
- Respond – by providing quality services to women and children survivors of violence, detailing the form these services might take.
- Advocate – defining advocacy as: ‘a deliberate process, based on evidence that directly or indirectly influences decision-makers, stakeholders and relevant audiences to support and implement actions that eliminate violence against women and children, and achieve gender equality.
Dr. Afrodi Milaki then went on to outline in detail How to begin advocacy work, the nature of Strategic Planning and guidance on how to do this. You can see the guidelines in this Powerpoint presentation in the pdf doc IPA Webinar_Nov 2020_NGO Rep PPT
Sr. Ann Marie brought the webinar to a close acknowledging the work and contribution of all who made this event, and the entire work of the IPA possible both historically, and on a daily basis. She concluded:
I bring this webinar to a close with the words of the 7th Assembly prayer: “Creator God you are luring us into a future more expansive than our minds can conceive: Unsettle Us; Disturb and Move us to the edge of New Horizons”. Amen.
You can watch a recording of Webinar (1 hr 20 mins) HERE
See also Eliminate Violence Against Women
UN Day for the Eradication of Poverty and the IPA
On the 17th October each year the United Nations marks the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The theme for 2020 is: ‘Acting together to achieve social and environmental justice for all”.
The eradication of poverty is at the heart of what Presentation is about, expressed through the evolving legacy of Nano Nagle (founder of the Presentation Congregation) in our times through the work and commitment of Presentation people locally and globally.
It is fitting that the International Presentation Association (IPA) each year identifies a project for its support that witnesses to the practical eradication of poverty. The project identified this year is based in Papua New Guinea* and is an expression of the Mission of the Presentation Society of Australia and Papua New Guinea. The IPA support for this project strengthens the mission of the IPA to be able to speak and act in partnership with others for global justice.
“It further assists IPA Membership and Presentation people in fulfilling our commitment to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – particularly Goals 1,5,10,16 and 17.
About the Papua New Guinea Project
In the words of the IPA in Papua New Guinea:
“Our work in Papua New Guinea continues the proud tradition of Nano Nagle and Presentation people from across the globe. This project will work to empower women and children and address systemic barriers which continue their oppression and poverty. The project will be addressing the following SDGs:
Goal 1: No Poverty
Goal 2: Zero Hunger
Goal 3: Good Health & Well-being
Goal 4: Quality Education
Goal 5: Gender Equality
Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities
Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals
We see that our work in Papua New Guinea is best achieved through collaboration”.
Financial assistance from the International Prestation Association (IPA) will allow a focus on generational change in regard to gender based violence through:
- Building a network of NGOs currently working in Papua New Guinea & fostering positive working relationships with them
- Providing upfront assistance for women and children escaping violence in the home
- Implementation of education and resource programmes targeted at women and children
- Establishing short-term accommodation for women and children fleeing Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
The Leadership Team of the Presentation Sisters responsible for the mission in PNG are responsible for this project.
A few statistics
The current statistics for the situation on the ground in Papua New Guinea are truly alarming:
- 88% of women rely on informal support networks for support
- 68% of women experience gender-based violence
- 7.7% of men admit perpetrating violence
The following is an extract from a prayer for the Elimination of Gender Based Violence (GBV) against women prepared by Ricard Rogusz, Justice Contact, Queensland) and shared by the IPA in a recent communication.
We Go Out
Loving God,
giver of life, justice and peace,
you created us in your image
and blessed us with dignity.
But in our world we know
that gender-based violence is an afront to the dignity
of women and children.
In the same way that you gave comfort to Tamar, Dinah and Hagar**,
hold these women and children in your loving arms
and send them your consolation and strength.
Awaken in our hearts compassion for victims of violence
and deepen our commitment to your justice in our world.
Through our action may they find refuge,
salve for their wounds and healing.
Through the mystery of your Son’s resurrection,
may we all realise our buried hopes:
that all will be respected, that all will be loved,
and that all will live in peace.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, your Son.
Amen
(Note: The material that informs this News item comes from a recent International Presentation Association (IPA) communication to IPA Trustees, Members and Presentation people – 18th September 2020).
*Background to Papua New Guinea Project: Gender Inequality in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a social, economic and political issue. Due to poor infrastructure and the remote nature of villages, implementing a national response is difficult. The issue of gender-based violence (GBV) in PNG is well documented and becoming increasingly evident in reports in the media of developed nations. E.g. In a report published by Darko, Smith and Walker (2015) it acknowledges the estimate of over tow thirds of women in PNG have been the victim of physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. It is reported that 7.7% of men admit to perpetrating the violence against women. We can see the discrepancies of those numbers and the potential for increased violence as a result of the reporting of these instances.
[…] “The fight against violence in all its forms needs to be addressed by all individuals and organisations. It is for this reason we, as Presentation people, are working alongside our partner organisations in PNG, and working with the document prepared by the PNG Government: ‘Papua New Guinea National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender Based Violence (2016-2025)”.
**Tamar, Dinah and Hagar are women who appeared in Old Testament and who experienced gender-based violence.
See also HERE for information on 17October.ie
See also HERE
And International Presentation Association Website
We are part of a changed and changing world …
Our mission is to speak and act
in partnership with others
for global justice
from a contemplative stance
in a spirit of oneness
with the whole of creation.
2017 IPA Assembly
Our Vision as IPA is: “A World in which the oneness and sacredness of all life is honoured”.
The content of this article is an extract from an original article that appeared in the Summer 2020 Issue of our Province Magazine – Bachloga. It evolved during phone conversations with Sr. Ann Marie Quinn, pbvm Executive Director of the International Presentation Association (IPA). At the time, Ann Marie was working from her Community House in Warrenmount, Dublin 8. She had returned earlier than anticipated from New York, due to the rapid development of COVID-19 pandemic.
“As Presentation people […] Our foundress Nano Nagle had a global vision at a time when people were only beginning to discover the extent of the world’s boundaries. We know that to carry out the mission of Jesus in the spirit of Nano Nagle in today’s global context we need to think globally, and act globally and locally in partnership with others”.
A Presentation presence at the UN
In September 2018, Ann Marie took up what was then a new post of Executive Director of the International Presentation Association (IPA). The creation of this post arose out of the IPA Assembly (2017) Commitment 2: ‘to determine an appropriate organisational structure for IPA to achieve its mission’.
One of the first undertakings for the IPA Board of Directors and IPA team was to honour Commitment 5 of the IPA Assembly, namely ‘to develop a strategic plan for IPA’. This work resulted in ‘Education and Action for Justice 2020 – 2022 Strategy’. (Note: Presentation Communities have received a copy of this document, and your Community Justice Links have a digital version for sharing).
Networking and partnership-building for collaboration are also important elements of Ann Marie’s brief as Executive Director; to these she is no stranger, given her past experiences of ministry. (Ann Marie celebrated 50 years as a Presentation Sister in 2018.) The only difference now is that the span of the work is from local to global and global to local, and takes place across countries, continents and cultures, within a common partnership in mission: ‘to speak and act in partnership with others for global justice from a contemplative stance in a spirit of oneness with the whole of creation’. The move to working online, necessitated by the pandemic, also tapped Ann Marie’s experience from the foundation days of iScoil as a means of online learning.
We are all living now in a changed and changing world as we live together in solidarity locally and globally as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The inequalities and vulnerabilities of the least in our societies have never been more evident. But they cannot all be blamed on Covid -19.
In the Justice for All report released last year, the Task Force on Justice noted that 1.5 billion people had a justice problem that they could not resolve. Now, as well as before the pandemic, marginalized communities – already poorly served by systems that are not just – face the highest risks, as do vulnerable groups. The pandemic is widening this justice gap, with the problems that many people face increasing sharply and the ability of justice actors to respond declining.
In the current Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies, Justice in a Pandemic – April 2020,1 the foreword states:
“Justice Systems are vital to responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigating its worst effects. A new briefing by the Taskforce on Justice, co-chaired by Hina Jilani calls for urgent action to ensure justice for all in this public health emergency”. In her foreword she states:
“For better or for worse, justice systems and justice workers are on the frontline of this pandemic. If we get our response right, societies will be better able to confront the pandemic effectively and fairly. That will build the foundations for reset and recovery. If we get it wrong, it is no exaggeration to say that people will die unnecessarily”. (see HERE – Report: Justice In A Pandemic )
As the world continues to focus on how to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis is beginning to think about how to “resurrect” humanity when it’s all over, saying he hopes people will have the “necessary antibodies of justice, charity and solidarity”.*
In the words of Pope Francis:
“This is not a time for indifference, because the whole world is suffering and needs to be united in facing the pandemic. May these, the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters living in the cities and peripheries of every part of the world, not be abandoned”. Pope Francis, Urbi et Orbi – Easter Sunday 12th April, 2020 – Rome. (see HERE)
These are questions for all of us.
Notes: 1The Pathfinders are a group of 33 UN member states, international organisations, global partnerships, civil society and the private sector. They work to accelerate action to implement the SDG targets for peace, justice and inclusion (SDG16+). In September 2017, the Pathfinders launched the Roadmap for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies. An updated version was published at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July 2019.
*(These words were published April 17 by Spanish magazine Vida Nueva in a meditation titled “Un plan para resucitar” – “A plan to resurrect.” Much of the text is a meditation on the women who went to the tomb of Christ after the resurrection and had their sorrow turned into joy upon witnessing Christ’s victory over death (see link to article HERE).
To find out more about the International Presentation Association (IPA) see http://internationalpresentationassociation.org/.
Women of Courage
The 58th UN Commission for Social Development has just come to an end on Friday 19th February in New York. #CSocD58 This World Summit for Social Development was initiated to address emerging societal challenges to the implementation of 2030 Agenda. #SDG #UNCSOCD58
Among the global participation was Sr. Ann Marie Quinn, pbvm International Presentation Association (IPA Executive Director), with Dr Despoina Afroditi Milaki who is the full-time IPA NGO Representative at the UN, based in New York, and Sr. Mary Therese Krueger, pbvm the IPA Program Action Leader at this Ministerial Forum: (the 58th session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD58) taking place from 10 to 19 February 2020. See Link to IPA UN involvement
UNANIMA International were also actively present at #CSocD58, presenting their research which shows that women and children/girls, globally, are vulnerable to the personal and familial circumstances, and structural/systemic causes of Family Homelessness. As they said: “These are just two of the faces we will be advocating for!”
This summit and its panel discussions provides a way to educate and influence policy makers at the global level and work for systemic change to achieve a more just world.
The Award for Courage
Annually UNANIMA International presents an Award named The Woman of Courage Award. Beginning in 2008.
On Wednesday 12th February former President of Ireland, Mary McAleese received the UNANIMA International Woman of Courage Award at the United Nations in New York from Jean Quinn, DW – Executive Director of UNANIMA International. In her keynote address at the UN Commission for Social Development in New York, Mrs McAleese said “in the month before the national election held last week, for the first time, the homelessness figures showed a slight drop”.
Former president Mary McAleese told the UN conference that “it is hard to credit” that homelessness in Ireland grew by 150 per cent in the four year period that followed a 2013 pledge by the then government to resolve the problem.
However, she said “it would be a brave person who would claim as in 2013, that we are now on top of the situation and can look forward soon to an end to homelessness”.
Mrs McAleese said she took heart from the fact that during the election campaign “successive opinion polls showed that the public sees the provision of affordable and adequate housing along with the ending of homelessness as top priorities for government action”.
Woman of Courage 2019 Recipient, Former President Mary McAleese and UNANIMA International’s Executive Director Jean Quinn, DW were both speaking at #CSocD58‘s High-level panel discussion on the priority theme: “Affordable Housing and Social Protection Systems for all to address Homelessness” on Monday the 10th of February
See International Presentation Association (IPA) Facebook Link to follow activity @internationalpresentationassociation HERE
Note: UNANIMA International is a Non –Governmental Organisation (NGO) advocating on behalf of Women and Children, Homeless and Displaced, Migrants and Refugees, and the Environment primarily at the United Nations.
“Together we can create a world where Women and Children who live in extreme poverty will be empowered to achieve a better quality of life”. ~ UNANIMA International.
A window on life in Zambia
Sr. Josephine Murphy was part of the Manchester community when she joined the English Province Mission in Zambia in January 1984. This Province had two houses in Zambia’s Western Province—Kaoma and Mongu. Mongu Cheshire Home had recently opened and there were only six girls resident there at first. Josephine taught in Holy Cross Secondary school across the road from the Cheshire Home. She remained in Zambia until 2010 and returned again recently this year to monitor some of the Misean Cara Projects there. This is part of her experience of then and now.
About Zambia then
In 1984 Zambia was still a one party state following independence, but in 1989 President Kaunda allowed other parties to come into being and he handed over peacefully when defeated in the elections. The population of Zambia was relatively small and life was simple with most people living in rural areas, but the move to urban areas was beginning. The country was still dependent on donor funding to build up its health and education services and Irish and Indian sisters were still needed as teachers in secondary schools.
The reality of HIV and AIDS
HIV and AIDS came in the 1980s and devastated the population. Every family was affected by sickness and death of relatives, leading to poverty and great strain on the extended family which would normally look after the orphan children. Sr. Vianney who had nursed for many years in Kaoma hospital started a community orphanage to help relieve the situation. The sisters were also involved in education to raise awareness of HIV infection and programmes like Adventure Unlimited and Behaviour Change had a big influence for good.
Presentation Life and Ministry
In 1989 the Presentation Sisters in the six houses in Zambia (who belonged to the English, Northern and Indian Provinces) and who had been meeting regularly, formed the Zambian Presentation Vice Province. Josephine spent two years in the Sichili Mission where the sisters ran the hospital and out-clinics on behalf of the Diocese and she taught in the community secondary school. Communication was provided by the Capuchin Fathers’ radio twice a day or by the hospital radio, which was linked to the Presentation house in Livingstone. Sr. Zinha oversaw the Leprosy Welfare Centre and Sr. Prema ran the Homecraft Centre. A formation programme for Zambian women who wanted to become Presentation Sisters started in the 1990s. Before Josephine left in 2010 the Zambian sisters were trained teachers and nurses and in full-time ministries.
Josephine spent her last ten years in Zambia in Livingstone, helping in the novitiate and doing pastoral care of the sick before she got involved in a Diocesan project to set up a skills training centre for older orphans. This Youth Community Training Centre still caters for vulnerable youth from all denominations and offers them a way to find employment to support their families.
The present day
In 2013, the Zambia and Zimbabwe Presentation groups had come together to form the Africa Unit. Now in 2019, the sisters in the Africa Unit team are Judith Bingura and Sandra Ndingwa from Zimbabwe and Judith Haabasune and Numba Mukeya from Zambia. Many of the Irish and Indian Sisters who were in Zambia with Josephine have returned to Ireland, England and India, while Sr. Sue McGregor from New Zealand is still in Lusaka working in a drugs/alcohol rehabilitation programme.
HIV is still a problem in Zambia with many new infections but Anti Retroviral Drugs slow down the progression of the disease and parents live to see their children grow up. The education system in the country has expanded but children still learn in overcrowded classrooms and there is high youth unemployment. The country’s infrastructure is improving with better roads and bridges. If there is better rainfall this season it is hoped to overcome the problems caused by this year’s severe drought. Josephine adds however, that the population has now almost trebled since her arrival in 1984.
A return visit in 2019
Sr. Josephine spent six weeks in Zambia (mainly in the Western Province) in July and August of this year (2019) doing monitoring visits for Misean Cara Projects. This was her first return visit since she left in 2010, and this is the experience she shared.
Lusaka has developed and is on the surface more like a South African city. But there is poverty and unemployment in the compounds. One of our projects run by Sr. Mary Brennan (the community school in Chipata Compound) was celebrating its 25 years, when she was there. As she recounts:
The road west to Kaoma is now much busier as people move to villages near the main road. In Kaoma, Sr. Mbololwa works in the Government hospital and Ireen and Peggy in the school. In 2014, Presentation Sisters took over the community school, providing for many students who could not find secondary school places, and helped to add on six senior secondary classes. It is the first Presentation School in Zambia. A Grant Aided school whereby the government pays the teachers but the infrastructure is the responsibility of the Presentation Sisters.
The Secondary School Project
The Project for the extension of the secondary school section is funded by Misean Cara and Presentation Sisters. New classrooms have been built, as up to now they were sharing primary school buildings which caused great overcrowding. An administration block, hall and Computer room are also in place and Science and Home Economics rooms are underway.
Both teachers and students have had training in Child Safeguarding and on the SDGs over the years. Classes take responsibility for growing fruit and vegetables in the Production Unit, which along with the chickens and the cassava they harvest in Kalukundwe, the Presentation farm, are sold to provide income for school expenses. Some of the primary school buildings were originally part of Sr. Vianney’s orphanage which has now been phased out. Other orphanage buildings are on rent to provide income for the further education of the orphans and to provide accommodation for those students who have no extended families and one of the buildings is now a guesthouse run by the Friends of Nano to raise income for their charities.
Nano Farm, a demonstration farm in Kaoma was started by Srs. Inez and Virginia and shows people methods of organic farming and fish farming. Sr. Bella and Sr. Lucy Sebastian live on the farm.
The Cheshire Home Mongu
Sr. Numba teaches in the Training College and lives in Cheshire Home (Mongu) as well as being on the Leadership Team. Srs. Cathy and Stella run the Cheshire Home which had 62 children in July, some of whom were recovering from corrective surgery and all of them had regular physiotherapy. The government has seconded four teachers and the children are in classes according to their ability. There is a great spirit in the Home between children and staff, and children help each other to move about, with various activities including football and group table games in the evening. Local people support the Home also with visits and gifts.
The Income Generating Activities for Mongu Cheshire Home are Liseli Lodge, which has a restaurant, take away and various types of accommodation and is a commercial success, and Rhino Block products which is at an early stage, as it is having problems with constant power cuts.
I was happy also to spend a few days in Pemba in Southern Province where Sr. Mary Lucey has helped local people with building up three villages with each household having a good portion of land. Judith is teaching in the local school as well as being on the Unit Leadership Team. I also spent a few days in Livingstone and I went back to the Youth Community Training Centre which is now run by Baptistine sisters on behalf of the Diocese, giving skills training to young people.
The impact of Climate
It is clear that climate still has a huge impact on the quality of life of the people. Since the rainy season last year was very poor, I saw everywhere the effects of drought in the Western and Southern Provinces. There was no grass for the animals and the price of the staple food, mealie meal was increasing daily, so hunger in the rural areas especially is a big problem. People were depending more on cassava which is a drought resistant crop but less nutritious than maize.
Relief efforts were starting on a small scale from churches and government just as I was leaving.
Sr. Josephine Murphy, PBVM
Some useful links:
For more information: on Misean Cara: https://www.miseancara.ie/
For information on the drought situaton: Food situation in Zambia on the verge of crisis
This piece ‘A window on life in Zambia’ is an extract from an article that first appeared in the Spring-Summer 2019 Issue of Bachloga (Little Shoots) resulting from an interview with Josephine. Bachloga is a quarterly magazine sharing Presentation Life that is produced by the North East Province.
Living with those ‘kept poor’
Sr. Helen Lenehan shares some of her experiences
Sr. Helen Lenehan returned to Ireland (to the North East Province) in 2018 after twenty-seven years of life on mission in the Philippines. Helen hails originally from Co. Kilkenny. “When I arrived in the Philippines, in September 1991, there were six Irish Sisters there along with seven Filipina Sisters. Having studied the language, I got my first assignment in June 1992″.
Indeed, my first venture into adult literacy was met with opposition. I had gone out to a barrio (a local area) with a young Filipina student and was warmly welcomed.
However, when I arrived, as arranged, on the following Saturday to set up the classes only a handful turned up, and the students with me learned that the military had been informed that I had been in the area. The fear of the military was still strong and these poorly educated people had been told that I was a communist, and they were not to attend the sessions. The college, administered by the Sisters in the town of Binalbagan, was well known for its effort at education for systemic change, and the Sisters had even been called communist from the altar.
Those ‘kept poor’
Helen went on to share the day to day reality of living there with the people, naming, addressing and challenging where possible those systems and structures that maintained a poverty of life and livelihood for families and individuals within the communities she got to know well.
She gave a very practical example of the disconnect that often existed between appearance and reality, where in the Haciendas (large plantations) owned by exceedingly wealthy (and often remote) landlords, their employees did not receive a fair wage for their labour. But yet these same landowners were at the forefront funding and sponsoring large and important international meetings and projects that raised their profile on the world stage. It is not just the absentee landlords but also business magnates with extensive wealth (e.g. some with an estimated wealth of $9 billion) and also of those politicians who while in receipt of congressional funding for development in their local areas, were thought by the locals to be providing scholarships ‘out of their own pockets’. She cites figures from 2013 where 75% of lawmakers in the Philippines were drawn from political dynasties; 42% of lawmakers in Thailand and correspondingly 22% in Ireland.
No social welfare system exists so this means in real terms that if a family member gets sick, the cost of paying for treatment and medication can decimate families, as it takes all their limited funds or even the ability or capacity of the bread-winner to continue to work.
Working conditions
Helen also gave an example of the experience of workers on the sugar cane plantations which produce the main food crop of the Philippines. There is a six month growing season and a six month harvest period. During this growing season (called ’The Dead Season’ due to massive unemployment) labour is reduced and people are not paid. The school attendance period also happens to coincide with this growing season, so promissory notes are a big thing – seeking permission to pay later when employment starts again.
The book of the same title: ‘The Dead Season’ published in 1986 by US Journalist, Alan Berlow accurately describes the plantation lifestyle of the hacienderos and the oppression that goes with it, as well as the collusion of the military with the landed gentry. “It offers a gripping investigation into a savage murder on the Philippine island of Negros. Alan, in his investigation of the murder discovers that the ultimate cause is imbedded in the history and culture of a society locked into cyclones of violent conflict, behind a façade of democratic government”.
The cost of empowerment
Working conditions in the factories are all geared towards maximum production. Again, Helen shared the example of a doll factory that produced really high class expensive dolls for export. The factory makes the elaborate and beautiful clothes for these dolls. On the factory floor, the backs of the chairs of the seamstresses have been removed so they cannot sit back with ease and potentially produce less. One woman Helen knew who worked there, was forced to purchase from her already small wages the clothes she had produced, as she had pricked her finger on a needle which had bled onto the material so the item could not be sold. This woman was supported to recognise the injustice of this and to say it to her employer – but as a result lost her job.
Helen has shared in the lived experience of the people in their communities, and she cites a comment made to her by a South American man, to highlight the problems and the challenges of empowering the poor, such as peasant farmers to assert their lives, he said: “Religious are lucky and privileged, since if their lives are in danger, they can be taken out of the country by their Order, but the poor have no redress”. They (the peasant farmers) are the people who are being killed by the hired killers of the landlords.
What does justice look like for those ‘kept poor’ by systems and structures that could be interpreted as a measure of success on the global stage?
Sr. Helen Lenehan, pbvm
This piece ‘Living with those kept poor’ is an extract from an article that first appeared in the Spring-Summer 2019 Issue of Bachloga (Little Shoots) resulting from an interview with Helen. Bachloga is a quarterly magazine sharing Presentation Life that is produced by the North East Province.
