Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) Blogs

Together for Justice

International Development and Advocacy

Poem: Fire Erupting

By Rev. Ellie Stock Fire erupting, scorching the land, cities flaming as the oppressed make their stand, Enough is Enough!  We will be free!— no more 400 years of Wetiki: white supremacy mind virus cannibalizing and enslaving legally, no more protesting, exhausting, mass incarcerating, lynching, grieving—too much pain, Enough is Enough!—now hard blowing winds of… Read more »

Tell TIAA to stop grabbing farmland and forests!

The Presbyterian Hunger Program has been a long time advocate of efforts to defend the land rights of communities. Much of our work through the Joining Hands initiative is to support communities in their efforts to prevent forced evictions, displacements, destruction of the environment, and loss of livelihoods due to land grabbing. Too often we… Read more »

Land Rights Victories Post Tsunami

Joining Hands Sri Lanka continues to make gains in the fight for land rights as tourism grows By Herman Kumara | Praja Abhilasha “Building Back Better” continues to be the World Bank’s motto for “rebuilding stronger, faster, and more inclusively” after natural disasters. The motto was first introduced during the post 2004 tsunami development process…. Read more »

Poem: I Can’t Breathe

By Rev. Ellie Stock Inside the glass a young man says his last goodbye, a phone call to his mother, vigiling outside, a cough and a sneeze now a pandemic disease, soon he is whispering, I can’t breathe— isolated and trapped by a ventilator machine, a masked nurse holds his hand to ease his pain… Read more »

Covid-19 impact on Global Hunger

Global hunger was already on an upward trajectory before the Covid-19 pandemic. Most countries are experiencing some form of economic crisis. Poor communities have been hit the hardest. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “The number of people battling acute hunger and suffering from malnutrition is on the rise yet again. … And the upheaval that… Read more »

Pandemic Could Lead to More Investor-State Lawsuits

Foreign investors may sue states for covid-19 responses By Eileen Schuhmann | Presbyterian Hunger Program Most governments worldwide have had to take historic measures to slow the spread of Covid-19 to protect the health of its populations, as well as employ fiscal remedies to lessen the economic impacts of those actions. Much of the world… Read more »

Mama Toya on How to Live in Quarantine

Eighty-four year old Victoria Trujilla, aka ¨Mama Toya¨, speaks from her home on the outskirts of La Oroya, Peru to give us advice on how to live in quarantine. Mama Toya organized a small group of friends, who call themselves the Conservation Committee of Villa El Sol. Over the past twenty years this small group… Read more »

Remembering the massacre of indigenous protestors in Peru

By Jed and Jenny Koball | Mission Co-workers Peru Earlier this month marked the 11th anniversary of ¨El Baguazo¨ – the massacre of indigenous protesters in the Amazon at the hands of the Peruvian National Police.  Of course, remembering such recent history of oppression today in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd and… Read more »

Video: PHP at Work Around the World

Check out this 3 minute video introduction to the work of the Presbyterian Hunger Program in the United States and around the world. PHP is part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and works to alleviate hunger and eliminate the underlying causes. The work of the Presbyterian Hunger Program is possible thanks to your gifts to One… Read more »

Pandemic deepens pre-existing inequalities in Peru

The Platform for Environmental and Human Health in Junín, which is presided over by the Red Uniendo Manos Peru (Joining Hands Peru) issued a public declaration with regard to COVID-19, the vulnerability to communities where extractive activity is happening, and a call to improve the health attention they are receiving. Here is an excerpt of… Read more »