Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul West Central Province
Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul West Central Province
Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul West Central Province
The selling of illegal armaments used to be the most lucrative illegal business in the United States, but it has been surpassed by human trafficking - human slavery!! This brings in more money than armaments or drugs!...learn more on pages 6-7 in the May 2010 ASJ Newsletter
...advocates are now beginning to pressure Congress and President Obama to take action....full story
Learn about slavery in our world today.
The acronym DREAM signifies “Drug Resource Enhancement against AIDS and Malnutrition”...full story
The Daughters and Vincentians open website for their advocacy efforts via their NGO status at the UN...visit the website
In 2009 people documented cases of human trafficking around the globe on SlaveryMap.org , passing the 1000 mark before 2010!!
This is a valuable tool showcasing real incidents of modern-day slavery around the globe. A resource which can now impact legislation, persuading the public and lawmakers alike of the prevalence of this issue in our world.
Visit SlaveryMap.org to view or contribute cases of human trafficking!
A new exhibit titled "Who Knows Tomorrow?" tells the stories of extremely neglected and rejected people from seven countries and how the Daughters of Charity work to assist them...full story
The Advocating for Social Justice Committee, with approval of the five US Visitatrixes, has endorsed the Interfaith Platform on Humane Immigration Reform...full story can be found on pg. 6 of June 2009 ASJ Newsletter
Daughters of Charity stand in solidarity with immigrants. The PBS video linked here describes the reality of persons living in Mexico, especially the city of Juarez. The Sisters in El Paso, Brownsville, and other border towns stand with them and call for comprehensive immigration reform as well as changed policies to protect those fleeing the violence.
Watch the story that PBS's Religion and Ethics did on the violence in Juarez. The story once again highlights the importance of some type of legal immigration relief for Mexicans affected by the violence and who have fled Mexico and entered the US. At the present time, the Department of Homeland Security is rejecting asylum petitions from Mexicans fleeing the violence on a wholesale basis. Tens of thousands of Mexicans are now living in hiding in El Paso and other border cities because there is no legal avenue available for protection.
A joint project of the worldwide Vincentian Family, Fonkoze, DePaul University, and the Haitian Hometown Association Resource Group Initiated on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the deaths of St. Louise de Marillac and St. Vincent de Paul
As we previously announced, the Vincentian Family is commemorating the 350th anniversary of the deaths of St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac by launching Zafen.org. This joint project enables people throughout the world to contribute to sustainable economic development in Haiti. The official launch for this exciting venture was April 1, 2010!
We are enthusiastic about the myriad ways in which members of the Vincentian Family can become active in Zafen.org. The website offers you the following ways to get involved:
In response, please consider these opportunities:
We look forward to your participation in this meaningful opportunity to celebrate the lives of St. Louise de Marillac and St. Vincent de Paul, and to make a lasting difference in the lives of those in need.
Zafen “It’s Our Business”
Sincerely,
The Members of the Vincentian Family Board for the Pilot Micro-Credit Project in Haiti:
Mr. Eduardo Almeida, Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Ms. Yasmine Cajuste, Vincentian Marian Youth
Ms. Jacqueline Casseus, International Association of Charities
Sr. Rosa María Sanchez, Daughters of Charity
Fr. Joseph Foley, Congregation of the Mission
Prof. Laura Hartman, DePaul University
Fr. Robert Maloney, Congregation of the Mission
The Daughters of Charity houses situated in Port-au-Prince have been severely damaged and the Sisters have become homeless having to sleep outside in tents. They are trying to give basic services (nursing care, nutrition and accompaniment) in the middle of the general chaos. As soon as the disaster struck Sisters from Santo Domingo and from Porto Rico left for Port-au- Prince to be available for the wounded. They also sent provisions, medical supplies and other aid by trucks from Santo Domingo and by small planes from Miami.
One of our Sisters - Sister Brigitte Pierre - died as a result of the earthquake and two other Haitian Sisters lost close members of their families. Moreover all the Sisters of the Province feel the sadness at the disappearance of so many people, the poor, friends, and benefactors, members of the Vincentian Family, Clergy, and Religious... The situation is heart-breaking.
In response to a call from the Company, several Provincials have offered Sisters who are nurses to go to Haiti as part of a DC Assistance Team. Each team will remain about three months and be replaced by others. The generosity of the Provinces has been extraordinary. On the 20th of January four Sisters (from the Provinces of Albany and Great Britain) arrived in Port-au-Prince, via Santo Domingo, to help the people. At the beginning of February, ten other Sisters (from the Provinces of Argentine, Bogota, Cuba, Mexico, Paraguay, Madrid St Vincent, Pamplona and Seville) will join this team.
The first Sisters came to Port au Prince in January 1973 from Porto Rico. Currently, there are thirty one Sisters of ten nationalities – 14 of whom are Haitians – living in five local DC community houses. Four of these are situated in and around Port-au-Prince and the fifth is in Gonaives. The Sisters serve in schools, dispensaries, Social Centres and are engaged in Pastoral work.
by Sr. Carol Keehan, DC
President and CEO, Catholic Health Association of the USA
In health care, the voice of faith in the public square is more important now than ever before. Catholics and others must continue to insist that we use our collective experience, wisdom and sense of the common good to create a health care system that safeguards human dignity for everyone—from conception to natural death.
read full article: page 1 November 2009 Advocating for Social Justice Newsletter
by Sr. Elizabeth Greim, DC
Macon is a small city between Atlanta and Savannah. It is a very quiet southern town. The demographics are typical of the area, with a 36% poverty rate and issues with race relations. Macon has some wonderful features and some that are not so pleasant. But Macon would never have thought of itself as a haven for sex trafficking…until recently!
read part 1 on page 1 in the June 2009 Advocating for Social Justice Newsletter.
read part 2 on page 3 in the November 2009 Advocating for Social Justice Newsletter.
Daughter of Charity, Sr. Mary Jo Swift, presents information as part of her work with the South Texas Coalition on Human Trafficking.
In this video Sr. Elizabeth shares about how she got connected to the efforts to end human trafficking in Macon, Georgia.
Federal, state and local governments spend approximately 1.1 billion dollars annually on healthcare costs for undocumented immigrants, aged 18-64, or approximately $11 in taxes for each U.S. household. This compares to 88 billion dollars spent on all health care for non-elderly adults in the U.S. in 2000. Foreign born individuals tend to use fewer health care services because they are relatively healthier than their native born counterparts. For example, in Los Angeles County, “total medical spending on undocumented immigrants was $887 million in 2000 – 6 percent of total costs, although undocumented immigrants comprise 12 percent of the region's residents.”
(Source: The Rand Corporation, “RAND Study Shows Relatively Little Public Money Spent Providing Healthcare to Undocumented Immigrants,” November 14, 2006, http://www.rand.org/news/press.06/11.14.html; Dana P. Goldman, James P. Smith and Neeraj Sood, “Immigrants and the Cost of Medical Care,” Health Affairs 25, no. 6 (2006): 1700-1711)