Minutes of AGM – November 6, 2010pwrdf.org/uploads/169/1.1_agm_minutes___nov_5_2011.… · Web viewthe primate’s world relief and development fund. le fonds du primat pour le

1.1

THE PRIMATE’S WORLD RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT FUNDLE FONDS DU PRIMAT POUR LE SECOURS

ET LE DÉVELOPPEMENT MONDIAL

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGSATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2011

THE TORONTO AIRPORT HOTEL, 600 DIXON ROADTORONTO, ONTARIO

Voting Members Present:

Board of DirectorsFarida Akhter Rt. Rev. Thomas MorganJim Cullen Tom MorrisonAaron Emery Lillian NewberyMost Rev. Fred Hiltz Rafael Soares de OliveiraDr. Carol Baker Hofmeyr Rev. Laura Marie PiotrowiczMatt Koovisk Rev. David PritchardMaureen Lawrence Rev. Lynn RossChris Longson Lynne Taylor

Diocesan RepresentativesDebra Gill – Arctic Rev. Deirdre Roach – MoosoneeFrances Stewart – Brandon Peter Goodwin – New WestminsterAlison Longson – Calgary Doris M’Timkulu - NiagaraSheila Boutcher – Central Nfld Chris Pharo – Nova Scotia & PEIGeoff Strong – Edmonton Valerie Maier – OttawaAnne Walling – Fredericton Susan Roe Finlay – Rupert’s LandRev. Gregory Smith – Huron Violet Goodfellow - SaskatchewanAngela Andrews – Montreal Cynthia Haines-Turner – Western Nfld

Betty Davidson - YukonYouth CouncilGillian Hoyer

Members Present by Proxy VoteBishop Barry Clarke (Board – Jim Cullen proxy)Charlene Taylor (Diocesan Rep - E. Nfld & Labrador - Jim Cullen proxy)Basil Pogue (Diocesan Rep - Qu’Appelle – Cynthia Haines-Turner proxy)Heather Karabelas (Diocesan Rep – Kootenay – Jim Cullen Proxy)Margaret Anderson (Diocesan Rep – Caledonia – Maureen Lawrence proxy)

Others Present – Non-VotingYouth CouncilJenifer Andreas Beth LorimerAllie Colp Cody McKayTessa Dudley Cydney ProctorArthur Gregoris Gabby Richichi-Fried

PWRDF Annual General Meeting– November 5, 2011 – DRAFT 1

1.1

Observers and GuestsRev. Dr. Faith Rohrbough, Observer – Evangelical Lutheran Church in CanadaJim Cornelius, Executive Director, Canadian Foodgrains BankSally Keeble, Executive Director, Anglican AllianceHugh Chambers, Honorary MemberCathy Robertson, Member, PWRDF Audit and Risk Management CommitteeArchdeacon Gordon Finney, Diocese of TorontoRev. Marcia Perryman, on behalf of Win PerrymanRev. Canon Tim Grew – Diocese of OntarioJenny Formanek – Diocese of TorontoMary Donato – Diocese of Algoma

StaffAdele Finney, Jill Martin, Patricia Henshaw and Yvonne Lane

RegretsRt. Rev. Barry Clarke Mr. Angus SinclairDr. Donna Goodleaf The Rev. Canon David PickettMs. Joyce Ellman The Ven. Michael ThompsonMs. Denise Hambidge Mr. Rod McDowell

WELCOME & INTRODUCTIONS

Archbishop Fred Hiltz opened the meeting with prayer and welcomed everyone to the meeting. The Registrar, Yvonne Lane, confirmed there was a quorum.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

The President advised that the Audit and Risk Management Committee report would occur before presentation of the Audited Financial Statements.

Motion: AGM/11/11/01 [Document 2.1]Moved: Matt KooviskSeconded: Debra GillThat the revised agenda be accepted as presented.CARRIED

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

1. 2010 Annual General Meeting

Motion: AGM/11/11/02 [Document 2.2]Moved: Lynne TaylorSeconded: Maureen LawrenceThat the minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on November 6, 2010 be approved as presented.CARRIED


1.1

2. 2011 Special Meetings

Motion: AGM/11/11/03 [Documents 2.2.1 & 2.2.2]Moved: Laura Marie PiotrowiczSeconded: Violet GoodfellowThat the minutes of the Special Meetings held on January 11 and May 3, 2011 be approved as presentedCARRIED

PRESIDENT’S REPORT [Document 2.3]Archbishop Hiltz presented his detailed report. He also reported on several of the decisions reached at the Board of Directors meeting, which concluded on October 4th, as follows:

Management Team (Adele Finney, Jill Martin and Elsa Tesfay)Approval of an Implementation Plan for the PWRDF Strategic Plan with the main objectives:

1. To strengthen PWRDF’s response to humanitarian need.2. To strengthen PWRDF and Partners’ work in sustainable community development

and increase the impact of the PWRDF Development Partnership Program.3. To nurture dynamic partnerships with Canadian Anglicans.4. To work towards financial sustainability.

Governance Committee (Maureen Lawrence, Chair)o Approval of a revision to By-law 5.02, “that there shall be a minimum of twelve and

a maximum of sixteen directors”.o Approval “that, by 2013, the PWRDF Board of Directors be comprised of 11 elected

members, plus one member each from the House of Bishops, the Anglican Council for Indigenous Peoples (ACIP) and the PWRDF Youth Council”.

o A conversation regarding international partners as Board members or program partners. No decision was reached and the Board will take some time to consider the impact of international partners on its life and work.

Partnership Steering Committee (Laura Marie Piotrowicz, Co-Chair)Approval of a draft budget ($19,827.50) for the 2012 Global Roundtable.

Youth Council (Aaron Emery) and National Forum (Cynthia Haines-Turner )Reports added to AGM agenda.

The President concluded his remarks by stating that – if I have a regret about Vision 2019, it is that PWRDF was not given the place it deserves in that Vision!

Motion: AGM/11/11/04Moved: Matt KooviskSeconded: Debra GillThat the Report of the President be accepted as presented. CARRIED


1.1

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT [Document 2.4]Adele Finney presented the report. She noted that, after listening to presentations and conversations during the previous days’ meetings, the primary question PWRDF needs to ask of all its work is not as on page 2, but is instead a question about who has agency: “How does what we propose to do help suffering and vulnerable people become agents of transformation for themselves and their communities?”

She emphasized that a primary task for PWRDF staff in the next 3-6 years is to visit dioceses and meet with people engaged in parish and diocesan outreach projects. The hope is that there will be new language and mutuality in what we all do at the global and local levels and that we can be catalysts for one another.

While anticipating a positive response from CIDA regarding funding, the board has approved a stand-alone PWRDF budget and PWRDF will be approaching Canadian Anglicans in new ways, as business leaders and as people already doing international work through their parishes and dioceses. There is real excitement within management and staff at PWRDF about recognizing and working with the “shape of the new”. The world and its peoples are in an unprecedented time of transition, and we need to figure out how to be transformative agents in it.

Motion: AGM/11/11/05Moved: Matt KooviskSeconded: Jim CullenThat the Report of the Executive Director be accepted as presented.CARRIED

NATIONAL FORUM REPORTCynthia Haines-Turner presented the report:

1The experience at the Forum is invaluable for diocesan coordinators/representatives - it is life-giving, life-altering, encouraging and revitalizing. Here we all start from the same place. We support each other in the ministry in which we are involved in our dioceses.

I want to say a word about the staff as we appreciate all they do throughout the year, both in the sheer volume and quality of the work they do. But we also appreciate the planning and preparation for this Forum. There was never a problem with us being engaged in what we did here – instead the challenge was to move us on to the next item on the agenda as each time we wanted to keep talking.

Cynthia concluded her remarks with the assistance of a back-up group, singing the following song about what they experienced during the Forum:

Tis a gift to be serving.Tis a gift for you and me.Tis a gift we proclaimas we meet from sea to sea.When we gather here we bring the world insideas we come to represent those far and wide.


1.1

We long for peace and harmonyfor those without voices and those we see.Moving all hearts will be our delighttil by moving, moving, it comes round right.

There's a rainbow of promisein the work that we do,gender learning sessions andyouth to help us through,diocese and national strategies all planned,a celebration dinner with all on hand.

We breathe this prayer O God of Lovea truly just, healthy and peaceful worldmoving all hearts will be our delighttil by moving, moving, it comes round right.

YOUTH COUNCIL REPORT

Aaron Emery presented a verbal report. There are currently 12 members on the Youth Council, five of whom are new this year, and there are three vacancies [i.e. ACIP, Lutheran observer and Province of Rupert’s Land]. PWRDF staff member is Sheilagh McGlynn. Currently, there are two interns at Church House.

The Youth Council meeting will commence immediately following the AGM. The agenda includes a media training session to assist members to explore and learn how to be effective storytellers.

Other highlights: The new Living Justice resource – it is fantastic for the PWRDF network and for

parishes across the country. Hard copies are available – however, all “youth” resources are available for downloading at the justgeneration.ca website.

The 50 Leaders Program (in its 3rd year) – 15 leaders have completed the program thus far. [Board members were requested to consider and recommend prospective young leaders at the national and parish levels for participation in the program.]

The CLAY Initiative (Canadian Lutheran Anglican Youth) – PWRDF is partnering with Lutherans in this initiative. CLAY meets every 2nd year and is connected to a 12-for-12 national youth project raising funds through building blocks for a community development.

Advent – there are four studies for connecting the Gift Guide with the weekly readings.

Gabby Richichi-Fried was acknowledged for her contribution to the development and production of Living Justice.


1.1

AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – MARCH 31, 2011 [Document 2.5]

The Treasurer, Jim Cullen, presented the report. He advised that, this year, the Auditor’s Report is much more detailed than in the past, in order to comply with accounting rules established by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Statement of Financial Position at March 31, 2011Assets: $6,363,999 Current Liabilities and Net Assets: $1,768,658, of which $565,260 is for project grants payable and $1,079,959 is deferred revenue. Net assets: $4,595,341.

Statement of Operations at March 31, 2011Revenue: $5,653,982. This was reduced from the previous year because of the special funds raised for disaster relief. For the year, the deficit of revenue over expenses was $337,975.

The year commenced with a surplus of $1,093,504 and $55,000 was transferred into unrestricted funds. The above deficit was applied against the surplus brought forward and at the end of the year a surplus of $810,529 was carried forward into the current year.

The remainder of the financial statements are the Notes which are required under the accounting rules and provide details of marketable securities.

Motion: AGM/11/11/06Moved: Chris LongsonSeconded: Lynne TaylorThat the Audited Financial Statements for 2010-2011 be approved. CARRIED

AUDIT AND RISK MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE [Document 2.6]Chris Longson presented the report and expressed appreciation to Cathy Robertson (the non-Board member of the committee) for her enthusiastic contribution to the committee’s work.

Regarding “audit”: PWRDF’s auditor, Cowperthwaite Metha, has been doing the job for many years. This year’s audit went well, there is good cooperation between the staff and auditor and there were no problems. The auditor has confirmed that the schedule of fees for next year will be the same as this year and that the audit scope is expected to be the same next year, so the overall cost should be about the same. The Committee therefore recommended that Cowperthwaite Metha be reappointed as auditor for PWRDF for the next year.

Regarding “risk management”, which is probably less familiar to most people: It is a trendy term ensuring there are “Plan Bs” in place to deal with events which don’t turn out as we hoped and for ensuring there are processes in place to minimize the chance that our organization goes off-track. Risk management is therefore everyone’s responsibility – management, staff and board. The committee’s job is mainly to raise awareness and make sure that risk management is being built into everyone’s work. Key areas of risk identified over the past year or so are:

1. Health and safety of staff in field areas.2. Risk of not receiving CIDA funding, as mentioned in the Executive Director’s report.


1.1

3. In these times of financial instability, there is enhanced risk to PWRDF’s investment portfolio.

4. The risk posed by the Anti-terrorist legislation for us sending funds to Partners who may, through their human rights or social justice advocacy work, become at odds with their governments and become labelled as “terrorists”. This may lead to the Canadian govern-ment accepting this designation and there are dire consequences for any organization trying to fund terrorist organizations.

The committee was pleased to report that all of the above issues are being dealt with by the Finance Committee, the Board of Directors and the Management Team. Work is underway preparing a new incident and emergency response plan for PWRDF staff working away from their home base.

As part of a transparency initiative, PWRDF joined the Ethical Code Program of Imagine Canada this past year. Consequently, next year, PWRDF will be reporting the financial results at least two months earlier than previously, by the end of September at the latest.

Motion: AGM/11/11/07Moved: Alison LongsonSeconded: Susan Roe FinlayThat the report of the Audit and Risk Management Committee be received. CARRIED

Appointment of AuditorsMotion: AGM/11/11/08Moved: Chris LongsonSeconded: Matt KooviskThat Cowperthwaite Mehta, Chartered Accountants, be reappointed as auditors for the fiscal year 2011/2012.CARRIED

GUEST SPEAKER – Jim Cornelius, Executive Director [Document 1.3]Canadian Foodgrains Bank [CFGB]

Reflections attached as Appendix A. [See page 11]

Mr. Cornelius received a standing ovation and the President thanked him for his ‘time and wisdom’, noting that ‘this underlines the importance of PWRDF’s membership in CFGB’.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE REPORT [Document 2.7]

The Chair, Maureen Lawrence, presented a comprehensive report and advised that the objective of the Nominating Committee is to assist the Board in fulfilling its responsibility for the quality of its own governance in accordance with the Board Member Selection Policy. The Nominating Committee, using Terms of Reference approved by the Board, began the nominating process by establishing eligibility criteria, developing a Skills Matrix and compiling an inventory of current Board Members’ skills. The three Board members seeking re-election each had to seek


1.1

nomination, following which peer review evaluations were completed. A call for nominations for Board vacancies was issued in May and for honorary members in June.

Subsequently, the following slate of candidates for Board membership was approved – Chris Longson (Calgary), David Pritchard (Yukon), Lynne Taylor (Nova Scotia/PEI) and Anne Marie Walling (Fredericton). As well, the committee recommended that Monica McKay (Toronto) and Win Perryman (Ontario) be awarded PWRDF Honorary Memberships.

Amendment to By-law 5.04As the Board approved amendments to section 5.04 in May 2011 eliminating additional nominations at the AGM, the committee is recommending a further revision to the by-law decreasing (from 55 to 30) the number of days required for circulation of the nominee list to voting members.

Audit and Risk Management CommitteeSince one member (Cathy Robertson) has two years remaining in her term and two additional members are required, the Nominating Committee is recommending Chris Longson and Lynne Taylor for election.

The Nominating Committee held one face-to-face meeting and participated in seven teleconference calls.

Motion: AGM/11/11/09Moved: Cynthia Haines-TurnerSeconded: Debra GillThat the report of the Nominating Committee be adopted.CARRIED

Cynthia advised she was pleased that the Board of Directors had approved the Nominating Committee’s suggested revisions to the nominating process.

Audit and Risk Management Committee

Motion: AGM/11/11/10Moved: Maureen LawrenceSeconded: Susan Roe FinlayThat Chris Longson and Lynne Taylor be elected to the Audit and Risk Management Committee.CARRIED

By-law 5.04 – Procedure for Election of Directors

Motion: AGM/11/11/11Moved: Matt KooviskSeconded: Lillian NewberyThat in the final sentence of By-law 5.04 the number 55 be deleted and that the number 30 be substituted therefor.CARRIED


1.1

The sentence now reads:The Secretary shall, not less than 30 days prior to the day on which the election is to take place, circulate the list to the Voting Members with the notice of the forthcoming meeting of Voting Members.

Honorary Member AwardsThe President advised that, as Monica McKay had been honoured at the Celebration Dinner held on November 4th, the Voting Members would now formalize her appointment.

Motion: AGM/11/11/12Moved: Lillian NewberySeconded: Farida AkhterThat Monica McKay be appointed an Honorary Member of PWRDF.CARRIED

Motion: AGM/11/11/13Moved: Lillian NewberySeconded: Susan Roe FinlayThat Win Perryman be appointed an Honorary Member of PWRDF.CARRIED

Canon Tim Grew, an attendee at the National Forum from the Diocese of Ontario, spoke about ‘this remarkable woman and her late husband Eric and their tireless efforts on behalf of, and enthusiasm for, PWRDF.

Win’s daughter, Marcia Perryman, accepted the certificate on her 92 year old mother’s behalf. She also advised that her mother was disappointed she was unable to attend as she was a guest at a same-sex wedding.

ELECTION OF BOARD MEMBERS

Appointment of ScrutineersThe following members of the Youth Council were appointed:

Tessa Dudley, Beth Lorimer and Gabby Richichi-Fried,.

Ballots were distributed with the names of the four nominees and voting members were instructed to vote for a maximum of three nominees. Following the results received from the scrutineers, the President advised that the following individuals had been re-elected to the Board of Directors for a three-year term:

Chris Longson Diocese of CalgaryDavid Pritchard Diocese of the YukonLynne Taylor Diocese of Nova Scotia and PEI

Motion: AGM/11/11/14Moved: Tom MorrisonSeconded: Jim Cullen


1.1

That the election ballots be destroyed.CARRIED

RETIRING BOARD MEMBERS

Farida Akhter [International Partner – Asia/Pacific]David Pritchard expressed appreciation to Farida for six years of membership on the Board of Directors. He added that in his view the word “insightful” described her contribution. Farida had stated during the meeting she has always felt that “she was part of the board family” and David assured her that every board member reciprocated that feeling. David presented Farida with a gift and she received a standing ovation.

Farida responded that she felt very emotional – I will be with you wherever you are and in whatever you do. I shall miss you! She invited everyone present “to come to Bangladesh”.

Donna Goodleaf [Canadian Development Partner]The President advised that, on November 1st, Donna had written to the Secretary of the Board, Laura Marie Piotrowicz, stating with deep regret that she was resigning from the Board of Directors in order to assist an emerging Indigenous Leaders Training Institute Program for indigenous youth and communities within the Great Basin Region of Nevada.

Donna extended her deepest gratitude to the board and staff for their support and care while she served as a member. She concluded by saying – I will miss you all!

CONCLUSION

The President thanked everyone for their attendance and advised that their interest and passion for PWRDF’s work was appreciated. He also expressed appreciation to the Executive Director, Adele Finney, and all PWRDF staff members.

The meeting concluded with prayer at 12.15 p.m.

“Give us, O God, a vision of our world as your love would make it – where the weak are protected, and none go hungry or poor, where the goods of this life are shared and everyone can enjoy them; where different nations, races and cultures live with tolerance and mutual respect; where peace is built with justice and justice is guided by love in the power of your Holy Spirit, and give us the power and inspiration to build it.” Amen.

_________________________________ ________________________________Archbishop Fred Hiltz, President Rev. Laura Marie Piotrowicz, Secretary

Minutes of AGM - Nov 5 2011


1.1

Appendix A

Address of Mr. Jim Cornelius, Executive Director, Canadian Foodgrains Bankto the 2011 Annual General Meeting of

The Primate’s World Relief and Development FundNovember 5, 2011

Thank you for this opportunity to share some thoughts about global hunger and how we as church and church agencies can be about the task of being a sign, foretaste and agent of the in-breaking kingdom of God where all are invited to the banquet table.

The Canadian Foodgrains Bank is a partnership of 15 Canadian churches and church-based agencies working to end global hunger. We have a vision of a world without hunger, and are called to the mission of ending hunger.

We understand how important it is to situate our understanding of this mission as not really “our” mission but as part of God’s mission, as part of the activity of God. We as a partnership of Christian churches and church-based agencies have been invited to participate in the movement of God’s love toward people, to proclaim and participate in the in-breaking of God’s kingdom, a kingdom where the “hungry are filled with good things” as Mary sang in the Magnificat. We pray that that God’s “will be done on earth as it is in heaven”, in “giving us our daily bread”.

Our vision is rooted in the belief that humankind is created in the image of God and that it is God’s desire that no person should go hungry. This vision is framed within a divine, rather than human, definition of the possible. Within the divine horizon of action there is always more than enough bread for all in the world. This vision says “no” to any sense that scarcity is inevitable, and asserts that the symptoms of scarcity are human constructions and can be changed. The image of the Kingdom of God that shapes our work is of a banquet table, where all of the human family has a place at the table, where none are excluded.

State of Global HungerTo help set this vision in context, let me give you a few quick statistics taken from the Food and Agriculture Organization’s 2010 State of Food Insecurity in the World report.

The FAO estimates that in 2010 there are 925 million people in the world who are hungry. 98% of these hungry people live in developing countries. The largest number live in Asia (over 570 million), and over 230 million live in sub-Saharan Africa.

There is some good news and hope to be found in this report. The proportion of people in developing countries that are hungry has fallen from 33% in 1970 to 16% today. This represents considerable progress.

The bad news is that the actual number of hungry people has gone up somewhat over these 40 years. Between 2007 and 2009, we had a significant upward spike in the number of hungry people to over one billion when food prices rose dramatically followed by the financial and economic crisis. While these hunger numbers have come down as food prices stabilized and the


1.1

global economy began to recover, they are still higher than before the crisis, and continued economic uncertainties and food price volatility means that progress has largely stopped.

The other bad news is that we are not going to meet the Millennium Development Goals of halving, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. In the first 20 years of this 25 year timeframe, the proportion of people suffering from hunger has only fallen from 20 percent to 16 percent, progress but not fast enough.

Nevertheless, there are a number of countries well on target to meeting this goal at a national level, including China, Vietnam, Nicaragua, and African countries such as Ghana and Mali, demonstrating that progress is possible.

The UN Human Development Report that was just released this past Wednesday also provides a mixed message of hope and warning. The report notes that between 1970 and 2010, the countries in the lowest 25 percent of the human development index rankings improved their overall HDI achievement by 82 percent, twice the global average. If this pace of improvement were to continue for the next 40 years, the great majority of countries would achieve HDI levels equal to or better than those enjoyed by the top 25 percent today, an extraordinary achievement in the context of human history.

However, the report warns that due to escalating environmental hazards, these positive development trends may instead be abruptly halted. People in the poorest countries are disproportionately at risk from climate-driven disasters such as drought and flooding and exposure to air and water pollution. Half of all malnutrition worldwide is attributable to environmental factors. Furthermore, income distribution has worsened and serious gender imbalances persist.

Neither future progress nor decline is inevitable. We can face a future of increasing widespread hunger. We can also substantially reduce and even end hunger. We have collective choices to be made and action to be taken. Is the world up to it? And what is our role?

Reducing and ending hunger does not require a perfect humanity and community, or some utopian “end of history”. It is possible in the messiness of our current reality. We have seen real countries make substantial progress despite being governed by ordinary and flawed men and women. We know many communities where there is no hunger. We know of countries where hunger has been virtually eliminated. While the challenge before us as a human species is enormous and not to be underestimated, there are ways forward well within our capacity. And the church has an important role to play in offering up a vision of hope and calling people to action.

Ending HungerWhat is required to realize our vision of ending global hunger. My answer in very simple terms is: sustainable and resilient livelihoods and adequate safety nets. It gets more complicated after that.

Amartya Sen, the Bengali economist who won the Nobel prize for economics for his work on famines, began by examining the great Bengal famine and why so many people starved when the


1.1

markets were full of food. His research showed that most famine and hunger is not caused by a lack of food being available, but by a failure in the ability of people to be able to access the available food, a failure in what he referred to as entitlements. During the Irish potato famine, Ireland was exporting corn to England. People who were starving in Ireland could not afford to buy the corn, so it was exported to those who could afford it.

People access food in three basic ways. They either 1) produce the food they need, 2) purchase food using income they earn or savings they have, or 3) receive food or income from some type of social sharing or risk mechanism such as pensions, welfare, remittances, food aid, and insurance schemes.

The first two ways of accessing food we might refer to as livelihoods. The best hunger reduction program is a secure and adequate livelihood that allows people to feed themselves. A vibrant economy that is able to provide livelihoods for most people is critical to reducing hunger. Economic growth alone is not sufficient, the economy must be able to generate livelihoods for people who are living in poverty.

Most poor and hungry people still live in rural areas and depend on natural resources and agriculture in some form or other for their livelihood. Sustainable natural resource management and poverty reduction will be increasingly connected. This is one of the central conclusions of the 2011 Human Development Report. Good environmental management is a livelihoods issue, and the poor and marginalized are the most at risk. There is always a risk that livelihoods can be disrupted by environment and other factors. Drought destroys your crops. Prices for crops you produce collapse. You lose your job. Your business fails. Wage rates fall. You contract HIV/AIDS and can no longer work. In these cases house-holds have to rely on savings they may have, find alternative sources of income, or rely on some type of safety net system, such as unemployment insurance, help from family members, and relief aid.

Any sustained reduction in hunger must combine improving livelihoods with strengthening social safety net systems. Countries that have made significant progress in reducing hunger have been characterized by sustained economic growth, a focus on poverty reduction and livelihoods, and the establishment of different types of social safety net and protection systems.

I recently spent some time in East Africa examining livelihoods and food security, including time in parts of East Africa where there is widespread drought affecting some 12 million people. Let me share a little of what I saw and learned:

Soil fertility Natural resource management Access to land and natural resources & intensification Conflict over land Farm enterprise approach Off-farm employment Savings and investment

How all our efforts around the world will work themselves out in history, none of us knows for certain. Nor do we need to know. All we need to know is the work we have been called to do by


1.1

the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and by Jesus the one for whom we are named as his followers. It is people of faith like yourselves that can serve as leaven in the bread of justice for those who are hungry. You can hold out a vision of a world without hunger while being deeply realistic about our human condition and the need for God’s judgment, grace and redemptive work. You can hold up a vision of what it means to be a good neighbour and our responsibilities to each other. May you be led deeper into the work of mercy and justice.

Thank you.
