Food Aid For Humanitarian and Development Activities

The process for the FY '06 Agricultural Appropriations is over and the final allocation of $1.15 billion for the Title II Food Aid account was much less than the $1.35 billion requested by CRS and its partners. The final result may negatively impact at least six CRS development projects in Africa. Upcoming Emergency Supplemental Bill However, CRS will continue to work with its partners to include additional food aid resources in an Emergency Supplemental bill, which is expected to come up in the next few weeks. In addition to food aid, CRS will be advocating for resources to support the African Union peacekeeping troops in Darfur, Sudan, and funds for reconstruction in Afghanistan.

Foreign Operations

The process related to FY' 06 Foreign Operations bill has concluded with the Congress approving and the President signing into law, $20.9 billion for the bill. Accounts such as global HIV AIDS made out relatively well: the final bill includes $2.8 billion for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. The bill also includes $1.8 billion for the Millennium Challenge Account, an amount that is as high as can be expected, given the current budget environment and slow pace in spending funds already allocated for the account. For ongoing relief and development assistance programs, CRS had requested $1.675 billion for development assistance which funds critical health, education, agriculture, and other development programs. This account received $1.5 billion. We remain concerned about the insufficient level of funding for these core poverty-focused development accounts.

Advocacy Update on FY '07 International Affairs Budget

CRS worked with the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign and its coalition partners in support of a bipartisan group of Members of both the Senate and House that drafted letters to President Bush asking him to increase funding in his FY '07 International Affairs Budget request. As a result of the advocacy efforts of this coalition, 156 legislators, including 45 U.S. Senators and 111 Members of the House of Representatives, signed letters to President Bush expressing strong, bipartisan support for an increase in the FY07 International Affairs Budget as a part of this nation's comprehensive efforts to build global stability by increasing funds that fight poverty in developing countries. Thank you for messages sent in response to this action alert! Through the efforts of our grassroots partners, CRS has been specifically credited with getting Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) to sign on to the letter, and significantly contributing to the effort as a whole. Spearheading the Senate letter were Senators Mike DeWine (R-OH), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Gordon Smith (R-OR), and Richard Durbin (D-IL), and in the House, Representatives Jim Leach (R-IA), Howard Berman (D-CA), Jerry Weller (R-IL) and Jane Harman (D-CA) led the way.

Update on Sudan Advocacy

Funding for the Darfur, Sudan conflict did not fare that well at the end of the 2005 legislative year. Lawmakers removed $50 million in U.S. funding for peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts in Sudan from an appropriations bill which passed right before Congress recessed, despite advocacy by many development and humanitarian groups including Catholic Relief Services. CRS is concerned about this development since our country program in Darfur has reported an increase in insecurity and the drying up of funds for humanitarian activities. We anticipate that an '06 Supplemental bill may provide another opportunity to seek these needed funds and this issue remains high among CRS policy priorities. Meanwhile the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (S. 495) (CRS worked on this through its Legislative Affairs office in Washington, DC) which was passed in the Senate in November is still awaiting final action in the House. Because of technicalities, a version agreed to by the House International Relations Committee staff and other Members involved in the Sudan situation was not acted upon before the Christmas recess. Staff of the co-chairs of the new Sudan Caucus in the House are indicating that they expect a vote soon after the House reconvenes for the new session in the next few weeks. Please stay tuned for more details and advocacy opportunities around the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act and U.S. funding for the Sudan conflict. Also visit our action center to send a message to your member of Congress. Click here to visit CRS' Sudan web portal to learn more about Sudan and the Darfur conflict and to download educational and prayer resources. Comprehensive Legislation on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Introduced According to a 2004 study by the International Rescue Committee, about 31,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are dying each month. More than 3.8 million have died in the last 6 years since fighting began in 1998. The study further states that most of the deaths are caused by malnutrition and preventable diseases because of the collapse of health services. This conflict has cost more lives than any other since World War II, yet global awareness remains low. Attention to this crisis recently got a boost when a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators introduced a bill that would "establish a clear, comprehensive U.S. policy toward the Democratic Republic of Congo." The Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act aims to get the U.S. government to become involved to help end the crisis in this region. Senators Barack Obama (D-IL), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mike DeWine (R-OH) are co-sponsors. Illinois Senator Barack Obama who is one of the key sponsors of the bill said that "If Africa is to achieve its promise, resolving the problems in the Congo will be critical." The Congo bill has been endorsed by a number of faith-based and humanitarian non-governmental organizations including Catholic Relief Services (CRS). As an agency active on the ground in the DRC for many years, CRS sees this legislation as important for raising the profile and elevating the priority of the DRC amongst lawmakers; advancing key U.S. policy objectives to promote peace, justice, democracy, and development in the DRC; allocating much-needed additional funds for the DRC; and strengthening the U.S. voice in the United Nations and other international organizations on issues related to the DRC. The bill establishes 14 core principles of U.S. policy, across a range of issues; authorizes a 25 percent increase in U.S. humanitarian assistance for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); calls for a Special Envoy to resolve the situation in Eastern Congo; and urges the Administration to use its voice and vote at the United Nations Security Council to strengthen the U.N. peacekeeping force that is providing security in parts of the Congo. CRS has been in the Democratic Republic of Congo at various times since its independence from Belgium in 1960. The agency has been forced to discontinue its work in the country on three occasions; the last reopening of the CRS/Congo office was in 1993. CRS addresses the needs of the country's isolated, rural communities by managing over a dozen projects in the following areas: Community Health, Emergency Response (both war-related and natural emergencies, Justice and Peace, and Food Security.

CRS Sponsors Black History Month Speaker Tour

This February CRS' Africa Campaign, Africa Rising: Hope and Healing, will conduct a speaker tour in observance of Black History Month. The speaker tour aims to use the opportunity of Black History Month to increase awareness of issues impacting Africa, and provide additional opportunities for U.S. Catholics to hear personal stories about the successes and challenges facing communities in Africa. Catholics in the U.S. will learn how CRS programs are addressing important development issues in Africa, which we hope will lead people here to become advocates for a strong U.S. policy towards Africa. The tour will also reinforce some of the guiding principles of Catholic social teaching, especially the principles of solidarity and the option for the poor. The speaker for the tour is Mr. Hippolyt Pul, Deputy Regional Director responsible for Program Quality (DRD/PQ) in CRS' West Africa Regional Office located in Accra, Ghana. During the tour, Hippolyt will discuss the impact of poverty in his country and specifically: • "Share his experiences as a young recipient of a CRS school feeding program in Ghana and from his current position managing programming for CRS; • "Raise awareness about the issue of poverty through the lens of Catholic social teaching; • "Raise awareness among Catholics about how issues like governance, conflict, education and food security interact with poverty; and • "Encourage grassroots support for action on increased U.S. foreign assistance to alleviate the effects of poverty by lobbying the U.S. Congress and Administration. The tour will take place from February 16 until February 28, 2005. Events around the U.S. are being finalized and the full schedule will soon be available on this web page. Please visit this page to download Black History Month materials including Sunday School resources, a prayer service, fact sheet and materials for a diocesan day of reflection. If you have any questions about the tour, please contact Kim Mazyck at 410-951-7424 or at kmazyck@crs.org.

Support Justice for Immigrants As You Observe National Migration Week

This is the 25th year that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will observe National Migration Week to focus on solidarity with immigrants and refugees. The observance this year will take place from January 8-14, 2006. This is a good opportunity for parishes and schools to address issues facing immigrants, to learn more about the issue, or help others in their community. Bishop Gerald B. Barnes of San Bernadino, CA, chairman of the bishops' Committee on Migration who made a statement about this year's observance suggested that parish and school leaders increase their awareness of these issues through the Justice for Immigrants campaign, launched this year by a dozen church organizations including Catholic Relief Services and U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. On the legislative front, on December 16, 2005, the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 4437, the Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. The bill is primarily the work of Congressman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), chair of the Judiciary Committee. CRS and coalition partners that make up the Justice For Immigrants campaign strongly opposed this measure. After long hours of debate and attempts to amend the bill from all sides, the legislation passed the House by a vote of 239 to 182 with 13 Members not voting. While the voting was primarily along party lines as expected, 17 Republicans voted no and 36 Democrats unfortunately voted yes. Your response in support of our opposition to this bill was very strong, indicated by the substantial number of messages sent through our action center over a 3-4 day period. Thank you! The Senate will take up this issue in its next session and will probably attempt more comprehensive reform in its legislation. It is anticipated that the next real battle will be when the Senate and House bills go to conference probably before the 2006 summer recess. We will be sure to let you know about further developments around this bill. Among other things, this legislation supports extreme punitive measures that risk increased harm of and reduces due process for immigrants and their families in the U.S. Visit the Justice for Immigrants web site to learn more about issues that affect immigrants and refugees and to download resources for your school and parishes to use to observe National Migration Week activities.

Summary of Recent Survey of This Newsletter

Community Engagement recently conducted a survey on the format and content of its monthly newsletter, the Advocate with overall positive responses. Most of you indicated that the Advocate has increased your knowledge on CRS policy issues. That as a result of this newsletter you have acquired new knowledge and access to educational resources. You commended us for the "religious language around the values as we present the issues," "outstanding action alerts," and the "excellent coverage of so many issues". One respondent indicated that the strongest portion or aspect of the Advocate newsletter was the source: CRS, an organization he respects. Thank you for your suggestions for improving the newsletter, including "personal testimonials from those who have benefited from CRS," and more "in depth downloadable resources on an issue for use by advocates". When you expressed your dissatisfaction, it had to do with technical difficulties while accessing our online action center. We will work hard this coming year to provide smooth access to our online action site. Thanks to all who responded to our survey.

Events / Resources

Important 2006 Dates To Know

President's State of the Union Address: Tuesday, January 31, 2006. The U.S. Senate is scheduled to reconvene Wednesday, January 18, 2006 although the The U.S. House is scheduled to reconvene on Tuesday, January 31. The President is expected to deliver the budget the week of February 6, 2006 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering 2006 This year's annual Catholic Social Ministry Gathering, "Bringing Good News to a Broken World," will bring together social ministry leadership throughout the nation for a conference that features challenging speakers, solid workshops, liturgical celebrations, strategy sessions and visits to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. CRS is also holding its annual wrap-around session for our CRS diocesan directors and friends. If you are interested in attendig the annual wrap-around, contact Tom Ulrich at (410) 951-7469 or tulrich@crs.org. For more information on the Social Ministry Gathering, click here or to register, click here or call 800/937-8728.

Catholic Relief Services Drama Project: The Line in the Sand: Stories from the US/Mexico Border

In partnership with the Villanova University Masters of Theatre program, a team of writers and actors were sent to the Arizona/Mexico border in August 2005. Working with the CRS-Mexico office, the group conducted interviews with migrants, ranchers, Mexican and U.S. government officials, diocesan staff, and others. Using the power of theatre, The Line in the Sand dramatically shares the stories of those they met. Audiences are exposed to a variety of points of view on this complex and critical issue through an hour-long collection of monologues and photos. The Line in the Sand is sponsored by Catholic Relief Services. Through the project, CRS hopes to advance the cause of the USCCB supported campaign, "Justice for Immigrants," highlighted below. If you would like to do your own staged reading, you can obtain copies of the script or inquire about the program by clicking here or contacting Kevin Kostic at kkostic@crs.org.

Contact Us

E-mail the Community Engagement Department at advocacy@catholicrelief.org or call us toll-free at 1-800-235-2772, ext. 7264. Community Engagement Staff: • Kathy Brown, Community Engagement Director, ext. 7232 • Alice Cutchember, Administrative Assistant, ext. 7264 • Rowena Gono, Advocacy Communications Specialist, ext. 7496 • Kimberly Mazyck, Campaign Project Officer, ext. 7424 • Tina Rodousakis, Legislative Network Specialist, ext. 7462 • Chris West, Community Organizer, ext. 7454

The Advocate is a monthly publication of the CRS Community Engagement Department. A two-page, print-ready version, as well as archived editions, can be downloaded from the grassroots advocacy pages of the CRS web site. Or e-mail us at advocacy@catholicrelief.org and we'll send it to you.