Winds of Peace Foundation will be one of the co-sponsors for the 2010 Peace Prize Forum, to be held at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. This marks the third time that the Foundation has co-sponsored the event over its 20-year history.
The 2010 Forum will recognize the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Martti Ahtisarri. Ahtisaari is a former President of Finland and United Nations diplomat and mediator, noted for his international peace work. Ahtisaari was a UN Special Envoy at the Kosovo status process negotiations, aimed at resolving a long-running dispute in Kosovo, which declared its independence from Serbia in 2008. In October 2008 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his important efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts”.The Nobel statement said that Ahtisaari has played a prominent role in resolving many conflicts in Namibia, Indonesia, Kosovo and Iraq, among other areas.
In addition to its sponsorship of the Forum, Winds of Peace has also been active in having representatives speak at the annual gatherings, having made presentations at three different Forums: in 1994 Steve Sheppard spoke at St. Olaf College about the Foundation-initiated program “Cross-Boundaries,” which funded travel seminar opportunities to Third World destinations through The Center for Global Education; the Cross-Boundaries program was presented along with a bit more history and results in 1996 at Luther College; in 2008, Mark Lester, Field Director for WPF, and Steve Sheppard, now its CEO, co-presented at Concordia College on the topic of “Microlending in Nicaragua.”
One of the truly unanticipated things to have evolved in Nicaragua over recent months is the strange case of the “no-payer’s movement.” This is a relatively small but vocal and visible group which has begun protesting against the Microcredit Finance Institutions (MFIs) which took a risk and loaned money to them. Citing what they see as unfair loan terms and usurious interest rates, the movement participants even received a boost from President Daniel Ortega when he exhorted them to take their protests off the streets and move to the offices of the MFIs. Sensing administration support, the protesters became more confrontational in their demeanor, in one case even firebombing one of the MFIs.
This has had the immediate impact of some MFIs pulling out of Nicaragua for the safety of their people and their funding. Naturally, it didn’t take too long for the government to realize that it was alienating a fairly important source of funds within the country, and it began the attempt to attract some of the departed organizations back to Nicaragua. The President spoke publicly once again on the topic, this time to encourage all borrowers to make good on their debts and to thereby demonstrate the country’s attitude toward meeting its obligations. The movement receded for a while in the face of this about-face from Mr. Ortega, but it never went away. Now it has surfaced with a vigor which is intimidating and worrisome. Their protests prevent employees from gaining access to offices while keeping customers away from sourcing assistance. If the local police are present at all, they seem indifferent to the activities.
It’s a counter-intuitive movement, this backlash against some of the very institutions which have provided the greatest amount of financial help to some of the highest-risk borrowers. It may be fueled by outsiders who seek to undermine any and all financial institutions, or by those who simply sense an opportunity to avoid repayment of a debt. But whatever the genesis, it’s a potentially crippling movement which can only hurt the already difficult circumstances of the rural poor in Nicaragua.
In response, a consortium of twenty-four finance providers working within Nicaragua published the following statement in both of Nicaragua’s major newspapers on September 22. Their sense of confusion and concern is evident:
COMMUNIQUE FROM THE INTERNATIONAL PROVIDERS OF FINANCING FOR MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISE
We, the economic and social development institutions who provide financial resources for the strengthening of urban and rural micro and small enterprises in Nicaragua, including private investors, international banks, international NGOS and foundation, are watching with enormous concern the ongoing deterioration of the investment climate in the country, because of the actions undertaken by a small group of debtors know as the “non payers movement” who are attempting, through measures of force that alter the public and constitutional order, to NOT honor their commitments made to the financial institutions (banks, microfinance organizations) that are benefiting more than a million Nicaraguans in the countryside and the cities.
We urge the Government of Nicaragua, the National Police, the Judicial Branch and the other organizations ensuring social peace to redouble their efforts to protect respect for the judicial order, provide security to the officials of the financial institutions and their installations, and to protect the rights of all citizens.
We reiterate our commitment to continue the support offered for the economic development of Nicaragua and we join our voices to the clamor of the affected entities and their responsible clients, asking the State to ensure legal security so as to not put at risk the flow of financing for this industry which has benefited so much the most needy part of the population throughout the years.
Managua, Nicaragua, September 22, 2009
Winds of Peace was not a co-signer of the statement since we were unaware of its development. But in following up with the authors of the article, we have affirmed both our concerns and the seriousness of the movement. And now there is said to be a legislative bill coming before the government which would tightly control the activities of MFIs, effectively driving them out of the country. While there may be very small chance that it passes as law, the initiative is further basis for concern. Undoubtedly, we have not heard the last of this movement and its implications….
I’m delighted to share the following announcement about Jack and Sara Nelson-Pallmeyer and a very deserved recognition planned for them. Sara is a member of the Winds of Peace Advisory Committee and as one can readily discern from the brief biography presented here she brings a valuable perspective to that work. All staff and volunteers of Winds of Peace Foundation offer their warmest congratulations to Sara and Jack and look forward to their continuing work in the interest of peace and justice globally.
October 6, 2009
Jack & Sara Nelson-Pallmeyer to receive
2009 Hawkinson Peace & Justice Award
Former U.S. Senate candidate Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer and his wife Sara have been selected to receive the 2009 Honorary Award of the Vincent L. Hawkinson Foundation for Peace and Justice.
Jack, 58, is an associate professor of justice and peace studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. Sara, 53, is executive director of the Center for Families in north Minneapolis and serves on the advisory committee of the Winds of Peace Foundation.
Given annually to individuals demonstrating long-term dedication to furthering peace and social justice, the Honorary Award will be presented on Sunday, November 8, 3 p.m., at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 2730 East 31st Street, Minneapolis. Also receiving the Honorary Award are medical missionaries Helmut and Rotraut Diefenthal of Moshi, Tanzania. The presentation is open to the public.
“Jack and Sara share a profound commitment to improving the world. They are exemplary models of peacemaking through action and it is our honor to recognize their years of dedicated service,” said Deon Stuthman, chair of the board of directors of the Hawkinson Foundation, established in 1988 to honor the late Rev. Vincent L. Hawkinson, a peace and justice advocate and late pastor of Grace University Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.
Previous Hawkinson Honorary Award recipients have included Mulford Q. Sibley, Polly Mann, Marianne Hamilton, Stanley and Martha Platt, Joel Mugge, Arthur and Martha Sternberg, Eleanor Otterness, Louise Pardee, Larry Cloud Morgan, Joseph Schwartzberg, Marv Davidov, Lynn Elling, Eleanor and John Yackel, Brigid McDonald, Jane McDonald, Kate McDonald and Rita McDonald, Donald Irish, Gene and Mary Lou Ott, Luther Granquist, Marie and John Braun, Ralph and Kay Hilgendorf, Lowell and Carol Erdahl, Arvid “Bud” Dixen, Rhoda Gilman and Betsy Raasch-Gilman.
About Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer
Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, M.Div., is a nationally recognized teacher, writer, public speaker and activist academic whose life and work over the past 30 years has focused on addressing the political, economic, faith and foreign policy dimensions of hunger and poverty. He is a graduate of St. Olaf College, where he majored in political science. He earned a master of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York City. His master’s thesis was on the topic of world poverty and was the basis for his first book, Hunger for Justice: The Politics of Food and Faith. He is the author of numerous articles and a dozen books on hunger, poverty, U.S. foreign policy, the historical Jesus and problems of God and violence, some of which have been used by progressive social change movements in this country and throughout the world.
From 1977 to 1981, Jack served as national program coordinator of the Politics of Food Program with Clergy & Laity Concerned, and directed the Minnesota-based Hunger and Justice Project for the American Lutheran Church and Lutheran Church in America for the following two years. He has long been active in the national movement to close the U.S. Army School of the Americas (recently renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation), which has been linked to human rights atrocities.
In 2006, Jack brought his commitment to peacemaking into the realm of formal politics when he challenged the incumbent Martin Sabo in the 5th Congressional District. In 2008, he sought DFL endorsement for the U.S. Senate. At the University of St. Thomas, where he is an associate professor of justice and peace studies, he teaches courses including Active Nonviolence and Theologies of Justice and Peace.
About Sara Nelson-Pallmeyer
Sara Nelson-Pallmeyer graduated from the University of Minnesota with a major in biology. From 1984 to 1986, she and Jack served as co-directors of the Center for Global Education’s house of studies in Managua, Nicaragua. Sara went on to hold various positions, including associate director, at the Center for Global Education. She then worked as family services manager at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity from 1996 until 2005, when she assumed her current position as director of the Center for Families. She serves on the advisory committee of the Winds of Peace Foundation and is on the board of Congregations Caring for Creation.
The Nelson-Pallmeyers are active in the faith-based Community of St. Martin and are members
of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. They have three daughters.
I frequently discover unexpected overlap between my Winds of Peace life and that of the employee-ownership community. One such occasion occurred this past week as I prepared to address a business audience in Houston, Texas. The topic of presentation was “Leading In Tough Times,” and the implication was that perhaps there are some special tactics that leaders might use in times such as these, some magic that can somehow alleviate or at least reduce the pain of the current economic reality. In preparation, I polled a number of experienced people from within The ESOP Association community, collecting wisdom from a wide range of perspectives and circumstances. And I arrived at an interesting conclusion: that virtually nothing in what I heard was particularly new or unfamiliar. The basic tenets of good ESOP company management which we’ve learned over the past couple of decades- broad participation, organizational transparency, open-book management, continuous improvement methodology, constant teaching and learning- still constitute the very best strategies for survival. Aside from the management wisdom of this, I think there’s another reason for these survival techniques to have emerged.
These issues transcend management and employee ownership and profitability. They represent response to universal human needs, not simply desires. They are the same needs that I encounter in working with our partner organizations in Nicaragua. Human beings function at their full capacity when they are invested in their day-to-day lives, when they know the truth, when they understand personally and clearly what they must do to create desired outcomes, when they are given the latitude and process to use what they know. When human beings are provided the opportunity to learn, they also teach, and the chances for fulfillment are multiplied exponentially. This is how the human creature thrives and why the strategies articulated by my ESOP contacts are so fundamentally true.
It’s true in companies and organizations everywhere, Nicaragua or the U.S. As Winds of Peace continues its work in Nicaragua, we’ll make it a priority to never forget the truth of those human needs. Managers of companies and political leaders of nations can attempt to bend the truth of these universal needs, but they won’t subvert the reality of them.
From time to time we get questions about the types of organizations with whom we work and what their lives are like. One cooperative that we have funded in two cycles now is Los Alpes, a very rural coffee coop which is a member of the umbrella cooperative SOPPEXCCA (pronounced so-pesca). Both Los Alpes and SOPPEXCCA are impressive in their aspirations and the context in which they hope to achieve those goals. Here’s an article about both organizations that gives a glimpse of their efforts as marketplace players. They are doing good work, indeed….
The Winds of Peace Advisory Committee met last Friday to evaluate the current docket of proposals and recommend funding. It’s always a dynamic gathering as we discuss the possibilities inherent in small, rural groups that perhaps have never had previous access to project funding.
One of the proposals that caught our attention was from Nicaragua’s National Union of Agriculture and Ranching (UNAG) in the municipality of San Juan del Rio Coco. We’ve had other projects in this region, but this one is unique in that it focuses on raising potatoes for seed. It’s part of UNAG’s Peasant-to-Peasant Program, and it represents the expansion of a pilot project which has been successfully completed there primarily by women farmers. This is seen as a significant step toward food security for women peasants in the rural sector, as well as an alternative to the coffee mono-cropping which can create land resource problems. With UNAG’s technical help, these women can potentially create a significant new niche for themselves in the marketplace.
Take a look at the results from one of the pilot project participants and the preparation for the project’s expansion. We’re excited to be part of this initiative that contains social, economic and environmental components!
I related my reactions to our most recent visit to Buculmay Cooperative in my August 19 post, but here’s a bit more. Parts of this video footage were taken before our visit and parts taken during, but I think it provides an idea of the scope of the project that these women and men have undertaken, as well as the sophistication of the approach. This will be no small operation and is no small undertaking for the coop, consisting of raising crops for both capital as well as feed, and the animal husbandry that will be required for success. No wonder they are standing tall and drawing more potential members to the coop! We’ll continue working with and watching this amazing story as it continues to unfold….
I wrote a reflection here in May, 2007 about a circumstance facing the Indigenous People of Telpaneca, and how they had been forced to fight the same battle against the municipal and state government with regard to illegal squatters on their land. One of the actions that had been taken in those days was the construction of several green outhouses on the farm properties, so that the municipal government could claim that the squatters had “improved” the farms and thus had a right to remain. It seemed a ludicrous argument then and is even moreso now.
The Indigenous have continued to press their claims and rights through every legal means required of them, despite still more of the odious outhouses popping up on the lands as seen here. (I took this photo from nearly the same spot as in my May 07 entry.) Their most recent stop was before the Nicaragua Supreme Court just last Friday, as the President of the Indigenous, Jose Benito Basilio, presented a deposition on behalf of his people. The court will consider the arguments of both sides before rendering its decision within the next months.
This is an important case, not just for Tepaneca, not just for Indigenous people, not even just for Nicaragua. It’s a case of basic land rights which, if it fails at the Supreme Court level, will almost certainly be taken to the Inter-American Court of Justice for a hearing there. At its root is the question of how to come to terms with the fundamental conflict between Indigenous patrimony and nationalistic authority. When Indigenous people exert their ownership of land through titles acquired long before nation-states existed, whose claims to ownership shall prevail?
The question is one which neither the Niacraguan nor other Inter-American Court governments may wish to defer to an outside court, because the ramifications are far-reaching. But the Indigenous of Telpaneca have courageously and persistently fought for their lands despite artificial obstacles raised at every turn. They have not swerved or hesitated in their quest for justice. They have mobilized their members (1500 in a rally in Telpaneca just 2 weeks ago, without the support of any other Indigenous groups). Their case is sound and backed by the evidence. They give meaning to the Margaret Mead observation: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
We will watch the proceedings with great interest and hope….
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