Locations and Dates
COLOMBIA
DATES: May 12-25 (APPLY NOW!!!), July 14-27, and September 15-28, 2010; National delegations (for Colombians)** March 27-April 3, 2010.
In Colombia, an insurgency- counterinsurgency war has left over 200,000 people dead since 1964 and displaced over four million others from their homes. CPT's Colombia delegations will meet with church, human rights and social justice organizers in Bogotá and in Barrancabermeja, the industrial city in the Magdalena Medio region where CPT's full-time team has been based since 2001. In addition, delegates will spend several days in the countryside.
The May delegation will focus on the mining zone in the San Lucas mountains of Southern Bolivar province. Delegates will visit an association of artisan miners and small farmers that is confronting human rights abuses committed by the Colombian military and a multinational gold corporation.
“The situation in our region is very difficult right now and the presence of this delegation will strengthen us as we continue forward with our struggle,” said the Federation president. “We look forward to meeting you in May.”
CPT-Colombia accompanies communities and organizations that are struggling non-violently to create peace with justice, and to resist economic violence and imperialism.
Some physical rigors are involved in most CPT delegations, such as hiking in mud and heat or mountains, hours-long trips by boat or truck, and generally long days.
FUNDRAISING EXPECTATION: $1900 US / $2200 Canadian, which includes round-trip airfare from a designated U.S. or Canadian city. Those planning to travel from other countries, contact the CPT office for more information.
**National delegations are specifically designed for Colombians and conducted in Spanish. (Other individuals with a high degree of familiarity with the Colombian context and fluent in Spanish may also be considered.) For more information or to apply contact CPT Colombia, ecapcolombia [at] edatel [dot] net [dot] co.
IRAQ (Kurdish North)
DATES: April 15-29 and October 14-28 (apply by September 1), 2010.
The Kurds of northern Iraq faced discrimination, terror and death under the regime of Saddam Hussein. After the 1991 Gulf War, they gained a measure of autonomy and safety under U.S. protection. Therefore, as the security situation deteriorated in rest of Iraq following the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, thousands of displaced persons fled to the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) area in the north, where it seemed safer. However, northern border villages have recently been the site of military attacks by Turkey and Iran. As U.S. troops prepare to withdraw in 2010, CPT Iraq plans to monitor the growing tensions between Kurds and Arabs in Iraq.
CPT's delegation will be based in Suleimaniyah, in the KRG. Delgates will meet with representatives of non-governmental organizations, human rights groups, displaced persons, and government officials. They will gain a perspective on the challenges facing people in northern Iraq and the impact there of violence in other areas of Iraq and along the borders of the KRG. The delegation will participate in the work of CPT's longer-term project of reporting on human rights abuses and supporting local reconciliation. Some physical rigors may be involved.
CPT has had a presence in Iraq since October 2002, first in Baghdad and since November 2006 in the Kurdish north.
FUNDRAISING EXPECTATION: $2900 US or $3100 Canadian, which includes round-trip airfare from a designated U.S. or Canadian city. Those planning to travel from other countries, contact the CPT office for more information.
PALESTINE / ISRAEL
DATES: May 18-31 (full), July 20-August 2, October 5-18, and November 16-29, 2010. Special delegation, Reformed Church in America/Christian Reformed Church in North America, April 6-19, 2010.
Conflict in Palestine/Israel has taken center stage in recent months. Despite involvement of the Quartet on the Middle East and overtures from the Obama administration, the situation for many Palestinians living in the West Bank remains grave. Road closures, home invasions, checkpoints and the presence of militant Israeli settlers in Palestinian villages continue to threaten Palestinian human rights. Israel's separation barrier (much of it built on confiscated Palestinian land) not only separates Palestinian communities from each other, but also acts as a barrier between ordinary Israelis and Palestinians seeking to come together for peace. CPT delegation members will gain a perspective on how these issues affect daily life.
Delegates will meet with Palestinian and Israeli human rights representatives and
peace workers in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. They will visit Palestinian families whose home and livelihoods are threatened by expanding Israeli settlements. They will travel to the city of Al Khalil (Hebron) and the village of At-Tuwani in the South Hebron Hills and experience firsthand CPT's work alongside Israeli and Palestinian partners. They will challenge the structural violence of the Occupation through nonviolent public witness.
Some physical rigors are involved, such as walking in rough, hilly terrain, heat in summer and damp chill in winter, and generally long days.
CPT has had a continuous presence in the West Bank since 1995.
FUNDRAISING EXPECTATION: $2750 US / $2950 Canadian, which includes round-trip airfare from a designated U.S. or Canadian city. Those planning to travel from other countries, contact the CPT office for more information.
ABORIGINAL JUSTICE DELEGATION
to Asubpeeschoseewagong (Grassy Narrows, Ontario)
DATES: to be announced.
Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) seeks participants for a delegation to the First Nations community of Asubpeeschoseewagong (Grassy Narrows), located in the Treaty 3 territory, with visits to other nearby First Nations communities and the northwestern Ontario town of Kenora.
In 1999, the Ontario government granted a 20-year license to Abitibi Consolidated allowing them to clear-cut Asubpeeschoseewagong traditional lands. Grassy Narrows community members started blockading Abitibi logging contractors in November 2002 with CPT accompaniment through that winter. The blockade met with partial success; nevertheless, nearly 50% of Asubpeeschoseewagong territory has been clear-cut, further destroying traditional hunting, trapping, food and medicine gathering activities
In May of 2008, Grassy Narrows First Nation signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ontario government to negotiate over several years a long-term agreement for the protection, management and use of the forest. On June 3, 2008, the recently merged company Abitibi-Bowater announced that it will withdraw from logging the territory in question. No long-term agreement has yet been signed with the government; the threat of corporate clear-cut logging continues; and First Nations members are criminalized for activities on their traditional territory.
Kenora (pop.16,000) is an important regional center for thirteen Anishinaabe communities who are members of the Grand Council Treaty 3. Situated on the rocky shores of Lake of the Woods, Kenora's economy is sustained by summer tourism and resource extraction. There is a strong sense of division between non-aboriginal and aboriginal residents and visitors, with aboriginal residents and visitors frequently experiencing racially-based mistreatment.
The delegation will spend time on traditional Asubpeeschoseewagong territory, document the effects of clear-cutting and learn about Anishinaabe struggles for justice. In Kenora, the delegation will meet with aboriginal and non-aboriginal community leaders who are working to improve relations between non-aboriginal and aboriginal residents. Delegation members will develop an analysis of colonialism, participate in undoing racism training, and plan a public witness/direct action focused on Aboriginal sovereignty issues.
FUNDRAISING EXPECTATION: (tentative) $425 US or $500 Canadian. Delegates arrange their own transportation to Kenora, Ontario.