,

“El ejemplo” | Remembering Oscar Romero

During our time together in Mariona, my new friends Oti and Aida have filled many hours sharing their memories of Archbishop Oscar Romero. The strong hug he provided in a time of struggle. His homilies echoing from every radio in town. Even the horrors that they encountered at his funeral. But, as we shared a cup of coffee in a small room of Oti’s house, I asked them for a few words to describe this man and they both had to pause for a moment. “… love… solidarity… a voice for the voiceless… the fight… the defender of the poor…” As I listened to these two women speak, one word resounded in my mind “ejemplo.”
, ,

Did You Know? | A Reflection from Ecuador

I was on the bus a few days ago coming back from another day at Manos and sitting next to Josue, one of our ayudantes (helpers) at Manos. In the silence of bus ride, he all of sudden turns to me and says: “Did you know that 80% of the people in my country are poor? And most of them are so poor, I wouldn’t even know where to begin to help them.” As he turned back forward, my jaw was naturally at my feet. I did in fact know this fact; it is well known that since the 1970’s, Ecuador’s drastic economic situation has spared few. But I was so shocked and humbled by this teenager’s insight. How terrible it must be to know this fact – that 4 out of 5 people in your own nation can barely afford to put food on the table and keep a roof over their head (and many of them cannot.) It’s such a small fact, but it has big implications. How is Ecuador, a nation that spends 50% of its budget servicing debt, supposed to help its own citizens? The gravity of the situation is even more weighing; where does one start to address such evasive poverty?
,

George Clooney | Arrested Development

Just hours ago American actor George Clooney was arrested in Washington D.C. outside of the Sudan embassy during heated protesting against the violence against the Sudanese people by the Sudan government and also calling for the Sudanese government to allow more humanitarian aid into the country. Clooney was given three warnings to leave the property but was eventually booked while fighting for justice. The arrest occurs just two days after Clooney testified before the Senate Foreign Relations committee after arriving back into the United States from a trip to Sudan.