Etching out a life on Smokey Mountain                           CNN Article

When I was told we were travelling to the Philippines to do a story on "Smokey Mountain", I was unaware as to just how famous this landmark actually was.

I knew it was a rubbish dump; a place where tens of thousands of people once scavenged for their livelihood - an occupation adopted by so many of the world's poor who live below the poverty line. Here in the Philippines, that equates to almost half the population.

As I began to research, images of people stooping to such humiliating lows to put food in their mouths appeared online. But considering the landfill had closed in 1990, and the community moved to housing commission next door, I just presumed the face of poverty at Smokey Mountain had become more dignified.

After spending several hours at the government housing towers that cram roughly 30,000 people into about a dozen high rise buildings, our crew decided to make the trek up Smokey Mountain.

It's this looming mass of decomposed rubbish, standing more than 20 meters high. From a distance it looks like an enormous mound of Earth, almost of equal height to the towers that stand next to it, but on closer inspection you can see the layers of plastic bags, tires and bottles all squashed together -- the remains of 50 years of Manila's trash.

There are no steps or a road leading to the top of a landfill. Just a filthy rope dangling from the top and a well trodden path people use to scramble up this steep embankment.

I see this young girl covered head to toe in dirt carrying up a large bottle of water -- like the one that belongs in an office building. Her clothes are ripped, her ratty plastic sandals - three sizes too big - her hair, completely dishevelled and soot covers her face as if she'd been working in a coal mine.

With the water bottle resting on her shoulder she gives me a huge smile, inviting me to follow. In tow are two little girls, roughly the same age, laughing... amused that this white woman with blonde hair, carrying a camera wants to enter their world.

We get to the top, hands covered in dirt and mangy dog’s race up barking viciously. The three little girls are oblivious to these creatures that would definitely give you rabies if their teeth actually sunk into your flesh. Chickens scratch in the dirt and decomposed rubbish that's strewn across this lunar landscape.

Several humpy-type structures are standing in the scrubby vegetation. I'm shocked to discover that people actually live up here. I follow the girls to their home. Or at least what they call home. Bits of plastic and wooden sheeting to keep out the elements; a piece of corrugated iron attached for a roof and a timber palate with a mat on top, that keeps them an inch above the earth while they sleep.

I ask the name of the girl carrying the water. She responds in perfect English, her name is Rhea Rebadolla and she says she is 11 years old. She introduces me to her 8-year-old sister, Felomina, who doesn't leave her side, and her 10-year-old friend and neighbour, Noreen Grace.

Much to my surprise, they all speak English having attended the local school up until the end of last year. I ask why they don't go anymore and they explain quite simply they can't afford to. I photograph them and they ask to see the photos, laughing and giggling like little school girls. I ask after their parents and find a man who knows the girls. He says their parents are out scavenging for rubbish. They move around, depending on where the work is and recently pulled the girls out of school because they couldn't afford to pay the school fees.

Further enquiries reveal that the education system in that community, at the bottom of the landfill, is free. I wonder whether the parents have pulled them out of class to make them work.

From the top of the landfill you can see sprawling Manila. The high-rises of the city's financial district in the distance -- through the haze of the metropolis you can see the mountain range hugging the capital. A shipping terminal backs on to the landfill. Huge tankers sit in the harbor waiting to load and unload.

There are signs of money and wealth everywhere, but here on Smokey Mountain, on top of this landfill, there are just three little girls who will never know what any of that means.

Rhea takes my hand in hers, as if it's the most natural thing in the world. She shows me around her slum of an existence as the sun sinks into the ocean and dusk begins to fall. I ask her to follow me to the car. What can I do to help improve this 11-year-old's life, other than take her away, out of her world, give her a bath, an education, a future?

Instead we give her and her friends some money, wishing, hoping this was their ticket out of the cycle of poverty.

Sean MacBride

What is the Nobel Peace Prize?

The Nobel Peace Prize is an award that is awarded to people who have shown humanitarian efforts and peace movements along with a wide range of fields like advocacy of human rights, mediation of international conflicts and arms control.

Where did it originate from?

On the 27^th of November, 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament, giving the largest amount of his fortune to a series of prizes which he called the Nobel Prizes. In one part of the will, Nobel described one part of the prizes was to be dedicated to “the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses".

Who is Sean Mac Bride?

Sean Mac Bride was born on the 26^th of January, 1904 in Paris. His first language was French and he remained in Paris until after his father’s execution in 1916.

He went to school at Mount St. Benedict’s, Gorey, County Wexford in Ireland. He joined the Irish Volunteers in 1919 when he was 15 and he was an active member during the Irish War of Independence. He opposed the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty and was imprisoned by the Irish Free State during the Civil War. In 1924 he went to study law at University College Dublin and resumed his IRA (Irish Republican Army) activities. On his 21^st birthday, 1925, he married Kid Bulfin. He worked as a journalist in London and Paris before returning to Dublin in 1927, where he became Director of Intelligence for the IRA. In 1936, Sean Mac Bride became the Chief of Staff but was replaced a while later. In 1937, he was called to the Bar Council of Ireland (professional association for barristers practicing law in the Republic of Ireland). He resigned from the IRA later that year when the Constitution of Ireland was enacted.

CLANN NA POBLACHTA

In 1946, Mac Bride founded the republican/socialist party Clann na Poblachta. In 1947, he won a seat in Dail Eireann. At the 1948 election, Clann na Poblachta won only 10 seats so the party joined with 4 other party’s to form the First Inter-Party Government. Mac Bride was appointed as the Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1948 and was still in that post when the Council of Europe was drafting the European Convention on Human Rights and is credited with being a key force in the acceptance in this convention because he was the President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. In 1951, Clann na Poblachta was reduced to just 2 seats. Mac Bride kept his seat and was re-elected in 1954. In 1961, he retired from politics and continued practicing as a barrister.

Sean Mac Bride died in Dublin on the 15^th of January, 1988, 11 days before his 84^th birthday.

When and why did he receive his price?

Sean Mac Bride received his prize in 1974. Throughout the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, Sean Mac Bride worked tirelessly for human rights. He was part of the group of lawyers who founded JUSTICE (the UK-based human rights and law reform organisation) and was also an active member of many international organisations concerned with human rights. In 1973 he was elected by the General Assembly to the post if High Commissioner for Namibia. In 1977, he was appointed president of the International Commission for the Study of Communication Problems set up by UNESCO. In 1980 he was appointed Chairman of UNESCO. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize as a man who "mobilised the conscience of the world in the fight against injustice".

Why did Sean Mac Bride become involved in his work?

I couldn’t find any information on the internet as to why Sean Mac Bride started his work so I have written why I think he started his work:

I think Sean Mac Bride started his work as his father was involved in the Irish Transvaal Brigade which meant he was fighting in wars and then he was also fighting in wars and he would have seen many people who weren’t living in good conditions and then when he became a barrister he would of also dealt with many cases where the most common of human rights were neglected. I think that this is why he chose to start the work he did.

Declaration of Human Rights and Independence

Article 3 Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.	My Understanding Social. Everyone has the right to live a descent life.
Article 4 No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.	Rachel's Understanding Economic No child labor and cheap labor, only fair working conditions for all workers.

Refugees

Refugee: definition

§  Refugees are people who have left their homeland because they fear that they will lose their lives or freedom if they stay. People become refugees because one or more of their basic human rights has been violated or threatened.

§  International law defines a ‘refugee’ as a person who has fled from and/ or cannot return to their country due to well founded fear or persecution including war or conflict.

A person is a refugee if:

§  Refugees have to be outside their country of origin

§  Their reason for flight of

fear has to be persecution

§  The fear of persecution has to be well founded, i.e. they have to have experienced persecution or likely to experience it if they return

§  The persecution has to result from one or more of the 5 grounds listed in the definition;

§  They have to be unwilling or unable to seek the protection of their country.

Who protects refugees?

§  UNHCR

§  Protecting refugees is the core mandate of the UNHCR ( United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)

§  Who do they help?

§  The UNHCR’s primary goal is to help and protect the rights of refugees but they also help

§  Stateless people

§  Women

§  The elderly

§  The disabled

§  They work in more then 110 countries and have helped over 34.4 million people reclaim their lives.

    Where are they involved?

§  They work in:

§  Africa

§  The Americas

§  Asia and the pacific

§  Europe

§  The Middle East

§  North Africa

The Philippines

The Philippines is made up of more than 7,000 tropical islands and has a population of 90 million. The country has a tropical marine climate with a dry season (Nov-April) and a rainy season (May-Oct).
The capital Manila-Metro Manila- is a spawling cluster of 17 cities with municipalities such as Manila, Quezon, Passay, and so on generating a populace to guess at; perhaps start at 10 million and keep counting.
Manila has a high population density, with one district having over 68,000 people per square kilometres so at times it may feel a little crowdered especially if you have just arrived from London which has about 8,000 people per square kilometre.
Tagalog is the national language and English is used for official/buisness purposes.
There are 54 other languages with over 140 dialect variations.
The Philippines had the world's third largest English speaking population.

United Nations-Declaration of Human Rights

United Nations

The Declaration of Human Rights.

What are Human Rights?

Human rights are the rights and freedoms that we all have.

Some human rights are based on our physical needs:
the right to life, food, shelter

Other human rights protect us:
The right to be free from torture, cruel treatment and abuse.

Human rights are also there to ensure we develop to our fullest potential:
The right to education, to work, to participate in your community.

Everybody has human rights it doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, what language you speak or what religion you belong to. You have a duty to respect the rights of others just as they have a duty to respect yours. NOBODY CAN TAKE YOUR RIGHT AWAY

Human rights were officially recognised as values by the world when the UN was set up.

What is the UN?

©       The UN is an international organisation that was established in 1945 the year the Second World War ended.

©       Its founded hoped it would be able to prevent catastrophes like the holocaust from happening in the future.

©       So promoting human rights became an aim of the UN, along with maintaining international peace and reducing poverty.

The Universal Declaration of Human rights(UDHR)

The UN universal declaration of human rights is the most famous human rights agreement in the world. It contains 30 Human Rights.

Who wrote the UDHR?

The people who wrote it came from Australia, Chilie, China, France, Lebanon and many more countries.

Declaration of Human Rights

Article 17:

Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.

 No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Translation:

Everyone has right to their own possessions and to a sense of ownership with all possessions and no one’s possessions should be randomly taken away.

Article 22. Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

The meaning of this article is explaining that everyone has the right to feel safe and their rights to be respected

Kiribati and Climate Change

What are the issues? What is being done about the issue?

Kiribati is a nation. Kiribati is a coral atoll consisting of 33 islands. Around 100,000 people live there.

The issues:

·         A lot of people in a small space

·         Rising sea levels

·         About 400m wide

·         The average height above sea level is less than 2m

·         The governor is thinking that Kiribati may be the first country to fall victim to climate change, underwater by 2030

·          Global warming is thought to be causing this

·         The crops are hard to grow because of the salt in the ground

·         The storms they get are getting wilder and ruining the island

·         Lack of water is a problem there

·         Storm surges, drought and erosion are three major causes of environmental impact

Things being done:

·         The Government is educating people in Navy Training

·         Australian Government has funded for nurse training

Tackling Tuberculosis

·         300/1000 people on Kiribati with tuberculosis

·         World Health Organisation says that it is an issue if they have 25 people

·         It is spread through coughing.

·         Average number of people in each household is 13

·         4 specialist nurses to go out and help people

·         The nurses are funded by the Australian Governments Aid.

·         They isolate people with tuberculosis for up to 2 months before being transferred to a hospital.

·         Australia is also funding the build of a lab and pharmacy.

·         They are aiming to reduce the numbers by 30%

Kiribati Australian Initiatives

·         Griffith University in Brisbane is where the nurses get their degree

·         Get education so if they need to immigrate they have more chance.

·         Nurses are trained the most because they are needed more world wide.

What is the Cycle of Poverty?

The cycle of poverty has been described as a phenomenon where poor families trapped in poverty for generations because they have no or limited access to critical resources, such as:

           ·          Education

           ·          Financial services,

Subsequent generations are also impoverished.

There are multiple cycles of poverty-based on, among other things,

           ·          Economic,

           ·          Social,

           ·          Spiritual and

           ·          Geographical factors

Many cycles overlap or perpetuate new cycles and therefore any attempt to depict the cycle of poverty will be far more simplistic than realistic.

The Figure below shows-in very simplistic terms- how a cycle of poverty related to hunger keeps a person or household poor in one of the world’s developing countries.

8+ Goals

In September 2000, Koffi Annan, former General Secretary of the United Nations, suggested that we could do something to end world poverty worldwide. 189 countries met in New York City and agreed that by September 2015, we can acheive 8 goals towards ending global poverty. The 8 goals are:

• Eradicate extreme hunger and poverty
• Acheive universal primary education
• Promote gender equality and empower women
• Reduce child mortality
• Improve maternal health
• Combat diseases HIV/AIDS, malaria and other
• Ensure environmental sustainability
• Develop a global partnership for development

Key Principle of Catholic Social Teaching

Human Dignity

Belief in the inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation of all Catholic social teaching. Human life is sacred, and the dignity of the human person is the starting point for a moral vision for society.

The principle of human dignity is grounded in the idea that the person is made in the image of God. The person is the clearest reflection of God among us. We are required to honor the human person, to give priority to the person

Community and the Common Good

In a culture driven by excessive individualism, our tradition proclaims that the person is not only sacred but also social. Human dignity can only be realised and protected in the context of relationships with the wider society.

How we organise our society, in economics and politics, in law and policy, directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community. The obligation to "love our neighbor" has an individual dimension, but it also requires a broader social commitment. Everyone has a responsibility to contribute to the good of the whole society, to the common good.

Rights and Responibilities
Every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency-starting with food, shelter and clothing, employment, health care, and education.


Option for the Poor and the Vulnerable

A basic moral test of society is how it treats its most vulnerable members. The poor have the most urgent moral claim on the conscience of the nation.

The obligation to evaluate social and economic activity from the viewpoint of the poor and the powerless arises from the radical command to love one's neighbor as one's self.
The option for the poor is an essential part of society's effort to acheive the common good. A healthy community can be acheived only if it's members give special attention to those with special needs, to those who are poor and on the margins of society.


Participation
All people have a right to participate in the economic, political, and cultural life of society. it is fundamental demand of justice and a requirement for human dignity that all people be assured a minimum level of participation in the community.
It is wrong for a person or a group to be excluded un fairly or to be unable to participate in society.

Dignity or Work/Rights of Workers

The economy ust serve the people, not the other way around. All workers have a right to productive work, decent and fair wages and to safe working conditions. They also have a fundamental right to organise and join unions.

People have a right to economic initiative and private property, but these rights have limits. No one is allowed to amass excessive wealth when others lack the basci necessities of life.

Stewardship of Creation

Catholic tradition insists that we show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation. The goods of the earth are gifts from God, intended for the benefit of all.

We humans are not the ultimate owners of these goods, but rather, the temporary stewards. We are intrusted with the responsibility of caring for these gifts and preserving them for future generations.

Global Solidarity

Catholic social teaching proclaims that we are our brothers and sisters keepers, wherever they live. We are one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic and ideological differences. Solidarity means that "loving our neighbour" has global dimensions in an interdependent world.

John Paul II has called solidarity a virtue. It is the virtue, he says, by which we demonstrate "a firm and perservering determination to commit oneself to the common good...because we are all really responsible for all."

Constructive Role for Government

Becausewe are social beings, the state is natural to the person. Therefore, the state has a positive moral function. It is an instrument to promote human dignity, protect human rights, and build the common good.

One of the key functions of government is to assisst citizens in fulfiling their responsibility to others in society. Since, in a large and complex society these responsibilities cannot adequately be carried out on a one-to-one basis, citizens need the help of a government in fulfilling these responsibilities and promoting the common good.

Promotion of Peace

Pope John Paul II, "Peace is not just the absence of war. It involves mutual respect and confidence between peoples and nations. It involves collabration and binding agreements."

1.       List the 5 issues social justice aims to cover

5 social justice issues that social justice aims to cover are;

·         Poverty

·         Child Labour

·         Refugees

·         Homelessness

·         Hunger

2.       In your own words explain what is meant by human dignity

Human dignity is believing that everyone is of worth and that have self-respect. Every human is made in God’s image and made by God.

3.       What is meant by a moral vision for society?

Aiming to do well for all levels in society.

4.       Which of the 5 social justices relates to human dignity?

All of the above issues relate to human dignity.

5.       Give an example of a community that you are part of.

Stella Maris College community

6.       How is this community both Sacred and Social?

Stella Maris College is a catholic girl’s school and we uphold the catholic faith. It is social because of our connection with our friends here.

7.       What is the major test of a moral society?

How a community treats their most vulnerable members of society.

8.       In what way does our community look after the poor?

Vinnies, Salvos, Red Cross, World Vision, Caritas, Medicare, soup kitchens, meals on wheels, mission beat and the church.

9.       What are every human’s fundamental rights?

Every human has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency-starting with food, shelter and clothing, employment, health care and education.

10.   What is the role of the government in maintaining human rights?

To promote human dignity, protect human right and build the common good.

11.   Who is responsible for assisting the government to achieve its goals?

All people are responsible by voting.