The Lenten Campaign - Fastenopfer

The Lenten Campaign
Mineral extraction: profits for some, suffering for others
The Matterhorn is a small piece of Africa in
the heart of the Alps. The African continental
plate gives birth to one of the most
beautiful landscapes of our country.
This continent turns up in the most unexpected
places: our mobile phones and
computers, for example. Some of the metals
used to make them were mined in the
African subsoil. Often with associated
violence : expulsions, intolerable working
conditions, wars, hunger…
The wealth of countries with rich mineral
deposits is plundered: the State grants the
concessions for raw material extraction
to international companies, who enjoy
significant privileges and violate the
rights of local populations. The people who
used to live with these treasures in their
soil become landless or workers without
rights: instead of benefiting from this
wealth, they are either displaced or work for
a starvation wage on which they cannot
live. Their right to food is violated, not
to mention their right to live with dignity.
It is this injustice that the 2011
ecumenical campaign denounces.
Alongside the local populations of the
Congo, as well as in South Africa and
other countries, the Swiss Catholic Lenten
Fund and Bread for All are committed to
BREAD FOR ALL
CATHOLIC LENTEN FUND
English
2011
ONE MAN’S TREASURE IS
ANOTHER MAN’S SORROW:
MINING AND HUMAN RIGHTS
SMS MANGER 9
TO 3636
increasing justice, by supporting the local
communities affected by the activities of
the multinationals in their battle to defend
their rights and by requesting the federal
authorities to monitor the work of the
Swiss companies involved in African mining
activities.
The campaign advocates that the exploitation
of deposits should not lead to violations
of human rights, in particular that it should
protect the right to food of the populations
concerned. The exploitation of mineral
resources must be carried out above all for
the benefit of the people living in the countries
of the South.

Introduction to the theme
The right to food and mineral
exploitation in the Democratic
Republic of Congo
It has become a commonplace that: “the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is
a geological scandal involving more than
1100 different mineral substances”. Although
these minerals are highly prized on international
markets, they do not generally
provide any benefit for the Congolese.
The DRC possesses one third of the
world’s known reserves of cobalt, 10% of
its copper reserves and 80% of its coltan
reserves. It is one of the world's major
suppliers of diamonds. And yet “its”
mineral wealth does not bring the DRC
much in return: it ranks among one of
the poorest countries.
The impact of mineral extraction
on food security
The Congolese do not seem to realise that
their agricultural and natural resources
would bring them equal benefits. The
chance to earn a small sum of money in the
mines has a negative impact on education
and on agriculture. One of the first consequences
is a reduction in the supply of
food products. Price rises logically result
from this, as well as food insecurity. If noone
cultivates the land, how can sustained
access to food be possible?
The State has obligations with regard to the
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right to food of its citizens. Agricultural
activities have been abandoned because
the land was sold either by agreement or by
force to the mining companies. Losing access
to the means to produce their food, men and
women are driven to work in the mines.
The ones who gain from the mineral exploitation
are the mining companies themselves,
who generally export the raw materials. The
Congolese State profits from this through
the various taxes it collects from the companies.
But as corruption has become “a
way of life”, the tax revenue is insignificant
and the mining sector’s contribution to
the national budget is purely symbolic. The
Congolese population hardly benefits from
the mineral exploitation.
The theological, social
and ethical perspective
The dignity of Congolese men and women
must be restored by helping them to go
from a less to a more human condition.
Without the ethical reference, without the
moral values of those engaged in the mining
sector, no social, economic, environmental
or cultural well-being can be guaranteed.
From the theological perspective, “Man
is truly human only if he is the master of his
own actions and the judge of their worth,
only if he is the architect of his own
progress. He must act according to his
God-given nature, freely accepting its
potentials and its claims upon him” (Populorum
Progressio, 34). Progress must
not be understood as the growth of the mining
sector, although this is an important
activity, often the only source of income for
the poor. “The Glory of God is Man fully
alive” (St. Irenaeus of Lyon), that is, able
to live with dignity.
In the Bible, several words are used to
define the mandate given to Man by God.
He gave Man, who is the summit of his
intrinsically “good” creation (cf. Gen. 1.31),
the obligation to “take care of it” responsibly
(cf. Gen. 2.15).
My view is inspired by the Church’s vision
of a person created in the image of God and
of a society where love, justice, peace and
solidarity reign. It is borne along by the
notion of the “integral human development”
of all, according to the phrase used
by Pope Paul VI in Populorum Progressio.
This implies that the exploitation of our
natural resources should be methodical,
monitored, transparent and carried out for
the benefit of the people.
Extracts from the introductory text by
Ferdinand Muhigirwa Rusembuka, Director
of the Catholic Institute CEPAS (Study
Centre for Social Action) in Kinshasa,
DRC.
Photo: © Patricio Frei, Action de Carême

Take action
“160,000 Roses for the Right to Food”
The traditional “rose day” will be held on
2 nd April 2011. Each rose purchased helps
to support a cooperation development
project by the Swiss Catholic Lenten Fund
and Bread for All in the Democratic Republic
of Congo. Since 2005, this action has
led to the collection of some 4.8 million
Swiss francs for underprivileged populations
in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Shared Bread, a joint action with your
local baker
From 9 th March to 24 th April 2011, Swiss
bakers are joining the campaign for the
fourth year running by proposing “Shared
Bread” during Lent. For each “Shared
Bread” sold, 50 centimes go towards the
projects of the Swiss Catholic Lenten
Fund and Bread for All.
Does the baker in your area or parish
take part?
If not, talk to them about this action and
invite them to participate!
You can explain this action with the help of
the leaflet “Shared Bread” which contains
a reply coupon enabling your baker to
subscribe to the action and to order the
required material.
For more information: 021 617 88 81 or
www.droitalimentation.ch/pain
Petition for improved multinational
social responsibility
For the 2011 ecumenical campaign, Bread
for All and the Swiss Catholic Lenten
Fund wish to increase the Swiss people’s
awareness of the human rights abuses
committed by Swiss mining companies.
The charities will also invite you to lobby
the Federal Council for the adoption of a
clear and coherent policy in this domain.
Sign and get others to sign the campaign
petition!
by signing it directly on the website
www.droitalimentation.ch
by downloading the petition form on the
site www.droitalimentation.ch or ordering
it by telephone from our offices.
The petition in brief
Bread for All and the Swiss Catholic Lenten
Fund are asking the Federal Council to
commit itself to drawing up a clear, coherent
and transparent policy concerning international
companies and human rights. As
regards the mining industries, this policy
must notably guarantee:
increased financial transparency: transnational
companies, especially petrol
or mining ones, must openly publish,
by country, the payments made to the
governments of the countries whose
deposits they exploit.
increased judicial transparency: the
Federal Council must identify the possibility
of introducing a due diligence into
Swiss law to oblige multinationals whose
headquarters are in Switzerland to take the
necessary measures to prevent violations
of human rights by their subsidiaries.
Make a donation by SMS
Support the local populations affected by
mineral and petrol extraction activities in
their battle to defend their rights!
Send “MANGER” followed by the sum
that you wish to donate to 3636.
For example: to make a donation of 10
Swiss francs, send “MANGER 10” to 3636.
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© Miles Guidetti: Fernando Pereira/ Le Cygne Blanc

Support a project in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Creating village associations
in rural areas
In the province of Bas-Congo, the villagers
of Tsumba Tkituti have joined together to
form the association “Uplabo” meaning
“Union of Planters”. This is one of the
118 organisations set up by the Centre for
the Promotion and Education of Base
Communities (CEPECO), which has been a
partner for over ten years with the Swiss
Catholic Lenten Fund in the Democratic
Republic of Congo. The CEPECO supports
each association in its battle for food security
and the strengthening of subsistence
agriculture.
With the support of the CEPECO, these
associations also create savings banks. In
addition, the CEPECO assists the communities
in the defence of their rights in
terms of the environment, access to natural
resources and local government.
Lenten Fund Project no. 130219
CCP 10-15955-7
Pain pour le prochain
Av. du Grammont 9
1007 Lausanne
Tél. 021 614 77 17
ppp@bfa-ppp.ch
www.ppp.ch
Brot für Alle
Monbijoustrasse 29, Postfach 5621,
3001 Bern
Tel. 031 380 65 65,
bfa@bfa-ppp.ch
www.brotfueralle.ch
A Centre for Street Children
More than 80,000 children live on the
streets in the Democratic Republic of
Congo. Since the collapse of the Kolwezi
copper mine, the economic and social
crisis has inexorably spread. Many children
are neglected, have run away from home
or are driven out by their parents. Roaming
gangs of street children feed on rubbish
and stolen food and have to find a new
place to sleep each night. To meet the most
urgent needs, numerous organizations
provide free meals for the children. This
is the case of “Kipedano”, women of the
Evangelical Church of North Katanga,
who receive support from Connexio – a
partner of Bread for All. Three times a
week, they cook for about 300 children
and teenagers. They also provide a safe
place, a haven from the harsh reality of
life on the street, where the young can
play and learn as children once again.
Bread for All Project no. 197.5101
CCP 10-26487-1
Action de Carême
Av. du Grammont 7
1007 Lausanne
Tél. 021 617 88 81
actiondecareme@fastenopfer.ch
www.actiondecareme.ch
The Swiss Catholic Lenten
Fund (Fastenopfer-Action de
Carême-Sacrificio Quaresimale)
The Swiss Catholic Lenten Fund is a
Catholic charity in Switzerland. It provides
financial support for over 350
projects in Africa, Latin America, Asia
and Switzerland. Other objectives of the
Swiss Catholic Lenten Fund are to raise
the Swiss population’s awareness of the
problems of maldevelopment and to intervene
in the public debate on various
development-related questions.
Bread for All
(Brot Für Alle – Pain pour
le prochain – Pane per Tutti)
Bread for All is the development service
of the Protestant Churches in Switzerland.
It supports some 350 development
programmes and projects in 60 countries.
Through its information and awareness
campaigns in Switzerland on North-South
questions and its development policy activities,
Bread for All is committed to fairer
international socio-economic structures.
Fastenopfer
Alpenquai 4
6002 Luzern
11512
Tel. 041 227 59 59
N°
mail@fastenopfer.ch
www.fastenopfer.ch Article