CAFOD and Peru

This evening I attended a CAFOD presentation in the Parish, after a 'creation' Mass - of course, did not know what was 'creative' about the Mass, or why was it qualified as a 'creation' Mass.  Anyway, the presentation after the Mass was quite appealing.  The main speaker was a CAFOD staff member overseeing its outreach programme in Peru.  Most of what she spoke about, in terms of the ground situation, the modes of intervention and the expected outcomes and accountability checks, was familiar to me.  In fact, one of the participants whom I know well, came up to me and said, "You could very well state the same of India as well." And I couldn't agree more.  However, he also added, "It could very well be the same here in UK! It is just that we most often do not accept that fact!"  I mentioned to him the scientific principle of physics: Matter can never be annihilated. It only changes form. 

A couple of things I learnt about Peru tonight. 

• That after Bangladesh and Honduras, it is the third country in the world most susceptible to climate change and environmental factors.  I thought Philippines and some of the south-east Asian countries would make the 'top ten'.  
• Lima, the capital of Peru, is the second largest desert capital cities of the world - after Cairo (Egypt). Well it was hard to digest that fact, given that Peru is in the heart of the Amazon region.  How can one expect to find a 'desert' there?  But in spite of 60% of Peru coming under the Amazon region, its capital city is a geographical 'desert'!