Caritas fights for the rights of the poor

NASSA 40th anniversary Manila June 2006 The main event in NASSA’ history could be the launching of the Basic ecclesial communities in 1975. They are a mean and also a spirituality of social action to build living communities of men and women where God becomes the linking force. They are a mean to have a new understanding of Christ in relation to the poor. NASSA in these 40 years has been with the people helping them in order to liberate them from the oppressive forces trough activities such as - the conviction to motivate and make the poor aware of their rights and power - the participation and the mobilization of the farmers during the agrarian reform - the awareness building against the negative impacts of the globalisation and for more justice. I just had a moving experience of this involvement. Beginning of June I attended an international conference on the fight against corruption organized by the Pontifical Council Justice and Peace in Rome. Monseigneur Dinualdo Guttierez, Chairman of NASSA, gave a presentation. He strongly put on the table an analysis of the corruption in the Philippines and of its impacts on the education system, the infrastructures, the debt, the crime etc. The Episcopal Conference published many declarations and many programs are linked with NASSA’ activities and contribute to this fight, political education or campaign to monitor the taxes for instance. And the long lasting advocacy in favour of the repeal of the Mining act of 1995 is an impressive example of the link between concrete programs at the grassroots level and long lasting advocacy strategies for a more just world. In January this year the Catholic bishops Conference stated: “Allowing the interests of big mining corporations to prevail over people’s rights to these sources amounts to violating their right to life.” With the Church in the Philippines and in the Asian and global network of Caritas Internationalis, since its beginning NASSA is a visionary organisation which opted to work in the field of community development and of the development of the human person on the basis of a “critical collaboration” as a civil society organisation. Now NASSA envisions the liberation of the human person, of the empowerment of the poor. It is an organisation integrating two important dimensions of the Charity put in front by the last encyclical Deus Caritas est, the organisation of the charity, the training of the hearts of its agents. We are proud to have in the Caritas Internationalis confederation a member, a partner, of such a dimension in the service of the development of the whole human being. DV.