the.light.in.the.dark by =JeanFanhttp://jeanfan.deviantart.com
The number of deported or returning migrant workers can reach 28,000 per month, of which 3,000 are in need of caritative help of various forms, including mental and medical aid.________________________________________________________________________
It's almost impossible to avoid the phenomenon that is shaking up the Catholic world, which is the news trailing in the wake of Pope Francis. It is highly probable to use phrases like "tectonic-shift" or "re-awakening" to describe it, as well as completely un-complimentary ones. What is evident is that great forces are getting into motion, and at the moment, they are the sum of many individual and highly personal reactions. The second wave could very well be the reforms which are hoped for within the Vatican - but that might not have as big and immediate an impact on the non-Catholic world as the phenomenon of the first wave.________________________________________________________________________
Subi (not her real name)
was a victim. She travelled to a foreign country, and worked illegally, using
forged identity and travel documents. Technically, she's a victim of breached
legal conventions by the employment agency who sent her off. On another level,
she's also the victim of circumstances of how her life story was scripted by
forces beyond her control.
One of those forces or dynamics is the malaise
striking the various rural communities. This malaise is not just economic, but
also social, in the sense of the intelligence, wisdom, and direction of the
community at large. A large part of this malaise is driven by political will,
as programmes are driven by central or lofty government apparatus.
But does she have to remain a victim? Think about it.
Do we continue to regard her as a victim? I question whether we have really
gone beyond the very first impression we have of her. The crime was done - it
is over. Don' t relive it for her, don't carry it for her.
Instead, help her to survive. Help her to live. Help
her to make headway in life. There's no better way to move forward than to move
forward. That message was brought home to me today, as I watched how a true
lady, once free of the burdens and shackles of burns, and broken skin, spread
her wings and showed the world that she is strong, quick, helpful, attentive -
all within 24 hours of being discharged from the hospital. Though she was a
victim, she is not one any more - so don't force her becme a victim all over
again.
