Hurricane Matthew has hit Haïti very hard. When looking at the images on the news, our thoughts went to our friends of Kiro Haïti. We were happy to receive news from the chaplain of Kiro Haïti, father Justin. He informed us that as far as they know, there are no casualties among the Kiro members. However, the damage is severe. 

Father Justin:
This hurricane has really caused a lot of damage, especially in the south, mainly in 3 departments (Jérémie, Les Cayes and Nippes). I made a first trip south of the country to check the situation there. Houses are destroyed, roads are cut making access to certain parts of the country not possible. There is no power because the electricity network was destroyed terribly. Food is short because 90% of gardens, fields and livestock were destroyed. People have lost their source of income. Diseases and epidemics come up, especially cholera. 

Now more than ever: together for diversity, peace and respect. With these words FIMCAP Europe issued a statement one year ago. Now this statement is more accurate than ever. We as FIMCAP stand for unity, solidarity and respect. We see cultural diffences as an enrichment and not as a threat. We show we can play and work together across borders. We cannot tolerate the violence and attrocities that take place all over the world. Let us pray for al the people, especially children and youngsters, who have been affected by violence, and let us pray for more understanding and tolerance among people. You can find the statement of FIMCAP Europe here.

In August 2016 the 25th General Assembly of FIMCAP will take place in Switzerland, hosted by our friends of Jubla. We hope to welcome all our member organizations there. On the General Assembly we will focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), from a child and youth perspective. Youth are an integral aspect of the goals, and every goal requires youth participation to succeed.

Every year FIMCAP Day will mark the start of a new year theme. 20 November 2015 will be the start of the year on child labor. We might think that child labor is a very specific problem and only a concern in specific regions, but we forget that our behaviour as a consumer often keeps such practices alive elsewhere in the world.