Catholic Relief Services National Speaker Tour:
Share Our Hope—Voices for the Common Good
The Catholic Relief Services National Speaker Tour brings the world to you. Hear the personal stories and experiences of CRS partners and staff who are working side-by-side, bringing care and support to our brothers and sisters overseas.
Relevant. Poignant. Spiritual. Human.
"We will pray, we will listen, we understand more now than we did before."
"Thank you for making this speaker event possible."
"This was excellent, please continue to bring more speakers."
"Thank you for these brilliant speakers!"
"The whole earth should thank you."
Join us.
Experience the issues that impact your world from a perspective you've never encountered before.
Fall 2008
A Conflict Free Africa—Dream or Reality?
Voices for Peace
Gain a deeper understanding of the human consequences of conflict in Africa and what CRS does to create situation where peace can prosper among people.
Touring CRS Northeast, CRS Midwest, CRS Mid-Atlantic and CRS Southwest Regions.
Paul Nantulya oversees CRS peacebuilding and governance programs throughout Southern Sudan and the oil rich disputed region of Abyei. He holds a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from the United States International University (USIU) with a minor in U.S. foreign policy. He also holds a Master's degree in International Humanitarian Law from the University of the Western Cape in South Africa. He has been involved in Sudan as a student activist, policy analyst and scholar for over 10 years and has written extensively on the country in several internationally respected journals and publications.
John Katunga is CRS' Regional Technical Advisor for Peacebuilding and Justice in the east Africa region, based in Nairobi, Kenya. Serving in this role since January 2007, he provides technical guidance and assistance to CRS peacebuilding and justice programs in Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. John also serves as a senior trainer for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington D.C., he provides leadership training for government leaders, military officials and police personnel in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi.
Sister Pauline Silver Acayo is CRS' Peacebuilding Officer in Uganda. Serving in this role since 2002, Sister Pauline oversees CRS' peacebuilding projects in the country, which include initiatives that promote dialogue and mediation among the varying ethnic groups in northern Uganda. Sister Pauline also works with community and youth leaders to increase conflict resolution skills, form peace committees and youth peace clubs in local communities and schools, and support reconciliation ceremonies for returning adults and children formerly abducted by rebels.
In 2005, she was named as one of the Women Peacemakers of the Year by the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego in California, where she spent two months as a guest speaker. In 2006, she also received a certificate of recognition for her peacebuilding work from the New York-based Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children.
Spring 2009
In spring 2009, CRS Speaker Tours will highlight critical issues impacting millions of people most in need around the world.
Hunger Awareness (January - March 2009)
- Learn about CRS programs which respond to hunger, especially in light of the current global food crisis and what you can do.
- Learn more about what is happening in Ghana, Honduras, Egypt and Tanzania today.
- Speakers will discuss the global food crisis and how we must respond.
Migration (March - May 2009)
- What is the connection between migration and hunger, peacebuilding, as well as the long-term goal of equitable development where migration becomes a choice rather than a necessity? What can you do about it?
- Understand and promote the reality/belief that all people have the right to find opportunities in their homeland, to live in dignity and achieve a basic standard of living, and not be forced to migrate.
- Speakers will address causes of the growing global phenomenon of migration and related humanitarian aspects of migration including death at the borders, and minors and trafficking.
Highlights of Past Speaker Tours
From the unique perspective of personal stories, CRS' National Speaker Tour puts a spotlight on the major humanitarian challenges facing our world today. Visiting parishes, secondary schools, universities and public forums, CRS' speakers bring a vivid understanding of the realities and opportunities in the work being done to strengthen communities and improve lives around the world.
Behold: Peace in the Holy Land
What turns an enemy into a brother? This tour brought witness to the power of grief as a force of healing. Through the eyes of two men who suffered tragic losses of loved ones, we gained a personal understanding of the issues underpinning conflict in the Holy Land and how to become better advocates for peace there.
Palestinian Mazen Faraj and Israeli Rami Elhanan are members of the Parents Circle - Families Forum an association of 500 bereaved families of Israel and Palestine who support peace, reconciliation and tolerance.
Hunger Awareness
Lucrecia Oliva lived in Chicago for 18 years, forced to migrate from her native Guatemala in 1980 at age 20 because of death threats to her and her husband. But she returned, taking up the plight of migrants as her cause. Since 2003, she has coordinated efforts to help migrants and to advocate on their behalf for CRS.
Thomas Awiapo has a truly inspiring story of survival and success. Orphaned before the age of 10, Thomas survived bleak poverty and hunger in his small Africa village. His search for food led him to school at age 12, and he eventually won scholarships to attend college and later earn a master's degree in the United States. Today he works for CRS training community leaders throughout Ghana and promoting outreach to our sisters and brothers in need throughout the world.
For more information about CRS' National Speaker Tours, please contact Kim Mazyck.
