Saturday, May 28, 2011

The Nobel Peace Prize Assignment!

Mother Teresa
The life  of “Mother Teresa”  (Biography)
Mother Teresa was born on the 27th of August of the year,

1910.

Mother Teresa died on the 5th of September 1997.

Mother Teresa was a Catholic nun of Albanian and Indian Citizenship. She founded The Missionaries of Charity, Caring for the poor, orphaned, sick and dying. This started just in India and then eventually went on to other countries. Mother Teresa had an older brother, “Lazar” and an older sister, “Age.” Mother Teresa was always her own person. She was so independent and obedient. In 1980, Mother Teresa won India’s highest Civilian Honour, for her humanitarian work. Mother Teresa’s orphanages, children’s hospitals, and much other charity’s continued to expand to 123 countries, at the time of her death.




How did Mother Teresa get this award?
Mother Teresa got this award for doing good things, e.g. charity work. She has started many charity foundations, not just in her own country but in many other countries. Mother Teresa got awarded The Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.


The Origin of The Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize was created by a man called “Alfred Nobel.” “Alfred Nobel” demanded that five people chosen by The Norwegian Parliament, “who have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”
Each year someone wins The Nobel Peace Prize. Mother Teresa won The Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.


Explain how the person got involved in the work. 
Mother Teresa has also been involved in Charity work but more recent than earlier on in her life. She left home when she was 18 and joined The Sister’s of Loreto as a missionary, but she then never ever saw her Mother or Sister again. On the 7th of October 1950, Mother Teresa
received permission to start The Missionaries Charity.







The mission was to care for, in her own words, “The hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, and all of those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone.” Then because she did so much good charity work, she got awarded The Nobel Peace Prize.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

8 Millennium Goals:


Goal
Target
What Aus is doing?
1.
Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
Halve between 1990 and 2015 the proportion of people whose income is less than $1.25 a day.

Australia is providing 1.6 million Bangladesh disadvantaged children with access to pre-primary and primary education. Providing affordable housing.
2.
Achieve universal primary education.
Ensure that by 2012 children everywhere, boys and girls alike will be able to complete a full course of primary school education. 
Founded new schools in louse and providing them with nutritious snacks. They have doubled the number of children especially girls in Australian supported school.

3.
Promote gender equality and empower women.
Increase proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments. Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education.  

Increasing the development of scholarship for east Timor women. Encouraging women in east Timor to register for jobs. Supporting leadership and governance training for women across the Asia pacific region.

4.
Reduce child mortality.
Reduce by two thirds between 1990 and 2015, the underline mortality rate.
Training more skilled birth attendants in rural and remote PNG to help reduce infant deaths. Increasing births supervised by skilled staff is an important focus of the PNG Australia partnership for development. Working with governments and other donors to improve the supply of vaccinations and immunisation globally

5.
Improve maternal health.
Reduce by three-quarters the maternal mortality rate.  Achieve universal Access to reproductive health.

Helping to train the next generation of midwives and providing specialist surgical services and training in east Timor. Supporting Outreach clinics, which target remote and rural villages with information on health, nutrition and family planning. Helping to find maternal and reproductive health activities in developing countries across the region and in Afghanistan.

6.
Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
Have Halted but 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS. Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need it.
Committed up to $100 million to work in partnership with Indonesia to combat the spread of HIV and improve the quality of like for those living with the virus. Supporting needle syringe programs, voluntary counselling, testing and prevention services and methadone programs in Indonesia. Committed $160 million in 2009-10 to combat the spread of the pandemic through its global HIV/AIDS inactive, up from $130 million in 2008-9
7.
Ensure environmental sustainability.
Integrate the Principles of sustainable development into countries policies and programs.  Halve the number of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.
Providing $150 million through the international Climate Change Adaption imitative, to help vulnerable countries in our region increase resilience to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. Working to Improve understanding of current and projected climate change impacts to help Pacific islands countries make informed adaption decisions. Funding monitoring stations to ensure Pacific Island countries have access to accurate data on sea level rise.


8.
Develop a global partnership for development.
Non applicable.

Australia is working closely with developing countries and development partners to build global partnerships which address poverty.

Monday, May 2, 2011



India



Some recent achievements and challenges of India:
·         India has some frequent natural disasters, with such a large population, this means that lots of Indian’s are affected. Although India has a good system for responding to the disasters when they occur.  Cyclones occur in the bay of
Bengal, and they get damaging earthquakes in the central northern area.

·          Deforestation, river and air pollution are major pressures on the environment.

The government has initiated various programs to improve health but India still suffers from health problems linked to poverty, malnutrition, rapid population growth, environmental pollution and neglect of children and women's well being. Life expectancy is about 70 years.
The average income is over three quarters of the population live on less than US $2 a day.
66% of Adults can read and write in India.
45% of mobile phones are available to people in India each year. 
The Government spends $37.6 billion on Education in India per year.






Poverty Reduction. - Assessment.

Poverty Reduction

We need to reduce poverty as it is such a horrible thing.
People going through Poverty have no choice but to keep going through it, we can change this, we can do something about it but people in places like: Africa, would love to get out of their poor living conditions and come to a rich country like Australia or England, etc. The things that we think are nothing, just simple everyday things, well people who are in Poverty would find that what we find nothing, they actually struggle to do. That is why it is so important that we reduce Poverty.


Summary and Background

What is Poverty?
Poverty is where you are starving hungry but you are so poor that you cannot afford your next meal, and you do not know when that is going to be. Poverty is not having a house or a home, not roof over your head, nowhere to go when it rains. Poverty is where you cannot afford medicine. Poverty is not being able to give those who have died a proper farewell and Goodbye, where you can’t bury them, or scatter there ashes because that isn’t an option as they can’t not get put in a coffin to get burnt. Poverty is where you know that you will always be going through this situation – (poverty), as you cannot afford anything because you have no money so it is an endless cycle, which is really sad as people going through poverty have such a bad life.


Why does Poverty Occur?

About 1.7 billion people live in absolute poverty. Poverty is where people struggle to afford basic human needs. This is due to the fact that the people in the community get a very little income, which means that the poverty life cycle begins, so poverty occurs really based on the fact of a very low income. If people got paid more money then poverty could be avoided.


What can be done about Poverty?

If Employers paid their workers more money then poverty would not exist. Poverty is all about money because if you do not have very much money then you obviously can’t afford human supplies, which means that you will get sick and probably die, or if you survive with having nothing then you will live a very miserable life.


What organisations are currently being done to address Poverty Reduction?

There are a few organisations, such as :
·        Prosthetics Outreach Foundation.
·        United Prosperity.
·        Act Now.
·        Fight Poverty.
·        4Ever Poverty.
It is really great that there are so many organisations to help Poverty, as these poor people really need help and support.

What can we do to address Poverty?
We can get people to do charity work out there and fly over food and clean water supplies, and set up a community where people get paid a fair amount of money, so that we put a stop to poverty.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Human Rights Articles.

Article 2# 
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Every human being has the rights to be free, because of the rules of the Declaration; no one can be ranked because of where they were born or if they have a different skin colour. Everyone is equal. Everyone may speak for themselves. It also makes no difference whether the country you live in is independent or not.
Article 6#
 Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

You should be legally protected in the same way everywhere, and like everyone else. Your human rights should be protected by the laws written and passed in your country. A person before the law is someone who is recognized to be subject to the protection offered by the legal system and the responsibilities required by it.

Article 18#
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Everyone is equal to the same amount of respect for their religion choice as others. They can decide what religion they want to follow, if they want to follow a religion, then that is there choice. Some people don’t believe that the world existed from a God, they believe that it was Science.
 
 

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

United Nations.

What are Human rights?

Human rights are the rights and freedom that we all have.

Some human rights are based on our physical needs.
  • The right to life. To Food, Water and Shelter.
Other human rights protect us.
  • The right to be free from torture, cruel treatment and abuse.
Human rights are also there to ensure we develop to our fullest potential.
  • Human rights to education. To work. To participate in your community.

Everybody has Human rights. It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from, what language you speak or what religion you belong to. You have a duty to respect the rights of others, just as they have a duty to respect yours. Nobody can take your rights away.


Human rights are based on the values of:
  • Dignity
  • Justice
  • Respect
  • Eqaulity
Human rights were officially recognised as values by the world when the United Nations was set up.




WHAT IS THE UNITED NATIONS?

  • The United Nations (UN) is an international organisation that was established in 1945, the year The Second World War ended.
  • It's founders hoped it would be able to prevent catastrophes like the Holocaust from happening in the future.
  • So promoting human rights became an aim of the UN, along with maintaing international peace and reducing poverty.

THE UNIVERSAL DECLARARTION  OF HUMAN RIGHTS

The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human rights (UDHR) is the most famous human rights agreement in the world. It contains 30 Human rights.

Who wrote the UDHR?

The people who wrote the UDHR came from Australia, Chile, China, France, Lebanon, the former Soveit union, the UK and the US.




Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Kiribati!

People are considered lucky to have a wheelchair, as they are so limited.
The average number of people in each household is 13. The houses are also very small.
300 people per 100 00 have Tuberculosis. They treat people with T.B. by isolating them.


Aid in Action
  • Griffith University in Brisbane, studying nurses.
  • They go to different countrys and experence different cultures.
  • Funded by The Australian Government.
  • 50 Thousand people live in Kiribati.
  • The main Island, has far to big a population.
  • They are experencing environmental diasters.


If you are a trainned nurse then you can enter Australia to live.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Kiribati and Climate Change.

Kiribati is an Island, which has a population of 100 000 people. It is hard for them to grow crops as the sea level is rising. The average sea level height is 2 metres. It has been predicted that the Island will be underwater by 2030. They have storm serges, erosion and droughts sometimes which has an environmental impact. The Government is training and educating people to leave the Country. They teach people to become Nurses and Doctors. The people of Kiribati are not giving up on their Country.




Wednesday, March 2, 2011

The 8+ Goals

In Spetember 2000, Koffphie Aman, the former general secretary of the United Nations suggest the leaders of the world should do soemthing to end world poverty and by 2015 they would achieve 8 goals towards ending global poverty.

1. Eradicate Extreme Hunger and Poverty.
2. Achieve Universal Primary Education.
3. Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women.
4. Reduce Child Mortality.
5. Improve Maternal Health.
6. Combat Disease HIV/AIDS and other.
7. Ensure Environmental Sustainability.
8. Develop a Global Partnership for Devleopment.

Poverty Cycle

The cycle of Poverty has been described as a phenomenon where poor families become trapped in poverty for generation because they have no or limited access to critical resources, such as:
·        Education
·        Financial Services

Subsequent generations are also impoverished.

There are multiple cycles of poverty - based on, among other things.

·        Economic
·        Social
·        Spiritual
·        Geographical  factors

Many Cycles overlap or perpetrate new cycles and therefore any attempt to depict the cycle of poverty will be far more simplistic than realistic.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Key Principles of Catholic social teaching.

Human Dignity.
Belief in the inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation of all Catholic social teaching. Human life is sacred, and the dignity of the human person is the starting point for a moral vision for society.
The Principle of Human dignity is grounded in the idea that the person is made in the image of God. The person is the clearest reflection of god among us. We are required to honour the human person, to give priority to the person.

Community and the common good.
In a culture driven by excessive individualism, our tradition proclaims that the person is not only but also social. Human dignity can only be realized and protected in the context of relationships with the wider society.
How we organize our society – in economics and politics, in law and policy - directly affect human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community. The Obligation to “love our neighbour” has an individual dimension, but it also requires a broader social commitment. Everyone has a responsibility to contribute to the good of the whole society, to the common good.

Rights and Responsibilities
Human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. Every person has a fundamental right to life and right to those things required for human decency – starting with food, water, shelter and clothing, employment, health care, and education. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities – to one another, to our families and to the larger society --.
Option for the poor and the vulnerable
A basic moral test of society is how it treats its most vulnerable members. The poor have the most urgent moral claim on the conscience of the nation
The option for the poor is a perspective that examines personal decisions, policies of private and public institutions, and economic relationships in terms of their effects on the poor-those who lack the minimum necessary of nutrient, housing, education and health care. Those who are marginalized and whose rights are denied have privileged claims of society of society is to provide justice for all.

The obligation to evaluate social and economic activity from the viewpoint of the poor and powerless arises from radical command to love one’s neighbour as one self.
The option for the poor is an essential part of society’s effort to achieve the common good. A healthy community can be achieved only if its members give special attention to those with special needs, to those who are poor and on the margins of society.

Participation
All people have a right to participate in economic, political, and cultural life of society. It is a fundamental demand of justice and a requirement for human dignity that all people be assured a minimum level of participation in the community.
It is wrong for a person or a group to be excluded unfairly or to be unable to participate in society. In the world of the U.S bishops, “The ultimate injustice is for a person or group to be treated actively or abandoned passively as if they were non-members of the human race. To treat people this way is effectively to say they simply do not count as human beings.”
  
Dignity of Work/Rights of workers
The economy must serve people, not the other way around. All workers have a right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, and to safe working conditions. They also have a fundamental right to organise and join unions.
People have a right to economic initiative and private property, but these rights have limits. No one is allowed to amass excessive wealth when others lack the basic necessary of life.
Stewardship of Creation
Catholic tradition insists that we show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of Creation. The goods of the earth are gifts from God, intended for the benefit of all.
We humans are not the ultimate owners of these goods,  but rather, the temporary stewards. We are entrusted with the responsibility of caring for these gifts and preserving them for future generations.
Global Solidarity
Catholic social teaching proclaims that we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they live. We are one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. Solidarity means that “loving our neighbour” has global dimensions in an interdependent world.
John Paul 2nd has called solidarity a virtue. It is the virtue, he says, which we demonstrate “a firm and preserving determination to commit oneself to the common good....because we are all really responsible for all.
Constructive Role for Government
Because we are social beings,  the state is natural to the person. Therefore the state has a positive moral function. It is an instrument to promote human dignity, protect human rights, build the common good.

One of the key functions of government is to assist citizens in fulfilling their responsibility to others in society. Since, in a large and complex society these responsibility cannot  adequately be carried out on a one-to-one basis, citizens need the help of government in fulfilling these responsibility and promoting the common good.

Promotion of Peace
Catholic teaching promotes peace as a positive, action-oriented concept. In the words of Pope John Paul the 2nd, “Peace is not just the absence of war. It involves mutual respect and confidence between peoples and nations. It involves collaboration and building agreements.
Questions
1.     List the 5 issues social justice aims to cover.
·        Poverty
·        Child Labour
·        Refugees
·        Homelessness
·        Hunger
2.      In your own words explain what is meant by human dignity.
Every person reflects God, so don’t think badly of one person as then the Catholic’s believe that you are thinking badly of God. Homeless people are not bad.
3.     What is meant by a moral vision for society.
What the right thing is to do.
4.     Which of the 5 social justice issues relates to human dignity?
·        Poverty
·        Child Labour
·        Refugees
·        Homelessness
·        Hunger



DINGITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
Belief in the inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation of all Catholic social teaching. Human life is sacred, and the dignity of the human person is the starting point for a moral vision for society. This principle is grounded in the idea that the person is made in the image of God. The person is the clearest reflection of God among us.

By Courtney Staley




5.     Give an example of a community that you are part of.
A Community is a group of loving people, I am a part of Stella Maris Community.
6.     How is this community both Sacred and Social?
This  school is both a social and a sacred community.
7.     What is the major test of a moral society?
The major test of a moral society is how we treat our most vulnerable people in our community, e.g. Homeless people.
8.     In what way does our community look after the poor.  
·        Red Cross
·        Salvation Army
·        St Vincent De Pauls
·        World Vision
·        Meals on wheels.

1.     What are every human’s fundamental rights?
Every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency – starting with Food, Water, Shelter and Clothing, Employment, Health-care and Education.
2.     What is the role of the Government in maintaining human rights.
It is an instrument to promote human dignity, protect human rights, and build the common good.
3.     Who is responsible for assisting the Government to achieve it’s goals.
All people.