As you know, the 5th of February each year is the day chosen for the launch of the Pedro Arrupe World Association’s Arrupe Dollar (or in Europe, the Arrupe Euro) campaign.

5 February 2016, the anniversary of the death of Father Pedro Arrupe, will thus be the launch date for the new campaign, the fifteenth to be launched by the Pedro Arrupe World Association.

You will also know that the Pedro Arrupe World Association is the “social arm” of the World Union. Its new logo, designed in cooperation with Alain Deneef, President of the World Union, seeks to emphasise this relationship.

At the time of this report, we are delighted to tell you that on the initiative of Alain Deneef, the new World Union Fe y Alegria programme for Haiti (improvement of basic and craft education), planned in 2014, resulted this year in the award of a grant of €10,000 from the Pedro Arrupe World Association. Further information on this programme is available elsewhere on the World Union website, so that everyone can contribute in 2016.

Key features in the Association’s 2015 accounts include

• The 14th Arrupe Dollar (or Euro) campaign raised €6,446.
• In addition to the educational programme for Haiti (the grant was paid to the major Spanish Jesuit charity, Entreculturas, which finances the work of the Fe y Alegria network in Haiti), the Association provided €2,000 of emergency support to victims of the Nepal earthquakes (via a Jesuit missionary working in that country – see May 2015, 15th email below from him)

Greetings from Nepal. Elfio Nicolosi sent your email address and asked that I write to you. He tells me that you knew the late Father Gene Watrin.

Like Gene, I am an American Jesuit who has worked in Nepal for decades. I first came to Kathmandu in 1979. After Gene’s death I actually took over his work with young people at the Godavari Alumni Assn, and his social work projects. A few years ago the Jesuit superior of Nepal decided to remove the Jesuits from the Godavari Alumni Association — but we continue to run the mobile rural health clinics, which were Gene’s main work. In fact we have expanded the program. The clinics are based in towns across Nepal, from Surkhet in the west to Jhapa in the east

The day after the first earthquake we called all mobile clinic teams to Kathmandu, with their vehicles and nurses. The medical teams joined with volunteers from our school and college, who carried food, tarpaulins and other relief materials. On Monday the decision was made to switch to Phase Two — recovery and rehabilitation. Primarily this means getting building materials to village areas, so that they can set up shelter before the monsoon rains begin. Full rebuilding of homes will have to wait until the autumn, when the dry weather returns.

The Jesuits of Nepal are collaborating on a long term recovery project with CARITAS, the international Catholic relief agency. Personally, with support from former Jesuit Volunteers and alumni of the Boston College Nepal Program, I am directing aid to four villages where volunteers and students have lived for village home stays.

The earthquake of 25 April had a devastating impact on the villages of central Nepal. The huge aftershock on 12 May brought down what few houses were still standing in many areas.I have been throughout several of the affected districts. The suffering is immeasurable. But we are working together to get people shelter and food for the fast-approaching rainy season. Let me know if you need more information.

Yours sincerely,

(Fr) Gregory Sharkey SJ

• and a further €500 to the Fonds Aloysius programme for personalised support to the education of young people in Cambodia (through a charity created 14 years ago by an alumnus to support children in orphanages and their education – see December 2015 photo below taken during its 22th anniversary event).

• The overall loss of €6,810 (due to the shortfall of donations in relation to the programme in Haiti) was covered by the Association’s own resources, as has happened in some previous years (the Pedro Arrupe World Association’s cash reserves at the end of 2015 were €17,300).

In 2016, year of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, the Association feels encouraged to do more, particularly to help migrants and refugees – this being the cause for which it was created in 1986 at the Jesuit Alumni/ae World Congress in Versailles – by Pope Francis’ message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2016, entitled “Migrants and Refugees Challenge US. The Response of the Gospel of Mercy” and with its powerful reminder that “the tragic stories of millions of men and women daily confront the international community as a result of the outbreak of unacceptable humanitarian crises in different parts of the world. “

(the whole message can be found at: link)

So we call on alumni from around the world to make your offerings in even greater number to this cause in 2016 – as well as to the education of the poorest, which will continue to motivate us in Haiti and Africa – remembering that “tiny streams make great rivers”.

In concrete terms, to help finance existing and new programmes (particularly in the event of a sudden humanitarian crisis requiring urgent action from the international community), in addition to individual donations, local associations are invited to levy $1 (or €1) from each subscription received and to donate the corresponding amount to the Pedro Arrupe World Association; those who are unable to pay such an amount should consider the opportunity of making a suitable donation to demonstrate their support and commitment to this new campaign launched by the Pedro Arrupe World Association.

Bank details for the Pedro Arrupe World Association remain unchanged:

Account: Association Mondiale Pedro Arrupe
Bank: ING, 52 route d’Esch L-2965 Luxembourg
Iban: LU26 0141 1263 6480 0000 (EUR)
Swift: CELLLULL

30 January 2016

Laurent Grégoire and Eric de Langsdorff
Operational Committee, Pedro Arrupe World Association

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