Making connections

Alia Ngovene and others in her community in Mozambique are standing up for their rights with help from CAFOD partners [Annie Bungeroth]

Across the world, we help people stand up for their rights, so that their voices are heard by people in power. Here are some stories from people who are making connections between poverty and power.

Becoming an MP correspondent has enabled Joanne Switalska from Harrow, north west London, to use her voice and her passion to act on poverty.

She seized the opportunity, during the recent general election, to move beyond the usual letter-writing and put her questions in person to the candidates standing in her constituency. At two hustings events, organised by local Churches Together groups, she asked questions on climate change and business accountability.

“I felt a glow of satisfaction that I had actively participated in the political process and had gained valuable information for lobbying purposes,” she says. “We had learned at first hand about the political priorities of a (former) Minister of International Development and the networks of European Union legislators on green issues.”

What next for Joanne and for other MP correspondents? Joanne says: “Now we, the public, need to exercise our democratic rights by scrutinising politicians’ promises and their subsequent actions – or lack of them.”

It’s not just CAFOD supporters in England and Wales who can raise issues with MPs. Our local partner organisations worldwide are helping people speak out at regional and national levels about the issues that matter to them.

Alia Ngovene, pictured above, her husband Filimonne, and their neighbors, were asked to move off their land, to make way for a wildlife park in Mavodze, Mozambique. They left behind their homes, fields, and traditions for an uncertain future.

Wild animals including lions, elephants and giraffes – introduced to the area from South Africa – have begun to kill cattle, trample crops and frighten village inhabitants.

Our local partners ORAM, CEDES and Caritas (consortium) have helped local people form community groups and run workshops on land rights and forestry laws, so that everyone can better protect their legal rights.

Although life is still tough, Filimonne can see the impact. “Our problems have been taken to a national level, and our story has been heard by ministers in parliament,” he says. “As an ordinary citizen I don’t have the opportunity to speak in parliament, but now my voice is being heard.”

The work of our local partners has helped the community get the best deal possible - including negotiating a 20 per cent cut of the park’s profits. But most importantly has shown government that the people cannot be ignored.

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