Our church recently committed to supporting through prayer and finances the ongoing work of Mennonite Church Canada Witness workers Dann and Joji Pantoja in the Philippines. Two days ago, our Missions, Peace, and Justice Committee chair Marlene Friesen participated in a ZOOM call with Jeanette Hanson from MC Canada Witness, the Pantojas and other representatives of their support group to get an update on the work on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines during this time of Covid19. Here is her report back to us as a congregation:
Dann and Joji are both well but have connections with others who are dealing with medical issues from covid19. They are very grateful for their home and safety. Two blocks from where they live there is a very heavy populated slum area which is very high risk. It is difficult for them to see the government using militarization rather than helping the poor and the most vulnerable. The Pantojas themselves live in a compound with four families but don’t see anyone else. They are on a lockdown there where only one person from that group can go out three times a week, and that person must be certified and carrying their certification with them. Joji has a small garden and is working hard at connecting more with Mother Earth, composting and gardening in a time when it is becoming increasingly difficult to get fresh produce.
Their big project of Coffee for Peace had some reserve funds and they are still trying to pay their local personnel salaries, but are now running out of funds. They are trying to get aid from the government but it is a very slow and difficult system to work through. There is some income coming in from internet sales but this is only 15% of what they were earning before the pandemic. Fortunately, they have just received ID as an essential service and that has allowed them to work on a more hopeful 3-step plan moving forward:
- Keep their personnel eating and safe
- Trying to increase coffee sales by now having home delivery although needing the supplies to completely “suit up” for this. With the help of the Peace and Reconciliation communities they have set up throughout the country over the last 10 years, they are also planning to connect farmers looking to sell their coffee and other produce with local markets in the cities
- With food security being such a huge issue during this time, they are now going to be able to mobilize the movement of coffee and produce with huge transports to other NGOs and government agencies for better distribution. If they make a profit, they can then get their own personnel doing relief work with the more vulnerable communities
The above program has already started with the Peace and Reconciliation communities in Manila under a plan called “Produce Peace Plus”. The teams in the city have raised start up capital and have begun to implement the vision. The Pantoja’s have established PAR (peace and reconciliation) communities in 33 of the 81 provinces in the Philippines and their hope is to reach out into all of the provinces eventually although that has been superseded presently with the world health crisis. They are extremely grateful for the “social” capital and trust they have developed through this over the years as they now are relying heavily on connections and relationships they have established over time. These PAR groups are committed communities that go far beyond Sunday morning gatherings and are made up of both churches and inter-faith communities all working together at peace transformation creating harmony with creation, within ourselves, and with others, always having Jesus at the center. They continue to ask for prayer and financial support and are so grateful for what they have received from their support network. They feel they are part of a larger family which is especially significant in a time such as this.
Please continue to pray for Dann and Joji and their work in the Philippines . You can learn more about them and their work on their website www.waves.ca
Blessings,
Marlene Friesen for MPJ