BALTIMORE — A young South Sudanese refugee raising her siblings in Uganda’s Bidi Bidi refugee settlement. A father returning home after decades of civil war in Sri Lanka to find his farm overgrown. A young woman unable to find work in Gaza – and forbidden from seeking opportunity abroad. These are just some of the stories participants will explore through CRS Rice Bowl, CRS’ Lenten faith-in-action program.
Following the lead of Pope Francis, CRS Rice Bowl invites Catholics across the country to take part in the second year of “Share the Journey” (www.sharejourney.org), a global campaign launched by the pope to raise awareness and inspire action on behalf of migrants and refugees worldwide.
“We hear about migration and refugees in the news every day,” said Beth Martin, director of U.S. Programs for Catholic Relief Services. “We encounter so many families around the world forced to migrate, either because of conflict and violence or the inability to make a living, and their stories lead us to a more human understanding of this complex issue.”
CRS Rice Bowl has been sharing the stories of women, men and children with whom CRS works for nearly 45 years. Built around the Lenten spiritual pillars of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, the program has been a tradition for thousands of Catholic families in every diocese in the U.S.
Our Lady of the Annunciation Church’s Community Table Soup Kitchen volunteers include (from left, front row) Natalie and Karina Sedano; (from left, second row) Nancy Barker, Kellie Fischer, Alice Lombardo, MaryBeth Staiano, Vince Lombardo and Rick Matthews; and (from left, back row) Rob Ostrander, Joe Cutrone, Greg Fischer and Bill Staiano. (Photo provided by Don Barker)Every year, people in more than 14,000 faith communities across the country are using nearly 4 million “rice bowls” for almsgiving, resulting in nearly $12 million annually – $9 million of which supports CRS programs around the world. The remaining $3 million, or 25 percent of total alms collected, stays in the local diocese, supporting hunger and poverty alleviation efforts.
Last year’s 25 percent of the CRS Lenten Rice Bowl Collection – $15,088 – has helped fund hunger and poverty fighting programs of diocesan parishes and ministries through Catholic Charities $1,000 CRS Rice Bowl Mini Grants. With such a grant, the Food for Families Program of Our Lady of the Annunciation Church in Albemarle provided food to 51 families at Christmas through its STAR ministry and also supported the parish’s ongoing Community Table Soup Kitchen.
For people like Alejandra Estrada, parish volunteer in the Diocese of Orange, CRS Rice Bowl isn’t just a charity – it’s a way of living out her Catholic faith.
“We are all children of God and, therefore, we deserve to live with dignity,” she said. “We are called to announce the Gospel with our actions. And what better opportunity do we have than Lent? As Catholics, we should live Lent with a lot of intensity, through moments of prayer, reflection, and almsgiving.”
An immigrant herself, Estrada understands better than most the kinds of struggles faced by many of the people featured in the CRS Rice Bowl stories. And she’s passionate about bringing those stories to life for her community.
“It’s that connection to those we’ve never met that makes CRS Rice Bowl an integral part of the Lenten journey,” Martin said. “Our faith calls us to welcome the stranger and care for those in need. Lent is a perfect time to reflect on our lives and deepen our commitment to our neighbors – both near and far.”
Resources available online
At www.crsricebowl.org: Catholic Relief Services has a lot of resources for you and your family this Lenten season. Besides the rice bowl kit that you can download online, find “Stories of Hope” from people who have been aided by CRS, a video series of reflections exploring the meaning of Lent, a Lenten “digital retreat,” and meatless recipes from the countries featured during Lent. All materials are available in English and Spanish.
How to give and mini-grants information
If your parish or school participates in the CRS Rice Bowl campaign, giving guidelines are provided. You can also give directly to CRS Rice Bowl securely online at www.crsricebowl.org; by phone at 1-877-435-7277; or by mail to CRS Rice Bowl, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21297-0303. Find info on CRS Rice Bowl $1,000 Mini Grants at www.ccdoc.org/cchdcrs.
Rights and Responsibilities
Catholic social teaching inspires and guides how we are to live and work in the world. In this principle, Rights and responsibilities, we remember that every person has basic rights that make life truly human. Corresponding to our rights, we all have duties and responsibilities to one another, our families and the larger society.
Share the journey: A good education doesn’t just benefit the student. It benefits the family, the community, and the common good, allowing individuals to flourish without needing to leave home:
Encounter the Kamara family
Waisa Kamara didn’t spend a single day in school. When she was young, no one thought girls should receive an education. Plus, there was work to do. She helped her 12 siblings at her family’s farm. She was responsible for helping her mom sell meat to their neighbors.
Now, things have changed in Sinkunia, a town in the north of Sierra Leone. Waisa knows the importance of education – especially for girls. “If there’s education, Sierra Leone will develop,” she says. “Our students will make sure of it.”
That’s why Waisa insists that her 12-year-old granddaughter, Kumba Kamara, attends the nearby CRS-sponsored school, so she can learn how to make a difference in her community and her country. And, through the nutritious lunch that CRS gives to each student every day, Kumba and her classmates can focus on their studies and not on their hunger.
Kumba’s favorite subject is math because she likes the challenge. And when she completes her education, she wants to be a nurse. A nurse, Kumba says, helps cure the sick, and if there were more nurses in Sinkunia, those who get sick wouldn’t have to leave the town to get healthcare.
Waisa is proud of her granddaughter and continues to work hard to support her. With no shade from the hot sun, Waisa cares for the family’s garden, watering eggplants, tomatoes, onions and more to be harvested and sold through the streets of Sinkunia. Kumba helps, too, visiting the garden every day after school.
“I’m happy if I can support my daughters and granddaughters, even through university,” Waisa says. With a smile, she adds, “I know that educated girls help their parents and their communities.”
At www.crsricebowl.org/stories: Watch a video about Kumba Kamara and her family
Kumba B. Kamara, 12, and her cousin, Saio B. Kamara, 8, with their grandmother, Waisa Kamara before school. CRS partners with the District Education Council (D.E.C.) Sinkunia primary school in the town of Sinkunia, Sierra Leone, to provide school lunches as part of the McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program. As part of this program, CRS feeds 32,000 school children across Sierra Leone each day. In a country with a literacy rate of 43 percent, this initiative encourages students to stay in school and focus on their studies instead of their hunger. (Photo by Eric Clayton | Catholic Relief Services)
Facts: Sierra Leone
Population: 6,163,195
Size: 71,740 square miles – slightly smaller than South Carolina
- After a 10-year civil war in the 1990s, CRS projects in Sierra Leone are helping to rebuild the country with a focus on integrating peace-building.
- Rates of child and maternal mortality are high, levels of education are low and, despite rich resource endowments and abundant land, more than 60 percent of Sierra Leoneans live on less than $1.25 a day.
- The Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone in 2014 was the worst the world has seen, covering the entire country and causing thousands of deaths. CRS was one of the organizations on the front lines control-ling the outbreak.
Ground nut stew from Sierra Leone
2 tbsp. fair trade olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red pepper, chopped
4 tomatoes, diced
2 carrots, chopped
1 chili pepper, diced
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3 cups water or vegetable broth, plus more as needed
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups white rice
Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Sauté onion until brown and add garlic. Add red pepper, tomatoes, carrots, chili pepper, spices and water/broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook on low until veggies are soft. Stir in peanut butter until evenly mixed. Serve over rice.
Makes 4-6 servings.
Editor’s note: Find more meatless recipes and the stories behind their cultures online at www.crsricebowl.org.