Ashley D. Mwanza

Sunrise Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe

ARE you facing the new year with a sense of hope? Or are you left asking, “Is this all there is?” If you are feeling down, or even just a bit unsettled, perhaps it's time to take a closer look at your prospects. Examining our disappointments can guide us to a new appreciation of what we have as well as help us to chart where we want to be. Maybe we have simply failed to catch up with the fast changing world, if so, then I suggest you take time to read ‘Changing the way we change: Catching up with our metamorphosing world.’ Barack Obama mentioned in his inaugural speech that the world is changing and we ought to change with it, this adds to J. F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech when he stated that the world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. So ask yourself a question, are you here to build or destroy?

The year is coming to an end and that is a challenge to each and every one of us, where did we mess up, what did we fail to do and what are we aiming to improve or what new thing/s are we hoping to try out. The list is endless. The start of a new year brings with it the hope that things will be different, whoever thought that Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai would be in the same government? But, of course, things won't be different unless we resolve to make them different.

The fireworks will come, they will rain and explode across the sky, then what? You sit around talking and New Year’s resolutions come up. “Yes, this year is going to be different!”. You feel enthusiastic, but how is it going to be different? Fast-forward to the middle of January. The weather’s dreary, well at least here in Ireland. Enthusiasm has waned, dabbling has ensued. Maybe the resolution is abandoned altogether. How do you keep yourself from reaching that point? How do actually stick with your New Year’s resolution? Well, in the end it’s up to you and I don’t have a solid plan that will work for you.

If you are faithful in small things you will be so in big things, start simple. If you do make a New Year resolution about some aspect of your life, keep it simple and clear. A set of complicated or complex goals for the year will, in my experience, have little chance of success. Make only a few or even one clear goal that both you and the people around you will understand. When you get up each morning those goals should be etched in your mind. If those goals are clear and simple they will have a much better chance of getting into your gut and, ultimately, being achieved. So, go ahead and make New Year resolutions for your life, but don't set yourself up for failure by making the goals too optimistic or complex. Be like the archer who must shoot his or her arrow at one target - the bull's-eye.

Living an outstanding life is apparently not going to be as easy as we may want it to be. We have to start ‘Changing the way we change.’ In fact, it is often not easy to become the person we want to be. Just because it is not easy does not mean we each should not make our best effort. As I have said time and time again in my previous articles, life is not difficult but at the same time it is not easy, if we say life is difficult we will have ultimately drawn a line between what can be done and what cannot be done, but we are more optimistic when we say life is not easy because there is room left for trying.

Paraphrasing Mahatma Gandhi, you must be the change you want to see in your world and I elaborated this in the article ‘We ought to be the change in the world.’ We spend a lot of time asking and waiting for our fellow citizens to change so our world will be better. If, we take responsibility for making our lives look the way we want them to, then we have to look only to ourselves for our own happiness and hitherto a better world. Believe it or not, when we take it upon ourselves to behave in an outstanding fashion toward others we increase the chance they will return positive with positive, no man is an island as I specified in ‘Changing the way we change: We ought to, together is better.’ Think of the last time you smiled at someone first. More than likely they returned that smile. In addition, they probably passed it on to someone else. Your behaviour is like that smile. By being the person you want to be, regardless of what your fellow citizens are doing, you can change your future and that of the world, there is one woman I know who has defied all odds and she is truly a woman on a mission, the lady is none other than Tendai Madondo. When you change your expectations to reflect what is within your own ability to do, chances are you won't be disappointed in the outcome and more so you will inspire others to do great things.

Yes, we will come against mammoth tasks but may they too must not capitulate us, have a read of my note ‘Patiently Persevere!’ The message is a simple one, not an easy one. Depending on ourselves for our own happiness means looking deep into our hearts and deciding what's important. It also means taking responsibility for making our lives look like we want them to look. It's about setting the stage appropriately so our expectations can be met. If you are not doing that already, or want to do it better, keep reading. I will be offering some possibilities on how to make this happen in the New Year.

Keep in mind, however, while there are many self-stopped seekers, generally the most successful people on the paths of enlightenment are those who doubt most sincerely. They are motivated to go forward in an effort to solve their doubts through verifiable experience. Experience is a great teacher.Remember also, it is good to doubt early on your path. Naive acceptance doesn't do anyone a favour. Naiveté is a form of ignorance, which eliminates a maturing process which is so necessary. Early in your journey develop the habit of paying attention to your doubts, whether they are mental, emotional, or intuitional. Face them. While maintaining your forward momentum, give them a chance to be resolved through your experience and your research. Be honest with them. Your doubts may well be genuine concerns from deep within you.Your doubts may be your greatest assets along with your aspiration and sincerity. If you face your doubts and deal with them constructively, you will see the glowing dawn of super-consciousness soon.

As I mentioned in ‘We ought to be the change in the world.’ All of us want a better world, so why not take the initiative to do our bit for a worthy cause ? Let us all get over the habit of complaining and blaming. Let us shake ourselves out of indifference. Let us break the silence and take a stand. Let us “Be the Change!” enough of this attitude of taking the spectators’ seats, we should be the ‘directors’. A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. Let us take that step and start the journey towards a better world. There may come a time when the initial enthusiasm has waned and your motivation is running low. Then you need to just do it. Meaning: try not to be so wrapped up in your thoughts and emotions. They are just things running through your consciousness. They are not you. They have a tendency of putting up obstacles – almost always imaginary ones too – on your path. Don’t pay much attention to those roadblocks. Just ignore them and plough through. Even if your mind and feelings are disagreeing with your resolution just go and do it anyway. Obstacles and roadblocks are part of life, but they should never hold us back, rather they should embolden us as I stated in the article ‘We must be broken down to be recreated.’

It is resolve that one needs in order to achieve one’s goals. I think the ability to focus on the goal and the benefits of achieving it are amongst the most important requirements to maintain resolve. If you ask world-class musicians or athletes, they will almost always say this, “When I say focus, I mean FOCUS.” Not everyone can do this well (it takes practice), and probably no one will do it without a reason. Understand how everything you do is helping you get towards that goal and visualise (pre-experience) what it will be like when you get there.

In a team setting, which we all invariably find ourselves in since we are all inhabitants of this beautiful world, everyone has to buy-in to the goal and the benefits. So, you probably need to get them involved early on in designing the outcome and the path to get there. The best way to do this is to take a leaf out of Socrates’ book, not that I’m saying you should all become philosophers, but this will help to – derive the problem, and potential solutions, and set a program together. Actually, if you do this, you may well come up with a better goal and path to get there than if you had designed it by yourself. Paraphrasing from ‘Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You’ speech by John F. Kennedy: Fellow citizens of the world, ask not what the world can do for you but what together we can do for the world. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.

May you all have a happy 2010. Tatenda, Siyabonga, Thank You...

2009 a Bad Year for Migrants

Deaths, Labour Exploitation, Violence, and Poor Treatment in Detention

Many governments' policies toward migrants worldwide expose them to human rights abuses including labor exploitation, inadequate access to health care, and prolonged detention in poor, overcrowded conditions, Human Rights Watch said today in advance of International Migrants Day, on December 18, 2009.

A 25-page roundup of Human Rights Watch reporting on violations of migrants' rights this year, "Slow Movement: Protection of Migrants' Rights in 2009," includes coverage of China, Cuba, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.

"Governments seem to forget that when men, women, and children migrate, they don't leave their rights at home," said Nisha Varia, senior researcher in the Women's Rights Division of Human Rights Watch. "Instead of protecting people who already are at special risk of abuse, many governments further marginalize migrants, punish them, or push access to services out of reach."

Research in Greece, Italy, Libya, Egypt, and Israel showed harsh policies toward arriving migrants, including lack of adequate screening to determine who is a refugee, arbitrary and indefinite detention, returning persons to countries where they risk abuse, and detention of children with adults. Aggressive policies to thwart migrants when they try to cross borders can be lethal. Since May, Egyptian border guards have killed at least 17 migrants trying to cross into Israel.

Both documented and undocumented migrants may face abuse or discrimination in their host cities and countries. Human Rights Watch has investigated pervasive mistreatment of migrant domestic workers and construction workers in the Middle East and Russia. Cheated by unscrupulous brokers and employers, these workers often told of excessive hours, unpaid wages, and confiscation of passports. In the worst cases, their situations amounted to forced labor and trafficking.

"Migrants form the backbone of many economies, performing the labor and services that people in their host countries depend on but won't do themselves," Varia said. "Instead of getting respect and the freedom and wages they are owed, they are treated as security threats, and in general, as undesirables to be pushed out of sight."

Governments seem to forget that when men, women, and children migrate, they don’t leave their rights at home. Instead of protecting people who already are at special risk of abuse, many governments further marginalize migrants, punish them, or push access to services out of reach.

Nisha Varia, senior researcher in the Women's Rights Division of Human Rights Watch

Those apprehended for immigration offenses often face disproportionate punishments or prolonged detention in poor conditions. Human Rights Watch showed how the United States deports large numbers of documented migrants for nonviolent offenses with serious consequences for family unity and fails to provide adequate health care to migrants in detention. Immigration violations are sometimes treated as serious crimes, as in Malaysia, where punishments include imprisonment and caning. The fear of arrest and deportation also means that migrants may endure exploitative work conditions or avoid approaching authorities to report abuse.

"Governments have a right to control their borders, but they need to do so in a way that protects human rights," Varia said. "Migrants who are abused are supposed to have access to legal remedies, regardless of their immigration status."

Government attempts to control migrant populations within their territory often include discriminatory policies that broadly restrict migrants' freedom of movement for no legitimate purpose, Human Rights Watch said. For example, several provinces in Thailand require migrant workers be confined to their workplaces or homes at night and prohibit them from traveling within the province. In Malaysia, the government has condoned vigilante-style monitoring of migrants by a civilian group. Migration can increase the risk of infection with HIV, tuberculosis (TB) or flu, but discrimination against migrants can impede their access to care.

Human Rights Watch called on governments to make stronger commitments to migrants' rights in 2010, including ratifying the International Covenant on the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Their Families. The group also urged governments to:

· Reform immigration policies to facilitate documented migration that protects migrants' rights, and to clamp down on intermediaries who deceive migrants or charge unlawful fees that leave migrants indebted and more vulnerable to exploitation;

· Screen interdicted migrants, new arrivals, and migrants in detention in accordance with international standards, including identifying asylum seekers, trafficking victims, and other vulnerable people, and ensuring that unaccompanied children are treated according to their best interests;

· Ensure access to a core minimum of health services regardless of citizenship or social origin, and repeal discriminatory provisions mandating automatic deportation of migrants living with HIV;

· Improve labor standards and enforcement in accordance with international standards, including equal protection of domestic workers, and strengthen inspection mechanisms to ensure regular payment of wages and decent working conditions for migrants;

· Investigate abuse and killings of migrants, whether by private citizens or government authorities, and prosecute fully through the relevant national laws while ensuring protection for migrants against retaliation. Investigations into abuse should be carried out irrespective of migrants' immigration or contractual status.

Published 16 December 2009 by Human Rights Watch

Christmas In Our World Today

Ashley Mwanza

Centuries ago, during what was the first Christmas, many hoped eagerly for a saviour, a Messiah, who would lead them out of oppression. This hope was sometimes centred on the expectation of a warrior king who would overthrow the political leadership under which oppressed peoples laboured. But this wasn’t exactly how comfort and rescue came.

Alone and apparently forgotten, these people were not unlike those in our world today who have lost homes to disasters, employment to a struggling economy, their place and identity to civil strife and political instability, or health to illness, or merely the simple pleasure of supportive family and friends.

The enduring annual fascination about Christmas is rooted in the message emanating from this one unique night in the history of humankind. It is one, indeed it is the message of hope for us and for future generations the world over. We still need it today; hope built on fulfilled and dignified human life, even in situations where human dignity is continuously and repeatedly trampled underfoot, and where poverty and disease undermine life itself. I think of the millions who are victims of wars, famine, starvation, racism, the oppression and mistreatment of women and children; I think of the growing stream of refugees, of the poor and those affected by HIV/AIDS. And I think of Afghanistan, and Iraq, bomb blasts everywhere almost everyday lives are lost. Gaza is surrounded by tanks and hatred.

While some still blame God for allowing all this brutality and human suffering, others experience the mystery of Christmas. Bethlehem yesterday and today - it is here that the hope for peace and justice, for salvation and dignity has a chance, rooted in God’s merciful presence. This hope has a name: Jesus Christ.

Christmas is so familiar that we sometimes wonder whether anything fresh and true can be said about it. But there is a way to explore its meaning that may seem new to us today, yet is in fact quite traditional, dating back to the Middle Ages and the ancient Fathers of the Church.

It is always wonderful to celebrate the birth of a baby a new person joining the human race.

Christmas is a good time to reflect upon the mystery of the image of God within each of us. If we abuse our world, and particularly our fellow human being, the image of God in us is hidden, and our humanity is diminished. If we honour and respect our world and fellow human being, this can lead to a culture of peace where God is glorified. If this is undertaken within our close communities, the effect - which will begin in a small area - can spread to the wider community, and even the nation. Just imagine what this could mean for world peace if both leaders and people undertook such an approach of life. By God’s power, it is possible.

Yet another year has gone by, how has it been? Let’s try to recapture the riches of this lost worldview by applying the spiritual sense of the Christmas story to our lives. For that story happens not only once, in history, but also many times in each individual’s soul. Christ comes to the world but He also comes to each of us. Advent happens over and over again. And that advent is different to each and every one of us.

A multitude of people live in one of the poorest areas in Zimbabwe, the place is Mbare located in the heart of Harare, a busy spot, a place of all trades. A few weeks back as my friend was walking (public transport is too dear and my friend earns a pittance) home from work he took a short route through Mbare, a man in a shabby suit approached him. “I’ve just come from church, we were reminded of Christmas and the hope it brings” he proclaimed. Appearing to be oblivious to the horrible stench that permeates his slum home, he cleared his throat, my friend listened intently to the poor man. The poor man continued, “I see you passing by everyday and I want to thank you because whenever I see you I see hope, you have not given up on your job or whatever it is you are up to because every day you go and return and go again” adding with a smile, “The Lord loves us and will provide for us.” They then shook hands and went their separate ways.

Surely this man craved better circumstances, but somehow he could still “acknowledge that the Lord is God” and that the Lord will take care of him “as a sheep of his pasture.” His secret? Perhaps, more often than most of us, he has searched for water and found none; then, with a parched tongue, he’s cried out to God for provision and He delivered. Perhaps a mere cup at first. But then more. Of the poor and needy, God says, “I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them. . . . Rivers fed by springs will flow across the parched ground” (Isaiah 41:17-18).

Though this man was a stranger, his life and faith have greatly inspired me and my friend, and I hope it will inspire you all. He showed us it’s possible to praise God while living in squalor, yes we can, regardless of our physical circumstances. Suffering, sickness, hunger, starvation and death which have all escalated over the years will remain with us for some time but that should not dampen the message of Christmas.

Christmas is with us. Gazing at the scene from afar, united in spirit on the road to Bethlehem, We taste a few days in advance the sweetness which comes to us from the angelic hymn announcing the heavenly peace which is offered to all men of good will. And thus, from day to day, we reflect that the road to Bethlehem truly marks the path for the right approach to that peace which is on the lips, in the eager desires and in the hearts, of all. This Christmas, let us be inspired by the birth of the baby, born more than 2,000 years ago. To seek to build peace in our world and within ourselves must be a worthy cause.

Hope should be the change that we aspire to come from within. We then look to Jesus and his birth as the source of a lasting formula for how hope can become ingrained in us. Jesus has shown us that before we can infuse hope in ourselves and inspire hope in others, we have to instil the following elements in our lives; patience and perseverance.

Nowadays there seems to be a growing sense of urgency in addressing the situation of hopelessness and despair that we seem to find our world in. But the message of Christmas is hope. Hope that results from patience and perseverance, including humility, obedience, and empathy. It is hope that comes with a desire for change but with a conviction that it must start from within. The sense of urgency that: change should start right now and that change should start with me.

Fellow citizens of the world, it is my hope that you will place your trust in the mystery of Christmas and, even when suffering hardship, will rest assured of God’s presence and mercy. “Do not be afraid; ...to you is born this day ...a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). As we move into the New Year let us move with this hope and optimism.

Amidst all trials, I wish you all a happy Christmas and a blessed New Year. It is my heartfelt hope and conviction that Zimbabwe and the world shall be a different place in 2010 and the years to come. All we can do is pray, let us remember those who will not have anything to eat this Christmas.

May deep and lasting peace and joy be yours this Christmas. God Bless Zimbabwe, Ireland, and the World.

Climate Change: Copenhagen

Humankind has placed an unbearable burden on nature.

We need to respect that nature is a delicate orchestration and recognise the consequences of our consumer-driven lifestyles.

Helena Christensen

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The message I have heard has been loud and clear: The climate is changing, the changes are caused by people and, if we do nothing about it we will face grave threats to our civilisation.

As many of them struggle to cut poverty, the environment is often not a high priority.

But even here I believe there is great cause for hope.

Let us hope that in the history books our grandchildren will read, this may be seen as a time of inspiration and leadership of which they can be proud; a time when world leaders open the door to a viable future for all of humanity.

Prince Charles

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AFTER World War Two, the whole of Europe was devastated and the United States came up with the Marshall Plan which assisted those parts of the world to rise up from the ashes.

Now that the people of the world's developing countries are facing disaster, it is time to understand again that we are all connected on this Earth.

This is the time to say to the rich nations: You are not going to be able to safeguard yourself.

There is no place that is safe. If we go down, we will all go down.

This week we need a legally enforceable deal, not a political deal, where developed nations restrict their emissions by 40 per cent and I am urging them to contribute 150billion dollars a year to assist developing nations cope with climate change.

It would be enough for developing countries to combat climate change and find alternative ways of creating power that are not destructive and would not increase the temperature of the world by more than two degrees.

Scientists have worked out if you go beyond this you are in trouble.

We have hope - especially among the young - but if we mess up we are writing our own obituaries.

We must all swim together or we will all drown together.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

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