http://crs.org/about_us/newsroom/ With a global staff of over 4,000 in 98 countries, CRS is your source for information on the latest issues facing the world's poorest countries and its citizens. Our experts can provide you with detailed information on current global crises and CRS advocacy priorities, and our communications professionals are based throughout the world to provide immediate updates in emergencies and easy access to field staff. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:11:01 EST http://crs.org/feed/crs-logo.gif http://crs.org/newsroom/ http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/bal-md.hs.malaria06nov06,0,5874351,print.story Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:11:00 EST Strengthening its position as a global center in the fight against malaria, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is one of two Baltimore institutions tapped for a five-year, $100 million project to help combat the mosquito-borne disease. The school will work with Catholic Relief Services to use a grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development to procure and promote long-lasting, insecticide-treated bed nets in countries with malaria, a disease that sickens more than 650 million people a year. Catholic Relief Services, which has offices and experience in most of those countries, will help ensure the distribution and proper use of the nets. http://crs.orghttp://www.baltimoresun.com/health/bal-md.hs.malaria06nov06,0,5874351,print.story http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/1005/p06s01-woap.html Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:10:00 EST The village of Sungai Sarik may be typical of the challenges faced in areas to Padang's north. Nearly 85 percent of homes there have been destroyed, according to an assessment by Catholic Relief Services (CRS), which has a team of 30 people working on the ground. As survivors huddle in makeshift tents, little relief has made its way there. "You drive through it, and you see people with their makeshift tents right outside their destroyed homes," says Lauren Sheahen, of CRS, who visited Sungai Sarik yesterday. "Not a lot of people had been paying attention to it... It's really serious." http://crs.orghttp://www.csmonitor.com/2009/1005/p06s01-woap.html http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0904321.htm Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:09:00 EST "Becoming a CRS ambassador is really the best thing college students can do for themselves," said Brittany Mitchell, a former CRS ambassador and recent graduate of Cabrini College. "It's really amazing the knowledge you obtain from participating in this program," Mitchell told Catholic News Service. "The organization taught me more than any book or news program. They really opened up my mind and my heart to the world. "As a recent graduate, I intend to take the knowledge and compassion taught by CRS and apply it to my life outside of college," she added. http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0904321.htm http://www.miamiherald.com/news/5min/story/1256933.html Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:09:00 EST Almost half of Guatemala's children under 5 suffer from chronic malnutrition, among the highest rate in the world, according to UNICEF, the United Nations' agency that focuses on children and development. Aid workers, food experts and government officials say the drought threatens to exacerbate the problem because it hit amid severe soil erosion, a major disease infestation, spike in food prices and a drop in remittances due to the global economic crisis. ``The problem of malnutrition won't be in just the dry corridor but in the whole country,'' said Luis Enrique Monterroso, a leading local nutritionist. ``There are indicators that next year will be worse.'' http://crs.orghttp://www.miamiherald.com/news/5min/story/1256933.html http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-09-17-voa35.cfm Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:09:00 EST (Please click "Video: Kenya AIDS" on the right side of the screen to watch a video of the story) Low-income Kenyans living with HIV/AIDS face a range of challenges. In the Catholic Diocese of Mombasa on Kenya's coast, people affected by AIDS have formed groups that enable members to increase their incomes and improve their nutrition. http://crs.orghttp://www.voanews.com/english/2009-09-17-voa35.cfm http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112882818&ft=1&f=2 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:09:00 EST Even before the coup, the global financial crisis and a significant drop in money being sent home by Hondurans working in the United States were squeezing the country's economy. Now, the impoverished Central American nation is also losing hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance from the international community. http://crs.orghttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112882818&ft=1&f=2 http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=64774 Tue, 15 Sep 2009 09:09:00 EST Aid and development workers say their fiercely protected neutrality is jeopardized when foreign militaries deliver aid intending to fulfill strategic, rather than purely humanitarian, objectives. http://crs.orghttp://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=64774 http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-08-05-voa36.cfm Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:08:00 EST (Click "Listen" in the top right corner to hear the audio file) Guinea-Bissau is considered one of the worst places in the world to be a mother. The small West African country has soaring infant and maternal mortality rates, and consistently ranks at the bottom of economic, development and health surveys. But these bleak figures could change thanks to a place called the House of Mothers - a haven for pregnant women that provides life-saving pre-natal care. http://crs.orghttp://www.voanews.com/english/2009-08-05-voa36.cfm http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-07-11-voa22.cfm Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:07:00 EST (Click "Watch" on the top right of the screen to see the video that accompanies the article) The modified traditional training, called the Alternative Rite of Passage, is a project of the Catholic Diocese of Meru and Catholic Relief Services. Justa Mwenda, 16, wants to be a lawyer. She says the teaching given during the one-week seclusion has given her skills on how to express herself without fear and to stand up for human rights. http://crs.orghttp://www.voanews.com/english/2009-07-11-voa22.cfm http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12716235?nclick_check=1 Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:06:00 EST At age 15 in 1968, Do Van Du lost a leg and part of an arm while serving as a combat interpreter for the U.S. Special Forces near the Cambodian border. He moved to the United States in 1971 and became a successful software engineer and systems analyst. Then, seven years ago, Du returned to his homeland to help found a college-level program run by Catholic Relief Services to train disabled young people to be software engineers and tech workers — a first for Vietnam. http://crs.orghttp://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12716235?nclick_check=1 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/june-26-2009/parents-circle/3376/ Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:06:00 EST It's a common observation that one of the most important paths to peace between enemies is to learn to see others not as demonized stereotypes, but as unique human beings. When she was in the Middle East last month, Kim Lawton learned about the Parents Circle-Families Forum — Israeli Jews and Palestinian Muslims who have lost loved ones in their long conflict but have learned to replace hate with reconciliation, even friendship. http://crs.orghttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/june-26-2009/parents-circle/3376/ http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/story/1089986.html Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:06:00 EST A study funded by Catholic Relief Services due to be released later this month, shows that 74 percent of deported youths reported they had been robbed, extorted, intimidated or abused physically or verbally. ''This is absolutely a concern,'' said Betsy Wier, regional technical advisor for Catholic Relief Services in Latin America and project manager for the study. ``The question of child welfare and who is protecting these children needs to be taken seriously at all levels. '' http://crs.orghttp://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/story/1089986.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/catholic-relief-services/a-clash-of-civilizations_b_212113.html Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:06:00 EST Is a clash of civilizations inevitable between the West and Islam? President Barack Obama doesn't think so. In his recent speech in Cairo to the Muslim world, he sought out the common ground and values that unite all people of good will, noting that America and Islam "share common principles — principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings." http://crs.orghttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/catholic-relief-services/a-clash-of-civilizations_b_212113.html http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090529/OPINION01/905290341/1036/Opinion Fri, 29 May 2009 12:05:00 EST The world is hungry. The unprecedented global financial crisis is plummeting more people into poverty. Nearly 1 billion worldwide go hungry, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. Our conscience tells us this is morally reprehensible; our intellect reminds us that hunger pangs can breed riots and civil unrest that jeopardize the peace for us all. This human calamity - with far-reaching consequences - demands that we strategically and smartly retool our thinking on how to tackle the scourge of global hunger. http://crs.orghttp://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090529/OPINION01/905290341/1036/Opinion http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/46269142.html Wed, 27 May 2009 12:05:00 EST For anyone who doesn't feel hope when thinking about Pakistan, I urge you to reconsider. Without question, Pakistan has become volatile and fragile, with more than 1 million people having fled fighting in the northwest in recent weeks. But having recently visited that region, I have one basic message: Do not give up hope. Indeed, the search for stability in the country does not take you far from the Pakistani villages that I visited, where people are building stable, secure lives. Theirs are stories of good news rarely heard - stories worth repeating. http://crs.orghttp://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/46269142.html http://www.catholicreview.org/subpages/storyworldnew-new.aspx?action=6259 Fri, 22 May 2009 12:05:00 EST Catholic Relief Services' country representative in Pakistan said the agency will focus on helping families who are housing hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis displaced by an army crackdown in the northwestern part of the country. "These families are going out of their way to help the displaced people," Darren Hercyk, the CRS official, told Catholic News Service May 21 in a telephone interview from his office in Islamabad, Pakistan. http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicreview.org/subpages/storyworldnew-new.aspx?action=6259 http://ncronline.org/news/global/food-aid-experts-world-hunger-can-be-eliminated Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:04:00 EST Despite the global economic crisis, soaring food prices and reports that millions more people joined the ranks of the undernourished in 2008, key experts at a major food aid conference here April 6-8 shared a tangible optimism that both the will and means are now at hand to attack and even possibly conquer world hunger. http://crs.orghttp://ncronline.org/news/global/food-aid-experts-world-hunger-can-be-eliminated http://ncronline.org/news/people/crs-leader-cordial-modest-and-purpose-driven Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:04:00 EST Talking as he leans over a hot cup of tea in the coffee shop of a Kansas City, Mo., hotel, Ken Hackett is cordial, modest and purpose-driven. President of Catholic Relief Services since 1993, he's viewed as an expert on global poverty and its ugly siblings, hunger and disease. His knowledge has been hard-earned; it comes, in part, from visiting the most forsaken spots on earth, where Catholic Relief Services is engaged. http://crs.orghttp://ncronline.org/news/people/crs-leader-cordial-modest-and-purpose-driven http://www.cny.org/archive/ld/ld9040909.htm Thu, 09 Apr 2009 03:04:00 EST Ken Hackett remembers well the day that Archbishop Timothy Dolan first stepped into the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) offices in Baltimore. It was March 13, 2008, a few months after Dolan had been named chairman of the board of CRS, the U.S. bishops' overseas relief and development agency. http://crs.orghttp://www.cny.org/archive/ld/ld9040909.htm http://savannahnow.com/node/698694 Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:04:00 EST We in the United States are understandably worried about our current economic woes. The fact is we have so many material things that we can be suffocated by them, given to despair because we are so fearful of losing them. I found out during my recent visit to Africa that the people of Zimbabwe can teach us a lesson. I was expecting to find such despair where the people have so little, but instead I was surprised to find so much joy. http://crs.orghttp://savannahnow.com/node/698694 http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.viewpoint19mar19,0,3251885.story Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:03:00 EST Hope is not a word that has often been associated with Zimbabwe in recent years. But it has been heard recently, with the swearing-in of a coalition government. And hope is exactly what I saw during a recent visit, even in places where you would expect to find despair, in places of dire poverty and hunger, in places where the difficulties that are everywhere in Zimbabwe have affected so many. Its presence made me realize that despite Zimbabwe's many problems - and I certainly saw evidence of those during my visit - we should not give up on this country. Its people have not given up. http://crs.orghttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.viewpoint19mar19,0,3251885.story http://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=11516 Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:03:00 EST No wonder Jesus referred to himself as "living water." No wonder C.R.S. is committed to digging wells. There is indeed mystery, meaning, depth, a hint of the beyond, life itself, in a well. http://crs.orghttp://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=11516 http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0901177.htm Fri, 13 Mar 2009 12:03:00 EST A Kenyan diocese is giving girls a chance to grow up without participating in the traditional tribal rite of female circumcision, a practice that carries the risk of disease or death. http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0901177.htm http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/article.php3?id_article=2451 Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:02:00 EST Commentary by Archbishop Timothy Dolan about Operation Rice Bowl and the new initiative "Catholics Confront Global Poverty" http://crs.orghttp://www.commonwealmagazine.org/article.php3?id_article=2451 http://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=11401 Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:02:00 EST In response to the pope's call "to fight poverty to build peace," the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services will reinvigorate the Catholic Campaign Against Global Poverty soon. An initiative called "Catholics Confront Global Poverty" will be launched on Feb. 23. http://crs.orghttp://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=11401 http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/custom/consumer/sfl-flpfairtrade0203pnfeb03,0,4172742.story Tue, 03 Feb 2009 10:02:00 EST Before he volunteered to act in a short film for a school club, Jason Touw never thought much about fair trade. But Touw, 25, got a quick and eye-opening education last week and said he will start looking at chocolate, coffee, tea and sugar with a new eye. http://crs.orghttp://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/custom/consumer/sfl-flpfairtrade0203pnfeb03,0,4172742.story http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/24/AR2008122401585.html Thu, 25 Dec 2008 12:12:00 EST The world is still blessed with many actual Franciscans. But in our time, there is another community of "strangers and pilgrims" whose satisfaction comes not from accumulating material goods or political power. http://crs.orghttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/24/AR2008122401585.html http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/q_a_william_brindley/ Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:12:00 EST Catholic Relief Services is a tremendously wired-in organization. They've done a lot of fascinating, innovative work over the years and pioneered a number of programs. Their goal in this project—which is funded by the Gates Foundation—is to enable 1 million farming families to improve their livelihoods and their security by controlling cassava diseases through better access to improved cuttings, which will lead to improved production and marketing of cassavas. http://crs.orghttp://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/q_a_william_brindley/ http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0806161.htm Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:12:00 EST Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., claimed she put 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling to women's electoral participation during the U.S. presidential primaries. In Egypt, the glass ceiling is much lower, yet a church-sponsored program is helping a handful of courageous women chip away at the restrictions of a political culture that would otherwise exclude them. http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0806161.htm http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/12/former_longmeadow_mans_work_fo.html Sun, 07 Dec 2008 03:12:00 EST Mention Afghanistan and most people picture a desolate, war-torn country half a world away, both physically and culturally. But for Matthew T. McGarry, this country wedged between Iran, Pakistan and three other countries is not that different from ours in many basic ways. http://crs.orghttp://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/12/former_longmeadow_mans_work_fo.html http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/35157499.html Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:11:00 EST Happy holidays, by which I'm referring to World Toilet Day. It was last week. You may have missed it. http://crs.orghttp://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/35157499.html http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0805969.htm Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:11:00 EST Refugees from Iraq are not going home any time soon, despite Iraqi government enticements, say church officials and others who work with the exiles in the Middle East. http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0805969.htm http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/content.aspx?audioID=30393 Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:11:00 EST According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, at least 2.5 million Iraqis have fled their country since 2003. An additional 2 million have been displaced within Iraq from their homes. Most Iraqis who have left their country go to Syria or Jordan, but a sizeable number went to Egypt as well. Vivian Manneh is Program Manager at Catholic Relief Services/Middle East. She's based in Egypt, but I talked with her when she was in the U.S. for training from the Middle East Iraqi Refugees Trauma Project. Jerome asked her how many Iraqi refugees live in Egypt... http://crs.orghttp://www.chicagopublicradio.org/content.aspx?audioID=30393 http://www.investors.com/editorial/IBDArticles.asp?artsec=17&issue=20081121 Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:11:00 EST Donors are enthusiastic about buying shares of the organization's efforts, says Jean Simmons, annual giving director for CRS. "We get amazing comments back from our donors saying: 'This is so fantastic. Instead of buying a tie for my dad, I can buy a share in this project,' " Simmons said. http://crs.orghttp://www.investors.com/editorial/IBDArticles.asp?artsec=17&issue=20081121 http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0805709.htm Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:11:00 EST Hackett said CRS, which is based in Baltimore, sees its role as embodying the concern of Catholics in the United States for their brothers and sisters who live in poverty around the world, grounded in the belief "in the sacredness and fundamental dignity of every human life." http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0805709.htm http://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=11193 Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:11:00 EST Smart organizations, like Catholic Relief Services, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Warren Buffett's foundations, are not only providing emergency rations, but are working to help poor farmers grow more, to raise themselves and their communities from hunger. http://crs.orghttp://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=11193 http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0805588.htm Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:11:00 EST CRS works with diocesan Caritas aid organizations in three regions of Nicaragua, providing training in disaster prevention and response. Walsh said the church-based groups have proved invaluable, reacting quickly to Hurricane Felix in 2007 as well as to flooding caused by a tropical depression in October of this year. http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0805588.htm http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gCO1eZtgRydjeuoXUrIR1yIwZ-7AD93QH0LO0 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:10:00 EST In impoverished Haiti, funding for projects to rebuild from tropical storms that killed nearly 800 people and destroyed more than half the nation's agriculture hangs in the balance. http://crs.orghttp://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gCO1eZtgRydjeuoXUrIR1yIwZ-7AD93QH0LO0 http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0805183.htm Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:10:00 EST Frustrated in their hopes to emigrate to countries like the United States or Australia and unable or reluctant to return to their shattered homeland, the parents struggle, with the help of grants from the Catholic Church, to educate their children for an uncertain future. http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0805183.htm http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0804843.htm Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:09:00 EST The campaigns of Democratic Sen. Barack Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain have failed to adequately address the global food crisis, the increasing role of the U.S. Defense Department in humanitarian work, the refocusing of U.S. foreign assistance, and how the government should help the poor adapt to climate change, said Bill O'Keefe, senior director for the advocacy department of the Baltimore-based CRS. http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0804843.htm http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0919/p09s03-coop.html Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:09:00 EST One of the fundamental principles that relief organizations live by is simple: Aid must be directed toward the alleviation of human suffering, without regard for race, creed or nationality, and certainly without strategic military intent. http://crs.orghttp://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0919/p09s03-coop.html http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0804681.htm Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:09:00 EST Catholic relief agencies and parishes worldwide are responding to the devastation in Haiti, battered by four deadly hurricanes. http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0804681.htm http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94561093 Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:09:00 EST Relief operations continue in Haiti for the hundreds of thousands of people affected by two tropical storms and two hurricanes in the last month. Tens of thousands of homes were destroyed and large parts of Haiti remain cut off from the rest of the country. http://crs.orghttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94561093 http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0804555.htm Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:09:00 EST Pope Benedict XVI offered prayers and requested international aid for the people of Haiti, battered by four hurricanes in the space of three weeks. http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0804555.htm http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gDm7lRAjdXWzCH-GDsdZvbReCqCAD931FC587 Sun, 07 Sep 2008 12:09:00 EST Hundreds of people fled this waterlogged city Saturday for higher ground as powerful Hurricane Ike threatened to unleash heavy rain and compound a disaster caused by a previous storm. http://crs.orghttp://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gDm7lRAjdXWzCH-GDsdZvbReCqCAD931FC587 http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/08/29/india.floods/ Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:08:00 EST Caroline Brennan, a Catholic Relief Services spokeswoman, said the hard-hit regions aren't regularly hit by monsoons, so the people in these poverty-stricken areas are particularly unprepared. http://crs.orghttp://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/08/29/india.floods/ http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/article.php3?id_article=2295 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:08:00 EST As the bombs fall and thousands of people in Georgia flee their homes, Catholic Relief Services aid workers in my region (Europe/Middle East) watch the news anxiously. On Friday and Saturday, we try to call our CRS colleagues in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, but only a few calls go through. The staff there is safe. http://crs.orghttp://www.commonwealmagazine.org/article.php3?id_article=2295 http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0804330.htm Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:08:00 EST From fruit-packing plants in Britain to plantations in Malaysia and West Africa to fishing boats on the high seas, a globalized economy and the incessant quest for lower costs grease the wheels of a system in which policies favor forced labor and human trafficking even as countries claim to crack down on illegal immigrants. http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0804330.htm http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/religion/Speak_Out_Faith_hope_fertilizer_give_poor_people_new_life.html Sat, 23 Aug 2008 12:08:00 EST Ibania Flores has faith and hope. Faith and Hope (Fe Y Esperanza) is also the name of the small cooperative she leads producing organic fertilizer in the tiny village of La Tejera near the city of Esteli in northwest Nicaragua. http://crs.orghttp://www.mysanantonio.com/news/religion/Speak_Out_Faith_hope_fertilizer_give_poor_people_new_life.html http://society.maryknoll.org/index.php?module=MKArticles&func=display&id=1104&office=magazine Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:08:00 EST Catholic Relief Services educates children to dangers of decades-old mines, bombs. http://crs.orghttp://society.maryknoll.org/index.php?module=MKArticles&func=display&id=1104&office=magazine http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/custom/today/bal-to.nepal18aug18,0,6454001,full.story Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:08:00 EST Underwear was nobody's biggest concern in March when fires raced through a refugee camp in Nepal, leaving behind a smoldering expanse of ash and ruin. Food, water, shelter, pants and shirts ranked higher for the 10,000 inhabitants who'd lost everything. But thanks to a relief effort that Cockeysville native Robin Contino helped coordinate, these refugees from neighboring Bhutan got all that plus undergarments, school uniforms and other valued items that could easily have been forgotten amid the chaos. http://crs.orghttp://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/custom/today/bal-to.nepal18aug18,0,6454001,full.story http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-iraq-aid.html?_r=1&oref=slogin Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:07:00 EST Mark Schnellbaecher, Middle East director of U.S.-based Catholic Relief Services (CRS), which currently funds Iraqi charities, said he was set to make his first visit to Iraq for more than four years in October or November. The organisation will then look at re-opening an office, having pulled out of the southern city of Basra in 2004 because of the growing threat from militias. http://crs.orghttp://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-iraq-aid.html?_r=1&oref=slogin http://www.zenit.org/article-23369?l=english Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:07:00 EST U.S. bishops and the aid organization Catholic Relief Services welcomed the passage of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. http://crs.orghttp://www.zenit.org/article-23369?l=english http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/1442 Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:07:00 EST By any name, five years past the U.S. invasion of Iraq, U.S. citizens have a responsibility to consider the conditions creating millions of Iraqi refugees, both within Iraq and in the neighboring countries of Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. http://crs.orghttp://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/1442 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/20/AR2008072001580.html?hpid=artslot Sun, 20 Jul 2008 02:07:00 EST A year ago, this tree was shade. But now, with even basic foods suddenly too expensive to feed her six children, it is food. The leaves taste awful, she said, but they are free -- one small advantage of living in the countryside. http://crs.orghttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/20/AR2008072001580.html?hpid=artslot http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/19/AR2008071900962.html Sun, 20 Jul 2008 02:07:00 EST After she woke in the dark to sweep city streets, after she walked an hour to buy less than $2 worth of food, after she cooked for two hours in the searing noon heat, Fanta Lingani served her family's only meal of the day. http://crs.orghttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/19/AR2008071900962.html http://www.ncea.org/news/pressrelease/article.asp?article_id=177 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:07:00 EST Six educators from Catholic secondary schools and three leaders have returned from a Frontiers of Justice trip to the West African nations of Burkina Faso and Ghana. http://crs.orghttp://www.ncea.org/news/pressrelease/article.asp?article_id=177 http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/07/13/waste_not/ Sun, 13 Jul 2008 12:07:00 EST One of the most successful efforts has unfolded in Ethiopia. Starting in 2005, Catholic Relief Services introduced a toilet called the arborloo to extremely poor Ethiopian farmers. The arborloo is a shallow pit latrine that costs only $5. When it's filled, the farmer plants a fruit tree seedling. http://crs.orghttp://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/07/13/waste_not/ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121557191067338321.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:07:00 EST In my travels with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), an American humanitarian aid organization, I have seen firsthand the impact of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as Pepfar. http://crs.orghttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB121557191067338321.html?mod=googlenews_wsj http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/2008/07/07/fuel-costs-cut-deeply-into-food-aid.html Mon, 07 Jul 2008 02:07:00 EST The ability of the United States to supply food aid to foreign countries is being sharply affected by rising food and oil prices, new numbers show. In the past three to four months, as fuel prices have soared, the cost of shipping food aid across the ocean has climbed by about $30 per ton, and about $50 per ton since 2007-a total of nearly 30 percent, says an official from the United States Agency for International Development, which administers government food assistance. http://crs.orghttp://www.usnews.com/articles/news/2008/07/07/fuel-costs-cut-deeply-into-food-aid.html http://www.hippopress.com/080703/mQA.html Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:07:00 EST New Hampshire native Jennifer Poidatz has seen a lot of the world. For 15 years, her work for Catholic Relief Services has sent her trotting the globe to some of the most notorious hotspots of civil and economic strife. In 1994, she was sent to Rwanda, then in the throes of a genocidal civil war - the first in a series of "crisis" assignments in countries devastated by ethnic or political violence. Posts in Haiti, Burundi, and Angola followed. In 2005, she managed CRS's tsunami relief in Sri Lanka.Now, in her current post as CRS's country representative for India, she's tackling a food crisis plaguing the nation of more than a billion people. http://crs.orghttp://www.hippopress.com/080703/mQA.html http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/01/EDU811I3N8.DTL Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:07:00 EST I've looked hunger in the face - or to be more exact, in the faces of hundreds of Ethiopian children. Due to consecutive failure of rains, farmers in many pockets of southern and eastern Ethiopia have no crop to harvest. Combined with a spiraling rise in food prices, thousands of families are now left with nothing to eat. The Ethiopian government is taking action to address the impact of this year's drought by distributing emergency food rations and setting up feeding sites for malnourished children. But more help is urgently needed. http://crs.orghttp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/01/EDU811I3N8.DTL http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.food19jun19,0,2641192.story Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:06:00 EST In Africa, the rise in global food prices doesn't mean forgoing a night out on the town or passing up a pair of shoes on sale. It means middle-class families stop buying milk for their children and morning coffee, poor families start eating a bowl of porridge just once or twice a day, and the poorest of the poor regularly go hungry and may even face starvation. http://crs.orghttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.food19jun19,0,2641192.story http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jun2008/db20080617_910774.htm Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:06:00 EST "We are glad that there are more opportunities for people to shop fair trade and impact more farmers' lives," says Jacqueline DeCarlo, senior program advisor for Catholic Relief Services, which last year sold $2 million worth of fair trade coffee, chocolate, and crafts. "But we want people to aspire to the highest standards, and in this case companies that offer full commitment to fair trade merit our support." http://crs.orghttp://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jun2008/db20080617_910774.htm http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0803090.htm Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:06:00 EST The award-winning series of stories by Hurley and fellow student Amanda Finnegan helped spur the college's food service to add fair-trade coffee and other items to its menus and won the two a trip to another part of the world -- the Middle East -- to see the work that Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops' international aid and development agency, is doing with Iraqi refugees. http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0803090.htm http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/editorials/stories/MYSA.060808.OPEDfatherdavid2ed.224655a.html Sat, 07 Jun 2008 12:06:00 EST While Garcia surely will enjoy leading this valuable effort so integral to the history of San Antonio, those who know him suspect his priestly heart will be in his other job. As senior adviser for clergy outreach for Catholic Relief Services, Garcia will work to raise awareness among American Catholics of the needs of the poor in the developing world. http://crs.orghttp://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/editorials/stories/MYSA.060808.OPEDfatherdavid2ed.224655a.html http://www.mdjonline.com/content/index/showcontentitem/area/1/section/22/item/111518.html Fri, 23 May 2008 12:05:00 EST Elhanan and Faraj are members of Parents Circle-Families Forum, an organization of antiwar activists drawn together by the loss of loved ones. Now on a speaking tour of the United States, sponsored by Catholic Relief Services, they recently sat down for a talk. http://crs.orghttp://www.mdjonline.com/content/index/showcontentitem/area/1/section/22/item/111518.html http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wypr/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1278811 Fri, 16 May 2008 12:05:00 EST Audio file - Tom Garofalo interviewed on situation in Gaza http://crs.orghttp://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wypr/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1278811 http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2008/05/14/red_cross_estimates_cyclone_toll_as_high_as_127990/ Wed, 14 May 2008 12:05:00 EST "The weather will exacerbate humanitarian conditions for the homeless, many of whom are living under an open sky," said Elizabeth Griffin, a director of Catholic Relief Services from Baltimore. "Thankfully, no serious outbreaks of bacterial, water or mosquito borne diseases have been reported, but this could change in the next two to three weeks." http://crs.orghttp://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2008/05/14/red_cross_estimates_cyclone_toll_as_high_as_127990/ http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0802489.htm Tue, 06 May 2008 12:05:00 EST Pope Benedict XVI expressed deep sadness and "heartfelt sympathy" after hearing news of "the tragic aftermath" of Cyclone Nargis, which killed tens of thousands in Myanmar. http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0802489.htm http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN0219650020080502 Fri, 02 May 2008 12:05:00 EST "This is an unprecedented crisis for us, because it's global," said Lisa Kuennen-Asfaw, of Catholic Relief Services -- a crisis felt in most of the 100 places CRS works. http://crs.orghttp://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN0219650020080502 http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0154468120080502 Fri, 02 May 2008 12:05:00 EST Some aid groups and U.S. lawmakers are clamoring for more assistance immediately. The administration has already requested supplemental food aid funding, a perennial addition to annual budget funds, of $350 million for fiscal 2008, but some are pushing for a figure at least $200 million higher. The United States typically provides about $1.6 billion to $1.7 billion in food aid each year through the U.S. Agency for International Development. "As a humanitarian organization interested in saving lives, we are not sure these resources equip us to meet the needs now," said Catholic Relief Services, an aid group. http://crs.orghttp://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0154468120080502 http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2008-05-01-usda-food-supply_N.htm Thu, 01 May 2008 09:05:00 EST Food aid "is going to have to be significantly higher if we're going to continue to play the role we've played in the past; ... $117 million is not much," says Lisa Kuennen-Asfaw of Catholic Relief Services. http://crs.orghttp://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2008-05-01-usda-food-supply_N.htm http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/26/AR2008042601933.html?sid=ST2008042602333 Sun, 27 Apr 2008 12:04:00 EST CRS focuses on international aid and has a Food Security program that aims to alleviate hunger through short-, medium- and long-term initiatives. Donate via its Web site, http://www.crs.org, call 800-736-3467, or mail a check to Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21203-7090. http://crs.orghttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/26/AR2008042601933.html?sid=ST2008042602333 http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/stories/2008/04/25/Peace_0426.html Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:04:00 EST Rami Elhanan and Mazen Faraj live on different sides of the controversial concrete wall separating Israelis from Palestinians. But they have found common ground. http://crs.orghttp://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/stories/2008/04/25/Peace_0426.html http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0802285.htm Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:04:00 EST As protests over rising food costs spread around the globe, experts warn that high prices are here to stay, and Catholic bishops are calling for governments to take emergency measures to keep their poorest citizens from going hungry. The price increases are fueled by a variety of factors that "are all coming together at once," said Lisa Kuennen, director of the public resource group at Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops' international relief and development agency. http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0802285.htm http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0802286.htm Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:04:00 EST Calculating the exact impact of biofuel production on food price hikes is difficult. Despite the attention to biofuels as a factor in recent price increases, it probably had less of an impact than drought and other factors, said Lisa Kuennen of Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops' international relief and development agency. http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0802286.htm http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_8951910 Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:04:00 EST It had been months since she and her husband, Anselm, arrived as volunteers for Catholic Relief Services in the West African nation and they had grown accustomed to the hunger, poverty and daily funerals in the town. But the sound of a child laughing stopped them in their tracks. http://crs.orghttp://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_8951910 http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-04-17-voa1.cfm Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:04:00 EST Haitians who live on less than two dollars a day rely on food aid and other assistance from abroad. Catholic Relief Services is one of several organizations that seeks to aid working poor, handicapped and other residents. http://crs.orghttp://www.voanews.com/english/2008-04-17-voa1.cfm http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/Aid-Worker-Reflects-on-Catholic-Relief-in-Africa-as-Pope-visits-US.cfm Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:04:00 EST Lori Kunze, CRS deputy director for East Africa, says her organization is involved in various anti-poverty and humanitarian programs throughout Africa, including initiatives aimed at providing people with access to clean water, good agricultural practices and emergency relief. But Kunze says "by far the largest" of CRS projects in Africa is its response to the continent's HIV/AIDS pandemic in six of the countries worst affected. http://crs.orghttp://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/Aid-Worker-Reflects-on-Catholic-Relief-in-Africa-as-Pope-visits-US.cfm http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN14377372 Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:04:00 EST A deepening global food crisis requires not only greater funding for food aid going to hungry nations, but long-term investment to improve agriculture productivity, especially in the developing world, officials and aid groups said on Monday. http://crs.orghttp://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN14377372 http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0801917.htm Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:04:00 EST Mark Schnellbaecher, Middle East regional director for the U.S. bishops' Catholic Relief Services, described the situation as the "flight of moderation" from Iraq because the refugees are Iraq's educated and middle class. http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0801917.htm http://www.sandiego.edu/usdmag/?p=485 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:03:00 EST Peace is a precious commodity. Especially in a time of war and conflict, an act of peace - even on the smallest scale - brings a sense of hope. http://crs.orghttp://www.sandiego.edu/usdmag/?p=485 http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0801526.htm Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:03:00 EST Leaders of the religious congregations working in eastern Congo's Katanga province said they "cannot remain silent" in the face of "all kinds of violence, repeated cases of sexual abuse, and the total lack of respect for the lives of our brothers and sisters." http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0801526.htm http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=726538 Tue, 11 Mar 2008 12:03:00 EST There's a miracle happening in Africa right now, and I've had the good fortune to see it. http://crs.orghttp://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=726538 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/29/AR2008022904029.html?referrer=emailarticle Sat, 01 Mar 2008 12:03:00 EST The U.S. government's humanitarian relief agency will significantly scale back emergency food aid to some of the world's poorest countries this year because of soaring global food prices, and the U.S. Agency for International Development is drafting plans to reduce the number of recipient nations, the amount of food provided to them, or both, officials at the agency said. http://crs.orghttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/29/AR2008022904029.html?referrer=emailarticle http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/29/africa/ME-GEN-Lebanon-Iraqi-Refugees.php Fri, 29 Feb 2008 12:02:00 EST Lebanon on Friday released 13 Iraqi citizens detained for staying illegally in the country, following mediation by the U.N. refugee agency and a Christian aid group, in a move expected to lead to further releases. http://crs.orghttp://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/29/africa/ME-GEN-Lebanon-Iraqi-Refugees.php http://www.thefloridacatholic.org/pt/2008_pt/2008_ptarticles/20080222_pt_rice_bowl.php Thu, 28 Feb 2008 01:02:00 EST The third-graders in Christina Myers' class at St. John the Evangelist School don't know a whole lot about the daily lives of children in the faraway countries of Guatemala, India, Mali, Haiti and Cameroon that this year's Operation Rice Bowl focuses on, but they can really relate to not having access to utilities, food, clean water and shelter. http://crs.orghttp://www.thefloridacatholic.org/pt/2008_pt/2008_ptarticles/20080222_pt_rice_bowl.php http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0801117.htm Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:02:00 EST When Col. Pedro Soria walked into his first seminar on peace-building, his classmates eyed him suspiciously, wondering if the Philippine army officer was there to spy on them. But Soria stayed for the two-week course, winning the confidence of his fellow students and helping launch a quiet revolution with the Philippine military. http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0801117.htm http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0801008.htm Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:02:00 EST A church-run training program for rural doctors in the Democratic Republic of Congo has helped ease the plight of women in the war-torn eastern region where sexual violence is common, an aid worker said. http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0801008.htm http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1203540611135290.xml&coll=1 Wed, 20 Feb 2008 12:02:00 EST Hunger now has a face for many students at St. Scholastica Academy in Covington. On Feb. 11, Thomas Awiapo of Ghana, in West Africa, spoke to the girls, along with some students from Pope John Paul II High School in Slidell. http://crs.orghttp://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1203540611135290.xml&coll=1 http://cbs3.com/video/?id=52876@kyw.dayport.com Sun, 17 Feb 2008 12:02:00 EST Pat Ciarrocchi talks to Arlene Flaherty of Catholic Relief Services about the plight of refugees in Iraq. http://crs.orghttp://cbs3.com/video/?id=52876@kyw.dayport.com http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0800755.htm Fri, 08 Feb 2008 08:02:00 EST Thousands of people who fled Chad to neighboring Cameroon after rebel fighting in early February are in a desperate situation without any infrastructure to support them, said a spokesman for the U.S. bishops' Catholic Relief Services. http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0800755.htm http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2008/02/08/30000_find_safety_little_comfort_in_cameroon/ Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:02:00 EST "The situation in Kousseri is really quite serious," Jennifer Nazaire, the representative for Catholic Relief Services in Cameroon, said Wednesday. "Chadians are pouring out of N'Djamena, and there's little set up to receive them at the moment. The Catholic Church in Kousseri, the local government, United Nations, and aid agencies are all scrambling to work out temporary and longer-term measures to host people." http://crs.orghttp://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2008/02/08/30000_find_safety_little_comfort_in_cameroon/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/04/AR2008020400251.html Tue, 05 Feb 2008 12:02:00 EST Thousands of residents poured out of N'Djamena, the capital of Chad, on Monday as clashes between rebel and government forces cooled after two days of combat, according to reports from the besieged city. "We have a lot of injured and dead people in town," said Christophe Droeven, Chad representative for the aid group Catholic Relief Services. He spoke from Belgium, to which he was evacuated over the weekend, but has kept in close contact with staff members in Chad. http://crs.orghttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/04/AR2008020400251.html http://www.oecumene.radiovaticana.org/en1/Articolo.asp?c=182666 Sat, 26 Jan 2008 12:01:00 EST The country representative for Catholic Relief Services in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza is Tom Garafalo. http://crs.orghttp://www.oecumene.radiovaticana.org/en1/Articolo.asp?c=182666 http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/220414 Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:01:00 EST More than 500 people are expected to attend the 46th annual Southwest Liturgical Conference Study Week, which is being held in Tucson for the first time. The theme is "Eucharist and Justice: Walking in Charity and Peace." Speakers at the gathering will include Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas, Archbishop of Atlanta Wilton Gregory and the Rev. Maxwell E. Johnson, a professor of liturgical studies at the University of Notre Dame. http://crs.orghttp://www.azstarnet.com/metro/220414 http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL14664788.html Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:01:00 EST The death toll in Kenya has risen to about 600 from more than two weeks of unrest since President Mwai Kibaki's disputed re-election, aid agencies said on Monday. http://crs.orghttp://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL14664788.html http://washingtontimes.com/article/20080111/FOREIGN/274544071/1003 Fri, 11 Jan 2008 04:01:00 EST Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, archbishop emeritus of Washington, visited the Latin monastery in Gaza City yesterday while President Bush met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Cardinal McCarrick sat with the Rev. Manuel Musallem, leader of the Catholic community in Gaza, local and U.S. officials from Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and other community members on a pastoral visit. http://crs.orghttp://washingtontimes.com/article/20080111/FOREIGN/274544071/1003 http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0800114.htm Tue, 08 Jan 2008 12:01:00 EST Bishop Cornelius Arap Korir of Eldoret told Catholic News Service things gradually were taking shape as agencies such as the United Nations, the Kenyan government, the Red Cross and other churches were joining Catholic relief agencies in sending financial and material assistance. http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0800114.htm http://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/2007/dec/30/road_mission/ Sun, 30 Dec 2007 02:12:00 EST Simpson-Hebert is the regional health adviser for Catholic Relief Services. Based in Ethiopia, she said her role is to help enhance health programs that reach communities who are most vulnerable to HIV and AIDS. http://crs.orghttp://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/2007/dec/30/road_mission/ http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/12/30/helena_top/a011230_01.txt Sun, 30 Dec 2007 12:12:00 EST Seated in the comfort of his office at the Helena Diocese, Bishop George Thomas smiled when reflecting upon his recent trip to Senegal, where he received a crash course in micro-financing and spent World AIDS Day visiting AIDS-infected patients. The international organization offers micro-loans to impoverished African women, creates dialogue between Christians and Muslims, and promotes AIDS education and care to those inflicted with the virus. http://crs.orghttp://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/12/30/helena_top/a011230_01.txt http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0707403.htm Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:12:00 EST More and more children in Central America are being raised by people other than their parents, DeLorey told Catholic News Service. Those who are raised by extended families miss direct contact with their parents, she said, while those who are left with neighbors may end up on the street or in gangs. http://crs.orghttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0707403.htm http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=697010 Fri, 14 Dec 2007 11:12:00 EST Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, who was appointed board chairman of a major Catholic relief agency this week, has a lot on his plate these days in addition to his normal duties as archbishop and a member of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. http://crs.orghttp://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=697010 http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=64774 Mon, 01 Jan 1900 12:01:00 EST Aid and development workers say their fiercely protected neutrality is jeopardized when foreign militaries deliver aid intending to fulfill strategic, rather than purely humanitarian, objectives. http://crs.orghttp://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=64774