The blessing of the Mary Garden
Monday, 28 September 2015
Saturday, 26 September 2015
Our Prayer for Justice and Peace
Thanksgiving for the Call to Promote Peace and Justice
by: Jane Deren, PhD
We choose to live grounded
in your love, God of goodness,
And to your proclaim your wisdom,
the path of justice and peace.
We are thankful for your call,
For the Spirit that graces us,
For the social issues that engage us, and
For the communities that embrace us.
You have gifted us
And called us by name.
Even in times of darkness
We are moved toward
The Light of your Word.
We form the word peace,
We sing out the word of justice,
And we become, again and again,
Part of the chorus that echoes
Your music, your hope, your vision.
O God Source of Life, Creator of Peace,
help your children, anguished and confused
to understand the futility of hatred and violence
and grant them the ability to stretch across
political, religious and national boundaries
so they may comfort horror and fear
by continuing together
in the search for justice, peace and truth.
With every fiber of our being
we beg You, O God, to help us not to fail nor falter. Amen.
Thank you Holy Spirit for you are always present and working in our lives. You walk alongside us teaching self-control, showing love for others, how to have peace and joy, how to be generous, gentle and kind and building our faith in loving God the Father, Jesus the Son and Mother Mary.
Psalm 140:1 2 
I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted and justice for the poor.
Psalm 33:5
He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.
Isaiah 30:18
Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.
Deuteronomy 32:4
The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of Faithfulness and without injustice, Righteousness and upright is He.
‘
Leviticus 19:15
You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbour fairly.
Image Source:
Isaiah 30:18=
Deuteronomy 32:4=
Leviticus 19:15=
Prayer of Hope
By Education for Justice
I believe that behind the mist the sun waits.
I believe that beyond the dark night it is raining stars.
I believe in the secret volcanoes and the world below.
I believe that this lost ship will reach port.
They will not rob me of hope,
it shall not be broken,
it shall not be broken.
My voice is filled to overflowing with the desire to sing,
the desire to sing.
I believe in reason and not in force of arms.
I believe that peace will be sown throughout the earth.
I believe in our nobility,
created in the image of God,
and with free will reaching for the skies.
They will not rob me of hope,
it shall not be broken.
Prayers are presented and organized by: Liezl, Faith and Amy
Child Labour
Is this right? Is this fair?
Screaming, shouting, crying! Children are doing this nearly all the time, you know why? Because children are getting put into Child Labour! Imagine taking an innocent child away from their families without the parents knowing? Or if you were that little kid how would you feel? Well this is how all the children feel because they get kidnapped to go into Child Labour!
http://borgenproject.org/10-child-labor-facts/
Child Labour
by: Mikayla
What do you think when the word child labour is mentioned? Words connected to child labour are-- working children, hard work, no education, missing school, no play, away from family, kidnapped, hurting, lonely, smugglers, drug trafficking, slaved and abused. There are some describable words that I can’t say.
What is child Labour?
Many families are taking their children out of school and sending them to work. In the recent decades millions of children are being used as slaves.There is an estimate of 215 child labourers around the world, about 114 million are in Asia, 14 million in the Pacific, 7% live in Latin America and 30% live in sub- Saharan Africa.
Where do they work?
Do you know who pick the bananas you eat or who cut the flowers that you give your mother for mother's day, the yummy chocolates you eat, and the soft jacket and clothes you wear? Do you appreciate the fruits and vegetables you have? Well, you might be surprised, a child did that. The International Labour organisation thinks that 215 million children between the ages of 5 to 17 are underaged children working in an explosive and dangerous places. About 60% of child labourers are involved in hunting, mining, fishing, agriculture and forestry. Most bananas come from Ecuador, cotton from Egypt and Benin, cut flowers from Columbia, oranges are picked in Brazil, cocoa from Ivory coast, tea from Argentina and Bangladesh.
What is the cause of child labour?
Families extremely poor encouraged their children to work and men are greedy and want more money. They (the manufacturers) trick the children to work for them and they say they will pay them. But they don’t. They employ children but don’t pay them. Poor families are desperate and make their children work, even if it's only 10 cents a week. So this means children are putting all their hard work into this but not getting anything in return. Is this fair? Is this right?
This is not fair for children, children should not work. The poor people should have cared and supported them. Provide poor families with food, shelter and water so they will not use their own children to work for them. The children are missing out in learning in school and this will affect them when they're older. Without education they can’t get a good job and raise their own family. Don’t you think they should just be kids who play, go to school and able to have fun. We need to help the poor children in poor countries- help the UNICEF. Let's say no to child labour.
References:
Please comment down below, I love to hear your thoughts.
By Mikayla
by: Kaydence
Screaming, shouting, crying! Children are doing this nearly all the time, you know why? Because children are getting put into Child Labour! Imagine taking an innocent child away from their families without the parents knowing? Or if you were that little kid how would you feel? Well this is how all the children feel because they get kidnapped to go into Child Labour!
What is child labour? Well child labour is when people use children as work force in businesses illegally or when they kidnap children and force them to work. Countries such as Philippines, Mexico, Indonesia, Vietnam, and BRIC countries which stands for Brazil, Russia, India and China perform child labour. About 60% of children are taken and put into child labour to fish, hunt and more.
Children in Ecuador are used to get bananas, in the Ivory Coast they are used to get cocoa beans, in Columbia children are used to cut flowers, in Brazil they are used to gather oranges and in Argentina and Bangladesh they are used to get tea. Children who are in Child Labour don’t get a proper education because they are away working.
How are children protected from smugglers? They are protected from smugglers because of their human rights, all children and adults have rights to stand up and say no to child labour. People take children into child labour because they want to make the most money they can.
Some families who are in poor countries depend on child labour to help support them with the basic needs of life. Children as young as five are placed into child labour up to the age of fourteen years. UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund) tries to help put an end to child labour, their company was founded in 1947 and they try give kids what they need.
Child labour is wrong and it should not happen to innocent children! I think that we should put an end to child labour and help those poor children in need! You can help UNICEF by donating to them to help stop child labour!
http://borgenproject.org/10-child-labor-facts/
Friday, 25 September 2015
Ohhhhh chocolates.... yummy, yummy chocolates
Do you indulge in eating chocolates? The yummy, delicious, delectable, rich and scrumptious chocolate has a dark side.....
By:Faith
The Dark Side Of Chocolate
Most of us are chocolate lovers but no-one really knows what’s behind those delicious sweets. Would you stand up for the children collecting the cocoa nibs for our chocolate? Would you ignore the fact that children like you and me are blind in their suffering and working in bad conditions? This is the dark side of chocolate that many people have not realised---child labour.
Child labour is a very big issue especially in the process of chocolate. This is happening in Ivory Coast and in many other places in Africa. These poor children are lured by traffickers to work in cocoa plantations or farms. Young boys from ages 12-16 are kidnapped, tricked and forced to work. They think they are helping themselves and their parents by working obediently for their masters. The truth is, they’re not. These kids are abused and ill-treated by their masters for no reason. The biggest problem in chocolate manufacturers is that people don’t do anything about the enslaved children. These cold-hearted people are just using these children to get money and telling the whole world false information.
Children don’t deserve a childhood full of work. What have they done to deserve such abuse? They were born poor, yes and they want to help their parents and family. But to get into child labour is not right for the human society and for them. These children that work so hard just to avoid being beaten up should be holding pens in their hands, going to school and having friends.
But how can this be possible if there is no one to make the first step and get justice for these children? You, me, us. The whole world has to work together to tackle this situation of child labour. Is this right? Is this fair?
By: Liezl
Who would you rather stand up for? The children who are working so hard, but then at the
same time are getting abused. Or for the chocolate that you eat? Do you know the ugliness behind chocolate?
Do you know, who is collecting the cocoa nibs to help make all your favourite chocolates? For example: KitKat, Mars, Hershey’s, Moro Bar, Snickers etc, because if you didn’t know about this then you can learn more about it.
Children mainly boys at the age of 12-16yrs are being forced and enslaved, to work in cocoa farms in order to collect the beans. These boys are mostly found from Mali, West Africa, Ivory Coast, Ghana etc. in short in African countries.
Why did this become such a big issue? Well it became a big issue, because the chocolate manufacturers ignored the fact that children were used to collect the chocolate nibs they make chocolate. So they told the world incorrect facts, because they are more concerned about the profit and economic gain.
I think this should stop because child labour is not good. People all over the world can help these children by not tolerating this abuse. Write to the manufacturers and inform them of this and you don’t like this happening. Manufacturers should inform the countries of source of chocolate that they have to stop or else they will not support their product or they will go elsewhere. The worst part is when we don’t support the products they sell. Manufacturers need to act and be responsible for this issue. Would they prefer cheap cocoa nibs and have great profits? Or let these children suffer? For the children who were in these enslavery, manufacturers should help their families and provide education that was not given. These children need a voice and I am their voice. Are you with me?
By:Faith
The dark side of chocolate
Are you a person who loves chocolate? Do you know the big issue behind chocolates? Who is doing all the work? If you had a choice, what would you rather do fight for child labour or to eat chocolate every day of your life not know the secret behind it. Once you hear the dark side of chocolate you will change your mind upside down.
In Ivory Coast, boys ages 12-16 are kidnapped and forced to work in cocoa farms or else they will be in extreme abuse and get badly beaten up. Why is this a problem? Well this is a big problem because the chocolate manufacturer has been ignoring the fact that children have been in slave, doing all the work. Why have they been doing this? They have been doing this just for profits.
Young children are working and working so hard-- what for. What do they get out of this? NOTHING. Some children have been tricked that they would get money, but when they go home they go empty handed. Imagine this happened to you! What would you do? You wouldn’t really have a choice because there's no escape. That means that they don’t have a choice. They have to work so they don’t get beaten up. Is this right and is this fair?
How do you think we can help ? Well I think we should stand up for what is right and help them in everything we can possibly do to put this to an end.
By: Caitlyn
Note- Please comment down below I appreciate any comments.
Reference
http://harmonyfdn.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/BSSP-Child-Labour-04.jpg
Western African countries are the biggest cocoa producer but children in these countries are being physically abused and used as slaves in collecting cocoa beans. It is heartbreaking that chocolate manufacturers ignored the fact that they use children as labourers for profit. Did you know that boys at the age of 12-16 and girls at the age of 11-12 are used as workers in the chocolate industry?
Chocolate vs Child Labour
Have you ever wondered what happens in the chocolate factories? Do you know the biggest concern behind chocolate? Chocolate might be yummy but you don’t know the ugliness behind chocolate.
Western African countries are the biggest cocoa producer but children in these countries are being physically abused and used as slaves in collecting cocoa beans. It is heartbreaking that chocolate manufacturers ignored the fact that they use children as labourers for profit. Did you know that boys at the age of 12-16 and girls at the age of 11-12 are used as workers in the chocolate industry?
It is really sad that Hershey’s, Kit Kat, Moro Bars, Snickers and Mars
are collecting cocoa nibs from Western Africa, when children are treated inhumanely. For a example they don’t get basic needs like food, place to sleep, rest and water to sustain them for work for the day. They have been beaten up if they are slow in production and if they have done some mistakes. They miss out in education and the growing up as children. Some children are kidnapped and taken away from their family to work in chocolate factories and farms. The yummy chocolate we eat has a very dark side. Would you ever want to buy chocolate that has a bad past and bad origin?
are collecting cocoa nibs from Western Africa, when children are treated inhumanely. For a example they don’t get basic needs like food, place to sleep, rest and water to sustain them for work for the day. They have been beaten up if they are slow in production and if they have done some mistakes. They miss out in education and the growing up as children. Some children are kidnapped and taken away from their family to work in chocolate factories and farms. The yummy chocolate we eat has a very dark side. Would you ever want to buy chocolate that has a bad past and bad origin?
We can help by donating at UNICEF to help these children in this situation. Please DONATE !!
By Tino
References
References
http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/cabinet-approves-changes-to-child-labour-laws-50665.html
http://www.foodispower.org/slavery-chocolate/
http://www.laborrights.org/industries/cocoa
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amanda-gregory/chocolate-and-child-slave_b_4181089.html
http://www.shady-chocolate.com/en/illegal-child-labour
http://www.antislavery.org/english/campaigns/cocoa_traders/
http://www.ctvnews.ca/5things/the-dark-side-of-easter-chocolate-1.2293971
http://www.foodispower.org/slavery-chocolate/
http://www.laborrights.org/industries/cocoa
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amanda-gregory/chocolate-and-child-slave_b_4181089.html
http://www.shady-chocolate.com/en/illegal-child-labour
http://www.antislavery.org/english/campaigns/cocoa_traders/
http://www.ctvnews.ca/5things/the-dark-side-of-easter-chocolate-1.2293971
Great Learning
We are sharing our home learning, works we've done at home.
This term we learnt to understand how cultural practices of different countries vary but reflect similar purposes. We have to locate and find this country in the map, know the beautiful features of the land, learn about their traditions and culture. We studied and researched the different topics assigned. Some wrote reports and others published their work in slide show presentation.
Mexico by Caitlyn
Argentina by Joshua C
Italy by Losa
Thailand by Kaydence
Japan by Tino
China by Mikayla
Spain by Ronan
Peru by Liezl
Hongkong by Faith
Chile by Amy
India by Joshua J
Canada by AJ
Tahiti by Maranita
Click the country and this leads you to our work.
This term we learnt to understand how cultural practices of different countries vary but reflect similar purposes. We have to locate and find this country in the map, know the beautiful features of the land, learn about their traditions and culture. We studied and researched the different topics assigned. Some wrote reports and others published their work in slide show presentation.
Argentina by Joshua C
Italy by Losa
Thailand by Kaydence
Japan by Tino
China by Mikayla
Spain by Ronan
Peru by Liezl
Hongkong by Faith
Chile by Amy
India by Joshua J
Canada by AJ
Tahiti by Maranita
Click the country and this leads you to our work.
Wednesday, 23 September 2015
How to be a good friend
Friendship and how to be a good friend
By: Maranita
Being a good friend isn't that simple. However, it isn't that difficult either. To be a good friend, you always have to tell the truth no matter what. A good friend should always listen to another friend even when you are not in the mood to listen. A good friend also needs the quality of forgiveness. 
Honesty. Honesty may be one of the most important qualities in a good friend. Here is an example of honesty:
Your friend would like to go to the movies. However, you have to practice soccer for some sort of tournament. What you have to do in this situation is TELL THE TRUTH! Even though your friend may be hurt, she will understand that you can not come with her/him.
Another quality of a good friend is forgiveness. In order, for you to be a good friend is to always forgive your friends when they hurt you in any way. For example: One of your best friends just insulted you. If you are a good friend, you would forgive them because that is what a good friend would do. You may feel a bit hurt and wish that your friend hadn't said that but good friends always forgive.
Listening is another quality of a good friend. Sometimes, listening can be a bit difficult to do. Your friend and you may have different likings. For example: Your friend is interested in art but you enjoy sports. Your friend would love to tell you all about a new painting that was just revealed in the art museum. However, you aren’t that fascinated in art. A bad friend would walk away but a good friend would always listen no matter what.
Good friends are hard to find. But if you are a good friend, then you have encouraged others to be good friends too. Try to be good and helpful friend to others, so they can be good and helpful to you too. Why not start now!
Image resource: www.theholidayspot.com
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