A woman from Sudan

A Sudanese woman is due to arrive in Canada today to begin a nationwide tour intended to raise awareness about social justive issues and the effects of war in her homeland.

Elizabeth Majok of the New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC) will visit Sault Ste Marie on December 3 and 4.

Her visit is being co-ordinated by the social justive group Kairos, which has issued the following news release:

********************** Sudanese to visit Sault Ste Marie as part of national tour

(Sault Ste Marie) – In an effort to urge Canadians and the federal government to support community-based peace building initiatives in war-torn areas of the world, three extraordinary women from Sudan, Palestine, and Colombia will come to Canada on November 29 to expose the disturbing reality of war in their respective regions. Their visit is part of a remarkable nationwide tour, organized and hosted by KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, to raise awareness of the devastating effects of conflict on human rights, with a particular emphasis on the impact war has on women.

As part of this tour, Elizabeth Majok of the New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC) will be visiting Sault Ste Marie on December 3 and 4.

She will take part in an event for students at St. Mary's High School, December 3 at 12:15 p.m., and at St. Matthew's Anglican Church, December 4 at 7 p.m.

Majok will speak of her own work with the NSCC in involving women in conflict resolution processes.

The NSCC is a partner of KAIROS, which encourages the participation of women at all levels of the peace building process.

Majok’s story will set the stage for an important call on the Canadian government to increase the involvement of Canadian civil society groups in peacebuilding efforts; to strengthen its voice in relationships with other governments and multilateral organizations, like the UN, in protesting human rights violations and the impact of conflict on women; and to ensure that women are full participants in all peace building efforts, including involvement in decision making at all levels.

Majok will push for demonstrated leadership from the Canadian government in pressuring the government of Sudan and other parties involved in the conflicts in that country, as well as insisting that any peace agreement affirm the principles of a just and lasting peace and address the root causes of the different conflicts in Sudan.

She will urge Canada to demand responsive and accountable governance, a meaningful constitutional process, the involvement of civil society, credible monitoring, and guaranteeing mechanisms on the part of the international community.

Majok will continue to tour Northeastern Ontario before joining with two other women – Amneh Badran of Palestine, and Ana Teresa Rueda Lozada of Colombia - in Ottawa on December 6 and 7 to meet with federal government officials.

KAIROS brings together eleven national churches and religious organizations in an ecumenical organization dedicated to social justice in Canada and around the world.

KAIROS works to promote social justice in the areas of human rights and peace building, economic equality and ecological sustainability.

Our name, KAIROS, comes from a Greek word referring to a time of crisis and opportunity, a time to act.

In order to live out our name, we rely on the commitment and energy of a national network of 100 local groups dedicated to take action for peace and justice.

For more information about the KAIROS network, please call 416-463-5312, X 241 or consult our website at www.kairoscanada.org.

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