Reporter PAUL DOBBYN was among a group of people treated to a Global Reality Meal – food for thought, and action – at Brisbane archdiocese’s launch of Project Compassion for Caritas Australia on Ash Wednesday. He reflects on the experience
ASH Wednesday 2008 is likely to stay emblazoned in my mind for some time to come.
That was the day I lunched on plain white rice on a bright red cabbage leaf and a cup of dubious rusty-looking water from something that looked like a garbage bin.
And the rice was plain, let me tell you – almost as if it contained an additive to make the concoction even plainer – a far cry from my beloved curries and all the zest that my spice cupboard can provide.
There was, however, a good and noble reason for my “suffering”. The occasion was the Global Reality Meal conducted at the launch of this year’s Project Compassion campaign at Brisbane’s Francis Rush Centre.
I was in a group of about 200 Church staff and children from various Catholic schools in Brisbane archdiocese to take part in an event to raise awareness of the huge injustices that exist in the distribution of wealth and such basic items as food, education and shelter in the world.
Among those present were Archbishop John Bathersby, Caritas Australia chief executive officer Jack de Groot and former Caritas board member Bishop John Gerry.
Since this was a “global reality meal” the sort of meal participants got depended on which segment of humanity they landed in.
The idea was everyone paid the same gold coin for the meal, then were given a sticker with the face of someone from one of the many countries around the world helped by Caritas International.
Event organiser Caritas Australia diocesan director Patricia Ryan and her team handed out the stickers.
Participants then matched the face to those on two tables. No match meant you headed for chairs to one side.
It was all random – just like life itself.
When I got “Fernandez from Brazil” I didn’t feel overly hopeful.
And when I heard the percentages, I knew my chances of a decent feed were definitely not good.
More than 55 per cent of the world lives in such poverty that people often don’t know where the next meal is coming from.
Brisbane Catholic Education’s Jill Gowdie, who facilitated the event, explained that the room was divided into three zones.
The top table, laden with goodies which waiters kept bringing, represented the 15 per cent of the world’s population lucky enough to live in the affluent nations.
A second table was occupied by those able to get some form of nutritional meal. However, they were living a marginal existence where a flood or other disaster could swiftly plunge them into survival conditions – probably like many of the people who live just to the north of us in places like Indonesia.
Then there was the poverty-stricken group, the fifty-five percenters – the ones I finished up with, represented in the real world by countries like Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Cambodia and parts of East Timor.
When Jill called out it was time for our group to head outside for our meal, there was definitely no rush.
This may have been due to her words: “If you’re lucky you’ll get a small serving of rice and a glass of local water.”
Actually there was more than rice. A cabbage leaf instead of a plate emphasised how deeply into poverty I’d fallen.
I tried copying a fellow sufferer and eat the “plate” along with the rice – like a sandwich. Didn’t work though.
A few were pulling faces; others were trying to laugh, but underneath knew it was no laughing matter.
Not long after we’d arrived at the Francis Rush Centre, Jill Gowdie had given some statistics on the grim reality of poverty.
These statistics included the fact that 1.2 billion people – 20 per cent of the world’s population live on less that a dollar a day and that they, usually the women, have to walk five to 10 km a day just to get water.
Jill also told us that every three seconds a child dies from hunger or some other cause – a staggering 28,000 or so a day.
And back inside after our “meal” we were about to hear more of this global reality from Caritas Australia chief executive officer Jack de Groot, in Brisbane for the Project Compassion launch.
Jack stood in front of a screen carrying the message: “Not to know is bad. Not to wish to know is worse.”
“In this meal we see the reality of our world,” were among Jack’s opening words.
He went on to describe people living in impossible situations around the world such as the 300,000 Kenyans displaced after the recent post-election violence.
“How to respond with hope when such appalling situations exist?” Jack asked the gathering.
In answer he gave examples of work done by Caritas in places like Manila where thousands live around and on that city’s rubbish tips towering 20 storeys high.
He also spoke of the organisation’s goal to ensure that four million children under five have access to immunisation programs over the next 19 months.
And, closer to home, Jack saw hope in the Australian Government’s impending apology to the indigenous people for various past injustices.
He hoped that, by our brush with global reality at the meal “the poor would become faces”.
“The Caritas Project Compassion campaign is a concrete way of making sure that the sign of ashes on this day is a sign of hope to the world,” he said.
Archbishop Bathersby in response provided further food for thought.
He acknowledged that the meal had been a “helpful and interesting exercise, highlighting Australia’s separation from the rest of the world”.
The archbishop, who launched Caritas’ Project Compassion for Brisbane archdiocese, said what was noteworthy was that as a member of the top table it was easy to become defensive.
“There’s a gap and there’s a sense of wanting to maintain that gap,” he said.
Regarding affluence, he said: “Affluence makes people believe they are comfortable without God – there’s a sense that many have so many blessings that there’s no need for God.”
The archbishop also advised that “out of faith has to come solidarity with other people”.
After some closing prayers that “no children would be denied education; no worker will be denied justice and that no child will die from curable diseases” the meal was over.
It was up to each of us to meet the challenge through Lent and beyond.
Caritas Project Compassion boxes and envelopes are in every parish and school.
To make a donation, phone (07) 3336 9412, go on line www.caritas.org.au
or ring the toll free number 1800 024 413.
