Photo via cofeynya.ru

Filipino-Canadian Mennonite uses coffee to help build peace

A Filipino-Canadian Mennonite missionary who left a life of comfort in Vancouver, Canada is helping to build peace in his native country, which he left more than 20 years ago, and one of his weapons is coffee, reports Ecumenical News International. "My family and I were enjoying relative peace in Canada, but it's nice to be home again to enjoy the task of helping build shalom or salam [peace] in our country, especially in Mindanao," said the Rev.

Daniel Pantoja, who heads the Peacebuilders' Community, a Mennonite team in the Philippines. The island is known as the scene of clashes between the armed forces of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a separatist rebel group. Pantoja’s organization has a centre for peace and reconciliation, and a café called "Coffee for Peace", which helps generate local, sustainable income for the organization's peace and reconciliation field workers.

"The café is important because every time representatives of both the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Philippine military have coffee in our centre, they don't have any skirmishes during the rest of the day," said Pantoja.

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[03/03/2008]

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