International Catholic rural and peasant youth movement
The International Catholic Rural and Farming Youth Movement ( Mouvement Internationale de la Jeunesse Agricole et Rurale Catholique ; MIJARC) has been committed to improving the living conditions of rural youth around the world since it was founded in Belgium in 1954 . It is the only rural youth movement that works on an international level and brings together over two million rural youth from Latin America , Africa , Asia and Europe .
In the 1960s, MIJARC was granted advisory status with UNESCO and specialized observer status with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization ( FAO ).
The improvement of living conditions is based on Christian values. The focus is on the option for the world's poorest, social justice, the redistribution of wealth and world peace. She sees international solidarity as a key element in the fight against hunger and poverty. It sees itself in the tradition of the Catholic Action and promotes the holistic upbringing and education of rural youth through the pedagogy of the " Révision de vie ".
A primary goal of MIJARC is to encourage young people to stay in the countryside and not move to the cities. Many believe they can find better job opportunities in cities, which is particularly not the case in developing countries. Often they end up in slums , where living conditions are even worse than in the countryside. That is why the MIJARC relies on political education and the participation of rural youth. The creation of prospects to stay also affects the issue of food sovereignty . It is not just about people getting food, but also about being able to work independently and independently on the requirements. Access to water also plays an important role here.
MIJARC fights for the country and stands for regional and small structures in order to maintain jobs in rural areas and create new ones worldwide. The MIJARC clearly rejects the neoliberal economic system.
In Germany, the Catholic rural youth movement is a member of the association.