Christian Aid News 31 - Spring 2006

How Christian Aid is facing its global challenge

Life after the earthquake

Damian Lewis on his travels to Bolivia Travel ideas for the thinking tourist

The stark choices facing survivors in Kashmir

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Spring 2006

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Contents Spring 2006 Issue 31

REGULARS ■ 4 NEWS Stories from the frontline – and at home ■ 13 OPINION Sarah Malian asks what the implications are of Hamas’ victory in the Palestinian elections ■ 19 CAMPAIGN Trade justice – it’s time to turn all the fine words into lasting action

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■ 24 EVENTS What to see and what to do ■ 26 DO THE RIGHT THING Ethical travel ideas, bread from Tajikistan and your questions answered on charity legacies ■ 28 REFLECTION Keeping the Christian in Christian Aid ■ 28 INPUT Your letters and emails ■ 30 FINAL WORD With Aled Jones, plus where your money goes

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FEATURES

Christian Aid/Joseph Bieber

Christian Aid works in some of the world’s poorest communities in 50 countries. We work where the need is greatest, regardless of religion, supporting local organisations which are best-placed to understand their communities. We campaign to change the structures that keep people poor and challenge inequality and injustice.

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Kalpesh Lathigra/NB Pictures

Welcome to your new-look Christian Aid News, or CAN for short! We’ve freshened up the magazine and, as you’ll see, it’s the first of our publications to showcase the new Christian Aid logo. We hope you like them both – and do please let us know what you think.

Based on our iconic Christian Aid Week red envelope, the new logo is an exciting development for Christian Aid. We realised the old one didn’t work as well on computers or digital media – it was beginning to look a little outdated.

We hope this new logo will help us reach out to even more people with our messages.

It’s active and energetic. It points to action – to Christian Aid’s essential purpose, to work with everyone, of all faiths and none, to overcome poverty and injustice. By the time Christian Aid Week rolls around in May, most of our materials will feature the new look. But to keep costs to a minimum, we are launching it gradually, using up old stock first.

As for what’s between the covers of this edition, I hope you’ll find there’s still plenty to provoke debate and keep you informed about what’s going on in the CA world.

In our cover story, Anjali Kwatra reports from Kashmir on the huge challenges facing the victims of last October’s earthquake. Actor Damian Lewis visited Bolivia to find out how liberalisation and privatisation of services are affecting the poor, we’ve the diary of a young contributor’s memorable visit to Kenya, and there’s a startling image from Kyrgyzstan, one of central Asia’s forgotten nations. Among our regular features is an expanded letters section, devoted to your responses to the article in our Winter issue ‘Your God is my God’ by Islamic relief’s UK director Waseem Yaqub. And in our Food for Thought section, devoted to consumer and lifestyle issues, we’re looking at ideas for some ethical holiday options And if you’ve ever wondered just where in the world Christian Aid is active, don’t miss the special map on our centre pages.

Roger Fulton editor

Christian Aid/Asif Hassan

Editor’s letter

■ 8 THE BIG PICTURE Forgotten victims of ‘a quiet emergency’ ■ 10 COVER STORY KASHMIR Survivors facing up to life after the earthquake ■ 14 FIRST PERSON Actor Damian Lewis reports from Bolivia on the struggle for justice over water and gas

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■ 16 WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? How Christian Aid is responding to the challenge of building a better world ■ 20 FOCUS ON AFRICA: MALAWI Coping with failed rains and food shortages ■ 22 FOCUS ON AFRICA: KENYA How Blue Peter stepped in to help a young supporter see our work at first-hand

Cover Mark Edwards/Still Pictures Pictures Joseph Caborn Subeditors Andy Jacques, Matt Cunningham Design and production David Lloyd/ Circle Publishing, 020 8332 2907 Circulation Steve Tassie Christian Aid head office 35 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RL Tel 020 7620 4444 Fax 020 7620 0719

Email info@christian-aid.org Stay in touch with us online News, campaigns and resources www.christianaid.org.uk Christian and ethical service provider www.surefish.co.uk Children and schools www.globalgang.org.uk Our campaigning and student website www.pressureworks.org

30 UK registered charity number 1105851 Company number 5171525 Republic of Ireland charity number CHY 6998

We believe in life before death

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An audio version of this issue is available. Call 08700 787788 for details call 08700 787 788 for details

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Christian Aid Week ■ Tsunami update ■ Goat g Christian Aid Week 2006

Top tips for fundraising

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Start planning early. Think about the type and number of people you want to come to your event. What would work best?

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Put together an action plan with deadlines and delegate tasks to helpers.

You can order our new fundraising toolkit – a nine-page, hands-on guide full of ideas as well as some dos and don’ts. Call 08700 78 77 88 or download it from www.christianaid.org.uk

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How to pay for it all? From giveaways, prizes, venue hire, publicity, printing or food and drink, you can get a lot for free if your event will attract people that commercial organisations and companies are also trying to reach.

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If your event is unique or involves something special, your local paper might want to write a story about it. Local Christian Aid offices have good media contacts and should be able to help you. For your nearest office go to www.christianaid. org.uk/ukireland. There is also a guide to getting your story in the local press at our campaign site www.pressureworks.org

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Sponsors love publicity, especially if it associates them with a good cause. If you are planning on bringing in a sponsor, make sure they are not involved in unethical practices. If in doubt, contact Christian Aid on 020 7523 2015 or in the Republic of Ireland call 01 611 0801.

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Create your own online sponsorship page at www.justgiving.com/christianaid.

Donations made this way go automatically to Christian Aid – saving time and effort on collections. And remember, Gift Aid boosts donations from UK taxpayers by 28 per cent.

You add, we multiply WITH MAY COMING up fast, it’s time to turn our attention to Christian Aid Week. This is always an exciting time for the organisation as we hear about the great ideas that volunteers, supporters and churches are coming up with to help make this year the best yet.

Christian Aid Week is the UK and Ireland’s biggest door-to-door fundraising event and involves 20,000 churches and 300,000 volunteers. Last year it raised £14.8 million – a whopping 18 per cent of our total income. This year’s week runs from 14-20 May and will build on last year’s theme, ‘You add, we multiply’. It’s a simple idea that encapsulates Christian Aid’s belief – that together we can make a big difference.

The maths are simple: just by giving enough money to buy a pair of chickens for a village we can help turn those chickens into eggs and more chickens!

There are many

ways to get involved, either by contributing money or time. You could be one of our team delivering and collecting envelopes in your neighbourhood, or maybe you could organise a fundraising event (see our tips, opposite).

Among celebrities offering

their support is singer Beverly Knight (pictured below with our new collection envelope). She said: ‘As an ambassador for Christian Aid I have seen our work firsthand. Please help us to keep empowering those who need our help the most.’

Did you know?

CHRISTIAN AID can raise money from donations of foreign currency or out-ofcirculation UK decimal currency. Over £339,000 has been raised since 2001.

Take currency to your local Christian Aid office, or our head office in Waterloo.

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at gift row ■ Drought crisis ■ Winning poets ■ Floral challenge People in the news

A tale of two communities THE AFTERMATH OF the 2004 tsunami has had a markedly contrasting impact on the prospects for peace in Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

Eight months after the disaster, a peace agreement between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement ended a 29-year war which had resulted in the deaths of 15,000 people – mostly civilians.

It was the devastation left by the tsunami that acted as a final push for peace, with both sides recognising that the fighting had to stop if coastline communities were to be rebuilt.

This year, Christian Aid partners will spend £4.6 million

of our disaster appeal money on building houses, helping people get back to work and improving health and sanitation in affected areas of Indonesia.

Unfortunately, the tsunami did not have the same effect in Sri Lanka, where aid agencies fear that a deteriorating security situation will threaten their rebuilding work in the north and east of the island.

In the days after the disaster there was optimism as the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) worked together to help bury the dead and supply food, water and shelter.

But a joint aid-sharing pact fell apart in bitter disagreement.

Several acts of violence in the Tamil-dominated north and east during December and January claimed more than 100 lives and raised fears of a return to the conflict which had ended after almost 20 years with a ceasefire in 2002.

‘A return to war could lead to a new humanitarian crisis for the island and would have a major destabilising impact on tsunami reconstruction,’ says Ivan Kent, Christian Aid’s Sri Lanka programme manager.

There is a glimmer of hope, with the government and Tamil Tigers due to meet in Geneva as we went to press at the end of February – the first high-level face-to-face talks in three years.

Bolivian gas dispute hots up THE ELECTION OF Evo Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous president, is expected to bring to a head the country’s dispute with multinational firms over its vast natural gas reserves.

The dispute centres on the relatively low tax rate multinationals pay to extract natural gas. The new government has pledged to change this arrangement so Bolivians benefit more from their natural resources. But British

Gas has already initiated proceedings which could end up in an international court if agreement cannot be reached. Development minister, Carlos Villegas, said that although Morales had previously threatened to nationalise the sector, the new government would respect the property rights of foreign investors.

Renationalisation remains popular with many who voted Morales into power, including former miners,

indigenous farmers and even some of the middle classes. He needs to find a way of placating these groups without chasing away foreign investors.

Recently, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez may have set a precedent by renegotiating contracts with oil companies such as BP, Exxon-Mobil and Chevron. ● Damian Lewis reports on his travels to Bolivia.

See page 14.

HEARTFELT congratulations to external relations director, Kate Phillips (right), who has been awarded an OBE for services to disadvantaged people and to senior programme funding officer Robert Hayward who makes the diplomatic and overseas list with an OBE for humanitarian services overseas.

Kate joined Christian Aid in the late 1970s as editor of Christian Aid News.

She went on to run the media team and the communications department before becoming external relations director and an associate director of Christian Aid. Robert has been at Christian Aid for more than 13 years, having previously served in the Army and worked at Save the Children. At Christian Aid he initially worked in the Africa team before moving to our funding department when it was created ten years ago.

RETIRED JEWELLER and keen magician Gerald Moore is well on the way to conjuring up more than £50,000 for Christian Aid. Geraldo, 77 – who picked up his wand for the first time since childhood seven years ago – performs two to three times a week and is available for all kinds of events near his home in Belfast, such as christenings, weddings, coffee mornings, birthdays and civic events, as he aims to build on his current £42,000 total by the end of the year. Call 028 9042 7335.

‘It keeps me out of mischief,’ says Geraldo, adding, ‘We live here like gods because we have everything. Other people are dying like flies. As Christians we must do something.’

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Christian Aid/Robert Hayward

IN BRIEF The final Ascent

In the past 18 months Christian Aid has been switching information from over 100 different Christian Aid databases to one new one, Ascent.

In this process, which is helping to simplify and standardise our work and improve our service to supporters, some incomplete records and duplicates have been entered and mailed. Staff are doing their best to ensure these are found and deleted as swiftly as possible.

Within the next year we hope to be able to connect all online information as well as ensure that we are dealing with all aspects of supporter information well, consistently and appropriately, providing the service that you want. We remain committed to maintaining the confidentiality of all records, ensuring we are complying with your intentions. We apologise for any inconvenience being caused as we continue to switch to our new database.

Appeal over Africa drought crisis CHRISTIAN AID IS launching a major East Africa Emergency Appeal this month in response to the drought devastating the region. Conditions are particularly acute in northern and eastern Kenya, south-eastern Ethiopia and southern Somalia, where nearly 12 million people are short of food, according to the latest UN estimates.

Across the region there has been only one year of good rains since 1999.

In Ethiopia, 2.25 million people are newly affected, with an additional 8 million already reliant on food aid. If the rains do not reach Kenya in March, the number of people dependent on food aid here

will exceed 4 million.

Christian Aid’s partner organisations recognise the critical impact climate change is having in the region. Long-term development programmes are concentrating on drought resistant crops, natural compost instead of artificial fertiliser (which drains the soil of nutrients) and

irrigation aids. As well as distributing relief food, the Anglican Church of Kenya and the New Council of Churches of Kenya are continuing to build wells and small dams. ● To donate to the East Africa Emergency Appeal, call 08080 004004 or go online at www.christianaid. org.uk/eastafrica

Above: Drought in Africa is killing livestock

Conflict still reigns in Darfur THE HUMANITARIAN TRAGEDY in Darfur continues. Peace talks in Nigeria between rebels and the Sudanese government are at a standstill, while relations between Sudan and Chad have become increasingly tense.

In January, 70,000 people were forced to flee the camps in the southern town of Mershing, following attacks by armed militia. Christian Aid’s partner, the Sudan Development Association, abandoned its schools and health clinic in the area.

With the African Union taskforce unable to keep the peace, the only hopeful sign is that the UN appears close to an agreement to send in its blue-helmeted troops.

CHRISTIAN AID HAS again appointed award-winning garden designer Claire Whitehouse (right) to create its new show garden for the 2006 Hampton Court Flower Show from 4-9 July.

This will be the fifth garden Claire has designed for Christian Aid and her most challenging yet. Its inspiration comes from HIV projects supported by Christian Aid in Jamaica and will highlight the importance of education in the prevention of HIV. The Caribbean region has the second highest HIV infection rate after sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, 4.3 million people around the world are living with HIV and AIDS and of those, 2.3 million are children under 15.

Last year more than 3 million people died from AIDS-related illnesses.

‘Fighting HIV across the developing world is a large part of Christian Aid’s work,’ said Claire. ‘We have never tackled this issue through a garden before due to its complexity and sensitivity.’

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Christiaan Aid/David Rose

Green-fingered challenge on HIV

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TALK BACK

No butts as shoppers get the goat CHRISTIAN AID HAS defended the policy of offering ‘goats for sale’ through its Present Aid catalogue, after recent criticism from a leading environmental charity.

The World Land Trust (WLT) called the sponsoring of goats in developing countries ‘short-sighted’, saying it would damage farmland and not alleviate poverty. ‘The goat campaign may be a short-term fix for milk and meat but in the long term the quality of life will slowly be reduced, with devastating effect,’ said WLT chief executive, John Burton.

Christian Aid’s head of marketing, Jeff Dale, replied: ‘Present Aid works on the simple idea that, by choosing a gift, you are deciding the way in which your money is used in the fight against poverty.

‘So if you buy a goat, for example, your money will go to livestock and agriculture projects. Purchase a tap and your money will go to clean water projects that fight disease and make crops grow. We don’t promise that your money will buy a tap or a goat – but we do promise that

it will go towards work in that area. We work with our local partners on the ground to decide which projects are most urgently needed and how the money can be most effectively used.’

Earmarking individual donations for specific gifts would, said Jeff, not only be inefficient, but would restrict the kind of help Christian Aid can give and result in the kind of problem described

by WLT. ‘The range of ways in which we help poor communities varies hugely, so we have consciously designed our gift catalogue with a range of examples to explain our work. We have also tried to ensure that the schemes are efficient and ethical. We believe we have got the balance right.’

Thanks to your Christmas shopping, Christian Aid has

raised nearly £3 million through Present Aid. Gifts of goats, community tapstands, stethoscopes and cans of worms mean thousands of poor communities overseas can have access to the basic essentials of life – such as clean water and better healthcare.

Present Aid does not just fight poverty at Christmas.

Why not buy friends and family a birthday present with true meaning? Or treat your mum to a Mother’s Day gift with lasting benefit?

You can even set up your own Present Aid wedding list online! Go to www.presentaid.org for more ideas, or call 0845 3300 500 to order a catalogue.

Chocolate poets sweet-talk judge MORE THAN 2,000 young poets put pen to paper for the fourth national Divine Fairtrade chocolate poetry competition, Divine Futures. The competition, in association with Christian Aid, gave young people a chance to express hopes for a fairer future for poor people in Africa.

Award-winning children’s author Jacqueline Wilson was this year’s guest judge and she was full of praise for the

young entrants. ‘It was impressive to see how hard they had thought about the subject of fair trade, and to hear the real feeling that came out in the poems.’

The winners were: 7-11 age group, Sam Clark, 11, from Oldham; 12-15 age group, Harry Baker, 13, from Ealing; 16-adult age group, Oz Hardwick, from York. To see all the winning poems log onto www.divinechocolate.com

THE THINGS THEY SAY ‘There is amazing good news: 400 million people in Asia have escaped extreme poverty in the past 20 years. Then there is the bad news: 150 to 300 million in subSaharan Africa have slipped into extreme poverty in the same period.’

Paul Wolfowitz, head of the World Bank ‘It is difficult but I think we will reach an agreement for a date to phase out agricultural subsidies…You have to make sure that the promises people make are the promises that they actually deliver on.

But I think there is an energy in the agenda for Africa that was not there a few years ago.’

Tony Blair, interviewed on South African TV THE THINGS WE SAY ‘The reality of Africa is that the resources that leak out far exceed those that flow in.’

Charles Abugre, head of policy and advocacy ‘Our goal is not just to tackle poverty with donations. We must use a proportion to challenge the systems that we and our partners see keeping people in poverty’ Andrew Pendleton, senior policy officer, in a Guardian article about how charities are getting more politically active ‘The fact that we have Christian in our name is inevitably suspicious in some circles. But we will not use our aid to in any way make people Christian, or help only Christians, or in different ways to try to see that we give jobs to Christians.

Christian Aid works with people who are in need. We are here as an agency to help Christians in Britain to put their faith into action and that defines who we are.’

Dr Daleep Mukarji, director of Christian Aid, in a Radio 4 Today programme discussion on the role of faith-based agencies ‘It’s impossible to build stability and a democracy plus fight the opium trade with troops alone. It’s like trying to put out a forest fire with flip-flops.’

Emergencies editor, Dominic Nutt, on the importance of continued funding for development work in Afghanistan THE THINGS YOU SAY ‘Education is the key to our living in peace and harmony with others. It is ignorance that allows fundamentalism to breed.’

Christian Aid News reader Pat Rogers, responding to the article ‘Your God is my God’ by Waseem Yaqub of Islamic Relief. See page 28

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A quiet emergency Appalling poverty levels are threatening a humanitarian crisis in a region virtually ignored by the world at large FOR 78-YEAR-OLD Nikolai Valentinov and his wife Lapina this is home – a single room with no mod-cons in the remote village of Ivanovska, in Kyrgyzstan, central Asia. A World War Two veteran who also worked on the clean-up after Chernobyl, Nikolai has severe cataracts and is virtually blind. Unable to claim his meagre pension since his documents were stolen, he is caught in a downward spiral of increasing poverty.

It’s 15 years since Kyrgyzstan and neighbouring Tajikistan became independent countries. But life without the Soviet Union has brought untold hardship to these little-known and, in many ways, even less cared for countries. Over the past decade, poverty here has sunk to levels on a par with many countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Against a backdrop of derelict factories and shattered infrastructure, families struggle to survive, often in temperatures that plummet to -20°C. Unemployment has soared, leaving thousands of families unable to buy enough food, heat their houses or pay for the rationed four hours of electricity per day.

Unemployment has led to mass migration of fathers and sons seeking work abroad. However, this brings few rewards for the families left behind. Abandoned, the elderly, women and children are left without the skills or financial resources to fend for themselves.

Fuelling this quiet emergency are the Tajik and Kyrgyzi governments’ own financial crises which are preventing them from providing even the most basic services or support.

The people there are now having to learn new ways of survival. Christian Aid is helping growing numbers of local nongovernment organisations to equip families with the skills they need to rebuild their communities. To prevent poverty levels slipping further, continued support for our partners is vital, as is greater international awareness of the plight of this region. ■

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can: the big picture

Christian Aid/Steven Buckley

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Kashmir earthquake

With no direction home

Pictures: Mark Edwards/Still Pictures, Christian Aid/Asif Hassan

Asia specialist Anjali Kwatra reports on the dilemma facing aid workers helping earthquake survivors in Kashmir as the harsh winter snows begin to melt

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Main picture: A survivor works to clear the ruins of his former house in Budehara Left: A man carries an injured relative through the snow in search of medical aid Right: Helicopters still fly 27 aid missions in the mountains every day

MOHAMMED NOOR, a farmer from a mountain community in Kashmir, did not just lose his house in October’s devastating earthquake in Pakistan. Every acre of his farmland, which had been in his family for generations, slid down the mountain in a matter of minutes.

Carrying the few possessions they had left, Noor, 55, his wife and four daughters trekked for three days before finding aid at a tent camp near Islamabad. ‘We walked down from the mountains as we had no shelter, no food, no wood to burn, nothing,’ he says.

In the past few months the family has become used to life in the camp, which is run by international and local aid agencies. Food is cooked for them twice a day and a hospital, school with 11 teachers and computer-training centre are just around the corner.

But Noor and his family will soon be forced to head back to the mountains. The government has decided to close the dozens of tent camps on 31 March, when the worst of the winter will be over. Many of the hundreds of thousands of people living in these camps do not want to leave and aid agencies are worried what people will do without proper shelter or way of earning an income.

‘We cannot go back because my

land is destroyed,’ Noor says. ‘We have no food, no fuel and no shelter, so why would we go back? If the camp is closing, we have no choice, but I don’t know how we will survive.’

The Pakistani army, which aid workers agree has played a vital role in the relief operation, runs many of the camps and says it will be flexible about when they close. But ultimately it wants people who came down from villages in the mountains to escape the harsh winter, to return to their homes.

Muhammad Raashid, from Islamic Relief in Pakistan, acknowledges the difficulties the authorities face.

‘On one hand it seems wrong to make people leave the camps. But in reality, people will only recover from this disaster if they get back to their normal lives as soon as possible.

Islamic Relief never encouraged people to leave their villages if at all possible. The camps are very crowded, people have no privacy and there is a risk they can become dependent on the aid. But we have to ensure that people are able to return with the support they need.’

Islamic Relief, which received £350,000 from Christian Aid, has so far helped around 340,000 people in the earthquake-affected zone with food, shelter, medical aid, water and sanitation. Christian Aid has so far

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can: cover story

Anatomy of a tragedy

■ October’s earthquake in Indian Kashmir and northern Pakistan, measured 7.8 on the Richter scale ■ More than 73,000 people were killed and 70,000 injured ■ 3.5 million were made homeless ■ 400,000 homes need to be rebuilt ■ The earthquake-hit zone covers 28,000 square kilometres ■ The estimated cost of the damage is US$5.2 billion ■ The Disasters Emergency Committee Appeal has raised more than £50 million so far

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Main picture: Mark Edwards/Still Pictures; inset: Christian Aid/Asif Hassan

Kashmir earthquake

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given £1.1 million to Church World Service (CWS) which has helped around 500,000 people with food, tents and other equipment, as well as working on water and sanitation.

Across Kashmir and the North West Frontier Province – the two affected areas – blue and white tents dot the majestic mountains. In many cases, even those whose homes did not collapse are living in tents outside their front door because they are so afraid of another earthquake. Since October there have been around 1,600 aftershocks, which do nothing to calm the nerves of survivors.

The huge area hit by the earthquake – some 28,000 square kilometres – and the potholed mountain roads which are often closed by landslides and heavy snow, mean the logistics of the relief operation have been particularly difficult. But thanks to the efforts of local people, aid agencies and the army, many survivors are now in a position to start rebuilding their lives.

The priority is to erect temporary shelters of wood and corrugated-iron sheets. In the isolated Neelum Valley Christian Aid News

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in Kashmir, helicopters drop food and iron sheets at the Islamic Relief warehouse and healthcentre up to 27 times a day. Volunteers then distribute the items, often on foot, to isolated mountain communities which are unreachable by road.

Construction of permanent homes will begin in April, after the snow has melted. However, most agree that it will be impossible to rebuild the 400,000 houses needed before the start of next winter, so it’s essential that the temporary shelters are sturdy and sufficiently insulated to withstand another winter.

In Budehara village, where 90 per cent of houses collapsed, Mohammed Mushtaq will soon receive a temporary shelter from Islamic Relief, but complains that the promised 175,000 rupees (£1,700) in government compensation will not be enough to rebuild a permanent home. ‘That is now our biggest worry – how we will get a new home for our families,’ he says.

Mushtaq, 40, lost his wife, daughter and daughter-in-law in the earthquake. They were cutting

grass when they were buried under a landslide. ‘My daughter was alive, but we could not dig her out. She was conscious for six hours and I held her hand as she died,’ he says.

As well as coping with the physical loss, aid agencies are also aware of the need to deal with the psychological effects of the earthquake. CWS is also training local staff in counselling to help people deal with their grief and uncertainty about the future.

Thousands of children lost one or both parents in the earthquake, but almost all have been taken in by relatives. In one case a 25-year-old man is now looking after 17 children after two of his brothers died.

‘I have been amazed and very happy to see how these children have been absorbed into the extended family system,’ says Sarah CrawfordBrown from CWS. Meanwhile, Christian Aid’s commitment to the region continues.

By July, we will have spent a further £700,000 in Pakistan and India on helping people rebuild their lives after the earthquake. ■

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We have no food, no fuel and no shelter so why would we go back

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Main picture: Called to prayer – townspeople still flock to their mosque in Balakot which was flattened by the earthquake Inset: Mohammad Mustaq worries about how he will find a new home for his family

For updates on Christian Aid’s work in this area, go to www.christianaid.org.uk/crisis

22/2/06 16:37:12

Do you agree with Sarah? Write to the Editor, Christian Aid News, PO Box 100, London SE1 7RT or email canews@christian-aid.org If you would like to discuss this article online, visit www.surefish.co.uk

Opinion

Hungry for change Christian Aid’s Middle East communications officer, Sarah Malian, discusses the implications of Hamas’ victory in the Palestinian elections

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We either support democratic elections, whatever their outcome, or we don’t

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Below Only a political solution can bring an end to Palestinian poverty

military occupation, prevent the expansion of settlements built on Palestinian land or recognise an independent Palestinian state, it continues to receive billions of dollars in foreign assistance a year.

Christian Aid supports organisations across the divide working on education, human rights, welfare, reconciliation and agriculture. Each Saturday, for example, two of our partners, the Israeli Physicians for Human Rights and the Palestinian Medical Relief Society travel together to the West Bank bringing mobile clinics to isolated communities.

But initiatives by local organisations alone cannot improve the humanitarian situation.

In truth, lasting change can only come with an end to the main cause of Palestinian poverty – Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territories. While aid is a necessary lifeline, it can only address some of the symptoms of the occupation.

Without a political solution, an end to the 39-year-long Israeli occupation,

an accountable Palestinian government, cessation of violence and long-term external assistance, Palestinian dependency on emergency relief will grow.

There is much cynicism within the Islamic world that the West only supports democratic elections that back up its policy aims. Refusing to deal with the newly-elected Palestinian government will only add to this cynicism. We either support democratic elections, whatever their outcome, or we don’t. When it comes to the people’s choice, there should be no grey area. Who knows? In many parts of the world, not least in Northern Ireland, we have seen that incorporating the political wing of armed groups – even terrorist groups – into negotiations and the electoral process can be a way to end violence.

The essential thing now is that the international community continues to engage with both Israelis and Palestinians in order to bring about the just peace both peoples so desperately need. ■

Christian Aid/Simon Townsley

THE MEDIA FRENZY that surrounds terrorism, militant groups and Islamic fundamentalism can easily cloud our intellect and inhibit our ability to engage with the reality behind the headlines.

This was never more the case than when Hamas won January’s Palestinian elections and, in a dramatic power shift, became the majority party within the Palestinian Authority (PA). The world reeled in shock as green banners fluttered across our television screens. Even Hamas was surprised by its landslide victory.

But while some Palestinians saw the result as an act of defiance, many more admitted that they had turned to Hamas out of exhaustion with the corruption of Fatah (the previously dominant PA faction) and its failure to achieve Palestinian independence.

This was a protest vote – a vote for change.

There’s no shying away from the fact that Hamas has a military wing that has committed horrific attacks on Israeli civilians (though it has largely observed a year-long ceasefire). Hamas also has a reputation for efficient social welfare programmes and provision of healthcare. But within a democracy it is vital to differentiate between the ballot and the bullet.

The EU, the US, Russia and the UN have warned the PA that it could face aid cuts unless it commits to non-violence, recognises Israel and accepts current peace agreements.

The EU gave the PA £338 million in aid in 2005 – cash that funded education and health services and paid many workers’ salaries. If this aid is cut it could have a potentially crippling effect on the already beleaguered Palestinian economy.

Despite Israel’s failure to end its

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22/2/06 16:37:39

Damian Lewis reports from Bolivia

‘Most Bolivians earn less than $2 a day.

Plainly that’s not enough’

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Pictures: Kalpesh Lathigra/NB Pictures

n November 2005, the actor Damian Lewis – best known for his work in Band of Brothers, The Forsyte Saga and recently in BBC1 dramas Much Ado about Nothing and Friends and Crocodiles – travelled to Bolivia for Christian Aid. Ahead of the World Trade Organisation talks in Hong Kong, Damian was there to see for himself the effects of privatisation and liberalisation of services on the poorest country in South America. He reported on what he saw for BBC Breakfast and Radio 5 Live and debated the issues raised with Neil Kinnock and William Hague on BBC2’s The Daily Politics. His trip is also featured in the April issue of Marie Claire. Here is his personal account of the visit

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It was an extraordinary time to be in Bolivia, and not just because of the WTO talks. It was two or three weeks before the election, and there was a lot of talk about Evo Morales, who has now become the first indigenous president in Bolivia’s history.

I was taken to see the work of three Christian Aid partners, who, between them, campaign against water privatisation and the sale of Bolivia’s gas resources, and support small-scale agricultural projects.

There were many fascinating people I met in the week I was there: politicians, activists, campaigners, farmers, gas and oil workers, ordinary men and women. Three stand out.

First was a woman called Maxima Cari, who was remarkable – although there was actually nothing remarkable about the way she lived.

She was a mother having to provide water for her three children by drawing it from a well eight metres deep. If you’ve travelled much in the Third World – and I taught in Soweto

when I was 20 – you will have seen poverty. But it was the reasons why she was unable to access clean water that appalled me.

Since the the water system was privatised in El Alto (the area of the capital La Paz where Maxima lives), the contractor has made it cripplingly expensive to access the water mains. To get connected costs about US$445 – the equivalent of someone in Britain paying £10,000. The water companies are not prepared to extend their water system at a fair price, or even an affordable one.

And it’s just impossible for people like Maxima to get connected at the rate they do charge. That’s why I had to watch her digging with her own bare hands to get a supply of filthy, muddy water which then affects the health of her children. And she’s only a mile away from people who do have access to clean water…

Another character was Carlos Rojas, one of the leading figures in a neighbourhood association called Fejuve. He told me about

the gas riots in October 2003, and the water protest in January of last year. Seeing his commitment and fervour made me realise how representative of the Bolivian people he is. They have become politicised.

Their neighbourhood associations are very well organised, good at mobilizing their communities and very democratically run.

It’s important that Bolivians start to benefit more from their own gas reserves. Bolivians should be able to get gas at local prices. It’s absurd that the multinationals are able to charge international export prices to the local population. These firms pay little tax and sell on the resources internationally.

The third person who made a particular impression on me was Abraham Mamani. He was a farmer out on the high plains who fed his family with the milk and cheese he produced himself, and he also had a trout farm. I got up at six in the morning to milk one of his cows. It was like grappling with a

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can: first person

giant Wall’s sausage. He should be getting more for his milk, but he has to sell to a multinational which has a monopoly on the market and hasn’t raised prices for years. I found myself wondering whether I’d enjoy his lifestyle, milking my cows at six every morning. But of course, that’s nonsense. I’d last about a week…

The three stories are different.

Nonetheless, the clear exploitation of

Bolivians by multinational companies for profit seemed to be a constant.

Most Bolivians earn less than US$2 a day. Plainly, that’s not enough.

The outcome of the WTO talks was disappointingly inconclusive. There was not enough movement on trade to help many of the world’s least developed countries.

What’s fascinating about Evo Morales being elected president is

that things may change for Bolivia in the future. But I was not there campaigning for him, and I have no idea whether he will run the country successfully. I went to see the effects in Bolivia of the freemarket economic model that the world believes is the best way to bring people out of poverty.

And in certain instances, I saw that it simply wasn’t working.

For more photos and an interview with Damian Lewis, go to www.pressureworks.org

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Above: Maxima Cari and her three children; Far left: Damian overlooking the Bolivian capital, La Paz, and visiting a school

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A new logo… a new-look magazine… so what else is new?

Joanna Wade looks at how Christian Aid is responding to the global challenge of ending poverty and building a better world

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2005 WAS A momentous year for Christian Aid. As we celebrated our 60th birthday, never had we seen the issues of poverty and injustice so high on the global agenda.

Thanks to our supporters, the scale of our campaigning was unprecedented and we raised more for our work overseas than ever before. In 2004/05 our total income was £79.9 million – a third more

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can: world view CHRISTIAN AID works across 50 countries throughout the world – figures in brackets are the number of partners in each country.

LATIN AMERICA/ CARIBBEAN Bolivia (10) Brazil (28) Colombia (16) Dominican Republic (8) El Salvador (5) Guatemala (10) Haiti (11) Honduras (8) Jamaica (5) Nicaragua (8) Peru (15)

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AFRICA Angola (13) Burkina Faso (7) Burundi (8) Democratic Republic of Congo (28) Ethiopia (11) Ghana (7) Kenya (9) Lesotho (3) Malawi (8) Mali (7) Mozambique (8) Nigeria (8) Rwanda (13) Senegal (4) Sierra Leone (5) Somalia/Somaliland (5) South Africa (22) Sudan (19) Tanzania (5) Uganda (13) Zambia (7) Zimbabwe (10)

MIDDLE EAST Egypt (5) Iraq (10) Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (29) Lebanon (5) ASIA Afghanistan (6) Bangladesh (10) Burma (7) Cambodia (10) China (2) Fiji (1) India (49) Indonesia (2) Kyrgyzstan (3) Pakistan* Philippines (18) Sri Lanka (27) Tajikistan (13) * Through Action by Churches Together and Islamic Relief.

In addition we have more than 150 partners in regional, UK/Ireland and global programmes, working on a range of issues such as economic justice and child rights.

o from here? than in 2003/04, with more than 80 per cent of our spending going on direct charitable expenditure.

But this is no time for complacency.

Many people in too many parts of the world remain forgotten. Despite the pledges of the G8 at Gleneagles, following the Make Poverty History campaign, despite the talk of ending poverty, injustice remains.

Our ambitious new strategy

Turning Hope into Action – finalised at the end of last year – sets out what we aim to achieve over the next five years. To focus our energies, we’ll judge ourselves in six key areas:

Stronger communities Our experience tells us that the most effective way to tackle poverty is by working at local level through our partner organisations. So that’s

exactly what we will continue to do.

We currently work with partners across 50 countries in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Middle East. These partners help people to obtain things we take for granted – such as being able to feed their families – as well as providing emergency relief to keep people alive in times of crisis.

Tackling poverty sometimes means Christian Aid News

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Overcoming injustice The huge potential of globalisation to create wealth should be closing the gap between rich and poor – not widening it. But the dice are loaded against the hard-working farmers and labourers of the South. So we’ll continue to support them to get a better deal from world trade. This will mean stepping up our campaigning efforts. Last year showed that it is possible for governments of rich countries to deliver real change when faced with overwhelming public pressure. But much more remains to be done (see article opposite).

The right to share power

Christian Aid/Rachel Stevens

Our work to tackle poverty on the ground is constantly challenged by the fact that millions of poor people – particularly women – are denied a say in the political and business decisions that most affect their lives. So the real experts on poverty

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MALA IS FROM a dalit community that lives off the coast of Tamil Nadu in India. She and her fisherman husband lost their livelihood when the tsunami swept over their island and destroyed their boats. The Indian government does not recognise dalits as legitimate fishermen, so Mala and her family received no state compensation.

New Entities for Social Action, a Christian Aid

Christian Aid/Penny Tweedie

working in conflict situations, through peacebuilding and reconciliation programmes, or those that support people who are directly affected. For example, our emergency appeal for Darfur was in response to a situation in which more than 1.8 million people were sheltering in makeshift camps after fleeing their homes to escape fighting.

Christian Aid has also joined the Climate Chaos Coalition and will be looking at the work we do in the light of the threat of climate change.

and development – poor people themselves – are excluded. We aim to do more to hold to account those people and institutions with the power to really make a difference in the lives of the poor.

Tackling HIV Ninety per cent of people living with HIV live in poor countries – the virus thrives in situations of poverty, inequality and conflict.

We will continue to provide support and care for people living with HIV and their families, and fight the discrimination they suffer. Finding ways to prevent HIV transmission is the most urgent development priority in many regions where Christian Aid works. We have seen, and our partners tell us, that with good prevention programmes, the spread of HIV and AIDS can be reduced.

Strengthening the movement for global justice For Christian Aid, the churches we work with, our supporters, volunteers and partners are a vital source of energy and support. We contribute our passion and experience to the broad movement of people who use their faith, talents and energy to fight for a better life for all. We will do all we can to promote the growth of this movement – building stronger relationships with organisations who share our vision, reaching out to younger audiences, challenging

Tailored response WHEN HER father died of an AIDS-related illness, 14-yearold Zamaladi from Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo and her 20 siblings had to sell all their possessions to pay for his treatment.

Of her father’s three wives, only one is still alive, but she is now very ill herself. ‘We have no other family,’

Zamaladi says. ‘AMOCongo are the only people offering help.’

The organisation, a Christian aid partner, provides vocational training for older orphans and has helped Zamaladi learn tailoring skills that could help her make a living in the future. ‘I make my own clothes now, and I also make them for my family.’

people to get involved. We are also committed to and raising our profile in innovative ways – through the web, with celebrity supporters and at national and international events such as the Hampton Court Flower Show or the World Social Forum.

An effective organisation

Community effort partner, has been helping the village to build a jetty to protect the boats. Mala has been involved and for the first time in her life has been paid the same wage

as men to do the same work. She and her husband are putting the money they earn from the jetty work into setting up a shop that will boost their future income.

Because we want to know our support is reaching those who need it most, we are committed to using our resources efficiently and effectively. This means continually assessing the difference we are making, learning lessons and acting upon them. It means being ethical stewards of our own resources and being open in our reporting to the churches, public, donors and millions of people whose support makes our work possible.

For Christian Aid this is a time to act upon our dream of a new Earth on which we all stand equally, to renew our faith and hope, to reaffirm our commitment to the poorest communities, and to promote the dignity and rights of people throughout the world. ■

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‘We’ve heard the promises – now we want to see the action’ IN AUTUMN 2004, we reported on Kofi Eliassa, a Ghanaian farmer no longer able to sell his tomato crop as a result of so-called free-trade policies. When Christian Aid met Kofi (right), he was working in a quarry, smashing rocks in the sun for a dollar a day. Life at the quarry is far from easy and those who work there are still desperately short of money.

Kofi’s story is typical: hundreds of thousands of people in poor countries can’t sell their goods locally because cheap imports, often subsidised by rich countries, flood their domestic markets. Without income, people can’t pay for education or medicine – and sometimes even food and water.

After an incredible year of campaigning, what’s changed?

The UK government has changed its tune on trade. In 1998, Tony Blair said: ‘Britain remains an unashamed champion of free trade.’ By sharp contrast, in a letter to Christian Aid on the day of the Trade Justice Movement’s mass lobby in November 2005, Trade and Industry Secretary Alan Johnson wrote: ‘The UK believes that developing countries should not be forced to open up their markets either through trade negotiations or aid conditionality.’

Your campaigning has put trade on the agenda But the rhetoric of decision-makers has not changed the reality on the ground for people like Kofi.

In December 2005, at the World Trade Organisation ministerial

meeting in Hong Kong, poor countries were still being bullied by rich countries – including the UK, via its stake in the European Union.

The EU’s minimal commitments on reducing subsidies were used to push poor countries to open their markets further – a shocking display of self-interest, and exactly what we were campaigning against.

If the UK government agreed with us on trade justice, it didn’t seem to show We have to drive the message home.

Fine words won’t help Kofi make a living. We want to see real change, right now.

We’ll be campaigning closely with Christian Aid partners in poor countries. Together, we’ll call for specific trade policies which will clearly benefit hundreds of thousands of people. Be ready for an exciting campaign event on 16 September to drum the message home.

Now show us you mean it And we’ll be holding the UK government to account on its promising words on trade.

We have an opportunity to do that now, as the Company Law reform bill comes before parliament.

As it stands, the bill will legally oblige company directors to put profit before people. Christian Aid, with other organisations in the Trade Justice Movement, is calling for amendments to ensure that companies must also be accountable for their impact

For the latest campaign news, go to www.christianaid.org.uk/campaign

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Picture: Austin Hargrave

Campaigner Jenny Dawkins looks ahead to the next move in the continuing fight for trade justice

on people and the environment wherever they operate. You can take action with us now – call 020 7523 2264 to join Christian Aid’s campaign.

We’ve heard the promises – now we want to see the action 2005 achieved great things, but 2006 could be the year to bring real change home. ■ Christian Aid News

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Events ■ 25 February-18 March ‘Life Interrupted’ – HIV/AIDS photos by Don McCullin The Brewhouse, Royal William Yard, Stonehouse, Plymouth, 10am-5pm.

Free admission.

Contact the Brewhouse on 01752 512542

Main picture: Christian Aid; opposite: Christian Aid/Simon Rowles

■ 11 March-1 April, West Midlands Find out how Christian Aid transforms lives around the world. Hear stories from Venera, a Christian Aid partner in Kyrgyzstan. Share ideas for activities at your church during Christian Aid Week, and discover more about campaigning, and how to enthuse young people.

Contact the West Midlands office on 0121 200 2283 for further details.

11 March – 10am-3pm, Telford 16 March – 7-9pm, Stratford-upon-Avon 17 March – Wolverhampton 18 March – 10am-3pm, Birmingham City 18 March – 10am-3pm, Stoke-on-Trent 20 March – 7-9pm, Ledbury 22 March – 7-9pm, Redditch 23 March – 7-9pm, Bedworth 25 March – 10am-3pm, Lichfield 25 March – 10am-3pm, Worcester 30 March – 7-9pm, Harborne, Birmingham, 1 April – 10am-3pm, Ludlow

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■ 12-15 March An evening with Ajantha Perera Ajantha, of the Sri Lankan Methodist church’s ‘Forgotten Poor’ programme, talks about her work with the rag-picker and scavenger community of the Colombo municipal garbage dump.

12 March – 6.30-9pm, Priory Methodist Church, Bedford 13 March – 7-9.30pm, Park United Reform Church, Reading 14 March – 7-9.30pm, Aylesbury 15 March – 7-9.30pm, Marriott School, Stevenage Contact the Oxford office on 01865 246818 or email oxford@christian-aid.org

■ 18-21 March Ajantha continues her tour with talks at the following venues.

18 March – 11am-2pm, Prince Albert pub, Brighton 18 March – 7.30-9.30pm, Methodist Chapel, High Street, Egham 21 March – 12noon-2.30pm, St Paul’s Church, Boxley Road, Maidstone 21 March – 7.30pm-9.30pm, Canterbury Cathedral, Chapter House Contact the Lewes office on 01273 470504 or email southeast@christian-aid.org ■ 18 March-29 April You add. We multiply A roadshow to prepare you for Christian Aid Week.

Hear personal stories from the world’s poorest communities, share ideas for fundraising, and join us in a short act of worship, followed by fairly traded refreshments.

Contact Newcastle office on 0191 228 0115 or email jsadler@christian-aid.org 18 March – 10am-2pm, Elm Ridge Methodist Church, Darlington 3 April – 7.30-9pm, St Mary’s Church, Fawdon 8 April – 10am-12.30pm, Grange Road Baptist Church, Jarrow 26 April – 7-9pm, St Cuthbert’s Church, Norham 29 April – 10am-1.30pm Elvet Methodist Church, Durham ■ 20 March-5 April ‘every time I see the sea…’ – life after the tsunami The multimedia exhibition about the challenge to rebuild communities in areas of Sri Lanka and India devastated by the tsunami, continues around the country.

20 March-5 April – Canterbury Cathedral Contact Becky Rust on 01273 470 504 15-27 April – Banbury Contact Harriet Griffin on 01865 246 818 28 April-6 May – Poole, Contact the Southampton office, on 02380 678058 7-13 May – Peterborough Cathedral

Your chance to step out for Christian Aid WHETHER YOU ARE up for a gentle walk in the Peak district, a 26.2-mile night hike through Calderdale, the chance to discover the secrets of the City of London or crossing some of the country’s grandest bridges (possibly several times!), the coming months offer ample opportunities to join forces with likeminded people and raise funds for Christian Aid. Here are some of the events taking place in the run up to, during, and, in a few cases, after Christian Aid Week 2006. To find out more about events in your area, or if you want to organise one yourself, call 020 7523 2229, email events@christian-aid.org or go to www.christianaidconnect.org ■ 1 April North Staffordshire sponsored walk Tittesworth reservoir, Staffordshire, 9.30am.

Join 600 fundraisers on a two or six-mile walk.

Sponsor forms available from the West Midlands office.

Contact 01782 516137/ 0121 200 2283 or email birmingham@ christian-aid.org ■ 1 April Cycle for a goat 9am-5pm A sponsored bike ride around Longton Moss, Leyland, Lancashire.

Contact Cath Greenlees on 01772 613500, or email warrington@christian-aid.org

Contact Chris Emerson on 01733 230847 14-21 May – Stamford Methodist Church Contact: Chris Emerson, as above.

■ 21 March ‘every time I see the sea…’ – exhibition launch Chapter House, Canterbury Cathedral, 7.30-9.30pm.

With guest speaker from Christian Aid’s Sri Lankan partners.

■ 16 April Halifax Long March Halifax YMCA, 11.30pm.

This 13 or 26-mile sponsored walk requires both stamina and torch batteries. Begins late evening and follows the roads of Calderdale.

Contact 0114 279 6215 or download an application form at www.longmarch.org.uk ■ 1 May Sheffield May Day Trek Join a sponsored walk for five, ten or 15 miles amidst the beautiful scenery of the Peak District National Park.

Contact 0114 279 6215 or email sheffield@ christian-aid.org

Contact Becky Rust on 01273 470504 or email rrust@christian-aid.org ■ 25 March Recipes for change Harvest House, St John’s Road, Huddersfield, 10.30am-1pm.

Find out the ingredients for fighting poverty, share stories and ideas for Christian Aid Week, including worship. Plus more ideas for campaigning in 2006. With guest the

■ 1 May Belfast Marathon Run in this world class event and raise funds for Christian Aid. Contact 028 9038 1204 or email belfast@christianaid.org ■ 6 May Newton Abbott sponsored walk Join 450 young people for the 38th sponsored walk at Newton Abbott racecourse in Devon.

Contact 01626 353344 or email exmouth@christian-aid.org ■ 6 May Humber Bridge Cross Enjoy the carnival atmosphere as you cross one of the world’s largest

Bishop of Pontefract.

Contact the Leeds office on 0113 244 4764, or email leeds@christian-aid.org ■ 25 March Act Justly 2 Headingley Building, Wesley College, Bristol 10.30am-4.30pm.

A one-day conference, with guest speakers Bishop Mike Hill and Daleep Mukarji.

Contact the Bristol office on 0117 950 5006, or email bristol@christian-aid.org

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visit www.christianaid.org/aboutca for regular updates of events around the country routes through the Kent countryside.

Contact 07786 946 253 or email nigelcollins@ cross-links.org.uk ■ 13 May Poole and Bournemouth sponsored walk 8am-12noon.

Start at either Shore Rd, Sandbanks, Poole, or Southbourne, Bournemouth, and walk from prom to prom, a distance of 12 miles.

Contact 01202 737 659 or email southampton@ christian-aid.org

and most spectacular bridges.

Contact: 0114 279 6215 or email sheffield@ christian-aid.org ■ 13 May East Herts sponsored walk Hartham Common, Herts, 8.30am.

Walk anything from eight to 42.5km through the Hertfordshire countryside.

Contact 01865 246 818 or email oxford@ christian-aid.org ■ 13 May Walk for ‘Another Place’ Crosby Beach, Liverpool, 10.30am.

Walk amongst Anthony Gormley’s art installation Another Place, on Crosby Beach. Take part in activities

29 April Making Campaigning History Methodist Church, Malvern, 10am-4pm.

A theological reflection from Inderjit Bhogal, workshops and a local pilgrimage.

Contact the West Midlands office on 0121 200 2283 ■ 29 April Make Poverty History – what next?

Methodist and United Reformed Church, Matlock,

at Waterloo Marina, and enjoy a picnic lunch at the Coastguards Station.

Contact 01925 241222 or email warrington@ christian-aid.org.

■ 13 May Brecon Beacons sponsored walk Take part in a ten-mile walk in the beautiful Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales.

Contact 029 2084 4646 or email cardiff@ christian-aid.org ■ 13 May Dover sponsored walk River Christian Centre, Minnis Lane, River, 2pm.

Choose from two and a half, five or ten-mile

Derby, 9.30am-1pm.

Campaigners’ conference with John Madeley and Linda Rose.

Contact Rev Christopher Harrison on 01335 390226 or email christopherharrison @ntlworld.com 12 May Spirituals and gospel songs Ashton Methodist Church, 7pm for 7.30pm.

Christian Aid North West Choir concert to raise funds

■ 14 May Botley sponsored walk A five or ten-mile walk starting at Botley Church, exploring the Hampshire countryside between Durley Mill and the Hamble.

Contact 01489 893574 or email southampton@ christian-aid.org ■ 20 May Walk the Country Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, 7.30am.

Take part in a sponsored walk of five, ten or 15 miles, with a picnic at Bix village.

Contact 01865 246818 or email oxford@ christian-aid.org

■ 21 May Britannia Glasgow Women’s 10k Bellahouston Park, Glasgow.

Run this popular event and raise money for Christian Aid’s overseas partners.

Contact Diane Green on 0141 221 7475 or email dgreen@christian-aid.org ■ 5 June Flora Dublin Women’s Mini Marathon Take part in this classic race and raise money for our overseas partners.

Contact (+353) 01 611 0801 or go to www. womensminimarathon.ie

■ 11 June (tbc) Laganside Walk A great family day out.

Contact 028 9038 1204 or email belfast@ christian-aid.org 20-24 June Great Ouse Walk David Shaw and Andrew Milton, two ministers from Huntingdon lead an 82-mile sponsored walk from the source of the River Ouse near Brackley in Northamptonshire to Huntingdon.

Contact: 01733 230847 or email peterborough@ christian-aid.org

Bridge poverty gap Take part in one of Scotland’s legendary bridge cross events. You can cross one bridge as many times as you like – or you might want to try crossing them all!

22 April – Erskine Bridge Cross 29 April – Forth Bridge Cross 29 April – Tay Bridge Cross 29 April – Kessock Bridge Cross For more details, please call 0131 220 1254 or email edinburgh@christian-aid.org

■ 21 May Circle the City sponsored walk St Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside, London, 1.30pm.

Explore the City of London from the Tower to Fleet St. Contact 020 7654 5330/1 or email london@ christian-aid.org

for overseas partners.

Admission free.

Contact 01524 64730 or email warrington@ christian-aid.org 13 May Christian Aid Café Community Centre, Lyndhurst, Hampshire, 10am–4pm.

Shop at fair-trade stalls and enjoy waitress service and live music.

Contact 023 8022 0819 sware@christian-aid.org

13-19 May Book Sale St Andrew’s and St George’s Church, Edinburgh 10am-4pm, 13 May 10am-3.30pm, 15-19 May. This event has been held annually over the past 32 years, raising £1.3 million.

Contact www.standrews andstgeorges.org.uk 15 May Downshire Brass Band concert St Dorothea’s Church,

Gilnahirk, Northern Ireland Contact: 028 9038 1204 or email belfast@christianaid.org 17 June The Bishop of Burnley’s Garden Party The Rt Rev John Goddard and Mrs Vivienne Goddard invite supporters across east Lancashire to a garden party at their home.

Contact: 01925 241222 or email warrington@ christian-aid.org Cristian Aid News

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Do theing right th

Take a walk on the From trekking in Tanzania or Egypt, to releasing sick penguins back into the wild, Kati Dshedshorov offers some ideas for ethical holidays

Pictures: Gecko Travel, i-to-i

One in four of us is concerned about the impact our holiday might have on the environment, according to a study by tour operator First Choice. Two years ago it was only one in five, so the trend of living ethically is influencing our travel decisions more and more.

Choosing a green holiday doesn’t mean rubbing out your footprints with a big leafy branch as if you’ve never been there.

But it does mean thinking more carefully about the type of mark your visit might leave. And by choosing travel ideas that put something back into the communities and regions you visit, you will almost certainly get more out of your holiday.

Justin Francis of online tourism agency ResponsibleTravel.com says: ‘British tourists spend £2 billion in developing countries every year – that’s comparable

to the UK government’s aid budget. And while not all of that trickles into local people’s hands, a lot of it does. In developed countries we can afford to set aside national parks that are paid for by governments, but in developing countries, vast areas of wilderness are largely supported by tourism revenues.’

But it’s not just about turning up and going shopping. For instance, if you prefer getting your hands dirty doing something more productive, you could consider volunteer tourism programmes.

Christian Aid’s ethical web portal www.surefish.co.uk is linking up with Responsible Travel.com, which offers thousands of ideas for travellers who yearn for more authentic holidays that also benefit the environment and local people.

Here are just a few:

e d i s d wil

You could work on various • tsunami-relief projects that involve rebuilding homes, helping out at a local orphanage, clearing the beach or teaching. A two-week stay in Sri Lanka costs £1,095, including flights from the UK. A family holiday touring Thailand, from the capital Bangkok to hill villages and

•

Watch your footprint…

For every 4,000 miles you fly, almost a tonne of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. Log on to www.futureforests.com and its online carbon calculator will tell you what damage your flight has caused and allow you to either buy trees or energy-saving lightbulbs to offset the impact of your carbon footprint.

deserted beaches, sounds idyllic.

And with some of what you pay going to support an orphanage and a refugee camp housing people fleeing Burma, your visit can also make a difference to the lives of local people. Two weeks cost from £1,420-£1,650, including flights from London.

Closer to home, a relaxing week on an organic farm in Exmoor National Park would also support an environmentally friendly way of farming, and help preserve our own countryside, the rural community and the local economy. Costs from

•

legacies for charities

Q&A

In discussion groups around the country over the past year, you told us that you’d like more information about how to include legacies for charities in your will. Here are the answers to some of your most frequently asked questions

Why do I need to write a will?

If you don’t, the laws of intestacy will apply. In effect, this means that a government-proscribed formula will decide where your money goes. The rules are quite strict and the bigger the estate, the more problematic it will be – and the spouse does not get everything! No charities will benefit, even if you have given to charity all your life.

Can’t I just write a letter saying I want to leave something to Christian Aid? You can, but this will only be an ‘expression of wishes’ – the person administering your estate will not be bound by this.

Where will the money I leave to charity go?

It will generally go into core funds to help where the need is greatest.

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Can I specify what project I wish the money to go to?

Generally we prefer that gifts are not tied to a particular project. Many of our projects last for many years, but they do come to an end and it is possible that we would be unable to use the money at all if the gift was tied to a project that had ceased. You can tie your gift to a type of project – the provision of clean water, HIV and AIDS, work with children, for example, or to a geographical region. But please talk to us and we can give you a specific answer about your wishes.

What should I say to my solicitor?

You need to explain that you wish to make a gift to a charity, and how much you wish to give. You can either leave a specific sum or a percentage of your estate. You will need to give the name and charity

Christian Aid News

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Recycling tip Donate old magazines – including this one – to doctors’ or dentists’ surgeries

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Christian Aid/Amanda Farrant

Kulcha club

Left: Hiking in Thailand Right: Volunteer tourists in Sri Lanka

£250-£750 per person.

Another ethical travel firm recommended by surefish is i-to-i.com. The agency says some of its 4,000 volunteer tourists spent more than 15,000 hours last year rehabilitating sick penguins for release back into the wild in South Africa. They have also released 450 turtle hatchlings into the Pacific Ocean in Costa Rica.

A two-week conservation holiday in Ecuador with i-to-i.com could help you to reduce your carbon footprint by planting trees and preserving tracts of tropical forest. Jungle hikes and visits to local villages are also part of the deal which costs £745 per person. This covers accommodation and food, but excludes flights.

You can also raise funds for Christian Aid while enjoying a once-in-a-lifetime experience. ‘In the footsteps of the Maasai’ is an 11-day adventure that takes

world eating If you’re looking for something simple to serve up at a Christian Aid Week fundraising event, try this delicious Kulcha, a flat bread from Tajikistan.

you to the Great African Rift Valley in Tanzania. You will also see a Christian Aid-supported agricultural development project.

The fundraising target is £3,225, with a minimum of 55 per cent going to Christian Aid Departs: 1 September 2006.

We also run a nine-day sponsored trek, ‘In the footsteps of Moses’, in Egypt in November, which also includes a visit to a development project supported

by Christian Aid. You will be expected to raise at least £2,000 with all proceeds after the first £1,000 going to Christian Aid. Departs: 4 November 2006.

For a brochure about Christian Aid’s sponsored trek challenges and events, visit: www. christianaid.org.uk/aboutca/ events, call 020 7523 2229 or email events@christian-aid.org.

Also, see the advert on page 31.

Other contacts: www.responsibletravel.com www.i-to-i.com

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■ Ingredients

1.6kg wheat flour 15g dry yeast 1 tsp sugar salt to taste approx 300g milk or warm water (optional 40g beef or mutton shortening).

■ Method: 1

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For details of travel and other ethical lifestyle ideas go to www.surefish.co.uk/ethical_living

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number of the charities to which you wish to donate.

Do I have to rewrite my will?

Not usually – you can include a codicil, which is like a PS to the will.

Christian Aid can supply a preprinted codicil for completion to cover your charitable giving.

In what ways can I leave money to you?

You can leave a specific sum of money, a percentage of the estate, or a particular item like a house or a painting. There are other more complicated ways using trusts. Our legacy managers can advise you.

Are there any tax advantages?

Inheritance tax is charged at 40 per cent of anything over £275,000.

With rises in property prices that means many more people are now affected. However, gifts to charities are free of inheritance tax – the gift being deducted from the estate before the tax bill is calculated.

If you would like further information about writing a will or leaving a legacy to Christian Aid, please contact Gill Cannon on 01452 770749 or Jack Visser on 020 7523 2173.

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Pour a little milk into a large mixing bowl and add the sugar and dry yeast. Stir.

Pour a cup of warm water into the bowl and mix. Stir in the optional warmed shortening at this stage.

Sift the flour and add the salt. Then add the flour, one cup at a time, to the liquid in the bowl, stirring in one direction only.

With firm hands, turn the mixture into a dough. Leave covered with a damp cloth until the dough has risen (usually up to two hours).

Turn out onto a lightly-floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Divide into ten equal pieces. Press each into a ball. Then roll each ball into a circle 10cm in diameter.

Using a fork, make small circle patterns around the centre of each bread, leaving 2-3cm around the edge. Flatten the centre and pierce to prevent it from rising. Leave to stand for 25 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Place breads on a lightly-greased baking tray and bake for approx 30 minutes, or until they turn golden brown. (You ccould brush the dough with yoghurt, water or egg yolk before baking.)

Remove from the oven with a flat pad or long spatula and place on a rack to cool. Stack up and wrap loosely in cotton cloth to keep soft.

Serve with a stew or hearty dish.

IN TAJIK CULTURE, bread is considered holy. One of the reasons for its sacred status is that, historically, whenever Tajik people have suffered, it is the one thing that has kept them alive. Tajiks believe it must be treated with respect as it is considered to possess its own ‘life’. According to local custom, you should never put flat bread face down, nor let bread (or even breadcrumbs) fall to the ground, and don’t put it out with ordinary rubbish. Leftover bread should be used to feed animals.

Christian Aid News

p26-27 Do the right thing.indd 3

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24/2/06 13:05:06

Reflection

Christian Aid produces a wide range of resources for prayer and reflection.

Call 020 7523 2225 or visit www.christianaid.org.uk/worship

Give, and expect nothing in return Jeff Williams, national secretary for Wales, reflects on what it means to be a Christian in Christian Aid

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t is a strange world where George W Bush, a self-professed born-again Christian who, so I hear, believes God told him to invade Iraq, sends cards wishing ‘season’s greetings’ not ‘Happy Christmas’, in order to appease political correctness.Meanwhile, to some, the Christian in Christian Aid is an embarrassment.

Others feel a need to make Christian Aid more Christian.

I have never had to apologise for working for Christian Aid. I have spoken on platforms with people of most faiths and political ideologies and have made it clear that we are inspired by the Good News that Jesus lived and proclaimed. I explain that I see the work of Christian Aid in the context of the Kingdom of God, and, like Jesus, we will stand and work with whomever is willing to stand and work with us to build a new earth. A former director of Christian Aid, when asked what was Christian about Christian Aid, said, ‘like Jesus, we give, expecting nothing in return – not even faith.’ I like that.

We are Christian in that we are ‘owned’ by Christian churches, inspired by the gospel and are incarnational – we make the love of God visible in what we do. Some of the best supporters I know in the Welsh churches, when they want to explain the love of God, will point to Christian Aid, as if to say: ‘God’s love is something like that – like what Christian Aid is doing. It stands alongside those with whom no one else will stand; it gives the promise of life and hope where there is none otherwise; it speaks the truth at any cost; it is inspired by those who have nothing, but choose to be hopeful; it is creative; it believes that love can cost a great deal but that, in the end, love will prevail; it believes God’s promises are for all, regardless of what you call God – if anything at all.’

At its best, that is Christian Aid. At a Holocaust Memorial Day event I was moved by the testimony of Christians of all traditions who saved Jewish people from certain death, and who, when asked why they risked their lives, had no clear answer apart from ‘We just did it. It was something that had to be done.’

The churches have given Christian Aid a job to do: expose the scandal of poverty... help to root it out from the world... challenge and change the systems that favour the rich and powerful over the poor... love and care for our neighbours across five continents.

The Christian in Christian Aid is diminished only when we fail to do what has to be done.

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Inpuatil your m

I FELT STRONG sympathy and support for Waseem Yaqub’s article, yet couldn’t help a tinge of sadness creeping in on reading his comment that ‘we in the “humanitarian space” have stopped trying to save other people’s souls and are focusing our energies on saving our own souls by helping all God’s children to live’. As a humanist, I question the idea that the motive behind believers seeking to help others should be ‘saving their own souls’. Nonbelievers suffer no such hangups: our desire to help stems from a rough-hewn altruistic instinct which has nothing to do with concern for some future judgement from on high.

Ian Mursell, London DOES WASEEM really believe we are ‘saving our own souls by helping all God’s children to live’? There is a widely held belief that God weighs up our good works and bad deeds. If our good works outweigh our bad deeds we get saved. The problem is that the distance between sinful men (and women) and a perfect, holy God is too great. A lifetime of good works would help thousands of God’s poverty-stricken children, and placate our consciences, but would not bring us salvation.

That is why God sent Jesus to die for our sins, that all who believe in him may be saved.

Chris Powell, by email TO SUGGEST that Allah, the god worshipped by Muslims, is the same God as the one true God of the Bible and state that this is a ‘precious truth’ is quite simply appalling. In some Utopian fantasy it may be appealing to unite all the world religions, but that fantasy is simply not the reality of the God of the Bible.

How can the triune God presented in the Bible be the same god that is worshipped by Muslims when Muslims deny the fundamental doctrines of the

Christian faith? They may believe in a character called Jesus, but their Jesus is not the same second person of the Godhead Jesus Christ that is found in the Bible. Islam denies the deity of the Lord Jesus, His death and resurrection and denies the existence of the trinity. How can we ever think that the Muslim god is the same as our God? Richard Thompson, by email I HAVE OFTEN pondered Christian Aid’s provocative motto ‘we believe in life before death’. The mother in Waseem’s article who pushed her baby through the rubble, knowing that her own time on Earth was up, needed the message of Jesus Christ leading her through the gates of death to the loving arms of God more than anything else for herself at that moment.

Because man is not only made of body, but of body and soul, if we really want to help people, especially those traumatised by a catastrophe, we have to care for both their physical and spiritual needs.

Elke Kammer, Inverness I READ THIS article with great interest and empathy. For years I have been asking why, when we all believe in the same God and

Christian Aid News

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Inspired? Enraged? Send your views to the editor.

Christian Aid News, PO Box 100, London SE1 7RT or email canews@christian-aid.org

Article of faith The article by Waseem Yaqub, UK director of Islamic Relief (Your God is My God, issue 30), on how cooperation between aid agencies transcends religious differences, drew a huge postbag from readers. We can’t publish all the letters and emails, but here’s a selection – together with Waseem’s reply.

have much the same beliefs, we cannot get along better. I have a book on world religions and there is very little to choose between them. Waseem is right – in working together to help those in desperate need, personal animosities and beliefs are set aside. I think Christian Aid is a wonderful organisation.

Sadly, in days gone by, too many ‘missionaries’ concentrated on gaining a soul for their own religion by a form of bribery, in that they gave earthly comfort in exchange.

T. Tanner, by email FROM A HUMANITARIAN point of view, of course we should all help each other. All lives are valuable to God and Christians are called to help those in need indiscriminately. When we look around us, we do indeed ‘see people for whom the need to breathe is greater than their need to believe’, yet Christ calls us to look at things from a biblical eternal perspective, and in doing so we see that the need to believe is greater than the need to breathe. What is the point of reaching out to people during their short days on earth, only to send them to an eternity in hell? Jesus reached out to all in need, and still does today.

B.T.Hugs, Lancashire

IT IS REFRESHING to read a reflection written by a Muslim in Christian Aid News. We agree wholeheartedly with the conclusion. The Muslim-Christian Agency for Rural Development is the first social development agency in the Philippines to be jointly established by Muslims and Christians. It has been a Christian Aid partner for more than 20 years. We leave the salvation of our souls to Allah/ God’s mercy, and have learned that we can work effectively with Christians, Muslims and those turned off by formal religion. Commitment to the values of well-being, health, justice, peace, reconciliation and care for the earth goes beyond religion and penetrates the core of genuinely human hearts.

Eliazar Montero, Mike Macarambon, MuCARD, Philippines I AM A Christian and retired teacher of RE and I have been greatly saddened in the past by the attitude of some fellow Christians to the fact that I taught young people about the things that are important to followers of other faiths as well as Christianity. If we want to understand what is important to others it can only help us to have dialogue with them; to listen and to share our faith; to concentrate on our similarities and shared humanity. It is ignorance that allows fundamentalism to breed.

Pat Rogers, by email

will be shocked, and threaten to withdraw their support.

Robert Hopkins, by email I AM INSPIRED by Waseem’s article. A Christian Aid partner from Senegal spoke in a local church last March. At the end he said he was a Muslim, and that in his country Muslims and Christians worked well together.

Alan Vernon, by email THE CULTURE in which we are nurtured is likely to prescribe through whom we approach God, whether it be Jesus, Muhammad or another.

There is no good reason why we should not all be able to live in peace with one another.

Only the fundamentalists will find this impossible.

John Markwick, by email IT WAS A PLEASURE to read about the humanitarian side of Islam, when often it is portrayed as harsh and violent. If the co-operation between Christian Aid and Islamic Relief can be seen as a portent, the future is a little brighter for us all.

Jane Kay, Bristol IT WAS REFRESHING to read this article. I would welcome real dialogue with caring, moderate members of all religions to increase our mutual understanding. But I do wonder if some of your more rigid Christian supporters

I FIND IT interesting that Waseem’s article is the only place in the magazine where God gets a mention! (apart from the letters section) Is this where Christian Aid has come to? No wonder Christians like myself have withdrawn support for this organisation which would appear to be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Rev Maurice Stewart, by email.

I JUST WANTED to say how much I appreciated Waseem’s article. I discovered the same while working as a prison chaplain. It was not unusual for a Muslim man to stop me and ask me to pray with him because he had a problem.

Rev Sheila Foreman, by email HOW heart-warming we found Waseem’s article. One of the most positive and hopeful we’ve read for some time.

Angus and Val Winchester, by email OUR MAIN PROBLEM, whether Christian or Muslim, is coming to terms with the idea that ‘God Almighty, all merciful, allcompassionate’ has any hand in the horrors of the earthquake, the tsunami, etc...

John Enticott, by email

A shared belief I READ ALL the replies and found them very enlightening and refreshing – the critical ones as much as the complimentary ones. So can I first thank all Christian Aid News readers for their honest comments.

I was reminded by your readers of the Christian fact, which is also in Islam, that I am not allowed to believe that I can get salvation purely by doing good deeds. The blessed Muhammad said that none of us can go to paradise except by the Mercy of God, not even him. I totally agree that the distance between me (a human sinner) and the ‘Perfect, Holy God is too great’. That distance is only filled by His Eternal Love and Mercy. Many readers mentioned the differences between Islam and Christianity and there are definitely some very significant differences. My opinion is that the whole world is always on about the differences but few of us spare even a moment to reflect on the huge number of similarities.

I find pleasure in working with Christian Aid precisely because they believe in something and their staff and supporters are passionate about their faith. In a secular world it is a refreshing oasis where even as a Muslim, I can find comfort. Waseem Yaqub Christian Aid News

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22/2/06 16:47:23

Final Word

In praise of…

FROM NORWICH TO INDONESIA How your money reaches the people who need it most Life and soul of the party

Former cherubic child star Aled Jones airs his thoughts to Christian Aid News What would you save if your house was on fire?

My wife and children. Well, either my wife and children or my new Apple PowerBook but my wife and children would win. Probably.

What makes you cry?

Arsenal losing to Man United, and Chelsea’s dominance of the Premiership. People not cheering loudly at my concerts. Soppy films.

What did you give this Christmas?

My heart and my soul. I enjoyed a lovely family Christmas in London.

Which book or song do you most wish you’d written?

I wish I’d written Everything I Do (I Do It For You) by Bryan Adams because it was in the charts for something like 42 weeks. I would also like to have written the first Harry Potter book. JK Rowling is probably bathing in one-pound coins by now.

Have you ever met an angel?

My mum’s probably the closest thing to an angel I’ve met.

What miracle would you like to work?

The miracle would be that a boy could have a choice about whether his voice breaks or not.

What’s made you laugh today?

I just had some family photos taken and the ones of my daughter made me laugh a lot.

What’s your favourite food?

Roast beef and all the trimmings. And I love dim sum.

Who would you make a saint?

Noone. Saints are only sinners who have been edited.

Aled Jones, 35, is one of Britain’s most popular singers. Famous for his hit version of The Snowman theme, Walking in the Air, which he sang on Top of the Pops as a treble-voiced 14-year-old, he became a firm TV favourite with today’s viewers when he competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2004.

Now best known as a presenter of Songs of Praise, for which he won Religious Broadcaster of the Year at the Andrew Cross Awards, he has also recently presented The Sound of Musicals on BBC1. Aled completed a 50-date tour in 2005 and his latest album, New Horizons, is out now.

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Rebuilding their future The money raised by Alison and her friends is helping to support the work of Christian Aid partner Habit for Humanity which has been building houses for people left homeless after the tsunami. Its work has enabled Rini and her family to move out of cramped accommodation they were sharing with relatives and live together as a family again. Rini (pictured with stepbrother Sadam) says, ‘It was such a relief to finally have our own place, somewhere we can start to rebuild our future.’

Christian Aid/Anjali Kwatra

Who would you choose to be shipwrecked with?

If it wasn’t my wife and children, it would be Thierry Henry.

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

That everyone would be equal. I went to Sri Lanka after the tsunami and it was one of the most heart-breaking and heart-warming things I have ever seen. They were building schools – it was uplifting. You see how amazing people are in a crisis.

Norwich teenager Alison Wood read an article in Bliss magazine about a young girl called Rini who was helped by Christian Aid when the Indian Ocean tsunami struck her village in Indonesia.

Alison, 16, says, ‘I felt so sad that a girl of my age had to go through so much, when here in the UK we are so lucky.

Her story inspired me to take action.’

Alison decided to throw a pyjama party to raise money for people like Rini.

Everyone who came had to donate £2 for the privilege of wearing pyjamas, helping Alison raise more than £100.

Christian Aid News

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Leave the day-to-day behind and discover new friends and beautiful places 4-13 November 2006 In the footsteps of Moses

Closer to home…

Or why not run for Christian Aid?

Five-day, 45-mile trek through the Sinai desert. At the end, the group will visit a project run by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, a Christian Aid partner

2-7 June 2006 Pilgrim’s Challenge Glyndwr’s Way

23 April 2006

48-mile walk, Glyndwr’s Way, Wales

11 June 2006

1-11 September 2006 In the footsteps of the Maasai

7-11 July 2006 Pilgrim’s Challenge

3 September 2006

Six-day, 85-mile trek through the Great African Rift valley.

At the end, the group will visit Christian Aid partner the Uluguru Mountains Agricultural Project

45-mile walk, Rochester to Canterbury

14-18 July 2006 Coast-to-Coast Challenge 186-mile cycle, Whitehaven to Whitby

Flora London Marathon

Syntegra Edinburgh Marathon

Hydro Active 5km Women’s Challenge Birmingham, Liverpool and London

1 October 2006 BUPA Great North Run

For full details and a brochure, please call 020 7523 2229 or email events@christian-aid.org

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Wanted: somebody to change the world. ( Part time.)

Christian Aid Week can only happen because of the people who volunteer to carry out our door to door collections. So if you can spare a bit of time between the 14th and 20th of May, why not use it to help strengthen poor communities? For more information call 020 7523 2770 (GB), 01 611 0801 (ROI), 028 9038 1204 (NI), or visit www.christianaid.org.uk/collectors to sign up online. You add, we multiply.

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