Dealing with disaster in Haiti and Bihar
What price development in a credit crunch?
How we put climate change on the map
Bringing families back together EastEnders actress Kara Tointon travels to Zambia to launch Christian Aid’s Christmas appeal in support of families fractured by poverty Issue 42 p01 Cover.indd 1
Winter 2008
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All over the world, poverty and injustice are tearing families apart. But you can fund practical solutions to help put them back together. In KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, 18-year-old Nomfundo is bringing up her five brothers and sisters alone after they were orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Families like Nomfundo’s are often split up by being put into state-run orphanages. But by making a donation to Christian Aid this Christmas you could help to pay for adult
UK registered charity no. 1105851 Company no. 5171525
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community carers who will supply food parcels, clothes and emotional support. Just £19 from you could buy a food parcel – and help stop poverty tearing a family apart.
Visit www.christianaid.org.uk/christmas or call 0808 000 6006 to make a donation. Please give generously and help put a family back together this Christmas.
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UK registered charity number 1105851; company number 5171525 Northern Ireland charity number XR94639; company number NI059154 Republic of Ireland charity number CHY 6998; company number 426928 Scotland charity number SC039150
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Editor’s letter
Contents Winter 2008 Issue 42 ■ 14 THE BIG PICTURE
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Runners – and where you can join our Great Big Christmas Sing
REGULARS ■ 4 NEWS
■ 30 PEOPLE POWER Eighty per cent boost for climate Doing their bit to make a difference bill... How the floods came to Bihar... Christian Aid in Afghanistan… director FEATURES receives OBE ■ 8 AFTER THE DELUGE ■ 12 CAMPAIGNS What hope does hurricane-hit Haiti Can you find yourself in our climate have of weathering the storm? change People Map? Plus, we still ■ 10 A CASTE OF MILLIONS need your help in Europe How India’s low-caste dalits find the ■ 22 COMMENT discrimination doesn’t stop – even in What impact will the credit crunch the midst of a full-scale disaster have on international development ■ 14 PHOTO SPECIAL: CHRISTIAN – and on Christian Aid? AID’S WORLD IN PICTURES ■ 24 INPUT A trio of vivid photo essays bring Your letters and emails our partners’ work – and ■ 26 DO THE RIGHT THING achievements – to life Celebrate Divine’s tenth birthday with ■ 20 IT’S ABOUT FAMILY… a tempting Christmas hamper EastEnders star Kara Tointon goes ■ 28 EVENTS The latest on Tea Time and Quizaid, plus getting behind our Great North
8 Christian Aid News is printed on 100 per cent recycled paper
Christian Aid/ David Rose
IT SEEMS AS IF all we hear these days is that the whole world is on a relentless downward spiral, with global economic meltdown dominating the news. So this issue we’re doing our bit to redress the balance, and show that around the world Christian Aid and its partners do some truly uplifting work – our picture special, on pages 14-19, shows how hope and goodwill can flourish, where previously there has only been despair. Christian Aid’s unflagging response to communities in crisis around the globe is again highlighted by our reports on the aftermath of massive storms in Haiti and floods in Bihar (see pages 8-11). In Bihar, nature’s undiscriminating power has sadly been exacerbated by a man-made power to discriminate, as low-caste dalits are denied basic rights in the midst of disaster. Our campaign team’s remarkable effort to bring together supporters from around the UK to launch formally our Countdown to Copenhagen campaign is vividly brought to life with an extraordinary People Map of the UK (see page 12). Our cover story on EastEnders actress Kara Tointon’s journey to Zambia launches our annual Christmas appeal. And the enthusiasm that all of you bring to the cause is shown in our round-up of some of the amazing things you’ve been doing – and, hopefully, will continue to do – to raise funds for Christian Aid Which brings us back to the topic of money, and the main talking point of the past few months. On page 22, Christian Aid policy manager Alex Cobham explains how the world’s economic woes will impact on international development. But let’s end on a positive – People Power, which I hope will become a new occasional feature, is about individuals whose generosity of spirit makes a difference to lives at home and around the world. Maybe you know someone like them… Roger Fulton, editor
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to Zambia to hear the real-life stories behind Christian Aid’s annual Christmas appeal
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Christian Aid works with the world’s poorest people in around 50 countries, regardless of race or faith. We tackle the causes and consequences of poverty and injustice. We are part of ACT International, the ecumenical relief network.
■ Cover Kara Tointon meets a young mother in Zambia struggling to keep her family together. Photo: copyright Lee Thompson/The Sun/Christian Aid ■ Pictures Matthew Gonzalez-Noda ■ Sub-editors Carolyn Crawley, Catriona Lorie and Sophy Kershaw ■ Circulation Ben Hayward ■ Design and production Bonnie Coupland/Circle Publishing, 020 8332 2709 ■ 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 online News, campaigns and resources www.christianaid.org.uk ■ Children and schools www.globalgang.org
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Left: Perpetual Katehwe, from Leeds, makes her point at the People Map climate change rally
Double boost for climate campaign CHRISTIAN AID SUPPORTERS have helped to achieve two significant victories in the battle to curb climate change. Early last month Ed Miliband, the new energy and climate change secretary, agreed that the UK target for cutting domestic carbon emissions should be upped from 60 per cent to 80 per cent by 2050. A week later the government said it would introduce mandatory reporting for companies that are publicly listed in the UK, from April 2012. Both measures will be included in the UK climate change bill due to be made law by Christmas. Christian Aid supporters have been campaigning for the UK to commit to an 80 per cent cut and for the mandatory reporting of emissions since March 2007. Paul Brannen, head of campaigns, said: ‘This is a real breakthrough, which will make a major difference in the battle to reduce the UK’s contribution to climate change. Congratulations to all our supporters and Stop Climate Chaos Coalition partner
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organisations. The politicians should realise by now that once Christian Aid campaigners get on the case they will not give up easily. ‘But our campaign over climate change on behalf of the world’s poor is not over. There is still work to be done to ensure the UK’s 80 per cent target is turned into reality and that the deal agreed in Copenhagen in 2009 is fair to the world’s poor.’ Christian Aid is continuing to lobby against the UK offsetting its carbon emissions by paying for them to be made abroad; and campaigning against coal-fired power stations being built without carboncapture storage that is proven to work. ● NASA climate scientist James Hansen will be among the guest speakers at an all-day event in Coventry Cathedral on Thursday 19 March 2009, as part of the Countdown to Copenhagen campaign. For details, and to register, email campaigns@christian-aid.org ● How we put the climate change campaign on the map – see page 12
Christian Aid/David Rose
news christian aid
BE A VIRTUAL PILGRIM ‘THIS LENT we challenge you to go beyond hearing about the people in the Holy Land, hear from them instead. Don’t just pray for them, pray with them.’ That is the message from Christian Aid director Dr Daleep Mukarji OBE, urging Christian Aid supporters to join an ‘online pilgrimage’ during Lent 2009. Throughout Lent, daily short videos, podcasts, photo galleries, prayers and stories will bring the Holy Land alive, via the Christian Aid website. ‘We will meet local Christians, Jews and Muslims and hear their stories, to understand how the conflict touches the lives of both Israelis and Palestinians, and how hard many people are working for peace,’ says Tabitha Ross, a Christian Aid communications officer. We want you to reflect, to learn, to listen and to allow your faith to grow through this very special experience,’ adds Dr Mukarji. Next year, Lent begins on 25 February. To sign up to the online pilgrimage, visit www.christianaid.org.uk/pilgrimage
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A WORLD OF AID
■ Climate campaign boost ■ Director receives OBE
Snapshots of some of the work and issues facing organisations supported by Christian Aid
Christian Aid/ Rachel Stevens
PHILIPPINES Christian Aid sent £25,000 in emergency-relief funds to its partners Muslim-Christian Agency for Advocacy, Relief and Development Inc. and Unlad Kabayan, to provide evacuation, food and shelter for 1,300 households displaced by an outbreak of intense armed conflict between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and government forces on the southern island of Mindanao. Half a million people have been affected and tens of thousands are living in temporary refugee camps.
OBE presented to director DOUGLAS ALEXANDER, secretary of state for international development, visited Christian Aid’s London headquarters to present to director Dr Daleep Mukarji, the award of honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Civil Division (OBE) in recognition of a career dedicated to the alleviation of poverty. Dr Mukarji has spent his career working in international development, and has been Christian Aid’s director for ten years. Presenting the award, Douglas Alexander
said: ‘Dr Mukarji’s leadership of Christian Aid has transformed thousands of lives and has built a movement of people determined to challenge inequality and injustice. His determination is an inspiration to us all.’ ‘I am delighted to have received the award, particularly as a non-UK citizen,’ said Dr Mukarji. ‘What has influenced my life has been a passion for justice and for alleviating poverty. In this I have had the opportunity at Christian Aid to work with fantastic colleagues, loyal supporters and dedicated partners. I believe this honorary OBE acknowledges the contribution of many, as we have tried to impact poverty eradication and influence policies.’
Everything you ever wanted to know about Christian Aid CHRISTIAN AID has a high reputation among charities for being particularly transparent. Last year we were cited as a top performer in an independent report about accountability by the One World Trust. We’re proud of being judged so highly, and we want to keep up the good work. Our Annual Report 2007/08, out now, shows just how we’ve been doing – the good, the the not-so-good, and the downright tricky. What did we say we would achieve last year, and did we get there? How much did we raise, and what did we do with your money? And what of next year – how do we plan to weather the cold economic climate? It’s all there, in open, honest detail. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved; read our Annual Report and let us know if you are too. You can download the Annual Report at www.christian-aid.org/report08
To watch a video of the OBE presentation, go to www.christianaid. org.uk/obe
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GUATEMALA, JAMAICA Christian Aid has won two major funding contracts with the European Commission. The EC is providing €409,940 for our Jamaican partner WROC to help former banana farmers to diversify and find new livelihoods, now that the banana market has declined. It is also providing €220,464 to help our Guatemalan partner Caja Lúdica to expand its work running carnival and education activities for children and young people in gang-ridden neighbourhoods of Guatemala City. Christian Aid is also helping to fund both projects. MIDDLE EAST Prospects for peace between Israel and the Palestinians are not being adequately improved by the Middle East Quartet (EU, Russia, UN, USA), says a new report by Christian Aid and 20 organisations including Oxfam, CARE and Save the Children. The Middle East Quartet: A Progress Report criticises the quartet for failing to curb Israeli settlement expansion, ease Palestinian freedom of movement, or lift the blockade of Gaza that has plunged 80 per cent of Gazans below the poverty line. ZIMBABWE Christian Aid has released £50,000 of emergency funds to provide seeds for farmers in one of the regions worst affected by the food crisis. The grant will provide 118 families and three primary schools in Midlands province with seeds and conservation farming techniques for a year. UN assessments have warned that half of the country’s population will soon be in need of food aid and medical assistance. Christian Aid News
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■ Bihar disaster response ■ Afghanistan: concern grows ■ Chance to news christian aid
Bihar: the roadmap to recovery
Christian Aid/ Antoinette Powell
CHRISTIAN AID and its partners responded quickly to help the victims of the August floods in Bihar, east India. Millions were forced to leave their homes when the Kosi river burst through its embankments on 18 August and forced a new course through Bihar. Those living along its new route were unprepared for the floods that followed: many simply grabbed what they could and ran. Left with little or nothing, people needed food, clean water and healthcare to survive the first few weeks following these devastating floods. Three Christian Aid partner organisations – Churches Auxiliary for Social Action, Emmanuel Hospital Association (EHA) and JUDAV – provided two hot meals each day to more than
10,000 people. They also provided waterpurification tablets and bleaching powder to ensure that people could access clean drinking water and maintain good standards of sanitation in the overcrowded relief camps and informal settlements. EHA, a specialist health organisation, took measures to prevent outbreaks of water-borne diseases and care for those with existing medical conditions. This will continue while people remain displaced. Most people will be unable to return to their homes for many months and will need ongoing assistance. Our partners provided 15,000 families with kits containing dry food rations, cooking utensils, soaps, matches and other essential items, and hope to reach 30,000 families with this support while the need continues. As the weather grows colder, providing temporary shelter for the displaced – many of whom have created makeshift structures using thin clothing – will be essential. And as people begin to return to their towns and villages, they will need support to rebuild their lives. Those without land are particularly vulnerable and our partners hope to run cash-for-work projects to provide them with an income while rebuilding their communities. ● A tragedy from a crisis – see page 10
Afghanistan: a statement CHRISTIAN AID was shocked and saddened at the death of Gayle Williams, 34, killed on her way to work for UK-based charity SERVE in Kabul in October. The Taliban claimed responsibility for her death. While security remains a matter for constant review, Christian Aid will maintain its presence in Afghanistan for the foreseeable future. ‘If all of a sudden all aid workers decided to pull out, where would that leave people living here, who are looking for a better future?’ asks Christian Aid’s programme manager in Afghanistan. ‘We’ve done so much already but it’s still not enough. We’re in it for the long haul and intend to stay on in whatever way we can.’ Christian Aid is aware that the security
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situation in the country has deteriorated over the past six months, with a growing number of Afghans working for both national and international non-governmental organisations being abducted and killed. However, we remain committed to our aim of alleviating poverty and the causes of poverty where the need is greatest, regardless of creed or race. We are not a proselytising organisation but a development agency. This was apparently accepted by the Taliban when they constituted the Afghan government and allowed Christian Aid to continue working across the country. Christian Aid has been funding programmes and working in Afghanistan for almost 20 years.
Above: Bihar flood victims in a temporary shelter in Beldore. Left: a community kitchen at Jorgama
Help to make the numbers add up FOR DIRECTORY enquiries that give more than a phone number, dial up Christian Aid’s new Choice Numbers scheme. With our new directory enquiries number, 118 708, you’ll find an efficient, friendly and reliable service that will also help to support Christian Aid’s development work. For every call you make, Christian Aid’s partner Choice Numbers will donate 9p to our projects – so the more people who use the service, the greater the benefit to poor communities around the world. Put 118 708 in your phone! ● Calls to 118 708 cost 14p per minute, or part thereof, with a 59p connection charge from BT landlines. Mobiles and other network prices may vary. Prices correct at time of publication.
To donate to our online Bihar appeal, go to www.christianaid.org.uk/bihar
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ce to see our partners at work ■ Why advent is on email
Christian Aid/ Antoinette Powell
Visit Christian Aid in the field SOME 150 years on from Livingstone’s first expedition to Malawi, we are giving supporters the opportunity to follow in his footsteps and also visit Christian Aid partners on a trip managed by ethical tour operator Skedaddle. Nestling within Africa’s Great Rift Valley, Malawi is one of the smallest countries in Africa. With about 85 per cent of the population living in rural communities, drought can have devastating effects. Christian Aid partners are involved in long-term projects to improve farming techniques that will help communities respond to future environmental challenges. Your two-week trip, as part of a small group of up to 12 people, takes place from 24 May to 7 June 2009, and includes visits to a selection of these projects, as well as education and health programmes, including HIV. However, no visit would be complete without time to
appreciate the natural wonders of Malawi. With time on the shores of Lake Malawi, and in a culturally and environmentally responsible safari camp in Liwonde National Park, you will discover why Malawi remains such a special spot for those who have been here. ‘I’d encourage anybody to take an opportunity to travel with Christian Aid to Malawi,’ says Debbie McDowell from Belfast, ‘as I believe it will provide them with a richer understanding of how we can all make a difference, even in a small way.’ Additional tours for 2009 include: Bangladesh: 22 February-5 March Nicaragua: 15-27 March India: 22 November -5 December These trips cost from £1,125, excluding flights. About 60 per cent of the price paid goes directly to the countries. For further information visit www.christianaid.org.uk/tours or call Lizzie on 0191 265 1110.
Advent of the email tips WHO NEEDS the lure of a morsel of chocolate behind a cardboard window when you can sign up to Christian Aid’s inspired advent email and receive daily tips to help beat the credit crunch this Christmas? The handy hints and tips, which will be emailed daily from 1 December until Christmas Eve, are designed to help consumers save cash, cut their carbon emissions and have some Yuletide fun. Hints include: • give the gift of time – such as babysitting, walking the dog, or washing the car. • share a car – as fuel costs rise, and traffic increases, log on to www.pickuppal.com and find someone heading your way home for Christmas. Not only will it save you money by sharing fuel costs, but using one car rather than two will reduce emissions. You might even make a new friend. • get creative – why not make your own Christmas decorations? Use holly and pine cones collected from local woods to decorate the house, get the kids to make paper chains from old magazines, and bake gingerbread to hang on the tree. Other tips include how to cut costs on food, fuel, fashion, entertainment and much more. To register for your daily tip, simply log on to www.christianaid.org.uk/advent
TALK BACK THE THINGS WE SAY ‘We don’t want poor farmers to become any more reliant on expensive, often imported inputs, such as GM seed, chemical fertiliser and pesticides when our experience is that they can boost their incomes and supply better, cheaper food to their immediate communities if they focus on using organic fertiliser and seed developed for their local conditions.’ Andrew Hogg, campaigns editor, in a letter to the Independent, responding to suggestions that GM crops could help solve food shortages in Africa ‘If the international community is really serious about realising the Millennium Development Goals, then it must ensure that development is a priority in trade negotiations between rich and poor countries. Developing countries should not be forced to sign away their economic policies, but liberalise at their own pace.’ Policy manager Alex Cobham, ahead of UN talks about halving global poverty
THE THINGS THEY SAY ‘We must ensure that as governments and the public turn their attention close to home, they do not step back from their commitments to boost assistance. Aid flows must be maintained.’ World Bank President Robert Zoellick, responding to warnings that the poorest and most vulnerable groups risk the most serious damage, as a result of the global financial crisis. ‘In tough economic times, some people will ask whether we should retreat from our climate change objectives. In our view it would be quite wrong to row back, and those who say we should, misunderstand the relationship between the economic and environmental tasks we face.’ Ed Miliband, the energy and climate change secretary, committing the UK to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050
THE THINGS YOU SAY ‘There are too many good people who believe that charity means throwing some crumbs to the beggars and that politics should be left to the politicians.’ Barbara Gardener, Input, page 24
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This page: the city of Gonaives under water after tropical storm Hanna. Opposite: a woman walks during torrential rain in Port-au-Prince
Bringing hope to Haiti Already battered by soaring food bills, recent hurricanes could have been the last straw for Haiti. But projects supported by Christian Aid offer hope for recovery, writes Latin America specialist Sarah Wilson WHEN DISASTER strikes, there is tremendous pressure to act quickly and reach as many people in dire need as possible. There is pressure from international donors and journalists who cannot understand why people are starving when there is food available in ports and warehouses. And there is pressure from the people themselves, who are desperate for help. Sometimes the pressure becomes too great for governments or inexperienced international agencies to withstand. When there is rioting and looting around a distribution of food and water, it is generally because the handout has been too hastily arranged under pressure to ‘do something’. This pressure was keenly felt in Haiti in August and September
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when four massive storms battered the island in as many weeks, killing more than 500 people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. In the worst-hit city, Gonaives, hundreds sheltered on rooftops as flash flooding washed away everything in its path. Delivering fresh water and food to those stranded was made even more difficult by the fact that damage to a bridge cut off a vital supply route. At one point UN troops fired smoke grenades to disperse crowds trying to break into a food distribution site. Christian Aid’s established network of local partners in Haiti made it much easier to deliver help quickly and safely. The Haitian development organisations supported by Christian Aid already
have close ties with the community, which enabled them to identify the most vulnerable and needy people. One partner, Veterimed, organised a distribution of rice, beans, cooking oil, matches, dried fish and corn meal to the worst-hit families to tide them over until they could begin growing their own food and rearing their own livestock again. Veterimed already runs 13 dairies around Haiti that process milk into higher-value products such as yoghurt and soft drinks. This means they can pay small-scale dairy farmers double what they would normally get for their milk. So when the series of storms hit Haiti, Veterimed already had close ties with the community and quickly were able to identify the families who had lost
To view Sarah Wilson’s video report from Haiti, go to www.christianaid.org.uk/haiti
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Reuters/ Marco Dormino/ courtesy of www.alertnet.org
Haiti after the storms
the most. They handed these families vouchers and invited them to come to a designated warehouse in groups of 50, so that people would not have to wait long to collect their food package. Even before the storms, many people in Haiti were finding it hard to maintain a healthy diet because of the rapidly rising cost of food. More than 65 per cent of Haitians live in rural areas and 82 per cent of these people were already living in poverty before the storms washed away crops, livestock and homes. There are many reasons for this poverty, but among the most significant are trade policies imposed on Haiti by international financial institutions. In 1994 the tariff on rice imports was lowered from 36 per cent to three per cent. This led to an influx of ‘Miami’ rice, which mainly came from US farmers in Louisiana and North Carolina who had surpluses to offload. The US farmers could offer their rice more cheaply because it was heavily subsidised. Previously, manioc, sorghum and sweet potatoes were more popular in Haiti than rice. But the revised tariff regime not only undercut the existing rice production, but several other staples as well, effectively changing the Haitian diet. It also left the country dependent on food imports because, as the local farmers could not compete with imported rice, local production shrunk. But reversing this trend of rising food prices and hence malnutrition is not that difficult – and much cheaper than airlifting tonnes of imported emergency provisions for months to come. As the floodwater subsides, investment in repairing and extending
damaged irrigation systems will be crucial if farmers are to be able to get back on their feet. Seeds and fertiliser are also very important. A relatively small amount of outside help can enable Haitian farmers to start growing rice again at a time when they can finally command a decent price for it. Milk is the second largest import after rice. The country is full of cows, but milk is a fragile product that requires careful storage and refrigerated transport. With almost no mains electricity in the countryside, this is a big challenge. That is where Veterimed and its dairies can help. In areas where there is no electricity, they use solar panels to keep the milk products cool. They also have a distribution network to get the milk products to shops around the country. This enables Veterimed to buy milk from local farmers at a much better price. At the height of the food crisis in April, Haiti’s president, René Préval, singled out Veterimed as a good example of the kind of investment in agriculture that the country needs. There is enough food in Haiti, it is just that many people don’t have enough money to buy it. And recently, the founder of Veterimed, Michel Chancy, has been named deputy agricultural minister in charge of livestock, so he could implement his detailed plan for rural development. Haitian people are not short of initiative or manpower. They do need help from the outside world following the storms. But a little, well-targeted aid to grassroots projects will go a lot further than a wholesale restructuring of their economy imposed from abroad. That has been tried before and failed.
Activist shot dead A HUMAN RIGHTS activist has been shot dead in Colombia the day before he was due to give evidence in the case of another activist who was also killed in a suspected paramilitary assassination. Walberto Hoyos, who was killed on 14 October, was a key witness in the case against the paramilitary brigade, Elmer Cardenas, that is accused of killing Orlando Valencia in 2005. Mr Hoyos and his brother were targeted by suspected paramilitaries a year ago, when they joined a peace camp occupation on an Africa-palm plantation. They were both shot and wounded. Human rights activists in Colombia have faced renewed death threats as the battle over land to grow the lucrative Africa-palm plant enters a new phase after a goverment ministry ruled in their favour. Last year a Colombian Ministry of Agriculture investigation found that 5,500 hectares of land under palm cultivation, and 2,500 hectares slated for future cultivation, had been obtained under false pretences. The minister stipulated that this land would have to be returned to its original owners, most of whom had been forced to flee by paramilitaries. Christian Aid partner Justicia y Paz has been helping the displaced people. Hundreds have gone back to their land and set up a peace camp in defiance of the threats.
Reuters/ Evans Felix/ courtesy of www.alertnet.org
Reuters/ Marco Dormino/ courtesy of www.alertnet.org
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Bihar flooding crisis
Making a tragedy out of a crisis Millions were forced to flee their homes after floods hit the east Indian state of Bihar three months ago. But for some victims the hardships of flooding come with an extra agony – that of being members of the low-caste dalit community. Christian Aid field officer Rajan Khosla travelled to the area, where he found that even in a desperate emergency, the old habits of discrimination die hard
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devastation and loss has been enormous, directly affecting more than four million people, according to the Indian government. But during my visit to Bihar, immediately after the floods, I saw another tragedy unfolding before my eyes – the deliberate and systemic discrimination of dalit communities, who are on the bottom rung of the caste system
even during relief operations. ‘Let me be born again as an animal rather than a dalit. We face more humiliation than they do,’ remarked Tetar Rishidev. This disturbing statement articulates the dismal condition of the people from dalit communities. You have to remind yourself that this is the 21st century, a time when India claims to be one of the
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When will people understand we are also human beings?
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FLOODING IS a yearly event in Bihar, and people have coped with it in the past. However, this time the Kosi river, which gathers water from some of the highest peaks in Nepal, including Everest, changed its course and shifted 120km eastwards, breaching embankments and flooding thousands of unsuspecting villages. The magnitude of Christian Aid News
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Christian Aid/Rajan Khosla
Left: dalits wait for aid. Above: Asdhev Sadah, a dalit who guards his upper-caste employer’s flood-affected house and abandons his own
superpowers, a member of the nuclear club, a progressive economic state. Social exclusion on the basis of caste, ethnicity, religion and gender is not a new phenomenon in south Asia. Caste-based discrimination has historical roots and is so deeply embedded that it has become a rigorously persistent character of our Indian society. Dalits are marginalised and victimised even under normal circumstances; they suffer social and economic deprivation and are looked upon as lesser humans, punished cruelly if they aspire to
something that others have. During a disaster the situation is grimmer still. Dalits suffer the most – ignored, neglected and denied basic rights for survival. During this emergency, when everyone should be provided with relief, they are denied access to food, especially in rural and remote areas. People refuse to be with them, eat and drink with them, and do not allow them to access water from the same source. I met Asdhev Sadah, an elderly dalit who stayed to guard the house of his upper-caste employer. He told me: ‘I used to work in their fields. They wanted me to watch their house and belongings. I have to listen to them. They will provide my family with food and work once they come back.’ Asked about his own house, Asdhev said, ‘I have nothing in my house and being made of mud it has already collapsed. My master’s house is strong and they have stuff kept inside.’ Such is the state of affairs in our society that an old man all alone, without food, stays behind, risking his life to guard the house of his feudal lord, perhaps knowing well that in this caste-ist society there would be no other support system for him and his family. When Christian Aid partner Emmanuel Hospital Association (EHA) arrived at an informal camp at Sabela School in Madhepura, no one was supporting the hundreds of people who had come to find shelter there. Drawn from the many dalit villages in the area, no one had thought they were important enough to help. I met Jamuna Devi and Puliya Musamaar here. They told me that they were not allowed to use the hand pump to get water as it belonged to upper-caste people. The same upper-caste people also asked EHA to move displaced people away because, as dalits, they would contaminate the entire place. Their request was refused. ‘When will people understand we are also human beings?’ Puliya asked. ‘We need food and water, our children also feel hungry.’ Earlier, I’d met Shanichari Devi
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(her name literally means ‘bad omen’). She told me that even when food packets were dropped they were not allowed to run ahead and pick them up. I asked one of the aid agencies running another relief camp whether they would have a dalit cook. The response was negative. They felt that not everyone would eat food cooked by dalits. Christian Aid and its partner organisations are including dalits in the cooking and distribution teams in the relief camps they run, thus ensuring that they are not excluded. The political message here is clear. I discussed with many development workers, local NGO workers and government officials, how people and communities are being excluded. A few of them acknowledged the issue, but the majority preferred to be silent. Even acknowledgement is not enough – it is an escape ploy and silence is brutal. Action is required. In a democracy, where every voice counts, doing nothing is also a political act – it is a vote for no change. Post-tsunami, Christian Aid has been at the forefront in addressing the issue of exclusion and inequity in India, taking the lead in evolving and shaping the social equity audit process along with agencies such as the Department for International Development and CARE International. The process helps organisations analyse themselves and their programmes from the perspective of inclusivity. Christian Aid has ensured that the dalits and the adivasi communities (India’s indigenous tribal people) are in the forefront of all its emergency and disaster response programmes, and with its partners will continue to influence the civil society and the state by taking forward the lessons of its own experiences with social exclusion. We have to challenge the system. I know the problem is gigantic. But equality means that all people should get food and their rights and dignity should be respected. But flooding and discrimination seem to have taken those rights away. Christian Aid News
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Countdown to Copenhagen
Christian Aid/ Matthew Gonzalez-Noda
We’ve put climate change on the map!
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To watch a video of the day, go to www.christianaid.org.uk/mapvideo
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can: campaigns
CHRISTIAN AID supporters from all over the UK massed in London in October to demand an escalation of the fight against climate change. Together with staff from our London headquarters, they formed a People Map of the UK to demonstrate that nationwide support exists for a tough new international climate deal. The rally marked the launch of our Countdown to Copenhagen campaign, which says that the new deal to be discussed when the international community meets in Denmark next year must prevent catastrophic climate change while ensuring the world’s poorest people still have the right to development. Poorer countries that have done the least to cause global warming are already bearing the brunt of its impact through drought, flooding and a higher incidence of disease caused by extreme weather conditions. Most scientists now agree that if global temperature rises are to be kept within 2˚C of pre-
industrial levels – beyond which climate catastrophe is predicted – industrialised countries must commit to carbon cuts of at least 80 per cent by 2050. Christian Aid says that target must be included in the Copenhagen deal, as well as a commitment from rich countries to help pay for poor countries to develop cleanly, and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Christian Aid director Dr Daleep Mukarji told the rally: ‘Carbon emissions in the UK per capita are more than 30 times higher than in Bangladesh or Senegal. Yet those countries are paying the price for the industrialised world’s pollution through severe flooding and drought respectively.’ All participants at the rally signed a pledge reading: ‘I believe in a world free from the poverty and injustice caused by climate change.’ Participants also heard from Marcos Nordgren, representing a Christian Aid partner from Bolivia, the Centre for Research and Training of Peasants (CIPCA), who spoke about the impact of climate change on his country. Bolivia’s per capita annual carbon emissions total is 0.8 tonnes. The UK figure is more than ten times higher. To join the Christian Aid Countdown to Copenhagen campaign, visit www. christianaid.org.uk/copenhagen
Still time to lobby Europe CHRISTIAN AID supporters have until 4 December to influence the European Union’s legislation on climate change. This is when the climate and energy package will be voted on by the European Parliament. As it stands, this package sets a target of reducing EU carbon emissions by 20 per cent (from 1990 levels) by 2020 – or 30 per cent if other wealthy countries agree to a similar target as part of UN climate talks. However, climate science tells us we need a target of 40 per cent, so we want Members of the European Parliament to vote for that and to back low-carbon development and adaptation in poor countries when the package comes before them in Strasbourg. If you have already contacted your MEP by email or card, you could follow it up with a phone call at their UK constituency offices, or go to see them during their constituency week beginning 24 November. Your email campaign actions have been terrific. Within 24 hours of an online appeal by Christian Aid in October, supporters sent nearly 15,000 emails to their MEPs ahead of discussions on climate change by the European parliament’s environment committee. The committee agreed that as well as cutting emissions at home, EU nations should help pay for emissions cuts in developing countries. But we need to keep up the pressure: before the European Council of Heads of State meeting in October environment commissioner Stavros Dimas offered a ‘get-out’ clause on cutting carbon emissions. He stated that more than half of EU emissions cuts could be purchased overseas in high-emitting countries such as India and China. This would mean, in real terms, less than ten per cent cuts within the EU. As a result the EU would not shift to a low-carbon economy, but would maintain the status quo: a potentially lethal response to the developing world’s poor, whose carbon emissions are a tiny fraction of the EU’s average eight tonnes a person annually. ● Please use your voice in Europe by taking our MEP action at www.christianaid.org.uk/actnow ● For advice on lobbying your MEP call Christian Aid’s campaigns team on 020 7523 2264.
Guyana secures concessions on EPAs A BIG THANK YOU to all our supporters who have taken our online MEP action regarding Europe’s Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). Your support has helped us maintain support within the European Parliament for a renegotiation of the EPAs. The backing of European Parliament has encouraged a series of African states to insist on renegotiation. Through your support, and Christian Aid’s work within the Trade Justice Movement, we have been able to keep EPAs on the European Parliament’s agenda and support Guyana in securing two important improvements to the Cariforum (Caribbean) EPA – mandatory evaluations of the effects of the EPA every five years and protection for CARICOM as it proceeds to integrate its regional economy. President Jagdeo of Guyana specifically thanked all the civil society movements for their support during their negotiations with the European Commission. We will now continue to support the remaining ACP countries yet to sign a full EPA in their fight to ensure that the deals are pro-development. Christian Aid News
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The big picture
LIVES RENEWED ALMOST FOUR years on from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Christian Aid has made considerable progress in its five-year programme to help the 1.5 million people who lost their homes, livelihoods and loved ones. We have built almost 21,000 new homes, repairing and rebuilding the supporting infrastructure, and resettling 120,000 people in structures that are stronger and more disasterresilient. This is the equivalent of building a town the size of Chelmsford. ‘Housing gives more than just physical aid – it completely changes people and allows them a positive attitude to life,’ reports Anthony Morton King, tsunami programme manager. With £46 million already spent, the Disasters Emergencies Committee has allocated Christian Aid a further £4 million this year. By the end of 2009, we plan to spend this and every remaining penny of the £51 million given in donations.
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Above: Velammal and her husband Murugan make a trip to the site of their new home in MGR Nagar, India, built by Christian Aid partner the Development Promotion Group. Above right: two of their children, Meena, ten, and her brother Raman, four, play in the early-morning sun
Christian Aid/Tom Pilston
Christian Aid/ Tom Pietrasik
Christian Aid uses some powerful images to convey the scope and impact of its work. Very often they do the job of the proverbial 1,000 words. Over the following pages, three photographers share some pictures from recent assignments covering three different Christian Aid-backed projects
Christian Aid News
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Christian Aid/Tom Pietrasik
THE OTHER OLYMPICS FOR THE past 25 years, Twic county was at the epicentre of Sudan’s brutal civil war. Located on the border between north and south Sudan, Twic has suffered the worst excesses of conflict. Civilian massacres were frequent, while women and children were abducted for use as slaves. It was against this background that the local relief agency Sudan Production Aid (Supraid) founded the Twic Olympics, with support from 12 international
organisations, including Christian Aid. This annual sporting festival, held each year in August, pits the county’s six payams (districts) against each other for sporting glory – but more importantly brings them together in a spirit of peace and friendship. As one participant said: ‘The Twic Olympics challenges everyone who thinks nothing good can happen in Sudan.’ continued on page 16 Christian Aid News
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The big picture
Above: the Twic Olympics includes football, distance-running, and volleyball, but by far the most popular event is the tug of war. Watch a slideshow on www.christianaid.org.uk/twic
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Christian Aid News
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Christian Aid/ Tom Pilston
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The big picture Below: a volunteer fills up the drinks refrigerator in the waiting room of the AMO-Congo clinic in Kinshasa. AMO-Congo is the largest HIV/AIDS organisation in the DRC. The clinic supplies ARVs as well as other drugs for opportunistic infections
What kind of a year will
2009
be?
Let’s bring brighter futures to people all over the world this year
A006077
● If you’d like to see more of Christian Aid’s photographs and, better still, see them on your wall, there’s a chance to pick up a limited edition Christian Aid photo calendar. If you place a Present Aid order before 30 November 2008 you will receive a beautiful and inspiring Christian Aid photo calendar for free – while stocks last.
London: PO Box 100, SE1 7RT Belfast: PO Box 150, BT9 6AE Cardiff: PO Box 6055, CF15 5AA Edinburgh: PO Box 11, EH1 0BR Dublin: 17 Clanwilliam Terrace, Dublin 2 Website: www.presentaid.org UK registered charity no. 1105851 Company no. 5171525
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NI charity no. XR94639 Company no. NI059154
Scottish charity no. SC039150
ROI charity no. CHY6998 Company no. 426928
Printed on 100 per cent recycled paper.
Christian Aid News
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Left: as her daughter lingers in the doorway, an HIV patient, recovering from an infection, awaits the visit of an FFP home-carer. Visitors will often change bedding, cook food and wash patients. Below: Marceline (right) delivers medication to her patient. Marceline is one of 13 members of the photography project and works as a volunteer for FFP. Marceline is also living with HIV
LIVING WITH HIV
● For information on 2008 World Aids Day activities, please contact Christian Aid’s HIV unit on 020
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Pictures: Christian Aid/ Nell Freeman
IN MARCH 2008, photographer Nell Freeman spent a month in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, training women living with HIV, and HIV activists, in photography. It was hoped that the training and equipment would give the women the opportunity to set up small business initiatives. What also resulted, was a personal expression in pictures of what it is to live with HIV, as seen through the eyes of the women themselves. Christian Aid partners AMO Congo, Fondation Femme Plus (FFP), and CONERELA work on HIV in DRC, with funding from the UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID).
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Above: ‘Teresa (far right), her children, and her extended family live in this mud hut. The Archdiocese of Lusaka (ADL), a Christian Aid partner, helps Teresa with her children’s education, as she struggles to support her family on her own and keep them together. Even with ADL’s help, the family only eat one meal a day, and Teresa has been cutting the grass for neighbours to make some more money. Without ADL’s assistance, it’s hard to imagine a positive future for her children.’
‘Just a little money can change a person’s life’ As Christian Aid launches its Christmas Appeal to help the millions of fractured families across the developing world, actress Kara Tointon, who plays Dawn Swann in EastEnders, went to Zambia to see how our partners there are working to help bring such families back together. Her verdict: ‘I learnt so much and saw how just a little money can change a person’s life.’ 20
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can: cover story
Pictures copyright Lee Thompson/The Sun/Christian Aid
Above: ‘Sister Sylvia, who ran an orphanage for children affected by HIV, was just wonderful. The world is a better place because people like Sylvia are in it. She is 69 and looks after a whole lot of kids who walk an hour to school to learn here’
Above: ‘The Saving Loans Association system, which Christian Aid partner ADL organises, is great. They started with a quarter of a dollar as a small loan to set up their own businesses and they now have a box of money which helps support many women who don’t have any other means of support to bring up their children. It drove the point home that if you give Christian Aid money, it’s not going down the drain.’ AROUND THE world, poverty, disease, conflict, lack of healthcare and the consequences of climate change are tearing families apart. Here in the UK, as families come together to celebrate Christmas, Christian Aid is launching its annual Christmas appeal to help these fractured families. Actress Kara Tointon travelled to Zambia, where one in six adults is HIV-positive, and more than 600,000 children have been orphaned by the illness. With no one to care for them, many orphans lose their families and homes. Thousands of older children, and grandparents, have to take on the huge
burden of raising younger siblings. Christian Aid and its partners believe that it is essential for extended families to be supported to stay together to help orphans. Without this support it is highly likely that the children will end up on the streets with no food or water. Christian Aid’s partners help families stay together in many different ways, such as counselling for orphans to help them deal with their loss, providing home-based care, keeping both younger orphans and their older carers in education, and giving food and loans for the families to set up new businesses.
To watch a video of Kara’s trip, go to www.christianaid.org.uk/kara
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Above: ‘Going to the Kids’ Club and seeing children who have lost one or both parents to HIV could have been depressing, but it was anything but. Singing and dancing are such important parts of their life. Kids who have lost parents to HIV seem to want to help other youngsters through it. This is what the UK needs to do!’
Please give to Christian Aid’s Christmas Appeal and help put a family back together. Go to www.christianaid.org.uk/christmas or call 0808 000 6006.
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Comment
‘We can’t let our own economic concerns distract us from saving the planet’
Q What are likely to be the direct economic effects of the economic crisis for developing countries? A The effects will play out across the whole range of resource-flows to developing countries. First, the commitment of rich countries to their aid targets is likely to come under great pressure. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has calculated that the gap between commitments and actual aid delivered to sub-Saharan Africa, from 1990-2005, was on average 3.4 per cent of recipient countries’ GDP – a huge shortfall. The likely depth of the downturn in rich countries, suggests that this shortfall may rise sharply. The second area of concern is remittances. These ‘payments home’ from expatriates working in richer countries are under pressure as economies weaken, from Latin America – where the Inter-American Development Bank has warned of a drop-off related to weakening job prospects in the US – to sub-Saharan Africa. In Uganda, for example, remittances
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from the UK are believed to have dropped by as much as half in the past few months. The third area is international financial flows. Developing countries are now seeing their stockmarkets suffer similar volatility to those of rich countries, and capital account reversals such as those suffered during the east Asian crises of 1998-99 are no longer impossible. Perhaps more important are the likely effects on trade. With resource-rich developing countries seeing the price of commodities fall sharply, their export earnings will be directly affected. Those reliant on other sectors for exports will also suffer from a strong drop in global demand. Poorer countries’ opportunities to take advantage of globalisation to develop economically are therefore likely to be curtailed over the next few years at least. Q What are the longer-term economic implications? A There are some reasons to be
Christian Aid/ Robin Prime
A world in financial meltdown – shares tumbling, banks being bailed out, recession looming: the scenario is pretty gloomy. But if things are bad for the developed world, what about in the world’s poorest countries? Christian Aid policy manager, Alex Cobham, discusses the implications for international development
optimistic here. First, a decreased reliance on foreign finance may eventually bring benefits. The previous chief economist of the IMF and others have shown that a greater reliance on foreign finance is associated with lower growth – so weaning off this may support stronger economic development over the longer term. More importantly, the clear
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What are your views? Write to the Editor, Christian Aid News, PO Box 100, London SE1 7RT or email canews@christian-aid.org
costs developing countries around US$160 billion a year in lost revenues – more than one-and-ahalf times the volume of aid – so addressing this could, in the long term, leave countries better off and much less aid-dependent. Similarly, the response to the crisis is likely to see efforts to cut down the role of tax havens in providing secrecy and weak regulation for business, as this has played a key role in allowing financial businesses, in particular, to become over-exposed to risk. This could also be valuable for developing countries in making it harder for havens to be used for tax evasion purposes or to hide the proceeds of corruption. Christian Aid will shortly start campaigning to try to ensure that new global financial regulation does indeed help poorer countries to obtain their rightful tax revenues, and so help them move towards paths of independent development.
desire to restructure the regulation of international finance creates an opportunity for changes that would clearly benefit poorer countries. Specifically, steps to increase the transparency of international business would make it much easier for countries to obtain the right tax revenues. Christian Aid estimates that corporate tax evasion via trade
Q What about the implications for climate change? A Falling global demand will reverse the sharp rise in oil production and related products. Without firm international action, this may undermine investment in cleaner energy sources and so set back the movement towards a cleaner global economy. This is an important aspect of the international negotiations, which is one of Christian Aid’s major campaign targets, and the reason why we encourage all our supporters to take the Copenhagen pledge to commit themselves to working towards a more ambitious and equitable deal, which protects poorer countries’ right to development while ensuring that the planet is protected for future generations. We can’t afford to let our own economic concerns distract us, or our politicians, from the fundamental importance of saving the planet, and the development rights of the poorest countries – so sign up now!
Christian Aid’s associate director for finance and information management, Martin Birch, takes a couple of ticklish questions Q What has been/is likely to be the impact of the financial crisis on Christian Aid’s income? A To date Christian Aid’s income has held up in spite of the difficulties we anticipate many supporters may be experiencing. This has meant we have been able to keep commitments to partners throughout the current financial year. Yet we also acknowledge that the economic climate continues to deteriorate, which may mean critical programmes in some areas will need to be scaled back next year if income does, in fact, reduce. Q Does Christian Aid have investments that may be exposed to risk? A Christian Aid does not have any deposits in Iceland, nor does it hold investments in shares. It does, however, hold cash deposits with UK banks and government gilts. We continue to monitor the spread and choice of deposits to minimise risk.
What we want for Christmas… Stuck for a gift idea this year? Present Aid has just the thing Damian Lewis, actor ‘We all think of water as a basic human right. I saw for myself when I travelled to Bolivia that some families have to dig their water out of the ground and it is usually filthy. So the idea of a community tap, on Christian Aid’s Present Aid initiative, would make a brilliant Christmas present. Just £45 to provide the pump, pipes and tap-stand to bring fresh water to a village must be money well spent.’ Daisy Lowe, model ‘When we went to Brazil with Christian Aid we saw how important it was to give women struggling to survive a skill with which they could earn money. At just £20, the Present Aid painting kit for women is amazing. The women it helps are desperate for a chance to support their families; this means they can earn their living painting traditional advertising signs.’
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Inpuatil your m
Bishops march against global poverty
Suffer the children I read the ‘Food: the silent tsunami’ article in Christian Aid News (Issue 41) and I was particularly impressed that, finally, not only was the income earned in poorer countries mentioned, but the proportion spent on food was also stated. This definitely put things in perspective and gives a clearer picture. But what really frustrated me in this article is the number of children these people have. Why are Christian Aid and other charities afraid to highlight this fact? Giving aid is not enough, because there isn’t enough to go round if so many people keep having children they can’t afford. You see pictures of malnourished pregnant women with babies strapped to their backs. Why isn’t this being addressed? I am African in origin and I lived there for 16 years. I grew up seeing this and I have family who have more children than they can afford and continue to rely on handouts while they continue to have more children. Some men marry more than one wife and have numerous children. In Africa, this is to do with a person’s status and they need re-educating. Personally I think it is a crime against humanity to bring into the world children who will starve to death. Handing out aid without education is just like putting a sticking plaster on a broken leg. Doyin Max-Lino via email
Growing concern While reading your magazine and, indeed, the appeals from other charities, I find myself concerned that there is too little emphasis on population growth. The article ‘Food: the silent tsunami’ says the tax losses could save 1,000
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children a day. Sad though their lives and deaths are, the world must realise that it cannot support so many children. We read that the population in Ethiopia has exploded yet they cannot feed themselves. We heard a while ago that television soaps were being written with messages embedded about having smaller families; have these worked? Is the lack of pension planning and state support a major cause of large families? If so, are any countries addressing this? To my mind, the greatest problem in the world is the increasing population and lack of employment. Could we have an article about population growth and some explanation about the role of Christian Aid in educating about birth control and economic family size? Robin Bligh Cambridge Editor’s reply: We have received a number of letters and emails on this subject. Given the level of interest, we will be addressing Christian Aid’s position on this complex issue in a future edition of Christian Aid News.
Consuming passion I am grateful to letter-writer John Burton for raising a subject usually not talked about (Input, issue 41). I agree it is important that we try to talk about such subjects in order to move towards a better understanding and better solutions. However, John only mentions ‘overpopulation’ in Africa and India, and when people talk of overpopulation it seems to be assumed that it is the developing world that is overpopulated. I am not at all sure that that is necessarily the right assumption. The great consumers are here in Europe, North America and
Development and aid: what would the politicians do?
Elections in Africa: why the voters must be heard
In this issue There’s an interesting crop of responses to our report on the food crisis, with a common thread emerging, plus a timely reminder of how to save energy.
How much further can a little go?
As the food crisis takes its toll on the poorest, Christian Aid calls for action to roll back ‘the silent tsunami’ Issue 41 p01 Cover.indd 1
Autumn 2008
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Australasia. If we were to consume at the same rate as those in the developing world and had the same environmental footprint as they have, then our world would be very different. I am not aware that the Bible talks about overpopulation, but I am aware that it talks about God’s love and justice towards those who populate the world. The great unmentioned subject, for me, is that for God’s love and justice to prevail throughout the world, we in the developed part of it will have to change how we live and how we consume. We will have to make sacrifices of wealth and standard of living so that God’s love and justice can prevail – and that will require a culture change and improved education here, rather than there. David Bowman Long Hanborough, Witney
Political praise I have been puzzled over the comments of some of my co-supporters criticising the so-called ‘politicisation’ of Christian Aid. Wasn’t the crucifixion itself a political event? I absolutely agree with director Daleep Mukarji that ‘concern about inequality, poverty, discrimination and injustice cannot be apolitical’. Indeed, Christian Aid’s concern for the various causes is the reason for my and my family’s support. Sadly, there are still too many good people who believe that charity means
throwing some crumbs to the beggars and that politics should be left to the politicians – you only need to look around to see where this has got us. So anything that Christian Aid can do to educate should be welcome. Barbara Gardener London
A matter of lifestyle When I hear that the average home energy bill next year is likely to be around £1,300 per household, I cringe – not because of the price but because of the implication of so much wasted energy. My wife and I, who are both over 65, live in a four-bedroom house. Our total energy bill for gas (for central heating) and electricity (for cooking and lighting) for the entire year is around £300. We do not suffer from hypothermia, nor do we eat raw carrots to avoid cooking. In fact we do not feel in any way inconvenienced by a slightly more frugal lifestyle. So what do we do? First, we have good double-glazed windows and use low-energy lightbulbs. But that is run of the mill. The main things that we do that really make a difference are: • we only heat the rooms that we are currently using. • we never heat the bedroom or the kitchen; the heat diffuses from the lounge, or cooking generates heat. • we don’t programme the central heating. We turn it on when we need it and we turn it off, or adjust the radiators, when we are hot
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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 Enquiries or requests for information should be sent to Supporter Relations at the address on page 3
enough. This is the most significant thing we do. • we don’t wear T-shirts indoors in winter. We wear a sweater and/or thermal underwear, so we are insulating ourselves. • we boil exactly the amount of water we need for a specified number of cups. If the entire country took on board some of these lifestyle practices, there would be no need to build the coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth. David Archer Ovingham, Northumberland
Hold king coal Your campaign to stop the Kingsnorth coal-fired power station project turns me off supporting Christian Aid. With North Sea oil and gas extraction becoming more difficult, more fuel is being imported. But coal is the only fuel which is plentiful in this country and there is no sign of renewables ever taking over, so your policy will cause power cuts. I support renewables, carbon capture and encouraging people to use less electricity, which will enable coal-fired power stations to reduce their output, but I do not want to see them closed down. Also, in you article ‘Food: the silent tsunami’ every family has more than two children. This is the situation covered in the two letters under the heading ‘Elephant in the Room’. Global poverty will never be stopped until poor countries can tackle this situation. Frank Batting St Albans
Walking together I write as the spouse of an Anglican primate, who attended the Lambeth Conference 2008. When reading the autumn issue of
Christian Aid News, I was saddened to note that your magazine had, like the rest of the media, failed to mention that bishops’ spouses also took part in the Walk of Poverty in London during the Lambeth Conference, walking alongside them, carrying placards. Many of us spouses work tirelessly with the sick, those living with HIV and AIDS, the hungry, and those in severe poverty. We, too, care passionately about the relief of poverty, hunger and disease, and will continue to work through agencies such as Christian Aid. Ann Jones Glasgow
Love and faith My response to letter-writer Celia Webster’s anger that ‘the Christian aspect is taken out of Christian Aid’ (Input, issue 41) is that God is love, and where there is love, there is God. I offer for meditation 1 John 4:16 and Paul’s statement that love is greater than faith (1 Corinthians 13:13). My concern for the Christian church today is that it places too much emphasis on faith, often a very individual emphasis, and too little emphasis on love. Faith often appears to support our own take on things; love is not quite so accommodating. Having said that, I believe it is from a growing relationship with, and understanding of, God in Christ that I can grow in love. But Christian Aid is primarily about giving help in love, not about promoting a particular faith system, however much its workers are empowered by and bear witness to that faith in their daily lives. That is why I will continue to support it, warts and all. John Pratt Kettering
TO THE POINT Clean water I was pleased to see that our prime minister is calling for greater investment in training doctors, nurses and midwives, and in schooling for children (News, issue 41). However, I suggest that a greater priority, which unfortunately lacks the glamour of the medical profession, is the provision of better sanitation and clean water supplies. This will do more for people’s health than any number of doctors. Prevention is better than cure. J Land Ashbourne
Crunching your credit I have decided to obtain a Christian Aid credit card. No doubt some of your readers are reluctant to use a credit card because of the temptation of debt. However, if one immediately establishes a direct debit with the bank to pay off the whole account each month, then this acts as a discipline to keep expenditure within acceptable limits. Stuart Kearney Cheadle
Credit where it’s due I should like to correct a statement made by Andrew Mitchell, shadow secretary of state for international development, that the World Health Organisation is on the brink of eradicating polio from the face of the earth (Comment, issue 41). This eradication has been led by Rotary International through its ‘Polio Plus’ programme, supported by WHO. It is largely through the direct efforts of Rotary Clubs throughout the world that, after more than 20 years and the commitment of more than US$600 million, eradication is nearing completion. Alan Mills President, Rotary Club of Ware
Humanitarian ideals come first I am saddened that Celia Webster feels the need to invoke Jesus in connection with the humanitarian work of Christian Aid (Input, issue 41). I support Christian Aid because I see it as a humanitarian organisation inspired by Christian ideals. I find it distressing that evangelical Christians put Bible study and worship of Jesus above humanitarian ideals. In their worship I see little commitment to better the lives of mankind as a whole. Geoff William Winster, Derbyshire
It’s about body and soul Keeping the body together is important, but saving the immortal soul is at least equally important. Some Christian charities bringing food to the needy are accused of being ‘rice Christians’. So be it. Those who make such accusations do not know the value of our immortal souls. Barry Hale Stockport
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Do theing
Elizabeth Hudson
right th
Divine inspiration If it’s right to celebrate a birthday with chocolate, how much more satisfying is it to do so when the chocolate itself is marking its own great milestone DIVINE CHOCOLATE, the Fairtrade chocolate company, which is 45 per cent owned by a cooperative of cocoa farmers in Ghana, is ten years old. To celebrate, Christian Aid News has a great Christmas hamper to give away in our Divine tenth birthday competition (see opposite). Today you can find Divine bars in most major outlets – and Christian Aid has played its own part in the Divine success story. It’s a story that begins even further back, in 1993, with the liberalisation of the cocoa market in Ghana. This gave farmers the opportunity to set up a cooperative to trade cocoa. Called Kuapa Kokoo, it soon developed a reputation for honesty and efficiency. By 1997 it had 25,000 members and voted to set up a
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chocolate company in the UK. To do so, however, it needed to attract some brave investors. In the midst of the Jubilee 2000 Drop the Debt campaign, Christian Aid joined Anita Roddick’s Body Shop in putting their money where their mouth was. The Department for International Development guaranteed a bank loan, and in October 1998, Divine Chocolate’s first bar was launched. But that was just the beginning of Christian Aid’s support. With the chocolate market in the UK worth £3.4 billion and dominated by three companies that control 80 per cent of it, getting products on to the shelf was and still is the biggest challenge. After years of supporting trade justice and recognising their power as
consumers, Christian Aid’s network of committed individuals came to the rescue. In 1999, hundreds of supporters handed ‘Stock the Choc’ postcards into their local supermarket managers, and Divine secured its first national listing. Ten years on, Kuapa Kokoo has 45,000 members in 1,200 villages. It has used fair-trade ‘social premium’ payments of US$150 per tonne to sink hundreds of water wells, has built seven schools, funded mobile medical clinics and an imaginative range of income-generation schemes such as cultivating giant snails – a delicacy in Ghana – crushing palm kernels to produce palm oil, and soap-making. But the real success of Divine is that Kuapa Kokoo is a robust and inspiring democratic
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THIS CHRISTMAS, download your Advent Footsteps calendar. This is no ‘normal’ advent calendar. Instead, it invites you (or your family, colleagues or classmates) to walk in the footsteps of the poor and make a small daily donation. You can download your calendar by visiting www.christianaid.org.uk/christmas and clicking on festive events. Then select the northwest England site.
business, trading 35,000 tonnes of cocoa (six per cent of Ghana’s output) and with an international reputation for quality. Sophi Tranchell, managing director of Divine Chocolate Ltd, says: ‘Divine wouldn’t be what it is today if Christian Aid hadn’t had the courage to invest in this fledgling company and if the
fantastic supporters hadn’t gone out of their way to ask for Divine chocolate and to tell their friends and family about it. We want to thank you all for playing your part. We promise to carry on creating delicious chocolate from Kuapa’s cocoa, and hope you will continue to make a real difference by spreading the word.’
WIN A DIVINE HAMPER HOW TO ENTER For a chance to win our fantastic Divine Fairtrade Chocolate Hamper, worth £50, just answer the question below and send your answer, along with your name and address, to: Christian Aid Divine Hamper Competition, Divine Chocolate, 4 Gainsford Street, London SE1 2NE, or email to competitions@divinechocolate.com. Closing date Monday 1 December 2008. What is the name of the farmers’ cooperative behind Divine chocolate? Divine Chocolate is made with the best Fairtrade cocoa, all natural ingredients and no artificial flavours or additives, allowing the real chocolate flavour to come through. For more information, including recipes and stockists visit www.divinechocolate.com
TWO BILLION people – a third of humanity – still survive on less than US$2 a day. Unfair trade rules keep them in poverty, but they face the global challenges of food shortages and climate change too. Fairtrade is needed now more than ever and we all have the power to create positive change.
The theme of Fairtrade Fortnight 2009, which takes place from 23 February to 8 March, is ‘Make it happen. Choose Fairtrade.’ And there will be lots happening across the country during the fortnight from coffee mornings to Fairtrade flash mobs and fairs to trade-justice debates. Get involved by organising events in your workplace, church or community – check www.christianaid.org.uk/ resources for more details.
What I want for Christmas Lemar, singer ‘In some African countries, such as Burundi, where there has been long-term conflict, warring factions come together to play football or basketball to ease tension. The basketball, which costs £8 from Present Aid, is a gift I would send, knowing it is helping kids in a war-torn country to come together and do something positive instead of fight.’
READER OFFERS DO THE RIGHT THING – NATURALLY CHRISTIAN AID has teamed up with ethical store Natural Collection so that you can raise funds for our work while you shop, without spending a penny extra. When you buy something from Natural Collection via a link on our website, ten per cent of the price will be donated to Christian Aid. Natural Collection stocks a range of fair trade, environmentally friendly and ethically made products. Visit www.christianaid.org.uk and follow the Natural Collection link to start shopping.
YOUR ONE-STOP SHOP FOR RECYCLING JANUARY 2009 will bring a change to the Christian Aid recycling scheme – for the first time it will be possible to recycle both your ink cartridges and your mobile phones in the same envelope, as we move to new recycling partner Redeem. As part of the new scheme, Christian Aid will receive £4 for every mobile phone and £1 for every recyclable ink cartridge sent to Redeem, which will all go towards supporting our partners around the world. If you would like details or are interested in stocking the envelopes in your school, church or business, please call 0207 523 2463.
AN ISP WITH INTEGRITY CHRISTIAN AID has launched a new internet service provision scheme run by award-winning provider Christian Technology. The scheme provides internet access via broadband or dial-up from only £11 a month, plus VAT, as well as services to create email accounts, host websites and buy domain names. When a Christian Aid supporter chooses an internet package, Christian Technology will donate up to £3 a month to Christian Aid, as well as additional donations from any other sales. This income will allow us to support work around the world, such as that of the Bo Youth Centre, a project run by our partner the Methodist Church of Sierra Leone. This centre provides a place for unemployed young people to educate themselves with computer training and adult-literacy classes. Christian Technology has been providing internet access and web hosting since 2000, in response to a demand for a company that could combine service with integrity. It is rated as one of the UK’s top ten hosting companies, providing reliable network connectivity and knowledgeable support. If you would like to find out more about the scheme, visit www.christiantechnology.co.uk/christianaid/ or call 0870 027 2810, quoting Christian Aid.
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Christian Aid/ Dan Oxtonby
Events
Running poverty into the ground Christian Aid rounded off its 2008 events with 95 runners crossing the finish line of the Great North Run in brilliant sunshine on 5 October, raising more than £50,000 THIS YEAR was Reverend Roger Mills’ tenth Great North Run for Christian Aid. Over the years the running vicar has raised more than £15,000 to help eradicate poverty around the world. Roger was moved by the fact that so many people don’t have access to fresh water for drinking and sanitation: ‘Surely one of life’s basic essentials,’ he said. His effort shows how individuals in the UK can make change happen – year on year. Roger added: ‘It was especially useful
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having the online sponsorship forms on www.justgiving.com/ christianaid This year I sent out 460 emails to friends and family, and raised well over £1,500 – it was as simple as that. And by talking about how a small donation to Christian Aid can change lives around the world, people were incredibly generous.’ If you don’t think you can make it on your own, how about getting colleagues together to do a mass fundraise? That’s what the French-based company Bouygues
Travaux Publics did when nine employees, who are working on the Tyne Tunnel project, decided to get active about poverty and run the Great North Run. One of the nine, Evette Oliver, said: ‘It was so much easier to fundraise as a group – we got coverage on our internal website, put posters up around the building, and told lots of clients what we were doing. We’re hoping to raise nearly £5,000 between us.’ To take part in the Great North Run in 2009, register online
today, for £50. And for more information on all the fundraising events that you could
be part of, check out www.christianaid.org. uk/events or give us a ring on 020 7523 2248.
There are plenty of ways in which Christian Aid can help you reach your fundraising target year on year. When you sign up to a fundraising event, you will receive: • a personalised fundraising toolkit – bursting with creative ideas on how to raise money without ever actually having to say the line ‘will you sponsor me?’ • a dedicated member of the events team, who will be your contact point for anything you need to know about fundraising and the work of Christian Aid. • monthly newsletters packed with ideas on how to reach your target and stories of how other people have reached theirs.
For more pictures and stories on challenge events go to www.christianaid.org.uk/events
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Make a date for your diary: Countdown to Copenhagen campaign event in Coventry Cathedral, Thursday 19 March
PUT THIS date in your diaries now: Thursday 14 May 2009 is when we’ll be staging Quizaid 2009, as part of next year’s Christian Aid Week. This year 1,275 Quizaid events were held throughout the UK, raising more than £185,000 – that’s an average of £145 from each event. So, to everyone who took part, thank you. For 2009 we’ll have four new question packs with four degrees of difficulty – we want everyone to get involved, from the serious quizzing smart Alecs to the kids. As before, the rounds will include sport, general knowledge, music, history and your favourite picture rounds. But we now have four levels of difficulty for you to choose from. There are packs for very smart Alecs (for the serious quizzers among you); smart Alecs (for those who enjoy a challenge); teen Alecs (ten- to 18-year-olds); and kid Alecs (under-tens). Christian Aid is hoping to raise £225,000 from Quizaid in 2009 – so make sure you’re part of it. Packs will be available from January 2009.
Is this what you call high tea? CHRISTIAN AID’S second Tea Time event went down as well as a morning cup of Earl Grey, with more than 3,500 supporters holding parties for friends, family and colleagues on Friday 19 September. These ranged from tea for two at home, to tea for four on a cliff! ‘We were inundated with letters, emails and photos from all your tea parties. Within the first two weeks you raised
£77,000 – enabling Christian Aid to put your money to good use straight away,’ says events manager Amanda Borg. ‘Thank you to everyone who took part.‘ Mary Connell from Quarndon, Derbyshire, organised a puppet show for 40 children and 30 parents. She told us: ‘It was very noisy and rather chaotic but great fun, and it was good to involve people who do not usually attend
SING UP! IT’S CHRISTMAS AS CHRISTMAS approaches, Christian Aid has plenty going on up and down the country. All we need is you! You could usher in the festive season with a song at one of our Great Big Christmas Sings, or even hurtle through the streets dressed as Santa Claus. Here are just a few ways in which you can get involved. Santa Dash 5k, Liverpool It doesn’t get much more seasonal than 6,000 Santas running through the centre of Liverpool – and you could be one of them! £15 secures your place – and a free Santa outfit. All we ask is that you commit to raising a least £50 in sponsorship for Christian Aid. To register, visit www. christianaid.org.uk/christmas The Great Big London Christmas Treasure Hunt A sponsored event for all the family to enjoy! Follow the map, answer the clues and hunt out the elves to collect the gold coins hidden in shop windows in some of London’s famous stores. To register, visit www.christianaid.org. uk/christmas
Christian Aid/ Matthew Gonzalez-Noda
SIGN UP FOR QUIZAID 2009
church events.’ Tea Time wasn’t complicated – it was just about enjoying a good old fashioned cuppa with friends. If you are inspired and still want to hold a tea party – you can! Call 0870 076 7766 or
visit www.christianaid. org.uk/teatime for a free Tea Time pack.
The Great Big Christmas Sing Get into the Christmas spirit at one of our many Great Big Sing events. Local schools, youth groups and choirs across the UK will be belting out all our favourite carols while raising money for Christian Aid. You might even meet special guest Nader Abu Amsha, director of one of Christian Aid’s partners in the Middle East, and hear about life in Bethlehem today. Here’s where they’re happening – so far! 2 December – 7.30-9pm Carlisle Cathedral Contact Dave Hardman on 01925 582 820 4 December – 7.30pm Victoria Hall Methodist Church, Norfolk Street, Sheffield Contact 0113 244 4764, or email leeds@christian-aid.org 4 December – 7.30pm Winter Gardens Pavilion, Weston-super-Mare Contact Martin Parkes on 01454 415 923 5 December – 7pm Old Hall, Launceston College, Launceston Contact 01395 222 604 or email exmouth@christian-aid.org 5 December – 7-9pm St Martin’s in the Bullring, Birmingham Contact 0121 303 2323 or go to www.birmingham boxoffice.com
7 December – 2.30pm Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, Osprey Quay, Portland, Dorset Contact Stephen Dominy on 02380 706 969 8 December – 7.30pm Exmouth Pavilion Contact 01395 222 604 or email exmouth@christian-aid.org 9 December – 6.30-8.30pm Oxford Town Hall Contact 01865 246 818, or email oxford@christian-aid.org 14 December – 6pm Mansfield Road Baptist Church, Nottingham Contact Mary Anderson on 01530 417 522 For full details of these and other Christmas events and services in your area, please contact your local Christian Aid office, or go to www. christianaid.org.uk/christmas
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People Power
Make a difference. Be inspired.
KOBUS: KING OF THE DESERT Overweight and out of shape, 40-year-old Kobus Cilliers of Halesowen in Birmingham turned his desire to get fit into the challenge of a lifetime IN MARCH next year, Kobus Cilliers will take part in the Marathon de Sables (Sahara desert marathon), a gruelling six-day event that will see him running 151 cramp-inducing miles (243km) across the Sahara desert in Morocco in temperatures of up to 120˚F. As well as getting to the finish in one piece, Kobus is hoping his efforts will raise £10,000 for Christian Aid. Not for nothing has this event been called ‘the toughest foot-race on earth’. Equivalent to running five-and-a-half regular marathons, competitors have to carry everything they will need (apart from a tent) on their back in a rucksack. This includes clothes, food, medical kit and a sleeping bag, while water is rationed and handed out at each checkpoint. Before he began training, the furthest Kobus had ever run was 2.4km, but with the help of a personal trainer he is in the midst of a
rigorous training schedule to prepare for this extreme challenge. ‘The saying goes, “It’s all downhill after 40”, although I wish this was true in the case of my Sahara adventure. Something tells me it will be an uphill struggle,’ he said. Originally from Pretoria in South Africa, Kobus decided to run for Christian Aid after hearing about our work with poor communities in his home country. Alison Gregory, events officer at Christian Aid, said: ‘Kobus is setting a real precedent for people who want to get fit and make a difference to those in need. We wish him the very best of luck and will be offering our support and encouragement over the months of training.’ If you would like to sponsor Kobus, please visit his justgiving page at www.justgiving.com/fatkobus
Supporter leaves £1.2 million to Christian Aid A CHRISTIAN AID SUPPORTER from Wellingborough has donated £1.2 million to the charity in her will. Kathleen Ball, who died in December 2006, aged 92, and whose estate has just been wound up, was a longstanding member of Wellingborough United Reformed Church and had been a Christian Aid supporter since 1987. Mrs Ball started work at the age of 16 at Weetabix, known in 1930 as the Britain and Africa Cereal Company, where she worked until 1946. She and her husband Harold, who died in 1999 just short of his 100th birthday, had no children and ran a cycle and electrical shop in Cambridge Street in Wellingborough for more than 20 years before they retired in 1965. Rev Paul Bedford of Wellingborough United Reformed Church, said: ‘Kath and Harold were generous and concerned members of this church. Kath was a loving disciple who expected high standards of herself and others. But her sense of humour also shone through. She felt that if God loved the world enough to send His son, then we, today, had better shape up and be the best we can be!’ Asked whether Christian Aid should mark Mrs Ball’s generous gift at the church, he added: ‘Kath’s response would have been forthright: use all the money for the charity’s work with poor communities.’ Colin Kemp, Christian Aid legacy manager, said: ‘Legacies help to provide support to some of the world’s poorest people by allowing us to respond to emergencies and provide training and tools that will allow communities to become self-sufficient. Mrs Ball’s legacy is about more than just money – it will enable Christian Aid to invest in people’s futures and bring about lasting change for generations to come.’ Legacies account for around ten per cent of Christian Aid’s income and are a very tax-efficient way of donating. If you are interested in leaving money to Christian Aid in your will please call 020 7523 2173. If you are planning to make a will or to change an existing one, there is still time to do so as part of our Will Aid scheme, which runs until the end of November. For details, log on to www.willaid.org.uk or call 0300 0300 013.
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New building? It’s total rubbish! NOT CONTENT with walking the Cut the Carbon march last summer, Angela Rowe is supporting her husband Christopher, a Church of Scotland minister, as they attempt to build a new church building entirely out of rubbish. The couple from Milton, greater Glasgow, have secured a grant from the Scottish government to investigate building an ecologically sustainable building. They plan to use everything that can be compacted into eco-bricks – from cans, and wood to old tyres, builders’ rubble and car windscreens. ‘Often people feel that responding to climate change will lead to life becoming harder and less fulfilling,’ says Christopher. ‘I believe it will help us reconnect with each other and our environment.’ Angela adds: ‘It is exciting to be part of a community where we can all work together.’
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Christian Aid/Nell Freeman
Join a Christian Aid challenge event today... 9 h 200 Marc
British Military Fitness 5km and 10km Flora London Marathon
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Albert Bartlett Edinburgh Marathon
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Hadrian’s Wall Trek
July 22-26
2009
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London to Paris Bike Ride Bupa Great North Run
Can you? We’ll sup p
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all the w
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Three ways to register Online: www.christianaid.org.uk/events By phone: 020 7523 2248 Email: events@christian-aid.org Quote ref: CAN
UK registered charity no.1105851 Company no. 5171525 Northern Ireland charity no. XR94639 Company no. NI059154 Republic of Ireland charity no. CHY 6998 Company no. 426928 Scotland charity no. SC039150
09 ril 20 26 Ap
Leaving a gift to Christian Aid in your will is no small gesture. Our campaigning work will make a huge impact in fighting the structures that keep the world’s poor communities poor. And a gift is so easy to sort out. If you’ve already written a will, there’s a simple way to add a PS for Christian Aid (a‘Codicil’). For more information, call Colin Kemp on 0207 523 2173, or email ckemp@christian-aid.org or contact your solicitor. Please, do something wonderful.
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Send a message of hope this Christmas
Sending Christian Aid Christmas cards to your friends and family this year will also send a message of hope to poor communities around the world. For every pack of cards you buy, Christian Aid will receive a donation from Traidcraft that will go directly towards our development projects.
To view the full range, order cards and buy other Traidcraft Christmas products, go to www.christianaid.org/christmascards or call 0845 330 8900 quoting code XCANAD.
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