CHRISTIAN AID NEWS Issue 50
Winter 2011
www.christianaid.org.uk
• Gordon Brown on the world’s lack of moral resolve • Model Lily Cole visits Burmese refugees for Christian Aid appeal
HAITI LOOKS TO THE FUTURE One year on, the survivors of the Haiti earthquake are working to build a better life
Act now: why the World Bank must get out of fossil fuels Cover2.indd 1
05/01/2011 10:12
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Photo: Christian Aid/Paula Plaza
LOOK TO THE FUTURE
09/12/2010 14:16
Lidia lives in a remote farming area in the highlands of Peru. The glaciers there are melting, and Lidia knows that the region faces increasing poverty as this supply of fresh water disappears. She is determined to protect her community’s future. Christian Aid partner CEDAP has taught Lidia how to store water and use it efficiently, to irrigate crops and sustain pastureland for livestock. Lidia now teaches the techniques to others – in her own community and beyond. You can also help to change the outcome for some of the poorest people of the world. A gift in your Will can help Christian Aid provide vital training so that communities can help themselves. Please look to the future. Leave a legacy.
To find out more, phone Kerry on 0207 523 2173 or email ksherlock@christianaid.org 11-031-A-CAN50-legacyAW_rn.indd 1
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CONTENTS
ALMOST ONE YEAR AGO to the day, Haiti was devastated by a massive earthquake that had the world scrambling to help its shocked survivors. Christian Aid writer Sarah Wilson was one of the first journalists into Haiti back then and she has returned with photographer Wolfgang Tillmans to see how life has changed for the people being helped by our partners there. Outside the capital, she found, progress has been made: read her report on page 6. This issue also notes the success of a drive to end the degrading practice of manual scavenging in India – and your help is sought in a high-profile new campaign to persuade the World Bank to stop extending loans for fossil-fuel projects. A couple of political heavyweights also rear their heads this issue – Rev Jesse Jackson, who lent his considerable voice to our supporter lobby on 20 October last year, and former prime minister Gordon Brown, who, in a rare interview since the 2010 election, shares his thoughts on morality and development issues, after visiting Christian Aid projects in India. Roger Fulton, Editor
F1948
Christian Aid News is printed on 100 per cent recycled paper
8
Christian Aid/ Kate Tomlinson
EDITOR’S LETTER
Lily Cole with a refugee at the Nai Soi Camp in Mae Hong Son, Thailand, three miles from the Burmese border
REGULARS
journeys of the Christian Aid family.
■ 4 THE BIG PICTURE One striking image…
■ 26 EVENTS
■ 6 COVER STORY
They’re up for the challenge of beating poverty. Are you?
Catching up with life in Haiti – one year on from the earthquake.
6
■ 8 NEWS
Events and stories from your part of the UK.
Including an update on Pakistan after the floods and model Lily Cole’s visit to Thailand refugee camps.
■ 12 CAMPAIGNS Join our drive to persuade the World Bank to pull out of fossil fuels; take action on tracing the tax; and look back at our supporter day.
■ 28 YOUR CHRISTIAN AID
■ 30 LAST WORD
16
Melanie Smith on three years of Platform2.
FEATURES ■ 16 INTERVIEW Former prime minister Gordon Brown on his visit to a Christian Aid partner.
■ 23 INPUT ■ 18 FRONTLINE
Your feedback.
■ 24 LIFE AND SOUL Take a holiday with a purpose; read the personal
24
How the fight against poverty is being waged in the fields of rights, climate change adaptation and tax.
Christian Aid is a Christian organisation that insists the world can and must be swiftly changed to one where everyone can live a full life, free from poverty. We work globally for profound change that eradicates the causes of poverty, striving to achieve equality, dignity and freedom for all, regardless of faith or nationality. We are part of a wider movement for social justice. We provide urgent, practical and effective assistance where need is great, tackling the effects of poverty as well as its root causes.
UK registered charity number 1105851 Company number 5171525 Scotland charity number SC039150 Northern Ireland charity number XR94639 Company number NI059154 Republic of Ireland charity number CHY 6998 Company number 426928. The Christian Aid name and logo are trademarks of Christian Aid; Poverty Over is a trademark of Christian Aid. © Christian Aid January 2011. The acceptance of external advertising does not indicate endorsement. If you wish to receive this magazine digitally, go to http://digitalcan.christianaid.org.uk
■ Cover Quake survivor Tamara Adolfe has restarted her life living in the village where her parents were born. Photo: Christian Aid/Wolfgang Tillmans ■ Pictures Joseph Cabon, Matthew Gonzalez Noda ■ Sub-editors Caroline Atkinson, Sophy Kershaw, Catriona Lorie ■ Circulation Ben Hayward ■ Design and production Becca Higgins/Circle Publishing, 020 8332 8400 ■ 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 at www.christianaid.org.uk
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Christian Aid/ Wolfgang Tillmans
THE BIG PICTURE
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NET GAINS FISHERMEN load their nets on to boats in Anse-a-Pitres, Haiti. They are part of a collective supported by CA partner Haiti Survie, which is helping earthquake survivors to rebuild their lives and re-establish their livelihoods, 12 months on from the disaster which rocked the country. Overpage: read Sarah Wilson’s account of returning to Haiti to see how reconstruction is progressing.
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COVER STORY
HAITI WILL BUILD BACK BETTER
A temporary roadside camp in Carrefour on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. The people there have been living like this since the earthquake
‘After the earthquake you keep calling your friends in your phone contacts to see if they will answer, even if you know they are probably gone. Then you meet someone who tells you, “Yeah, Jean Philippe died in the earthquake.” Then you delete their contact from your phone. That’s what you do. I’ve deleted so many people,’ Port-au-Prince resident Hearby Roq, who used to run a gallery and restaurant in Haiti’s capital, reflects on life since the 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck on 12 January last year.
AS THE WORLD’S media focuses on the perceived lack of reconstruction in the months since the earthquake, it is important to remember that for most people in Haiti, 12 January will have been a day of quiet reflection and commemoration of the lives of those who perished. It is not just the insensitivity of this focus on the reconstruction progress which grates. It also fails to tell the full story. Many thousands still live in temporary camps, and a great deal of rebuilding still needs to take place, but steady progress has been made in returning lives to normal, especially outside the capital where the news media rarely ventures. Thousands of truckloads of rubble have been cleared, homes have been rebuilt and small businesses restarted.
Christian Aid/ Wolfgang Tillmans
by Sarah Wilson
In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, the Haitian government laid on dozens of buses to move people from the capital to the towns and villages outside, where they could stay with friends and relatives. A year on, many have opted to stay put and try to rebuild their lives outside Port-au-Prince. One such person is Marc Aurel Syverain who lived in the capital with his wife and four children aged between three and 15 because schools there were better. When the family home was destroyed, they moved back to the pleasant Caribbean coastal village of Anse-a-Pitre where the parents were originally from. There, Syverain has joined a fisherman’s collective receiving support from Christian Aid partner, Haiti Survie. His wife and children, meanwhile, are now based in the nearest big town, Jacmel, which also suffered earthquake damage, but where it is easier to find housing than in the capital. ‘Starting again from zero in Port-au-Prince just doesn’t make sense,’ he said. ‘Since the schools re-opened, my wife and children have been living in Jacmel, and I visit when I can.’ Now Haiti Survie is installing solar-powered refrigeration units to enable the collective to store more fish before taking it to market. The collective is also considering enlisting the organisation’s support in buying motors for their boats, to
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An aerial shot of Port-
Christian Aid/ Wolfgang Tillmans
Christian Aid/ Wolfgang Tillmans
enable them to fish further out au-Prince, with the and double their catch. devastation still Another member of the clearly visible collective, Jasmin Jean Kellerman, also lived in the capital with his wife before the earthquake. His cousin is still there, living in a camp, and his sister-and-law also stayed behind to finish high school. He and his wife opted to return to Anse-a-Pitres and are hoping that the help from Haiti Survie will enable him to earn enough money fishing to allow her to finish her accountancy course in Port-au-Prince and take her exams. Across the country, 120 miles in the other direction from Port-a-Prince, other families have resettled in the villages surrounding the coastal city of Les Cayes. The Adolfe family (see cover picture) spent three months immediately following the earthquake living in a tent housing nine people. They decided to return to Les Cayes, where their parents were born and where there was a family home standing empty with some land, to raise livestock. They received several cash stipends from a women’s collective supported by Christian Aid partner Koral, which they used to tide themselves over and improve the house. When visited by Christian Aid News late last year, they were about to receive a cow from Koral to use for breeding with others in the collective. Once two calves have appeared, one will be given to the collective for redistribution. It is not just economic regeneration that is important if people are to restart their lives in the countryside. Improving the environment is crucial as well. Tanis Liquide, a programme officer for Haiti Survie, explained: ‘Haiti has retained only two per cent of its forest cover. This has several consequences. When there are no trees, the water can’t penetrate the soil when it rains, leading to floods and landslides. In a tropical country such as Haiti, heavy rains caused by hurricanes are a frequent occurrence. That is why in our interventions we always try to include reforestation. ‘Because of climate change, the lives of people are becoming more and more vulnerable. Planting trees is one of the ways to address what is happening. The trees can absorb carbon dioxide. This means that if we cover the world with trees, it will reduce the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.’ Haiti Survie is also planting tree seeds, from which they hope to produce 60,000 saplings in four nurseries around Anse-a-Pitres for redistribution to families in the community. A variety of species are being grown, including mangoes, grapefruits and avocados. This means that within five years, the families that own them can harvest the fruit and supplement their income. Christian Aid believes that this holistic approach, taking into account both the physical environment and economic regeneration, is the only way that Haiti will be able to truly ‘build back better.’
How the numbers add up HAITI IS THE 145TH POOREST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, standing between Angola and Senegal on the United Nations Human Development Index.
POPULATION: 10 MILLION Earthquakeaffected population: 2 million Destroyed or partially damaged houses: 188,383
Displaced people in settlement sites: 1.3 million
H AI
TI
People migrating from West (Port-auPrince) department: 661,000 Spontaneous settlement sites: 1,191 Damaged/ destroyed schools: 4,758
CHRISTIAN AID’S RESPONSE IN 2010 210,000 hot meals provided. 2,000 households received
More than 10,000
dry food or cash vouchers to buy food. 1,800 households supported with emergency shelters, ranging from construction materials to temporary shelters. 5,600+ households received cash to meet their basic needs (benefiting at least 28,000 individuals). 1,000+ households received cash to start or
hygiene kits distributed. 1,200 people received water-purification tablets. 600 received water containers. 1,000 gallons of water distributed. 7,200 individuals received psychosocial support. 1,600 individuals received agricultural support, ranging from tools and seeds to livestock and training.
regenerate a small business.
CHRISTIAN AID’S LONGER-TERM PLANS INCLUDE: • Repairing 150 houses and building 370 permanent, hurricane- and quakeresistant houses.
• Awareness-raising for 20,000 on their right to access secure housing.
• Training 250 people in construction trades, from masonry to carpentry.
• Awareness-raising on protecting the environment for 5,000, including community tree nurseries.
• 1,200 people will receive training in agriculture, livestock, fisheries and fruit-processing units.
• 90 people will receive full training on disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction.
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NEWS We meet a man who knows a thing or two about protest… It‘s not every day you get to meet an icon of the United States civil rights protest movement, and Christian Aid staff, volunteers and supporters made the most of the opportunity when the Rev Jesse Jackson lent his powers of oratory to our Supporter Event on 20 October last year. Rev Jackson joined our parliamentary lobby in the bright autumn sunshine, along with 1,500 campaigners. The full story of the day is on page 14, and you can also listen in to Revd Jackson and other speakers on iTunes – http://bit.ly/caglobal
FILMS SCOOP AWARDS FILMS FUNDED BY CTRL.ALT.SHIFT, Christian Aid’s youth arm, have won critical accolades at the British Film Institute’s Young Film Makers for Development Day. Back in 2008, Ctrl.Alt.Shift launched a film competition, inviting aspiring filmmakers to write a treatment for a short film about one of three global issues – war and peace, gender and power or HIV and stigma. Winners went on to have their treatments made into films with the funding and support provided. Two of these films, HIV: The Musical and War School, were shown as part of the week-long ‘We the Peoples’ Film Festival, at the BFI Southbank. Organised by the United Nations Association, Westminster, the free festival was put on for young film enthusiasts interested in global development issues to explore, debate and raise awareness on a range of issues through films, photography, Q&As, workshops and performances. Platform2, the volunteer scheme run by Christian Aid and funded by the Department for International Development, also invited volunteers to take to the stage. Audiences were asked to vote for their favourite film and winners were announced at an awards ceremony at the end of the day. In the Youth Film category, War School came first and HIV: The Musical came second. For more details on Ctrl.Alt.Shift or to view the winning films, visit www. ctrlaltshift.co.uk/article/short-filmsonline
AID REACHES PAKISTAN FLOOD VICTIMS PAKISTAN IT’S BEEN SIX MONTHS since floods brought death and destruction to Pakistan. The numbers of people affected exceed 21 million, more than the toll from the 2004 tsunami and the Haiti and Kashmir earthquakes combined, according to the UN. Some 2,000 people lost their lives and five million remain homeless. Funds raised by the Christian Aid appeal have topped £3m. Other sources of funding, including the DEC, take that figure to almost £4.4m. With the help of these generous
donations Christian Aid and its partners have exceeded planned distributions. This has meant continued and sustained help in the form of food, shelter and medical assistance. Through our ACT Alliance partners, Christian Aid has helped fund distribution of a month’s ration of food to 23,000 families, 9,000 households have received tents and essential household supplies, and mobile health clinics have provided healthcare to almost 100,000 people. In the worst-affected province, Sindh, where floods swept away 650,000 homes, Christian Aid has provided
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Christian Aid/Adrian Horsman
3,000 households (up to 24,000 people) with tents, plastic sheets and food. One villager said: ‘I was left with nothing. This has been the best food package and can support us for a month and more. I do not have to take a loan for my monthly ration now.’ A mobile health unit run by Christian Aid partner CWS has also been operational in these areas, providing much-needed healthcare and assistance. Work has also begun to provide vouchers for agricultural products and to set up small shops so families can start providing for themselves again. Talks are also underway about a housing project to build more resistant homes than existed before the floods in two villages in Sindh of mixed religion – Muslim, Hindu and Christian. You can still help us respond to the devastating floods in Pakistan. Call 08080 004 004 or go to www.christianaid.org.uk/emergencies
CHRISTIAN AID is taking its core message on the road with the launch this month of its Poverty Over Cathedral Tour. Starting in Southwark Cathedral, London, from 17-31 January, the tour features a photo exhibition of the work of up to eight Christian Aid partners, and includes a specially commissioned Poverty Over sculpture by artist Mel Howse (pictured right with the work), paid for by a sponsor. The tour also includes options for musical evenings, a youth night and it’s hoped the exhibition will be a focus for school visits to learn about poverty and development. The tour is scheduled to visit St Albans, Durham and Canterbury Cathedrals, with more dates lined up. Canon Geoff Daintree, churches relations manager at Christian Aid, said: ‘We plan to go to as many of our 42 cathedrals as possible, as well as city churches in Scotland and Ireland, and the tour will go on into 2012. The sculpture will then be sold
Geoff Daintree
THE TOUR
at the end, generating extra funds for Christian Aid. The intention is to give members of the Church of England an opportunity to hear afresh about our work: how we work, what we do, where our key emphasis lies – and, specifically, to promote the thinking behind Poverty Over.’ Mel Howse is a British artist, based in West Sussex. Her work is largely in glass, metalwork and enamel, and includes the stained-glass window installed in Lancing College Chapel, as a memorial to The Rt Rev Trevor Huddleston. See www.melhowse.co.uk
Church insurer to support Christian Aid Week TO MARK ITS SUPPORT for Christian Aid Week 2011, specialist church insurer Ecclesiastical is to donate 50p to Christian Aid Week for every name, address and home insurance renewal date it receives per household from supporters and volunteers around the country. Ecclesiastical is also supplying our collectors with bright red ‘bags for life’ to help collectors in the run-up to and during Christian Aid Week. The bags will be available for organisers to order from January to May. Commenting on Ecclesiastical’s support, Loretta Minghella, director of Christian Aid, said: ‘We’re delighted by
this initiative from Ecclesiastical Home Insurance. It’s a great way to raise money for some of the world’s poorest people as part of Christian Aid Week.’ Christian Aid volunteers and supporters can give their home insurance details to Ecclesiastical by calling Freephone 0800 917 4154 or by filling in the online form at www.ecclesiastical.com/caw
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NEWS
PICTURES OF LILY
THAILAND ACTRESS AND MODEL Lily Cole fronted Christian Aid’s Christmas 2010 appeal to highlight the plight of 42 million refugees and displaced people worldwide. As reported in the Autumn issue of Christian Aid News, few in the world have more precarious situations than the Burmese refugees, who have been fleeing their homeland for the past 26 years because of conflict and human rights abuses. Unable to settle permanently in Thailand, many are also not able to receive UN refugee status to resettle permanently elsewhere. Christian Aid-funded organisations
such as the Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) help an estimated 145,000 refugees to live in nine camps along the border. TBBC provides food and shelter, but the refugees manage camp life and food distributions. Lily was only the second high-profile individual, after actress Angelina Jolie, to visit the Nai Soi Camp in Mae Hong Son, Thailand, three miles from the Burmese border. The camp houses 15,000 refugees. Lily saw charcoal and food distributions, visited a camp school for students her age, and met men and women who are being trained in skills to enable them to earn an income in this enclosed environment. ‘It’s been one of the most moving
trips of my life, and I was very inspired by the work I saw and the people I met,’ said Lily. ‘Christian Aid offers these refugees hope and some semblance of normality. The shelter and food programmes are essentially keeping 145,000 people alive every day, and Christian Aid is one of the organisations enabling that. I’m very proud to be supporting the charity.’ Lily wrote an article on her trip for The Observer magazine, was interviewed by Eamonn Holmes on Sky News Sunrise and accounts of her visit appeared in Hello!, The Sun and more than 220 regional newspapers. Watch Lily’s video reports from Burma on YouTube – http://bit.ly/canlilycole
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KENYA
Christian Aid/Kate Tomlinson
IN JULY 2010, Kenyan organisation Maji na Ufanisi (MNU) began work with the Matopeni community to construct new drains in the small slum. By December they had laid five feeder channels and a 650-metre main drain to carry sewage away from the settlement. For the first time since families settled in the area 14 years ago, the community celebrated Christmas without the fear that their children would fall ill with diseases caused by poor sanitation. The community’s own commitment has been integral to completing the drains. MNU recruits labourers from within the settlements where it works: with a vested interest, people work hard on these projects while earning an income and learning new skills to help them secure employment in the future. Hosiah Maina Njogu is a mason who has lived in Matopeni for five years. He is foreman on the project, guiding the work of other community members.
RWANDA
THE FOUNDER of a Christian Aid partner organisation that supports women widowed during the Rwandan genocide has been named the winner of the Guardian’s international development achievement award. Odette Kayirere helped establish the Association of Widows of the Rwandan Genocide (AVEGA) in 1994 to support the thousands of female genocide survivors who were bereaved and, in many cases, left destitute by the killings. With Christian Aid’s help, AVEGA has rebuilt more than 350 houses for widows and supported women who contracted HIV after being raped during the genocide.
‘They like to work because they know they are doing it for themselves,’ said Hosiah. ‘Our motto is to make sure we develop among ourselves.’ With the drains completed, the community will now work with MNU to lay water pipes and install taps to bring clean water to the settlement. Matopeni has never had a legal supply of water, but community members and MNU have met with the Nairobi Water Company, which will provide a connection once this work is finished. Read the Matopeni diaries online at http://bit.ly/canmatopeni
SUDAN
Southern Sudan votes on its future ChristianAnaid/Antoinette Powell
Award for partner
Hosiah Maina Njogu
Matopeni: the drain takes the strain
THIS MONTH southern Sudan votes in a referendum on independence, which is the culmination of a six-year peace process ending decades of civil war between the country’s north and south. The vote will decide whether southern Sudan remains united with the north or separates to form a new state. The decision will have enormous consequences and so it is critical that the referendum is held in a credible
way that is free and fair. Many are concerned about insecurity across southern Sudan and in camps for the internally displaced in the north. People need urgent assurances that any violence will be addressed and that their rights will be protected. The referendum and the months that follow it will be a critical time for ensuring a peaceful and secure future for all Sudanese. Sudan’s leaders will need the support of the international community throughout the process. Christian Aid supports partners in Sudan to promote peace at a local level and improve essential services such as education so communities see tangible benefits of the country’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement. You can see more photos from Sudan on Flickr – http://bit.ly/cansudan
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CAMPAIGNS
GET THE WORLD BANK OUT OF FOSSIL FUELS The World Bank is charged with helping the poor, yet it’s funding huge fossil-fuel power plants that threaten to accelerate climate change and drive the poor even deeper into poverty. As the World Bank reviews its energy strategy, Christian Aid is calling for an end to loans for fossil fuels and new investment in a low-carbon energy future that lifts people out of poverty and protects the poor from the effects of climate change
Christian Aid/Richard Swingler
CHRIS MATSILELE watched a European Champions League match on Wednesday night on his television, and on Friday he eagerly awaited a soccer talk show on e-Shibobo. Instead, he was left in the darkness of his shack in the evening. There was no electricity. It infuriates him. The price of electricity
in Capricorn, his township near Cape Town in South Africa, means he has to buy prepaid electricity vouchers – when he can afford to. Matsilele’s energy poverty is a problem faced by more than 1.4 billion people across the developing world, who lack access to electricity. And 2.7 billion people – some 40 per cent of the global population – rely on the traditional use of biomass for cooking. This keeps them trapped in poverty – a poverty which is getting worse because of the impact climate change is having on the developing world. According to Talent Chitubura, another resident of Capricorn, ‘There is no cheaper and safer alternative available to us. If the government was to give incentives for using any gadgets that
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convert sunlight into electricity, or safe gas-powered appliances, many people would opt for it.’
THE WORLD BANK AND FOSSIL FUELS But for the residents of Capricorn, reliable and affordable electricity remains a distant dream. That’s because the World Bank, the global institution tasked with lifting the poor out of poverty, is funding large fossil-fuel power plants that do little to address the energy needs of the poor and accelerate the climate change that hits the poor the hardest. In fact, World Bank funding for coal power stations has soared 40-fold over the past five years to hit a record high of £2.8bn in 2010. For the residents of Capricorn, this means that instead of the cheap, renewable energy they need, the World Bank is providing a £2.2bn loan for the giant Eskom coal-fired power station, which will generate subsidised energy for big business at the expense of the poor. Eskom itself admits a ‘typical township household’ such as those in Capricorn will have to pay two to three times more a month. Meanwhile the new plant will emit an estimated 25 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, and damage the air, water and health of local communities. Bishop Geoff Davies of Cape Town, who took a lead role in civil society protests against Eskom last spring, says the World Bank’s policy has to change. ‘The World Bank has no ethical position to continue financing the destruction of the planet’s climate by funding coal generation. We believe a sustainable energy future is possible if we put power in the hands of the people.’ It’s the Eskom experience, currently being rolled out across the developing world, which informs Christian Aid’s new campaign to get the World Bank out of funding fossil fuels and into investing in clean, affordable energy for the poor. Sarah Whittington, climate campaign manager for Christian Aid, explains: ‘The World Bank’s current energy policy consists mainly of large-scale fossil-fuel projects delivered by the private sector, an approach that has often failed to provide energy to poor communities or reduce poverty. These projects now threaten to worsen the lives of poor people living in a changing
As a Christian organisation concerned with poverty we can’t stand by while the World Bank puts developing countries further into debt
climate by emitting more carbon into the atmosphere. ‘As a Christian organisation concerned with poverty we can’t stand by while the World Bank puts developing countries further into debt, locking them into reliance on fossil fuels for decades to come. We need to start by asking our government to ensure the World Bank is using our taxes to help eradicate poverty, not make it worse.’
THERE IS A BETTER WAY Christian Aid knows from experience that there is a better way. The village of Rampura in Uttar Pradesh, India, provides a working example of how poor communities can lift themselves out of energy poverty while contributing to a clean-energy future. Two years ago Rampura had no access to electricity. Now, thanks to a new solar project managed by the community, a small flour mill has been set up providing work, and education facilities in the village have also improved – key to ending poverty. Ten-year-old Shanno, a student at the village’s primary school, says: ‘Solar power is a blessing as we can now also study at night time. Most children in our village attend the primary school built on the panchayat (village council) land
Capricorn residents protest against the Eskom plans
next to the solar power station. And the computer training centre set up next door draws kids to school every day.’ Renewable-energy sources are abundant in the developing world, and have a significant potential to help countries meet their growing needs. Christian Aid believes that the World Bank has a chance to play a vital role in the shift to a low-carbon energy future.
WHY NOW? The World Bank is currently reviewing the energy projects that it supports in developing countries. Christian Aid partners from India, South Africa, Peru and Bolivia have been campaigning in Washington, Brussels, London and other European capitals and demanding that rich-country governments support an end to World Bank investment in fossil fuels. Now is your chance to join campaigners around the world and Christian Aid partners in the fight for climate justice. Please send the postcard enclosed in this issue of Christian Aid News to Andrew Mitchell, International Development Secretary. Ask him to put pressure on the World Bank as it reviews its energy policy to help poor countries move towards a low-carbon future and an end to poverty.
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CAMPAIGNS
THE DAY WE A SPOKE TOGETH WHAT A DAY! On 20 October 2010 more than 1,500 Christian Aid supporters travelled the length and breadth of Britain to join together in London to worship, learn, lobby Parliament and reaffirm our commitment to a world free from poverty. Supporters were joined by civil rights icon Rev Jesse Jackson, voices from the global south and a ‘circus of the invisible’ from our youth wing Ctrl.Alt.Shift. We realised again the impact we can have when we all speak together. With more than 170 MPs lobbied, many of them new, we have made sure that development issues are at the top of our MPs’ minds as we enter a very difficult period. The day began with a truly inspiring rally and worship. Susan Matale from Zambia issued a rallying cry from the global south, echoed by Paul Brannen, head of Advocacy and Influence at Christian Aid. We also heard from the Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell, about the government’s decision to protect the aid budget during a time of cuts. Commenting on the lobby, he said later: ‘One should never forget the extent of the passion and drive that the brilliant NGOs like Christian Aid bring to this agenda.’ Then, of course, there was the Reverend Jesse Jackson. Meeting a campaigner of such stature is slightly daunting for anyone but a large juniorschool group from the south coast took it in their stride, practically mobbing him as he joined the lobby queue outside Parliament! When one of the children who attended was interviewed on BBC
Christian Aid
Senior campaigns officer Laura Trevelyan looks back at the day Christian Aid took its messages on poverty to the heart of the government
Radio the following day she gave the event 100 out of 10! The morning was an opportunity for us all to join together to learn from each other and our partners from the south before we descended on Parliament to meet our MPs. And descend we did. Parliament was awash with Christian Aid red and white – so much so that the entrance to Portcullis House, where most MPs have their offices, was overrun with Christian Aid balloons. Although it was a very cold day people stood outside Parliament for up to two hours waiting for their MPs, relieved only by the tea and coffee handed out by Christian Aid staff. This determination was a humbling sight and reminded us
how amazing our supporters are. The lobby drew attention from everyone in the area and there was one passer-by who, upon learning why we were there, called and asked his MP to come out and meet him there and then – true democracy in action! Together we put international development on the agenda on the day of the government’s spending review and a question about our campaign was put to David Cameron at Prime Minster’s Questions by Ayr Labour MP Sandra Osborne, who asked him if he agreed that the UK should be leading a global crackdown on tax-dodging. His succinct reply: ‘I do.’ And speaking to the House of
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ALL THER
Supporters fly the flag at the parliamentary lobby – with help from Rev Jesse Jackson
Commons International Development Committee, former prime minister Gordon Brown said: ‘Christian Aid has launched a major campaign about the extent to which tax avoidance in developing countries prevents expenditures that could eradicate many of the diseases that we’re talking about.’ On 20 October we were visible and vocal in our call for an end to poverty. Well done to everyone involved.
An amazing day! It was the first Christian Aid action I’ve been involved with and it was totally inspiring Rev Helen Hayes
HELP US TO TRACE THE TAX Christian Aid is stepping up its efforts to recruit some big private-sector players to support our tax campaign – and we still need your help to do so VODAFONE, UNILEVER, TUI Travel and Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) are four top-performing FTSE 100 companies which Christian Aid believes can play a big role in ending the tax secrecy that keeps poor countries in poverty. All we ask of these companies is that they support publicly a new accounting standard on country-bycountry reporting – as private sector support is key to getting such a standard introduced. Country-by-country reporting would require multinationals to report on their profits made and taxes paid in every country where they operate, thereby helping developing countries to detect tax dodging, which is currently costing them US$160bn a year by Christian Aid’s estimates. We are hoping to persuade these companies to support our campaign because all four have gone on record saying they take their corporate social responsibility seriously. We are not accusing any of the companies of dodging tax themselves. Christian Aid supporters have already sent thousands of postcards, emails and text messages to the four companies since the campaign’s launch in September. So far, Vodafone and
Unilever have shown a willingness to engage with us even if they do not (yet) support our call. Unilever has also replied to many who have written. The response from TUI Travel and IHG has been less constructive to date. Please add your voice – and the voices of your churches and local groups – to this important campaign. • Email Vodafone and Unilever and sign our online petition to TUI Travel and IHG. Go to www.christianaid.org.uk/ actnow • Send a postcard to each of the four. Tel 0870 078 7788 to order free copies. • Order our new Trace the Tax action pack. This includes a DVD to show to your group, and explains what actions you can take locally. Tel 0870 078 7788 or email campaigns@christian-aid.org • Text messages to Vodafone. Why not get all your church or group to text simultaneously, on 07585 983201? • Collect holiday postcards and snaps from your congregation to send to TUI Travel, and packaging from household items to send to Unilever – with a short message attached. • Organise a simple stunt outside your local Holiday Inn (owned by IHG). You can order props from our campaigns team. Tel 020 7523 2264.
CARBON UPDATING AT THE 20 OCTOBER lobby hundreds of Christian Aid supporters asked their MPs to write to Caroline Spelman, Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). They were calling on her to introduce mandatory reporting of carbon emissions for all UK-listed companies. This was in addition to the 75,000 Christian Aid supporters who have already written to the government on this issue. Now a recent report by DEFRA shows
that more than half the companies surveyed said reporting was beneficial for their business. So, the public have called for it, businesses say it helps them – all that is missing is the political will to make mandatory reporting a reality. DEFRA has stated it will decide on this issue in early 2011, so there is still time to put pressure on – call 020 7523 2264 to order campaign actions or visit www.christianaid.org.uk/actnow/ climate-justice
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INTERVIEW
‘GLOBAL PROBLEMS T NEED GLOBAL SOLUT In office, Gordon Brown’s government introduced the world’s first climate change law, forced the G20 to confront the damage tax dodging does to the developing world and committed 0.7 per cent of the UK’s national income to international aid. Although he is now out of office, the needs of poorer countries are still uppermost in his mind. News editor Andrew Hogg and communications officer Kathryn Irwin caught up with Mr Brown after he had visited Christian Aid projects in India AFTER THE CUT AND THRUST of government and exposure to some of the world’s most intractable problems, there is something reassuring about a leading politician who can still proclaim his belief in a ‘moral universe’. That politician, however, is church minister’s son Gordon Brown, a man who has never made a secret of the importance of the spiritual side of his
upbringing. Since being voted out of office eight months ago, he has kept a low public profile, but is emerging now, increasingly, to champion the fight against global poverty. His concern for the world’s poor saw him travel to India in November, visiting a Christian Aid partner seeking an end to discrimination against dalits. Interviewed by Christian Aid on his
return, he was clear that he saw many of the modern world’s ills as stemming from a lack of moral resolve. ‘We are one moral universe but we don’t always prove that in the way that we reach decisions on matters that affect everybody in the world,’ he said. ‘So we have all these global problems, climate change, security, financial stability, poverty and inequality, all massive injustices and inequalities – global problems that need global solutions.’ Mr Brown’s introduction to the world’s ills came as a child when he and two brothers were recruited by their mother, Elizabeth, to help with an anti-hunger campaign supported by his father’s church in Kirkcaldy. Christian Aid Week too was ‘a very important part of the calendar’ for the Brown family, which
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Akanksha Joshi
Gordon Brown is greeted on his visit to Bhalswa in Delhi. Inset, opposite: Mr Brown on a walking tour of the slum
S THAT UTIONS’
went collecting door-to-door. Even in Downing Street, Mr Brown could not escape his mother’s exhortations to help the poor, receiving from her, while chancellor, a Christian Aid debt-cancellation petition. ‘Don’t waste a stamp in replying,’ she wrote, not because she thought the cause hopeless, but from a natural sense of thrift. Mr Brown has frequently cited his parents as the inspiration for his career and his ‘moral compass’. Unsurprisingly, he strongly advocates investment in the young as the way to a better world. To that end he is working with the World Wide Web Foundation to provide health and education throughout Africa via the internet and mobile phones, allowing access to information that previously would have been
There are photos and a film from Gordon Brown’s visit to Christian Aid partner NACDOR on our website. Go to www.christianaid.org.uk/gordon-brown
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unobtainable without ‘building libraries or buying educational materials’. He is also working with the Global Campaign on Education on a major report on ways to meet the Millennium Development Goals on schooling and education. ‘I want to spend a lot of my time making it possible for young people to have a chance for their potential to be realised through education and through employment,’ he said. In India, in the Delhi slum of Bhalswa, where many inhabitants earn a meagre living picking through the city’s main municipal tip on their doorstep, he visited a project making real efforts to provide training and employment for the young. Christian Aid partner the National Conference of Dalit Organisations (NACDOR) has persuaded local employer the North Delhi Power Company, a subsidiary of the hugely powerful Tata group, to provide training as electricians, and in some cases jobs, to 20 dalit youngsters. The only prospect of employment for dalits, who are marginalised and outside of the Indian caste system, is usually the most menial or unpleasant of jobs, which in Bhalswa generally means the tip. The scheme is a model, albeit fairly small, of how the private sector can engage with social exclusion to tackle poverty. ‘These young people were really fired up by enthusiasm, but living in the most appalling conditions,’ said Mr Brown. ‘It is very important that a company as prestigious as Tata is prepared to take an interest. I hope this model can expand and I would call on other corporate businesses to think of joining projects such as this.’ To those questioning the necessity of providing aid, particularly during a recession, Mr Brown’s response was unequivocal. ‘It’s one world. What happens in the slums in the poorest country on the poorest continent can directly affect what happens to the richest person in the richest city in Britain. In India, the truth is that if we do not provide help with education and health then it is not necessarily the case that the growth taking place is going to help those who are less fortunate.’ Mr Brown had another message for the private sector, in voicing his support for Christian Aid’s campaign to highlight how tax dodging by companies trading across borders deprives poorer
What happens in the slums in the poorest country on the poorest continent can directly affect what happens to the richest person in the richest city in Britain countries of vital revenue. ‘It is pro business to say that good companies should not be undercut by bad companies breaking the rules or avoiding their responsibilities unethically,’ he said. ‘Good companies are put at risk by other companies which try to use either tax avoidance or tax evasion or tax havens as a means of gaining unfair advantage, so business requires ethical standards as well. ‘These values don’t come from the market itself, they come from churches, teachers, schools, communities – from the people themselves demanding that proper standards be observed.’ Adding that automatic exchange of information between tax jurisdictions, which would remove the secrecy offered by tax havens, should be ‘an aim for the future’, he dismissed fears that this would create security problems with some governments misusing the information. ‘What you need then is proper transparency and proper supervision and regulation. It shouldn’t be used as a pretext for evading your responsibility,’ he said. The answer to corruption, he added, ‘is the torchlight of transparency, when you open up areas that have been closed to public scrutiny for years’. Finally, reflecting on the international community’s failure to agree a global climate deal, he returned to his ‘moral’ theme. ‘This is where Christian Aid and organisations that represent the idea that there is one moral universe can have a huge impact. ‘The issue in the 21st century is about making a reality, after centuries of conflict and suspicion between nations, of a global compact to do things together.’
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The fight against poverty covers a wide range of issues. Over the next five pages, Christian Aid writers report on how the battle is being waged across three fronts – rights, climate change adaptation and energy, and tax – and record some notable achievements…
OUR VISION
‘MY HOPE IS THAT NOBODY DOES SUCH WORK AGAIN’ Back in 2009, Christian Aid News reported on a campaign in India to end ‘the world’s worst job’ – the widespread practice of manual scavenging by which mostly dalit women scoop up other people’s excrement from dry latrines. As 2011 begins, Johanna Rogers reveals that the campaign is producing remarkable results 2010 WAS AN IMPORTANT YEAR for the Christian Aid-funded Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA) campaign. It was the year it aimed to eradicate completely manual scavenging from India. It may not have wiped it out totally – yet – but it has gone a long way towards achieving this goal. SKA is a national movement in India committed to liberating people from the humiliating occupation. Traditionally imposed as a form of discrimination upon certain dalit sub-caste groups, it still exists in many states throughout India despite being banned since 1993. SKA works in communities to help people find other work and puts pressure on local authorities to enforce the 1993 law and provide rehabilitation and dignified alternative work. In October, dalits, manual scavengers, former manual scavengers, activists, civil society and community members took part in a month-long bus convoy
through dalit villages in 172 districts in 20 states across India to encourage those still engaged in the practice of manual scavenging to leave their jobs. The campaign mobilised 1,000 liberated manual scavengers to assemble at an impressive mass rally in Delhi, in early November, to share their experiences about their suffering and indignity and demand alternate jobs and rehabilitation from the government. Numbers have reduced dramatically since SKA began in 1999. Unofficial figures state that, in 2000, 1.3 million people worked as manual scavengers. SKA’s most recent surveys last year found 300,000 – and confirm some 800 of these have quit since the rally. SKA have since met with numerous government officials, indeed recently the National Advisory Council, headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, adopted a resolution to help end manual scavenging and have officially
Duige Christian Aid/Elaine
THE WORLD’S WORST JOB
To find out more about Poverty Over, see www. christianaid.org.uk
is successfully challenging a system that ensnares the poorest
T asked the government to consider the measures. In November the matter was discussed in Parliament. At the time of going to print, Christian Aid and SKA were still awaiting the government’s response to their demands. We will keep you updated, and please keep an eye on the Christian Aid website. Christian Aid has supported the SKA campaign from the outset, as part of its wider programme to address the root causes of poverty in India – namely discrimination and exclusion of people because of their caste, ethnicity, religion, gender or disability. Our work to help these and other socially excluded communities continues with our many partners in India, and in November the BBC’s Today programme covered the issue of manual scavenging, in a visit facilitated by SKA. This prompted many listener inquiries and donations. Former manual scavenger Saroj, from Haryana, told the rally how she fell from a ladder and the collected excreta fell over her. The house owners refused to help her get up, only pushing her with a stick, due to untouchability. ‘It was more painful to understand that nobody was willing to come close to me in such a miserable situation than the pain I had from my injuries. ‘I used to feel I was working in dirt. When I stopped doing this work I felt good, it was like a rebirth. My hope is that nobody does such work again.’ Arthur
Saroj (second left) and other former manual scavengers celebrate their ‘liberation’. Inset: how Christian Aid News ran the story in 2009
purpose. United Nations secretary-general Right: two manual that people living in Ban Ki-moon recently poverty are stated there was ‘no scavengers at work better rewarded for their question’ that poverty could be ended. It cleaning out dry latrines. economic activity would require ‘an unswerving, And, yes, those baskets collective, ● enabling people living long-term effort’. in poverty really do contain what you to realise entitlements Ultimately, only people to health, think they do can change education, water and politics, and only people can end poverty. reproductive-health Only a global movement services of people who care ● the promotion of responsive, can change politics radically enough to representative and accountable defeat poverty. governments to fight The public has been corruption in mobilised to fight poor countries poverty before. But the Make Poverty ● providing security History campaign of from violence 2005 was limited, and access to justice set up to focus attention on poverty for ● ending extremes of one year only. inequality and discrimination. Now Christian Aid is opening a dialogue A new global movement with partners, supporters, is allies, leading needed to make these development thinkers, changes a businesses, the reality, to bring an end general public and government to poverty. to Some feel there is no identify the new models political will and ways of to end poverty, that poverty thinking that can take us from global will always be with us. Yet crisis to global solutions. politicians can and The scale of our ambition do act: look how they must match recently pumped billions the scale of global poverty. into It has long been shoring up their economies. clear that poverty could not be eradicated When the scale of emergency without unprecedent ed change. That is understood, politicians change must include: find the will to act. They need to do so now. ● urgent action to combat If real climate change progress is to be made, and to equip poor countries to cope with fundamental changes its impact in the global, ● an end to tax-dodging national and local structures by international that create and embed business, which costs poverty developing countries are essential. around US$160 billion a year in lost tax Christian Aid’s determinatio ● making the system of finance more n to end poverty is driven transparent and supportive by the of real economic Christian activity, and of people belief that the work of living in poverty building the Kingdom ● making internationa of God l and national markets proclaimed and started and economies more by Jesus is just and inclusive, so championed and continued by his followers today. Challenging the unjust structures that cause poverty is absolutely central to that ongoing Christian Aid is campaign work. ing in We urge you to join Kpachelo us. The India to end the degrading Village, opportunity for change may never practice of manual scavengin northern be more real. Together we must g. Ghana seize the moment and Kathryn Irwin reports ensure that on a poverty is over, forever. movement that
Christian Aid/Olivia
RIGHTS
Christian Aid/Johanna Rogers
FRONTLINE
Daleep Mukarji, director, Christian Aid
ODAY, LIKE every day, thousands of women in India will set out to do a job that has been passed down from grandmother to mother and from mother to daughter. They will set off for work with a cane basket and an A5-sized piece of cardboard, metal or plastic. Today, like every day, thousands of
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women will clear human faeces from In India, Christian Aid homes and businesses, works with scoop it into their partners to bring about baskets and carry it to structural and dumping sites. economic changes by These women wear addressing the no masks to protect t social exclusion and themselves from the injustice that keeps noxious, vomitpeople trapped in inhuman, inducing smells, nor poorly paid gloves to protect g jobs such as manual themselves and their scavenging. We are families from the o supporting a national real risk of diseases. movement called o the Safai Karmachari These women are India’s Andolan (SKA) to estimated 1.3 n challenge the system million safai that ensnares th karmachari or generations of ‘We need one last b manual scavengers. families in this monumental push to Manual occupation. see bu this occupation consigne scavenging is the Since its formation d em practice of to the history books’ in 1986, SKA has em employing a section engaged in a fo of society to clear other protracted struggle people’s go to liberate and restore excrement from dry dignity and rights latrines. The reh to those employed as so-called dry latrines manual are toilets that are live scavengers. Today, the not plumbed into a sewerage movement has system, so wa galvanised activists drawn that the excrement and from the safai urine has to be ma karmachari communitie scooped up manually s across 18 states from the floor and ‘I lik in India. And it has had carried away. success. nev Following a long-running Manual scavenging campaign, is linked to the I mo SKA and others have caste system and the successfully vast majority of B influenced the ending those involved in it are of the practice in dalit women who, dom the southern Indian states at the lowest level of of Andhra the caste hierarchy, left m Pradesh, Tamil Nadu pass the occupation and Karnataka. Now down from mon SKA has trained its sights generation to generation. on India’s They get the work northern states and set lowest wages and live a deadline of 31 in utter poverty, dom December 2010 for the facing daily humiliation total eradication and earn of manual scavenging. discrimination. It is this deeply rooted respe In 1993, the Indian government pattern of exclusion that contributes to passed In D legislation prohibiting the continuing high levels manual of poverty. rally scavenging and the use of dry latrines, so rallyin
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aeces from oop it into their ping sites. sks to protect us, vomitto protect es from the
Help us lobby Gordo n over climate chang e
Teens work to raise awareness of HIV
Can you run pover ty into the ground?
Christian Aid/Johanna Rogers
A NEW MARCH FOR JUSTICE 2011 IS SET TO BE a busy year for Christian Aid partner Ekta Parishad as it prepares hundreds of communities for a year-long, non-violent protest to demand land justice for the landless FRONTLINE poor in India. In 2007, Ekta Parishad mobilised 25,000 landless people from India’s poorest groups for the 18-day Janadesh march ending in Delhi. The non-violent protest called for the Indian government to improve policies and implement laws granting land ownership to the landless. In response, the government set up two committees to look into land reform. And although 687,000 new registrations for land claims have been generated since – with 11,000 successful claims being made to forest land for Adivasis families in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh – overall, progress on land rights has been slow, hence the plans now being made to step up the campaign. Following the historic 2007 march, in October this year, Jan Satyagraha 2012 will be launched with 1,000 young and poor protesters setting out from Orissa to demand that the Indian government
Christian Aid/Elaine
Duigenan
Stories from around the world showing how Christian Aid and its partners are working to bring an end to poverty – and empower people to shape a better future
In India, Christian Aid works with SKA is seeking its full partners to bring about implementation – structural and going to court, if necessary, economic changes by to ensure addressing the that states and districts social exclusion and comply. injustice that keeps ‘We have lobbied and people trapped in inhuman, pressurised state poorly paid governments and local jobs such as manual administrative scavenging. We are officials to implement supporting a national the 1993 Act. And movement called our efforts have borne the Safai Karmachari fruit. Now we Andolan (SKA) to estimated 1.3 need one last monumenta challenge the system l push to see that ensnares this occupation consigned to the history generations of e need one last books,’ said Bezwada Wilson of SKA. families in this SKA’s campaign Action numental push to see 2010 aims to occupation. build the self-esteem occupation consigne of women Since its formation d employed as manual scavengers and he history books’ in 1986, SKA has empower them to leave the job once and engaged in a for all. SKA helps them to access protracted struggle e’s government resources to liberate and restore aimed at dignity and rights The rehabilitation and to to those employed as find alternative manual ts that are livelihoods. Two years scavengers. Today, the ago, Bharati Devi movement has system, so was encouraged to leave galvanised activists drawn her job as a from the safai has to be manual scavenger by karmachari communitie an SKA activist. s across 18 states e floor and ‘I liked the conversation in India. And it has had with her. I had success. never thought of leaving Following a long-running the work… now campaign, to the I motivate other people SKA and others have to do the same.’ successfully ority of Bharati now earns a influenced the ending living as a of the practice in omen who, domestic help and is the southern Indian states proud that she has of Andhra hierarchy, left manual scavenging. Pradesh, Tamil Nadu ‘Earlier the and Karnataka. Now m money was less, there SKA has trained its sights was no dignity in on India’s get the work. But now, although northern states and set the work as a a deadline of 31 overty, domestic is more strenuous, December 2010 for the I am able to total eradication earn more money, as of manual scavenging. well as command ooted respect,’ she continues. In 1993, the Indian government passed utes to In December 2009, SKA legislation prohibiting plans a mass manual verty. rally in New Delhi which scavenging and the will act as a use of dry latrines, so rallying call for the fi nal push in 2010. Christian Aid News
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Body Shop axes supplier over evictions The Body Shop has severed ties with the company that supplied the raw materials for its soap products after Christian Aid E LOS RS ME FAR highlighted abuses OUT IN BATTLE NEWS
EastEnders star Joe Swash and The Apprentice winner Tim Campbell recover from their run
FOR PALM OIL
COLOMBIA
8 Christian Aid News
Picture: Cesar Moreno Pinzon
and is saw his house torn down with no land currently living in a tent Europeans who to cultivate. ‘We want from palm are using products made us,’ he said. ‘The oil to collaborate with say are products which companies are being produced fairly and securely people off our produced by throwing It belongs to land where we were born. here.’ us. We have our families to the 123 Sadly, what happened is far from families of Las Pavas government unique. The Colombian de Bolivar, an widespread IT IS harvest time in Sur is eagerly pursuing the northern of a key region as palm extremely fertile cultivation of African 123 peasant strategy. Colombia. But for the plank of its development cultivating food in soap families who have been As well as being used ranch for more er in crops on a 2,700-acre products and as an emulsifi is nothing to reap. from African than a decade, there processed food, the oil off this land into a In July, they were thrown palm can also be converted Organic, a Daabon after lucrative police highly a by riot biofuel. This is for the Body the Colombian major Colombian supplier market and one which order to remove is keen to exploit to Shop, obtained a court by Christian government earnings. them, an incident highlighted generate foreign exchange Observer. Alvaro Uribe, Aid and reported by the Colombia’s president, the land in he would like Daabon Organic bought has stated publicly that palm. The oil African palm order to grow African to see the area under crop is the key increase by from this controversial cultivation in his country products sold hectares ingredient in many soap factor of 20, from 300,000 a the UK. (14.8 million by the Body Shop in (741,316 acres) to 6 million living earmarked But solicitors for the peasants But much of the land acres). the court living on it. in Las Pavas are disputing has peasant farmers arguing that that the order obtained by Daabon, Christian Aid believes applied for the president’s development the families had already under a Above: police move to strategy is fundamentally right to own the land law, is evict farmers. Below: misguided. Colombia provision of Colombian run by how the Observer one already experiencing before the consortium the story reported the of the worst displacement Daabon bought it from crises in the world. previous owner. President Uribe’s Following the aspirations fail to take revelations, the Body into account the needs Shop requested a of Colombia’s poorest meeting with Christian said peasant communities. Aid. The company Many indigenous peoples it took problems in and small farmers had the supply chain very subsisted in tropical seriously and pledged forests for generations. to investigate the Las That way of life is Pavas case further. increasingly under threat. This is scant comfort for Edwin Torres who
DAABON, A COLOMBIAN COMPANY that produces palm oil, the main ingredient in Body Shop soap products, had failed to THEY KEPT ON RUNNING negotiate with 123 farming families who were evicted by riot police in July 2009 to make way for the Aid running team THE BIGGEST ever Christian Newcastle for the 2009 took to the streets of last month, with 132 BUPA Great North Run finish line in glorious runners crossing the sunshine at South Shields. were in fine form: Our celebrity runners out good luck kisses actor Jerome Flynn gave ’ Kara Tointon at the start, while EastEnders winner Tim and Joe Swash and Apprentice with other runners in Campbell enjoyed a chat reception tent. the Christian Aid post-run day was buzzing The atmosphere on the runners’ lips were: – and the words on most next year!’ ‘I want to do it again team, visit ● To join our running nts www.christianaid.org.uk/eve
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urgently delivers land rights for the poor. By November 2012, as many as 100,000 marchers, many without shoes, are expected to arrive at the seat of government in Delhi to make their voices heard. In preparation, campaigners taking part in the march have been putting aside a handful of rice each week so that they have enough to eat on their long walk. ‘Faith in young people and the poor can be the base for building a very strong national and international movement to challenge the present paradigm of development, exploitation, corruption and injustice,’ says PV Rajagopal, president of Ekta Parishad. Land is a crucial issue for India’s poor. Without land, millions in the country, especially those from socially excluded groups such as dalits and tribals, are unable to feed their families sufficiently. Ekta Parishad estimates that land redistribution would raise 40 per cent of India’s population out of poverty. However, frequently the poor are denied access to land as powerful individuals, landlords and companies bulldoze their rights.
Christian Aid will be encouraging British and Irish supporters to take part in solidarity sponsored-walk events in 2011 and 2012 to support India’s socially excluded communities’ movement for social justice. Director Loretta Minghella met Ekta Parishad on a recent visit to India. She comments: ‘I was struck by the leverage that is possible from a well-ordered campaign. And the Ekta Parishad campaign must be very well-ordered indeed. The villagers I met were miles off road, not reachable by car and without electricity. And yet these people marched in 2007 as part of the mass march of 25,000 people. That says quite a lot about the competence of the partner and the power of the movement.’
cultivation of palm oil. Daabon was part of a consortium that obtained a court order mandating Colombian riot police to evict the community of Las Pavas from the land they’d been living on and cultivating for years, leaving them no time to harvest their crops. Christian Aid partner PDPMM came to the assistance of the Las Pavas community, providing them with legal advice and encouraging them to challenge the eviction on the grounds that it ignored their previous legal claim to the land. After PDPMM contacted Christian Aid to ask us to raise the profile of the case, we discovered that Daabon was also a significant supplier of palm oil to The Body Shop. We brought the issue to the attention of The Body Shop and it agreed to co-finance an independent review into the case. The nine-month probe found that Daabon
had no excuse for being ignorant of the legal dispute surrounding the ownership of the land at Las Pavas. The Body Shop gave Daabon two months to meet with the farmers and begin to negotiate a settlement so that the farmers would either be compensated or allowed to return to the land. But when the deadline passed with not even a preliminary meeting having taken place, The Body Shop decided to sever its trading relationship with the company. Christian Aid welcomes this action as it sends a strong signal about the behaviour of Daabon – and others – across Colombia, that violating human rights is not without cost. We also hope that this international scrutiny will encourage the Colombian government to rethink current policies that support multinationals at the expense of communities.
Human league
From health and educ ation to dignity and justice: how Christian Aid is helping the poor in their struggle for human right s p01 Cover.indd 1
Issue 39
Spring 2008
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Janadesh marchers on the cover of Christian Aid News, Spring 2008
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FRONTLINE
CLIMATE CHANGE Amanda Farrant reports from Cambodia on how climate change adaptation work is helping farmers there cope with increasingly unpredictable rainfall AROUND THE WORLD, an estimated 1.7 billion poor people are struggling to cope with increasingly unpredictable weather conditions caused by climate change, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Such climatic instability is hampering their ability to rise out of poverty. That’s why in recent years Christian Aid has been growing its support for programmes that are helping communities to adapt and become more resilient to changing weather patterns while still addressing wider causes and symptoms of poverty. Among some of the best examples of our partners’ adaptation efforts are those being carried out in Cambodia, where Christian Aid works with DanChurchAid, as members of the ACT Alliance, to address the problems of hunger and lack of food. Cambodia doesn’t usually spring to mind as a country immediately vulnerable to climate change – especially drought – yet, on a recent visit there, I was shocked to learn just how much increasingly unpredictable rains are affecting the ability of millions to feed themselves. Around 80 per cent of Cambodians live in rural areas where communities have traditionally relied upon rice farming to survive. They depend on the rainy season starting in June to water their rice crops. The difference between annual rains coming on time or arriving late can mean being able to feed your family for 10-11 months, or only having enough to eat for three months of the year. For millions already living in poverty, water shortages are catastrophic. Sorn Chhai, a 35-year-old farmer from a village in Kampong Cham, explains: ‘In the past, there would be less rain
RAINING CHAMPIONS once every three years or so. But we are now losing crops and money regularly because of unpredictable weather. Rains can be up to three months late and then come so heavily they ruin the rice just before harvest. It can also get so hot my pigs die.’ There are few other opportunities to earn a living in rural Cambodia other than farming. The challenge for rural communities is to reduce their dependency on rice production while developing flexible ways to earn a better living. In 2005, these challenges encouraged Sorn Chhai to take part in agricultural training offered by a new Christian Aid partner, the Cambodian Centre for Study and Development in Agricuture (CEDAC). It changed his life. ‘Before, I had to leave my land to work in a plastics factory far from home. I was never with my family. Then CEDAC organised a field trip so farmers like me could witness different techniques. I couldn’t believe there were techniques that would double my rice yield, allow me to grow enough
vegetables and fruit to sell, and to raise chickens and pigs not just to eat, but for profit. I never thought I could earn as much as US$2,500 a year, but now I have.’ Sorn Chhai is a passionate promoter of CEDAC’s farming methods. Although the training project has ended in his region, he continues to train farmers in a range of techniques that provide flexibility and choice in what to farm each year, according to precarious climatic and economic factors. ‘I now produce students who are more successful than me at farming!’ With the help of CEDAC, Chhai and other farmers are setting up an organic pork cooperative to ensure a good, stable price for their meat. ‘Because of CEDAC I have gained knowledge and recognition. I am with my family again all the time and I can send my daughter to English school.’
I now produce students who are more successful than me at farming
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The future looks brighter
Christian Aid/Amanda Farrant
Enabling poor households to access sustainable lowcarbon energy is key in the fight to end poverty while also tackling climate change
Sorn Chhai and his family have benefited from learning new farming techniques
LIKE MOST VILLAGES in rural Cambodia, Duem Pdek is not hooked up to the electricity grid. Households rely on kerosene, car batteries, wood and charcoal to run light bulbs and stoves. All these energy sources come with a cost, health or fire implication. Now, a pilot project set up by Christian Aid partner Life With Dignity in Cambodia is helping households in Duem Pdek rethink the way they generate energy. As a result Sou Et and Em Ouern, a farming couple in their fifties, now use cow dung to generate biogas. The benefits are numerous. They have brighter, cleaner lighting as well as a cleaner kitchen. ‘I also use the biowaste as fertiliser and my crops are much greener,’ adds Et.’ For Ouern, the time she used to spend collecting wood, lighting a fire
and cooking, can now be spent helping Et with the farming. Their 10-year-old granddaughter Kanha is also benefiting from better lighting. Her school grades have jumped from 7/10 to 10/10! Christian Aid hopes to raise funds to enable Life With Dignity to expand this project. While dung is bringing light to the young and old in rural Cambodia, in remote parts of India the sun is changing the lives of poor people who cannot afford the increasing number of solar lighting solutions on the market. Through our support of the Ashden Awards 2010, Christian Aid has partnered with DLight, a social enterprise, which is manufacturing the world’s lowest-cost solar lantern. This lantern was recently named the 100th object in the BBC’s History of the World radio series. In the Indian states of Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh, where there are more people without electricity than anywhere else in India, a new project will provide these solar lanterns to 4,400 households.
Moving from a dependence on subsistence farming, which is vulnerable to flooding, is vital to help families lift themselves out of poverty. In Bolivia, Hannah Richards finds chocolate is providing some of the answers HOW CAN WE PROTECT the Amazon from deforestation? How can the indigenous communities that live there produce enough food to feed their families? How can they make a good living so they no longer need to migrate to have access to health and education? These are problems Christian Aid partner CIPCA in Bolivia has been working on for years. Their answer? Chocolate! Cocoa trees thrive in this part of the rainforest, and are unaffected by the floods that strike almost every year. They form the central part of the
diverse range of crops that CIPCA helps the indigenous families to grow. Short-term crops such as rice will feed families this year; fruit trees will bear fruit in four years’ time; and though hardwood trees take 20 years to mature, the value of the wood provides a pension or the material for the next generation to build their own homes. And critically, the families plant cocoa saplings. Once these trees mature they provide a cash income. Since 2009, Christian Aid’s In Their Lifetime collective philanthropy programme, aimed at major donors, has allowed CIPCA to increase the scope of its work significantly, reaching hundreds more families and reaching new areas of the rainforest. Cocoa production has increased dramatically. Newly formed Growers’ Associations have been able to agree a minimum price for the cocoa. This provides financial stability for the first time to these families. The next step is
to start processing the cocoa and selling the chocolate at an even higher price. Not only are the communities able to use the land in an environmentally sustainable way, but by doing so they are protecting it from deforestation by large-scale cattle ranchers. After a long battle, together they have secured the land rights to 500 hectares of land, with another 1,500 due to be handed over imminently. ‘Our land is our life, we would die if it was taken away. It’s like they are taking away our children. We have to protect our land,’ says grower Edith Amblo. Chocolate is good. So good, it might even save the planet.
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A SWEET SOLUTION TO POVERTY
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Communications officer Hannah Richards looks at the human impact that drives Christian Aid’s passionate campaign to Trace the Tax ‘TO HAVE A MALNOURISHED CHILD, that’s the worst kind of poverty there is,’ Doña Crescencia tells me, as we sit under the low palm roof of her two-room wooden house in the Guatemalan highlands. Here in Guatemala, nearly half of all children under five don’t get enough to eat, and suffer irreversible effects of chronic malnutrition. Their physical and mental growth is stunted, further affecting their chances of working themselves out of poverty. This should not happen anywhere, but in a middle-income country such as Guatemala, it is an utter scandal. Guatemala ranks fifth highest in the world for both the percentage of malnourished children it has, and the amount of coffee it sells. Christian Aid partner ICEFI believes that tax could be a big part of the solution. Ending tax dodging by big business and rich individuals, who easily take advantage of the financial secrecy of tax havens to shift around their profits and assets, would be a huge step forward for Guatemala. This, alongside a more progressive national tax system, could provide the government with the income it needs to address the problem properly. It would provide a secure income to build a vital welfare system, as well as to invest in the health, education and
Guatemala has one of the lowest tax takes in the world job-creation programmes the country so desperately needs. Tax revenue comes with no conditions attached, unlike international aid. The government would also be accountable to its people for spending such an income well. Guatemala’s economy minister, Erick Coyoy, explains: ‘Guatemala has one of the lowest tax takes not just in Latin
‘IT’S THE WORST KIND OF POVERTY’
America but in the whole world… high levels of evasion and avoidance and contraband further weaken the system.’ To change this, Christian Aid’s Trace the Tax campaign is calling for countryby-country reporting. Companies would have to report profit in every country where they work so it would be clear where the money was made and where the tax should be paid. ‘The tax administration here in Guatemala has great difficulty verifying the income of transnational companies. Any regulation that allowed an international standard for declaring profits of transnational companies would be very useful,’ Mr Coyoy agrees. Christian Aid’s work on tax, both in public and behind the scenes, has already had a huge impact. Country-bycountry reporting begins to seem like a possibility, with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the European Union now seriously considering its feasibility and new United States legislation requiring the country’s oil and mining companies to provide country-by-country reports. In Britain, Christian Aid supporters have sent thousands of postcards to key
Below: Doña Crescencia with her son and, main picture, the daughter saved from malnutrition
christianaid/
TAX
Christian Aid/Hannah Richards
FRONTLINE
FTSE 100 companies in recent months, urging them to support the standard. When we at Christian Aid talk about the need for greater transparency in the international financial systems, it’s sometimes easy to lose sight of the end goal. Changing the way that international companies report profits can seem a long way from the poverty of the Guatemalan hills. But ultimately, it’s about Doña Crescencia being able to feed her children and putting an end to the worst kind of poverty that there is. To receive a campaigns pack see page 15, or visit www.christianaid.org. uk/actnow You can also watch a threeminute video about tax and malnutrition in Guatemala at http://bit.ly/canmal
Follow Hannah, Amanda and their colleagues each day on Twitter – http://twitter.com/ca_global
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INPUT
Inspired? Enraged? Send your views to: The Editor, Christian Aid News, 35 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RL or email canews@christian-aid.org Here is a selection of letters and emails in response to the discussion on population in the last issue of Christian Aid News COMMENT
HUNGER AND FAMINE
POPULATION: A GROWING PROBLEM?
Congratulations to Rachel Baird for moderating the discussion on population in the Autumn issue of Christian Aid News. Having worked as a doctor in Botswana for 13 years in the last century, may I add these comments. A rapidly growing population is associated with hunger and famine. These catastrophes have occurred recently in Niger and in Ethiopia. In Niger the average number of pregnancies per woman is seven, the highest in the world. In Ethiopia it is 5.3 and the population doubled between 1984 and 2009. As Nina O’Farrell points out in her contribution, in many poor countries the reproductive mortality is appalling. In Ethiopia maternal mortality is 70 times the UK, infant mortality 15 times. In Niger maternal mortality is 59 times the UK, infant mortality 25 times. Think how many orphan children and grieving mothers lie behind these figures. Such a common complaint as measles has a mortality rate of 10 per cent in many parts of Africa. Diarrhoea is also a killer. The health of young children can be greatly improved by special clinics for children under five. Nurses protect the infants from measles and other fevers with vaccines, and they may prescribe preventive tablets for malaria. They advise mothers how to treat a child with diarrhoea. Family planning and clinics for young children should always be part of primary healthcare in poor countries. John Moor, via email has poverty one particular issue the letters In the ongoing debate over the room: population. In become the elephant in – including this edition – many column in this magazine opinions on whether supporters have aired differing directly addressed by organisations overpopulation should be is it now time to confront the issue? such as Christian Aid. So, journalist Rachel Baird gets in a Here, policy and campaigns subject complex this round the table to broach Christian Aid’s senior officers conversation with four of
family’s income can contribute to the and they from a fairly young age ‘social security’ represent some sort of age. Furthermore, for their parents’ old ably expect some the couple may justifi chief policy very young, ALEX COBHAM (AC), of their children to die the number adviser: which may also influence problem’ want. Phrases such as ‘population sons and daughters they of for as shorthand believes are sometimes used Christian Aid passionately growth in to the idea that population that it is for people themselves is at the root of to have. countries developing decide how many children Population governments poverty or climate change. The alternative is that problems but private is part of these complex start interfering in people’s instance in it is not the problem. lives, as happened for problem is the one-child For Christian Aid, the China and India, with lacking people of poverty – that is, policy and forced sterilisation. political and basic economic, social, their own lives. international (PV), personal power over VALENTIN PAUL growth can High rates of population director: There is poor women and do exacerbate poverty. We also know that many get they want evidence that when women have more children than when they have power to control pregnant very young, because they lack the and when world, an unintended pregnancies their fertility. Across the numbers of women have an they have very large estimated 215 million their families children, then they and ‘unmet need’ for contraception, out of poverty. Institute, are less likely to move according to the Guttmacher work that in body We also know from our a respected American growing rapidly their reproductive some countries, researching sexual and the natural or populations can damage They are in a relationship the forests, health. to avoid or environment – for instance, sexually active and want on which but are not using topsoil and fresh water postpone pregnancy
Rahman
Does Christian RACHEL BAIRD (RB): a population Aid agree that there is countries? problem in developing
Christian Aid/Mohammadur
people depend. living in But for some couples sense to poverty, it makes complete The children have, say, seven children.
modern contraception. women’s The reasons for this include beliefs concerns about side-effects,
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CLARIFICATION, PLEASE As a long-time supporter of Christian Aid I have read with interest the debate in Christian Aid News about the size of families in the developing world.
Your International Director Paul Valentin says: ‘Part of the answer is improving reproductive health services.’ Can you tell me if this includes abortion? Matt Gibbs, via email Paul replies: ‘To clarify, we are talking about giving poor men and women choice about how many children to have and when. This starts with providing basic health services to ensure safer childbirth and better mother and child survival. It also includes giving information about sexual health and the provision of safe, effective contraception without coercion. Christian Aid does not consider abortion to be a desirable form of contraception.’
EMPOWERMENT, PLEASE Patrick Hanley writes (Input, Issue 49), ‘I hope that Christian Aid is not going to start advocating population-control policies. There could not be anything more un-Christian, and I for one will not continue to support you if that happens.’ This strikes me as a rather un-Christian attitude; in that he is limiting his support to those areas that fit his choice. What comes across in several of the articles in this issue is the need to empower poorer people, to allow them the choice to make their own decisions with aid of all kinds, particularly in education. People could then go on to base their decisions on what suits them best at that time, which might include how many children they wish to have. Tricia Delargy, London
APOCALYPSE SOON Poverty is not a problem to be solved: it is the normal living condition of mankind as it struggles to survive – it always has been and always will be. We have been distracted from this reality over the last two centuries by the availability of cheap power and sophisticated technology. This has not only enabled the experience of affluence to be enjoyed by a larger than normal minority but fuelled the mirage of unending prosperity for all. Unfortunately, the environmental destructiveness and resource depletion underpinning this is unsustainable
and coming to an end. Consequently, the default position of mankind once more becomes apparent, as does the wisdom of the founder of Christianity that the poor will be always with you. This condition is becoming unimaginably worse through the unparalleled and inexorable growth of population, to the point of self-destruction. The salutory, if unpalatable, truth about an organisation like Christian Aid (and I speak as a lifetime supporter of its work) is that it merely provides pleasing cameos of distraction from an increasingly apocalyptic nightmare. The solution lies in the much more radical choices individuals and governments make about current lifestyles, but there is little indication of this happening. Dominic Kirkham, Manchester
GREATEST THREAT Uncontrolled population growth is arguably the greatest threat to the planet. More people use more food, water and land whose supply is not limitless. I hope Christian Aid will positively support the provision of contraception to the many who want and need it, as well as continuing to encourage the education of women. Pat Grenfell, via email
CONDEMNED TO POVERTY Can we honestly deny to any woman, poor or rich, what Nina O’Farrell describes as ‘the unmet rights of women to control their own bodies’? Enforced population control is immoral, but if we do not choose to reduce our number, we will condemn our descendants to continuing destruction of their world, and the poor to continuing poverty. Brian Boaler, Worcester
BEYOND COMMENT Two items of news in quick succession: Christian Aid News, p18 – ‘Nearly half of India’s children are malnourished’. The Times, 8 October, p43 – ‘Delhi to spend record £19 billion on Russian stealth jets’. £19 billion! It’s hard to think of any sensible comment on that. Douglas Welch, via email
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LIFE AND SOUL The way we lead our own lives can have a tangible impact in the fight to end poverty. By ‘doing the right thing’ we show we have a commitment to a sustainable lifestyle that places a high value on helping others Christian Aid volunteer Roshan Adam explains why ethical tourism is proving to be a wise holiday choice for many Christian Aid supporters
TAKE A HOLIDAY WITH A PURPOSE ‘I WENT SWIMMING at the crack of dawn in Lake Malawi, the world’s most ecologically diverse lake. Eye-catching rainbow fish quickly gathered around my toes. I certainly felt that I was on a grand holiday.’ So says Rosemary Potter, who travelled to Malawi with Skedaddle, the British ethical tour operator, on a Christian Aid supporter tour. However, for Rosemary, secretary of Christian Aid in Kirkcaldy, the trip was about far more than such idyllic holiday moments. Rather, this was ‘a holiday with a purpose’. The initial aim of the tours – to Malawi, South Africa and India – is to give people
the chance to meet Christian Aid partners and get a genuine insight into the rural community projects we help support. The groups are small – a maximum of 12 people – and travelling with like-minded souls enhances the sense of witnessing something special. Having supported work for Malawi since 1974 with her local church, Rosemary had developed strong links and couldn’t wait to get out there finally. ‘The Malawi tour was my once-in-alifetime chance to go and meet everyone that I had been in contact with. It was very exciting.’ Her enthusiasm is shared by other travellers. ‘Going out there and meeting
local people, you are able to see for yourself just how long-term this work needs to be,’ said Reverend Kenneth Woolhouse, after his eye-opening trip to India. ‘It made me appreciate how deeply engaged Christian Aid is – and needs to be.’ The trips may be predominately focused on seeing development projects and meeting with the local community, but Christian Aid recognises that experiencing a country’s rich culture and attractions is part of the authentic experience. Whether it’s appreciating the Taj Mahal, South Africa’s Table Mountain or visiting Liwonde National Park, the collaboration with Skedaddle ensures you have a great holiday. Sonia Richardson, who also went to Malawi, felt her tour would be enjoyed by most people, whatever their level of knowledge of development issues or involvement with Christian Aid. ‘A wide range of people would love this sort of
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Sonia (left) and Rosemary meet some friendly locals on their trip to Malawi
Where to go in 2011 Malawi (23 May – 4 June) Experience a range of our partners’ projects, from those working to improve agricultural practices and protect the environment, to those related to education and health issues, particularly the fight against the spread of HIV.
South Africa (23 October – 4 November)
THIS IS WHO WE ARE… HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW about the people who work for and support Christian Aid? Following the launch of a new website feature, My Story, you can find out much more about the personal ‘journeys’ of many of the people who make this organisation what it is – from volunteers to our director, Loretta Minghella. My Story gives an intimate insight into Christian Aid through the stories of these individuals. Each film is a personal testimony highlighting how individuals’ faith and life experiences have inspired them to be a part of the movement seeking justice and an end to poverty. Each month a new story will be published. Dionne Gravesande, head of Churches, says: ‘Christian Aid’s work is so diverse that it is important to celebrate the people who make it all possible. We believe the stories of the countless supporters, volunteers, staff and partners will both be enlightening and inspiring. To view the My Story films, go to www.christianaid.org.uk/mystory
Our thank you for your gifts CHRISTIAN AID has long wanted to do something to remember those who have left the gift of a legacy for its work, and those in whose memory it has received gifts. On 9 November the long-held ambition to hold a service of thanksgiving was achieved. Held in the Chapel at King’s College, about 90 people joined staff and the choir in the chapel, and families in about 80 locations (including Luxembourg and Prague) participated online. The service was led by the college chaplain, Rev Tim Ditchfield, and the address was given by Rev Professor Richard Burridge. In his thank you address, Colin Kemp, head of Legacies, talked of the wider legacy of Christian Aid’s supporters, recognising that legacies and gifts in memory are not just about money. They are given because of the long-term commitment of people – support that is an example and inspiration to others. • To find out more about leaving a legacy to Christian Aid, or to Celebrate a Life by making a gift, contact Colin Kemp on 020 7523 2173 or at ckemp@christian-aid.org
Spend time with Christian Aid partners involved in a variety of development issues, from workers’ rights to land reform and HIV, issues that affect a great many people in a country where there are huge wealth, power and education gaps between rich and poor.
FOUR LEGS, TWO BIKES, ONE TENT AND A FEW THOUSAND MILES…
India (30 October – 12 November)
TWO HARDY LONDON SUPPORTERS spent last autumn cycling every day, and bedding down every night in a tent, to raise money for Christian Aid. Cousins John Chestnut and Andrew Service challenged themselves to cycle 4,112 miles across the United States, with the aim of raising £2,000. The journey began in Seattle on 27 September, before the intrepid bikers headed down the Pacific coast through San Francisco to Los Angeles. From there, they slogged across the desert to Phoenix, before moving through Texas and the Gulf Coast until they reached the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of Florida, finishing in Jacksonville on 20 December.
After you meet Christian Aid staff in Delhi and visit field projects throughout Northern India, we hope the trip will help you return energised and inspired. For more details and to book, visit: www.christianaidtours.skedaddle.co.uk or call 0191 265 1110, or email christianaid@skedaddle.co.uk
thing. In fact, I wish more people would give it a go,’ she says. ‘If you have an interest in people and different cultures and want a break with a purpose, the tours for the coming year will certainly be the most inspirational, life-changing holiday you could take.’
You’d think cycling this massive distance (the equivalent of cycling the length of Britain six times) would be enough, but John and Andrew did the entire trip unsupported by back-up teams. Their odyssey has raised more than £2,500 so far.
John and Andrew at the start of their ride
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EVENTS We work with some of the world’s poorest communities. They face huge challenges every day, so why don’t you challenge yourself? Have fun while fighting poverty: join one of our events or do your own fundraising
We did i
Christian Aid’s supporters have been hard at work trekking, cycling and running to raise funds for us. Here’s what a few of you got up to recently Christian Aid/Libby Gordon
CHRIS LLOYD, from Hertfordshire, gave poverty the run around by taking part in the Royal Parks Half Marathon in London in October. Three Rivers District councillor, Christian Aid church representative and avid fundraiser, Chris Lloyd exceeded his target and raised more than £2,500. Despite an injury to his Achilles tendon, Chris still managed to run the half marathon in under two hours and has become a local celebrity by getting his story published in various local papers and websites. Chris said: ‘It was a great feeling to finish and a fantastic way of raising money. The actual run took in some wonderful sights including Big Ben, the Thames Embankment and Buckingham Palace, as well as starting and finishing in Hyde Park.’ You can register for next years 10Ks, half marathons and marathons online now at www.christianaid.org.uk/running
Christian Aid/Libby Gordon
KEITH AND ANN BENTON said ‘on your bike!’ to poverty by cycling from London to Luxembourg as a very special birthday celebration. The two pensioners from York took part in the 362-mile bike ride across Europe to celebrate both of them turning 70 last October. The couple (pictured in full flow, right) said: ‘We had a party with our family and asked them not to give us presents but to donate to the ride instead. We’d definitely do it again – I really enjoyed it
ASHLEY LEECH helped to ‘put the boot into poverty’ at 19,340 feet, when she raised £1,200 for us by trekking to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro last November. She and her companions on the three-day trek saw blue monkeys and shivered in -11˚C temperatures before finally basking in a glorious summit sunrise with a spectrum of pinks and blues. You can also help to put the boot into poverty by taking part in a Team Poverty trek. To find out more visit www.christianaid.org.uk/trekking
and it was extremely well organised.’ Join Team Poverty in a challenging and unforgettable bike ride. You can register online at www.christianaid.org.uk/cycling SUSANA MORAN not only put the boot into poverty but also ovecame her own phobia of the dark when she trekked through the night to reach Holy
Island before daybreak last autumn. The 26 miles she walked were tough enough, but Susana (pictured right) had another challenge to face as she has a fear of the dark and normally sleeps with the curtains open to avoid pitch-black darkness. Commenting on her achievement she said: ‘The point of the challenge is about beginning to understand the problems that people in the developing world encounter without electricity. Ending poverty is such a good cause and the money raised will allow Christian Aid to carry on the wonderful work that they do with some of the poorest communities in the world.’ You can join Team Poverty and take up a trekking challenge by registering online at www.christianaid.org.uk/trekking
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✁
it!
THE ’OLLY AND THE IVY THE BIG CHRISTMAS SING 10-12 DECEMBER 2010 OLLY MURS, JOHN ADELEYE and Faryl Smith (pictured below) all got together to launch The Big Christmas Sing in Old Spitalfields market in November. The Christmas spirit was amazing with a festive sing-a-long and the switching on of the Christmas lights. Olly Murs said: ‘The Big Christmas Sing is a great way to have fun with your friends and get into the festive spirit while raising money for a good cause.’ Hundreds of people nationwide
continued the Christmas spirit by becoming stars and holding their very own Big Christmas Sing between 10 and 12 December. People sang their hearts out to help fight poverty in their homes, schools, churches and even in the workplace. The income raised from this is growing ever closer to the target of £175,000! If you held a Big Christmas Sing, please remember to send the money you raised to help fight poverty – you can find out how to do this by visiting www.christianaid.org.uk/bigsing
EVENTS FUNDRAISING CALENDAR 2011/2012 THE SUPER SOUP LUNCH – Friday 25 March 2011 BRIGHTON MARATHON – Sunday 10 April 2011 VIRGIN LONDON MARATHON – Sunday 17 April 2011 BUPA GREAT MANCHESTER RUN – Sunday 15 May 2011 EDINBURGH MARATHON – Sunday 22 May 2011 OFFA’S DYKE NIGHT HIKE – 18-19 June 2011
Christian Aid/Matthew Gonzalez-Noda
HADRIAN’S WALL WEEKEND TREK – 1-3 July 2011
Zorbing anyone? WHETHER YOU ARE abseiling in Manchester, swimming in Birmingham or Zorbing in the south east, there are a range of activities you can be a part of across the UK in 2011. Whatever you choose, you will be raising funds that will help eradicate poverty. For more information go to www.christianaid.org.uk/events
Christian Aid/Adrian Arbib
Fight poverty step by step
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2011 WILL SEE hundreds of feet, millions of steps and thousands of pounds raised in sponsored walks for Christian Aid. A sponsored walk is a great family day out and no matter where you are, there will be one near you. Find out more at www.christianaid.org.uk/walks If you are organising your own sponsored walk, don’t forget to add your walk details to the website to encourage even more people to take part.
LONDON TO PARIS BIKE RIDE 20-24 July 2011 LONDON TO LUXEMBOURG BIKE RIDE – 1-4 September 2011
HELP TO BOWL OVER POVERTY – HOLD A SUPER SOUP LUNCH ON FRIDAY 25 MARCH Christian Aid supporters are filling bowls and clacking spoons by holding their own Super Soup Lunches to help fight poverty. Holding your own Super Soup Lunch is easy! Simply register for your free fundraising pack at www. christianaid.org.uk/super-soup-lunch and you will receive everything you need to ensure a mouthwatering recipe for success. So, however and wherever you choose to hold your soup lunch, make sure that every bowl counts towards helping us to eradicate poverty.
JURASSIC COAST WEEKEND TREK – 9-11 September 2011 QUIZAID – 12-18 September 2011 HOLY ISLAND NIGHT HIKE – 17-18 September 2011 BUPA GREAT NORTH RUN – 18 September 2011 ROYAL PARKS HALF MARATHON – 9 October 2011 SANTA DASH 5K FUN RUNS – December 2011 THE BIG CHRISTMAS SING – 9-11 December 2011
For more details go to: www. christianaid.org. uk/events
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AROUND CENTRAL ENGLAND ‘IT’S ONE OF THE MOST REWARDING THINGS I DO’
Ester’s message of compassion
Christian Aid’s volunteerteacher role is essential for inspiring young people to get involved in development issues and learn about Christian Aid’s work to alleviate poverty
JOHN INNES, who has been a volunteer teacher for 10 years, first found out about the scheme through an advert in Christian Aid News. A retired teacher, he felt he had some spare time to do something worthwhile. ‘This is one of the most rewarding things I do,’ he says. He particularly enjoys working with older teenagers, trying to get them to consider what poverty is really like, and then to reflect on what they can do about it. Recently he took Brazilian partner Ester Lisboa into a school to speak about HIV/AIDS in Brazil.
The volunteer teacher role is ideal for anyone with some spare time, whether retired, working part-time or taking a career break. Volunteers do not need to be qualified teachers; they just need to have enthusiasm and experience of working with children. If you would like to know more about the volunteer teacher role, or if you work in a school and would like to request a visit from one of our volunteer teachers, please contact Jill Smith in the Birmingham office on 0121 200 2283 or email jsmith@christian-aid.org
Bike for bikes SOWING SEEDS
OF HOPE
Cyclists in Loughborough got on their bikes last October to buy… bikes – for health workers in Malawi. The sponsored bike ride, organised by the Loughborough Christian Aid committee, attracted 22 riders of all ages, from 8 to 80. The 16km route included a stretch along the canal towpath, then across Derby playing fields and along the Charnwood Forest Railway path. Some riders chose to complete a much longer extension to Nanpantan and Woodhouse Eves before returning to Loughborough. The £1,000 raised will go to the Ekwendenin Mission Hospital in Malawi, where bicycles will make a huge difference to outreach workers, whether they are helping with household tasks or making sure medicine reaches a person in need. Above: the pedal-powered quintet of Elisabeth Burleigh, Alaistair Hutchinson, Mark Burleigh, Norman Revell and Dennis Mathams
EVERY YEAR in the Central region there are groups of green-fingered enthusiasts who combine their love of plants with a zeal for the eradication of poverty, holding plant sales and flower shows that raise thousands of pounds for Christian Aid’s partners worldwide. Here’s a quick snapshot of some of their successes. In Hall Green, in the West Midlands, Katherine Aldridge gathers hundreds of people together over three days in Christian Aid Week to sell a large variety of plants and flowers. Katherine says: ‘The plant sale has a real buzz about it, and we turn it into a mini-festival. Last year we raised more than £3,750.’ Five years ago in the East Midlands, the Dronfield Christian Aid committee asked the owners of the beautiful Fanshawe Gate Hall whether they would be willing to open their extensive gardens to the public earlier in the spring. Cynthia and John Ramsden were happy to
oblige, and since then more than £6,000 has been raised through admissions, plant sales and afternoon tea! The 2011 open garden event will be on 1 May. Irthlingborough Christian Aid Committee in the East of England held its first event in June last year, with a variety of people opening their gardens to the public, serving refreshments and selling plants to those who came. A fantastic £1,230 was raised, and organiser Ros Wakefield says: ‘It was so much more than just a fundraising event – it fostered a lovely community feeling.’ If you are interested in holding a plant sale, or open garden event, then please get in touch with your local area office.
The church should be a ‘welcome space’ to people who are unwell, feel discriminated against and are on the edge of society. That was the warm message from Christian Aid partner Ester Lisboa from Brazil, who spent a few days in each of the Central Christian Aid regions in October, talking about the work of her partner organisation, Koinonia, which offers support to people living with HIV/AIDS and works with church leaders on how to communicate about HIV/AIDS in their communities. Ester is passionate about the church reaching out to the vulnerable, saying that in Brazil the opposite has often been the experience. With the help of Koinonia this is now changing. She visited schools, university and college groups, Portuguesespeaking communities, Christian Aid groups and churches.
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AROUND NORTH ENGLAND
By ’eck, that’s a walk and a half!
MORE DETAILS have reached us of the fundraising walk being planned by John Eckersley, who recently retired as York area chairman of Christian Aid (as reported in the Autumn issue of Christian Aid News). John and his wife, Nancy, who is retiring as Vicar of Heslington in York, will be walking ‘LeJog’ (Land’s End to John O’Groats) journeying a little over 1,200 miles. Starting on 1 April, they will walk 10-13 miles a day – taking five months to complete the whole
Change the way you see the world Two staff members from our region will be leading groups of adventurous supporters on a Christian Aid tour this year. The trips – for full details, see page 24 – give you a chance to see the work of Christian Aid partners for yourself. Kerry Crellin from the Newcastle office will be heading up a tour to Malawi (23 May-4 June) and Linda Tiongco from the Warrington office will lead a trip to India (30 October-12 November). The third tour this year will be to South Africa (23 October-4 November) and will be led by Emma Kevan from the London office.
route, which will also take them through their new home of Flamborough. John and Nancy are raising money for a Christian Aid Partnership project in Sierra Leone. This small West African state, which experienced civil war in 2002 is one of the poorest countries on earth – life expectancy is 47 years and only 50 per cent of the population has access to safe drinking water. The Christian Aid Partnership project aims to improve farming and to provide clean water in two parts of the country. As an extra incentive, under the partnership scheme every £1 raised by Christian Aid is supplemented by more than £3 from the European Union. You will be able to keep up with John and Nancy’s progress on their website: www.johneckersley.wordpress.com Click on ‘Blog’ to see where they are and get a ‘his and hers’ impression. You can also donate online at www.justgiving.com/ eckersleylejog or contact Steph Cooper (scooper@christian-aid.org) at the Christian Aid office in Leeds (0113 244 4764).
We’re here to help All our offices have volunteer teachers and speakers who can visit churches and other meetings or go into schools on Christian Aid’s behalf. If you would like someone to visit your area, or would like to learn about being a volunteer, contact your local office. We can also provide articles for church newsletters or pew sheets, and also regularly produce information on events happening around our regions. For details, contact your nearest office. Leeds: 0113 2444764, leeds@ christian-aid.org Newcastle: 0191 2280115, newcastle@christian-aid.org Warrington: 01925 573769, warrington@christian-aid.org
Gap visit to partners in Cambodia In December, 19 gap-year volunteers and four leaders – including Becky Hurst from the North West – spent two weeks visiting Christian Aid partners in Cambodia. One, Mith Samlaan, works with street children in Phnom Penh – children with drug problems, who have been abused or who are at great risk of trafficking for sexual exploitation. They have an innovative approach, running two restaurants where young people can learn a trade, as well as a fashion shop selling items made by young people who have learned tailoring. To hear more about the trip, contact your local office.
PRE-CHRISTIAN AID WEEK EVENTS JANUARY – APRIL Motivate your Christian Aid Week collectors by inviting a speaker to visit your congregation or group. Contact your local office in Leeds, Newcastle and Warrington (details below). FEBRUARY – MARCH Christian Aid… just a week? Come and be inspired by the stories of what our partner Soppexcca in Nicaragua has achieved over the past 12 years, thanks to your support in Christian Aid Week. Saturday 5 February Middleton, Greater Manchester, 10.30am1.30pm. Tuesday 8 February Clitheroe, 6-9pm. Wednesday 9 February Bolton, 6-9pm. Thursday 10 February Stockport, 1-4pm. Saturday 12 February Lancaster, 10.30am-1.30pm. Tuesday 15 February Cockermouth, 6-9pm. Wednesday 16 February Penrith, 6-9pm. Thursday 17 February Ulverston, 6-9pm. Tuesday 22 February Liverpool, 6-9pm. Wednesday 23 February St Helens, 6-9pm. Thursday 24 February Southport, 6-9pm. Saturday 26 February Warrington, 10.30am1.30pm. Tuesday 1 March Blackpool, 10.30am-1.30pm. Wednesday 2 March Nantwich, 6-9pm. Thursday 3 March Chester, 6-9pm. Food provided at all events. To book your place, please contact the Warrington office.
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Suzanne stands up for justice Suzanne Matale, General Secretary of the Council of Churches in Zambia, spoke at Christian Aid’s supporter day in Westminster on Wednesday 20 October. Wendy Young, who works as education coordinator and churches development officer in Scotland, reflects on what Suzanne told her Christian Aid Scotland team when she visited them
Christian Aid/ Matthew Gonzalez-Noda
Suzanne Matale addressing supporters in Westminster
THERE IS A POSTER on a wall in the Glasgow Christian Aid office that reads: ‘It is not the will of God for some to have everything and others to have nothing.’ In a world where inequality prevails, where the economies of multinational corporations exceed that of entire countries, these words of the late Archbishop Oscar Romero echo still. They echoed too, in the words of Suzanne Matale, General Secretary of the Council of Churches in Zambia, as she spoke to us this autumn. Suzanne clearly stated her motivation for calling for justice and inequality, saying, ‘you cannot just preach the word of God to your congregation when they come to church hungry.’ The Council of Churches in Zambia actively calls for transparency, much needed in a country where secret deals negotiated between the Zambian
government and mining companies in 2006 resulted in just £12m in tax revenue being generated against £2bn of copper production (Christian Aid Missing Millions report 2009). In July the Council published a report, Prosperity unto Death, which questioned the development of uranium mining in Zambia. It calls for transparency, equal distribution of benefits and effective management of the environment if the mining goes ahead. This report has not been welcomed and Suzanne has been told to ‘go back to the pulpit and not get bothered in these state affairs’. Suzanne will not be confined to the pulpit. But from there, her prophetic words extend to us, as she called on us ‘to stand up to the principalities and the high powers and demand justice, even if it means stepping out of our comfort zone’.
A lifetime of fundraising Supporting Christian Aid can be habitforming: Lorna Hall began collecting door-todoor when she was a teenager and a member of the youth group at Colston Milton Church in Glasgow. Forty-six years on, Lorna is the organiser for eight churches in Lenzie and Kirkintilloch. She enjoys motivating them to keep Christian Aid on their mind all year round, as well as organising Christian Aid Week itself. In the run-up to Christian Aid Week the churches get together to hold a joint service. Lorna also invites all the collectors round for supper and to watch the Christian Aid Week DVD – an enjoyable tradition that helps to set the scene and let collectors know that they are not alone. Over the years, Lorna has watched as Christian Aid has become more political – a move that she approves of, although the campaigning element of her Christian Aid group lies with another member to allow Lorna to focus on the fundraising. When asked what ideas she would like to share with others, Lorna says, ‘Every November I give everyone in the churches a personal collection box and we have raised more than £1,000 each year for the last 25 years from people’s spare change.’ Lorna also recognises the importance of keeping people informed about how their money is spent and ensures that regular updates of Christian Aid’s work appear in the local church magazines. • Would you like to get your church working locally with others for Christian Aid? For help joining a local group, or starting a new one, please contact Val Brown in the Glasgow office on 0141 241 6134 or vbrown@ christian-aid.org
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AROUND THE SOUTH EAST Regional news and events in Beds, Berks, Bucks, Herts and Oxon
Getting immersed in the reality of Christian Aid’s work
Ann Tomkins
Wendy Pritchard, whose husband is the Bishop of Oxford, reflects on the experience of hearing directly from a Christian Aid partner
Wendy and Bishop John Pritchard during their pilgrimage to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory
I VISITED THE HOLY LAND for the first time last October, as part of a pilgrimage from the diocese of Oxford. We met Palestinian Christians, stayed several nights behind the Israeli wall, and became passionate about Palestinian rights. So I was keen to attend a recent Christian Aid event where an Israeli partner was speaking. I wanted to learn more about the work of Christian Aid in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, to hear reflections on our pilgrimage and to hear first hand from Christian Aid’s partner Hadas Ziv, the executive director of Physicians for Human Rights. As an Israeli dedicated to equality and security for all, Hadas’ struggle against injustice was inspiring, and her realism made it clear that there will be no easy solution. Christian Aid has many partners, who from time to time have the opportunity to visit the UK and tell of their work and experiences. I encourage you to go and hear one of these speakers if you can. Their passion and commitment can make the circumstances they work in come alive, and for a while immerse you in the reality of the situation they face daily. • We are hosting Salwa Morcos from Egyptian Christian Aid partner COC Bless (part of the Coptic Orthodox Church) over 18-25 March. Events will be held across the region – email oxford@christian-aid.org or call 01865 246818 for more details.
EVENTS SATURDAY 5 FEBRUARY Candlemas concert for Christian Aid 7pm, All Saints Church, Faringdon. Performed by Voice trio, an a cappella trio of female voices. Contact Julia Burn on 01367 240670 or julia@theburns. name GET INSPIRED READY FOR CHRISTIAN AID WEEK! All events 6.30-8pm. 16 February Trinity URC, High Wycombe HP11 1BJ. 22 February High Street Methodist Church, Maidenhead SL6 1EF. 28 February St Andrew’s
Church, Bedford MK40 2PF. 10 March St Albans Vineyard Church AL1 5UG. 15 March Didcot Baptist Church OX11 0BS. Contact the Oxford office on 01865 246818 or oxford@ christian-aid.org
walk as little as 5km, or any number of sections. Route total is 42km. Fancy dress optional! Contact Liz Horner on 01920 465714 or lilacre@ ntlworld.com, or visit www. christianaid.org.uk/walks
SATURDAY 7 MAY Christian Aid Sponsored Walk – East Herts Registration between 8.30 and 9.30am. Start: St John’s Hall, Hertford SG13 8AE. Finish: Richard Hale School, Hertford SG13 8EN. Walk a marathon! The walk is in five sections, so you can
SATURDAY 21 MAY Walk the Country – Bix, Oxfordshire Registration between 8.30 and 10.30am. Start and finish: Bix Village Hall (between Henley and Nettlebed), RG9 6BS. Help end poverty step by step! Walk 5, 10 or 15 miles through the beautiful
countryside around Bix. A great event for all the family. Contact John Russell on 01189 783232 or visit www. christianaid.org.uk/walks SAVE THE DATE Join us for a cream tea (5-6pm), a big Christian Aid Week thank you and your chance to give us feedback (4-5pm or 6-7pm): 23 June Oxford Quaker Meeting House, OX1 3LW. 29 June The Well at Willen, Milton Keynes MK15 9AA. 7 July Tyndale Baptist Church, Reading RG2 7JE. There will also be thank you events in Beds and Herts.
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AROUND SOUTH AND WEST
Colin Bowerman
Stepping down, stepping up
OVER THE PAST 24 YEARS, the Seaton sponsored walk, organised by Arthur Wright (pictured on the scooter), has raised a staggering £70,000. Arthur, who is in his eighties, has not only meticulously organised each walk, but he’s taken part in every one and raised huge amounts of sponsorship himself. He has also been an invaluable member of the committee as minutes secretary and organiser of the annual summer sale for Christian Aid, which has frequently raised in excess of £700. After many years of invaluable work, Arthur has decided to retire this year. He has dedicated a quarter of a century to helping Christian Aid fight global poverty and, as part of the Seaton and District group, has helped to raise in excess of £250,000 over the years. Meanwhile, we mourn the loss of Douglas and Mavis Hooper, our organisers in
Arthur Wright with Seaton and District Christian Aid supporters
Midsomer Norton for more than 20 years, following a tragic car accident. The local Christian Aid group and the West regional team will miss them greatly and always remember their dedicated service. Christian Aid is privileged to have had many faithful supporters, such as Arthur, Douglas and Mavis, who have committed years to sponsored walks, coffee mornings, house-tohouse collections and so on. If you would like to show your support for Christian Aid and step up to help the faithful workers in your community, please get in touch with your local Christian Aid office. Equally, if you have been organising a sponsored walk or a coffee morning or any other fundraising event and would like some support from a member of staff, please contact the local office and we’ll be very happy to help.
YOUR LOCAL OFFICES BRISTOL OFFICE (Bristol, Gloucestershire,
SOUTHAMPTON OFFICE
Somerset, Wiltshire) 57 High Street Thornbury Bristol BS35 2AP Tel: 01454 415923 west@christian-aid.org
(Channel Isles, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Isle of Wight) 106 Shirley High Street Southampton SO16 4FB Tel: 02380 706969 southwest@christian-aid.org
BRINGING THE STORIES HOME
STORIES ABOUT the wonderful work of our partner organisations around the world are key in encouraging people to give, act and pray for Christian Aid. Five of our staff team in the South and West have been overseas in the past few months to bring back the latest news. Gill Alexander, our regional coordinator for Bristol and Somerset, visited Tajikistan in central Asia. She reports: ‘I was particularly impressed with the work of our partners Zan Va Zamin who educate and support women with land-rights issues, train them in sustainable agriculture and help them sell their surplus.’ Alison Knight, our regional legacies officer, visited partners in Honduras while Laura McAdam, our regional coordinator for Cornwall and Devon, visited Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. Meanwhile, our two gap-year student and youth workers, Luke Harman (Bristol) and Nadia Kouhi (Exmouth) travelled with the other ‘gappers’ from around the country to visit partners in Cambodia. If you would like any of our staff to come to your group or church to speak, please contact your local Christian Aid office.
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WHERE NANI KNOWS BEST Working in South Africa, regional coordinator Aled Pickard gained a valuable insight into the way Christian Aid works with its overseas partners PARTNERSHIP. It’s a word Christian Aid uses a lot to describe its relationship with the 600 local organisations we support in 48 countries. But what does ‘partnership’ mean? How does it work? I spent six months with Christian Aid partner Wola Nani, which provides care and support to people affected by HIV/AIDS in Cape Town, South Africa. In a country where more than 40 per cent of the population live in poverty, Wola Nani relies on grants from government or larger charitable organisations for funding, rather than public donations. There is a constant battle to secure funds, so the support of an organisation such as Christian Aid becomes a lifeline, one that has enabled Wola Nani to become a leader in its sector. While many donors specify how their money should be spent, Christian Aid’s
funding is for capacity building, giving Wola Nani flexibility to use the money for basic running costs, making it possible to plan ahead. Formed in 1994, Wola Nani became a Christian Aid partner in 1995. While I was there, it was often quoted that Wola Nani would ‘still be operating from a small office in St George’s Cathedral without the help of Christian Aid’. Of course, with the exchange of money comes accountability. The bane of my life was collecting data to include in detailed, written reports to donors. I wanted to spend more time in the field developing the programme I was responsible for, but without securing funds and reporting back to donors the fieldwork would not happen. It’s not only the donors Wola Nani is accountable to – the supporters of organisations such as Christian Aid have the right to know how their hard work in raising money is making a difference. And make a difference it does. HIV kills. But it’s no longer the automatic death sentence it was once feared to be. Several people I met and worked with owed their lives to the support of Wola Nani. Support that has enabled them to accept their HIV status, learning to live healthily and positively. Support that has provided them with new skills and an income that benefits the whole family. Support that has given them hope for the future.
HARVEST HELP FROM PUPILS Year Six pupils from the Dell Primary School in Chepstow, Monmouthshire were looking for ideas for their Harvest celebrations when they came across the Christian Aid School Assembly for Harvest on the Christian Aid Learn website. A Windy Tale, which highlights the work of Christian Aid partner RAADA in a remote region of western Afghanistan, captured the imagination of the children. ‘We particularly liked the stories about the lives of the children and the way that the wind-powered well had made such a difference to the villages,’ said Tabitha Adams, one of the pupils. They decided to hold their own Harvest day and raised £181 for Christian Aid. The Learn website, which provides a monthly assembly for primary and secondary schools, can be found on: http://learn. christianaid.org.uk
HEAD OF CHRISTIAN AID in Wales Jeff Williams joined other members of Stop Climate Chaos Cymru and Dai the Dragon to meet Jane Davidson, Minister for the Environment in the Welsh Assembly government and part of the UK delegation at the UN climate change summit in Cancun. Dai presented the minister with a scroll engraved with a series of requests for the Wales Assembly government to support steps to combat climate change. SCC Cymru represents the views of thousands of Welsh people and believes that Wales can demonstrate what can be achieved through setting ambitious
targets such as the all-party Assembly agreement to cut Welsh emissions by 40 per cent (from 1990 levels) by 2020. Ms Davidson said: ‘I look forward to contributing to an event that will affect the future of our planet. Although Wales is a small nation, we have lots to shout about and I am keen to share some of the exciting work that we are taking forward here in Wales.’ A spokesperson for SCC Cymru said: ‘Jane Davidson will go to Cancun with a mandate from the people of Wales to stand up for the environment and the poorest people of the world, who are being hit first and hardest by the changing climate.’
Glen Edwards
Dai the Dragon calls for climate action
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EVENTS IN CENTRAL ENGLAND West Midlands WEDNESDAY 26 JANUARY Quizaid! 7.30pm, Shrewsbury United Reform Church, Shrewsbury. Contact Jo Pattison at kenandjo@pattisonfamily.co.uk SATURDAY 19 FEBRUARY Volunteer training event – Birmingham city centre 11am-4pm, St Luke’s Church Centre, Great Colmore Street. For volunteer speakers, teachers, media and events volunteers. All the information you need for Christian Aid Week 2011. See the new resources and hear inspirational stories from the focus partner in Nicaragua. There will be a drop-in from 10am until 1pm for those interested in becoming volunteers. To book
We’ll be here to help you WE WANT to make Christian Aid Week 2011 the best ever, so this spring we are aiming to meet as many organisers, collectors and supporters as we can through a programme of pre-Christian Aid Week supporter events. We will share a meal, introduce the Christian Aid Week material, and inspire you with stories from the focus partner, Soppexcca in Nicaragua. At the drop-in sessions you can also receive advice or resources. EAST MIDLANDS To reserve your free place at any of these events, please call 01509 265013 or email eastmidlands@ christian-aid.org. Thursday 10 February Nottingham, 5.30-7.30pm, St Paul’s Church Hall, Boundary Road, Wilford Hill, West Bridgford NG2 7DB. Dinner and event. Saturday 12 February Hinckley, 9.30-11:30am, Hinckley URC, The Borough LE10 1NL. Breakfast and event.
your place, call 0121 200 2283. SATURDAY 26 FEBRUARY Thank you evening for Worcester Christian Aid supporters 6.30pm, Magdalene Room, St George’s Church, St George’s Square, Barbourne, Worcester. Includes a Fairtrade supper, and Margaret Rutter will talk about her visit to Peru. Contact Sally Mills at sally.mills@talk.net FRIDAY 4 MARCH Women’s World Day of Prayer 12noon-1.30pm, in the Methodist Hall, Bishop’s Castle. For details, contact Hazel Cribb at cadno@hotmail.com FRIDAY 11 MARCH Soup and puddings Weekly Lenten Friday soup
Tuesday 15 or Wednesday 16 February Melton Mowbray, 5.30-7.30pm, Sage Cross Methodist Church, Sage Cross Street LE13 1RB. Dinner and event. Saturday 19 February Buxton, 9.30-11.30am, Bath Road Church Centre, 29 Bath Road SK17 6HJ. Breakfast and event. Tuesday 22 February Office Open Day 10am-3pm, Christian Aid Offices, The Moseley Complex, Derby Road, Loughborough LE11 5AH. Meet the team for morning coffee and cake or afternoon tea and biscuits. We will also run workshops throughout the day. Thursday 24 February North Lincolnshire 5.30-7.30pm, Brigg Methodist Church, Junction of Barnard Avenue and Wesley Road, Brigg DN20 8TR. Dinner and event. Saturday 26 February Lincoln, 9.30-11:30am, Bailgate Methodist Church, Bailgate LN1 3AR. Breakfast and event.
lunches from 12-1.30pm. For details, contact Hazel Cribb, as before. SATURDAY 2 APRIL North Staffordshire sponsored walk Registration 9am; official start 10am. Come and join this event that raises £50,000 every year! Christian Aid’s director, Loretta Minghella, will help us to mark the walk’s 21st anniversary. Sponsorship forms and more information available from John Bamford on 01782 516137. East Midlands SUNDAY 30 JANUARY Simple Sunday Lunch 12.30pm, Trinity Methodist Church, Loughborough.
WEST MIDLANDS To reserve your free place, call 0121 200 2283 or email birmingham@christian-aid.org. (No need to book for drop-ins.) Saturday 12 February Bromsgrove 2-5pm Drop-in; 6.30-8.30pm Dinner and event. All Saints Church Hall, Burcot Lane B60 1AE. Wednesday 16 February Malvern 2-5pm Drop-in; 6.30-8.30pm Dinner and event. St Andrews Church, Churchdown Road WR14 3JX. Saturday 19 February Birmingham City Centre see panel above. Tuesday 22 February Hereford 2-5pm Drop-in; 6.30-8.30pm Dinner and event; St John’s Methodist Church, St Owen Street HR1 2PR. Thursday 24 February Stafford 2-5pm Drop-in; 6.308.30pm Dinner and event. Trinity Church, Mount Street ST16 2BZ Tuesday 1 March Stratford-Upon-Avon 2-5pm Drop-in; 6.30-8.30pm Dinner and event. Stratford-Upon-Avon URC, Rother Street CV37 6LU.
Join the Loughborough Christian Aid group for a lunch in solidarity with the world’s poorest communities. SUNDAY 1 MAY Fanshawe Gate Hall open garden 11am-5pm, Fanshawe Gate Hall, Holmesfield, Dronfield, Derbyshire. Entry £2.50 (children free). All proceeds to Christian Aid. East of England THURSDAY 31 MARCH Meet the new director 7.30pm, Today’s Lifestyle Church, Drayton Hall, Norwich. Loretta Minghella explains her vision for Christian Aid. Details from Eldred Willey, on 01603 620051.
Monday 7 March Walsall 2-5pm Drop-in: The Crossing, St Paul’s Church, Darwall Street WS1 1DA; 6.30-8.30pm Dinner and event: Walsall St Luke, Selborne Street WS1 2JN. Thursday 10 March Bishop’s Castle 2-5pm Drop-in; 6.30-8.30pm Dinner and event. Methodist Church Hall, Station Street SY9 5AQ. Monday 14 March Tamworth 2-5pm Drop-in; 6.308.30pm Dinner and event. St Martin-in-the-Delph, St. Martin’s Centre, Ellerbeck, Stonydelph, B77 4JA. Thursday 17 March Shrewsbury 2-5pm Drop-in; 6.30-8.30pm, Dinner and event. Shrewsbury URC, Coleham Head SY3 7BJ. EAST OF ENGLAND Tuesday 15 March Hadleigh 7.30pm, the Parish Church, Hadleigh, Suffolk. Details from Eldred Willey, on 01603 620051. For details of other pre-CAW events, contact your local office (Norwich 01603 620051; Peterborough 01733 345755).
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EVENTS IN NORTH ENGLAND MARCH – MAY Volunteer training and development days Days around the North of England to inspire teachers and speakers for Christian Aid Week. Thursday 3 March Oxford Place Methodist Church, Leeds. Contact the Leeds office. Thursday 3 March Christian Aid office, Newcastle. With David Day, author and former principal of St John’s College and Cranmer Hall, Durham. Contact the Newcastle office. Tuesday 22 March Venue tbc. For details, please contact the Warrington office. Saturday 26 March Coffee and croissants Sheffield Inspiration Meeting with new ideas for fundraising. For details, contact Lindsey Pearson on 0113 244 4764, lpearson@ christian-aid.org Thursday 28 April York Minster celebratory Christian Aid service 7.30pm. With Rev Francis Nabieu, from Sierra Leone. For details, email christian aidyork@googlemail.com Wednesday 4 May Preaching in Christian Aid Week workshop 2-4pm, Leeds centre. For details and to book, contact Lindsey Pearson, as above. TALKS AND CONFERENCES SATURDAY 29 JANUARY Re-Connect conference 10am-5pm, the Forest Café, Edinburgh. A conference for 18to 25-year-olds from Cumbria, the North East of England and Scotland to explore pressing issues in international development. Contact Lizzie Spencer on 07854 170023, or email lizzie@myplatform2.com
MONDAY 7 FEBRUARY North East call to action on poverty AGM 6pm, venue tbc. Details from Judith Sadler in the Newcastle office.
Church, Scarborough. Coffee morning on 29 January. Contact David Bridge on 01723 362091, davidgarnerbridge@ googlemail.com
TUESDAY 22 FEBRUARY Does Fairtrade mean a fair price? 5.30pm, Newcastle University Speaker: Alex Cobham, Christian Aid’s chief policy adviser. Contact Judith Sadler, as above.
SATURDAY 26 FEBRUARY The Lawrence Singers in concert 7.30pm, URC Bramhall, Greater Manchester. Further details from Margaret Simpson on 0161 440 0315.
MONDAY 7 MARCH Funding development in a time of recession 7.15pm, St Aidan’s Church, Sudden OL11 3HE. Director of Christian Aid Loretta Minghella will be speaking at the annual Rochdale Education Evening. Contact Roger Pugsley on 01706 650634, or email rgpugsley@btinternet.com SATURDAY 12 MARCH Climate of Hope South Parade Baptist Church, Leeds. A conference to help churches act on climate change. For details, see www.climateofhope.org or contact Lindsey Pearson at the Leeds office. TUESDAY 3 MAY The Future of Oil 7.30pm, Northallerton Methodist Church. A debate about the future of oil and its impact on the poor. For details, contact Janet Bryer on 01609 773620, janet.bryer@btinternet.com FUNDRAISING FRIDAY 28, SATURDAY 29 JANUARY Sponsored snooker marathon and coffee morning 8am-8pm, both days, at Westborough Methodist
THURSDAY 10,17, 24, 31 MARCH; 7, 14 APRIL Churches Together in Keswick Lent Lunches 12 noon-1.15pm Crosthwaite Parish Room, Keswick. All proceeds to Christian Aid. Lent Lunches happen around the North West, including Bramhall, Chester, Holmes Chapel, Morecambe, Hyde and Liverpool. MARCH AND APRIL SUNDAYS IN LENT Hebden Royd Lent Lunches Usually 12 noon to 1.30pm. 13 March The Good Shepherd, Mytholmroyd. 20 March Hope Baptists, Hebden Bridge. 27 March The Quakers, Hebden Bridge. 3 April Mytholmroyd Methodists. 10 April Hebden Bridge Methodists. 17 April St Michael’s, Mytholmroyd (12.15-1.45pm). WEDNESDAY 16 MARCH Scarborough South Cliff Churches coffee morning 10.30am-12noon, the Ambassador Hotel, The Esplanade. Contact David Bridge, as before. THURSDAY 12, FRIDAY 13 May Plant sale St Edward the Confessor
Church, Dringhouses, York. Contact Jennifer Simpson on 01904 705809. SPONSORED EVENTS SATURDAY 5 MARCH Leeds Metropolitan University abseil Abseil 35 metres down the Civic Quarter Building, Leeds. For details contact Hannah Dawe on 01925 582826, or email events@christian-aid. org SATURDAY 26 MARCH Manchester Velodrome abseil Drop 40 metres down the inside of the National Cycling Centre at Manchester Velodrome. For details contact Hannah Dawe as above. SUNDAY 24 APRIL The 46th Halifax Long March A 13.1- or 26.2-mile overnight sponsored walk through Calderdale. For details and to register, visit www. longmarch.co.uk or contact Alex Jones on 01132 444764, ajones@christian-aid.org MONDAY 2 MAY Sheffield May Day trek New 5, 10 or 15-mile circular routes for this sponsored walk. Visit www.longmarch. co.uk or contact Alex Jones, as above. SATURDAY 7 MAY Humber Bridge Cross Sponsored Walk 2pm, Hessle Country Park. Contact Gill Dalby on 01482 504203, or email gilldalby@ gilldalby.karoo.co.uk SUNDAY 15 MAY Manchester 10K Take part for Christian Aid Week. Places available. Contact events@christianaid.org
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CHANGE THE WAY YOU SEE THE WORLD ‘The wonder of seeing the difference that our support has made to the farming community in Euthini was only surpassed by the joy of our welcome,’ was the glowing praise from Mary Fallon, Christian Aid supporter, on visiting the work of our partners in Malawi. Do you long for a holiday that is more than luxury hotels and sandy beaches? Now you have the chance. Through our ethical travel partner Skedaddle, we aim to provide you with an authentic insight into the country you visit and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the empowering work of our partners. Places are still available on our trip to Malawi (23 May-4 June 2011), where you can experience a range of our partners’ projects, from those working to improve agricultural practices and protect the environment, to education and health issues, particularly in the fight against the spread of HIV.
Mary Fallon on her supporter tour to Malawi
• To book your trip, visit www.christianaidtours. skedaddle.co.uk or call 0191 265 1110, or email christianaid@skedaddle.co.uk. You can read more about the supporters tours on page 24.
Poll call for election Scotland goes to the polls on Thursday 5 May to elect a new government. Although the elections are likely to be dominated by domestic issues, Christian Aid will be asking its supporters to remind candidates of Scotland’s responsibilities to the wider world. We hope to use the timing of the election, just ahead of Christian Aid Week, as an opportunity for supporters to call on the new government to maintain the International Development Fund and to ensure that Scotland maintains its position as a world leader on climate change. Look out for further details of the resources, and activities for supporters to get involved in the next edition of Christian Aid News. You can also look online at www. christianaid.org.uk/scotland
EVENTS IN SCOTLAND THURSDAY 13 JANUARY – THURSDAY 24 FEBRUARY Millennium Development Goals winter lecture series Thursday 13 January University of Edinburgh: Dr Liz Grant, Combating HIV/ AIDS Thursday 27 January University of Glasgow: Dr Phil Cotton, Reducing Child Mortality Thursday 10 February University of Edinburgh: Prof Wendy Graham, Improving Maternal Health Thursday 24 February University of Glasgow: speakers tbc, Global Partnership For more information, please contact the Glasgow office on 0141 221 7475, glasgow@ christian-aid.org or check
SATURDAY 22 JANUARY – THURSDAY 29 JANUARY Burns Supper From 22–29 January, people across Scotland will be saying ‘More Poetry, Less Poverty’, by holding a Burns Night Supper to raise money for Christian Aid. For more information or to get a fundraising pack, please contact Amy Corcoran, 0141 241 6138 acorcoran@ christian-aid.org
give communities the help they need to transform themselves. The team will be travelling around Scotland during March, join them if they are at a place near you. Tuesday 1 March Partick Saturday 12 March Aberdeen Friday 18 March Denny Thursday 24 March Annan Friday 1 April Wick To find out more, please check www.christianaid.org. uk/scotland To book a free place, please contact 0141 221 7475 or glasgow@christian-aid.org
TUESDAY 1 MARCH – FRIDAY 1 APRIL Christian Aid road shows Meet Kathy Galloway and the team to find out how Christian Aid is working to
MARCH–JUNE Sponsored walks 2011 Saturday 23 March Tay Bridge Cross, 2pm Saturday 30 April Forth Bridge Cross, 2pm
the website for details www. christianaid.org.uk/scotland
For an up-to-date listing of all events in Scotland, see www.christianaid.org.uk/scotland/whats-happening-near-you.aspx
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Saturday 7 May Erskine Bridge Cross, 2pm Saturday 21 May Ninian’s Walk, 2pm Saturday 18 June Cumbrae Challenge, 2pm For details and sponsorship packs, please contact Amy Corcoran, 0141 241 6138 or acorcoran@christian-aid.org or visit www.christianaid.org. uk/walks SUNDAY 29 MAY Fundraising football match 7pm, Falkirk FC Stadium, Westfield, Falkirk FK2 9DX. Tickets are £10 and £7. £1 from every ticket sold will be donated to various charities including Christian Aid. For details contact Amy Corcoran, as above, or Thomas Harry, 07929 058685.
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Regional news and events in London, Essex, Surrey, Kent and Sussex
IN THE LEAD-UP to Christian Aid Week 2011 we have a number of events planned to inspire and inform all those involved (or who would like to be involved) in the week. We hope many of you will be able to join us, and that you will bring others from your church, family and community. The highlight of these Better Together events will be the visit of Salwa Morcos from Christian Aid partner COC Bless (the development arm of the Coptic Church) in Egypt. Salwa will be encouraging us with stories of communities being transformed as COC Bless develop their mission to ‘help poor people discover and develop their own potential… and to bring about abundant life for all’.
Better together tour... Monday 28 February Heathfield 7pm, Curry Inn, Station Approach, Heathfield, East Sussex TN21 8LG. Curry buffet and stories from Christian Aid’s work in Tajikistan and Kenya. £10 for buffet (drinks not included). Saturday 5 March Chelmsford 10.30-1.30, Trinity Methodist, Rainsford Road, Chelmsford CM1 2XB. Stories from Christian Aid’s work in Nicaragua and Kenya, followed by a soup and bread lunch. Saturday 5 March Preston, Brighton 3.30-5pm, Florence Road Baptist Church Hall, Florence Rd, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 6DL. Fairtrade tasting and stories from Christian Aid’s work in Cambodia and Tajikistan. Saturday 5 March Brighton 7pm, ASK Restaurant, 58 Ship Street, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1AF. Pizza/pasta buffet and stories from Christian Aid’s work in Cambodia and Tajikistan. £10 for buffet (drinks not included). Saturday 12 March Farnham 6pm, Lion & Lamb Bistro, 19 Lion & Lamb Yard,
Farnham GU9 7LL. £10 for buffet (excl drinks). With Salwa Morcos from Christian Aid partner COC Bless, Egypt. Monday 14 March London 12.30-1.30pm, Interchurch House, 35-41 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RL. Bring a sandwich and join Christian Aid staff as we hear from Salwa Morcos from COC Bless. Wednesday 16 March Crawley 7pm, ASK restaurant, 49/51 High Street, Crawley RH10 1BQ. Pizza/pasta buffet and we will hear from Salwa Morcos from COC Bless. £10 for buffet (drinks not included). Thursday 17 March Dover 7pm, venue tbc. With Salwa Morcos from COC Bless. Thursday 24 March Pinner 8pm, Cannon Lane Methodist Church, Cannon Lane, Pinner HA5 1JD. Quiz night and stories from Christian Aid’s work in Cambodia. Saturday 26 March Broadstairs 10.30-12.30am, Holy Trinity Broadstairs, Nelson Place, Broadstairs CT10 1HQ. Stories from Christian Aid’s work in Nicaragua and Kenya.
EVENTS MONDAY 17 JANUARY – MONDAY 31 JANUARY Christian Aid cathedral tour at Southwark Cathedral We are launching the Poverty Over tour at Southwark Cathedral. The display will include a stunning new sculpture by a British artist and a wonderful photo exhibition featuring some of our partners.
Wikimedia Commons
WE’RE BETTER TOGETHER
THURSDAY 27 JANUARY Christian Aid Week supporters’ evening 6-8.30pm, Interchurch House, 35-41 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RL. Discover this year’s Christian Aid Week materials, meet other supporters and hear from Paul Brannen, head of Advocacy and Influence. There will also be fairtrade food, coffee and wine tasting. Please bring anyone in your church or community who is (or could be) involved in Christian Aid Week. And why not visit the Poverty Over cathedral tour at Southwark Cathedral first? SATURDAY 19 FEBRUARY Justice and Worship workshop 9.30am-1pm, Interchurch House, 35-41 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RL. Popular author and conference speaker Craig Borlase will join Liz Baddaley and David Muir for our third workshop exploring the connection between justice and worship. For further details,
or to reserve a place, please email LSE@christian-aid.org SATURDAY 19 MARCH Zorbing challenge Brighton, venue tba. Take up the challenge and get sponsored. For more details, contact Cat Goldson at cgoldson@christian-aid.org SATURDAY 14 MAY – SUNDAY 22 MAY Christian Aid cathedral tour at Canterbury Cathedral 15-21 MAY Christian Aid Week SUNDAY 22 MAY Circle the City 2011 sponsored walk Walk 6 or 8½km around the City of London. For details, visit www.christianaid.org. uk/walks WEDNESDAY 15 JUNE Christian Aid Week thank you and evaluation From 3.30pm, Interchurch House, 35-41 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RL. If you are going to be involved in Christian Aid Week, we’d like to say thank you and hear what you thought about the resources. There will be two separate evaluation meetings with tea, cake and an opportunity to meet other Christian Aid supporters and staff. 3.30-5pm for first meeting. 5-6pm for thank you tea. 6-7.30pm for second meeting. For more information about any of the events, or to book a place, please email LSE@christian-aid.org or phone 020 7523 2105 (for Essex, Kent and Sussex) or 020 7523 2321 (for Greater London and Surrey).
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TAUNTON APPEAL TOPS £1,000 ST MICHAEL’S CHURCH in Taunton gave its congregation small bottles of water to enjoy and then asked them to fill the empty bottles with coins and bring them along to its Harvest Festival. More than £1,000 was raised for Christian Aid’s Wind of Change appeal.
We’re better together: come and find out why! WE KNOW we are all part of a bigger picture, yet it can sometimes feel like we’re working away on our own. We want to raise as much money and awareness as we can, but sometimes the resources don’t quite fit our situation, or the events meant to support us are a little too far away. Does any of that sound familiar? The South West regional team have embarked on a Better Together Tour, which takes presentations, workshops and a mobile office right to where they’re needed across four counties
and a few islands. The tour is intended to thank, inspire and equip our wonderful supporters as we run together towards Christian Aid Week 2011 and beyond. Look and see if there’s an event near you – all are free and we’d love to meet as many of you as possible! DATES: Monday 24 January Penzance. Tues 25 January Truro. Wed 26 January St Austell. Thurs 27 January Newquay and Wadebridge. Tues 1 February Dorchester and Weymouth.
Wed 2 February Bournemouth and Poole. Thurs 3 February Bridport and Lyme Regis. Fri 4 February Shaftesbury and Sherborne. Mon 7 February Paignton. Tues 8 February Ottery St Mary. Wed 9 February Crediton. Thurs 10 February Okehampton. Mon 14 February Southampton. Tues 15 February Isle of Wight. Thurs 17 February Hartley Wintney, Fleet and Farnborough. Fri 18 February Selborne, Headley and Liphook. Thurs 10 March Guernsey. Sat 12 March Jersey.
EVENTS IN SOUTH AND WEST
Help us end poverty: book now for John Bell
Join us at Manvers Street Baptist Church, Bath, in March, for one or both of our events of celebration and encouragement as we continue fighting poverty during 2011. Each will feature an address from John Bell of the Iona Community, as well as presentations from Christian Aid staff. The evening is for anyone keen to help – and the day is a conference for church leaders. DATES: Wednesday 2 March (Supporters’ evening) 7.30-9.30pm Thursday 3 March (Church leaders’ day) 9.15am-4.15pm TO BOOK: The events are free but a collection will be taken. Bookings must be made in advance. To reserve a place or to find out more, please email bookings.west@christian-aid. org or phone 01454 415923.
SATURDAY 22 JANUARY Global Aware conference 10am-3pm, Broadmead Baptist Church, Union Street, Bristol. A conference to inspire and empower local Christians to take action on global issues. Speakers include Dr Paula Clifford (Christian Aid head of Theology). For details, email Jenny Foster at jenny@ bristolfairtradenetwork. org.uk THURSDAY 27 JANUARY Bath partnership scheme launch 3-4.30pm, St Michael’s Church, Broad Street, Bath. Launch of fundraising partnership with ZimPro, Zimbabwe. Tea and cakes. For details, contact Gill Alexander at galexander@ christian-aid.org or 01454 415923.
SUNDAY 30 JANUARY Tiverton Churches Together service 6.30pm, Salvation Army, Chapel Street, Tiverton. Speaker: Laura McAdam. For details, contact the Southampton office southwest@christian-aid.org or 02380 706969. SATURDAY 12 FEBRUARY Christian Aid coffee morning St Peter’s Church Hall, Budleigh Salterton. For details, contact the Southampton office southwest@christian-aid.org or 02380 706969. MONDAY 28 FEBRUARY CASH (Christian Aid in South Hampshire) open meeting 7.30pm, St John’s Church, Locks Heath. All welcome. For details, contact the Southampton office southwest@christian-aid.org or 02380 706969.
WEDNESDAY 2 MARCH Help us end poverty 7.30pm, Manvers Street Baptist Church, Bath. A supporters’ evening with John Bell. (See story in panel, left.) For details, contact the Bristol office. THURSDAY 3 MARCH Help us end poverty 9.15am-4.15pm, Manvers Street Baptist Church, Bath. A church leaders’ day with John Bell. (See story in panel, left.) Contact, as above. SATURDAY 5 MARCH/ SATURDAY 26 MARCH Traid It! 5 March – Sidmouth 26 March – Totnes Have a spring clear-out and find your own bargains. For more details contact Helen Burgess at hburgess@ christian-aid.org.
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EVENTS IN WALES – DIGWYDDIADAU YNG NGHYMRU WEDNESDAY 19 JANUARY Cardiff Christian Aid organisers’ and supporters’ meeting 7pm, City URC Church, Windsor Place, Cardiff. An opportunity to view the Christian Aid Week 2011 resources and discuss Christian Aid Week events in Cardiff. For further details, contact Robin Samuel on 029 2084 4646. MERCHER 19 IONAWR Cyfarfod Trefnyddion a Chefnogwyr Cymorth Cristnogol Caerdydd 7yh, Capel City URC, Windsor Place, Caerdydd. Cyfle i weld adnoddau Wythnos Cymorth Cristnogol 2011 a thrafod casgliadau a digwyddiadau Wythnos Cymorth Cristnogol yng Nghaerdydd. Manylion gan Robin Samuel ar 029 2084 4646. LLUN 7 CHWEFROR Darlith ar waith Cymorth Cristnogol 7yh, Capel Engedi, Bryngwran, Ynys Môn Siaradwraig: Anna Jane Evans. Trefnir y noson gan Gymdeithas Lenyddol Bryngwran Cysylltwch â Swyddfa Bangor ar 01248 353574 am fanylion. LLUN 14 CHWEFROR Ymateb i ddaeargryn Haiti Aelwyd yr Urdd, Penisa’r Waun, Caernarfon
3.15-4.15 yp o dan arweiniad Anna Jane Evans. Cysylltwch â Swyddfa Bangor ar 01248 353574 am fanylion. WEDNESDAY 2 MARCH Talks for Fairtrade Fortnight in Bangor and Llandudno. Speaker: Paul Chandler, Chief Executive of Traidcraft. For full details of times and locations, contact Liz Perkins at lis@justshopping.co.uk MERCHER 2 MAWRTH Sgyrsiau ar gyfer Pythefnos Masnach Deg ym Mangor a Llandudno. Siaradwr: Paul Chandler, Prif Weithredwr Traidcraft. Manylion llawn am amserau a lleoliadau gan Liz Perkins ar lis@justshopping.co.uk SUNDAY 6 MARCH Christian Aid World Mission service 4pm, St Collen Church, Llangollen. To mark the end of the St Asaph Diocesan appeal in support of the work of DDS, a Christian Aid partner in India. Contact the Diocesan Office, St Asaph, on 01745 532591. SUL 6 MAWRTH Oedfa Arbennig Cymorth Cristnogol 4yp, Eglwys Sant Collen, Llangollen. I nodi diwedd apêl Esgobaeth Llanelwy yn cefnogi gwaith DDS, partner Cymorth Cristnogol yn yr India.
Manylion ar gael gan Swyddfa’r Esgobaeth ar 01745 532591. DYDD MAWRTH 8 MAWRTH Noson Grempog Capel Lôn Swan, Dinbych am 7.00 yh. Trefnir gan bwyllgor Cymorth Cristnogol Dinbych. Elw tuag at waith Cymorth Cristnogol Manylion gan Anna Jane Evans ar 01248 353574. TUESDAY 8 MARCH Pancake evening 7pm, Lôn Swan Chapel, Denbigh. Organised by the local Christian Aid committee. All proceeds to Christian Aid. Further details from Anna Jane Evans on 01248 353574. IAU 17 MAWRTH Sgwrs am waith Cymorth Cristnogol 2.15yp, Capel Seilo, Llandudno. Siaradwraig: Anna Jane Evans, Cymorth Cristnogol. Manylion gan Swyddfa Bangor ar 01248 353574. SADWRN 26 MAWRTH Cynhadledd diwrnod ar addoliad Canolfan Loreto, Abbey Road, Llandudno. Gweithdy ar adnoddau addoli Cymorth Cristnogol o dan arweiniad Anna Jane Evans. Manylion llawn am ddigwyddiadau’r dydd gan Nia Higginbotham ar 01492 877026.
EICH SWYDDFA LEOL – YOUR LOCAL OFFICE BANGOR (Gogledd Cymru/North Wales) 106 Stryd Fawr Bangor Gwynedd LL57 1NS Tel/Ffon: 01248 353574 bangor@christian-aid.org
CAERFYRDDIN/CARMARTHEN (De Orllewin a’r Canolbarth/ South West and Mid) 75 Heol Dwr Caerfyrddin/Carmarthen SA31 1PY Tel/Ffon: 01267 237257 carmarthen@christian-aid.org
CAERDYDD/CARDIFF (Cenedlaethol/National Office) 5 Station Road Radyr Caerdydd/Cardiff CF15 8AA Tel/Ffon: 029 2084 4646 cardiff@christian-aid.org
SATURDAY 26 MARCH Worship Day conference and workshops The Loreto Centre, Abbey Road, Llandudno. A session on Christian Aid worship resources by Anna Jane Evans. Full details of the day’s events from Nia Higginbotham on 01492 877026. LENT LUNCHES Many local groups and churches will be holding frugal lunches during Lent in support of the work of Christian Aid. Please contact your local Christian Aid office for dates and locations. CINIO CYNNIL Y GRAWYS Mae nifer o grwpiau lleol ac eglwysi yn cynnal cinio cynnil yn ystod tymor y Grawys i gefnogi gwaith Cymorth Cristnogol. Cysylltwch â’ch swyddfa Cymorth Cristnogol leol am ddyddiadau a lleoliadau. Os hoffech i ni gynnwys eich digwyddiad yn y rhifyn nesaf o Christian Aid News, cysylltwch â’ch swyddfa leol. If you would like us to include your event in the next edition of Christian Aid News, please contact your local office.
Can you help us? Education is key in the fight against poverty. That is why we need volunteers to help raise awareness of our work. If you have some time to spare, why not consider giving it to Christian Aid? We need both Welsh and English speakers to visit schools, youth groups, churches and community groups, work as events and campaign organisers or do general office work. For more details, email apickard@christianaid.org or visit www.christianaid. org.uk/getinvolved/volunteer
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LAST WORD A reflection on playing a part in the fight against poverty, and living life in the wider family of Christian Aid
A PLATFORM FOR THE FUTURE Development path: Nessa Khandaker working on a conservation project in Ghana
IN JANUARY 2008, Christian Aid won the bid to run the Department for International Development’s £10m volunteering scheme, as lead agent alongside overseas volunteering organisation BUNAC. Aimed at less-advantaged 18- to 25-year-olds, DFID hoped the three-year programme, named Platform2, would provide an opportunity for young people to live and work in countries affected by poverty and be inspired to do something positive on their return, promoting a greater understanding of other cultures and global issues. Its impact has been considerable. With trips leaving Britain every three months to destinations in Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Peru, Nepal and India, nearly 2,000 volunteers have each spent 10 weeks living and working abroad. For some, it’s been their first time overseas. While abroad, the volunteers have worked in construction, conservation and education, and learnt about development issues such as poverty, HIV/ AIDS, climate change, gender inequality and Fairtrade. Upon their return, they have become ambassadors, attending Christian Aid lobbies (The Wave, and 20.10.2010), volunteering in regional offices, and throwing themselves into Platform2 projects, including the Poverty Monologues at the Edinburgh Fringe festival, the I Am the Change EP and the nationwide launch of a poetry book. Many more volunteers have told their own stories in a variety of ways – talks, open mike nights, fashion shows, the list is endless. And even though there will be no more trips, Platform2 continues – with
Christian Aid/Matthew Gonzalez Noda
As 2011 dawns, Christian Aid is completing phase one of its youth volunteering programme, Platform2. Melanie Smith, who has worked with the Platform2 volunteers, looks at some of their achievements
returnees continuing to spread the word on development issues. Among those doing this will be Nessa Khandaker, 20, from Hampshire, who travelled to Ghana in 2008, where she worked on a conservation project and set up a sports club for local children. Nessa, whose family are from Bangladesh, won the chance to represent the UK with the British Youth Council at the G8/G20 summits in Canada, where she discussed security and maternal health issues. She has also set up her own charity, Arohon, in Bangladesh, which aims to empower women in a Bangladeshi community through education. Karem Issa, 26, from Birmingham, studied international studies at university, and longed to put his knowledge into practice in the developing world. But with student debt, and no income, he didn’t think it was possible. So when he flew out to Ghana in June 2008, it was a dream come true. He helped to build a
toilet block for the community, and spent his free time teaching Quranic Arabic in the local mosque. Back in Britain, he’s done a lot to raise awareness of development issues, volunteering for two months in Tamil Nadu, India, where he worked on a Fairtrade soap-production project. Passionate about interfaith work, he also became one of 30 worldwide Faith Act Fellows with the Tony Blair Foundation, presenting lectures on interfaith action across Bosnia and Herzegovina. Overall, Platform2 has brought young volunteers to Christian Aid, educating the generation who will be facing the problems of tomorrow. Platform2 has helped them to understand issues such as climate change, HIV/AIDs and gender inequality that affect millions of people across the world every day. They have seen how the world has made poverty, and they can help fight until the world ends it.
PLATFORM2: THE TRAIN HAS NOT LEFT Christian Aid will continue to be involved with Platform2, via a phased transition to our youth wing, Ctrl.Alt.Shift, keeping returning volunteers in the Christian Aid fold. ‘The real benefit of the programme is returnees spreading the word about
development, and that carries on,’ says Platform2 programme head Mark Vyner. ‘The continuing engagement of our returnees with social justice issues will contribute to Christian Aid’s wider Poverty Over ambition.’
30 Christian Aid News
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Our climate is changing: extremes of flooding and drought are threatening the survival of some of the world’s poorest people. Now you can do something to combat climate change and raise money for Christian Aid at the same time.
Switch to Ecotricity
and Christian Aid will receive £40 for its work helping poor communities adapt to climate change.
CHRISTIAN AID INTRODUCES ECOTRICITY
FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE SWITCH TO ECOTRICITY
You will also receive four energy-saving light bulbs, which can save you up to £36 per year. If your business, school or church switches, Ecotricity will donate up to £150 to Christian Aid.
To make a difference, call free on
08000 302 302
and quote ‘Christian Aid’ or visit www.ecotricity.co.uk/christian-aid
FIGHT POVERTY STEP BY STEP BY TAKING PART IN A SPONSORED WALK FOR CHRISTIAN AID Christian Aid has over 60 sponsored walks happening each year across the UK. Why not join hundreds of other walkers to raise money to fight poverty? To register for a sponsored walk near you visit www.christianaid.org.uk/walks
Photo: Christian Aid
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LONDON TO PARIS BIKE RIDE
Christian Aid/Nell Freeman
20–24 July 2011
Say ‘on your bike!’ to poverty by cycling 300 miles and arrive in time to watch the Tour de France finale.
Register NOW 020 7523 2248 www.christianaid.org.uk/cycling UK registered charity no. 1105851 Company no. 5171525 Scot charity no. SC039150 NI charity no. XR94639 Company no. NI059154 ROI charity no. CHY 6998 Company no. 426928 The Christian Aid name and logo are trademarks of Christian Aid; Poverty Over is a trademark of Christian Aid.
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