Christian Aid Magazine Spring/Summer 2014

Spring/Summer 2014

The quarterly magazine for supporters

Sky’s the limit

Help us reach new heights this Christian Aid Week 11–17 MA Y

Let the light shine through Cathedral to Coast Bike Ride 2–3 August 2014

Cycle from the stained-glass majesty of Guildford Cathedral to Dorset’s golden coastline and put the brakes on poverty.

What will inspire you to ride?

Register now at christianaid.org.uk/whatcounts or call 020 7523 2248

Photo: iStock 14-062-J2464

Editorial team Editor Roger Fulton Sub-editors Andy Jacques, Catriona Lorie, Caroline Atkinson, Louise Parfitt Art editor Gavin Micklethwaite Pictures Joseph Cabon, Matthew Gonzalez-Noda Production Cedric Taylor Circulation Ben Hayward Published by Christian Aid 35 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RL

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tel: 020 7620 4444 email: info@christian-aid.org christianaid.org.uk 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 © Christian Aid April 2014.

The acceptance of external advertising does not indicate endorsement.

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4 Loretta’s letter A message from Loretta Minghella.

Cover story Sara Wahid enjoys the newfound peace of her village in northern Iraq.

Photo: Christian Aid/ Antoinette Powell Other photos this issue All photos copyright Christian Aid except where stated below. This page, Andy Hall/Oxfam for the Climate Coalition, Christian Aid/Andrew Testa/Panos; pages 4-5, Andy Hall/Oxfam for the Climate Coalition; pages 6-7, 350.org; pages 8-11, Christian Aid/Andrew Testa/Panos; pages 14-15, Christian Aid/Sarah Malian.

Christian Aid is a member of

News 4 Vigil for Syria Plus: fears grow over DRC’s ‘triangle of death’; join the ‘fast for the climate’.

Frontline 8 Healing a heart broken by conflict Stories for Christian Aid Week: from South Sudan, a woman finding a new beginning after a life of tragedy.

12 What no child should have to see From Colombia: how humanitarian zones are helping communities find peace after decades of war.

14 The Big Picture From Iraq: the village embracing ‘normal’ after nearly being destroyed.

16 Christian Aid Week 2014 How the numbers add up.

18 Taken by storm How we help communities dealing with climate change.

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Christian Aid Magazine Issue 2: Spring/Summer 2014

Comment 20 Opinion: The politics of poverty Simon Kirkland argues that we need to lobby politicians to tackle poverty.

21 Reflection: How Christian is Christian Aid? Susan Durber considers how much theology should influence our work.

23 Letters Your views.

Life and Soul 24 Ready, Eddie, go!

In praise of local organisers.

25 Recipe Try egg arepa for a taste of Colombia.

26 Every step counts On the road for Christian Aid. 27 Challenge events 28 Book reviews 29 Crossword 30 Five minutes with… Nick Page A quick chat with the Christian author.

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I

am lucky enough not to know at first-hand what it feels like to have my world ripped apart by conflict. I am so grateful for that – and humbled by the sacrifices of so many others to create and sustain our security.

Violence, however, is a constant in the lives of nearly a quarter of the world’s population, meted out by soldiers or militiamen in countries at war, or by armed gangs in those parts of the world where government holds scant sway.

In all cases, lack of security is a significant driver of poverty. Conflict forces people to abandon their homes, jobs and the land they farm, while amenities are destroyed, infrastructure shattered, trade disrupted and investors scared off.

Christian Aid Week this year, May 11-17, focuses on the theme of peace and reconciliation. It will highlight our work with partners in more than a dozen countries where there is conflict, and in a dozen more where there is now peace and we are helping communities recover.

This issue of your magazine looks in detail at our projects in two such places: South Sudan, where there is renewed fighting, and Colombia, where the prospect of a lasting peace has proved so elusive.

I hope such accounts will inspire you to support Christian Aid Week again this year and perhaps in a way that you’ve not done before. On page 16, you’ll find out more about the week and where to access resources to help with organising a door-to-door collection, as well as lots of ideas and materials for fundraising events.

Whatever you do, please join in, and be part of the largest single annual act of Christian witness in the UK.

Loretta Minghella, Chief Executive

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News

Loretta’s letter

‘Drowning Street’ At a water-logged replica of 10 Downing Street, Christian Aid joined representatives from the Climate Coalition to raise awareness of climate change.

The replica, set up opposite Parliament, showed David Cameron and Nick Clegg looking dejected on sandbags outside No 10. The stunt urged Mr Cameron to push for new EU targets on climate and energy for 2030.

Under pressure from campaigners, the PM acknowledged that: ‘We want the EU to play a strong leadership role in efforts to secure a global climate deal.’

However, he and other EU leaders delayed their decision at a meeting in March. So we will need to keep up the pressure for ambitious action.

Without it, communities around the world will continue to bear the brunt of climate change (see page 18).

To read a digital version of this magazine, go to christianaid.org.uk/cam

Vigil marks third year of Syria crisis

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rom Trafalgar Square in London to Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan, thousands of people around the world stood together in a global vigil for Syria on 13 March. It marked the third anniversary of the start of the Syrian conflict, and was held to urge world leaders to commit to ending the conflict before another year passes.

Syrian voices joined a coalition of 115 humanitarian and human rights groups – including Christian Aid – from 35 countries. They called for urgent action to ensure Syrians can access humanitarian aid.

‘The human cost of the crisis is staggering,’ says Janet Symes, head of Christian Aid’s Middle East team. ‘More than 130,000 dead, nearly 50% of the population in need of humanitarian aid, almost a quarter of a million living in besieged areas where they are unable to access help.

Up/down The stories making headlines: for better or for worse

‘It’s important for the population to know that we care and that we are demanding world leaders find a political solution to the crisis.’

Major supermarkets stock The Real Easter Egg, the UK’s first Fairtrade charity egg to tell the real Easter story. christianaid.traidcraftshop.co.uk

Thanks to your generosity, our Syria Crisis Appeal has already raised more than £2m, enabling our partners to support communities in desperate need.

The Church of England General Synod agrees to strengthen its position on climate change and to review the Church’s ethical investment policy on fossil fuels. bit.ly/synod-climate

In the months ahead, our partner REACH will expand its work to help refugees in Iraq earn a living so they can provide for their families.

In Lebanon, our partner the Lebanese Physically Handicapped Union will help Syrian refugees with disabilities to access specialist support such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy, as well as vocational training. christianaid.org.uk/syria See also withsyria.com

Communities in Malawi reap the benefits of keeping beehives – and it’s good for the environment . bit.ly/malawi-bees

We’re excited about the upcoming Coast to Coast cycle ride on 24 April. Be inspired to take on a challenge of your own. christianaid.org.uk/whatcounts

More than 400,000 people have been displaced in Katanga in the Democratic Republic of Congo as fighting between government troops and rebels escalates. bit.ly/katanga-crisis

More than 70,000 families have been affected by flooding in Bolivia. bit.ly/bolivia-floods

An estimated 7 million people are at risk of severe food shortages in South Sudan and there could be a famine there by 2015. christianaid.org.uk/south-sudan

Christian Aid Magazine Spring/Summer 2014

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Fears grow over Katanga’s ‘triangle of death’ T

he southern Democratic Republic of Congo province of Katanga is on the verge of a humanitarian crisis.

Fighting between government troops and Mai Mai and Bakata Katanga rebels has displaced more than 400,000 people, according to the UN. Over the past six months, more than 60 villages have been burnt to the ground in the northern Katanga territories of Manono, Mitwaba and Pweto, dubbed the ‘triangle of death’.

The violence has intensified since January.

As the number of people forced from their homes continues to rise at an alarming rate, malnutrition is rife, security is almost non-existent and living conditions are deteriorating daily. Our partners are providing 1,000 families with temporary shelter, clothing, blankets, cooking utensils and hygiene kits.

‘The situation in Katanga is desperate – we are on the verge of a humanitarian crisis,’ warns Salome Ntububa, Christian Aid’s regional emergency manager for Central Africa.

‘Fleeing with only the clothes on their backs, most families lack cash to purchase even basic shelter; while children under 14

are eating only one small meal a day, at best. Malaria, diarrhoea and cholera pose huge health threats and contaminated well water means people are forced to drink from polluted rivers.

‘The escalating violence in recent weeks remains a huge concern regarding the delivery of emergency aid.’

Thousands join ‘fast for the climate’

A moving speech from Yeb Saño (above), lead delegate for the Philippines at last year’s UN climate negotiations, inspired thousands of people around the world to go without food

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in solidarity with those hurting because of climate change.

This year, that global movement is growing. A regular fast will take place on the first of every month throughout 2014.

Fasting has huge spiritual significance, and is often used as a means of repentance – a turning away from harmful practices while dedicating ourselves once again to choosing a new, better path.

Fasting can have a huge political significance too.

This regular fast will send a clear message to our leaders

that we are committed to tackling climate change; that the time for action is now.

The General Synod decision to reconsider the Church of England’s £8bn worth of investments in light of climate change demonstrates the sort of commitment that we will need to meet the problem head on. Regular fasting, with time set aside to reflect and pray, is one way to make a personal commitment to build the kind of future we want to see.

– Sign up at christianaid.org.uk/ fastfortheclimate

Christian Aid Magazine Spring/Summer 2014

News

Call for global action against gender inequality W

orld leaders must take action against gender inequality if they are serious about eradicating global poverty – that’s the message from Christian Aid following talks in New York last month.

We joined delegates from global governments for the annual Commission on the Status of Women, which addresses women’s universal rights and gender equality.

The talks focused on progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that will follow from 2015.

The commission declared its support for a standalone goal to address gender inequality – our primary ask.

In a new briefing paper, Gender Justice for All, we highlight the need for such a specific goal in the post-2015 era. Helen Dennis, Christian Aid’s senior adviser on poverty and inequality, said: ‘While progress has been made in vital areas such as girls’ education, other areas, such as tackling violence against women and girls, remain under-resourced.

‘We believe poverty cannot

Speaking truth to power Christian Aid has published a new resource designed to help Christians campaign for the world’s poorest people. The Prophetic Church outlines the theology of advocating for justice, uses historical examples to illustrate the long Church tradition of ‘speaking truth to power’ and highlights what Christians are doing today to challenge the structures that keep people poor.

In the 48-page booklet, theologian Dr Marijke Hoek considers how Moses and Esther provide us with examples of ‘speaking truth to power’ and looks at how Jesus’ ministry focused on the poor and marginalised.

be eradicated in a world where gender discrimination prevents women and girls from exercising power over their own lives and bodies, within their household and their community.

‘We welcome the clear support from the Commission for a standalone goal to address gender inequality.’

But she warned: ‘Although this is a good step forward, it is important to note that the negotiations on the new goals, which will follow the MDGs, will not be concluded until September 2015, and the standalone goal is yet to be agreed by world leaders.’

Law firm aids families’ fight In helping to protect the rights of indigenous communities in Colombia, Christian Aid and its local partner have been aided by pro bono help from international law firm Simmons & Simmons.

There are powerful bodies and individuals trying to stop families from securing their land rights, but Simmons & Simmons will work with us until a successful outcome is achieved.

Christian Aid Magazine Spring/Summer 2014

The booklet is free to download. Free hard copies can also be ordered at christianaid. org.uk/thepropheticchurch

Tax dodging breakthrough Following the UK government’s decision to create a public register of company owners – highlighted in the last issue of Christian Aid Magazine – Euro MPs have recommended new measures of their own to tackle tax dodging.

Central to this is the creation of public registers of the real owners of all European companies. This is a great step forward in the fight against phantom firms that rob poor countries of billions of dollars, and we’re grateful to the many of you who have kept the pressure on by writing to your MEPs. See christianaid.org.uk/tax

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Frontline Healing a heart broken by conflict 8

Christian Aid Magazine Spring/Summer 2014

Frontline: Christian Aid Week

The following pages highlight our Christian Aid Week theme of helping those affected by conflict. Here, Gen Lomax meets a woman from South Sudan who embodies her country’s struggle to be reborn.

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here are some stories that need to be told. This is Anoon Aleu’s.

It is a burning hot morning in northern South Sudan and I sit with Anoon on a dusty floor beneath a temporary grass shelter.

She looks me directly in the eye as she speaks. She wants to tell her story to ‘heal her heart’ and so that we do not forget the people of South Sudan.

Like so many here, Anoon’s childhood was devastated by civil war.

Christian Aid Magazine Spring/Summer 2014

She breaks down as she describes how members of her family were forced into their home and burnt alive by militia. Anoon escaped to the bush with her mother and brothers where they survived on wild foods, before fleeing from the south of Sudan to Khartoum to escape the violence.

Brought up by her brothers, Anoon worked in a clothes factory, met her husband Madut Ayom Dong, a teacher, and had eight children.

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South Sudan Sudan South Sudan

Population: UN estimate 9 million Capital: Juba Main economy: Subsistence agriculture Chief of state: President Salva Kiir Mayardit • South Sudan became the world’s newest country on 9 July 2011, following nearly 40 years of civil war in Sudan.

• We have been operating there since the 1970s.

We opened our field office in Juba in 2008.

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But sporadic outbursts of violence against southerners living in the north threatened the safety of Anoon and her family. ‘I feared for the life of my children. I wanted them to be safe,’ she tells me.

So, when July 2011 brought peace and independence to South Sudan, Anoon was desperate to return to her homeland and start a new life.

But it was to prove a harsh and ultimately tragic homecoming. The family was allocated land in Apada camp, an open wasteland that now houses more than 40,000 returnees.

‘When we arrived in Apada it was just bush,’ Anoon says. ‘We spent the first seven days living under a tree. We did not have any shelter.’

Despairing, Anoon sold what little they had to buy food. Her eldest son David even took his beloved bicycle apart so he could mend other people’s bikes for money.

But David was already ill with pneumonia and died suddenly. With him died all the hope that Anoon had

brought with her for life in South Sudan. ‘When you hold a child inside you, when you see them grow, you have such hope,’ she says.

Anoon’s family fell apart. Her husband tried to take his own life, her eldest daughter Eliza could not talk or eat and Anoon was taken into hospital.

Gradually, however, they began to rebuild their lives.

Sitting with Anoon nearly two years after she first arrived back in South Sudan, I ask how she found the strength to carry on. What kept her going, she says, was her community,

Christian Aid Magazine Spring/Summer 2014

Frontline: Christian Aid Week

Above: the grave of Anoon Aleu’s son, outside the new home being built by her husband Madut; Anoon’s youngest son stands in the doorway.

Below left: a HARD sign near the entrance to Apada camp.

Previous page: Anoon with five of her children.

‘I built my house next to my son’s grave and I will not leave it’

her faith in God and the work of our partner Hope Agency for Relief and Development (HARD).

HARD gave the family the emergency supplies they so urgently needed: plastic sheeting, cooking pots, mosquito nets. Crucially, they then followed up with a grant for the family to build a secure, brick house.

‘This is important to us,’ Anoon told me. ‘We can now live together safely and this brings my children courage and hope. I built my house next to my son’s grave and I will not leave it.’

Although the political situation in South Sudan has deteriorated since I met Anoon, the area where she lives is currently free from the increasing violence that has hit many other states.

With the continuing support of HARD, Anoon’s family are planning to grow crops and Anoon has started a small business, making biscuits to sell at the local school at breaktime.

And her story does not end there.

Since we met her, she has a new baby girl, Achol. Hope springs eternal.

Christian Aid Magazine Spring/Summer 2014

Crisis grows in South Sudan More than 900,000 people have been displaced amid escalating violence in South Sudan since 15 December 2013.

The UN estimates that considerably more than 10,000 people have been killed and at least 75,000 people have taken refuge in UN compounds.

Political tensions have been building in South Sudan since President Salva Kiir – leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – dismissed the entire cabinet in July last year.

Despite the signing of a Cessation of Hostilities agreement on 23 January, violent clashes between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army and opposition forces loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar have continued unabated.

An estimated 7 million South Sudanese people face hunger this year, with the UN warning of famine at the beginning of 2015. christianaid.org.uk/south-sudan

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What no child should have to see…

The paintings of a nine-year-old boy, living in a ‘safe zone’ set up with the support of Christian Aid, bring home the reality of the decades-long conflict that has torn Colombia apart.

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Frontline

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rom a distance, Edile’s painting looks like one you might see in any primary school classroom in the UK. It’s only when you take a closer look that you realise the distressing truth: no nine-year-old should ever feel compelled to draw scenes like this – of armed men firing bullets into a house.

Edile is growing up in the midst of a vicious conflict in Colombia – one that has killed at least 220,000 people over the past 50 years.

It is a war for land, characterised by appalling human rights abuses: executions, ‘disappearances’, people forced at gunpoint from their homes by armed groups, who often sell this land at a huge profit to timber, banana and palm oil companies. They use the threat of violence to prevent the people they displace from returning.

Edile’s father was murdered by an armed group when Edile was very little. He is now afraid that paramilitaries will kill other members of his community. His painting gives form to his fear. ‘I am afraid of people dying, that they are killed, that the paramilitaries will come here.’

His fears haven’t gone away yet, but Edile now feels – and is – much safer than he was. He lives with his mother and grandma in a ‘humanitarian zone’, an area backed by international law and created by communities to protect themselves from the violence around them. Anyone bearing arms is denied entry.

Colombia

Population: 45.7 million Capital: Bogota Main economy: coal, oil, gas and mining exports President: Juan Manuel Santos • Colombia’s civil war has run uninterrupted since 1964.

• More than 70,000 civilians have been killed or have disappeared in the past 20 years, with 4 to 5.5 million people becoming internally displaced.

• We have been working in the country since the 1980s.

The space just to be children Edile’s newfound security means he can now enjoy lessons and educational activities. The teachers keep an eye on the psychological wellbeing of Edile and his friends, who have been through so much in their short lives.

They also have the space just to be children again. ‘I am happy here,’ says Edile, his eyes shining. ‘It is fun, we play ball, I have many friends.’

The Inter-Church Commission for Justice and Peace (CIJP), one of our partners, played a crucial role in Christian Aid Magazine Spring/Summer 2014

Left: Edile with one of the paintings reflecting his fear of attacks by armed groups.

Inset: detail of the finished painting.

setting up the 15 humanitarian zones that help to keep these children safe.

Father Alberto Franco is one of CIJP’s charismatic leaders. You’d never guess that this warm, relaxed man in a Panama hat has been the target of death threats. He refuses to be intimidated. He says he will continue devoting his life to speaking out to defend the rights of Afro-Colombian communities against paramilitaries and a government that is often complicit in their atrocities.

He explains the importance of the humanitarian zones. ‘If you’re on your own, you can get killed and nothing happens. But if you get together with your neighbours, people know what happens to you, where you are, how you are. People start to defend each other.’

Living in the zones accelerates the healing process, too. ‘The humanitarian zones enable people to share the pain and talk about their situation, or cry. They create the space for people to be listened to.’

CIJP helps communities understand the law and provides lawyers to represent communities in the courts, so that perpetrators of violence can be brought to justice.

The tyranny of violence is being challenged by the strength of communities such as Edile’s, the bravery of men such as Father Alberto and the rule of law. But the conflict is not over, and there are still around 5 million displaced people in Colombia: people wrenched from everything familiar and dear. There are many, many more people like Edile who need your help.

No child should have to go through the kind of fear that Edile has had to experience. With your support, we can help more communities like Edile’s to live a life free from fear.

To order a DVD featuring Edile’s story, or to download the video and other Christian Aid Week films and resources, visit caweek.org/resources

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Frontline: The Big Picture

Hope where there was despair

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his is 10-year-old Sana who goes to school in Zanan Bchuk, a village in northern Iraq.

The scene seems so utterly normal that it’s hard to believe it would’ve been almost impossible 30 years ago.

Zanan Bchuk’s peaceful atmosphere belies its turbulent history. In 1988 the village was destroyed during the Ba’ath regime’s genocidal campaign against the Kurdish people. When the community returned, the destruction was so profound that people struggled to identify even their own homes. In the years that followed, they worked hard to rebuild the community.

Our partner REACH has been working in Zanan Bchuk for several years and has helped the community to transform their village.

A dam now harvests water and greenhouses mean the community can grow crops. REACH has also helped villagers lobby the local government for access to essential services, such as electricity and the tarmac road that now connects the village to the local market.

And, of course, children like Sana go to school.

Zanan Bchuk is a village with a hope-filled future.

It’s a heart-warming image to keep in mind this Christian Aid Week. caweek.org

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Christian Aid Week 2014

11-17 May

Held every May since 1957, Christian Aid Week is the biggest single act of Christian witness in the UK. It sees churches and communities across the country stand in solidarity with the world’s poorest people.

n o i l l i m £13

e to rais p o h e W

e

11–17 MAY

We estimate...

500,000 cakes will be baked during Christian Aid Week 2014

We know of...

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annual sponsored walks organised by Christian Aid groups, raising an average of £820 each

We hope...

30,000

churches will get involved in Christian Aid Week 2014

150,000

– the number of collectors we hope will take to the streets this year

Raising money changes lives

£289 could buy a new home in South Sudan for a family in need of shelter

£110

London

Sydney

14 x

London to Sydney – the distance we estimate collectors will walk during Christian Aid Week

could buy three pigs to provide families in Colombia with protein and an income

£5 could buy a family returning to South Sudan some cooking utensils, a jerry can and plates – household essentials to help them start a new life

£47.50 could buy 19 blankets for displaced people in South Sudan to get them through the cold nights

8 million

– the number of households we hope will receive an envelope For all your Christian Aid Week resources, visit caweek.org

£480 could buy enough blankets, mattresses, pillows and cooking sets for eight Syrian refugee families

Taken by storm Climate change isn’t a distant threat; it’s hitting the world’s poorest people right now. Here we highlight some of the devastation caused by climate change around the world and the vital work we’re doing to help communities face the future.

Storm

Floods

Drought

Erratic Rainfall

Melting ice

‘We don’t have enough water to grow our crops. There are conflicts over water between communities’

‘Climate change is increasing [but] as poor people we don’t have a voice – we are invisible to others’

Alivio Aruquipa, a farmer hit by the impact of glacier melt.

Maria Martinez’s community are supported by our partner Procares.

StormRising sea levels

Floods Extra

Storm Drought

Floods Erratic Rainfall

Drought Melting ice

Erratic Rising sea Rainfall levels

Melting Extra ice

BOLIVIA Because of water shortages caused by glacier melt, we’ve built irrigation systems and helped one community build a reservoir that provides 40 families with water.

StormRising sea levels

Floods Extra Storm Drought

FloodsErratic Rainfall

Drought Melting ice

Erratic Rising sea Rainfalllevels

Melting ice Extra

Rising sea levels

Extra

EL SALVADOR Already facing earthquakes, climate change adds another dimension to El Salvador’s struggles. We help communities prepare for extreme weather, find more sustainable ways of making a living and advocate for change.

‘It was because we held the collective land rights that we were able to stop the timber company coming here’ Domingos Printes, community leader of the Amazonian quilombola people.

Erratic Rainfall

Storm Melting Storm ice Floods Floods Rising sea DroughtDrought Extra levels

Erratic Erratic Rainfall Rainfall

Melting Melting ice ice

Rising sea Rising sea levels levels

Extra

Extra

BRAZIL The Amazon rainforest helps regulate the world’s climate. Indigenous communities are often expert in protecting the forest, while living off the resources it provides. We help them secure land rights and fend off big companies.

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his year in the UK, we’ve experienced some of the chaos that climate change can cause: widespread floods and storm surges, especially along the coast.

Although we can’t attribute any single weather event to climate change, rising sea levels and increased rainfall are expected to be an inevitable consequence of the changing climate.

But climate change is already

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having an even more damaging impact on the world’s poorest people. It will force more people into poverty and hit global food production, making more children go hungry.

We work with communities across Latin America, Asia and Africa who are already facing storms, floods and droughts, and the catastrophic effect on their lives and livelihoods.

We teach farmers new

methods, provide animals better able to cope with extreme weather and help communities prepare for disaster.

This ‘adaptation’ work is vital, but only a temporary solution. What we need is global action to tackle the root cause of the problem. We’re calling on world leaders to use opportunities in the next 18 months to push for a concrete global climate deal.

Christian Aid Magazine Spring/Summer 2014

Frontline

Storm

Floods

Storm Drought

‘Crucially, we’ve learned how the weather changes. We trust the information and act on it’

‘Ducks get diseases because of the salty water. Now I’ve received training and a different breed of duck’

Farmer Faith Njiru receives important text alerts.

Farmer Roban Biswas, who we’ve helped adapt to climate change.

Floods Erratic Rainfall

Drought Melting ice

Erratic Rising sea Rainfall levels

MeltingExtra ice

Rising sea levels

Extra

Storm

KENYA We help farmers get vital weather forecasts by text message, so they know when to plant and harvest, even when rainfall is erratic.

Floods

Drought

ErraticStorm Rainfall

Melting Floods ice

‘This water means so much to us. We can grow, where before there was just dust’

Floods

Drought

Erratic Rainfall

Rising sea DroughtDrought Extra Storm Melting Storm ice Floods Floods levels

Erratic Erratic Rainfall Rainfall

Melting Melting ice ice Rising sea Rising sea levels levels

Extra

Storm

Floods

Drought

Erratic Rainfall

Storm

Melting iceDrought Rising sea Erratic levels Rainfall

Extra Melting ice

Rising sea levels

Belen de Guzman coordinates volunteers in her community.

Storm

Extra

MALAWI 90% of Malawi’s rural population live off the land, so climate change-related dry spells are dangerous. Our work helps farmers boost crop yields and increase their chances of survival.

Read more in our latest report, Taken by Storm: responding to the impacts of climate change, with a foreword by Dr Rowan Williams. Available to download at christianaid.org.uk/ taken-by-storm Join our campaign for climate justice: christianaid. org.uk/climatechange

Floods

‘Rainwater continued to rise.

I grabbed the megaphone and sounded the siren for evacuation’

Lazaro Kagular now gains an extra harvest in the ‘thin’ months.

Storm

Rising Drought sea Storm ExtraErratic levels Rainfall

BANGLADESH We´re helping people adapt to saltier water and climatic changes by cultivating floating gardens and introducing saline-resistant breeds of duck.

Floods

Drought

Erratic Rainfall

Melting ice Storm

Storm Rising sea Floods levels

Floods Extra Drought Drought

Erratic Erratic Rainfall Rainfall

Melting ice Rising seaRising sea Melting ice levels levels

Extra

Extra

PHILIPPINES We help communities at risk of floods to monitor river levels and organise evacuations.

HOW THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE IS ALREADY BEING FELT Storms. Extreme weather events like cyclones and hurricanes are becoming more frequent and intense, destroying people’s homes and livelihoods.

Floods. An increase in both coastal and urban flooding creates significant problems for many communities, who have less time to recover between floods.

Drought. Rising temperatures bring the risk of prolonged drought where food is already scarce.

Storm

Melting ice

Rising sea levels

Floods

Drought

Extra

Erratic Rainfall

Storm

Storm Melting ice

Floods

Floods Rising sea levels

Drought

Drought Extra

Erratic Rainfall

Storm

Floods

Christian Aid Magazine Spring/Summer 2014

Drought

Erratic Rainfall

Melting ice

Rising sea levels

Extra

Erratic rainfall. Many farmers rely on stable weather patterns in order to grow a decent crop. Increasingly erratic rainfall makes food production much more difficult.

Melting ice. Warmer temperatures mean glaciers are melting, leading to landslides and water shortages for those who rely on them to survive.

Sea-level rise. More seawater means that groundwater becomes increasingly salty, destroying agricultural land.

Erratic Rainfall

Melting ice

Floods

Melting ice

Rising sea levels

Drought

Rising sea levels

Extra

Extra

Erratic Rainfall

Melting ice

Rising sea levels

Extra

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Extra

Comment

Opinion

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The politics of poverty – why do we lobby?

Charities have been caught up in controversy about a new law to curb political lobbying. Simon Kirkland, Christian Aid’s UK parliamentary and political adviser, explains why lobbying is an important part of our work.

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obbying is integral to our democracy – from individuals making direct representations to their elected officials, to experts and interest groups contributing to public debate – informing and improving public policy and the laws of the land.

At Christian Aid, we have always been unashamed in our view that poverty is political. Poverty is not inevitable; it is the result of political decisions. As the wealthiest generation in human history, we believe that we have the greatest opportunity to overcome poverty, but it will require a different set of political choices.

It means we must engage with the political decision-makers of the day.

We must lobby.

But lobbying has been under the spotlight in recent months as the Lobbying Act has passed through Parliament. The Act creates a register of consultancies that lobby on behalf of clients and limits the amount of campaigning that non-political parties can do in the run-up to elections, where it is intended to influence the results.

So what is all the fuss about? Surely transparency in lobbying is a good thing? Well, in seeking to regulate this area, the government, by accident

or design, opened up a fractious debate about the role of campaigning charitable groups that seek to influence politics.

While the Act is not now as bad as we had originally feared, it still has the potential to disrupt our campaigning plans, especially those we undertake in coalition with other organisations.

Our parliamentary staff are going to be taking a careful look at the guidance notes that will be produced and the legal advice being developed for NGOs. In Christian Aid’s day-today lobbying and advocacy, we communicate with a wide range of MPs, peers and ministers about a range of topics that concern people in poverty. Our staff and supporters live out their faith by speaking up for the voiceless. And when we speak truthfully and loudly, very often it works. Look at our tax campaign – who pays tax, and how much, are among the most fundamental political questions there are.

Some people would take the view that a charity should raise funds and deliver services to the poor, not involve itself in such debate. But we see this as precisely our role; challenging inequitable global rules Christian Aid Magazine Spring/Summer 2014

Reflection – decided by politicians – that allow wealthy individuals and companies to hide their profits and avoid tax.

Aid and charitable giving, while vital in the short term, will never solve problems that require systemic, political solutions.

Last year, the UK Government agreed to introduce a public register of who owns what in the UK, making it harder for companies to avoid tax. The response followed direct campaigning by more than 17,000 Christian Aid supporters. It was a great success and wouldn’t have happened without our lobbying. We will be looking closely at the government’s draft legislation, when it is published, to ensure it is the best it can be for developing countries.

We are also refocusing our efforts on tackling climate change. We are beginning to see the effects of the changing climate in the UK, but developing countries have been feeling its impact for years. We need to reduce the devastating consequences of climate change on developing countries by lobbying the UK Government and other global institutions to put in place a worldwide binding agreement to reduce carbon emissions further.

On these and many other issues, advocacy is an important tool to help us bring about our vision – an end to poverty. Our charitable status rightly restricts us from engaging in party politics, or in trying to influence the results of democratic elections. But we must be forever vigilant of our right to engage, with full throat, in the political debates that shape the lives of the poorest.

Be a local lobbyist If you are interested in getting more involved in the political lobbying work of Christian Aid in your area, please do have a look at our Local Lobbyist scheme. christianaid.org.uk/locallobbyist

Christian Aid Magazine Spring/Summer 2014

How Christian is Christian Aid? Susan Durber, Christian Aid’s theology coordinator, considers the vexed question of just how much Christian to put into Christian Aid.

T

here were two theologians giving a lecture together about Jesus. In the time for questions at the end, someone asked: ‘Which of you is the more radical?’ One replied that he didn’t think he could say, but that Jesus was surely more radical than either of them!

Sometimes I get asked questions about how ‘Christian’ Christian Aid is. There are views about whether and how we should be ‘more’ or ‘less’ Christian, whether we’re too Christian now or not Christian enough. And I suppose you could count the number of Christians who work for Christian Aid, or you could chart the Biblical quotations in each policy document, but few of us really think that’s the important question.

My own hope for Christian Aid is that we will never stop trying to fathom what Jesus was really about; whether that’s his own teaching and example or what people have experienced of God, in and through him, since. And I hope that we will never lose the sense that in terms of a vision of a different world – one more just and loving, more life-giving and beautiful, – Jesus is always ahead of us or deeper than us: more radical still.

One night on the BBC’s

Question Time, the author Jeanette Winterson, who is often a challenging voice for the Church, spoke, in the midst of a discussion about poverty, about what Jesus said and did, with a passion I’ve rarely seen anywhere.

She told an astonished audience: ‘If you read the Bible, I don’t see any sign of Jesus advocating tax breaks for the rich. I see him feeding the five thousand. I see him going to the rich man and saying “give away everything you’ve got to the poor if you want to enter the kingdom of heaven”. I see him sitting with prostitutes.’

Jesus is always ahead of us or deeper than us: more radical still And she got a round of applause. The teaching of Jesus cut right through that discussion, and it has so much power to move hearts and minds. He’s still more radical than any voice on any panel you could get together.

To be Christian is to hear that voice and keep on trying to listen to it. That’s how I’d like Christian Aid to be Christian.

Susan is a minister of the United Reformed Church and a former Principal of Westminster College, Cambridge.

21

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All-age talks, games, craft ideas and more. Printed activity sheets available for Christian Aid Week, Harvest and Christmas.

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Seven amazing days of love in action

100 fundraising ideas 100 ways to fundraise for

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Swing into action and organise a dance. Hire a caller and traditionalbarn country band. Serve food and cider and charge an entry fee.

2. Get crafty!

This is one way our talented supporters raise funds for Christian Aid Week. So if you have a skill (making cards, necklaces, dried flower arrangements, candles, etc) make sure you put it to good use and hold a craft sale during Christian Aid Week.

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12. Guess the baby Ask your colleagues or school friends to bring in baby photos and to make a donation to guess who is who.

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14. Organise a poetry evening Invite local poets to read aloud their work, serve drinks and nibbles and charge an admission fee to guests. e,

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Football tournament Schedule fixtures and charge teams to enter.

Ask local businesses for prizes.

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Children from Market Harborou gh, took part in a four-hour sponsored Leicestershire, bouncy castle bounce and raised £400 – that’s enough to buy shelters to house sheep in Nicaragua , enabling coffee farmers to diversify their income.

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19. Wacky races Get sponsored to race a set distance in a shopping trolley, bathtub or wheelie bin. Ask for donations and for competing teams to pay an entry fee.

20. Wedding dress exhibition Everyone loves a wedding!

How many ladies in your congregation still have their wedding dresses?

Why stage a wedding dress exhibition not in the church? You can charge an entry fee and include wedding photos and written recollections from the bride and/or groom.

13. Hire a bouncy castle Bouncy castles are great for keeping kids entertained at bigger family events. Charge a bouncing fee or if you really want to tire out the kids, organise a sponsored bounceathon!

5. Organise a sponsored aerobathon and enlist the support of your local gym, leisure centre or sports shop.

Order your resources today: caweek.org or contact your local Christian Aid office christianaid.org.uk/inyourarea

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17. Car wash Set up a car wash at your local shopping centre, office or school car park and prepare to get wet!

If you are holding a car wash on private property, make sure to get permission first.

18. Charity ball Raise money the sophisticated way by organising a themed ball with dinner and live music at a hotel.

Charge for tickets and boost your earnings with games, raffles and auctions.

9. Battle of the bands Invite local bands and musicians to play at a venue and ask the audience to vote for a winner. Charge an entry fee to the audience.

10. Who wouldn’t want the chance to ‘beat the goalie’?

Score a goal and win a prize.

Footballers make a small donation to take part.

11. Anyone for scrabble?

Invite friends over for fun and games, play Scrabble, Monopoly, Cluedo and more. Charge an entrance fee or a fee per game.

4. Hold an auction of promises Ask your friends and local businesses to donate a service free of charge, from singing lessons, language lessons, an hour’s gardening to for two at your local restaurant. dinner

Will your church be taking part in Christian Aid Week?

Watch films to inspire you and your church, read our guide to the 100 best fundraising ideas, order resources and much more.

16. Hold a treasure hunt Walk or cycle from clue to clue in search of hidden treasure.

Teams pay to enter. Ask a local business to donate a prize to the winning team.

8. Hold a film night Recreate an evening of vintage cinema by showing classic films and musicals at a community venue.

Fête Reach the whole community by holding a fête, or team up with organisers of an annual event.

3. Everyone loves a bargain Hold a second-hand clothes sale.

Ask everyone you know for unwanted clothing. Children’s clothes sales are always very popular with mums and dads.

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The Christian Aid name and logo are trademarks of Christian Aid © Christian Aid February 2014.

The acceptance of external advertising does not indicate endorsement.

Have your say 6 30

24

Letters

Inspired? Enraged? Send your views to: The Editor, Christian Aid Magazine, 35 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RL or email: canews@christian-aid.org You can also share your opinions on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. So what do you think of the new-look magazine?

Just a note to and revealing. Many thanks for Lima (herself a rape victim), say how much including it in the revamped estimates that 98% of improved mag. It opened my eyes to perpetrators go unpunished. letter I think the 4 Loretta’s the ongoing problem, which However shocking that feels, Christian Aid I’m glad Christian Aid and its it should be borne in Opinion: mind 20 Why w A message from Chief Executive Magazine is. partners are tackling. that the figure is not much must LorettaAlso Minghella.

I particularly the piece by Jineth different in the UK. Latestbe heard like the sharpness of the Bedoya Lima, the Colombian statistics suggestA the figurefor justice fo plea Coverarticles story and information, eg journalist, was brave and well here is about 93%. That’s a lot sexual violence in C Norman wasreabducted the Okello graphics the Syrian worthwhile. of guilty men never fully in Uganda

by Joseph Kony’s is easily 4 Chasing the tax dodgers, called to account by a largely war. The information Mike Morrisey, 21 Reflection: A sa Lord’s Resistance Army and assimilated. I also welcome New the Saltburn-by-Sea, North Yorks police and Year Honours, and life inmale-dominated the forced to become a child Kathy Galloway on reflective/biblical column. legal system.

Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan. soldier. Now he is trying to Rev Canon Adrian Alker, I read with interest the article Violence against women, the faith of a young return to a normal life.

Diocese of Ripon and Leeds in Christian Aid Magazine both sexual and other, is a Photo: Will Storr on sexual violence against global phenomenon.

We need Your vie 22 Letters: The interview with Norman women in Colombia.

It to put our own house in order.

Other photos this issue 8 Cover story: In Kony’s Shadow Okello, the former boy-soldier is deeply disturbing that Pamela Hall, All photos copyright the impact Christian Aid except where in Uganda, was fascinating A new theexhibition author, Jinethhighlights Bedoya Didsbury, Manchester

Comment

News

Frontline

Life and soul stated below. This page, of Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Will Storr, Christian Aid/ 24 Beyond a lifetim Army on communities in Uganda.

Natalie Naccache, Christian legacy, plus Counting the days a critic of sky-high executive Osborne should A be Haiti commended Aid/Elaine Duigenan; Why does Christian be labelled for vetoing this EU forproposal.

Christian Aid W 12 Asalaries worldshould of confl ict pages 8-11, Will Storr; Aid peddle the myth that Lent is 40 days? right wing puzzles me, as more Alex Scott, pages 14-15, Christian Aid/ Around the world, Christian Aid helps It is of course 46, as your own probably they’d be left wing or Knutsford 28 Recipes Natalie Naccache; pages conflict build a better future.

Count your Blessings evenof apolitical.

24-25, Christian Aid/Elaineshows victims Serve up a super s and as Ipage confirmed over the last The financial transactions tax Greenbelt Festival Duigenan; 28, Christian in Syria two Lents when I abandoned 14 The washuman expressly cost designed by the Christian Aid’s Andy Jackson is Aid/Jodi Bieber 29 Book reviews

my evening glass of wine. Just Commission to reduce the a plea for help: HowEU refugees are struggling tomaking come A newtosection, high Christian AidJesus is a member because fastedofin the income of the City of London in May I ask for volunteers help to terms with the loss of their old lives. wilderness for 40 days doesn’t relation to Frankfurt and Paris. at Christian Aid’sinspirational venues at new r mean our Lenten tradition has Any business lost to us all in this year’s Greenbelt festival? cost of move war to developed in the same way. 16 Syria: Europethe would quickly The festival takes29 place over Crossword Clive Robinson, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai the August Bank Holiday at A graphic analysis of the conflict. via email or New York. As the City of Boughton House30 near Kettering Five minutes wi London produces a very large in Northamptonshire, and A the quick Left and right part of the UK tax income, our we will be running mainchat with th Anyone supporting Christian 18 DRC: fundsplight availableof forthe pensions, venue and writ displacedworship and spiritual comedian Aid has to be a caring person. the NHS, foreign aid and as well as a café. If anyone However, there are some subsidising Christian Aid would is interested, please email strange views around. Why drop noticeably.

Cameron and ajackson@christian-aid.org F2265

The big picture

Solution to the crossword on page 29. ACROSS: 6 Spectator 7 Gulf 11 Ageing 12 Emphasis 13 Red tape 15 Treadle 16 Wide 17 Other 18 Atom 22 I ask you 24 Tool kit 25 Dementia 26 Ignore 28 Dole 29 Astounded. DOWN: 1 Splendid 2 Scandal 3 Tax 4 Commitment 5 Pulsed 8 Foster mother 9 Narrow minded 10 Shoes 14 Enthusiasm 19 Take over 20 Lying 21 Dodging 23 Simple 27 Cow.

003_CAM_1.indd 3 Christian Aid Magazine Spring/Summer 2014

23

Life and soul 24

Ready, Eddie, go!

Christian Aid Week relies on the tireless efforts of local organisers like Eddie Wilson. Eddie lives in Morley, Yorkshire, but there’s probably an Eddie near you too.

C

hairing the Christian Aid group in Morley, near Leeds, Eddie Wilson feels very fortunate indeed.

‘I get really excited as our group gears up for Christian Aid Week,’ he says.

Volunteers from nine churches in the town unite throughout the year to support Christian Aid, and whether they’re walking, singing, dancing or – of course – collecting, they’re passionate about raising vital funds for the world’s poorest people.

Devising fresh and exciting fundraising is Eddie’s speciality, and he’s always ready to appeal to new people in the community. Concerts are a firm favourite, from singing groups to the more unusual sound of handbell

ringing. One of the group’s biggest successes has been a ‘snowman drive’, a wintry version of the classic beetle competition. Each church hosted a drive, with Fairtrade hampers for the winners. With around 50 people attending in each church, the event was a great way to bring the town together and raised £1,000 for Christian Aid. Christian Aid Week is a busy time in Morley, with nearly 80 people taking to the streets to collect house to house.

Eddie is ever-ambitious. This year he is aiming to expand the effort further into the suburbs of Leeds.

An annual sponsored walk is also in the calendar. Walkers love getting out into the countryside, and are greeted Christian Aid Magazine Spring/Summer 2014

Colombian Egg Arepa (Arepa de huevo)

Our series of world recipes continues with an egg arepa from Colombia, one of the countries featured in this year’s Christian Aid Week materials.

An arepa is a flatbread made of ground corn (maize).

In Colombia it is served for breakfast, lunch or dinner, often with cheese, avocado, mince or jam.

Ingredients 250g ground cornflour (not cornmeal) 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon sugar Warm water Vegetable oil 1 egg, beaten For the salsa: 3 tomatoes, a handful of fresh coriander, 1 red onion, 2 tsp white wine vinegar, 2 tsp cold water, salt, black pepper, red chilli (optional)

Method From campaigning with shadow chancellor Ed Balls to Christian Aid Week. It’s all in a day’s work for Morley organiser Eddie Wilson (right). with drinks at a hostel at the end of the route. It usually raises a respectable £100, and the group is already looking forward to this year’s ramble around Wakefield on Saturday 10 May. Eddie has much more planned, including a visit from a professional chocolatier, who will be giving a seminar on the history of chocolate at St Peter’s Church in Gildersome.

‘Chocoholics should form an orderly queue,’ he teases. ‘But before then we’ve got a ceilidh, which is exciting.’

The group’s secretary, Hazel Rennison, is on top of things when it comes to communicating events in the local media and making posters to put up anywhere from churches to the chippy!

Last year, the Morley group raised £7,013 during Christian Aid Week. This year is sure to be even more amazing.

Christian Aid Magazine Spring/Summer 2014

1. Place the cornflour in a bowl, along with the salt and sugar. Gradually add water to form a very soft but manageable dough, which doesn’t stick to your hands.

Rest the dough for 10-15 minutes.

2. Shape the dough into balls, a little larger than a golf ball, and then flatten them until half a centimetre thick.

3. Heat enough vegetable oil in a pan to cover the disc of dough. Fry both sides. The dough should puff up.

4. Remove the arepa from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.

5. When cool enough to handle, cut a small hole in the arepa and pour in some egg. Use raw dough to fill the hole, return to the oil and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

6. Serve with a simple salsa: finely chop the tomatoes, coriander and onion. Add the vinegar and water. Mix together and season to taste. Add the chopped chilli.

25

Every step counts

L

ong-standing supporters John and Nancy Eckersley know a thing or two about exploring Britain on foot.

The retired couple from Yorkshire have already walked the land from top to toe for Christian Aid – making it from Land’s End to John O’Groats in 2011. Now they’re doing it again! In February, they set off from Dover to walk the 600 miles to Carlisle.

Their pledge has been to raise £5,000 for a Christian Aid

literacy project in Afghanistan.

The programme will help more than 1,000 Afghan women and young people to speak out for change and participate in local and national decision-making.

To make the Eckersley’s efforts even more worthwhile, the EU will provide matchfunding – so their £5,000 will become £20,000!

Nancy, who was Vicar of Heslington in York, commented: ‘Women in Afghanistan don’t have the same opportunities.

It feels so unfair. If I can help that by walking, then I’ll walk.’

John, a former geography teacher, says he sees sponsored fundraising as ‘a demonstration of putting faith into action’.

If you would like to know more about how your church or group can connect with some of our vital community projects across the world, email cpartnership@christian-aid.org You can follow the couple on johneckersley.wordpress.com/ dover-to-carlisle

Giving the green light to good investment We have teamed up with ShareAction, the movement for responsible investment, as part of an innovative approach to stopping climate change.

The Green Light campaign is aimed at making sure our pension funds are invested for the

26

world we want, rather than in risky projects that have the potential to ruin our planet as well as our pensions.

With £3 trillion invested in UK pension funds, they wield a huge amount of power in shaping the economy. But

they are also made up of ordinary savers’ money, so we have a say in how they are used.

The campaign will run over the next three years, with online actions targeting certain pension funds. The first step is to ask pension funds to

investigate how much is invested in carbonintensive industries and the risks this might have for the value of our pensions.

To find out more, go to christianaid.org.uk/ greenlight and also see shareaction.org

Christian Aid Magazine Spring/Summer 2014

Life and soul

Rise to the challenge

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hat are you doing this summer? If you fancy getting active and raising some funds to support our work around the world, we have a cycle challenge event with your name on it!

You can ride from Cathedrals to Coast, whizz round three great European cities and follow the Olympic road race route into the Surrey countryside. Here’s what you need to know:

Cathedrals to Coast Where: Guildford to Weymouth When: 2-3 August Registration: £50 Minimum sponsorship: £350 Join us on this unique 140-mile, two-day bike ride, inspired by some of the most breathtaking cathedrals and

scenery. Setting off from the magnificent Guildford Cathedral, we’ll follow a signposted route through beautiful countryside, visiting cathedrals along the way.

On day two we follow the Jurassic Coast and finish on Weymouth seafront.

RideLondon–Surrey 100 bike ride Where: London-Surrey-London When: Sunday 10 August Registration: £20 Minimum sponsorship: £600 The 100-mile route is on fully closed roads, taking in parts of the Olympic road race route.

It starts in the new Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, then follows closed roads through the capital and on to Surrey’s

stunning country roads and hills.

Euro City Cycle Challenge Where: London, Amsterdam, Brussels When: 10-14 September Registration: £149 Fundraising target: £1,725 One of the best cycle challenges in Europe, this takes in a 300‑mile route, spanning three countries, visiting three capitals – London, Amsterdam and Brussels. It caters for every level of cyclist.

For details of all these great summer challenge events, contact the Events team on 020 7523 2073 or at events@christian-aid.org

Raise £5,000 and we’ll make it £20,000 Help us change the lives of mums and children in Kenya Be part of it. If you and your community can commit to raising £5,000 over two years, the European Commission will give £3 for every £1 you raise – turning your donation into £20,000.

To find out more, contact your local Christian Aid office or email cpartnership@christian-aid.org

Photograph: Christian Aid/Susan Barry 14-360-J2469

Christian Aid Magazine Spring/Summer 2014

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Stories of striving: women in church tell their tales Women in Waiting: Prejudice at the Heart of the Church Julia Ogilvy (Bloomsbury, 224pp, £12.99)

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wenty years after the first female priests were ordained in the Church of England, Women in Waiting tells the personal stories of 12 prominent women who have each experienced the clash between their gender and their church.

Women bishops are a hot topic, but author Julia Ogilvy wisely avoids a narrow focus on this one aspect of the tension between gender and faith. In fact, the book is much richer for the diversity of backgrounds and perspectives brought by the women she interviews: lay and ordained, lawyers and academics, American, Scottish and Catholic, as well as Church of England figures.

Some share with great openness their deeply painful experiences of being mistreated by

Edited by Caroline Atkinson, catkinson@christian-aid.org

Thirty Girls Susan Minot (4th Estate, 400pp, £16.99)

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Susan Minot’s latest novel is based on the real-life abduction of a group of schoolgirls by Ugandan rebel Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army. The girls’ suffering is expressed through Esther – held captive, raped and forced to kill by the brutal rebels. Her story, intertwined with that of an American journalist reporting on the abductions, gives a raw account of the torture endured by northern Ugandans at the hands of the LRA.

those who opposed their roles, like the Rev Lucy Winkett, who found herself in the media spotlight as the first female canon of St Paul’s Cathedral.

There is at times a clear sense of anger as the interviews explore the wider implications of women’s treatment by the Church, especially when it comes to issues such as sexual violence, education or cultural attitudes.

Ogilvy is a trustee of aid agency Tearfund, and – along with Elaine Storkey, Jane Williams and others – brings social justice into the heart of the conversation.

Yet despite the obvious strength of feeling, this is not a book of extended rants, finger-pointing or exercises in self-pity. Instead, it is filled with mature, hopeful reflections, marked out by grace rather than bitterness.

While the near-verbatim reporting of the monologues can seem a little grating in places, even this is a strength as much as it is a foible.

It is a reminder that these are authentic voices, all the more powerful in their raw state, of women who have an extraordinary amount to offer the churches they love and serve.

I Spend, Therefore I Am: the True Cost of Economics Philip Roscoe (Viking, 272pp, £16.99) Economics has invaded the most personal aspects of our lives, corroding our relationships and guiding our biggest decisions – from who to date to who should get a kidney transplant.

Even more disturbingly, it is changing who we are, turning us into efficiency-obsessed ‘economic man’. That’s the grim assessment of Philip Roscoe and whether you buy it or not, he makes a powerful case that we need to change course.

Feeding Frenzy: The New Politics of Food Paul McMahon (Profile Books, 356pp, £8.99)

If we produce enough food to feed 9 billion people, why do so many go hungry? How can we reform an unjust food system in the face of climate change, the biofuel surge and an evergrowing global population?

This insightful book tests popular theories against the evidence and offers up solutions – some of which may surprise you. Humankind caused the problems we’re facing – can we overcome human nature to fix them?

Christian Aid Magazine Spring/Summer 2014

Life and Soul

Cryptic crossword

ACROSS 6 Viewer may stop crate (9) 7 Gap in which girl understood lingua franca initially (4) 11 An egg I scrambled as I

was getting older (6) 12 Phase sim out – make a point of it (8) 13 Studied output of teleprinter they said, it was full of legalities (3,4)

Christian Aid News Spring/Summer 2014

15 Doubly altered the foot operation (7) 16 A new idea’s content is broad (4) 17 Mum doesn’t start that one (5) 18 A cat is very, very small (4) 22 I make a request - can it be true? (1,3,3) 24 Also kilt is adapted it’s what you need to do it (4,3) 25 Confused inmate Ed, has this (8) 26 Take no notice of gin mixed with powdered rock (6) 28 Event the French get when unemployed (4) 29 Don’t use Ad stupidly – you’ll be very surprised (9) DOWN 1 Wonderful to get a bit of sport – Len did (8) 2 One of ten surrounds cloth head – we think poverty is it (7) 3,21 Christian Aid is challenging those

involved in axing: got DD (3,7) 4 Officer gets Military Medal: it meant without a requirement for Christian Aid supporters (10) 5 Doctor’s first after heart rate throbbed (6) 8 He went to Gloucester with Mum – she was caring for others’ kids (6,6) 9 Not 16, objected to thinking with illiberal outlook (6,6) 10 Find pumps with gardening tool in old sports car (5) 14 Corrupt unit shames Christian Aid worker’s requirement (10) 19 Steal six balls and gain control (8) 20 Not telling the truth may be relaxing (5) 21 see 3 23 Impels change – it’s not hard (6) 27 Beast discovered in little County Wicklow (3)

Solution on page 23. As an alternative, you can view a set of quick clues for this crossword, and download a grid at christianaid.org.uk/cam

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Five minutes with…

‘Jesus intended us to be like disciples and live a life like his’

In 2007, Nick led a re-enactment of the events of The Longest Week in his home village of Eynsham, Oxfordshire. To help other churches enjoy the same experience, he developed this into Longest Week Live. With these resources you can recreate the events of Holy Week where you live. See nickpage.co.uk/ books/jerusaleynsham/

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Nick Page The writer, historian and self-styled ‘information-monger’ is the author of more than 70 books, including one of our favourites, The Longest Week, an account of the last seven days in the life of Jesus.

How did you get into writing about history?

I’ve always been interested in writing history. But in terms of biblical history, I was sitting listening to a less-than-riveting sermon about Zaccheus and I thought to myself, ‘How tall was he?’ The Bible says he was small, but I wondered how small was small in those days? And so I tried to find out – which meant reading a lot of articles about measuring 1st-century skeletons, but also lots of other fascinating books about the social and historical world of the New Testament. And I thought, ‘Why don’t I hear about this stuff?’ So I decided to write about it. That’s my aim really: just to write interesting stuff about things that matter.

What do you find most interesting about Jesus?

His Jewishness, for one thing.

We only know two things about Jesus’ physical appearance: he was circumcised and wore a fringed Jewish prayer shawl.

Nothing illuminates the gospels more than understanding something of Jesus’ Jewish background. Then there’s his disregard for rigid religious observance – he was always eating with the wrong people

and doing the wrong things and generally annoying the religious authorities. But, personally, I find the most interesting – and challenging – thing is that he urged us to do the same. He actually intended us to be like disciples and live a life like his.

Where’s your favourite place to write?

Outside; on a hot summer’s day, in a shady spot with a glass of something chilled. Sadly, I only achieve this about once a year.

Most of the time it’s indoors at the kitchen table.

Which three people, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party?

Three heroes: G K Chesterton, George Orwell and John the Baptist. Conversation, controversy – and the latter, particularly, would be good for the washing up.

What should churches be doing more of?

Teaching people to be like Jesus.

It’s quite important to know stuff about Jesus, but it’s far more important to be Christ-like ourselves. That’s what churches should be: local groups of Christ-shaped people.

Christian Aid Magazine Spring/Summer 2014

Contact us for your free guide to Wills and legacies

With a Will, you can look after the people you care about.

It may look like a dry legal document, but a Will is really an act of care. Or even love.

When you make a Will, you make a commitment to look after your family and friends even when you’re gone. And if you wish, you can do something even more extraordinary.

By including Christian Aid in your Will, you can extend that loving care to people in other parts of the world. To a young woman in Angola eager for an education.

To women, men and children made homeless by storms or floods in the Philippines.

To the people you are already doing so much to help in your lifetime.

To find out more about the caring power of Wills, complete and return the form below – or contact Kerry at kmcmahon@christian-aid.org or on 020 7523 2173. christianaid.org.uk/legacies Please send me The Christian Aid Guide to Wills and Legacies Title:

First name:

Surname:

Address: Postcode: Email: Telephone:

Once completed please return to: Christian Aid, PO Box 100, London SE1 7RT 14-360-J2463

A019967

...is coming 11–17 May 2014 caweek.org

14-360-J2466

11–17 MA Y

Photograph: JB Russell/Panos Pictures 14-360-J2467

To get involved, contact your local office: christianaid.org.uk/inyourarea

Volunteer and help to make this Christian Aid Week the most successful yet.

Christian Aid needs your help.

Central

k : et ee rg W fo d ’t Ai ay on n M D tia 17 ris 11Ch

Christian Aid

Central Spring/Summer 2014 christianaid.org.uk/inyourarea

Derbyshire youth get hungry for justice

Puppeteer Andi Markham with his friends Grandad and Jack.

Puppets talk poverty around the West Midlands

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his Christian Aid Week, look out for Jack, Grandad, and their puppeteer Andi Markham as they tour major cities around the region to highlight the work of Christian Aid. For Andi, using his well-loved puppets to get people thinking about global poverty is a chance to delve deeper into issues he’s always cared about: he still remembers seeing the Christian Aid Week envelope appearing on his doormat as a child.

Six-year-old puppet Jack doesn’t know much about Christian Aid yet, but is looking forward to meeting lots of people on the tour. Grandad, being much older and wiser, hopes the tour will connect with people of all ages and enable younger generations to start making links between global challenges and the need for local action.

This tour is another step in Andi’s decade-long journey with Kids UK, which works to engage children and families so that they see the Christian faith as fun and relevant to all ages.

Andi has taken his puppets to perform in front of hundreds of children in schools, clubs and churches, and his resources have now been taken up by a national publisher.

He will be visiting each of the West Midlands’ seven cities in seven days to see Christian Aid volunteers in action. Interviews with bishops, church leaders, collectors, donors, and children in assemblies and clubs will all be turned into short films shared through blogs and social media.

This will take our exciting stories of transformation to a wider audience and put the fun in fundraising during the week.

A group of young people aged 10-16 and three youth leaders held a 24-hour fast to raise money for Christian Aid. The six young people are part of the X:tra Club, a youth group from All Saints Church, Wingerworth, in Derbyshire.

The group held its fast and sleepover in their church centre, surviving on just water.

They raised more than £900 for Christian Aid. The X:tra Club were inspired by the day-long Christian Aid Collective youth festival last June in the Bishop of Derby’s garden.

During the fast they made gingerbread men with holes in their tummies to represent the hundreds of millions of people across the world who go to bed hungry every night. They then gave these out to the All Saints congregation.

The Christian Aid East Midlands team would like to say a huge thank you to the X:tra Club. The money raised will make a massive difference to people’s lives around the world.

Central England events diary Saturday 26 April

Coffee morning

10am, Wem Methodist Church, Aston Street, Wem, Shropshire SY4 5AU. Sunday 27 April

Loughborough simple Sunday lunch 12.30pm, All Saints with Holy Trinity, Steeple Row, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 1UX. Monday 28 April – Friday 2 May

Live Below the Line Find out more at christianaid.org.uk/ livebelowtheline Wednesday 30 April

Rothley Christian Aid quarterly lunch 12 noon, Old School Rooms, School Street, Rothley.

Book with Helen Playdon on 0116 230 4634.

Thursday 1 May

The UK Gold

Holy Innocents, Kidderminster DY11 6LA. Contact the Birmingham office on 0121 200 2283.

Saturday 3 May

0121 707 5722 or email admin@oltonbaptist.org

10am, Acocks Green Methodist Church, Botteville Road B27 7YE. Viewing 10am; auction at 11am. See story opposite.

Saturday 10 May

Auction in support of Christian Aid

The Vaughn Singers Concert

Christian Aid coffee morning

7pm, St John’s Church, Walmley Road, Sutton Coldfield B76 1QN. For more information, contact the Birmingham office on 0121 200 2283.

10am, Aldridge Methodist Church, Anchor Road, Aldridge, Walsall WS9 8PT.

11-17 May Christian Aid Week

Saturday 3 May

Thursday 8 May

The UK Gold

7.30pm, The Trinity Centre, Mill Street, Sutton Coldfield B72 1TF. Contact the Birmingham office, as above.

Friday 9 May

Gareth Davies-Jones: Now But Not Yet 7.30pm, Casey Joe’s Bar, 1293 Warwick Road, Birmingham B27 6PU. Singer-songwriter Gareth Davies-Jones in concert in support of Christian Aid. Tickets £7.50. For more details, phone

Saturday 10, Sunday 11, Saturday 17, Sunday 18 May

Plant sale for Christian Aid

Saturday 10 – Saturday 17 May

Busking for Christian Aid Week Birmingham city centre.

Contact Anna Burden at 0121 200 2283 or aburden@christian-aid.org Saturday 10 – Saturday 17 May

Kids UK tour

Follow them on the West Midlands webpage and on twitter #7citiesin7days Wednesday 14 May

Cathedrals and Cappuccinos

2-5pm, 4 Paradise Lane, Hall Green, Birmingham B28 0DS. For more details, email katherine@ charityplants.co.uk

2.30am, Bannersgate Community Church, Sutton Coldfield B73 6UH. Talk by author Trish Rogers in aid of Christian Aid. Call Val Davies on 0121 445 6781.

Saturday 10 May

Sunday 18 May

Christian Aid Week coffee morning 10am-12 noon, Grangewood Methodist Church, Wollaton NG8 2SJ. For more information, contact Betty Grimley on betty@thehines.co.uk

Singing for Fun Concert Afternoon, Rothley Parish Church, Rothley LE7 7PD. Saturday 7 June

One Bright Day Town Park, Telford.

Free afternoon of family fun.

Christian Aid Week sponsored walks Saturday 10 May

Saturday 17 May

Saturday 17 May

2pm start, Humber Bridge, Barton- upon- Humber.

Join us at this annual sponsored walk and cross the bridge as many times as you can! There are registration desks and refreshments at both ends of the bridge, so you can join from either side. For more information on the event, please contact the East Midlands office on 01509 265013 or eastmidlands@christian-aid.org

9am, Louth Methodist Church Centre, Nichol Hill, Louth LN11 9XQ. Take your pick from three walks: Walk 1: Nichol Hill to Tathwell, 3 miles Walk 2: as Walk 1, then on to Tetford and Scamblesby, 15 miles Walk 3: as Walk 2, then on to Donington-on-Bain, Welton-le-Wold and back to Louth, 32 miles.

To register, contact Derek or Julia Gibson on 01507 602746.

9.30am for 10-mile walk, 10am for 5-mile walk, Overseal Baptist Church, Burton Road, Overseal, Derbyshire DE12 6JJ. Both walks have back-up support. You can come along without sponsorship, just make a donation to support Christian Aid’s work. For more details contact Ray Thompson on 01283 535463 or rayandarlene@talktalk.net

Humber Bridge Cross

Walk in the Wolds

Christian Aid Central Spring/Summer 2014

Take a walk in the National Forest

Hear how your money changes lives Colombian priest and human rights activist Father Alberto Franco will be bringing Christian Aid Week stories to life this summer.

Father Alberto heads up the Inter-Church Commission for Justice and Peace (CIJP), one of our partners that protects communities displaced by Colombia’s violence. He’ll be sharing insights into his work during a speaking tour of the West Midlands and North West this summer.

John Howell, our intern in the Birmingham office, met Father Alberto on his trip to Colombia last year.

He says: ‘I was really challenged by the work of CIJP. I will always remember how thankful these communities are, and how their lives have been transformed. I am really excited

Nine global lessons Loretta Minghella, our Chief Executive, addressed senior leaders from schools in the Diocese of Birmingham in March.

She shared her experience in ‘nine lessons’ from partners around the world. She moved many as she talked about enthusing the next generation to eradicate poverty.

She promoted our schools resources, our Learn website and our volunteer teacher scheme.

If you are experienced in speaking with children, and have some time to go into schools to take assemblies or lessons, please ask your local office about becoming a volunteer teacher.

What would Woolman say?

Father Alberto helps displaced people return to their land. that Father Alberto is doing a speaking tour in the summer, and hope many will come to hear his inspiring stories of how your efforts really make a difference in Colombia.’

• For more details about Father Alberto’s tour, please contact the Birmingham office.

Quakers in the West Midlands have teamed up with Christian Aid to present the case for tax justice in a particularly relevant way.

They’ve been inspired by John Woolman, sometimes described as the only Quaker Saint.

He was a central figure of 18th century Quaker faith and many still take guidance from his writings when considering their responses to social injustices. Some Friends believe that if Woolman were alive today, he would regard the global economy as our version of slavery, and tax dodging as one of the ‘seeds of war’.

The presentation has already been taken to meetings in central Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Warwick, and will visit other venues in the near future.

• For more details about the Quakers and Tax Justice tour, contact the Birmingham office.

Supporters wait for the hammer to fall

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ll items, new and old, are called for as supporters in Acocks Green organise their first auction for Christian Aid. With experienced auctioneer Alan Bennett in their congregation, and with the support of other churchgoers, the event looks set to be a great success.

‘Our church has had many charity auctions in the past,’ said Alan. ‘It is a good way to involve the public in raising funds for Christian Aid, and recycle goods at the same time.’

Local organiser Kate Harding commented: ‘We’re not in competition with Bonhams or

Christies, so your Rembrandts can stay on your walls and the family heirlooms in your bank deposit boxes!

‘We are looking for household goods to sell. We need small items of furniture, kitchen equipment, books, games, DVDs, crockery and cutlery, garden items, in fact anything except clothing and items too big to fit in a car boot. Any electrical items offered will be tested prior to the sale.’

• To find out how to offer goods for sale, contact Alan on 0121 707 0044 or Kate on 0121 711 2362.

Christian Aid Central Spring/Summer 2014

11–17 MA Y

Photograph: JB Russell/Panos Pictures 14-360-J2467

To get involved, contact your local office: christianaid.org.uk/inyourarea

Volunteer and help to make this Christian Aid Week the most successful yet.

Christian Aid needs your help.

Photo: Caroline Lubale-Baluba

London

Getting set to Circle the City and see some of London’s top sights.

Be part of the Circle the City walk for justice!

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hristian Aid Week hasn’t even started yet, so it may be a bit odd to hear us say we’re looking forward to when it finishes! But that’s because on Sunday 18 May, hundreds of you will join us on one of our favourite Christian Aid Week events – the Circle the City sponsored walk.

Now in its 17th year, Circle the City is an ideal way to end Christian Aid Week and celebrate all the amazing things you do for the world’s poorest people. It is also an opportunity for groups, churches and families to have a brilliant day out exploring fabulous buildings not usually open to the public.

A short service will start the walk off at 1pm in St Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside. From there you can take a choice of two routes – 10k or 5k. You should probably allow about 2-3 hours for the longer walk. If map reading isn’t one of your strong points, we have two

large, guided groups setting off at 1.30pm and 1.45pm.

Along the way, 17 venues will be hosting events, including live acoustic music, face painting and interactive exhibitions highlighting Christian Aid’s work in conflict-affected countries.

There will also be an opportunity for reflection at our prayer points.

We are inspired by the many of you who have registered already and we hope that you are collecting lots of sponsors.

Will you rise to our challenge for every walker to raise £80 each?

That’s enough to provide nearly 50 families with hygiene kits to prevent disease spreading in wartorn and disaster-stricken areas.

You can register at: christianaid.org.uk/circle-the-city • To order posters and flyers to publicise the walk in your community, please email london@christian-aid.org or call us on 020 7523 2321.

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Christian Aid

London Spring/Summer 2014 christianaid.org.uk/inyourarea

Students speak up It’s easy to look around at the injustices we see in the world and feel powerless. When I took part recently in the Student Christian Movement conference in Derby, I met loads of young people angry about injustice.

But rather than sitting around complaining, they were actively exploring how to be a follower of Jesus in response to these challenges.

I was similarly inspired at the Speak Network’s conference, which was also full of students celebrating their faith and speaking out for justice. The theme that weekend was ‘turning the tables’, which reflected on how we can step up to change situations of injustice.

Despite enormous challenges facing us, such as climate change, we can be encouraged that young people like these are actively taking steps to see justice prevail in our lifetime.

Kit Powney London region intern To learn more about inspiring young people, contact kpowney@christian-aid.org or dsimpkins@christian-aid.org

I was just thinking…

Speak out with conviction

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y dad is changing! He has finally retired after more than 50 years as a plumber. With retirement comes a new freedom of speech. Gone are the days when he was measured, conscious of not offending clients, listened with intent and didn’t have a bad word to say about friend or foe. My siblings and I have been warned, ‘Don’t tell me any secrets as I will tell it as it is.’

Part of me wonders if this is a reaction to holding his tongue for so long. However, he has also provoked an important question in me: what if all those with nothing to lose spoke out with conviction about justice and on behalf of the poor? Well, it would surely cause a stir.

But it would also be outrageous not to speak out just because we want to protect our careers, reputation, friendships or whatever else is at stake.

By living with a compromised conscience, and keeping silent

Dates for your diary: Thursday 19 June

Supporter thank-you tea and evaluation sessions

when we could speak out, we assent to injustice.

Jesus did not think of his reputation, nor was he put off by the indignant, when he tuned over the money changers’ tables (Matthew 21:12) because only then did the lame and blind come into the temple and the children burst into song.

The issues of justice, poverty and the affairs of the poor are begging us to cast off restraint, to say it as it is, without fear for whatever we stand to lose. Let us be encouraged by the bold declaration to the Hebrews, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?’

Mark Sturge, Head of London Region

From 3.30pm, Interchurch House, 35 Lower Marsh, Waterloo SE1 7RL. Come along and give us your feedback on Christian Aid Week.

What worked well? What can we do better? The event is also our chance to say thank you for all your hard work in May and throughout the year.

3.30-5pm: afternoon evaluation session.

5-6pm: thank-you cream tea.

6-7.30pm: evening evaluation session.

Saturday 27 September

Sponsored walk

Richmond Park, London Enjoy this annual sponsored walk in London’s largest royal park, amid the fallen leaves and fallow deer. On a clear day, from its highest spots, you can see St Paul’s Cathedral!

Photo: Carol Woollard

More than just a week

Some of the group’s collectors gather on Kennington Lane.

We’re feeling thoroughly inspired by the amazing commitment of Lambeth North Christian Aid Committee, for whom supporting Christian Aid is a year-round affair – not just one week in May. Among the many activities held last year was a trade justice event, attended by local MP Kate Hoey.

‘Another popular event is the annual Movable Feast,’ Rodney Ovenden, the committee’s treasurer, explains. Last year, happy diners walked the streets of north Lambeth, enjoying a main course in one place and a dessert in another, and raised nearly £900.

‘Folk in the local churches are encouraged to follow the Count Your Blessings leaflet through Lent and members are keen to find different ways to help Christian Aid,’ says Rodney.

‘Children at the local church primary school, Archbishop Sumner, raised more than £400 in November for our Philippines typhoon appeal.

‘In Christian Aid Week itself, apart from house-to-house collections, the group always collect at local underground and mainline stations. At the end of the week, some take on the challenge of the Circle the City event!’

Christian Aid London Spring/Summer 2014

Partnership key to meeting challenges

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t this year’s Annual Supporters Evening, our Chief Executive Loretta Minghella and David Pain, our Director of Supporter and Community Partnerships, explained how partnership is at the heart of all that we do.

Both described the challenges facing an international development agency in the 21st century: addressing evolving issues such as conflict, gender and climate change, while ensuring project priorities are met and resources used effectively.

Speakers who had witnessed firsthand the projects featured in this year’s Christian Aid Week DVD, Fearless, shared their inspiring experiences.

Supporters also spoke about how they motivate others to raise money to transform communities and help rebuild broken lives.

Please put next year’s event in your diary now – Thursday 29 January 2015, at 2pm and 6pm.

If you have not yet started preparing for this year’s Christian Aid Week, or have never participated before, we’d love you to take a look at the resources available at caweek.org If you have not received your Welcome Pack, please contact your regional coordinator. In the pack, you’ll find useful resources to help you celebrate and promote Christian Aid Week – including the Fearless DVD which has resources for all ages; posters; resources order form; an order of service; and your station- and supermarketcollection permits form.

If you have any questions about your preparations for Christian Aid Week, please email London@christian-aid.org or telephone 020 7523 2321.

Campaign for climate and tax justice!

After the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and the recent floods in the UK, climate change is back on the agenda.

We’re working to help communities survive and recover in the face of increasing natural disasters, and we need you to send a clear message to our leaders, telling them to commit to tackling climate change. Visit christianaid.org.uk/ActNow to find out how.

Thank you to everyone who wrote to their MEP about tax. The EU has taken an important step with the European Parliament voting in favour of strong regulations to tackle money laundering and tax dodging.

Why does our faith call us to tackle tax injustice? Find out with our new Pocket Guide to Tax and the Bible – available to download from christianaid.org.uk/ActNow

Reflection: Driven to act

At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus stood in the synagogue and outlined his strategy for eradicating poverty by ushering in his Kingdom in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:17-18).

So can Jesus’ example inspire us as we approach Christian Aid Week and wrestle with the same task?

On a recent church visit to Keston in Bromley, I was shown the oak stump where William Pitt encouraged William Wilberforce to fight for the abolition of the slave trade.

It reminded me of another abolitionist, Thomas Clarkson, who also dedicated his life to fighting the slave trade. Clarkson spent two years tirelessly riding around England, alerting people to the horrors of slavery.

The struggle of Wilberforce,

Clarkson and others bore fruit in 1807 with the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act – but it was a long, hard fight.

They could not have succeeded without the Spirit that drove them, the same Spirit that drove Jesus to set the captives free.

As we approach Christian Aid Week, may the same Spirit drive us to keep going, not to tire of doing God’s work to eradicate poverty, and make us bold enough to say: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.’

David Pollendine, Regional Coordinator

Christian Aid London Spring/Summer 2014

11–17 MA Y

Photograph: JB Russell/Panos Pictures 14-360-J2467

To get involved, contact your local office: christianaid.org.uk/inyourarea

Volunteer and help to make this Christian Aid Week the most successful yet.

Christian Aid needs your help.

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Christian Aid

North

North Spring/Summer 2014 christianaid.org.uk/inyourarea

A few thoughts from a volunteer…

Why do I volunteer with Christian Aid? For a start, I feel passionate about Christian Aid’s vision to eradicate global poverty. Then there’s the amazing regional staff, who find interesting things for me to get involved with: I’ve made props, given talks, visited schools and created some resources. In turn, I’ve received training and other help.

For Christian Aid Week 2014, the stories from Iraq, Colombia and South Sudan are focusing on giving people a future without fear. It has been a privilege to share these with adult worshippers, youth clubs, afternoon tea groups and school assemblies.

A particular highlight from last year was when a local secondary school that I’ve been working with was chosen to go to 10 Downing Street, during the IF campaign.

Schools from across the country wrote messages to the prime minister on paper plates, focusing on the issue of global hunger. My school got very fired up and was selected to hand in all the paper plates to the PM! Who are volunteers? We all are, aren’t we? After all, Christian Aid is us.

John Griffith

Our volunteers certainly know how to turn the other cheek.

Hand in hand: join us in showing your support

P

oppy Winks, youth and student intern in Yorkshire, travelled to Nueva Vida in Colombia to meet people who lost their families in the country’s long conflict.

It’s claimed that safety comes in numbers, and for the communities living in the Nueva Vida (New Life) Humanitarian Zone in Colombia this sentiment has never been truer.

With the help of Christian Aid, this humanitarian zone provides a safe place for the people who live within it. It gives them a chance to rebuild their lives, following the trauma of being forced out of their homes and land at gunpoint.

A wall of clay hands stands in memory of all those from the community who lost their lives.

Father Alberto Franco, from our partner the Inter-Church Commission for Justice and Peace, explains the importance of such zones: ‘If you’re on your own, you can get killed and

nothing happens. But if you get together with your neighbours, people know what happens to you, where you are, and how you are. People start to defend each other.’

Zones accelerate the healing process, too: ‘The humanitarian zones enable people to share the pain and talk about their situation, or cry. They create the space for people to be listened to.’

Christian Aid has decided to portray solidarity by collecting handprints, whether on faces or walls, as cut outs or selfies of your palm with your name written on, to send a message to all those living in fear: you are not alone!

Join us by posing with your handprints for a photo to send to local press and social media for Christian Aid Week. Contact your local office for help.

North England events diary Thursday 24 April

Gareth Davies-Jones in concert 7.30pm, Cantley Methodist Church, Goodison Boulevard, Cantley, Doncaster DN4 6BT. Enjoy an evening with singer-songwriter Gareth Davies-Jones. Christian Aid intern Poppy Winks will be speaking about her experiences in Colombia.

For more information, contact Rev David Goss at davidjamesgoss@gmail. com or 01302 342047.

Friday 9 May

Saturday 10 May

9am, Yeadon Market Square, Leeds.

For more details, contact Alison Lockwood at alisonlockwood@yahoo. co.uk

10.30am, Sandal Castle car park, Manygates Lane, Sandal, Wakefield WF2 7DS. A 5-mile walk, taking in Pugneys Water. Details and sponsorship forms available now from Hazel Rennison (Morley Christian Aid group) on hazel.r33@hotmail.com

Homemade cake stall

Friday 9 May

Chocolate evening 7.30pm, St Peter’s Church, Gildersome, Leeds.

Learn how to make chocolates. For details, call Mary Goldsworthy on 0113 285 4995.

Saturday 26 April

Saturday 10 May

8.30-10.30pm, St Luke’s Church, Burton Stone Lane, York YO30 7BE. Tickets £5. For details, contact christianaidyork@ googlemail.com

10am, Westerhope Methodist Church, Newcastle upon Tyne NE5 5HA. A coffee morning on a grand scale, with stalls selling plants, books, cakes and crafts. Come early to bag the best buys! For information and donations, contact the Newcastle Christian Aid office at newcastle@christian-aid. org or call 0191 228 0115.

Ceilidh with Bad Bargain Band

Monday 5 May

Sheffield May Day Trek Grab a picnic and lace up your boots for this familyfriendly 5-mile walk from Bents Green Methodist Church out through the Porter and Limb valleys.

For more information or to register, email sheffieldmaydaytrek@ gmail.com or visit sheffieldmaydaytrek.org.uk Thursday 8 May – Friday 9 May

The Big Christian Aid Plant Sale and Refreshment Days 10am-3.30pm, St Edward’s Community Hall, Tadcaster Road, Dringhouses, York YO24 1QG. All welcome.

Westerhope Plant Sale Extraordinaire

Saturday 10 May

Walk the Waterfront 10.30am, Otterspool car park, Liverpool.

Raise money or simply join us for a walk of witness.

This easy, 5-mile, flat walk along Liverpool’s beautiful waterfront offers stunning views across the Mersey.

It finishes with a short service at St Nicks. For more information, contact Eirlys on 01925 573769 or ejessop@christian-aid.org

Christian Aid North Spring/Summer 2014

Sponsored walk

Monday 12 May – Saturday 17 May

Wooler Christian Aid Week Shop 9am-5pm, Wooler High Street, Northumberland.

For information, to make donations or to volunteer, please contact Sarah Moon on smoon@christian-aid. org or call 0191 228 0115.

Wednesday 14 May

Saturday 10 May

Swish!

2pm, Humber Bridge, HU13 0LN. For details and to register, contact Gill Dalby, on gilldalby@gilldalby.karoo. co.uk or 01482 504203.

7.30pm, As You Like It, Archbold Terrace, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 1DB. Bring some good quality, pre-loved clothing and support Christian Aid. Tickets £5. Contact the Newcastle office.

See story opposite.

Humber Bridge Cross Sponsored Walk

Saturday 10 May

York Minster Christian Aid Evensong 5.15pm, The Quire, York Minster. All welcome.

Saturday 10 May

Christian Aid concert 7.30-9.30pm, Salvation Army Citadel, 40 Wood Street, Malton YO17 9BA. For more information, contact Eddie James, eddieandwendyjames@ phonecoop.coop or call 01944 758807.

Friday 16 May

Blucher Family Fun Night 7-11pm, Blucher Social Club, Hexham Road, Blucher NE15 9SN. With music, games, quiz and karaoke, plus MC Bob Weaver. Price: £6, including buffet supper (under-13s, £4). For tickets, call Mary Weatherall on 0191 229 1814.

Saturday 17 May

Saturday 10 May – Sunday 18 May

Let’s Bake Cake!

Join us in baking, selling and eating cake to raise money and learn about the work of Christian Aid. We have branded cupcake cases. Contact us at newcastle@christian-aid. org or 0191 228 0115.

Christian Aid Coffee Morning 10-11.30am, Haxby and Wigginton Methodist Church Hall, The Village, Haxby, York YO32 2JJ. All welcome.

Sunday 18 May

Great Manchester Run The nation’s favourite 10k running event. To run for us,

Photo: Charles Martin

Making merry this Christian Aid Week

Business sponsorship Arrange with a local restaurant to take it over for a set dinner and a quiz one evening. Fill it with Christian Aid supporters and ask the owners to set a cover charge that includes a donation to Christian Aid on top of the meal price.

Hold a raffle and ask local companies to donate prizes and sell tickets.

Ask your local supermarket to donate food for a BBQ and invite friends and family to make a donation in exchange for sausages, burgers and buns.

Hold an evening at a local restaurant and make some dinner money!

H

ere are some ideas to help your Christian Aid Week go with a swing.

Family fun day Invite friends and neighbours over for singing, dancing and party games. Try asking everyone to bring a dessert or savoury dish, and if you have a lot of interest you could even hire a community hall.

This is a great way to get people of all ages involved in raising money.

contact rturner@christianaid.org or visit christianaid. org.uk/events Sunday 18 May

Liverpool Cathedral Evensong Christian Aid director Christine Allan will be preaching. For more information, contact ejessop@christian-aid.org Saturday 14 June

Bede’s Way Sponsored Walk 10am-4pm: 12-mile walk, St Peter’s Church, Monkwearmouth to St Paul’s Church, Jarrow.

1.30-4pm: 4-mile, all-age

Let’s bake cake!

Join us in baking, selling and eating some delicious cakes – all in aid of our life-changing work. Why not try putting a twist into the traditional cake sale by adding a theme? Try new flavour combinations in ‘experimental baking’ or challenge yourself with a cake look-a-like competition. We have plenty of resources available to help, including special Christian Aid cupcake cases and poster templates. See caweek.org

Swish!

A swishing party is a low-cost, environmentally friendly way to update your wardrobe – while raising money for Christian Aid. Bring good quality, pre-loved clothing and swap till you drop!

Charge a small fee for entry and refreshments.

walk. Starting and finishing at Bede’s World.

Join the new Bishop of Durham and TV presenter John Grundy. Minimum sponsorship £50 or families £75. For posters, flyers and further information, contact newcastle@christian-aid. org or call 0191 228 0115.

Saturday 28 June

Saturday 12 July

8.30pm, starting from St Luke’s Church, Lodge Moor.

A 17-mile night hike from Lodge Moor to Hathersage and back. To register, see sheffieldnighthike.org. uk or email: register@ SheffieldNightHike.org.uk

From 11am, Scarcroft, 41 Red Scar Lane, Newby, Scarborough YO12 5RH. For more information, contact Maggie Bridge at 01723 362091 or maggiebridge@yahoo.co.uk

Saturday 28 June

Friday 4 July

Saturday 12 July

Holy Trinity Church, Southport.

We are giving you the opportunity to take a leap of faith for Christian Aid. For more information, visit christianaid.org.uk/abseil

7.30pm, St John’s Church, Barcroft Grove, Yeadon LS19 7XZ. A recital of music and poetry by Hope Theatre Group. Tickets £5. Contact Alison at alisonlockwood@ yahoo.co.uk

Minster Road, Ripon, HG4 1QS. For more information or to register, visit christianaid. org.uk/abseil or contact Rebekah Turner at rturner@christian-aid.org or 01925 582826.

Sponsored Abseil

Sheffield Night Hike

The Bard Doesn’t Bite

Christian Aid ‘Open Garden’

Ripon Cathedral Abseil

Christian Christian Aid Aid North North Spring/Summer Winter/Spring 2014

11–17 MA Y

Photograph: JB Russell/Panos Pictures 14-360-J2467

To get involved, contact your local office: christianaid.org.uk/inyourarea

Volunteer and help to make this Christian Aid Week the most successful yet.

Christian Aid needs your help.

Photo: Fraser Stewart

Scotland

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Christian Aid

Scotland Spring/Summer 2014 christianaid.org.uk/inyourarea

Bridge crossers build a bridge of their own to raise awareness of the forthcoming sponsored events.

Supporters build bridges for peace

C

ommunities around Scotland are coming together this spring to help build bridges towards peace in some of the most fragile and difficult places to live in the world.

Churches and supporters involved in our annual sponsored Tay, Forth and Erskine Bridge Crosses expressed their creative side recently. They built bridges of their own to encourage others to join them in raising funds for our life-saving and peacebuilding work in emergency and conflict situations around the world.

The Bridge Crosses offer participants the chance to join together with others across the community to take on as many circuits of their chosen bridge as they can handle.

Money raised from each event will help Christian Aid to

support communities in warravaged countries; providing emergency supplies to those caught up in or displaced by fighting, and offering long-term support to people affected by trauma or those trying to earn a living again after losing everything.

Amy Menzies, Events Fundraiser for Christian Aid Scotland, said: ‘The Bridge Crosses have been very successful each year, thanks to the dedication of all those involved in making them happen, and who turn up year in, year out to show their support.

‘This year, we spotted an opportunity to let the wider community know a bit more about Christian Aid’s work to help people caught up in conflict situations, and so we came together to build bridges in what was a very visual representation

of what is happening through the work with our partners.’

John Littler, from Bishopton, said: ‘The horror of war can seem remote to us, but we know that for millions of people conflict is part of their daily life.

We are delighted to be involved in our local Bridge Cross because it gives us a chance to respond as a community, and to join with other communities to do something positive.’

The Bridge Crosses take place on Saturday 26 April (Tay and Forth) and Saturday 10 May (Erskine), and if you are still feeling strong, there is also the Cumbrae Challenge sponsored walk on Saturday 7 June. For more details, contact Amy Menzies on 0141 241 6138.

Scotland events diary Sunday 27 April

Crombie Sponsored Walk 2-5pm, Crombie Country Park, Monikie, Broughty Ferry DD5 3QL. Meet at the car park for an energising 2.75 mile spring walk around the loch, followed by burgers! Shorter walking routes are also possible.

Tuesday 6 May

Africa, Debt and Tax event 7-9pm, Howard Centre,

5 Portland Road, Kilmarnock KA1 2BT. Last of our events teaming up with Jubilee Scotland and the Church of Scotland World Mission Council to look at how tax and debt continue to affect Africa.

Saturday 24 May – Sunday 25 May

Edinburgh Marathon Festival The Christian Aid Scotland team are participating at various levels – why not join us? You don’t have to do the

full marathon, you could give the half marathon a go or be part of a relay team. edinburgh-marathon.com

Tuesday 24 June

Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory evening

7-9pm, Dundee, venue to be announced.

Cumbrae Challenge An opportunity to hear Sponsored Walk stories from Christian Aid, the 10am-4pm, Cumbrae Slip, Isle Church of Scotland and the of Cumbrae.

Scottish Episcopal Church about recent trips to the Friday 20 June – Middle East.

Sunday 22 June Solas Festival For further information on The Bield, Blackruthven, any of these events, please Tibbermore, Perth PH1 1PY. contact the Glasgow office solasfestival.co.uk on 0141 221 7475.

Saturday 7 June

Saturday 10 May – Saturday 17 May

Holy Corner Book Sale

Loretta Minghella, Dr Rowan Williams and Kathy Galloway were among the visitors to last year’s book sale on George Street, Edinburgh.

CHRISTIAN AID WEEK EVENTS: Monday 5 May – Saturday 10 May

Falkirk Book Sale Falkirk Trinity Church, Manse Place, Falkirk FK1 1JN Monday, 7-9pm; Tuesday, 10am-4pm and 5-8pm; Wednesday-Friday, 10am-4pm; Saturday, 10am-3pm.

This well-established Christian Aid Week curtain-raiser offers a wide assortment of titles, fiction

and non-fiction, paperback and hardback, all at bargain prices. For further information or to donate books, please contact the Falkirk Trinity Church office on 01324 611017 or Hamish Scott on 01324 632387.

Saturday 10 May – Friday 16 May

40th Anniversary Book Sale

St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church, 13 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2PA. Saturday, 10am-4pm;

Christian Aid Scotland Spring/Summer 2014

Monday-Wednesday, 10am-3.30pm; Thursday, 10am-7pm; Friday, 10am-3.30pm.

The sale, which has taken place on George Street every year since 1974, returns with its unrivalled range of books and more.

Books, paintings, printed ephemera, sheet music, antiques, records, stamps and postcards, and toys for donation, may be brought to the church from Monday 28 April onwards. For timings, call the church office on 0131 225 3847.

Morningside United Church, Chamberlain Road, Edinburgh EH10 4DJ. Saturday, 10am-4pm; Monday-Friday, 11am-6pm; Saturday, 10am-4pm.

The Holy Corner Sale is a major fixture in the Christian Aid Week calendar. Books, CDs and DVDs for donation may be brought to the church on Mondays to Thursdays, 9am-3pm, and on Fridays, 9am-12 noon.

Saturday 17 May

Day of Mozart

St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Palmerston Place, Edinburgh EH12 5AW. An all-day celebration of the music of Mozart, at St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral. For more information, please contact Alastair at dayofmozart@ gmail.com

12 days of Commonwealth

Sport makes a difference to the lives of youngsters in many countries where we work.

S

cotland is hosting the 20th Commonwealth Games and we are excited!

Kicking off on 23 July, teams from across the 53 members of the Commonwealth – representing 2.2 billion people – will be coming to Glasgow to compete in 17 sports over 11 days.

To mark the occasion we’ll be bringing you stories of people in the Commonwealth countries where we work, including staging our own Commonwealth Poverty Monologues event in Glasgow on 15 July.

We have partners and projects in 12 Commonwealth countries. Many of our values reflect those set out in the Commonwealth Charter – such as human rights; international peace and security; good governance; sustainable development; protecting the environment; access to health, education, food and shelter;

Leave a legacy We’ve just welcomed Jo Dallas to the Christian Aid Scotland team. Jo has joined us to spread the word on leaving a legacy as an act of compassion for future generations. Find out more at christianaid.org.uk/legacies or by emailing jdallas@ christian-aid.org

and gender equality. In the run-up to the Games’ opening ceremony we’ll be focusing on a different country each day, inviting you to find out more through the sharing of experiences, and providing you with a range of opportunities to respond and get involved through giving, acting and praying.

You can find out more on our website christianaid.org.uk/12daysofcommonwealth or by following us on social media: facebook. com/christianaidscotland or twitter.com/ christianaidscotland (#12daysofcommonwealth).

We hope many of you will put your name down to hear more about our Commonwealth Poverty Monologues event in Glasgow on 15 July – with performances to tell the stories of people from 12 countries. We expect there to be a lot of interest, so book early via Amy Menzies at amenzies@christian-aid.org or on 0141 241 6138.

Youth group living below the line We’re delighted to hear that a youth group from St Augustine’s Episcopal Church in Dumbarton are taking on the Live Below the Line challenge!

The girls, aged 13-14, will be spending five days in May living

on no more than £1 a day for all their food and drink, to highlight the difficulties faced by 1.4 billion people who survive on that amount every day. If you’d like to take part, please call Amy Menzies on 0141 241 6138.

Christian Aid Scotland Spring/Summer 2014

11–17 MA Y

Photograph: JB Russell/Panos Pictures 14-360-J2467

To get involved, contact your local office: christianaid.org.uk/inyourarea

Volunteer and help to make this Christian Aid Week the most successful yet.

Christian Aid needs your help.

South East

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Christian Aid

South East Spring/Summer 2014 christianaid.org.uk/inyourarea

Dover and out for walkers!

Amy Lockwood was among 29 brave souls who abseiled down St Mary Magdalen church tower, Oxford, in March, raising over £5,000.

‘We can all do something to show we care’

A

my Lockwood spent seven months as a volunteer intern in Christian Aid’s Oxford office. She’s certainly had a busy time – including a trip to visit our partners in Colombia and ending with an abseil down an Oxford church tower.

‘I could write thousands of words about how incredible the internship has been, but particularly inspiring was a trip to Colombia to meet beneficiaries of Christian Aid’s projects, including those featured in this year’s Christian Aid Week resources.

‘One of our partners, the Interchurch Commission for Justice and Peace, does amazing advocacy work with displaced communities, who have been violently evicted from their land by paramilitaries, and have suffered for many years as families were torn apart and loved ones lost.

‘Together, Christian Aid and Justice and Peace are

empowering these communities with the knowledge and skills to set up humanitarian zones – pockets of land that are safe for families to move back to.

Everyone I spoke to had wanted for years just to be able to get on with their daily lives. It was such a simple ask, but in the chaos of the conflict it seemed like a distant dream. Education and advocacy turned this dream into a reality.

‘I came back to the UK completely fired up about the impact campaigning can have.

We can all do something to show that we care: speak out against injustice, pray for change, raise money to continue the vital work.

Just do something.’

• To find out about sponsored abseils or other events, go to christianaid.org.uk/events

Richard Lycett Photography

Retired couple John and Nancy Eckersley from Yorkshire set off from Dover in February to walk 600 miles to Carlisle to raise £5,000 for a Christian Aid literacy project in Afghanistan.

John and Nancy started their walk from the statue of Captain Matthew Webb on Dover’s seafront. Nancy is a distant relative of Captain Webb, who was the first person on record to swim the English Channel in August 1875.

Members of Dover Christian Aid committee met with John and Nancy to give them a good send off.

If you fancy a (slightly shorter) trek of your own, why not join us for our sponsored Trek to Canterbury (16-17 August)? The weekend pilgrimage will take you from Maidstone to the historic cathedral city of Canterbury to raise money to support our work around the world.

Along this stunning 28-mile route, we will stop regularly for prayer and reflections, concluding with a service at the magnificent Canterbury Cathedral.

To find out more and to register, please go to christianaid.org.uk/treks or find out more by calling the Events team on 020 7523 2073.

South East events diary Saturday 10 May

Saturday 17 May

Sunday 18 May

020 7523 2105 or emailing LSE@christian-aid.org

Start time: 8.30-9.30am for walkers; 10am for runners.

Start: Wodson Park, Ware SG12 0UQ. Finish: St John’s Hall, Hertford SG13 8AE. Registration fee: adults, £10; children aged 11 and under, free.

The course is divided into 5km sections and you can choose from 5km to the full marathon distance of 43km (26.2 miles). For more details, contact Liz Horner on 01920 465714 or Richard Lord on 01992 464000; email info@ christianaidwalk.org.uk or visit christianaidwalk.org.uk

Guildford Cathedral, Stag Hill, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7UP. We are looking for ministers, vicars, pastors and priests to abseil from the top of Guildford Cathedral for Christian Aid Week. Register for £15 and raise a minimum sponsorship of £100.

Register at christianaid. org.uk/abseil or contact Laura Mead for more details on 020 7523 2110.

12.15pm, St Mary-le-Bow EC2V 6AU. Family-friendly sponsored walk around the historic churches of the City of London. Arrive and register from 12.15pm, and join us for a short pre-walk service at 1pm. To order posters and flyers to publicise the walk in your local community, please email london@christian-aid.org or call the London team on 020 7523 2321.

Saturday 12 July

Saturday 17 May

Thursday 19 June

East Herts Sponsored Challenge

Saturday 10 May and Saturday 17 May

Essex and Kent abseils For information about sponsored abseils we are planning in Essex and Kent, contact 020 7523 2105 or LSE@christian-aid.org Sunday 11 May

Taplow Girls Choir Concert 7.30pm, Christ Church URC, Oxford Road, Marlow SL7 2NL. Come and hear this excellent choir, made up of girls aged 9-15, that has attracted much acclaim.

The programme will include music by Purcell, Don Besig, Douglas Coombes and Bob Chilcott. Tickets £10 from 01628 486227, or for further details, see musicinmarlow.org.uk

Guildford Cathedral sponsored abseil

Walk the Country Starts and ends at Bix Village Hall, Bix, Oxfordshire RG9 6BS. Walk 5, 10 or 15 miles in stunning countryside.

Great fun for all the family and this year includes a tasty BBQ sponsored by The Good Little Company.

Registration between 8.30 and 10am. Register now for a sponsor pack or donate a minimum of £10 on the day.

Contact us on 01865 246818 or oxford@christian-aid.org Saturday 17 May

Christian Aid Week quiz night in Brentwood 7.30pm, St George’s Church Hall, Ongar Road, Brentwood CM15 9HR. Enjoy an evening of mindstretching questions and musical entertainment.

Tickets are £8, and include a ploughman’s supper with music from Pete & Em. To purchase or reserve your tickets, call 07952 222911.

Christian Aid South East Spring/Summer 2014

Circle the City sponsored walk

Christian Aid at Bradwell Pilgrimage St Thomas’ Church, Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex CM0 7PY. If you are joining the annual Bradwell Pilgrimage from St Thomas’ Church to the Chapel of St Cedd, do pop in and see us at the Christian Aid stall in the marquee.

Contact Rosie Venner on 020 7523 2363 or email rvenner@christian-aid.org for more information.

Charity Open Day – Bledlow Manor House Gardens, Bucks

Saturday 16 – Sunday 17 August

The Manor House, Church End, Bledlow HP27 9PB. Enjoy a rare opportunity to browse Lord Carrington’s beautiful private garden.

Suggested donation: £5.

RSVP on 01865 246818 or oxford@christian-aid.org

Join Christian Aid on a weekend pilgrimage from Maidstone to the historic cathedral city of Canterbury. Registration is £60 and we ask you to raise £400 or more. Along this stunning 28-mile walk, we will stop for prayer and reflections, concluding with a service at Canterbury Cathedral. All meals and camping accommodation provided. Register online at christianaid.org.uk/treks or call our Events team on 020 7523 2073.

Thursday 19 June

Christian Aid Week evaluation and cream tea 3.30pm and 6pm, Christian Aid, 35 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RL. Enjoy scones and cakes made by the South East and London teams, tell us how Christian Aid Week went in your area and help us improve the resources and support for next year.

Evaluation meetings take place from 3.30-5pm or 6-7.30pm with a cream tea at 5-6pm. Let us know if you are coming by calling

Trek to Canterbury

For more information on news and events in the region please go to christianaid.org.uk/ inyourarea – we can also publicise your events online if you let us know the details.

Christian Aid South East Spring/Summer 2014

Top tips to boost your Christian Aid Week house-to-house collection

L

ast year, 20,000 churches across the UK helped raise £12m for Christian Aid Week, with a large proportion of this coming from house-tohouse collections – and the famous red envelope.

The parish of Canvey Island in Essex is one area that has seen a successful boost in house-tohouse collections.

It’s home to 45,000 people and is served by three churches: St Anne’s, St Katherine’s and St Nicholas’. Although the parish is large, there is a strong sense of community, and engagement with Christian Aid Week is growing. Each year collectors are adding new streets to the area they cover. Here are some of the top tips gleaned from Rev David Tudor and his team: • Clear the diary. Avoid having

church meetings during Christian Aid Week. That way, everyone can be involved.

• Meet together before collecting. Spend some time together in fellowship, remind everyone why you are doing it and share some stories from the Christian Aid Week resources. Give a pep talk!

• Practise what you will say.

Help people to feel confident about answering questions about Christian Aid on the doorstep.

• Team up. Don’t ask anyone to collect alone. Ask people to sign up in pairs or in groups of four for long streets so that you can encourage each other. New collectors might like to go to the door with an experienced collector to begin with.

A tale of transformation

Sarjon Toma (centre) pictured with supporters in Chichester at an afternoon tea event.

Sarjon Toma, from Christian Aid partner REACH in Iraq, travelled around the south of England in March, sharing inspiring stories of the work his group is doing to empower communities affected by conflict.

Sarjon spoke about the

village of Zanan Bchuk in northern Iraq, and the transformation seen there since REACH started working with them.

‘Life in the village feels a lot safer,’ he said. ‘There is no longer the fear of violence, and the problem of drought has been solved, so the villagers are happy to stay in their homes.

‘Our partnership with Christian Aid over the past 15 years has been so helpful, and we want to spread the successes we have had to reach even more people. I want to thank churches in the UK whose generosity has helped to improve the lives of the people I work with, and to encourage you to keep going.’

• Ask young people in your congregation to help deliver the envelopes. The local Girls’ Brigade help with the Canvey Island deliveries.

Children aren’t allowed to collect the envelopes alone, but if they accompany an adult and learn how it works, they will hopefully feel happy to do it themselves when they are older.

• Hold up the envelope when you get to the door so that it’s clear why you are calling.

• Thank your collectors. Let them know how much was collected in the area they covered.

If you would like to know more, or would like support and ideas to get more people involved, please get in touch with your local office.

Take action!

This is a workshop available for your church to explore campaigning. Together we will look at the practicalities of campaigning for justice as well as the following questions: • Is poverty political?

• W hat does the Bible have to say about justice?

• What is the role of the church?

• Can campaigning really make a difference?

This Take Action! workshop can be delivered at your church by a member of the Christian Aid team.

For more details, contact the Oxford regional office on 01865 246818 or email oxford@christian-aid.org

Christian Aid South East Spring/Summer 2014

11–17 MA Y

Photograph: JB Russell/Panos Pictures 14-360-J2467

To get involved, contact your local office: christianaid.org.uk/inyourarea

Volunteer and help to make this Christian Aid Week the most successful yet.

Christian Aid needs your help.

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Christian Aid

South West

South West Spring/Summer 2014 christianaid.org.uk/inyourarea

A Ready, Steady, Cook evening puts the fun in fundraising. Teams from each of the three Old Town Swindon churches pitched their culinary wits against each other to raise money for Christian Aid’s work. Left to right are Eliza Leadbeater, and son and father Michael and Steve Burchell.

Swindon cooks up a storm!

I

nspired by the 2012 Paralympics, Swindon Old Town’s Partnership of Churches more than doubled its fundraising target to help people living with disability in Lebanon and the West Bank.

Within nine months, three churches – motivated by the fact that the EU would treble whatever total they reached – smashed their target of £5,000, raising an incredible £10,356 for the Christian Aid project.

Christian Aid’s regional coordinator for Wiltshire, Katrine Musgrave, said: ‘Huge congratulations go to the project’s supporters from Christ Church, Bath Road Methodist Church and Immanuel URC, Swindon. Their drive has been incredible and this is reflected in the total which will top £31,000 with EU partnership funding.

‘Around the world, people

living with disabilities often face more obstacles to being fully involved in society than the rest of the population. This project, delivered in partnership with the Lebanese Physically Handicapped Union and the East Jerusalem YMCA, will directly benefit 30,000 people over its three-year lifetime.’

One of the coordinators, Margaret Williams of Christ Church, said: ‘Hopefully we have made a difference to disabled people’s lives.’

Swindon Churches Together also raised money for a Christian Aid community partnership – this time to empower people living in slums in São Paulo, Brazil.

Around 20 churches took part in the scheme, reaching their target of £5,000 after a yearlong programme of fundraising events.

• On top of its Christian Aid Week fundraising, Mevagissey’s Christian Aid Group is similarly aiming to raise £5,000 in a community partnership scheme to help revolutionise maternal healthcare in an area of southwest Kenya where 435 women die in childbirth for every 100,000 births.

A sponsored walk around Heligan was held this April, there are lunches and cream teas planned and make a date for Songs of Praise on the jetty on 17 August (see listings).

• To find out more about how your church, business, school or other community group can partner with a project, visit christianaid.org.uk/ partnerships/

South West events diary Saturday 10 May

southampton@christianaid.org or 023 8070 6969.

Walk the full distance or join in en route.

For more details, contact Joan Percy (Poole) on 01202 737659 or at j.percy1@ntlworld.com or Kathy May (Bournemouth) 01202 580112 or at lochranzamkm@aol.com

Saturday 17 May

Poole to Bournemouth seafront sponsored walk

11-17 May Christian Aid Week Sunday 11 May

Jump for Justice 12 noon-6pm, St Sampson’s Church, Cricklade SN6 6AT. See story below.

Newton Abbot Racecourse sponsored walk Now in its 47th year, this 10km walk is a great family day out. Contact the Southampton office.

Saturday 17 May

Christian Aid Week Fair 10am-2pm, Stapleton Road Congregational Chapel, Bristol BS5 0QZ. With drumming workshops, Jamaican hotpot, bric-abrac, cakes and live music.

Friday 30 May

Friday 16 May

Sponsored climb

7.30pm, Riverside United Church, The Quay, Looe PL13 2BU. Contact the Southampton office at

Maya Goldsworthy, eight, sister Erin, four, and their parents will climb Mt Snowdon for Christian Aid Week. justgiving.com/ Kelly-Goldsworthy

Concert featuring Canoryan Lowen

Saturday 31 May

Quiz evening

7pm, St James Road Methodist Church, Southampton SO15 5HE. The evening includes a talk from our regional coordinator Charlotte Page.

For details, contact the Southampton office.

A family day put on by Churches Together in Greater Bristol.

Saturday 21 June

Heanton Punchardon abseil For more details, contact the Southampton office.

Sunday 29 June

Friday 6 June

St Pinnock Brass Band concert

Civic Centre, Warminster BA12 8LB. Enjoy a three-course meal as Gulliver Ralston does Noel Coward. Tickets £15.

Contact Sheelagh Wurr on 01985 216056 or Harold and Carol Stephens on 01985 301137.

West Looe Centre (near St Nicholas Church).

For more details, contact the Southampton office.

Christian Aid dinner

Sunday 17 August

Songs on the Jetty

Sunday 8 June

7.30pm, Mevagissey, Cornwall.

For more details, contact the Southampton office.

All day on College Green and in Bristol Cathedral, Bristol BS1 5TJ.

To keep up with events in the region see our Facebook page facebook. com/ChristianAidWest

Pentecost Party in the Park

Mission Possible: Jump for Justice Out. It features food and entertainment from 12 noon to 6pm, including performances from the Sing 4/4 Cricklade Community Choir, a lunchtime BBQ, afternoon tea and cake, plus a bouncy castle and the prestigious teddy bears’ parachute competition.

Graham, a member of Cricklade United Church, said: ‘When I heard about Jump for Justice I had to give it a go. I might regret it when I’m standing there at the top, but it seems a great way to raise

Christian Aid South West Spring/Summer 2014

money for those living in circumstances which we can’t imagine.’

Bishop Lee said: ‘Christian Aid is a charity close to my heart and this Christian Aid Week they are helping us focus on countries ravaged by war.

‘Having visited the north of Uganda and heard what men, women and children suffered at the hands of the Lord’s Resistance Army I have some idea of the deep and sustained work needed after such violence.’

Could you ‘Jump for

Justice’? It costs £15 to register, with a minimum fundraising target of £200.

For more details and to register, call Katrine Musgrave on 01454 415923 or email kmusgrave@ christian-aid.org

Graham and Dominic eye the 70ft tower.

Photo: Jan Furze

Supporters will leap into Christian Aid Week in style at Cricklade, Wiltshire, on 11 May, with a 70ft free fall abseil inside the tower at St Sampson’s Church.

Among those already signed up to ‘Jump for Justice’ are the Bishop of Swindon, the Rt Rev Dr Lee Rayfield, who is recovering from lymphoma, and father-andson duo Graham Stockill and 16-year-old Dominic McBratney.

The jump is part of the Cricklade Big Day

Photo: Jan Furze

All revved up en route to Paris

The Rev Jo Naish (left) and the Rev Charlie Allen will be pedalling against poverty.

A

trio of intrepid cyclists are among those gearing up to take part in Christian Aid challenge events this summer.

Calling themselves All Revved Up, the team consists of Salisbury’s diocesan director of ordinands the Rev Charlie Allen, and the Rev Jo Naish

and Elizabeth Perry from the parish of Woodford Valley with Archers Gate, Wiltshire. They’ll be cycling from London to Paris at the end of July.

Elizabeth, wife of Woodford Valley’s vicar, Mike, and a former regional coordinator for Christian Aid, took on the challenge six years ago. She’s signed up despite vowing never to do so again!

She said: ‘Last time it was the thought of our partners that kept me going. I have seen their determination in the face of adversity; I have seen the lifetransforming results of their work. These memories are the inspiration I need – along with the thought of the vin rouge and

patisseries awaiting me in Paris.’

Another supporter embracing a challenge to raise funds this summer is Bournemouth-based cyclist and singer Paul Farwell, who will tackle our LondonAmsterdam-Brussels cycle ride in May. Alongside his training commitments, baritone Paul also found time to put on a free Valentine’s Day concert with friends, which raised over £125 for Christian Aid.

GIVE THEM ALL YOUR SUPPORT All Revved Up at justgiving.com/teams/ WVAGLondontoParis Paul at justgiving.com/ Paul-Farwell

The power of coffee and cooperation Nicaraguan coffee producer Margarita Espinoza has poignantly highlighted the difference Fairtrade makes to the health and welfare of men, women and children in her community.

Speaking at a Fairtrade Fortnight event in Thornbury, South Gloucestershire, in March, Margarita told Christian Aid supporters and MP Steve Webb how a minimum price guarantee kept her business viable at a time of rapidly falling prices.

Fairtrade meant children in her region could get a better education and healthcare was improved.

Margarita is a member of a Christian Aid partner organisation

Soppexcca, a cooperative overseeing 18 smaller co-ops with 650 members, 200 of whom are women.

She said: ‘Through membership of a Soppexcca cooperative, as well as harvesting my coffee, I have been able to achieve many other benefits. These include training on reproductive health, gender equality, the environment and others.

‘There have been real health benefits. Through the coffee that our women produce we have established a special plan for the prevention of cervico-uterine cancer, a disease with one of the highest death rates among women nationally.

‘Thanks to the work of Christian Aid supporters, in solidarity with Nicaraguans, we can empower ourselves and develop our rights and interests.’

Christian Aid South West Spring/Summer 2014

11–17 MA Y

Photograph: JB Russell/Panos Pictures 14-360-J2467

To get involved, contact your local office: christianaid.org.uk/inyourarea

Volunteer and help to make this Christian Aid Week the most successful yet.

Christian Aid needs your help.

Wales/Cymru

k : et ee rg W fo d ’t Ai ay on n M D tia 17 ris 11Ch

Christian Aid

Wales/Cymru Spring/Summer 2014 christianaid.org.uk/inyourarea

The inspirational Father Alberto, who fights for the rights of people forced from their land by violence.

Words that will stay with me forever

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s churches and communities in Wales gear up for Christian Aid Week, Manon Defis, the Christian Aid intern for Wales, has these words of inspiration from her trip last year to Colombia – one of the focus countries for the 2014 event.

‘I could not see what I see, and know what I know, and NOT act.’

These words will stay with me forever. They belong to Father Alberto, the inspirational co-founder of our partner Inter-Church Commission for Justice and Peace (CIJP), which helps communities in Colombia forced to flee their land during decades of violent conflict.

Nothing could have prepared me for meeting these displaced communities, for seeing their tears as they shared their

harrowing experiences or for hearing about their family members and friends who were killed. The ongoing war has left them feeling voiceless, powerless and alone. Many are women and children who are living with poverty and oppression.

However, we saw for ourselves how things are changing. In Las Camelias, in north-east Colombia, we stayed with one community living in a ‘humanitarian zone’ – a safe area set up by Christian Aid where people can thrive in peace in the midst of conflict.

These zones have been vital in keeping rural communities safe.

They have transformed their lives – enabling them to return to their land and start earning a living again.

Albilio Pena works for CIJP

as a human rights defender – a dangerous job in Colombia. But Albilio said that he could not ignore what was happening in his country.

From the outside, a peaceful Colombia can seem like a distant vision. But after seeing our partners standing in solidarity with communities, it is clear that there is a hopeful future. I will never forget those I met or their stories. I will never forget the happiness of people who have been through so much pain. We must keep supporting them in their fight for justice and continue to give them a voice. Please add your support this Christian Aid Week.

Wales events diary Digwyddiadau yng Nghymru For a full list of Christian Aid Week services and events visit: christianaid. org.uk/Cymru Mercher 30 Ebrill

Cyflwyno Cymorth Cristnogol Yn Sasiwn Genhadol Chwiorydd y Gogledd, Capel Ebeneser, Dolgellau am 2.00.

Siaradwr: Anna Jane Evans, Trefnydd CC dros gogledd Cymru.

Mwy o fanylion gan Cymorth Cristnogol ar 01248 353574 ar bangor@ cymorth-cristnogol.org Sunday 4 May

Fear Less – Ofni Dim Christian Aid Week Service/Oedfa WCC 10.30am, St Paul’s Church, Abergele Road, Colwyn Bay LL29 7TE. Speaker/Siaradwr: Anna Jane Evans.

Thursday 8 May

Christian Aid Week supper 7pm, Llanwenarth Baptist Church, Station Road, Govilon, nr Abergavenny NP7 9RE. With Mari McNeill from Christian Aid Wales.

Contact Rev Dr Peter Baines on 01973 831619.

Thursday 8 May

Christian Aid Week concert 7pm, St Donat’s Church, Aberdare Road, Abercynon CF45 4NY. For details, call 01443 740241.

Iau 8 Mai

Noson ar gyfer WCC Cymdeithas Eglwysi Cymraeg Caerdydd, Capel Bethlehem, Gwaelod y Garth CF15 9HJ am 7.00 yng nghwmni Manon Defis, Cymorth Cristnogol. Bydd Manon yn son am ei thaith i Colombia – un o wledydd WCC 2014. Manylion pellach gan Denzil John ar 029 2034 4391 Saturday 10 May

Christian Aid Week coffee morning 10am-12 noon, Penmaenmawr Community Centre, Conwy Road, Penmaenmawr LL34 6AB. Contact 01492 622672 for further details.

Saturday 10 May

Christian Aid Week Plant Sale 10am-2pm, Llanishen Baptist Church, Fidlas Road, Llanishen, Cardiff CF14 5LZ. See story opposite. For details, contact Beryl Bisset on 029 2075 3056 or berylbisset@hotmail.com

Sunday 11 May

Fear Less – Ofni Dim Christian Aid Week Service/Oedfa WCC Four services: 10.30am, Capel Seilo, Tregarth LL57 4PH. Speaker: Cathrin Daniel, Head of Christian Aid Wales.

3.30pm, Port Talbot United Service, St Mary’s Church, Forge Road, Aberavon.

Speaker: Peter Donnison, Christian Aid. 6pm, United Service at Llanishen Baptist Church, Fidlas Road, Llanishen, Cardiff CF14 5LZ. Speaker: Robin Samuel, Christian Aid 6pm, United Circuit Service at Whitchurch Methodist Church, Whitchurch, Cardiff CF14 2AA. Speaker: Peter Donnison.

Mercher 14 Mai

Cinio Cynnil WCC Capel y Porth, Heol Madog, Porthmadog LL49 9DB rhwng 12.00 and 2.00.

Manylion pellach ar 01766 123456.

Friday 16 May

Sadwrn 10 Mai

Christian Aid Week coffee morning

Eglwys y Tabernacl, Yr Ais, Caerdydd CF10 1AJ rhwng 10 a 12.

Stondinau amrywiol, te, coffi a chacennau, gwobrau i’w hennill a chyfle i gwrdd a chyfeillion.

Manylion pellach gan Nans Couch ar nans.couch@ talk21.com

10am-12 noon, Pen-lan Chapel, Pwllheli LL53 5DD. Contact 01758 613886 for further details.

Ffair Wanwyn WCC

Christian Aid Wales Spring/Summer 2014

Sul 18 Mai

Ofni Dim – Oedfa WCC Capel Maesyneuadd, Trefor LL54 5HH am 10.30 Siaradwr: Llinos Roberts, Cymorth Cristnogol.

Phone call opens new doors in Wales Rev John Collier, a priest with the Church in Wales in the Monmouth diocese, was called as part of the pre-Christian Aid Week ‘Clergy Calling’ campaign at the end of last year.

Here he talks about the positive effects of that phone call.

‘I arranged to meet my regional Christian Aid coordinator, Mari McNeill, and it was good to make contact with such an enthusiastic person. Some of her zest seems to have rubbed off.

‘I have made a personal commitment to hold an event during Christian Aid Week.

Hopefully, this will bring members of our churches together in support of Christian Aid. We also plan a quiz night at our local pub to grow our relationship with the local community.

‘House-to-house collecting has faded a bit in this area, but it is an opportunity to reach out to the community.

We will also be building the work of Christian Aid into our services, and including an article in our parish magazine.’

Reflection

To be part of the problem is to be part of the solution

M

oses Tutesigensi, a mission enabler with the Presbyterian Church of Wales, was an intern with us in 2012. Here he reflects on what Christian Aid Week means for him.

It has been said that if you are part of the problem then you are also part of the solution.

This is of huge importance when we think about Christian Aid Week, as it brings to the forefront a problem: we are all part of the injustice of poverty.

The big question is: how do we challenge it while we ourselves are living in a country of varying degrees of poverty?

For example, micro-financing initiatives are becoming an increasingly popular tool for the fight against poverty in the UK. In Sierra Leone I saw how a credit union is helping many families begin the climb out of abject poverty. We should enjoy sharing such stories whenever we meet as a community of God’s people.

It seems to me that the answer is clear; we are part of the problem and so we are/will be part of the solution.

Jesus says, ‘I am the bread of life; he who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst’ (John 6:35). We must start from there, remembering that the love of Jesus known through us will change the world.

Let’s consider the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25: 31-46) as both a challenge and an encouragement to spur us on to be actively involved not just this Christian Aid Week but in the day-to-day work of our individual churches.

From little acorns…

Back in 1979 the Bisset family in Llanishen, Cardiff, set up a stall outside their home to sell plants from their garden for Christian Aid Week. They raised the princely sum of £9.

Thus began the Llanishen Plant Sale, now one of the premier Christian Aid Week events in Cardiff and regularly bringing in around £2,500.

This is its 35th year and Beryl Bisset is still very much involved.

She recalled: ‘For our second year, the mothers of our children’s friends baked cakes, and other friends and neighbours dug up plants from their gardens and gave them to us to sell.’

The event grew quickly, and when Beryl realised that they needed a bigger venue – and help

with the organising – she turned to her church, Llanishen Baptist.

‘The church is on the main road, and we were able to display the plants outside and in the foyer. We could also use the church hall to sell bric-a-brac, books and toys and serve light refreshments. Some of the members agreed to be on an organising committee.

‘Although people still give plants they have grown themselves, we also buy in bedding plants from a local garden centre, which gives us a good discount. We also have annuals, perennials, shrubs, herbs and flowers. The stalls bring in a lot of money, and as well as tea, coffee and cake, we now do sandwiches and hot food.

‘It’s a real community day, with all ages helping. The church and pavement looks so colourful, with all the plants and flowers. We have even had enquiries from other local communities about the event and how we organise and run it.

‘It is hard work and we worry a lot before the day, but it’s well worth it. We know that the money is supporting a good cause in Christian Aid.’

Christian Aid Wales Gwanwyn/Haf 2014