Christian Aid Magazine Autumn/Winter 2022

Let your live loveon

As a Christian Aid supporter your love is alive across the world.

It’s in the life-giving cocoa beans that Angela grows in Nicaragua. It’s in the clean water that reaches Yasmin’s refugee camp in Bangladesh. And it’s in Janet’s eyes in Zimbabwe, because she’s full of hope for her great grandson’s future.

By leaving a gift in your Will to Christian Aid, you can help build a fairer world for the next generation.

Write your Will with Will Aid

This November, you can write or update your Will with Will Aid. Rather than charge their fee, participating solicitors will write your Will for a suggested charitable donation, shared by nine charities, including Christian Aid.

Visit willaid.org.uk or call 0300 0309 558

To find out more, visit caid.org.uk/legacies. To get in touch with us, email legacyteam@christian-aid.org or call 01925 573769

A gift in your Will could help families like Janet Zirugo and her great grandson Mufaro in Zimbabwe.

Hope lives in you

I‘m pleased to write to you as the new Chief Executive of Christian Aid. It’s a huge privilege to have been tasked by our Chair, Dr John Sentamu, with leading this great movement. (You can read his inspiring words on page 22.)

The current state of our world – from the climate crisis to the war in Ukraine – makes what we do more urgent and relevant than ever before. But with your support, I’m confident that we can meet these challenges. Your extraordinary commitment kept us going through the tough times of the pandemic. Thank you so much for your gifts, actions and prayers.

I recently returned from Malawi, where I saw how you’re helping to bring real hope to communities affected by the climate crisis. During Christian Aid Week, I witnessed first hand your dedication and the passion of thousands of people like you.

This issue of Christian Aid magazine celebrates hope. While injustice threatens to divide us, hope unites us all.

Hope connects us with farmers in Zimbabwe (pages 6-9), the Palestinian people facing unjust occupation (page 17) and children like Yasmin in the world’s largest refugee camp (pages 18-19).

Your support shows an unwavering hope for a more just world. Thank you.

Patrick Watt Chief Executive

4-5 Editorial

With no end in sight to the war in Ukraine, read how you’re helping families to hold on for peace.

6-9 Where there’s tea, there’s hope

Tea can make the world of difference to farmers like Agnes Machona in Zimbabwe. Find out how.

10-11 Christian Aid Week

You baked up a storm, served brekkies, counted your 300,000 steps and so much more! We look back at your fantastic fundraising during this special week.

12-17 Global voices

Together with activists from around the globe, we raise our voices for climate justice. Plus, be inspired by these reflections on hope.

18-19 Never forget

The Rohingya tragedy may not be headline news, but refugee children like Yasmin (pictured above) need your help to stay safe.

20-21 Christmas Appeal

Share a gift of love this Christmas.

22-23 Last word

We spoke to our Chair, Dr John Sentamu, about what gets him fired up for justice.

Even in the heartbreak of war, there is hope

For more than 200 days since war broke out in Ukraine, Victoria Russu has welcomed refugees who’ve fled for their lives.

‘I can’t understand how this could happen in the 21st century,’ Victoria says, with tears in her eyes.

Day and night, she faithfully volunteers at a welcome centre on the Romanian border to help people who’ve lost everything. She gives them a warm cup of tea, supports them to find somewhere to live, and helps them reunite with their families.

‘I was very emotional on the first day when people began to arrive here. I will be here as long as I’m needed.’

This tragic war can seem hopeless. But in the loving hands of people like Victoria, we see that hope never gives up.

On 24 February, we woke up to the news of horrific attacks by Russia on Ukraine. Now seven months on and with no end in sight to the war, there’s still intense human suffering. More than 14,000 people have been killed and many terribly injured. Five million refugees have been forced to flee their country. Seven million people have been displaced internally within Ukraine. Many fathers have had no choice but to stay and fight. Women are giving birth in subways. Babies are living in bomb shelters. People are scared and traumatised.

You showed incredible generosity in response to our emergency appeal, helping to raise nearly £3 million for people in urgent need. Thanks to you, we’re delivering baby incubators, blankets, trauma kits, food, water and medical supplies to the most vulnerable people across Ukraine.

We also joined together with 15 charities as part of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC). Thanks to your generosity, we channelled another £10 million to our church partners, bringing urgent help to people on the frontline of the conflict and on the borders to Hungary and Romania.

The impacts of this war are being felt around the world. Some 5,000 miles away, rocketing food and fuel prices are pushing millions of people in East Africa into extreme hunger. And there’s a dire need to respond to emergencies not in the media spotlight, such as in Afghanistan, Haiti, Lebanon and Syria.

In these tragic times, we must stand in solidarity with people in crisis, whoever they are and wherever they live.

As one global movement, our love knows no bounds, our thirst for justice is unbiased. We stand together with all our neighbours, so everyone can live a full life, free from injustice.

With your love, there’s always hope. Hope gives people strength to see that one day, the bombs will stop. Fathers will be reunited with their families. Mothers will wipe away their tears. Children will grow up in peace.

Hope fuels volunteers like Victoria to keep helping people in desperate need. Day and night. And hope comes from your gifts, prayers and solidarity. In a world torn apart by war, we stand united by hope.

A silent crisis is unfolding in East Africa. Millions of people are facing extreme hunger. But together, we can save lives. Donate now at caid.org.uk/EastAfricaCrisis

Our International Director, Ojobo Ode Atuluku, shares how your support is bringing comfort to people in Ukraine.

A prayer for peace is projected onto Westminster Abbey in London, April 2022.

Where there’s tea, there’s hope

Life always seems better with a cup of tea. Read about Agnes Machona in Zimbabwe, and you’ll truly find a reason to smile.

Agnes grows the resurrection bush on a dry, dusty mountain in Zimbabwe.

Left: Agnes Machona sips a cup of herbal tea. Right: Jessica Mwedzi hugs her baby Gideon.

Agnes tenderly touches the plant she’s growing. You might think it’s nothing special – it just looks like a bundle of red, dead twigs. Few plants can grow here under the baking sun. But Agnes knows that with just a little water, it’ll soon spring back to life.

This is the resurrection bush, a native plant that many farmers grow in Zimbabwe to make herbal tea.

Agnes says: ‘When I look at the resurrection bush, I liken it to our lives. Sometimes life is difficult, and other times it’s OK. But during the times when it is difficult, do not lose hope. Anytime, life can be good again.’

Just like the resurrection bush, Agnes has survived the hardest of times.

While she was breastfeeding her first baby, she suffered from a severe drought in her region. She struggled to grow food, and what little she had left went to her son. ‘We went from three meals a day, to just one… It was so painful and affected me a lot.’

But Agnes never gave up hope. She joined Christian Aid’s BRACT programme, which helps farmers to support each other and stand strong against the changing climate. Now, with her expert knowledge, Agnes grows food and herbs that thrive even in the driest conditions. And she loves being part of her community garden. Together with women in her community, she uses a solar-powered pump to water beans and fresh tomatoes to sell.

Jessica tells us. ‘I want to thank you for how you keep remembering me and please continue praying for me and my family.’

For Jessica, life is still a daily struggle. She and her children still face hunger. But she’s now growing pigeon peas on her farm – the beginnings of new life and hope.

At this sad time, the support and solidarity from her friend Agnes helps her stay strong. And with your kindness, she has the courage to hope that one day, things will change.

‘I’d like to express our hearty appreciation to supporters,’ says Jessica. ‘This makes me continue to work hard and look forward to the future. We thank them so much.’

We are one family, united by hope. And together, we’ll never give up. We’ll keep supporting each other. We’ll keep hoping, giving, and praying for a world where everyone can live a full life, free from poverty.

She tells us: ‘In the garden I’m able to farm food so that my family is nourished all the time. It has uplifted our community in a great way. I’m now able to send my child to a better school.’ You can see from her heartfelt smile how proud she is to have built a dignified life for her family.

Now, Agnes supports women who are fighting the same struggles she once did. You may remember her good friend and neighbour, Jessica Mwedzi, from our Christian Aid Week Appeal this year.

Sadly, since we first met Jessica, she and her children have suffered a tragic loss. Her husband Phanuel, a loving father, recently passed away from tuberculosis.

‘I hope for a better future for my family because words cannot express how difficult it has been,’

‘When life is difficult, do not lose hope. Anytime, life can be good again’ Agnes, Zimbabwe

We are united by hope

In a world of drought, may seeds of hope be drenched by waters of justice.

In a world of inequality, may our hunger for justice bring an end to the scandal of poverty.

In a world of danger, where peace is in pieces, may justice hold hands with love and create an unbreakable bond.

Christian Aid Week fundraisers shine

15-21 May 2022

It was a joy to see you celebrating Christian Aid Week this year. Across the country, you baked up a storm, served brekkies, sold plants and crafts, counted your 300,000 steps and collected vital funds. Here, we take a look at your inspiring fundraising.

Lanarkshire: Leslie Ewing from Kirkton Church, Carluke, and her puppy Wee Rosie completed their 300,000 steps challenge. She used TikTok to share the journey with her friends, family and church. Leslie and Wee Rosie raised a paw-some £1,200.

Cardiff: Nine-year-old Fin French challenged himself to climb the height of Mount Everest by walking up and down Pen y Fan – south Wales’ highest peak – 10 times during Christian Aid Week. He raised more than £1,500. Wow, go Fin!

Argyll and Bute: A group of walkers from Cardross Parish Church had fun enjoying the local scenery and smashed their 300,000 steps challenge. They topped the JustGiving leaderboard with donations totalling more than £3,000.

Glasgow: Tricia Cumming clocked up the miles at the Glasgow Kiltwalk. She said: ‘Walking nearly 15 miles was daunting, but nothing when compared to the long distances some people walk daily to collect water. This inspired me to keep going on the day. I raised over £2,400 and was overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone who sponsored me.’

Fancy getting your kilt on? Every £1 you raise will make 50p more to fight poverty, with The Hunter Foundation. Find more events in Scotland at thekiltwalk.co.uk

Edinburgh: Dr John Sentamu opened the 50th book sale at St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church in Edinburgh. This incredible book sale raised more than £108,000 this year!

London: Muswell Hill Methodist Church showed their cake-decorating flair with some Christian Aid Week cupcakes – yum!

Norfolk: Wells and Walsingham Christian Aid group completed a 37-mile pilgrimage from Norwich Cathedral to the shrine at Walsingham. Fifteen supporters made the journey and raised over £500.

Nottinghamshire: Isobel Bounford, organiser for Mansfield Christian Aid group, swam 70 lengths on her 70th birthday. Inspired by Janet Zirugo, who is also 70 and featured in our Christian Aid Week Appeal, Isobel raised more than £1,000.

Cambridgeshire: Our incredible supporter Lottie Taylor, 76, bravely had her head shaved and raised over £2,000 on her GiveStar page. Lottie, we take our hats off to you!

Together, can rise up

The loudest voices for change rise up from parched lands, raging waters, and the ruins of disasters.

Voices of hope and courage. Voices of outrage against the scandal of poverty. Voices which will never be silenced. We stand together with our global sisters and brothers to demand climate justice.

People’s homes were destroyed by Cyclone Idai in Zimbabwe, 2019.

Polluters: it’s time to pay up

In Zimbabwe, crops are lost to the drought. In Haiti, homes are damaged by a hurricane. In Kenya, roads are destroyed by flash floods. And in Nicaragua, food and culture are under threat as corn harvests repeatedly fail.

Meanwhile, polluters continue to burn fossil fuels, to profit from the poison they produce, and turn their backs on the damage already done. This is unjust.

The people who have done the least to cause the climate crisis are already facing damage to their harvests and homes. They’re already losing lives, land and culture. These impacts go beyond what communities can adapt to, and they’re known as loss and damage. For decades, vulnerable countries have called for loss and damage to be acknowledged in the international climate talks –and for money to help respond.

‘It’s the worst injustice that the world has ever known. We need to ask the countries that are most responsible [for the climate crisis]… to pay for the damage that has been done’ Aldrin Calixte, from our partner Haiti Survie, Haiti

Christian Aid supporters and staff gather for the Global Day of Action ahead of the climate talks in Glasgow last November.

Rise up, pay up

Together with campaigners like Aldrin in Haiti, we raise our voices for change. We say it’s time for the biggest carbon polluters to pay up to repair what’s been damaged. We want to see an international fund which could help people recover and rebuild when disasters strike and compensate them for all that is permanently lost. The problem is no such fund exists – yet!

As we approach the next set of UN climate talks – COP27 – taking place this November in Egypt, churches across Britain have been rising up and joining an international movement for action to compensate people affected by loss and damage.

Meanwhile rich country governments, including the UK, have continually blocked calls from climate-vulnerable countries to establish a loss and damage fund.

Together, we speak out for justice

Thank you if you’ve already signed our petition to call for urgent action. We’ve collected thousands of signatures so far and you’ve made your voice heard in the corridors of power.

Christians from all walks of life have also been getting creative, praying and calling for action. Together, we’ve embarked on deep conversations in our churches and communities to explore how we can raise awareness of this vital issue over the rest of the decade.

Add your voice now

Take action: sign the petition and join our climate campaigns this autumn at caid.org.uk/climate

Go deeper: connect with churches around the world and reflect with Just Scripture. Read more at caid.org.uk/just-scripture

‘The people who have done the least to cause the climate crisis are most affected… A fund is required to support these communities in rebuilding what’s been damaged and compensating for what’s been lost’ Nushrat Rahman Chowdhury, Christian Aid, Bangladesh

‘I find it painful to watch the news these days –every day there are pictures of animal carcasses, bridges being washed away, schools flooding, swarms of locusts as a result of increased heat.

‘Listening to world leaders trying to delete the language of loss and damage is very frustrating’ Joab Okanda, Christian Aid, Kenya

Activists at COP26 in Glasgow call for a loss and damage fund.

Raising the voices of cyclone survivors

InJanuary this year, Tropical Storm Ana caused heavy flooding and devastation in southern Malawi, and affected nearly a million people.

Through our local partners, we provided emergency cash, vital items and food to support 4,000 flood-affected families, funded by Start Fund.

This autumn, we’re launching an exciting project to listen to the voices of cyclone survivors. We’ll train a diverse and inclusive group of community members

to create their own film about their experiences. Together we’ll explore what worked well and less well about our emergency response. The community will have the chance to make their own voice heard, rather than our approach being defined by people who didn’t experience the crisis themselves.

We also hope this will help communities shape the way Christian Aid responds to emergencies in the future.

Ndakuonetsani Dishoni carries emergency food and a bucket home after a cyclone hit her village.

‘This project will really raise the voices of people who are at times unheard, putting them at the centre of what we do’

Lee Ngirazie, Christian Aid, Malawi

What gives you hope?

What does hope mean to you? Be inspired by these messages from people in the UK and around the world.

‘I’m working with partner organisations and communities in that part of the globe which has been and continues to be frozen hell. Parents are forced to see their children barely surviving… Hope for me… is a belief that next morning will bring a better day’ Anon, Afghanistan

‘Hope is hard to hold onto at the moment, but the small acts of kindness from others, especially those you might not expect, provide little sparks of light in dark times’ Louise, UK

‘For the people I work with, hope is that act of defiance against people who are oppressing them and abusing their human rights…

‘There have been times when I thought I might give up… but one of the things that keeps me focused is the faith that a better world is possible; that slowly, everything we’re doing will make change’ Vanessa, Uganda

‘Hope is what gets them up each day to confront all that they see – whether that be Syrian and Palestinian refugees enduring extreme hardship while waiting to return home, or in the occupied Palestinian territory, Palestinians made homeless when their houses are demolished. Hope allows them to carry on’ William, Middle East

Janet Zirugo, her husband John and her great grandchildren watch the sun set in Zimbabwe.

Will you keep children like

Yasmin safe?

Justlike any child, nine-year-old Yasmin* loves to play and laugh. She proudly shows us a beautiful picture she made, full of bright flowers and hearts.

But behind Yasmin’s happy smile is a past that she’ll never forget.

Yasmin has seen things no child should ever see. When she was four years old, armed groups burned down her home. They killed many people in her village, and she and her mother ran for their lives. Since then, 720,000 refugees like Yasmin have fled violence and persecution in Myanmar.

Now, five years later, Yasmin has spent most of her young life in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh – the world’s largest refugee camp.

The Rohingya tragedy may not be headline news. But children who live here still face many dangers. Floods and fires. Sickness. Violence and trafficking. It’s no place for a child to grow up.

Reach out your hand with hope

Yasmin is brave and never gives up on her dreams. She comes to a safe space in the camp, supported by Christian Aid. Here she can play and sing, learn and dream. Here she can talk openly in therapy. Here she feels safe and protected.

‘I love to play with my doll,’ Yasmin says, smiling as she remembers the dolls she used to play with at home in Myanmar. ‘I love my mother – she brings me to this place so I can play.’

If you could give £14 a month, you could give a child like Yasmin support in a safe space. With your kind gift, more children will be free to play, make friends and build happier memories. Please promise you’ll never forget the children of the Rohingya community. Together, we can keep these children safe and make sure they’re not forgotten.

Remind the world about the courage of these Rohingya children.

Watch and share our animated film at caid.org.uk/NeverForget or scan this QR code using your smartphone camera.

*Name changed to protect identity.

You can keep children like Yasmin in your heart with a monthly gift. Bottom left: Yasmin talks to her kind counsellor in the safe space.

Share a gift of love this Christmas

As the nights draw in, we start to be filled with the hope of Christmas. Before too long, we’ll see bright lights twinkling on trees. We’ll wrap up warm and sing our favourite carols. And we’ll enjoy that special, once-a-year meal with our loved ones.

The joy of Christmas dinner is something that families in Malawi love too. As Fyness, a caring mum of five, says: ‘We celebrate Christmas by eating chicken and rice. After eating rice, I feel very happy and satisfied. I wish I could eat rice every day.’

Sadly, many parents like Fyness in Malawi will struggle even to put their staple food of maize porridge on the table. That’s because December is one of the toughest times of the year – a ‘hunger season’ that’s getting worse, due to the climate crisis.

Will you help parents like Fyness put hunger behind them? Please give to our Christmas Appeal later this year, and help make this a wonderful time for more families.

Will you give a loving gift and help parents like Fyness lift their children out of hunger?

Fyness Tembo cooks a hot meal for her family on a wood-saving stove.

Buy a gift of love for families like Fyness’ this Christmas. Go to charity-gifts. christianaid.org.uk

We’re delighted to talk with you. Can you tell us about your first experience with Christian Aid?

It was during Christian Aid Week when I had just been ordained a deacon at St Andrews, and the vicar said to me: ‘You’ve got to galvanise young people and distribute all these envelopes t hroughout the entire parish.’ So we went and delivered envelopes, and when we turned up on the Saturday to collect them, it was just amazing, the people had really given quite a lot.

I’ve always thought collecting house to house is something that is quite wonderful. The envelopes are still the thing to do, and now people are also giving online. Still, our message is a simple one: we are Christian Aid –we are here to support, to encourage, to stand alongside people living in poverty, and that’s what inspires me.

What do you think are the strengths that will help Christian Aid now and in the future?

Over 75 years ago, our charity started with an amazing name: Christian Aid. The meaning of all we do is in our title: we stand alongside people, and we are here to tackle poverty.

When I visited Afghanistan in 2004, I heard people telling me that Christian Aid is the only Christian organisation that has remained in Afghanistan, and how they continue to support our people with fresh water and medicine, and they really care for us as Afghans. I thought: ‘Wow, this is it.’ The whole community was given hope with this fresh water, and in the eyes of the children you could see: ‘We’ve got a future’.

I don’t see Christian Aid as an organisation, I see Christian Aid as a movement for change.

What do you hope to bring to the role of Chair at Christian Aid?

I was brought up in Uganda, and when I came to this country, I discovered whoever you are, human beings are human beings. What I want to bring is my understanding of God, of humanity and the church. If you believe in the God of love and compassion and kindness, then you believe that every human person is of unique worth to God, and everybody is standing on holy ground, because they are created in God’s image and likeness.

One of the things I think God gave me is a sense of cheerfulness and being hopeful. So, I want to raise people’s sights to this wonderful sense of hope, to realise that things may at times be terrible and awful, but this virtue of hope is what drives us.

In the words of Desmond Tutu, we are the people who are ‘prisoners of hope’, and we want to give and share this hope with everybody.

What do you like doing in your spare time?

I love cooking, reading, listening to music and walking along beautiful long beaches.

We met with our new Chair, Dr John Sentamu, to chat about his faith and what gets him fired up for justice.

‘The virtue of hope is what drives us’

Dr John Sentamu at his home in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland.

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