Christian Aid Ireland Magazine | Issue 63 | Spring/Summer

Page 11

Standing together Working for justice United by hope

Christian Aid Ireland magazine Spring/Summer 2023 Issue: Sixty-three
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Mission statement

Christian Aid Ireland works to help end poverty, injustice, inequality and violence in some of the poorest countries across the world. We support people of all faiths and none, and our work is based on our Christian belief that everyone deserves to a live a full life. We tackle both the symptoms and root causes of poverty and injustice, challenging the systems and structures that keep people poor, powerless, marginalised and vulnerable.

Christian Aid Ireland is the official relief and development agency of the Church of Ireland, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland, the Methodist Church in Ireland, the Moravian Church, the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), the Salvation Army, and the Irish Council of Churches.

Charity shop

Christian Aid is a member of the ACT Alliance (Action by Churches Together), the worldwide ecumenical network for emergency relief.

Christian Aid is a signatory to the Dóchas Code of Conduct on Images and Messages. More details can be found on dochas.ie.

Belfast

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Tel: 028 9064 8133

Email: belfast@christian-aid.org

Dublin

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Tel: 01 496 7040

Email: dublin@christian-aid.org

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Email: cork@christian-aid.org

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ROI Charities Regulatory no: 20014162

Editor: Lisa Fagan

Contributors: Katie Cox, Ross Fitzpatrick and Dave Thomas

Cover image: Esther Saizi in Malawi.

Full story on pages 8-9.

Credit: Adam Haggerty/Christian Aid

2 Christian Aid Ireland
Like us on Facebook /ChristianAidIreland Book a speaker caid.ie/bookaspeaker 01 496 7040 (Dublin) 028 9064 8133 (Belfast) christianaid.ie Follow us on Twitter @ChristianAidIrl Visit our website: caid.ie Share this magazine! Subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter caid.ie/newsletter Follow us on Instagram /ChristianAidIrl Give us a call: Keep in touch This magazine celebrates the life-changing work that your support makes possible. After you've read it, please consider passing it on to a friend!
The shop at 85 Main Street, Garvagh is open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9.30am until 4.30pm and on Saturday 10am until 4pm Garvagh (near Coleraine)

None of us can forget

February’s devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, and the truly heartbreaking scenes of misery and desperation. I was most affected by the image of the bereaved father, Mesut Hancer, who sat amid the rubble of a collapsed building, holding the hand of his deceased daughter, aged just 15.

But even in situations of unimaginable anguish, your love brings hope. In north-west Syria, where we have been working for 12 years, your donations enabled us to provide mattresses, blankets and heating materials to thousands of people made homeless amid freezing temperatures. You can read more about our earthquake response on page 5.

And as we marked the first anniversary of the Ukraine war, we want to thank you for the incredible generosity you have shown towards those whose lives have been torn apart by the conflict – the millions forced to flee and those left behind to face the onslaught and privations of life in a war zone. On page 7 we go into more detail.

The effects of the Ukraine war have been felt thousands of miles away in Africa where food and fuel prices have soared, bringing hunger and hardship especially in the Horn of Africa where severe drought has devastated harvests. On page 4, we share the story of a widowed mother of five in Kenya who received cash support from Christian Aid’s local partner to enable her to buy food for her family.

The situation in Afghanistan remains deeply troubling. Late last year, the Taliban edict preventing female aid workers from delivering humanitarian relief forced several agencies, including Christian Aid, to pause their programmes across the country. The ban added to the misery of a severe economic crisis, widespread food shortages and Kabul’s coldest winter in a decade, and is an especially cruel blow to women and girls because much of our relief is provided to pregnant women, new mums and their children. Thankfully our partner organisations have restarted their Christian Aidfunded life-saving aid response in areas where it was possible to get agreement from the local government that female NGO staff can take part in humanitarian work when accompanied by a male family member.

Almighty God, even as we struggle to understand, we trust that you are close to those in need.

Comfort those in pain, strengthen those who care for others, and show us how we can stand alongside them, as we seek to bring your love to a suffering world.

In Jesus’ name, Amen

a Christian Aid-supported pigeon pea cooperative, Esther has been able to boost her income and is now supporting her daughters’ dreams. I was lucky enough to visit this project in 2014 and I’m delighted to see the impact it’s having on the lives of Esther and her family.

We have a struggle ahead to build a world in which everyone can thrive but we are buoyed up by the success we have achieved already. We are incredibly grateful to the congregations, communities and individuals who are bringing hope to the poor and working for justice. Your prayers, your activism and your generosity are truly transforming lives.

God bless.

There is better news on pages 8-9 where we tell the story of Esther, a widowed grandmother in Malawi. Since joining

Spring/Summer 2023 3 Editorial
Even in situations of unimaginable anguish, your love brings hope.

Helping families fleeing fighting in Ethiopia

Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by a conflict between government forces and armed groups in the Western Oromia region of Ethiopia. Most of those displaced are living in informal settlements, with each shelter housing up to six families. The

worst impacted areas have seen the arrival of more than 30,000 displaced people in recent months.

With funding from Irish Aid, Christian Aid’s local partner EECMY is providing emergency support to nearly 500 displaced families. In January, they were each given the equivalent of

Preventing famine in Kenya

Lokho Tari knows only too well the impact of the climate crisis on pastoralist communities in northern Kenya. As a herder, Lokho relies on her cows and goats for food, milk and to earn money to support her family. Four years ago, the widowed mother of five had no choice but to search for greener pastures for her livestock to keep them alive.

But with the Horn of Africa going through the worst drought in over 40 years, most of her herd has now died and

Lokho has gone without food for days at a time.

Fortunately, thanks to generous donations from supporters like you, Lokho and her children were among 40 families in Marsabit county who received cash from Christian Aid’s local partner CIFA to help them through this difficult time. This money has proved a lifeline for Lokho and her children. She said: ‘The cash meant I could clear my debts in the shops and buy more food for my family.’

€180 to pay for food and other essentials. The families were also given hygiene kits containing soap, sanitary towels and a jerry can as well as three months’ worth of water purification liquid so they can drink safely.

In Kenya, Lokho Tari went without food for days at a time.

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Credit: Wondu Firdisa/Christian Aid
Credit: Pasca Chesach/Christian Aid Families fleeing conflict in Ethiopia received support from our local partner.

The death toll from February’s devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria stands at over 50,000. In Syria, the north-west was worst affected with over 10,000 buildings damaged or destroyed.

The earthquakes heaped even more misery on people living in opposition-held north-west Syria where more than 4 million people are in need of aid following 12 years of conflict. There, Christian Aid has been responding through local partners to support families with blankets, mattresses and heating materials to help them keep warm amid freezing night-time temperatures. Donations made to the UK Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) and Irish Emergency Alliance (IEA) helped us reach even more people in need.

With funding from Irish Aid, Christian Aid is also giving emergency kits to more than 2,500 children. The kits contain food, blankets and warm clothing as well as stationery so they can continue with their education.

survivors in Syria

Caring for those escaping gang violence in Haiti

Haiti has been beset by gang violence for many years but the entire country fell into disarray after armed gangs blockaded a key fuel terminal in Port-au-Prince in September last year, leading to major shortages of basic goods including fuel and clean water, as well as halting most economic activity in the country. This has deepened a humanitarian crisis in Haiti which left nearly 5 million people without enough food to eat, including nearly 20,000 people experiencing famine-like conditions.

Violent actions by an armed gang in Croix-des-Bouquets, around 10 km from Haiti’s capital city Port-au-Prince,

forced several hundred people to flee their homes. Donations from supporters like you, through our local partner Christian Service of Haiti (SCH), are providing support to more than 500 displaced people, including psychological and emotional

support. SCH is also providing cash grants to community groups for community-led responses, such as providing training to help displaced people set up small businesses so they can earn an income.

Spring/Summer 2023 Reaching earthquake
Credit: Alessio Mamo People living outdoors after the earthquakes damaged or destroyed more than 10,000 buildings in north-west Syria. Credit: Jonathan Boulet-Grouxl Families from Port-au-Prince in Haiti displaced by an earlier wave of gang violence in June 2021.

Keeping livestock alive in Nigeria

InMalakyariri in north-east Nigeria, rearing and selling goats and sheep provides families with a steady supply of milk, meat and manure as well as an income, helping farmers to pay for food, school fees and health care costs.

But in a country where as many as four in ten people live below the poverty line, the cost of transporting sick animals to and from a veterinary practice, as well as paying for the treatment itself, often prevents farmers getting their animals the treatment they need.

Losing goats and sheep to illness means reduced herd sizes, while sick animals are less likely to fatten up properly, reducing the price they fetch at market. For farming families, poor animal health contributes to poverty.

With funding from the World

Food Programme, Christian Aid has trained three ‘para-vets’ to provide low-cost veterinary care in Malakyariri. The para-vets administer vaccinations, treat parasites and advise on nutrition and infection control, helping to keep valuable animals alive. As well as ongoing training, the para-vets have been provided with all the veterinary kit they need, including medicine, syringes, needles, gloves and books for record keeping,

The cost of using the para-vets is around half that at established veterinary clinics and as a doorto-door service, farmers also avoid transportation fees.

The para-vets have even shown farmers how, by using maize seeds, they can produce ‘smart’ hydroponic fodder. This is a method of growing animal

feed in trays, meaning it requires less water and space to produce than traditional fodder. Using this method, farmers can on average produce up to 7kg of fodder a week, helping ensure they have animal feed all year round, irrespective of the season. Smart fodder is particularly useful for farmers whose access to land is restricted by conflict, as is the case in Malakyariri.

One of those who trained to become a para-vet is 31-yearold grocery shop owner Idris Mohammed Ali who said: ‘The service is helping the livestock to grow well and the owners are able to sell them at a good price because they are healthy. It has also reduced sudden deaths of livestock.’

As Idris explains, the paravets are also better off financially thanks to their new vocation:

‘This is now another source of income for me. I use the money to buy food for my family.’

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Credit: Terna Terfa/Christian Aid
‘Para-vet’ Idris Mohammed Ali during a house visit in north-east Nigeria.

Ukraine conflict one year on

Morethan a year into the war, 18 million Ukrainians are in need of aid and a further 13 million are unable to return to their homes5 million displaced inside the country’s borders and 8 million living as refugees elsewhere in Europe.

Since the early days of the crisis, Christian Aid has been responding with partners to provide emergency support to around 800,000 people inside Ukraine and in neighbouring countries. Your generous donations enabled this quick response.

We have provided medical supplies and equipment to 100 health facilities, including trauma kits and baby incubators. We have also evacuated people away from the fighting and provided food to over 120,000 people. During the winter, your donations helped thousands of displaced people stay warm despite freezing temperatures.

Thanks to donations made by people like you to the Irish Emergency Alliance, Christian Aid’s local partner Alliance for Public Health gave cash grants to 16 community-led projects right across Ukraine, which in turn helped over 13,000 people.

In Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, one local community group used their grant to provide hundreds of people living in a shelter with warm winter clothes, blankets and torches. These families were in urgent need of support, many having fled emptyhanded from frontline areas previously controlled by the Russian army.

One of those helped at the shelter is 26-year-old mum-of-two Mykhaila whose home was destroyed in a rocket attack in March. She said: ‘I was very scared and full of dread because my children’s lives were at risk. We were afraid that we would not be able to get out of this hell but thanks to the volunteers, we were evacuated on the same day.’

Thanks to money donated by people like you to the UK Disasters Emergency Committee, Christian Aid and our partner Blythswood supported local community groups to help people unable to flee villages close to the frontline. Many homes in these villages have been damaged or destroyed by shelling, leaving families even more vulnerable to sub-zero temperatures. Christian Aid’s partner supplied woodburning stoves and electricity generators to help keep people warm, and often have only a few minutes to unload their supplies before retreating to safety.

In Odessa, southern Ukraine, funds generously donated by the Presbyterian Church in Ireland allowed our partners to reach even more people displaced by the conflict, providing medicine, shelter and other forms of emergency aid.

Christian Aid’s Global Humanitarian Manager Karen McDonnell spent many months in Ukraine. She said: ‘The only thing keeping a lot of Ukrainians alive is external support. What will happen when people stop paying attention?’

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Images: Heritage Ukraine A woman with the wood burner she was given, close to the frontline in Kherson region. A family in Kherson who received a wood burner, water barrel, quilts, torch and power pack.

Giving peas a chance in Malawi

Malawi is Africa’s largest producer of pigeon peas. This versatile, low-cost, protein-rich and droughtresistant crop has been maligned in Malawi - regarded as ‘desperation food’ and only eaten when there is no alternative. But one widowed grandmother is making her children’s dreams come true with this humble pulse.

Esther Saizi (54) is lively, chatty and full of laughter. When we meet her, she is baking bread from pigeon pea flour which she sells to earn an income to support her family.

But Esther’s broad smile hides much sorrow and hardship.

Esther’s husband passed away two years ago. Besides her grief, she also has to contend with the harsh droughts and extreme weather brought on by climate change. And the Ukraine war has driven up the price of food and fertilizer.

Despite these difficulties, Esther has seen a remarkable reversal in her fortunes since 2019 when she joined a pigeon pea cooperative run by Christian Aid’s partner, the Nandolo Farmers’ Association.

Esther had been growing pigeon peas for eight years before joining the cooperative but she’d never been able to secure a fair price for her crop. Exploitative middlemen target isolated farmers like her to gain a sale at very low prices. But when Esther started selling as part of the cooperative, she was able to fetch much more. Esther’s membership of the cooperative also allows

her to store her pigeon peas in a communal warehouse, safe from floods and storms.

Esther told us: ‘Before I joined the programme, I grew pigeon peas but I wasn’t aware that I could make some reasonable money out of it.’

With the profits from her pigeon pea crop, Esther began buying goats and today her herd has grown to 13. The goats provide milk and meat as well as manure for her crops, saving on expensive fertiliser. Esther even bought a sewing machine to make clothes for her family.

Esther isn’t the only businesswoman in her family. Her daughter Ziwone (25) and son-in-law Peter (28) are carpenters and with her pigeon pea income, Esther has bought tools to enable their business to thrive. Esther is also paying for her grandson Nespo (4) to attend nursery school.

Esther’s younger daughter Rashida (17) lives away from home to be near her school. The pigeon pea income is supporting Rashida’s education by covering the cost of her lodgings, a parttime tutor, exam fees and school uniforms. Rashida dreams of graduating from college

and becoming a nurse. Pigeon peas are droughttolerant, so they thrive in southern Malawi. They’re cheap to grow from recycled seed and require only minimal amounts of fertiliser and pesticides, making them an ideal crop to grow in a region where over 60% of families live in poverty. And because pigeon peas fix nitrogen, they improve soil quality, boosting the yields of crops like maize, sorghum and peanuts.

The pigeon pea is an essential part of the diet of millions of people around the world, particularly in India where dhal is eaten as a staple alongside rice and roti. But the pigeon pea has been maligned in Malawi where it’s regarded as ‘desperation food’, eaten only when there is no alternative. Just 10% of the 400,000 tonnes the country produces each year is consumed domestically.

Christian Aid recently provided a machine to process fish food from a blend of pigeon peas and soya. Besides baking bread from pigeon pea flour, Esther plans to start growing fish in small ponds and selling them to earn an additional income.

This transformation in Esther’s fortunes has only been possible because of the generosity of Christian Aid’s supporters. By giving this Christian Aid Week, you can help more farmers like Esther secure a fair price for their crops and make their children’s dreams come true.

You can find more information and donate online at caweek.ie

Christian Aid Week
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Christian Aid Ireland

Esther Saizi with her grandsons Nespo (4) and Emmanuel (4 months). With her pigeon peas, Esther bakes delicious bread, cooks nutritious meals and snacks, supports her daughters’ dreams and sends Nespo to nursery school.

For 2023, we’re inviting churches to create their own ‘digital envelope’ for Christian Aid Week, making it even easier for people to donate online. Members of your church can donate directly into your church’s digital envelope using their bank details or PayPal account. For more information please visit: envelope.christianaid.ie

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Credit: Adam Haggerty/Christian Aid
Before I joined the programme, I grew pigeon peas but I wasn’t aware that I could make some reasonable money out of it.

Corporate abuse law moves a step closer

Draft EU legislation to hold companies responsible for human rights abuses in their supply chains moved closer to becoming law in January after key votes by members of the European Parliament.

The new law would hold businesses responsible for harm caused to people and the environment and crucially provide compensation for victims. The votes followed briefings by

Christian Aid and other NGOs with Irish MEPs in Brussels.

As part of efforts to demonstrate the need for this law, Christian Aid works with partners in Colombia to highlight the devastating impact of the Cerrejón coal mine on local communities and the environment, as well as exposing

continued purchase of Cerrejón coal. Christian Aid is also campaigning as part of the Irish Coalition for Business and Human Rights for the Irish government to introduce a national corporate accountability law.

Irish state owned

Ireland under UN spotlight over tax avoidance

Ireland faced tough questions at the UN headquarters in Geneva in January regarding its role in enabling corporate tax avoidance and the impact this can have on children in poorer countries.

Minister Roderic O’Gorman was quizzed by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on a range of issues affecting children. The Committee expressed ‘serious concern’ that aspects of Irish tax policy can enable large multinational companies to shift profits from developing countries to and through Ireland, siphoning off essential revenue needed to pay for hospitals and schools.

Crucially, it was the first time a UN human rights body has formally questioned Ireland’s

role in international tax avoidance, and came on foot of detailed research submitted by a coalition of NGOs led by Christian Aid Ireland. Following the hearing, the

asked if Ireland’s tax policies impacted on the rights of children in poorer countries.

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ESB’s State owned ESB continues to buy coal from the Cerrejón mine in Colombia, despite links to environmental and human rights abuses. Minister Roderic O’Gorman and officials were

Landmark win on Loss and Damage

COP27

managed to achieve what no previous climate conference has managed before - a political agreement between all governments to set up a Loss and Damage fund. After two weeks of fraught negotiations in Egypt, historically highemitting countries finally accepted the need for a dedicated fund to support communities in the immediate aftermath of climate disasters.

This landmark decision represents a significant win and is the result of decades of campaigning by civil society organisations like ourselves. As Christian Aid Ireland’s representative at COP27, I met with then Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Minister Eamon Ryan as well as government officials throughout the negotiations to outline the key asks of our partners from the frontlines of the climate crisis.

Ireland’s constructive role as the lead negotiator for the EU in the Loss and Damage negotiations and the ultimate decision to establish a fund was due in no small part to the collective efforts of Christian Aid and other members of Irish civil society to influence key decision makers.

Despite the historic agreement on Loss and Damage, it would be naïve to label COP27 as a resounding success. The continued failure of countries to commit to phasing out all fossil fuels and get their own emissions down, the presence of a record 636 fossil fuel lobbyists, and the abysmal human rights record of the host country were a stark reminder of the powerful forces dedicated to undermining the efforts of the international climate justice movement.

The challenges between now and COP28 are immense. First and foremost, countries must urgently figure out how to raise the money needed to address Loss and Damage as climate disasters become more frequent.

Christian Aid Ireland will continue to push the Irish government to ensure that the Loss and Damage fund that is to be established is underpinned by the principles of equity and historical responsibility. We are grateful to all of you who stood with us and continue to stand up and speak out for what is right and just.

Spring/Summer 2023 11
Ross Fitzpatrick (left) and NGO colleagues lobbying the then Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Credit: Priscilla Potel/DECC

Supporters gifting their time, working for justice

 Please give three cheers for our fantastic volunteers. Last year, the funds raised by The Changing Room, our charity shop in Garvagh near Coleraine passed the £100,000 mark. Rachel McCormick (3rd) founded the shop in 2016 and runs it without payment, helped by a 15-strong team of volunteers.

 In September, we marked the golden jubilee of a man with a heart of gold. Billy McAlpine has been Christian Aid’s representative at St Donard’s Parish Church in east Belfast for more than 50 years. He is pictured with our Chief Executive Rosamond Bennett.

 In December, our ‘brrr-illiant’ supporters in Newtownards, County Down braved unusually cold weather to hold a 3-day sit-out in the town square which raised almost £2,900 for our work. In February, they held a table quiz which yielded £650 for our Turkey-Syria earthquake appeal. Our thanks go to John Doherty (3rd from right) and all the Ards committee members.

 The seas are rising but so are we. Christian Aid climate activists at a COP27 rally in Belfast in November added their voices to the chorus worldwide demanding that a Loss and Damage fund be created. You can read about the success of this campaign on page 11.

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 In October, Jonathan Winter from Dundonald near Belfast ‘took the money and ran’ by completing the London marathon in 3 hours, 49 minutes and collecting sponsorship of almost £2,400 for our work.

 Forget the Cookstown sizzle - have you heard of the Cookstown simmer? In March, volunteers drawn from eight churches in the County Tyrone town held a soup lunch which raised almost £800 for our work. Our thanks go to Iris Black (right) and everyone who took part.

 In September, our supporters in west Cork raised more than €10,500 when around 200 people took part in the 14th annual Sheep’s Head Hike. If ‘ewe’ would like to take part, this year’s event is on 2 September.

County Tipperary who hold regular coffee mornings and bake sales to raise funds for our work.

Spring/Summer 2023

‘I was a stranger and you took me in’

Our Church and Community Officer Andrew Coleman and his wife Caroline have hosted three Ukrainian refugees in their home in Bandon, County Cork since the war began. Victoria and her son Vlad stayed from May

until November and when they moved into a nearby apartment, Tetianna took their place. Victoria said: ‘Andrew knows how to welcome people with parties and

picnics.’ Tetianna said: ‘I don’t feel alone. I’m happy here.’ Andrew told us: ‘Tetianna and Victoria are part of our family now.’

Highlighting hunger crisis

Tralee and Dingle rector, Rev Jim Stephens was among a number of our supporters who helped raise awareness of the hunger crisis raging in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya by hanging a bag of frankincense on their Christmas trees. Frankincense is a fragrant resin native to the

A Just Word

The devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria can leave us asking ‘why does God allow people to suffer’? The Bible doesn’t shy away from these difficult questions. The book of Job wrestles with the mystery of suffering. Job’s friends have many theories but none of them

is satisfactory. When God answers Job’s complaint, it is not to offer an explanation but to reassure Job that he knows and sees all and it comforts Job to know that God is present during his time of pain. Maybe

Horn of Africa and is famous as one of the gifts given to the baby Jesus by the three wise men. It was a gesture of solidarity with the 23 million people facing famine-like conditions in the Horn of Africa where five failed rainy seasons have devastated harvests.

Job’s friends should have simply said, ‘we don’t understand why you’re going through this but we’re with you.’ As we continue to wrestle with ‘why’, we can also ask ‘how’. ‘How can I best stand alongside those in need?’

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A big cheese, made from the milk of human kindness

Louis Grubb is well known as one half of Cashel Blue, the award-winning farmhouse cheese brand he founded with his wife Jane on their farm near Fethard in County Tipperary. Less well known is that Louis is a committed and generous supporter of Christian Aid Ireland whose donations reach people living in poverty and crisis around the world. Lisa Fagan spoke to the kind-hearted entrepreneur.

Born in 1944 into a Quaker family in south Tipperary, Louis took over the 200-acre farm after his father died in 1979 and borrowed money to buy a dairy herd. ‘Those were anxious times and we had many sleepless nights, worrying about the very real prospect of bankruptcy.’

His fortunes picked up in 1984 when his wife Jane began making cheese at their kitchen table. In the almost 40 years since then, the company has grown to become a global brand with a turnover last year of more than €3.5 million. These days, the company is managed by Louis and Jane’s only child, Sarah Furno.

Why does he support Christian Aid’s work?

‘I’ve had a lot of blessings in my life – good health and a wife who’s put up with me for 50 years. And I’ve always felt that a Christian should be giving to help others if they can. I support a couple of other charities but I’ve been with Christian Aid the longest.’

In 2012, he visited Christian Aid’s projects in Haiti. What did the experience teach him? ‘It was the utter poverty. I met a man who was unravelling an old hessian sack to make it into rope because he had no money.

‘I met young Haitians who’d been to America to earn a few bob and they came back to Haiti to build a house. In years gone by, Irish people went to England and Scotland to pick potatoes and later to work on building sites, and when they’d gathered up a few pounds, they’d come home to build a house too. We have more in common with people in developing countries than we think.’

Why does Louis give to charity?

Like many of his generation, Louis is thrifty, preferring to give to others than spend lavishly on himself: ‘I have a 50-year-old boat on the Shannon and we pootle about on it. It’s an old yoke and we get tossed about on the waves but I’ve never thought I should

splash out on a new boat when that money could be better spent helping people living in poverty.

‘There’s a lot of pleasure to be had in being able to give. You might miss the money at first but that feeling passes after a while. Giving and knowing that you’ve helped someone is its own reward.’

Louis’ generosity has transformed lives in Haiti, India and Nigeria. If you would like to find out more about our current projects and how you too can help to eradicate poverty, please contact Sarah Leeman on sleeman@christian-aid.org or through either of our offices - contact details on page 2.

Spring/Summer 2023 15
Louis and Jane Grubb with their daughter Sarah Furno. Credit: Paul Sherwood

I hope it. I will it.

A gift of hope

Every prayer, every gift, every action brings hope to communities like Esther’s. A gift to Christian Aid in your Will can become a harvest, an education, lasting hope for communities all over the world.

If you are considering remembering Christian Aid in your Will, thank you. You can be sure that your kindness will be felt for generations to come.

To find out more about including Christian Aid in your Will, please contact Sarah Leeman at giftsinwills@christian-aid.org

A gift in your Will can help families like Esther Saizi and 4-month-old grandson Emmanuel in Malawi.

Credit: Adam Haggerty

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