Response: January - April 2019

40 years of standing against injustice

January-April 2019

Bittersweet freedom: Violence follows Asia Bibi’s acquittal

Also inside this edition: China: The story of Tree of Life Church On the frontlines: Tejaswi’s story Get involved: Celebrating 40 years of CSW and more...

Feature: Pakistan

Cover image: A supporter of the Tehrik-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) Islamist political party, chants slogans with others during a protest, after the Supreme Court overturned the conviction of a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy against Islam, in Lahore, Pakistan November 2, 2018. REUTERS/Mohsin

Following Asia Bibi’s acquittal, Islamist groups gathered in protest in cities across the country.

Extra security was posted at schools and churches, while major roads were blocked in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Islamabad.

Bittersweet freedom: Violence follows Asia Bibi’s acquittal

In October 2018 Asia Bibi, a Christian mother of five who has been on death row in Pakistan for nine years, was acquitted of blasphemy charges.

Asia Noreen, better known as Asia Bibi, was falsely accused of blasphemy in 2009 by a local cleric after a disagreement with two of her fellow farm workers. In November 2010 she was convicted, sentenced to death and ordered to pay a fine of 100,000 rupees (approximately £590). Asia Bibi was the first woman to be sentenced to death for blasphemy in Pakistan, and as a result her case attracted international media attention.

We’re so grateful that many of you have been praying faithfully for Asia Bibi and her family throughout their ordeal. Yet the news of her release is bittersweet: with violent protests across the country, and hardline Islamists searching house to house to hunt out the family, they are very much at risk. As the case develops her safety and security remain our top priority.

2

Death sentence overturned The Supreme Court’s decision to acquit Asia Bibi last October overturned the previous decisions by the High Court and the Trial Court.

Their 56-page judgement affirmed that the state must ensure no innocent person is compelled to face an investigation or a trial on the basis of false or trumped-up allegations of committing blasphemy. They concluded that there were a number of contradictions and inconsistent witness statements in her case which cast doubt on the evidence.

Following the verdict, Michelle Chaudhry, President of the Cecil & Iris Chaudhry Foundation (CICF) in Lahore

said, ‘There is no doubt that the rule of law has been upheld and justice has prevailed. However, unfortunately an innocent woman has had to lose nine precious years of her life; she and her family have had to endure extremely traumatic circumstances for a crime that was never committed. This in itself demands for the authorities to revisit Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and take concrete measures to curb its misuse.’

Reprisals for a ‘crime that was never committed’ Following Asia Bibi’s acquittal, Islamist groups gathered in protest in cities across the country. Extra security was posted at schools and churches, while

3

Feature: Pakistan

Shahbaz Bhatti, Minister for Minorities Affairs, who was assassinated after speaking out against the blasphemy laws.

They face harassment and threats even when the allegation is found to be false. They cannot resume normal life, because there is nowhere safe for them to live. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, ‘Anyone even accused of blasphemy practically carries a death sentence even if they are released.’

Asia Bibi’s acquittal is a triumph for justice, but her future, and that of her family, remains very uncertain.

The government agreed to place Asia Bibi on the Exit Control List (ECL) which prevents her from leaving the country, and, even more worryingly, has also allowed a judicial review of the Supreme Court’s decision.

Blasphemy laws: the need for change

major roads were blocked in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Islamabad. A few days later the government signed a deal with an Islamist group in order to halt the protests. The government agreed to place Asia Bibi on the Exit Control List (ECL) which prevents her from leaving the country, and, even more worryingly, has also allowed a judicial review of the Supreme Court’s decision.

‘A death sentence even if they are released’ Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws essentially criminalise anyone who insults Islam. They are regularly 4

misused to settle personal scores or business disputes, and though most blasphemy allegations are made against Muslims, when non-Muslims are accused their entire community can suffer. The attack on Joseph Colony five years ago - in which 170 houses were torched by a mob, leaving more than 100 families displaced – occurred after a young Christian man was accused of blasphemy. Sawan Masih is still on death row today.

In our work with victims of blasphemy allegations we have been told by lawyers, judges and activists that once an accusation is made, the victim and their family live in a constant state of fear.

The blasphemy laws violate multiple human rights and should be repealed, but due to their sensitive nature and the extreme pressure from religious hardliners there is a lack of political will to change them. That’s why we’re calling for urgent amendments to prevent misuse of the laws.

We’re echoing recommendations from Pakistan’s National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) for the government of Pakistan to:

Ensure

that investigations are conducted impartially.

Guarantee

that complaints are investigated by an officer of appropriate rank.

Make provision

for victims of blasphemy-related allegations to be released on bail.

Join us in praying for Asia Bibi, her family and the wider Christian community using p.13 of the Prayer Diary.

5

Country in focus: China

‘Christ is with us in persecution’ The story of Tree of Life Church You’re about to start your weekly prayer meeting.

It’s a quiet, relaxed time to gather and pray after enjoying a meal together. Tonight the number of people at the meeting has almost doubled. Unfortunately, this isn’t due to a sudden success in your outreach ministry; instead, some people are being followed by members of the secret police.

Sighing, you get down extra plates and work out how you can stretch the meal to serve them too.

This was a meeting described to us by a member of Tree of Life Church in China – and this isn’t the only time it’s happened. The church was founded in the 2000s and has a thriving outreach to the local community, something which has made the church a target for increasing official harassment. This is just one example of the government’s growing infringement of human rights, especially freedom of religion.

Churches under pressure across China Zion Church, one of the largest unregistered house churches in 6

Beijing, was shut down in September following months of pressure from the government. In January 2017 Pastor Yang Hua of Living Stone Church, Guizhou, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, having been detained since December 2015. He was released from prison on 19 June 2018 after completing a two and a half year sentence. According to friends and supporters, he is suffering from several health problems and is in urgent need of medical care.

Another leader at Living Stone Church, Pastor Su Tianfu, was sentenced to one year in prison suspended for two years,

Chinese Catholics worship at the government-sanctioned North Cathedral of the National Patriotic Church in Beijing July 1, 2007. Pope Benedict on Saturday called on China to lift restrictions on religious freedom that “suffocate” the Church and sow divisions among Catholics, in his most significant address on China to date. But the Pope also called for greater dialogue with the officially atheist state, writing in a 55-page open letter that he sought to restore full diplomatic ties with Beijing that were severed two years after the 1949 Communist takeover. REUTERS/Claro Cortes IV (CHINA)

with a further six months of ‘residential surveillance’, following his trial on 26 April 2018. Both pastors were also fined over USD 1 million for collecting ‘illegal’ donations from members of the congregation. Pastor Su Tianfu and Pastor Yang Hua have filed several appeals on the basis that the money was voluntarily donated by church members and was only used to fund church activities. All their appeals have failed.

New regulations introduced by the government this year have heightened this pressure on both unregistered churches and those that have registered with the government-sanctioned ‘Three

We can cry with ‘those who cry. We

believe in peaceful protesting and pursuing justice peacefully and joyfully

’

A member of Tree of Life Church Self Patriotic Movement’. Police have forced congregations to sing patriotic songs in their services instead of hymns, and youth activities have been effectively banned. There are also draft regulations on what you can share online. In this climate, the courage of churches like Tree of Life and their pastors is needed more than ever.

7

Country in focus: China

Around the world:

Latest news

Throughout church ‘history, when there

has been more suffering, there has also been more grace.

Christ is with us in persecution

’

Tree of Life Church’s pastor

Uyghur Muslims Christians aren’t the only ones suffering: in Xinjiang Province, Uyghur Muslims are experiencing a brutal crackdown under the guise of national security. Baby names the government sees as having extremist connotations (such as Saddam and Medina) have been banned, as has the wearing of beards and veils in public.

Over one million people, mostly Uyghur Muslims, have been sent to ‘re-education’ camps for reasons such

be a Christian is ‘toTorebel against social

and their families are under constant surveillance. Disappearances can happen at any time, for any reason.

Once in the re-education camp they have no access to lawyers, and often their families aren’t told where they’re being held or when they’re being released. The conditions are terrible, unsanitary and overcrowded, and prisoners report being beaten if they disobey the guards.

In response, many Uyghur Muslims have stopped displaying any outward sign of their faith at all and have completely broken off contact with their overseas relatives, heightening their already intense feelings of fear and isolation.

problems with the power of the resurrection

’

Tree of Life Church’s pastor as having the messaging app WhatsApp on their phone, having a family member abroad, or praying in public;

8

Watch

Go to csw.org.uk/ china-livingstonechurch to watch a video about Living Stone Church

Muhannad Zouqan

Latest news updates

Syria Though we welcome the release of the 17 remaining Druze hostages abducted

by Islamic State (IS, Daesh), we were deeply saddened to learn of the execution a few months beforehand of Thuraya Abou Ammar, a 25-year-old Druze woman who was one of the 37 people abducted during an attack on a village in southern Syria in July 2018. IS published videos of the executions of some of the hostages, and on 2 August 19-year-old Muhannad Zouqan was also executed. The Druze ethno-religious group forms 3% of Syria’s population, and are considered heretics by hard-line Islamists.

Colombia In September we received the sad news that Pastor Elfren Martínez Pérez of Nueva Filadelfia Church in Colombia was shot and killed outside his home by members of an illegal armed group.

Our partners have told us that Pastor Martínez Pérez had been resisting the presence of the group in the region – something which often puts pastors at risk. Pastor Martínez Pérez leaves a wife and five children, who have been forced to flee their home because of fears for their safety.

Thuraya Abou Ammar

Burma The United Wa State Army has continued a crackdown on Christians in the Wa region of Burma’s Shan State, expelling 20 Catholic clergy and laypeople in September and October 2018. Churches have been closed, and Christians have been forced to sign a pledge that they will only pray privately in their homes.

9

Perspectives: Faith and forgiveness

‘It’s not about religion it’s about humanity’ Faith and forgiveness after the Surabaya attacks On 13 May 2018, Indonesia experienced its worst terrorist attack since 2005. Three churches were hit in a coordinated bombing, all by members of the same family. Thirteen people were killed and many more, including the Muslim security guard of one of the churches, were injured. How do you respond when your church – your spiritual home – is so brutally attacked? The message from Santa Maria Catholic Church, Diponegoro Indonesian Christian Church and Surabaya Centre Pentecostal Church is one of forgiveness and peace.

Benedict Rogers, East Asia Team Leader When I visited Santa Maria Church and Surabaya Centre Pentecostal Church almost three months to the day after the attacks, the message from the priests, the pastor and the relatives of victims was the same: ‘We must love others; we forgive the attackers; we do not want revenge.’

I was told that the mother of two young boys aged 8 and 12, who died as a result of their injuries at Santa Maria Church, said just two days after the bombing, ‘I have already forgiven the bombers. I don’t want to cry any more. I know that our Mother Mary also lost her son, Jesus.

I forgive.’ Father Aloysius Widayawan, the priest of Santa Maria Church, said to me, ‘For the Church, we must forgive – 10

this is our doctrine. But for an individual, like the mother of these two boys, the ability to forgive is about faith, not doctrine.’

He went on: ‘None of the victims ever asked “Why has this happened to me?”

They just said “Okay, we forgive them, and we pray for the victims.”

‘There was no anger, no criticism of other religions. There was only forgiveness and prayer. Of course they had not conferred with each other. It came from their heart.

People from other religions came to them to show sympathy. Our message: it’s about equality, solidarity and unity. Keep doing good, don’t discriminate, and work for equality, solidarity and unity. Respect for God means respect for other persons.’

‘God’s plan is still good’ At the Pentecostal church the stories were similar, as were the messages of forgiveness. ‘We don’t understand why this happened, but we continue to teach about forgiveness and love. God’s plan is still good,’ said the pastor.

This attitude of faith and forgiveness was reflected in the response from Indonesia’s Muslim community. Indeed, some of the horror of the attack came from the knowledge that Surabaya’s Muslims have always been peaceful; Father Aloysius told me, ‘That day was very terrible for us, because Surabaya was a safe city, with many moderate Muslims.’ Santa Maria’s own security guard is a Muslim who lost both legs and was blinded trying to stop the attack.

The Catholic Archbishop of Jakarta, Monsignor Ignatius Suharyo, told me of a beautiful incident that took place at evening Mass that same day in Jakarta’s cathedral, just over the road from the mosque. Two young Muslim women arrived unannounced and began to hand out red and white roses (the colours of the Indonesian flag) to the congregation, in a gesture of solidarity

We don’t understand ‘why this happened, but we continue to teach about forgiveness and love

’

and peace. Father Aloysius said that in Surabaya Muslims had come to the churches to express their condolences and help clear up the wreckage.

I have seen many atrocities in my time working for CSW, and yet the attacks in Surabaya still, to me, stand out as especially brutal. However, the response of the communities, both Muslim and Christian, has also challenged me deeply. Standing in the ruins of their churches, these people spoke only of love and forgiveness.

Much work is needed to help heal the wounds inflicted as Indonesia struggles against its growing culture of intolerance; writing my new report made me all the more aware of this.

But the churches of Surabaya, and the actions of their Muslim friends, give me hope that faith and forgiveness in Indonesia isn’t gone for good.

11

Feature: Nigeria

Nigeria on the brink as elections approach As you read this Nigeria is preparing for a general election next month. Election season can be extremely volatile, and since the last elections the levels of insecurity have risen across the country. Two factions of Boko Haram terrorists are challenging government forces in the north-east, with reports at the time of writing of an Arabicspeaking armed group infiltrating Sokoto State. Kidnappings for ransom have also increased.

There was a staggering number of casualties in 2018 alone in attacks by a militia consisting of members of the Fulani tribe. Local observers describe the violence as a campaign of ethnoreligious cleansing; it has claimed over 6,000 lives and displaced 62,000 people since 2011, largely in central states. These communities are paying an unacceptably high price for the government’s failure to formulate an effective response to this violence, and tensions will only increase as elections approach.

No longer just ‘clashes’ There’s been a long history of disputes between nomadic herders and farming communities across the Sahel region, often described as ‘farmer-herder clashes’, but recent attacks in Nigeria are so frequent and well-organised that this description is no longer adequate.

Survivors speak of a heavily armed militia with sophisticated weaponry including AK-47s, and in some cases chemicals and rocket launchers.

12

Central Nigeria used to be the nation’s bread basket, but is now littered with destroyed homes and farmlands and displaced communities. Many farmers are no longer able to return to their fields, either because they have been occupied or out of fear of further attacks, leading to a risk of food shortages and possible famine.

Last June church leaders in Plateau State issued a statement rejecting the official narrative of these attacks as

Local observers describe the violence as a campaign of ethno-religious cleansing; it has claimed over 6,000 lives and displaced 62,000 people since 2011. mere ‘clashes’, asking, ‘How can it be a clash when one group is persistently attacking, killing, maiming, destroying; and the other group is persistently being killed, maimed and their places of worship destroyed?’

In the heart of danger CSW’s Nigeria office is based in Kaduna State, and southern Kaduna has suffered deaths and displacements at the hands of the Fulani militia. The CSW team, led

by Reverend Yunusa Nmadu, is often at risk as they travel around the country documenting human rights abuses and offering support, and especially need our prayers during the election period.

Meanwhile, restrictions on freedom of expression and of the press are on the rise. Particularly in Kaduna State, several reporters who attempted to highlight killings by the Fulani militia in southern Kaduna have been prosecuted for hate speech by the state government, even though ‘hate speech’ is not defined under Nigerian law.

We’re pleased that several countries, including the UK, are giving more attention to the situation in Nigeria.

We regularly provide our research and policy recommendations to the UK government, the UN and other institutions, some of which were used in a House of Commons debate in November. We continue to raise Nigeria’s

Update: Leah Sharibu Last October we received the news that the al Barnawi faction of Boko Haram had executed Hauwa Mohammed Liman. She was the second of three humanitarian workers they kidnapped in March 2018 to be murdered.

The terrorist group stated that the remaining woman, Alice Loksha Ngaddah, will remain as a slave alongside 15-year-old schoolgirl Leah Sharibu for the rest of her life.

Leah was abducted along with 109 of her classmates in February 2018. The next month, following negotiations by the government, the girls were put into vehicles to go home. Leah, the only Christian, refused to convert in exchange for her freedom, and watched her classmates drive to safety. She remains in captivity.

As we approach the one-year anniversary of Leah’s abduction, please continue to pray for her safety and release, and for comfort and strength for her parents Nathan and Rebecca and her brother Donald.

Pray

Please join us in praying for free, fair and peaceful elections, and that greater international attention will lead to strong, effective action to halt the deadly tide of ethno-religious violence, and bring peace to this troubled land.

13

On the frontlines: Tejaswi’s story

India and Intolerance: Religious minorities are feeling the pressure

and put pressure on police to charge them. It takes days to weeks to raise bail, and the families of the arrested Christians meanwhile are put through lot of suffering; as the sole breadwinner of the family is jailed, they are deprived of basic resources. They endure insults and humiliation from relatives, neighbours and society as well.

Tejaswi Ravinder is a journalist and activist based in India, who researches and writes on politics, religion, society and culture. She is particularly known for her coverage of atrocities against India’s Christian minorities. We talked to her about these issues, and where India is going under the current government.

What would you say to people in the UK who would like to know more about India’s religious minorities and the problems they face?

Religious minorities feel unsafe in India since BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), the political arm of [the Hindu nationalist movement] RSS, has come to power in 2014. Incidents of persecution, intolerance, mob violence have risen in numbers.

The constitution declares India as a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic based on the democratic ideas of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. But in the current scenario, 14

with a Hindu fundamentalist/Hindutva government in power, not condemning the acts of Hindu extremists… this has emboldened [the extremists] to attack religious minorities especially the Christians and Muslims.

Do you think government policies or society’s attitudes are the biggest issue for minority communities?

Some state governments have passed anti-conversion laws called Freedom of Religion Acts, mainly to prohibit conversions by force, inducement, allurement and fraudulent means. In states where these acts are in force, Hindu extremists falsely accuse Christians

In Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, states which reported highest number of incidents of Christian persecution [in 2018], mobs led by RSS or its affiliates forcefully enter the house churches shouting Hindu slogans, disrupting the prayer services, attacking the pastors and believers and forcing police to file cases against Christians.

What story has touched you the most?

Each story is heartbreaking.

In Tamil Nadu, a noted Hindutva leader’s aide attempted to rape a pastor’s wife. The Christian was kicked in her abdomen, her saree was stripped off and she was kicked to the floor. But police registered a counter case against the victim based on the complaint given by the [would be] rapist. The network of Christian lawyers, synod

Religious minorities ‘feel unsafe in India since the BJP came to power in 2014

’

leaders, and the victim’s family contacted the superintendent of police seeking fair investigation and justice, yet the victim and her husband were charged under non-bailable sections of Indian penal code.

How do you see the situation for India’s religious minorities developing in the next five to ten years?

India is going for general elections in 2019, and situation for religious minorities over the next five years would largely depend on who comes to power. Good governance is important to uphold the constitutional values of secularism and equality. India needs leaders who understand that protection of religious rights is protection of citizens and individuals.

Our manifesto #11

We believe we can all play a part in campaigning for freedom of religion or belief.

15

Feature: United Nations

Speaking truth to power: CSW at the UN You’ve been praying for our UN work for years, and in April 2017 we saw one of the biggest answers to those prayers when CSW was granted Special Consultative Status – a form of UN accreditation – after many years. As you may know, the UN is key to much of CSW’s work.

We sat down with Claire, our United Nations Officer, to find out more.

Can you tell me a bit about your job and what you do at the UN? I represent CSW at the UN in Geneva and in New York. I take CSW’s research and analysis and try to influence UN policy makers, world leaders and state representatives to take freedom of religion or belief seriously, and to act on our recommendations.

When I am at the UN, I arrange private meetings with different country representatives and give evidence at the Human Rights Council. I also provide written reports on the countries we work on, as well as on individual cases of concern, which allows the UN to investigate further; and I support the work of UN experts who promote and protect freedom of religion or belief. Because we hold UN accreditation, CSW is able to host seminars and panel discussions which country representatives and other NGOs are invited to attend. There’s always a lot going on!

16

Why does CSW work with the UN? The United Nations is an international organisation currently made up of 193 Member States, and it is huge – tackling issues ranging from peace and security to climate change and food production. As such, the credible evidence and research provided by NGOs who have expertise in these different situations is vital. What’s more, we can push for accountability where a state fails to protect and promote the rights of its citizens.

CSW is privileged to hold Special Consultative Status, which enables us to speak directly to the UN on issues relating to freedom of religion or belief.

The main forum we engage with is the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva. Consultative status enables us to engage in this arena, which is fantastic as there’s nothing else quite like it internationally.

One criticism we sometimes hear of the UN is that it’s not effective – it’s just bureaucrats who make decisions that don’t make any difference to real people. How would you answer that?

While the system is not perfect, the UN’s mechanisms remain the foremost way of raising human rights issues around the world. I’ve had the privilege of taking human rights defenders and also victim-survivors of human rights abuses to the UN to share their stories and tell the international community what the real situation is for them in their country, the challenges they face on a daily basis and what the international community should do to ensure the situation improves. The difference this opportunity makes to the individuals and their communities is untold.

In March 2018, Yona G. Nati travelled with CSW to the HRC to tell the story of how his father was forcibly disappeared in Eritrea when Yona was just a teenager. He said, ‘Without the support of CSW I, or others like me, would never get the opportunity to voice the injustice that is committed by the head of states in our parts of the world.’

That said, CSW is concerned that many states who have repeatedly failed to show any commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights, including those of their own citizens, or any regard for international standards, have been recently elected to sit on the HRC. We will continue to

challenge this, and are calling for the UN to take this issue seriously and to ensure that membership of the Council does not become a means of protecting a state from scrutiny of its human rights record. We are also calling for states who do not fulfil their human rights responsibilities to lose their seat.

When were you last at the UN? What’s the latest?

In October I was at the UN in Geneva ahead of the next round of Universal Periodic Reviews (UPRs) with a CSW partner from Mexico. We held meetings to share our concerns and recommendations on the right to freedom of religion or belief, before Mexico’s UPR. The UPR process is one of my favourite UN mechanisms: it is the means by which each Member State has its human rights record examined every four years. NGOs can submit evidence which is collated into a report. The report is then debated for three hours, during which the state under review has to give an account for their actions. A final report, with recommendations of things that the state needs to improve upon, is published at the end of the process.

NGOs like CSW can then use this report to hold the state to account for the things it has promised to improve.

17

Get involved: 40 for 40 This year CSW celebrates our 40th anniversary! We’ve come a long way since our beginnings in 1979. We’ve worked with some amazing people and seen incredible developments both for ourselves and in the field of human rights – but there’s still a long way to go.

Donation bingo: Make a grid of 40 squares with amounts from £1 to £40, and hold a game of bingo with your friends.

There’s nothing wrong with a good old-fashioned bake sale: make 40 cakes (challenge yourself by trying to make 40 different types!) and sell them to family, friends and your church.

Or make small cakes and biscuits, and see how many you can sell for 40p each.

Get 40 people (friends, colleagues, random strangers) to do a 40 minute challenge. Try 40 push-ups or skipping for 40 minutes!

You could get together a flash mob of 40 people if you’re feeling really daring.

How about a sponsored 40 hour or 40 minute silence?

Try a 40 mile fundraiser run/cycle/ walk/etc: get sponsorship for every mile you cover.

18

Charity auctions are a tried and tested crowd pleaser: try to get 40 items!

Have a sponsored dress up day: dress like you’re from the 1940s or from CSW’s founding year, 1979.

Be sponsored to take up something new and challenging for 40 days, such as dancing or knitting.

If you turn 40 with us this year, we’d be honoured if you donated your birthday to us.

Round the world afternoon tea: Hold a tea- or coffee-tasting event featuring drinks from different countries CSW works on, such as Colombian coffee or Sri Lankan tea.

Charity walk with a difference: What would it look like to walk in the shoes of persecuted believers?

Participants could do a sponsored walk to church with a rucksack full of 40 Bibles, mirroring people who have long, arduous journeys to church, and those who smuggle Bibles into places where they’re forbidden.

We want to use our 40th birthday to really push for new breakthroughs in religious freedom all over the world, through advocacy, training, campaigning and more. The last 40 years have been amazing with your support: would you help us again this year?

Here’s some ideas for how you can get involved: MoneyMile: 1 mile of mixed copper coins (1 pence and 2 pence) makes over £1,000. Great for schools and children, youth and student groups.

Get sponsored to drink only water for 40 days. One of our amazing Ambassadors did this for a whole year!

Living room gigs: Get a talented musical friend or local band to play in your living room and charge £4 for

Share a ride for 40 days: Find someone you can car share with and donate the money that would have been spent on public transport.

Sweet tube: Buy a mega size Smarties/Buttons/Fruit Pastilles tube and fill it with all your loose change, or £1 coins until it’s full.

Sponsored sports tournament: For example, hold a football tournament between different churches in your area and charge £4 for entry.

Auction 40 minutes of your expertise: maybe you have a skill you can give a 40 minute lesson in, or you can spend 40 minutes cooking someone an amazing meal.

Swap shop: Get together with friends to swap your unwanted but still good condition clothes/household items.

Participants pay £4.

Themed nights: Choose a country CSW works on, and cook and show films connected to that country.

You could make a curry and watch a Bollywood film, or have fajitas and watch Pixar’s Coco or The Book of Life. Each participant donates £4.

Hold a popcorn fundraiser: Make various flavours of popcorn and sell them at a bake sale or after church.

Treasure hunt: Get permission from your church to hide 40 items within the grounds of the church, and charge £4 for entry.

We’d love to hear your ideas too. Could you even try a different challenge every day for 40 days? Get in touch on admin@csw.org.uk and tell us what you’re up to!

19

Our manifesto #9

We believe your voice holds unimaginable power and can save lives.

CSW is a human rights organisation advocating for freedom of religion or belief, and as Christians we stand with everyone facing injustice because of their religion or belief.

T +44 (0)20 8329 0010 @CSW_UK /CSWUK csw.org.uk

PO Box 99 New Malden Surrey, KT3 3YF United Kingdom