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Editor’s letter
Christian Aid News is printed on 100 per cent recycled paper
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■ 10 SPECIAL REPORT REGULARS ■ 4 NEWS Christmas Appeal... drought crisis in Afghanistan... a campaign hat trick... and other stories ■ 8 OPINION The Chancellor, Gordon Brown, writes about new initiatives in the fight against poverty and injustice ■ 20 CAMPAIGNS: 4-PAGE SPECIAL There was £50 million worth of good news for Christian Aid supporters who gathered in London for a march on the Treasury ■ 22 CAMPAIGNS: ON THE ROAD During one of the hottest summers on record, Christian Aid didn’t laze around working on its tan, but took its campaign for trade justice to the country’s top pop festivals ■ 24 REFLECTION Chair of the Christian Aid board Bishop John Gladwin asks: are we Christian enough, relevant to today’s issues and too political?
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■ 26 DO THE RIGHT THING Praise for Christian Aid’s eco-house and garden... a recycling drive... and Present Aid ideas for Christmas
Picture: Christian Aid/Tom Pietrasik
A YEAR AGO I used an image from one of the many refugee camps in Darfur on the cover of Christian Aid News. Twelve months on, the tragedy that has been called ‘the world’s worst humanitarian crisis’ again provides a haunting front-page reminder that whatever nature can inflict upon us, noone does a disaster better than mankind itself. Tsunamis come and earthquakes go, but despite the appalling loss of life and suffering natural disasters leave in their wake, things do – slowly, and not without a huge effort in relief and reconstruction – get better, as our updates on rebuilding work in Pakistan and India show. The point is that whenever nature does her worst, man usually does his best. But nothing beats the self-inflicted wounds of a war for heaping prolonged suffering upon millions of people. Again, it’s the poor and the most vulnerable who bear the brunt of our apparent inability to solve a crisis without bombs and guns. In a special nine-page report, Christian Aid staff report on how we are responding to the challenges of war and peace – helping those displaced by fighting such as Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka and the thousands living in camps in Darfur, supporting long-term peace projects in Sierra Leone, and trying to change attitudes towards women’s rights in Afghanistan. Elsewhere, we report on some notable successes on the campaigning front and look back at how the trade justice message hit the road this summer. Finally, even with the sun still shining warmly through my window, it really is time to think about Christmas. But if the prospect of consumer overload is depressing you, don’t forget our Christmas appeal (see page 4), and do your shopping via our Present Aid catalogue, where your gifts can help bring lasting change to those who need it most. Roger Fulton, editor
Contents Winter 2006 Issue 34
■ 28 INPUT Your letters and emails ■ 29 EVENTS Where to go and what to see ■ 30 FINAL WORD With Diarmuid Gavin, plus a life-giving partnership
FEATURES ■ 10 SPECIAL REPORT: WAR AND PEACE Stories from around the world on work being done to help people rebuild lives broken by conflicts from Sudan to Sri Lanka (above), Lebanon to Sierra Leone ■ 19 NEWS EXTRA: TSUNAMI RELIEF How Christian Aid is targeting its help towards the most needy
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Christian Aid works with the world’s poorest people in more than 50 countries, regardless of race or faith. We tackle the causes and consequences of poverty and injustice. We are part of ACT International, the ecumenical relief network.
■ Cover Young refugees in a Darfur camp. Picture: Christian Aid/David Rose ■ Pictures Robin Prime ■ Subeditor Louise Parfitt ■ Circulation Ben Hayward ■ Design & production David Lloyd/Circle Publishing, 020 8332 2709 ■ Christian Aid head office 35 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RL ■ Tel 020 7620 4444 ■ Fax 020 7620 0719 ■ Email info@christian-aid.org ■ Stay in touch with us online > News, campaigns and resources www.christianaid.org.uk ■ Christian and ethical service provider www.surefish.co.uk ■ Children and schools www.globalgang.org.uk ■ Our campaigning and student website www.pressureworks.org
Christian Aid News
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