Christian Aid Ireland Magazine | Issue 64 | Autumn/Winter

Christian Aid Ireland Issue: Sixty-four

magazine

Autumn/Winter 2023

Global neighbours Working for justice United by hope

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Editorial 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.

e Give the gift of hopft Aid Charity Gi Choose a Christian world’s poorest to bring hope to the

Cookstove £15/€18

nt, More fuel efficie e tim g vin sa d, collecting firewoo re. tu na g vin sa d an

Train a Tailor £23/€27

Emergency Shelter £40/€48

To help them grow a business and break the cycle of poverty.

In conflict zones, refugee camps or during natural disasters.

You can choose between physical cards (which arrive by post) or e-cards (which arrive by email). Find out more at caid.ie/CharityGifts

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.

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El Roi (God who sees me)

Cork Hill View, Bandon, County Cork Email: cork@christian-aid.org NI Company no: NI059154 NI Charity Commission no: NIC101631 ROI Company no: 426928 ROI Charities Regulatory no: 20014162 Editor: Lisa Fagan Contributors: Ruth Cooke, Katie Cox, Paul Donohoe, Ross Fitzpatrick and Dave Thomas Cover: Kakoli Khatun in Bangladesh Credit: Christian Aid/Fabeha Monir

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D

uring one of the wettest summers on record in this part of the world, I travelled to the frontline of the climate crisis northern Kenya - where five failed rainy seasons had seen crops wilt and livestock die. This spring, the long-awaited rains finally came but with cruel irony, they resulted in flash flooding because the parched earth was unable to absorb the rainwater. The people I met were very anxious, wondering ‘Is this what our lives will now be like? Drought followed by floods?’

After Kenya, I travelled to South Sudan where I witnessed a growing crisis on the border with Sudan. People who’d fled fighting in Sudan were pouring into South Sudan, enduring atrocious conditions in displacement camps.

As these examples show, climate change and conflict are driving millions further into extreme poverty. In both countries, our partners are responding as best they can and you can read more on page 4.

Recently we gathered to thank our incredible volunteer fundraisers for the hard work that has so far raised

01 496 7040 (Dublin) 028 9064 8133 (Belfast)

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!

Christian Aid Ireland

possible thanks to the efforts of the global climate movement, to which we all belong. You can read more on page 11.

Truly, your generosity, your activism and your prayers are saving lives, changing lives and bringing hope. Thank you for everything you do to bring justice to the poor.

God bless,

Rosamond Bennett Chief Executive, Christian Aid Ireland

You are the God who sees me, Open my eyes to see those in need, Open my heart to love as you have loved,

Give us a call:

£330,000/€380,000 this Christian Aid Week. And that hasn’t been the only cause for celebration.

In September, our Church and Community Manager Dave Thomas was ordained a deacon and our former Church and Community Officer Jane Burns was ordained a minister, both in the Church of Ireland. We’re enormously proud of them both, and excited for them too as they begin their ministry.

In this issue of our magazine, we share some fantastic stories of the work your generosity makes possible. My favourite story comes from Bangladesh where young women are defying cultural expectations and taking control of their lives by setting up online businesses. You can read more on pages 8-9.

By the time you’re reading this magazine, our advocacy staff will be preparing to attend the UN’s COP28 climate summit. Last year, your voices joined the worldwide chorus that helped secure a Loss and Damage Fund to compensate countries affected by climaterelated disasters. Rich countries must now pledge the money needed to fill the Fund’s coffers but the progress made so far has only been

Open my hands to give as you have given, Open my mouth to speak up for the oppressed, Give me eyes like you Lord, To see those who are overlooked.

Amen

Autumn/Winter 2023

We’ve been phoning a lot of you over the summer months and we appreciate the opportunity to connect with you and hear your feedback. If you were happy to set up a direct debit to give regularly, or if you opted to increase your existing direct debit, we’re hugely grateful. Knowing what’s coming in helps us to plan what’s going out, so we can maximise the impact we make together in people’s lives. Thank you for planning ahead with us.

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tie Cox

Adut (back left) pictur

ed with family memb

28-year-old Adut and her family were living in Sudan’s capital Khartoum when the fighting broke out. Speaking from Joda, she said: ‘We came here out of fear because every day there is gunfire. Sudan is in bad shape and we don’t want to go back there ever again.’

With your help, Christian Aid’s local partner Lutheran World Federation gave cash to families

ers at South Sudan’s

Joda border crossing

.

in Renk so that they can buy food and other essentials, and handed out dignity kits containing soap and sanitary towels for women and girls. With Irish Aid funds, another local partner is also providing cash to support people living in a camp in the north-west of the country. ian Aid

Credit: Katie Cox/Christ

Recovering from drought and floods in Kenya T he last two and half years have seen the Horn of Africa grapple with the worst drought to hit the region in 70 years. At its height, over 23 million people were facing food shortages, including five million people in Kenya where 2.6 million valuable livestock perished.

While the recent rainy season finally allowed pastures in northern Kenya to recover, it also resulted in flash flooding that damaged homes and impacted many communities that had

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Incredible response to Turkey-Syria earthquake

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barely survived the drought.

With Irish Aid funds, our local partner PACIDA provided Christian Aid Ireland Chief Executive Rosamond over 60 self-help Bennett with 15-year-old Felista Lengerpei, one of the girls given reusable sanitary towels by the Feya groups with financial self-help group so they never need to miss school support to carry out during their period. projects of benefit to their communities during impacted by drought. As well as this difficult time. containing a jerrycan to collect In the village of Ngurnit in water and bars of soap, the kit Marsabit county, the Feya selfincluded reusable sanitary towels help group used their grant so that girls don’t ever need to to give hygiene kits to families miss school during their period.

Christian Aid Ireland

he earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria in early February caused widespread devastation.

At least 58,000 men, women and children died. Homes, hospitals and schools were destroyed.

Lives were changed forever.

The situation was particularly grim in north-west Syria, which was already struggling with the impact of more than 12 years of war.

In the days that followed the earthquake, Christian Aid’s local partners were on the ground supporting relief efforts. Over the six months that followed, they reached more than 60,000 people in northwest Syria and another 5,000 people in southern Turkey.

Our partner Hurras Network

Autumn/Winter 2023

provided emotional support to thousands of children in north-west Syria and helped even more catch up on their disrupted education.

Our emergency response was only possible thanks to funding from key donors,

including Irish Aid and the Irish Emergency Alliance, as well as the generosity of Christian Aid Ireland supporters and our sponsoring churches who donated an incredible £600,000/€700,000 to our earthquake appeal.

rk

Credit: Christian Aid/Ka

he Nova Kakhovka dam was destroyed in June, causing widespread flooding across southern Ukraine. Over 4,000 houses were flooded, forcing tens of thousands of people to abandon their homes as well as damaging the water supply to nearly a million people. Christian Aid’s partners were immediately on hand to respond and even evacuated some of those stranded by the floods.

Iryna Dobrohorska, Christian Aid’s Ukraine A woman provided with Country Response Director, said: ‘The floods drinking water by our started while our partner was out delivering local partner following the food. They filled up their van with as many destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam. people as they could take back to safety.’

Thanks to your donations, our partners reached nearly 10,000 people with emergency support in the weeks that followed the dam collapse, handing out food, water, bedding and medicine.

Your generosity has allowed our partners to reach nearly one million people in Ukraine and neighbouring countries since the Russian invasion began.

Credit: Hurras Netwo

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n April, fighting erupted in Sudan which has so far forced over four million people to flee their homes. While the majority are displaced within Sudan, more than one million have sought refuge in neighbouring countries, including South Sudan.

Most of those arriving in South Sudan are returning South Sudanese nationals. They are entering the country through the Joda border crossing in Upper Nile state before ending up in displacement sites in the nearby town of Renk.

Credit: Heritage Ukraine/Blythswood Care

Helping save lives after Ukraine dam collapse

Responding to crisis at South Sudan’s border

Children attending a summer school run by Christian Aid’s local partner.

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Putting people before palm oil in Sierra Leone I

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nowledge Chikondo lives with his wife and three children in Kondo village, Mudzi district, eastern Zimbabwe. Knowledge struggled to make a living as a farmer until he was helped by a Christian Aid funded project called BRACT, which is run by a group of four local partner organisations including Bio-Innovation Zimbabwe (BIZ) and Silveira House.

Knowledge details the challenges he faced. He said: ‘When I first started farming, life was really tough. The weather was erratic. Some years, we received decent rainfall but other years we got only a few very intense storms and then nothing. I was growing groundnuts and sorghum but yields were poor and the income I got was too low to support my family. I had a real problem finding decent markets and the buyers I approached offered very low prices for my products.’

The 35-year-old farmer heard about the BRACT project when BIZ came to his village to survey the types of wild fruits 6

Credit: Christian Aid/David Brazier

Boosting incomes in Zimbabwe Knowledge Chikondo’s income has grown since our partner trained him how to harvest and process wild-growing plums whose seeds contain a valuable oil used in making cosmetics.

that were available locally, such as a plum called Nhengeni (Ximmenia caffra). Nhengeni seeds contain a valuable oil that has anti-ageing properties and is used in making cosmetics.

‘The good thing about wild fruit is that it grows on its own without any input from people.

All you have to do is make sure the trees don’t get damaged and harvest the bounty each year,’ said Knowledge. ‘I used to love eating Nhengeni fruits when I was a kid herding cattle with my friends but I never thought you could actually make money out of them until BRACT came along.’

Knowledge and his wife have been trained on harvesting and preparing the seeds and they work together. He has also received training from Silveira House, another partner involved with the BRACT project. They

have trained him to be a welder, which provides him with an additional source of income.

As part of the project, he is part of a collective that shares welding equipment and he’s also a member of a savings and loan group. Knowledge hopes to save enough money to buy a welding kit of his own and set up a welding business.

Knowledge explains how his life has improved: ‘I can provide for my family, pay school fees for my children, household expenses and invest in my other projects.’

He also feels that his participation in the project has raised his standing in the community and he is better respected.

‘When I first started collecting wild fruits, my friends thought it was foolish but now that they have seen my success, they all want to join in,’ he said.

Christian Aid Ireland

n 2011, the Luxembourgbased palm oil producer Socfin won the right from the Sierra Leone government to lease thousands of hectares of land in Malen Chiefdom in the south of the country.

However, many in Malen immediately denounced the agreement as illegitimate. Some denied that they had consented to the leasing of their land, while others claimed that they had been pressured and even intimidated into it.

More than 30,000 people in over 50 villages have been impacted by the plantation, which has resulted in the pollution of the local environment as well as the destruction of farmland.

‘Malen is now just a sea of palm trees,’ said Joseph Rahall, Executive Director of local campaigning organisation Green Scenery. Christian Aid supports Green Scenery with Irish Aid funding in their efforts to help people in Malen gain greater control over their land leases.

‘Since leasing their land, many families have been unable to feed themselves and many had no choice but to leave the area in order to survive,’ Joseph said.

A loss of harvest to sell at market also means a loss of income and it is estimated that up to 400 people have abandoned Malen since the arrival of the plantation because they were no longer able to support themselves.

Among them was Hawa Sannoh.

‘I left Malen because the chief Autumn/Winter 2023

took my father’s farmland. His land was sold without his consent. He was left with nothing,’ she said.

Hawa is among 300 women impacted by the arrival of the palm plantation who have joined a savings and loans scheme, giving them access to the cash they need to set up businesses and to pay for essentials during emergencies.

The savings and loans scheme will be funded by donations raised by the Presbyterian Church in Ireland’s annual World

Development Appeal and run

by Christian Aid’s local partner the Council of Churches in Sierra Leone.

Despite the hardships faced by the villages of Malen since the arrival of the plantation, recent campaign successes have led to increased hopes for the future.

Green Scenery led a campaign for political parties in Sierra Leone to make a manifesto commitment to enshrine land rights in law. In September 2022, this led to the creation of two new land laws, designed to help empower local farmers to negotiate the value of their land. The new land laws also guarantee that women and men can jointly register ownership of their land.

Hawa Sannoh left Malen after the arrival of the Socfin palm oil plantation.

Hawa is being supported through a savings and loan project that will be funded through donations to the Presbyterian Church in Ireland’s World Development Appeal.

Credit: Presbyterian Church in Ireland/Chris Nelson

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Christmas Appeal

Kakoli Khatun (in red) runs an online business making traditional Bengali quilts.

Please get involved in our Christmas appeal by making a donation or sharing this story in your church or community group. Everything you need, including four Advent films about Kakoli and other young women like her, can be found at caid.ie/Christmas

Credit: Christian Aid/Fabeha Monir

Bangladesh’s material girls

I didn’t have any dreams a few years ago because I didn’t have any money.

Today, I have a dream to grow this business so I can support my parents.

In one of the poorest and most severely flood-affected areas of Bangladesh, women are embracing new technology to revive an ancient art form, helping them overcome both poverty and prejudice.

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akoli Khatun comes from a region of northern Bangladesh beset by devastating annual flooding as well as high levels of extreme poverty and child marriage. However, this 21-year-old is defying expectations by combining a successful new business venture with studying at university.

Kakoli is passionate about preserving nakshi kantha, the centuries-old Bengali art of quilt making which involves

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embroidering old cloth with thread. She said: ‘Nakshi kantha is from an old era and it’s getting lost but if we can make it and sell it, it will spread.’

Christian Aid’s local partner, Aid Comilla gave Kakoli the training, technology and money she needed to set up an online business. As one of Aid Comilla’s ‘change agents’, Kakoli then recruited and trained nine other women from her village to join her new business.

Things used to be very different for Kakoli: ‘I didn’t have any dreams a few years ago because I didn’t have any money.

To do something, I had to ask for money from my brothers and father. Today, I have a dream to grow this business so I can support my parents.’

The turnaround in Kakoli’s fortunes is particularly impressive given that she lives in Kurigram, Bangladesh’s most impoverished district where 60% of the population are landless and over half live in extreme poverty.

Christian Aid Ireland

The climate crisis is pushing people in Kurigram further into poverty. Higher global temperatures bring heavier monsoon rains, and when the mighty swollen rivers reach this low-lying area, they burst their banks, damaging houses, destroying crops and leaving hundreds of thousands of people stranded.

This combination of material poverty and a poverty of expectation for women and girls helps to explain why Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world.

Over half of all girls are married before turning 18 and 22% are married by the age of 15.

Child marriage normally spells Autumn/Winter 2023

the end of a girl’s education as she takes on the domestic duties of a wife and mother.

Kakoli avoided an early marriage by convincing her parents to allow her to study instead: ‘My parents aren’t educated,’ she said. ‘They saw a lot of girls get married around us so they think that their daughter has grown up and needs to be married. I told my parents I don’t want to marry.

I want to study. I’m in the first year of my degree course and next I want to do a Master’s.’

Across Kurigram, literacy rates are just 65%. This is why Kakoli wants girls to stay in education for as long as possible.

She said ‘If girls get married early, they don’t understand the value of education and when they have daughters of their

own, they make them marry early. The literacy rate drops gradually. If we’re educated, our children will be too.’

Women like Kakoli are working together to take control of their lives. Already, Christian Aid’s support has enabled Aid Comilla to reach nearly 6,000 women. But this Christmas, there are so many other women around the world who urgently need the same opportunity.

With your help, we can train more young change-makers, provide more women with smart phones and build more internet hubs to connect them with a better future. In turn, these young women will go on to train others like them and light the path to change.

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Credit: Christian Aid/Malumbo Simwaka

Money still needed for ‘Loss and Damage’

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Credit: Christian Aid/ Watipaso Nungu

hectares of farmland were damaged.

Working through local partners, Christian Aid reached thousands of people impacted by the cyclone, giving out cash to buy food and other essentials, and distributing water purification supplies and nutritious food to those most vulnerable to malnutrition, A woman affected by Cyclone Freddy including new mothers supported by Christian Aid’s local partner. and young children.

Christian Aid and our partners will be at the We will also be campaigning to negotiations at COP28 in Dubai advance other key elements of the climate justice agenda, including this December to demand increasing the amount of money governments across the world, given to developing countries to including Ireland and the UK, help them adapt to the worsening cough up the money needed impact of extreme weather to make the Loss and Damage and phasing out fossil fuels.

Fund a reality, so communities We’re grateful to all of you like those impacted by Cyclone who stood with us and continue Freddy are able to get back on to stand up and speak out their feet and rebuild in the for what is just and right. aftermath of climate disasters.

Christian Aid Ireland

Christian Aid Ireland CEO Rosamond Bennett in northern Kenya this summer.

Sham protest for a real problem C hristian Aid Ireland took part in a mock protest in May to raise awareness of human rights abuses linked to large companies.

Organised by the Irish Coalition for Business and Human

Credit: Trócaire/Mark Stedman

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ogether with our supporters, we have campaigned for the introduction of a Loss and Damage Fund and last year a historic decision was reached at the UN annual global climate summit to create a fund to compensate communities devastated by climate disasters, so they have the money they need to rebuild their lives.

Disappointingly, despite all the promises made at COP27 in Egypt, little concrete progress has been made by the UN Committee set up to get the fund up and running.

This delay will only compound the struggles faced by countries who are being left to foot the bill for a climate crisis not of their making.

One such country is Malawi, which is responsible for less than 1% of global emissions. In February, Malawi was struck by Cyclone Freddy which caused severe flooding, killing more than 1,000 people. More than 650,000 people were forced to abandon their homes, and 200,000

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ollowing a visit to East Africa in June, Christian Aid Ireland’s CEO Rosamond Bennett spoke to members of the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence to alert them to the humanitarian crisis along South Sudan’s border. Rosamond also used her platform to amplify the ongoing needs of people in northern Kenya still struggling with the long-term impact of drought.

Rosamond was part of a delegation from Dóchas, an umbrella group for aid agencies in Ireland.

Dóchas called on the Irish government to deliver on its commitment to spend 0.7% of Gross National Income on overseas development by 2030.

Dóchas also demanded Ireland deliver on its climate finance commitments, which already fall far short of its global fair share, and to urgently scale-up Ireland’s humanitarian funding to countries impacted by conflict and those vulnerable to famine and natural disasters.

Credit: Christian Aid/Katie Cox

Above: Houses in a village in southern Malawi damaged

by Cyclone Freddy.

Calling for an increased aid budget

Autumn/Winter 2023

Rights, the satirical stunt saw ‘protestors’ march against plans by fictional company ‘Sham Palm Industries’ to create a palm oil plantation in Dublin’s muchloved St Stephen’s Green.

The aim of the stunt was to make people aware of the serious impacts of palm oil plantations around the world, including deforestation and forcing people from their lands.

Christian Aid Ireland has long campaigned for the introduction of a law to end corporate abuse, and the stunt was held in advance of a key vote at the European Parliament on a draft law that would require companies to prevent human rights and environmental abuses along their entire ‘value chain’, which includes everything from the extraction of raw materials to the making and transporting of goods.

Christian Aid Ireland’s Policy and Advocacy Officer Ross Fitzpatrick (left) at the mock protest in St Stephen’s Green in Dublin.

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Supporter stories

Our magnificent Magherafelt supporters held a church collection and street collection which raised more than £1,100.

Special mention goes to Beth McIlrath (2nd from right), our representative at St Swithin’s Church of Ireland.

In County Monaghan, those Ballybay Bighearts have done it again! Our supporters at four Presbyterian churches raised nearly €11,000 with their annual coffee morning and sale. Their total was boosted by a number of large donations by generous individuals with links to the churches.

Denis and Cherry Poynton (pictured here with their minister, Rev Andrew Gill) held a coffee morning at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Blackrock, Dublin which raised nearly €1,000 for our work.

Denis and Cherry’s fundraising events are never ‘disa-poynton’.

In Belfast, St John’s Presbyterian Church, Newtownbreda raised almost £5,300 with a soup lunch for the congregation, as well as a house-to-house collection, a street collection and an outdoor coffee morning for the local community. Huge thanks to our representative Jennifer Cairnduff (right) and to everyone who gave so ‘jenn-erously’.

Terrific Traudi Ferguson, our representative at St Bartholomew’s Church in Ballsbridge, Dublin, organised a lunch which raised €1,100.

We’re also grateful to Rev Andrew McCroskery and all his parishioners for their generosity.

Our wonderful Waterford supporters raised nearly €1,200 with their coffee morning.

Huge thanks go to Maureen Doherty (left), our representative at St Carthage’s Cathedral in Lismore.

We’re grateful to all the kind folk in Doagh. Members of Kilbride Presbyterian Church in County Antrim raised £1,100 with a soup lunch attended by more than 100 people. Special thanks to our representative Freddie Stirling (2nd from right).

Wendy Thompson from Newtownards, County Down ran the London marathon in April, raising £1,700 for our work. It was Wendy’s first marathon and she reached the finish line in just over 6 hours. Congratulations Wendy on your amazing feat of ‘w-endurance’.

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Christian Aid Ireland

In Enniscorthy, County Wexford, eight young parishioners helped Rev Canon Nicola Halford organise a breakfast event which raised almost €1,250. Their fundraising is ‘bacon’ the world a better place.

Our supporters in Lisburn, County Antrim certainly haven’t been ‘desserting’ us.

The congregation of Seymour Street Methodist Church raised nearly £750 with a table quiz in the spring.

Some of those attending prepared delicious homemade desserts which were served at supper time.

Autumn/Winter 2023

You can read more su pporter stories like these at:

facebook.com/Christ

ianAidIreland

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Pamela is bloomin’ marvellous F

or 11 years, Pamela Gray has been our organiser in Ballyclare, County Antrim where she coordinates the fundraising efforts of ten local churches, which together have raised almost £90,000 for our work.

Pamela, who is a part-time music teacher, also organises carol singing each Christmas at Belfast International Airport and at a local garden centre which has brought in almost £8,000.

Some years ago, Pamela visited our projects in Zimbabwe to

see for herself the impact of her fundraising.

Although she will continue with the carol singing, Pamela is stepping down from her role as Ballyclare organiser.

To mark her retirement from her voluntary post, we presented her with some flowers against this beautiful backdrop at Chocoa Café in Ballymena. Pamela, we think you’re bloomin’ marvellous!

A Just Word

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recently travelled to Sierra Leone and met Hawa. She and her three children were forced off their land by a large company.

She felt hopeless, yet she was determined to improve her situation. She followed behind those processing palm nuts and took what was discarded to earn some money. She joined a 14

he rector of Aughrim and Creagh Parish Union in County Galway was among a number of supporters who helped us raise awareness of this year’s Christian Aid Week story.

The Venerable John Godfrey shared a photo with a pea pod in place of his normal smile to demonstrate how ‘happea’ he was for pigeon pea farmers in Malawi who have received a higher income for their harvest since joining a Christian Aid-supported cooperative.

Also celebrating was Gabriel Mwase who was born in Malawi and is now a member of Aughrim and Creagh Parish Union.

Christian Aid supported savings and loans group which provided friends and helped her manage her money. It reminded me of Ruth in the Bible.

Ruth found herself in a new place, seemingly hopeless. Yet

Ruth Cooke is our Head of Fundraising and Supporter Engagement

she was resolute and because of her determination and our God of justice, she was provided for. We might feel hopeless in the face of our situation - or the injustice in the world – but we believe and trust in a God who loves justice and has compassion.

You can read more about Hawa’s story on page 7.

Christian Aid Ireland

A powerful gift for neighbours near and far

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he retired Rev Roger Gayler is urging Christians to consider leaving gifts in their Will, both to their church and to Christian Aid. Here, we tell the story of his lifelong support for our work.

Roger Gayler’s commitment to tackling poverty and injustice began when he was a teenager and a member of the youth group in his church.

In 1959, the UN declared World Refugee Year to draw attention to the 40 million displaced people who’d been living in camps since the end of the Second World War. Many lived in Europe, others in North Africa, the Middle East, Hong Kong and China, often in appalling conditions and facing chronic illness such as tuberculosis.

To raise awareness of their plight, Roger’s church put on a play called ‘People of Nowhere’ and Roger played the role of an extra. He was only 15 but already his life’s work to bring justice to the poor had begun.

After World Refugee Year, Roger’s church resolved to continue their work by supporting Christian Aid. He said: ‘We realised that there would be hungry, poor and disadvantaged people for many years.’

Roger began taking part in Christian Aid Week house-tohouse collections in 1962. ‘It got into my bloodstream and became part of my life’, he said.

Each year, when the parcel of Christian Aid Week resources would arrive, Roger enjoyed dreaming up ways to bring the theme to life. Once, when the Autumn/Winter 2023

message was ‘don’t turn your back on the other half of the world’, Roger shaved off half his beard to raise awareness. Another year, he and his church put on an open-air funeral procession to highlight the issue of infant mortality in some of the world’s poorest countries.

By 1974, Roger had been ordained a minister in the Church of England, and had set up a band called Crossfire which performed in pubs and churches to raise funds for our work.

There have been changes in the line-up since then but Roger is still playing for Crossfire and still raising funds for our work.

Why did Roger choose to support Christian Aid? He replied simply: ‘It’s the church in action. Besides, our church wanted to show that although charity begins at home, it doesn’t stop there and it goes all the way around the world.’

Roger likes the Christian Aid approach in which people living in poverty and crisis define their own needs, and believes that Christian Aid is needed now as never before. He said: ‘I’ve never had to worry but many people worry where the next meal is coming from. When will the rains come? Will there be floods? When will the war end? If we can provide hope for people, we must.’

Roger has pledged a gift in his Will to both his church and to Christian Aid. He explained his reasons: ‘The gifts I’m leaving to my church and Christian Aid complement each other. We’re all working together to show God’s love in our own communities and across the world.’

This Harvest season, we are inviting our supporters to join us in putting faith into action – by considering leaving a gift in your Will to your church and Christian Aid. Gifts in Wills are a powerful way for our faith to live on and can create change that lasts for generations. For more information and resources, visit caid.ie/ harvest. Alternatively, email giftsinwills@ christian-aid.org or call 028 9064 8133 (Belfast) or 01 496 7040 (Dublin).

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If you hope for change in the world...

Will it.

Hope is an unstoppable force.

Hope unites us.

Hope fuels action.

Hope makes change possible.

Turn your lifetime of hope into the change you want to see in the world with a gift in your Will.

Our free resources will make leaving a gift in your Will easy. Visit: caid.ie/giftsinwills