Christian Aid Week 2020 is moving online! Christian Aid will be live-streaming worship each day during the Week (10 – 16 May), and hosting a fun daily quiz to join and raise funds. Please join in to show love for our neighbours near and far, as a global family.
Fundraising is more important than ever this year.
The coronavirus pandemic means that we cannot run activities such as the house-to-house collection, cake and plant sale, sponsored walk (Circle the City) and even our barn dance has had to be postponed! So it is up to all of us to do what we can to support Christian Aid Week this year.
e-Envelope
Help to raise vital funds by sending your friends and family a personalised message in an e-Envelope. It's easy to use – just go to http://envelope.christianaid.org.uk, create your message and send it by email or share the link on social media. The money raised will help people to overcome poverty and injustice, wherever the need is greatest.
Other ways to give to Christian Aid
Telephone: call 020 7523 2269 to donate using your bank card.
BACS transfer: call 020 7523 2226 to pay directly into Christian Aid's bank account.
Cheque: if you cannot give by the methods above, but would like to donate by cheque, this is possible if you send your donation directly to Christian Aid, PO Box 100, London, SE1 7RT. Be sure to let them know if your donation qualifies for Gift Aid.
How Christian Aid is helping in Bangladesh with the coronavirus crisis
As a result of violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State, about 1 million Rohingya people were forced from their homes and crossed the border into Bangladesh. The root causes of their plight in Myanmar have not been addressed and their future remains uncertain. While the refugees in Bangladesh have access to basic food and health care, they are still extremely vulnerable and are dependent on aid. Currently, over 850,000 Rohingya people live in crammed camps in Cox's Bazar district, the world's largest refugee camp. While they have access to basic food and healthcare, they are highly vulnerable to coronavirus. Working together with partners, Christian Aid is informing people in the camps about the risks, offering hygiene and hand washing sessions, ensuring that the health facilities have triage and isolation spaces in order to receive suspected cases, and providing training to health personnel and key frontline aid workers.
Christian Aid's work in Kenya – Florence's story
Climate change hasn't gone away. Some people are feeling the effects of the changing climate more than others. Droughts are now more frequent and more intense, and one place that has experienced this is Kenya. Without water, staple crops like maize and beans wither up and die. People can't grow food, which means they can't earn a living, and go hungry. Drought forces people to walk further and further to collect water. This daily burden robs them of the chance to farm and grow food for their families. Elderly women and children are especially vulnerable on these dangerous and exhausting journeys.
What happens when the search for water does not consume people's lives? We can find out by meeting Florence, a woman who has transformed her life with access to a dam full of water. A few years ago, Florence's husband died. At that time, she had no water to grow crops and had to walk for hours to collect water.
Things changed when Christian Aid's local faith-based partner, Anglican Development Services – Eastern, worked with her community to build a dam, just 30 minutes from Florence's house. Using water from the dam, Florence grows tomatoes, onions and chillies on her farm. Her children can eat healthy, nutritious vegetables, and she has enough left to sell. Florence also uses the dam to keep honey bees: the microclimate of plants created by the dam means the bees don't need to search long distances for nectar. She sells the rich, golden honey at the market. Smiling brightly, she says: "I have been sustained by the earth dam. My life has changed. I am very happy. You can see it in my face: my face is shining. I have strength and power."
Florence is a generous woman of faith. She knows others are struggling to cope with the drought, and hopes they will experience the same blessings she has received. "I am thankful to people who have donated to build this earth dam. I am praying God will increase their giving."
Please give generously this Christian Aid Week.
* £4.40 could teach 10 farmers like Florence how to plant drought-tolerant crops
* £10 could buy a tap at a water point which will be installed at an earth dam, making it easier for people to fetch water
* £1,560 could pay for all the materials, tools and equipment to build an earth dam
Every pound raised, every prayer said, every action taken: these are expressions of our Christian love and compassion, of our belief that all life is equal and precious in the sight of God.
