World Humanitarian Day

by | Aug 19, 2009 | Social Justice

I’m having a crazy week, so forgive me if I’m not around here much. I’ll update ya as much as I can, though I’m having issues with the WordPress app on my phone, so it might be a bit sparse.

Kampala

I wanted to highlight that today is World Humanitarian Day. I’ve been reading about it a bit as I got back to work today, and as I tried to think what I could share, I realised that Neil Barry said it a lot better than I could…

“On this World Humanitarian Day I remember what makes humanitarian workers different – they are prepared to risk their lives for the convictions of their work.”

Read the rest of his blog on the DFID website. I’ve got so many memories of the short bursts of work I’ve done in the field, and so many more of the campaigning, advocacy and fundraising work I’ve been doing here in the UK. How about you – what do you think of World Humanitarian Day?

Poverty Monologues

by | Aug 5, 2009 | Social Justice, Work

One of the latest little projects I’ve been working on is the Poverty Monologues…

Poverty Monologues logo

Poverty Monologues is a piece devised, written and performed by eight 18-25 year olds who have lived and worked in remote communities in Ghana, South Africa, India and Peru as part of the Platform2 programme. Starting off as a workshop at the post-trip residential (Express) “Poverty Monologues” became synonymous with the profound impact of their experiences. Over the last 6 months this has produced a deluge of emotive monologues and songs- inspired by the stories they heard and the people they met and grew to love on their Platform2 journey. The result is real life stories boldly brought to life, viscerally conveying the joys and woes of those living in another world. Join us at Edinburgh Festival for Poverty Monologues’ worldwide premiere!

Stop by the site I’ve been working on, www.povertymonologues.com, leave a comment on the blog, and most importantly – buy a ticket & come see the show!

Goodbye, Congo

by | Jun 27, 2009 | Africa, Social Justice, Travel, Work

Friday was my last day as a Christian Aid gapper… and I’m a little sad to see it come to an end.

It has been a whirlwind of a year, and feels like only yesterday I was sat on the roof of the office in London, starting to get to know some of these other gappers I’d be working alongside. I remember Adam with the pegs on his nose. I remember Anita wearing a flag as a cape. I remember Granda Gapper Robert’s enthusiasm.

Kinshasa roof

Then there was the DRC. Two weeks was nowhere near long enough, but what a glimpse we got of the country. A land of great contrast. Of potential. Generous people who welcomed us with open arms. Stunning scenery. Inspiring partners. And Congo wasn’t just about the partners… it was about the gappers. Sitting under the stars talking until late. The game show to end all game shows. Enjoying a beer over a game of Mafia.

Friendships to last a lifetime.

Be Inspired!

by | May 14, 2009 | Social Justice, Work

Ten reasons to be inspired this Christian Aid Week…

  • Nearly £15 million is raised – a sixth of our income in just seven days…
  • 300,000 people care enough to go door-to-door in their community, raising over two-thirds of CAW’s amazing total
  • These 300,000 people, raising £10 million, make CAW the largest house-to-house collection, raising the most amount of money, in the UK and Ireland.
  • Many of these same people, and others, organise Quizaids, book sales, plant sales, sponsored walks and every conceivable fundraising event you can imagine.
  • Many of these people do this year after year, making Christian Aid Week the central focus on development for most local communities in the UK and Ireland every year for over 50 years.
  • Over 10 million households (around 41% of the total in the UK and Ireland) receive a red envelope bringing Christian Aid’s voice to their doormat, and over 1 million respond.
  • The media covers stories from the Hebrides to Hastings and Grimsby to Galway of people making a difference where they are so that others can build a future where they are.
  • 22,000 churches (half of the total number in England) work together to help poor communities, resulting in over 1 million Christians hearing about Christian Aid in their churches during May.
  • And many of these churches, as well as fundraising, campaign using prayer and action cards, and focus on justice issues in their Sunday worship.
  • Our partners and beneficiaries find inspiration in our supporters, as well as the other way round.
    ‘Do you mean to say that in Christian Aid Week, respectable church people go out onto the streets to beg on behalf of the world’s poor?’ [Comment from Santiago, Chile]

    • Find out how you can get involved at www.caweek.org!