![Supporting communities facing recurring drought in Marsabit, Kenya [CAFOD]](http://cafod.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/climate-change-photos-diocese-of-marsabit-sept-08-001-small.jpg "Supporting communities facing recurring drought in Marsabit, Kenya [CAFOD]")
We are appealing for £1 million to support our partners who are helping as around 3.8 million people battle against drought in north-east Kenya and the surrounding region
Throughout large parts of the country, families face the prospect of starvation as the persistent drought claims crops and animals.
We have already pledged £250,000 to our partners, who report that people are barely surviving as herds of animals die from exhaustion and thirst.
So that was that.
The UK’s biggest ever demonstration on climate change, the event that had been months and months in the planning. Ever since I started volunteering with the Campaigns team at CAFOD HQ here in Brixton five months ago we have been focused on making The Wave a success and making it a special experience for everyone involved. And I think I can safely say that we managed to do that.
Many hands ... CAFOD placards at The Wave demonstration
I rose early on Saturday and headed for Westminster Central Hall where the pre-march ecumenical service was taking place. We unloaded roughly a thousand of the three thousand placards we had spent the previous week putting together in Colombian restaurant La Barca, which is situated just across the road from the CAFOD office on Stockwell Road.
I think the guys at La Barca pretty much instantly regretted allowing us the use of their dance floor as they were quickly drowned in timber, signs and staples. However they were extremely hospitable the whole time we were there and we in turn provided Stockwell Road’s Colombian community with much entertainment. After the second day I went home and reported to my GP the fact that I had swollen thumbs from all the stapling I did in preparation for my industrial compensation claim against CAFOD when I develop arthritis in later years. Not really, I don’t actually have a GP at the moment, but my thumbs were swollen.
After having unloaded the placards we just milled about aside the Hall chatting to supporters, did a bit of celeb spotting (Rowan Williams) and watched the day unfold. I was initially quite concerned that we weren’t going to give out all the placards and I was going to have to carry like a hundred round the march route but they were snapped up straight away by people leaving the service, fortunately. I am aware that this entry is becoming extremely placard-centric but they ruled my day basically.
Afterwards I headed up to Trafalgar Square to join the march there which was a good compromise I think between being involved with the ecumenical service at WCH and also experiencing the best that the march itself had to offer. It was my first big protest march (which I find hard to believe frankly) and I dived into the front where all the action was.
The atmosphere was good up top – very positive, very can-do. It was also great to see a lot of the younger guys at the front making their voices heard, fighting for their generation, the generation that is really going to suffer from the fall out from this thing called climate change.
The mass moment at 3pm on Westminster bridge was a special moment to be involved in with the whole march doing a Mexican Wave from front to back. The rain started to fall almost at the same moment. Hard to know how to interpret that really but I’m sure it was significant in some way. Or not. Who knows?
Anyway, I think all the preparation we put in to The Wave was reflected in how well represented we were throughout the day. Our signs have featured loads in pictures from the event like this gallery in the Guardian, although I must obviously say that The Wave was most definitely a team effort and the huge crowd (50,000 plus) was only possible through fantastic cross-organisational cooperation.
After making sure that all the supporters were on the right coaches and as many of the damn placards had been collected as possible we made our way through the inky gloom to a pub just off Whitehall where the whole team had gathered for a well-deserved pint. Nice one.
And so after The Wave we can all just chill, have a long overdue office tidy, regain some sense of a life outside work and forget all about Climate Change. What? Copenhagen?
by Neil Thomas
You can get involved at www.cafod.org.uk/climatejustice
A Kenyan Archbishop and a diocesan AIDS coordinator made a huge impact in the region in only 24 hours.
Archbishop Boniface Lele and Sister Pauline Nthenya, from the Archdiocese of Mombassa, had only 24 hours in Newcastle on October 30, but still managed to pack in visits to the diocesan asylum-seekers project in Benwell, Mass and a reception at St Charles’ parish in Gosforth, some tourism in Tynemouth and an Indian meal in Benton.
Fog on the Tyne ... Archbishop Boniface and Sr Pauline do some tourism at Tynemouth with Pat Brennan
Archbishop Lele – who visited England after taking part in the three-week 2009 Africa Synod in Rome – invited everyone at 7.30pm Mass at St Charles’, including Bishop Seamus Cunningham, to come and visit him in Mombassa. He said that partnership was not just about sending money, but about getting to know each other and sharing each other’s lives.
Sr Pauline also spoke to the congregation of around 60 people about the work they have done with people living with HIV/AIDS and their families, particularly young people who have been orphaned and are left to care for their younger brothers and sisters. She thanked everyone for their help and support through CAFOD which has enabled them to change the lives of hundreds of people.
Archbishop Lele and Sr Pauline arrived by train from London at midday and were whisked off straight away to Benwell to meet asylum-seekers who belong to the diocesan Justice and Peace project. One woman from Kenya, who was supported by the project while her case was processed, had come specially to talk to the two visitors. She told Archbishop Lele that she now had been given refugee status and what a difference that had made to herself and her family.
After a snack at the Cloister Café at St Mary’s Cathedral, the pair were taken to the ferry port at North Shields in the company of Apostleship of the Sea volunteer Pat Brennan, who also gave them a cup of tea in his own house. Sr Pauline and Archbishop Lele had just enough time before the sun set for a quick trip to the pier at Tynemouth, before an Indian meal in Benton with CAFOD Hexham & Newcastle staff and Fr Jim O’Keefe.
Go forth! ... Fr O'Connor and Archbishop Lele with members of the African community at St Charles'
CAFOD Diocesan Manager Anne-Marie Hanlon said: “It might have been a whistle-stop tour, but we’ve heard from CAFOD staff in London how much they enjoyed the visit and how they appreciated the hospitality of everyone they met. It was a real diocesan team effort, and I’d like to thank Fr O’Connor and everyone at St Charles’ for a wonderful African Mass and fantastic reception afterwards, to everyone at the asylum-seekers project in Benwell, who made the two visitors feel very much at home, and to Pat Brennan, who had met Archbishop Lele before and who was desperate to show true North East hospitality.”
![[REUTERS/Muhammad Fitrah/Singgalang, courtesy www.alertnet.org]](http://cafod.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/43512-095.jpg "[REUTERS/Muhammad Fitrah/Singgalang, courtesy www.alertnet.org]")
Thousands of lives have been devastated by the Indonesian earthquake and the typhoon in the Philippines and wider region. There is a desperate need for food and water – and many require immediate medical attention to survive.
With more extreme weather expected, the need is likely to increase. Every moment counts. Please make a donation today. It can save lives by providing food, water, shelter and medicine.
The DEC (Disasters and Emergencies Committee), of which CAFOD is a member, has launched an appeal.
Or you can give to our own South East Asia Appeal instead.
Millions of people just like Margaret in Kenya are struggling – spending years working their way out of poverty only to be knocked down again by events beyond their control. The financial crisis is a final nail in the coffin.
We are all feeling the effects of recession. High exchange rates means the financial support we offer is worth around one-third less than last year – it is a challenging time but we will not give up on the world’s poorest when they need us the most.
Please support Harvest Fast Day – and help us continue to reach out to those in desperate need. There are loads of ways you can help:
Fundraise for Fast Day
Seven posters to choose from
Powerpoint of the slideshow featuring Margaret from Kenya
Two mass talks (one short, one longer)
Suggested content for parish newsletters
Prayers, homily notes, and a children’s liturgy
Diary organiser to help you prepare
Make Your Money Count
Download games, videos, music, and recipes showcasing the lives of young people in Brazil – all to help you fundraise with young people
Many of you many know Ged Naughton, who works for us here at the CAFOD Hexham & Newcastle office. This summer he is travelling to Mekelle, Ethiopia, teaching in a school there.
He says: “Ethiopia’s a country that I’ve heard a lot about over the years. People of my generation will always associate it with Band Aid and Live Aid.
“I can remember loads of concerts and events taking place locally to raise money in the mid-80s, and I can remember watching Live Aid concert. Bob Geldof’s famous outburst ‘live’ on telly was the ‘Where were you…?’ moment for my generation.
“Since then, one thing I know is how good Ethiopians are at long-distance running. People tell me I sound like Brendan Foster, so maybe I can do some commentating while I’m there.
“I’m looking forward to working with the children in Mekelle, and finding out about them and their lives, culture and language, as much as I hope they learn about English.
“I’m hoping to work with them to prepare a newspaper, packed with stories about their lives and written by them, about them and from their point of view.”
Follow Ged and his amazing experiences on the main CAFOD blog here.
A Brazilian of the Yanomami community was special guest at CAFOD’s annual pilgrimage to Holy Island this year.
Davi Kopenawa Yanomami is a member of the Yanomami community in Brazil, and a spokesman on tribal issues and Amazon Rainforest conservation. CAFOD supports Hutukara, an indigenous grassroots organisation of which Davi is president.
He joined pilgrims for the day on June 13 to walk across the Pilgrims’ Way from the main land to the island. Davi also helped lead the reflection at key points along the way with stories from his own tradition, focusing on living in harmony with God’s creation.
CAFOD Hexham & Newcastle Diocesan Manager Anne-Marie Hanlon said: “It was a real honour for us, and we were thrilled to have Davi coming to Holy Island this year. Davi is an inspirational speaker and comes from a tradition where people are still fundamentally linked to their environment.
“It was very interesting to hear what he has to say about climate change, and also to hear how his customs value the stories of his ancestors just as he will hear how we revere our Northern saints.”
Davi is a well-known figure internationally as one of the few indigenous Brazilians to have taken on the role of speaking out for indigenous rights.
His personal motivation came in part from his wife’s experience of losing much of her family to measles and other diseases brought to Yanomami areas in the 1970s by road construction crews and small-time gold miners.
He has been described as “probably the most important of all Yanomami who have emerged as public figures”.
Because of the tides, last year’s pilgrimage took place on the island, but this year organisers returned to the usual plan to walk to the island via the Pilgrims Way.
The Catholic aid agency CAFOD and the Hexham & Newcastle diocesan Youth Ministry Team YMT are launching a Gap Year leadership scheme to offer placements in the developing world to young people aged 18 to 30.
The scheme is called “Step into the Gap” and it aims to offer a rounded experience, which takes place both overseas and in the UK. It will bridge the ‘gap’ between the elements of adventure and service that occur in traditional year out experiences.
Successful applicants will join YMT in Allensford in September 2009, then spend four to six weeks at a CAFOD project in Asia or Africa – probably in January/February 2010 – before returning to work with YMT at the Youth Village for the rest of the school year.
Bridging the gap ... YMT’s Phillip Salkeld (second right) visited CAFOD partners in Liberia in November 2008
YMT Director, Fr Dermott Donnelly said: “It’s a fantastic partnership for us, because it completes the experience for our young volunteers. They are already covering third world and justice issues in the school retreats, so this gives them an experience of those issues first hand. We are an international team anyway, so it makes sense to have this link with the developing world through CAFOD.”
Anne-Marie Hanlon, CAFOD Diocesan Manager in Hexham & Newcastle said: “It’s a very exciting project. CAFOD has more than 45 years experience of building relationships with communities overseas and it’s great to have the opportunity to make such a strong link now at home with YMT. This is not meant to be a glorified holiday; we’re hoping this project will help participants explore their faith and develop their abilities to take a lead in bringing about a more just world.”
Successful applicants join YMT working with young people in a variety of settings – school, parish, retreat centre – while preparing for the overseas visit. They will then work with a CAFOD partner on grassroots community development projects and get to know the community in depth – eating, drinking, working, praying, celebrating, and sharing their lives with those they meet. On their return, they will continue their work with young people – bringing back new perspectives from their overseas placement to enrich the community.
The scheme is open to applicants from anywhere in the country. The deadline for applications is June 9 and interviews will take place in early summer. For more details and to apply, contact youngleadership@cafod.org.uk or visit http://www.cafod.org.uk/news/step-into-the-gap
As well as the partnership with YMT, CAFOD is also working with the Society of the Holy Child Jesus to offer similar placements with St Mary’s College Chaplaincy in Blackpool and the order’s projects in Nigeria.
A Newcastle-based insurance brokers that offers a £5 charity donation for every priest who signs up for a policy is to present the Catholic overseas aid agency CAFOD with a cheque for more than a thousand pounds.
Bishop Skinner Insurance Brokers, of St James Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, decided to make the pledge to CAFOD early in 2008 and after 227 successful sales has hit the grand total of £1135.
Shake on it ... Fr Conaty and John Noone of Bishop Skinner Insurance agree the deal that gets CAFOD £5 a time
John Noone, of Bishop Skinner Insurance Brokers, said that if the policy continued to be as successful in the future, they would like to make an annual donation of £1,000 or £2,000 to CAFOD. He said: “We’ve run the policy for quite a few years in Hexham & Newcastle diocese, but we’ve started to cast our nets wider and cover the whole country. We’re not quite there yet, but we’d be delighted if we could make this an annual commitment to CAFOD.
“From an insurer’s point of view, priests are a good risk. They generally don’t do a lot of mileage and aren’t flogging the car to death. It’s almost a class of business set apart. Priests who come to us should be saving money and also getting something for CAFOD.”
Holly Ball, Head of Fundraising at CAFOD, said: “We’re delighted and very grateful to Bishop Skinner for supporting CAFOD in this way. It’s well known that priests live by the Word of the Lord, but this policy reflects their adherence to another important book – the Highway Code. It would be great to see more priests taking advantage of this offer.”
Fr Mick Conaty, Parish Priest of St Anthony of Padua in Newcastle, has had a policy with Bishop Skinner for 25 years. He said: “My parish is a big supporter of CAFOD so I was thrilled when I found out about the donation.
“My car is essential in enabling me to visit parishioners, hospitals and schools and it’s important that I have a good insurance company. Bishop Skinner has always looked after me and been very helpful. I’d certainly encourage other priests to look at what they’re offering.”
The policies, however, have nothing to do with the name Bishop Skinner and the address in St James Street. John Noone added: “My father had his own business and used to insure a lot of parish properties, social centres and so on in the region, and I took over the business. But then it was pure chance that the business was bought out by Bishop Skinner Insurance Brokers.”
Priests interested in insurance from Bishop Skinner should contact John Noone on 0191 244 4919 or john.noone@bishop-skinner.co.uk
Cash from Clergy ... Anne-Marie Hanlon, of CAFOD Hexham and Newcastle, thanked Fr Conaty and John Noone for their efforts
For more information, contact Ged Naughton at CAFOD Hexham & Newcastle on 0191 373 5001 or gnaughton@cafod.org.uk
A 34-year-old Brazilian woman who fights for justice for homeless people in São Paulo met homeless teenagers in Tyneside in July.
Ivanete de Araujo – known as Nete – also spoke to around 100 CAFOD supporters at a Brazil Evening in Felling.
Carry your bag, ma’am? … Nete finds a friend at South Shields seafront
Nete visited the North East to raise awareness of the plight of the thousands of families like hers who struggle to survive in a city where an estimated 3.6 million people live in slums and 15,000 people live on the streets while the rich travel by helicopter to avoid traffic and crime on the streets below.
Nete and her three small children had to live under a motorway bridge in São Paulo, Brazil, when her husband was made redundant. She now works as a community outreach worker for APOIO – the homelessness organisation that came to her aid – to support homeless families campaigning for their right to decent housing.
She told her own story to young beneficiaries of the Key Project, which works with homeless people in South Tyneside, at Sacred Heart Church, in Boldon on Thursday.
Nete was also the special guest at a Brazil Evening at St Patrick’s Parish Centre, High Street, Felling, on Wednesday, July 16 at 7pm. St Patrick’s CAFOD group and parishioners gave a warm welcome to visitors from 14 other parishes in the diocese. There was Brazilian music and food and a question and answer session with Nete, translated by Lorna Fielding from CAFOD’s Brazil team.
Anne-Marie Hanlon, manager for CAFOD’s Hexham & Newcastle diocesan office first met Nete when she visited the UK in 2004. Two years later Anne-Marie travelled to São Paulo to see the work Nete is doing with the homeless movement.
She said: “Nete is an amazing woman with an inspiring story. One day when her husband asked his boss for a pay rise, he was sacked, and the couple and their three young children were evicted and forced to live under a motorway bridge for three months, relying on handouts to eat. But an organisation which works with homeless people in São Paulo helped them find a place to live.
“It was fantastic that so many people remembered her from her previous visit and were moved by her story enough to come and welcome her back a second time.
“The generosity of people living in the North East who donate money to CAFOD – together with the support from the European Commission – is helping support the homeless people in São Paulo to achieve their right to adequate housing and to lift themselves out of poverty.”
APOIO (which means “support” in Portuguese), is one of three organisations working on urban and housing issues in São Paulo which form CAFOD’s Urban Programme. The programme is co-financed and supported by the EU.
