Poverty and Hope Appeal 2016

Critical and creative thinking in KentBore Place supports schools in Kent to explore complex global issues such as injustice, conflict, peacebuilding, and sustainability in our interconnected and interdependent world.

Bore Place works with school leaders, teachers and young people in Kent. It explores how best to engage with the many and complex global issues facing us all through critical and creative thinking so that young people are equipped to face the future with resilience.

It does this through:

• exploring issues around global sustainability and citizenship with students;

• working with teachers and trainee teachers to develop innovative programmes that encourage critical and creative thinking;

• working with other similar organisations to develop global citizenship resources for schools and other groups.

It also has a programme of hands-on, creative activities for individuals, families and community groups designed to help make the links between ourselves, our choices and the consequences for people across the world and the planet that we share.

Many local primary and secondary schools come to Bore Place to embed justice and sustainability into school life. Schools that visit get a chance to experience a real life working organic farm whilst learning about where our food comes from, purchasing power and the interconnectedness

between what we eat and buy, and global issues such as poverty and justice.

The year ahead sees the centre looking to develop a hands-on and work related offer for young people aged 16 and over who are not fitting into the traditional classroom based systems. The aim is to provide them with a real opportunity to engage in education, develop skills and more confidently transition to the next stage of their lives. The offer will have a therapeutic side to it also, providing these young people with some support to develop on a personal level as well as an academic one.

Bore Place has also linked with Kent County Council to offer a series of weekend and holiday activities for young people with additional needs and their families. Offering a chance for children and young people to develop skills, confidence and self-esteem in fun and engaging ways whilst parents can have some respite, benefit from parent support and re-connect in a new environment.

The education team are aiming to further develop its work for vulnerable children/young people and their families this year. This includes hosting a five-day training programme for excluded/marginalised people from Romania and France to share expertise on setting up a viable horticultural social enterprise.

Children enjoying their hands on experience.

A child puts his learning into practice on the organic farm at Bore Place.

Photos: Bore Place Commonwork Trust: UK registered charity number 1160725

Poverty and Hope Appeal 2016

Fighting deforestation in ArgentinaIn the remote lowland region of the Argentine Chaco, caring for God’s creation is intertwined with seeking his justice for the poor.

Fighting against widespread deforestation in Argentina is a difficult, stressful and often thankless task. Monitoring and documenting the destruction of vast areas of forest is hard enough; knowing that this process is driven by greed and corruption makes it worse. For Church Mission Society (CMS) mission partners, Andrew and Maria Leake, caring for creation is more of a spiritual challenge than it is technical or political. We can all recycle, we can all use solar energy. We can even influence environmental policy, hold land-owners to account for their actions, and empower people to protect their local environment. But Andrew and Maria’s biggest challenge to finding long-term and socially just solutions lies in the transformation of people’s hearts and minds – something science does not know how to do, and is a huge challenge to the church.

Deforestation is having a dramatic impact in this region by devastating communities and driving people away to seek employment as far away as Buenos Aires. The Chaco is home to many of Argentina’s poorest people and the mass deforestation is destroying not only the native forest but homes and livelihoods.

Andrew founded the charity Land4Life in 2005 to stand alongside the local churches as they seek to care for creation and stand up for their land ownership rights. ‘The forest is no longer complete. It does not have the things it should have’, says a local pastor, profoundly aware of the effects of environmental degradation. However, Andrew says, ‘Determining how to effectively support… indigenous church leaders is challenging… Any practical work has to be accompanied, if not preceded, by a process through which they can fully understand [theologically] why Christians must engage in caring for God’s gift of creation.’

In parallel to supporting churches and other secular organisations in responding to environmental issues, Andrew and Maria are developing a centre to help Christian leaders and environmental professionals who are seeking to integrate their faith and their work. This will be a joint venture between Land4Life and the Anglican Diocese of Northern Argentina, and it will draw heavily on the experiences and principles developed by A Rocha International. The project, which is the first of its kind in the country, will be based in a diocesan retreat centre in the town of La Caldera.

Leaders receive legal advice from a lawyer on how best to approach protecting their lands. Aerial view of deforestation.

Photos: CMS UK Registered charity number 1131655 Company number 6985330

Local pastors at a creation care conference.

Poverty and Hope Appeal 2016

Feeding families in Burkina FasoFamilies in Burkina Faso continue to suffer the devastating effects of drought. Many struggle to grow enough food to earn an income, and experience hunger on a daily basis. But hope is emerging.

Christian Aid partner ODE continues its exciting work helping thousands of people in Burkina Faso to lift themselves out of poverty and transform their lives. Since it was established, ODE has worked to provide relief during the recurrent droughts that have overwhelmed many communities. But it also works alongside communities to establish long-lasting change so that they can better withstand the impact of these droughts.

ODE brings about this transformation by teaching communities how to grow different crops that are more resistant to the changing climate. They also help individuals to find more sustainable ways of making an income and providing for their families. When ODE works with a community, the village comes together to identify who is most in need, and what help will be most useful.

Thanks to your support, the project has helped many people over the last year living in northern Burkina Faso, people like Jean Michel. He has five children and was struggling to provide for them, so when he was given a grant worth £35, he knew he had to make the most of it. The money was expected to buy about 11 chickens but because Jean Michel went to the market himself, he could negotiate a good price

and buy 14 chickens. He underwent the training provided by ODE as part of the project so that now he knows how to care for them. From those small beginnings, Jean Michel now has has 110 chickens, five chicks and (at the time of writing) 49 eggs!

He says: ‘This is a real blessing for me as it has enabled me to resolve many family problems. For example, I have sold 10 chickens to pay for schooling for my children.’

With your help this project will continue to reach out to communities in 45 villages in northern Burkina Faso. They will support more poor and vulnerable families like Jean Michel’s who are currently struggling to cope in an ever-changing climate.

All of this can happen when we join together to give and pray for this life-changing work. What’s more, every £1 you raise will be matched with £5 more from the EU, so you have five times as many reasons to give! Without you, none of this would be possible. Thank you!

Photos: Christian Aid UK registered charity no. 1105851 Company no. 5171525. christianaid.org.uk

Jean Michel feeds his chickens. Thanks to your help he bought a few chickens and under his care the flock has grown.

Poverty and Hope Appeal 2016

Breaking down the barriers in the DRCIn the Democratic Republic of Congo, years of conflict have left a legacy of corruption and distrust between the general population and local authorities. This is trapping people in a life of poverty.

Decades of armed conflict have contributed to relentless poverty in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Local and provincial governments are in a destructive cycle in which authorities don’t use resources to alleviate poverty and don’t seem to understand the lives of those they represent – which causes resentment and further distrust. A climate of fear and a lack of dialogue between local people and the authorities mean citizens’ needs are not met and the spiral of ineffective government and increased poverty continues.

The Episcopal Justice and Peace Committee (EJPC), a partner of Christian Aid, is working to establish groups called local participatory governance committees whose role is to ensure that there is mutual communication, consultation and respect between local authorities, elected politicians and the population. This means that ordinary people are listened to by those representing them, and see their hopes and challenges reflected in policy and budgets; it means provincial leaders feel valued rather than hated. The project is already seeing success in changing people’s opinions:

‘Before the project started, I was wary of local authorities particularly and politicians in general. The project has allowed me to challenge my views, which were not conducive to constructive dialogue benefiting the wider community’, says Olenga Joseph, secretary of Basoko committee.

This project is a new initiative, but already the conversations are making a real difference to communities. In Kailo Territory, water is very scarce but thanks to the project’s training and guidance, the local committee was able to successfully lobby the government to release funds to pay for the maintenance of drinking water sources. This means that, thanks to the facilitation of meetings between local people and their government, thousands of people now have access to safe drinking water.

Many parts of the Maniema Province are cut off from basic services, and people don’t know about their rights. At a time when many UN agencies and NGOs have decided to withdraw from the province despite the ongoing need, your support for this project will be incredibly valuable. The best part is that EuropeAid are matching all donations to this project, so for every £1 you raise, £3 more will be given!

Thanks to the work of EJPC, people in Maniema Province can access safe drinking water much more easily.

Photo: Christian Aid/Tom Stoddart /Getty Images UK registered charity no. 1105851 Company no. 5171525. christianaid.org.uk

Did you know?

The DRC is due to have both local and presidential elections in November 2016, as of the time we went to print. Please pray for the country as they prepare for this important time.

Poverty and Hope Appeal 2016

Photos: Us/Leah Gordon Us. The new name for USPG. Founded 1701. Registered charity number 234518 weareUs.org.uk

The Delhi Brotherhood Society and UsDBS helps people realise their potential and create their own destiny. Based at a monastery in Delhi, DBS is active in many church and social development activities. While DBS is a Christian organisation, the women’s councils supported by them are in the hands of people of all faiths.

Us is a Christian charity working in partnership with Anglican churches around the world – with a vision for everyone to experience life in all its fullness. Support has been pledged to continue the women’s empowerment work in Delhi, with plans to expand into additional areas of the city.

Justice for vulnerable women in DelhiWomen at risk of abuse in India’s capital are being given help to change their lives.

Many women in India suffer domestic abuse. The Delhi Brotherhood Society (DBS) is active in tackling this issue, running telephone helplines and community councils to enable women to challenge cases of abuse and neglect.

2015 saw significant progress as DBS continued their work to empower women in the city by establishing a new women’s helpline in east Delhi. In addition to the two helplines operating in other areas of India’s largest urban area, the new project seeks to support women who are at risk of violence, by offering a listening and sensitive ear.

The 24-hour service provides advice and counselling to women in east Delhi, and has built confidence among women who can call anonymously when they are at risk. The new helpline has received over 800 calls since opening. In a quarter of these cases, immediate assistance was sent in the form of a mobile van with a support team of counsellors and social workers.

Instances of domestic violence were referred to mediation councils, where resolution was sought and rehabilitation offered for the women and their families. Nearly 100 women were provided with refuge and shelter for their ongoing safety and protection.

The work of DBS is truly embedded within the community; the helpline works closely with respected and influential women in the community who in turn engage with both victims and perpetrators of domestic violence. In the last year, DBS organised 28 training sessions on women’s rights in the community and the involvement and support of men in this process was particularly encouraging.

Life for Rachna and her children has become more secure thanks to the help of the women’s helpline and legal council. Rachna’s husband began to drink excessively and the situation became more difficult when he didn’t cooperate with medical advice. He began to demand money from Rachna and then resorted to violence, culminating in Rachna and her children having to leave the family home.

Rachna contacted the women’s helpline and registered her case. The helpline staff acted immediately and along with the police visited Rachna and her children. Rachna and her husband were summoned by the women’s council to have their case heard and have been able to secure accommodation and protection for her and the children. Rachna is now employed and her children are in education.

Kiran and Asha, members of a women’s empowerment community council, taking notes on a case in Delhi.

Helpline workers with their mobile van, from the Mahila Panchayat Women’s Empowerment Centre in Delhi, North India.

Poverty and Hope Appeal 2016

Photo: Rochester Diocese Registered charity number 249339 rochester.anglican.org

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Building Chemba Vocational CentreWith thanks to your generous support, this past year has been a very exciting and productive one in the life of the Chemba Vocational Centre project – and the next one could be better still!

Chemba is a very small town and district centre within the Diocese of Kondoa, Central Tanzania. It is an area susceptible to extremes of weather, such as drought and flooding, which has been highlighted by the lack of rain last year and resulting food shortage. Despite these challenges the Chemba Vocational Centre team have been able to obtain final government permissions and support for this much-needed educational centre.

The young people of Chemba and the surrounding villages have thrown themselves wholeheartedly into the project. With money raised from last year’s Poverty and Hope Appeal, they’ve bought a machine that has helped them make several thousand bricks. They’ve worked alongside a group of students from a Kent school to clear the grounds ready for the construction to begin. A well has been dug on site, which will not only provide fresh, clean water for students and staff, but will be a valuable resource during construction.

The people of Kondoa Diocese, and Chemba District in particular, are almost entirely reliant on farming and herding for their economic survival. Severe droughts cause famine and loss of livestock, and they’re increasing in frequency, so the young people of Chemba know it’s crucial that they diversify away from agriculture. Although some attempt to eke out a living in their villages, many others leave the area to seek work in the large cities – the young men usually find unskilled

labouring jobs, which leave them below the poverty line, and the young women work as housegirls for relatives or get married as young as 13 years of age. The Chemba Vocational Centre, as well as providing training in modern farming techniques, construction trades, carpentry and tailoring, will equip these enterprising and hardworking young people with book-keeping, business and key skills to enable them and support their families financially and educationally.

When the centre is completed it will help girls like Mwamvula. She is 13 years old and lives in a small village in Chemba District. She lives with her eldest sister and niece as her parents are too frail to support her. Her favourite subjects are art and maths but she is nearing the end of her compulsory, primary level schooling. At the moment she spends her spare time collecting water and firewood, cooking, looking after her niece, and farming, but one day Mwamvula hopes to run her own shop. The Chemba Vocational Centre will equip young people such as Mwamvula with the education, skills and experience they need to gain stable employment, run their own small businesses and accomplish their ambitions.

The diocesan secretary surveys the many bricks made by the young people of Chemba.