The Bishop of Huntingdon and Acting Bishop of Ely, the Rt Revd Dr Dagmar Winter, is encouraging people to take part in a major charity appeal to help vulnerable communities.
Christian Aid Week - from May 12–18 – sees supporters from all over the UK come together to find different ways of raising funds and awareness for the work of the organisation’s local partners, empowering communities around the world to find practical and sustainable ways out of poverty.
This year’s appeal is focussing on Burundi, one of the most densely populated and poorest countries in Africa. Heavily reliant on agriculture, it’s also one of the least prepared to combat the effects of climate change, including droughts, floods and landslides. The global cost of living crisis has intensified the challenges: more than 70 per cent of the population live in poverty and more than half of children are chronically malnourished.
Christian Aid has been working in Burundi since 1995 when it first offered humanitarian assistance to people surviving the civil conflict. Now, alongside local partners, the organisation helps establish Village Savings and Loans Associations. These community-led groups mean people can save and borrow money, making small businesses possible, offering reliable and diverse incomes so families can eat regularly, get medicine when they need it, and build safer homes.
Bishop Dagmar said: “Every year, during this appeal, people across Britain and Ireland get together to support their global neighbours, in a celebration of hope for a fairer world. It is a wonderful way for churches of different denominations to work together, looking outwards, and joining God’s mission in this world.
“I give my support because I never cease to be impressed by the thorough way in which Christian Aid with its partners makes a real difference to people’s lives at the grassroots, and at the same time keeps hold of the bigger picture of the structures and policies we need to embed the change the poorest of our world so desperately need.
“Christian Aid Week offers seven days and so many ways in which each one of us can make a difference. Do check out their resources and join in.”
To find out more, including the chance to take part in the new challenge, 70k in May, visit https://www.christianaid.org.uk/.