CAFOD Harvest Fast Day
30 July 2009
This Harvest, one billion people will go to bed hungry every night. The global financial crisis is a worrying time for us all. For the very poorest people, it’s a catastrophe.
As Harvest approaches, parishes and schools around the diocese will be holding special events and collections to mark CAFOD’s (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development) annual Harvest Fast Day on 2 October to help CAFOD continue to meet the growing demands in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Harvest is usually a time to celebrate food and the gifts of the land and reminds us of all the good things God provides. However, for many living in some of the poorest parts of the world there simply is no food. The global financial crisis, massive hikes in food prices and climate change have all intensified the problems for those living in poverty. For them, the effects of the financial crisis are a matter of life or death.
CAFOD partners in Nairobi, Kenya, told us the story of Margaret. She lives with her seven children in Mathare slum. Two years ago Margaret had a decent job and home. Her family had enough to eat, not a lot, but enough. Then the factory she worked at shut down. The family now sleep side by side in one room. Margaret goes hungry so her children can eat. Her story is repeated time and time again throughout the world.
Margaret said: “In 2007 prices were controlled, we could afford to buy food, it was not this madness of hiking prices everyday. Since 2008 prices have been going up uncontrollably. The maize flour is the worst. It was 50 shillings (43 pence) in 2007. Last year it was 75 shillings (65p) and now it’s 95 shillings (82p) for a two kilogram packet.
“When you can’t provide for your family you become useless. I’ll walk any length of time to a cheaper market just to get something for my kids. I may get a small extra job like cooking at the Church or tutoring kids. When there’s no job and no food you’ll find me in the Church where I volunteer. It gives me peace and somewhere to go so my kids don’t see me sad.”
Pope Benedict XVI, in his recent Encyclical ‘Caritas in Veritate’, said that it is an ethical imperative to “feed the hungry”.
Across its programmes, CAFOD partners are responding to this growing crisis by ensuring that the poorest and the most vulnerable are reached with life saving food. We’re able to respond where the greatest needs lie through the generosity of Catholics in parishes in the Clifton Diocese.
Despite the complexities of supporters’ lives and the demands on their incomes, it’s humbling to know people are still willing to give their time and money. Harvest, is also about sharing with people in need and now people in the developing world need our support more than ever. The support from the Clifton Diocese does make a huge difference. CAFOD is also asking rich country leaders to ensure people like Margaret are given more support with a crisis they did nothing to create.
CAFOD annual Harvest Fast Day this year is held on Friday 2 October. Catholics across England and Wales raised nearly £1,300,000 last year through Harvest Fast Day fundraising activities. The people of Clfiton Diocese alone raised £59,354.
Thank you supporting CAFOD’s vital work with the poorest communities. CAFOD is the official development and relief agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales
Tony Vassallo, Clifton CAFOD Manager
This Harvest, one billion people will go to bed hungry every night. The global financial crisis is a worrying time for us all. For the very poorest people, it’s a catastrophe.
As Harvest approaches, parishes and schools around the diocese will be holding special events and collections to mark CAFOD’s (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development) annual Harvest Fast Day on 2 October to help CAFOD continue to meet the growing demands in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Harvest is usually a time to celebrate food and the gifts of the land and reminds us of all the good things God provides. However, for many living in some of the poorest parts of the world there simply is no food. The global financial crisis, massive hikes in food prices and climate change have all intensified the problems for those living in poverty. For them, the effects of the financial crisis are a matter of life or death.
CAFOD partners in Nairobi, Kenya, told us the story of Margaret. She lives with her seven children in Mathare slum. Two years ago Margaret had a decent job and home. Her family had enough to eat, not a lot, but enough. Then the factory she worked at shut down. The family now sleep side by side in one room. Margaret goes hungry so her children can eat. Her story is repeated time and time again throughout the world.
Margaret said: “In 2007 prices were controlled, we could afford to buy food, it was not this madness of hiking prices everyday. Since 2008 prices have been going up uncontrollably. The maize flour is the worst. It was 50 shillings (43 pence) in 2007. Last year it was 75 shillings (65p) and now it’s 95 shillings (82p) for a two kilogram packet.
“When you can’t provide for your family you become useless. I’ll walk any length of time to a cheaper market just to get something for my kids. I may get a small extra job like cooking at the Church or tutoring kids. When there’s no job and no food you’ll find me in the Church where I volunteer. It gives me peace and somewhere to go so my kids don’t see me sad.”
Pope Benedict XVI, in his recent Encyclical ‘Caritas in Veritate’, said that it is an ethical imperative to “feed the hungry”.
Across its programmes, CAFOD partners are responding to this growing crisis by ensuring that the poorest and the most vulnerable are reached with life saving food. We’re able to respond where the greatest needs lie through the generosity of Catholics in parishes in the Clifton Diocese.
Despite the complexities of supporters’ lives and the demands on their incomes, it’s humbling to know people are still willing to give their time and money. Harvest, is also about sharing with people in need and now people in the developing world need our support more than ever. The support from the Clifton Diocese does make a huge difference. CAFOD is also asking rich country leaders to ensure people like Margaret are given more support with a crisis they did nothing to create.
CAFOD annual Harvest Fast Day this year is held on Friday 2 October. Catholics across England and Wales raised nearly £1,300,000 last year through Harvest Fast Day fundraising activities. The people of Clfiton Diocese alone raised £59,354.
Thank you supporting CAFOD’s vital work with the poorest communities. CAFOD is the official development and relief agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales
Tony Vassallo, Clifton CAFOD Manager
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