Spring 2014amos news no.127www.amostrust.org

65@65 Resources for Lent

Coming home Launch of Amos’ new HQBang the drum

Street Child World CupAvocado Tree SchoolNicaragua

BelowDrummers lead 1675 children around the Albert Hall in record attempt© Street Child World Cup

dreams of home

When I was last in Durban I met the teams from Umthombo Street Children who will be representing South Africa at the Street Child World Cup in Brazil at the end of the month. All 18 boys and girls on the teams, (including Snow and Hobilise who were in the 2010 squad) through the help of Umthombo, are permanently off the streets and reintegrated back home or with relatives.

There was none of the enforced bravado and anxiety you see on the streets, here were a group of teenagers who were nervous and excited about Rio. They talked of their desire to experience new cultures, make new friends and meet Neymar (Brazil’s biggest football superstar). They also talked about the contrast of life on the street with their lives now.

Chris RoseDirector Ayanda summed things up, saying:

“There is no love on the streets. I would like to tell children on the streets to go home. They must go home, it is far better – don’t stay on the streets.”

Nowhere is the journey home harder than for Palestinians. We heard on 5th March that the family, whose home we helped to rebuild in Battir last year, had been visited and questioned by the members of the Israeli Defence Force. They were served an order instructing them to go to court to retrospectively apply for a building permit. We know from experience that a permit will not be issued and this is likely to be the first step toward a demolition order being issued. The family have only been living in their finished home for a few months.

“The occupation prevents Palestinians from building on their land, but allows Israeli settlers to build on Palestinian land without issuing any building permits.” Marwan Shahadeh, Holy Land Trust

We are in close contact with Holy Land Trust and as soon as we know how UK citizens can help and support the family, we will let you know via our e-news and www.amostrust.org/news

On page 8 is an invitation to the launch of our new home. I hope many of you will be able to join us for this joyful event. We hope St Clement’s will be a place where we capture the hope we see in South Africa and the creativity we experience in Nicaragua and India; where we denounce the injustice that so many experience; and where people are able to quietly come before the God who made his home with us.

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banging the drum for street children

It’s carnival time in Rio at the moment and our friends from Street Child World Cup have been getting into the carnival spirit.

Pupils from 25 London schools gathered at the Royal Albert Hall on 3rd March to try to break the world record for the largest Samba band and quite frankly they smashed it! 1,675 children took part successfully beating the previous record by over 500 participants. The event was the perfect send off for the Street Child World Cup staff team.

After 4 years of hard work and planning it is almost time for kick-off, in less than a fortnight 230 children from 19 countries will head to Rio for the second ever Street Child World Cup. The tournament runs from Friday 28 March – Sunday 6 April.

You can follow the action on www.streetchildworldcup.org Short films reporting all the action on and off the pitch will be posted every day.

It’s not too late to get involved. Visit www.amostrust.org/downloads for our Street Child World Cup Worship Pack and Churches Fundraising Pack full of football themed ideas. We want you to keep talking about Street Child World Cup in churches, schools and your local community right through to the FIFA World Cup in June.

The Street Child World Cup is a unique opportunity for street children to get their voices heard and Amos supporters have been with us every step of the way. Thank you for your support.

Katie HagleyCommunity Engagement and Fundraising Manager

Below2010 team training©

5nicaragua4 nicaragua

avocado tree schooleducating the young is educating everyone

AboveMercedes with students at Avocado Tree School © Laura Cook

RightStudents at Avocado Tree School © Laura Cook

A recent international survey placed Nicaragua as one of the top 10 countries in the world for women in leadership shaping society. This fact was proved on our supporters’ trip to Nicaragua in November when we met many strong Nicaraguan women. One of these was Mercedes the resourceful and committed principal of the Avocado Tree School, passionate about the school and its role in Nicaragua.

Amos helped to establish the school in the rural town of La Concepcion, 20 miles south of the capital in 1997 and has supported it ever since. The town suffered badly in the Contra wars in the 1980s resulting in an unemployment rate of 85% and only 30% of the population able to read, alongside a massive shortage of places in the overstretched local schools. As a result Avocado Tree School has grown to nearly 500 pupils in the past 15 years and plays a key role in the area’s education.

Mercedes explained to me over lunch that whilst she welcomes the recent investment

in education by the returned Sandinista government, most schools still have classes exceeding 50 pupils, few resources and there is a massive shortage of qualified teachers in Nicaragua. Unfortunately Avocado Tree School does not qualify for government funding due to its faith base and several teachers have left to pursue higher salaries elsewhere.

Despite this struggle, Mercedes remains passionate about the faith, care and values that underpin the school, which she sees as necessary for the country as a whole to flourish. Nicaragua is still the second

amos news spring 2014 amos news spring 2014

Chris RoseDirector

poorest country in the western hemisphere and has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy per capita in the world.

We spent the afternoon with a group of 16 and 17 year olds who will be leaving school this year. It was powerful and moving to see these young people interact, share stories, do dance moves and play their favourite songs on their phones. We went round asking everyone what they wanted to do next. All hoped to go on to further education and most have secured university places to study engineering, architecture, design, nursing and agriculture.

Jordan the biggest guy in the group and one of the school’s leading football players told us. ‘I want to be a nurse, to work in poor communities so that they can have health care.’ He starts a place at nursing college in February.

Enrique wanted to train as an engineer. He lives with his grandmother whilst his mother works in Managua and his father in America. His father sends money each month but Enrique hasn’t seen him for

5 years as he is an illegal immigrant, which means that if he left he would not be able to return to the US and would lose his job.

Betty and Shalamar, both 16, were desperate to practice their English with us. Both are going to dental college but were really sad to be leaving. ‘We do not want to leave Avocado Tree School, we have been coming here since we were 5, we have are our friends and our family here. This is our home.’

Our new appeal is to raise money for the Avocado Tree School teachers’ salaries. Please support the staff as they work tirelessly to secure a better future for the local community by educating and inspiring the next generation. See back page for more information.

Visit Nicaragua in 2015

We are planning to run a 12 day trip to Nicaragua next February. More information to follow shortly at www.amostrust.org/travel

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Far leftPaul Northup running the Palestine Marathon© Amos Trust

LeftPalestine Marathon 2013© Amos Trust

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creative responses. powerful protests.

bethlehem unwrapped

We are always keen to encourage those we have taken to Palestine to develop their own creative response, so we were delighted when the group from St James Church, Piccadilly asked us to help with their ground-breaking festival for Christmas, Bethlehem Unwrapped.

This festival aimed to take people behind the romanticised Christmas card images of the ancient city to show them what life is like today. We provided background support, advice and guidance as the group headed up by artistic director Justin Butcher and Rector Lucy Winkett (chair of our Trustees) put together a programme of music, food, poetry, comedy and debate.

The festival’s centre piece was a life size replica of the Separation Wall, built in the church yard on Piccadilly. As anticipated, this generated a great deal of comment and discussion including some vitriolic attacks from critics, but the majority of the two thousand plus visitors were not only shocked by the height and imposing nature of the wall, but also thanked organisers for speaking out and making them aware of the current situation in Bethlehem.

going the extra mile…

On Friday 11th April, 12 of our supporters will be running alongside the real wall in the second Palestine ‘Right to Movement’ Marathon. Team Amos is a mixture of experienced and novice runners running to raise money for our partners in Palestine. For many it will be their first visit to Palestine.

We are privileged to have supporters who are do-ers – up for rebuilding homes, getting on their bikes* and enthusiastic about exploring the connection between art and protest.

Alison Smith from Devon (who came third in the 2013 women’s race) is bringing a group of friends to run the Half with her this year.

‘Beautiful resistance’ is how Holy Land Trust staff explained their work to us last year. That phrase stuck in my head. For me, running is beautiful and running is all about resistance – resisting the urge to stay in bed, resisting burning muscles. I am excited to be running in Bethlehem again, joining in with this beautiful resistance and supporting Amos’ partners working where justice, hope and the right to movement are a dream, not a right.

Two days later on Sunday 13th April Amos supporters are running the London Marathon. Tim Jacques from Alcester is running for Amos’ street child projects, whilst Paul Northup (who ran in Bethlehem last year) will be raising money for our partners in Palestine too.

If I’m honest, there will be moments when I close my eyes during the 26 miles in London and picture myself running past the refugee school at the D’Heishe camp in Bethlehem. It’s the faces and cheers of the children there that will spur me on. Paul Northup

join us at bet lahem live festival this june

We were delighted that some of the team responsible for Bethlehem’s own festival, Bet Lahem Live, were able to visit London and attend some of the events at St James’ over Christmas.

The preparations for the little town’s newest festival are already moving at a pace, with the line-up including a range of top class local and international acts (including our own Garth Hewitt).

If you are thinking about visiting Palestine this year, join our festival trip from 16–23 June. Visit www.amostrust.org/travel for details.

We are very grateful to all the runners for taking on this challenge for Amos partners.

Show your support and sponsor the team, visit www.amostrust.org/news for links to the individual team members Justgiving pages.

RightBethlehem Unwrapped© Amos Trust

*literally, see page 9

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amos road clubmay 2014

We are now firmly ensconced in our new office at St Clement’s Church in the heart of the city of London.

We are extremely grateful to the Diocese of London for their generosity in allowing us to use such a wonderfully refurbished 17th century Wren church.

The last bits of work to the rear of the building will soon be done and we are scheming and plotting as to how to use this wonderful resource to support and enhance our work for justice and hope and to creatively express a spirituality of liberation. We are thrilled that the Bishop of London will join us on Thursday 24th April for a special service to celebrate our new home and we hope you will join us for this joyful event too. Space is limited, so please RSVP to jill@amostrust.org

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coming homelaunch of our new building, st clement’s

amos day 2014bring a friend

Amos Day will take place at St Mary-at-Hill Church, EC4 on Saturday 27th September with guests from our partners Holy Land Trust in Bethlehem and CEPAD in Nicaragua, it looks set to be a fantastic day.

We hope that you will take this opportunity to bring somebody who has not really encountered Amos Trust before as the projects are a great introduction to our work. Full booking details will be in our July newsletter, but tell your friends to save the date now.

Host an Amos partnerOur guests will be in the UK for the two weeks either side of Amos Day and we are looking for people who would like to put on a local event with a CEPAD or Holy Land Trust speaker.

Perhaps you would like to host them as a speaker at a fundraising dinner, a harvest supper perhaps? You might consider organising a quiz night for Amos Trust with an interlude for a talk or you might invite them to speak at a special church service with a Palestinian or Nicaraguan lunch afterwards? You would need to organise and publicise the event as well as host our guest, liaising with others involved in the tour and ourselves. This is an excellent opportunity to share and learn from our inspiring partners. To get involved send your proposed event details and best dates (be as flexible as possible) to jill@amostrust.org and we will be in touch.

Come and join the Amos Road Club on our annual cycle adventure, Saturday 24 – Monday 26 May 2014.

The Amos Road Club is an informal group of Amos supporters who take on a cycling challenge each year to raise money for Amos’ partners. Previous trips have included cycling in Belgium, hilly Scotland and London to Paris.

This year we are tackling the Way of the Roses, a coast to coast ride from Morecambe to Bridlington. The ride is 170 miles in total and we will potter along over 3 days giving us plenty of time to take in the stunning scenery.

Our rides are open to all. We usually have a mix from teens to octogenarians, families riding alongside full-on Lycra warriors. You will set your own pace and no one will mind if you get off and push when the going gets steep!

We have booked accommodation in hostels, arranged meals and sorted transportation for bikes and people from Bridlington back to Morecambe for £130 per person.

Fundraising is not compulsory, but we would encourage this. The ride is supporting Amos’s work in Gaza and The Mental Health Foundation in the UK this year.

See www.amosroadclub.org for more details and to book your place.

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appeal for the avocado tree school

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palestine – israel

On my trips to the Holy Land with Amos Trust I have always been so inspired by the people I have met. Both those I travel with and the amazing people of the land: Palestinian, Israeli, Christian, Muslim and Jew.

However I often struggle to meet with God, at least in the way I expected. I struggle to find Jesus in the places he once walked now covered with holy buildings or disputed. But there is one place I can really imagine him, a place that has not changed – in the desert. As we approach Lent and take time to think of Jesus removing himself and going into the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights, perhaps our eyes can turn once again to this troubled land and we can take this opportunity to share with others.

Since May last year there have been 40 events raising awareness about the current situation in Palestine organised as part of the 65@65 campaign. Events have ranged from WI talks to church curry nights to the brilliantly named ‘Tasty Bites for Human Rights’ dinner. Lots of people have

handed out our 65@65 birthday cards at church events and their own birthday parties! Thank you to everyone who has participated so far.

We need 25 more events between now and 15 May to hit our target of 65 events in the 65th anniversary year of the Nakba.

Visit www.amostrust.org/downloads to download our new 65@65 Lent supplement to give you a focus over Lent to help us with the final push.

You could use the prayer included during a service or you could make the 65@65 campaign birthday cards available at an existing event such as a Lent lunch or spring fair. Visit www.amostrust.org/news to see the full list of 40 events for more ideas and inspiration.

The campaign is a great chance to raise awareness about the situation in Palestine in a simple and non-threatening way. Spread the word this Lent that 65 years is too long to live without a just peace for Palestinians and Israelis.

40@65 and counting!

amos news spring 2014 amos news spring 2014

Katie HagleyCommunity Engagement and Fundraising Manager

RightA Brit and a Palestinian. Both 65 years old. A whole life time of injustice.© Amos Trust

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In 1997 friends in Nicaragua showed Amos’ Founder Garth Hewitt and his wife Gill a plot of land and asked if they would help them to set up a school. For the last 17 years Avocado Tree School has provided thousands of children with education, the means to escape the crippling cycle of poverty.

For many children the teachers are a second family, as their parents are away working minimum wage jobs as agricultural labourers or domestic workers in the US and overseas.

For the last few years Avocado Tree School has struggled to cover staff salaries due to the global economic downturn. This has left their highly committed team of teachers and staff on a very low wage, struggling to cover their household bills and unable to plan for the future for their own families.

Amos Trust St Clement’s Eastcheap, 1 St Clement’s Court, Clements Lane, London EC4N 7HB

Phone 020 7588 2638Email info@amostrust.orgWebsite amostrust.org

Reg. Charity no 292592

Above Students at Avocado Tree School © Laura CookCover Girls team representing Nicaragua in the Street Child World Cup © Laura Cook

Please give what you can to support the work of this highly committed team of teachers and staff.

£11 is a day’s wages for a teacher.

£55 is a teacher’s weekly wage, but they run after school and weekend community events for no pay.

£30 a week is the wage for the school’s caretaker, cleaners and office staff.

The monthly salary bill for the entire school of 500 pupils is £2,900. Thank you for your support.

appeal for the avocado tree school

Our friends and our family are here.This is our home.

– Betty, year 12 student