Birmingham newsletter

autumn 2011

Julia Hood visits Ethiopia to report back to supporters in our diocese how their money is helping those affected by

the East Africa crisis—see pages 4 & 5

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Autumn greetings from your

CAFOD diocesan office!

Welcome to our twice-yearly

newsletter. This time we welcome

Amy Fox, our new CAFOD

Diocesan Officer for Youth, who

replaces Ali Ahmad. Amy has

settled in well and would be

delighted to hear from you if you

are a parish youth leader, as

she has lots to offer you in the

way of support, resources and

help with global justice work.

Because of the emerging East

Africa crisis, August was busy

for CAFOD as parishes and

individuals quickly responded to

the appeal. In the three months

since the appeal was launched,

you’ve raised more than £4.5

million, helping CAFOD reach

250,000 people with emergency

food aid, improved water supplies,

vital medical supplies and feed for

animals. Thank you to everyone

who has given and encouraged

others to give, and please keep

praying for the millions of people

affected as this crisis is far from

over. Our director Chris Bain says,

―Every donation is having an

impact on the front line of the

crisis.‖ See page 4 for a report

from Julia on her recent visit to

affected communities in Ethiopia.

We will hold our third Romero

Mass on Friday March 16th

2012 at 7pm at St Chad’s

Cathedral, hosted jointly by

CAFOD and the Archdiocese. The

first two, attended by 200 people,

were a wonderful opportunity to

join together to celebrate the life

and legacy of Archbishop Romero

and the continuing inspiration he

gives us in our work for global

justice. There will be a reception

afterwards in the Grimshaw Room

with a short talk by Sarah Smith-

Pearse of CAFOD’s Latin America

team. Do put the date in your

diary and join us if you are able.

As always, we remind you that

this newsletter is also available

via email. Or, if you don’t have

internet access but would like

materials mentioned in this

newsletter from our website, we

can send you a printed copy.

Thank you for your support of

CAFOD’s work.

Best wishes,

Julia, Abigail, Helen and Amy (Left to right)

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Our World Gifts catalogue,

offering alternative gifts for your loved ones that change

someone’s life in a community overseas, has new gifts each year.

Perhaps you would consider choosing one of these for a loved one,

instead of or as well as a personal item?

£22 Make a child smile

More than just a fun day out, this amazing

gift brings smiles to the faces of orphaned

and vulnerable children who have lost

parents and loved ones because of AIDS. A

day of games, dancing and music gives

them the chance to laugh, make new

friends and just enjoy being children again.

£10 Teach someone to read

Reading can open up so many doors –

education, work, pleasure, and self

improvement – and it’s never too late to

learn. This life-changing gift can pay to

train literacy teachers and provide books.

£23 Shrimp pond

Shrimp ponds make an ideal gift for

families living in areas prone to flooding.

Flood water leaves soil, rivers and ponds

too salty to keep fresh water fish but

shrimps thrive in salt water – giving

families a source of food and income.

Call 0808 140 0014 or see

cafod.org.uk/worldgifts. We can

also send you a supply of gifts

to sell in your parish.

Holy Trinity primary school in Bilston, West

Midlands raised an incredible £1430 for

CAFOD in the summer, using it to buy

chickens from our World Gifts scheme. It

bought an awful lot of chickens! CAFOD

volunteer Trevor Stockton is shown accepting the cheque from two pupils.

0808 140 0014 or cafod.org.uk/worldgifts

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In September I took part in a CAFOD trip to Ethiopia to visit communities in the south of the country who are suffering the effects of one of the worst droughts in sixty years. CAFOD supporters in the Birmingham Archdiocese have so far donated over £336,000 for the East Africa Appeal and on this trip I was able to see the difference this money is making to the lives of those I met. The region we visited is called Borana, about 500 kms from the capital Addis Ababa. It was a long drive to get there and we had ample opportunity to watch as the landscape and scenery started to change. As we left the bustling city and the busy towns behind we drove up into the green and fertile mountains where the famous Ethiopian coffee beans grow. Gradually as we drove further south towards our destination it got hotter

and drier. The soil was red and dusty and the only things that seemed to grow and thrive were thorny bushes and termites.

This is Borana where there has been little or no rain for 18 months. Droughts have always happened here but everyone we met told us that they are now happening much more frequently and intensely. There is no time for recovery. The people who live here are Pastoralists. They depend on their livestock for their income and food. One woman I met, Elema Wario, told me that “Without livestock there is no Borana.” Most of the people we met were reluctant to tell us exactly how many livestock they owned (apparently it is the equivalent of revealing your salary!), but what they did tell us is that most of them have lost over half of their herds. 300,000 cattle have died since this drought began.

Qarchero (above), a father of four in the Borana region, told us: ―For me, it is not this most recent drought that has been the hardest, it is one before. It is that one that killed my livestock. I used to have 20 cattle, now I have 5. I used to have 30 sheep and goats. Now I have just 6.

ETHIOPIA—COPING WITH DROUGHT

NOW & IN THE FUTURE

Julia Hood, CAFOD Diocesan Officer

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I have been forced to sell cattle at a low price so I can buy grain for the family to eat. There isn’t enough to

eat. The droughts are coming more often and the strength of the droughts is more. Now they seem to be coming every year. We are afraid that the drought will get worse. We are afraid of the future.”

Qarchero with over 100 members of his community took part in a CAFOD supported project to clear and improve their local watering hole (seen above). They cleared it of silt, made it bigger and created a separate pond for animals. Qarchero

told us that after this work was completed they did get a small amount of rain, enough to save his remaining livestock, ―If I had not gained money clearing this pond, I don’t know what would have happened. And if we hadn’t cleared the ponds we wouldn’t have water for us and our livestock. There are

few water holes near here. Some people walk all morning to collect water or bring their animals to drink it.” The projects we visited are all about helping the people of Borana adapt and cope with increasingly severe droughts, now and in the future.

CAFOD are supporting communities to improve water collection and storage and to clear grassland of

invasive bush so that their livestock have pasture to graze on. We are also helping and training communities to set up co-operatives, e.g. to make and sell aloe vera soap, or produce honey, providing alternative sources of income. These may seem like very simple,

basic things but in terms of the impact they are having they are huge and they really can mean the difference between a community being able to cope, or tipping over the edge into famine. In the words of Dejene Fikre, one of CAFOD’s partners, “To the people

who have given to CAFOD, thank you for giving attention to Borana. You must remember that drought is known to these people, it is part of their lives, so they can cope if given help to be prepared. Please remember this and help us continue this good work.” To support CAFOD’s East Africa

Appeal or to find out more about our work go to: cafod.org.uk

If you would like me to come and give a talk about my trip to Ethiopia you can contact me on

01922 722944 or e-mail jhood@cafod.org.uk

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An ancient Greek truce gave athletes 100 days of peace to

travel to and from the Olympic Games in safety. CAFOD

has launched a new website in the run up to the 2012

Olympic Games, encouraging young people to upload a

film of themselves and add a message, then pass it on to

people who won't be in peace in 2012. There’s a toolkit of ideas of how to use the Olympics and sports to get young people

involved in global justice: cafod.org.uk/passiton

The first Lichfield deanery

CAFOD mass took place on

27th September at Barton-

under-Needwood ahead of

Harvest Fast Day. Inspired by

the Wolverhampton CAFOD masses which have been

happening for several years,

the Mass was attended by 120

people from all over the

deanery and celebrated by

The livesimply award gives national recognition to Catholic parishes

making a difference to their community – and the world! From making

your church buildings more environmentally friendly to supporting

Fairtrade, there are many ways that you can work towards an award, and be recognised for what you are already doing. Put your faith into

action, strengthen the bonds of community, and nourish your spiritual

life. Find out how your parish can get involved by going to

livesimplyaward.org.uk or calling David Hughes on 0114 263 6421.

An 8 year old called Erin from

Birmingham completed a bike ride for

CAFOD recently, raising a total of

£85, which she is very proud of! Erin

says, "I was off school not feeling

very well when my school did a collection for CAFOD, so I decided to

raise money myself to help poor

people who don't have water or food.‖

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50 years, 50 faces: Sexual violence in DRC

At the end of September, CAFOD

presented a photographic

exhibition entitled 50 Years, 50

Faces at St Peter’s Collegiate

Church in

Wolverhampton City centre. The

exhibition was launched by the

Mayor of Wolverhampton, Cllr

Bert Turner; the Rector of St

Peter’s, Rev David Wright and

Abigail McMillan of CAFOD.

Abigail told the emotional stories

of some of the women featured in

the exhibition. All 50 women

have survived sexual violence in

the east of Democratic Republic

of Congo and the exhibition is a way of letting their voices be

heard, and their faces seen, so that we in the UK remain aware of

the ongoing sexual violence in DRC. For more information on

CAFOD’s work in DRC see cafod.org.uk/news/uk-news/drc

From Wolverhampton to Rwanda Simon and Odette took time out from their Connect2 visits (see

page 8) to visit Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Sports College.

Following the visit, students took time to write to the Rwandan

visitors. These are some of the things they wrote:

―Your visit helped me understand genocide. When sitting in the

comfort of your classroom it is difficult to comprehend these

stories but you brought them to life.‖

―I learnt that in bad times, very bad things can happen such as

neighbours killing each other.‖

―I was moved by your strength and perseverance through this

traumatic time.‖

― Forgiveness can get you far once the differences are put to one

side.‖

―I think we should follow your example and be glad for the small

things in life we hardly notice. You have shown me that one person

can really make an impact.‖

L-R: The Right Worshipful the Mayor of Wolverhampton, Cllr Bert Turner;

The Mayoress, Kath Turner & Abigail McMillan

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Connect2

Our Lady & St Hubert’s parish in Warley are

connected to Puentecitos in El Salvador and held

an event on Saturday 24th September, at which

Sarah Smith-Pearse from CAFOD’s Latin America

team spoke. Sarah, who has travelled to

Puentecitos many times, explained the difficulties people face in the village, and what a difference

CAFOD support makes, through our partner the

Jesuit Development Service. Our Lady and

Mount Carmel parish in Redditch organised an

El Salvador evening on Oct 14th at St Augustine’s

High School, with Archbishop Bernard speaking

about his visit to Puentecitos in March 2010, and

Bron Soan explaining the work of ACES (Aid for

Children of El Salvador).

L-R: Helen Moseley

from the local CAFOD office and Sarah-Smith

-Pearse from CAFOD’s Latin America team

Simon Nsambiyese and Odette Kayirere from Rwanda visited the

parish of St Peter & St Paul

in Wolverhampton, which is

connected to the Rwandan

village of Musha. Odette

explained the work of

CAFOD partner AVEGA,

which she founded along

with other widows of the

1994 genocide, to support

widows and orphans.

Odette told the parish,

which has been

communicating with Musha

over the past year, ―I

survived because of the will

of God, I survived because

he has a purpose for me. This is why I continue to work with

widows, it is my purpose‖. Simon explained how CAFOD’s money is

helping people through counselling and livelihoods support.

Simon, top left and Odette, bottom right with

parishioners from St Peter & St Paul

If your parish would like a closer connection to a community where

CAFOD works, please get in touch. You can be connected to one of

six communities in Brazil, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Ethiopia or one of

the two mentioned here, Rwanda and El Salvador.

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Great Birmingham Run, Sunday Oct 23rd 2011

CAFOD had 10 runners in the 2011 BUPA Great Birmingham Run,

and we’d love to have even more in 2012! Thank you very much to

all of those who ran the arduous 13.1 miles for CAFOD. If you

could give this a try, see cafod.org.uk/events for details of other

events, or mark 21st October 2012 in your diary for Birmingham!

Clockwise from top left: Andrew Wilkinson with Helen and Abigail from the office; Keith Burness,

Jackie Kinsella, Phil Williams, Tracey Rayner, Jill Dale, John Floyd, and Gaspard Nzamurambaho.

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Around the Archdiocese

The annual David

Barratt Memorial

Sponsored Walk took

place on Saturday 17th

September. Parishioners

and family and friends

from St Mary of the Angels

parish in Aldridge walked

the 8 miles to Lichfield

Cathedral after receiving a

blessing from parish priest

Father Leadbeater. The

total raised for CAFOD’s

East Africa Appeal is

£1,632. Many thanks to

those who took part and

those who generously

supported them.

L-R: Brenda Dwyer, Pete & Julia Hood,

Father Michael Leadbeater, Beryl

Meehan, Gary & Emma Reynolds, John

Terry and Tony Meehan.

Cardinal Griffin

Catholic High

School in Cannock

celebrated their 50th

anniversary in

October 2011 and at

their Awards Evening

on 22nd September,

CAFOD’s Director

Chris Bain thanked

the school for the

incredible £20,000

they have raised for

CAFOD’s work in

recent years. The

event was attended

by Governors,

parents and pupils of

the school.

L-R: Michael Burrowes, headteacher,

Alice Sheppard (Head Girl), Chris Bain,

and Chris Allen (Head Boy).

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―On Monday 17th October

I gave a whole school

presentation to pupils and

staff at Blessed George

Napier Catholic

Secondary School in

Banbury focusing on

CAFOD's latest "Don't Drop

the Ball on Climate

Change" campaign. The

assembly was a great

success with pupils eager

to sign 600 action cards

and take part in a school

photograph to

promote the

campaign—

outside in the

cold drizzle!‖

CAFOD volunteer

Denise Dane

We are always looking for

new people to become

CAFOD Schools

Volunteers like Denise,

above and Peter, left. We

offer training, plenty of

ideas and resources,

support from the office

and a chance to meet and

share regularly with other

volunteers. We ask that

you commit to undertake 5

schools visits a year. If you

are interested, please

contact us (details on back

page).

Above: CAFOD Schools Volunteer Peter Bailes accepts a cheque from Mike Painter, head teacher at St George's primary school, Worcester following their recent Harvest Sale.

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CAFOD Birmingham, 23 Glebe Street, Walsall, West Midlands, WS1 3NX 01922 722 944 birmingham@cafod.org.uk www.cafod.org.uk picture credits:

Registered Charity No. 285776

Diary dates

Friday 2nd March 2012 Lent Fast Day Do let us know if your parish

would like someone to give short talks at masses.

Friday 16th March 2012, 7pm: Annual Romero Mass at St Chad’s Cathedral Followed by CAFOD reception

with short talk by Sarah Smith-Pearse about Romero’s legacy, El Salvador today and working for justice. All welcome.

If your parish doesn’t already keep a supply of CAFOD Gift Aid

envelopes in stock, why not request some from us? That way,

when it is time to hold an emergency appeal, the envelopes will be

ready to use, and CAFOD will be able to claim Gift Aid—an extra

25p in every £1. CAFOD receives about £3m per year in Gift Aid!

An Advent people

God of light, shine forth, show us how to bring hope to others.

God of mercy, help us to comfort your people and

share in their joy.

God of hope, make us an

Advent people, preparing the way for life in all its fullness.

Amen. Catherine Gorman/CAFOD

Children’s Liturgy resources and ideas are available for all Sundays

from Advent until Easter of Year B on the CAFOD website. Please

encourage your children’s liturgy team to have a look at these brilliant

resources: cafod.org.uk/worship/childrensliturgy

See cafod.org.uk/schools for our interactive Advent Calendar

which combines a daily reflection with stories from CAFOD’s work

around the world. We have a primary and secondary version

available, either of which can also be used by adults! We also have

an Advent Service new for 2011, with the theme of hope, and

with notes for the service leader: cafod.org.uk/worship