Update from our partners on our coronavirus repsonse

Kenya

This week we have a webinar from CAFOD staff Luckson Mashiri from Zimbabwe and Oge Chukwudozie from Nigeria on Thursday 28 May, 11am-12pm, as they share their stories about working with and training local volunteers.

Make sure to Register here to join.

We are receiving regular updates from our local aid experts, sharing the progress of projects in countries like Nigeria and information from local organisations who are working in some of the most vulnerable communities, like Caritas Bangladesh who is working alongside refugee in the camps in Cox’s Bazar.

Please donate to our appeal here. 

Zimbabwe

A couple of weeks ago, we had a brilliant webinar with Kayode Akintola, our Country Representative in Sierra Leone, about the Ebola crisis and its relevance for the coronavirus outbreak. You can catch up here if you missed it.

One of our CAFOD volunteers in the North East, Paul Robinson, the Managing Director of PER Productions, kindly volunteered his professional expertise to create these three short videos based around Kayode’s talk.

You can watch them here, and please feel free to share them with members of your community, school or parish:

Coronavirus threatens Sierra Leone: https://vimeo.com/418056059

CAFOD responds to coronavirus in Sierra Leone: https://vimeo.com/418056395

CAFOD supporters keep hope alive in Sierra Leone: https://vimeo.com/418056858

 

Trash for Cash recycling for CAFOD

The full sack

Alison,one of our school volunteers decided to use the lock down as an opportunity to have a good sort out! She told me ” John and I are using the lockdown to have a massive clear out of boxes of items of his parents that have been in our garage or loft for decades.  We have old coins, stamps and little bits of jewellery. We found out that  Recycling for Good Causes would take all these things and more for the benefit of CAFOD”

They contacted Recycling for Good Causes who sent them a sack to fill. You need to put in at least 10kg of items in order to get a free collection .  After the collection Recycling for Good causes will let you know how much you have raised for CAFOD.

What a great way to raise money and recycle at the same time.

“I’m sure it would work well for a parish collection but, of course, we are not meeting together at the moment!  It still seems a pity to “miss the moment” whilst people are clearing out during lockdown”.  So why not have a sort out and turn trash into cash!

 

 

 

Update from Maureen on Emsworth’s virtual pilgrimage and a reflection on Laudato Si’ week

Bishop Philip with Maureen Thompson

As Maureen shared last week, she, Alison and about 50 others are on virtual pilgrimage to Canterbury.  Last Week Alison asked all the pilgrims to consider signing the CAFOD petition to the prime minister –https://cafod.org.uk/Campaign/Latest-campaigns/Unite-against-coronavirus

This week Maureen has had a go at making a video to encourage everyone  to look deeper to understand what is needed to Care for our common home – Maureen comments “Making a video is harder than it looks I discovered I get words muddled and I can’t sit still.”

 As the weeks progressed,  Maureen walked in her local area imagining that she is making the pilgrimage walk to Canterbury crossing the downs over Hastings to Ickenham. She tried to link up what she have learnt about St Thomas of Canterbury and his life of power struggles 850 years ago  and connect it with Laudato Si’ week working  to deepening our understanding of caring for our common home today  – it seemed a bit unlikely!

But then Bishop Arnold’s video, from the global Caring films, came to mind about living more simply which he explains at the end of this film.

As chancellor to the King,St Thomas lived a life of great splendour with the super-rich- his clothes-his hospitality- his entire retinue. But as Archbishop and particularly when he lived in monasteries in exile, he was at first forced but then gradually came to terms with living a much simpler life

There is satisfaction for people of faith to have joy in living simply and of course this is not only true for Archbishops and bishops but for all parishes. So, take up the CAFOD challenge together by considering the livesimply award