Christian Aid Week the perfect opportunity to make a difference

Lancaster and area Christian Aid Group rep Gill Burgess said: “Every year, during this appeal, people across Britain and Ireland have seven days and so many ways to raise funds to support their global neighbours, in a celebration of hope for a fairer world. Locally we are organising activities such as house-to-house and church collections to support this vital work.”

Money raised during Christian Aid Week will help the organisation’s partners empower vulnerable communities to find practical and sustainable ways out of poverty.

This year’s appeal is focussing on work in 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 (VSLAs). 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.

Christian Aid Week offers seven days and so many ways to make a difference – to find out more, visit https://www.christianaid.org.uk/.

Look out for the familiar red envelope dropping through your letterbox, or you can donate through the local ‘digital envelope’: https://fundraise.christianaid.org.uk/envelope-2024/lancaster-and-area-ca-group