Friday 23rd October 2020
Last Christmas, communities across England and Wales raised nearly one million pounds for international aid charity, CAFOD, to support families in developing countries. CAFOD supporters bought a wide range of virtual World Gifts (a gift that represents and supports an area of our development work), including popular gifts such as Water for the Family, The Goat that Gives and Chirpy Chickens.
One gift that is close to the heart of CAFOD director, Christine Allen, is the gift of listening.
The Listening Centre (£50.00) supports training and education sessions for vulnerable women who have been victims of violence, and it is also a great place for women to learn new trade skills so they can earn an independent income.
"I visited the Listening Centre in Bakavu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, run by local organisation, Centre Olame. I met women, traumatised by the brutality of war - survivors of sexual violence and abuse”, said Allen.
“The listening rooms give women a safe and comfortable space for them to talk and share with other women about their experiences, which helps them to restore their confidence, dignity, and their daily lives. When you buy a World Gift this Christmas, you are not just buying a gift - you are giving a gift of hope."
This year there are six brand new gifts in the World Gifts 2020 Christmas catalogue to support communities in developing countries who are struggling to deal with the effects of the spread of the Coronavirus.
The Keep Clean kit (£6.00) provides a family with soap, washing powder and five locally made, reusable facemasks, along with instructions for proper washing. Another new gift is the PPE for a Healthcare Worker (£12.00) which provides– gloves, masks, aprons, rubber boots and goggles – so they can stay safe while helping those most in need.
Information is power in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. The Messages of Hope loudspeaker (£67.00) keeps a community up to date with important information about the pandemic, in rural or remote villages, which in turn can save many lives.
And this Christmas CAFOD supporters have pledged to buy even more life-saving virtual World Gifts.
“The coronavirus pandemic has shown us that we are much more connected and reliant on each other than ever before. World Gifts is a wonderful opportunity to discover great gift ideas to help you shop compassionately this Christmas. From the Listening Centre, to PPE For Health Workers, every gift is an ongoing commitment to supporting vulnerable people overseas and an act of us standing together, in these challenging COVID-19 times,” said Christine Allen.
NOTES TO EDITORS
For further information and photos please contact: Tamala Ceasar, Regional Media Officer Mobile: +44 (0)7785 950585| Out of Hours Press Office: +44(0) 7919 301 429 email: tceasar@cafod.org.uk
•CAFOD’s World Gifts scheme is a range of virtual gift that supports families around the world. Find out more about World Gifts
•CAFOD is celebrating over a decade of World Gifts, which were established as alternative charity gifts that would help transform lives and communities. To date the scheme has raised over £13 million, making a very real difference to vulnerable and marginalised families around the world.
•Each World Gift is a real example of CAFOD's work. When you choose a gift, you support the area of our work that this gift represents. So, for example, when you buy chickens, you support our work with poor farmers in rural areas of developing countries by contributing to our Livestock, Agriculture and Livelihoods funds. This gives us the flexibility to respond in the best way possible to the individual needs of the different communities we work with all over the world.
•CAFOD is the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, and part of Caritas International. Across the world we bring hope and compassion to poor communities, standing side by side with them to end poverty and injustice. Because we work through the local Church, we can reach people and places that others can’t.
ENDS//