SIR – The 60th anniversary Christian Aid Week is taking place this week and the overseas aid charity is asking Co Cork to remember the millions of people who have been forced from home by conflict.
SIR – The 60th anniversary Christian Aid Week is taking place this week and the overseas aid charity is asking Co Cork to remember the millions of people who have been forced from home by conflict. Christian Aid Ireland, the official relief and development agency of the Protestant churches, is holding its annual week of fundraising from Sunday, May 14th, until Saturday 20th.
Christian Aid Week began 60 years ago to support the aid effort helping refugees fleeing war-torn Europe. In the decades since then, it has continued to raise millions of pounds to help people in need.
Six decades on, there still millions of families – mothers, fathers and children – who are running from conflict, danger and persecution around the world in search of a safe place to call home. This week we’re saying that they have been running long enough and that we remain committed to helping them. We are not turning our backs now.
According to the UNHCR, 65.3 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes. 68% of them are being hosted by some of the poorest countries in the world in the Middle East and Africa, compared to just 6% in Europe. Syrians continue to be the largest group of refugees worldwide.
We’re incredibly grateful for the generosity and goodwill of our supporters, including churches, communities and individuals across Co Cork each Christian Aid Week and we look forward to an inspiring week of collections, ‘Big Brekkies’ and coffee mornings that will raise vital funds for life-changing work with people in severe need.
We’re asking the kind people of Co Cork to support any local Christian Aid Week fundraising events or to consider making a donation towards Christian Aid’s work with people who are facing poverty or injustice. To help to change lives, donate online at www.christianaid.ie or call 01-4967040.
Rosamond Bennett, CEO,
Christian Aid Ireland,
Canal House,
Canal Road,
Dublin 6.