In the quiet times INGOs are working in the background, bringing about the incremental changes that I hope will one day make life fair for everyone in the world
Adam Hougham (CAFOD Supporter Services Division):
“I remember seeing the Ethiopian Famine unfold on Newsround and thought it was so unfair that people like me were suffering elsewhere. Later, I watched Live Aid (whilst building a house out of Lego) and the year after raised money by running around a park for Sport Aid. At the time it seemed to my 7 year-old mind that we were fixing a problem with fairness in the world. We had lots, ‘they’ didn’t and we needed to balance the equation. I did World Vision’s 24-hour famine a few times and years later we tried again by telling everyone that the new millennium provided a Jubilee opportunity to write off crippling debts in the developing world. We had another go in 2005 by wearing white-bands as part of Make Poverty History.
We hope to make things better – and I think we do, but progress is frustratingly slow and hard fought. It’s mad that soon three decades will have gone by since I saw those images on TV and for many the struggle remains. Some celebrity will notice the anniversary, organise another concert and revive public consciousness to ‘fix the problems’ again, but in the quiet times INGOs are working in the background, bringing about the incremental changes that I hope will one day make life fair for everyone in the world. That’s why I work for CAFOD, to see what I do improving the lives of people who need it – rather than those with a strong share portfolio.”
As we mark our 50th anniversary at CAFOD, it is time to reflect. We are asking all staff, volunteers, supporters and other friends of CAFOD to look back over their lives and recall the moment when they were first drawn into the fight against poverty and injustice. http://www.cafod.org.uk/whatlityourflame
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