Tag Archives: campaigns

by hmoriarty | June 13, 2013 · 1:00 pm

A silent reflection…with a whistle

45,000 people attended the Hyde Park rally on 8 June.

On Saturday 8 June I woke early. And realised I had laryngitis and had lost my voice. This was not a great start to the day: it was the day of the BigIF G8 rally and I wouldn’t be able to talk to our supporters. Luckily my great colleague James was willing to do all the verbal communications when we met up with everyone to travel to London.

But I was undeterred, I was not going to let this stop me making lots of noise in Hyde Park. I had my wonderful whistle. This has travelled to many rallies over the years, including Make Poverty History and The Wave.

It was bought on the 16 May 1998 from a small stall as we headed off into Birmingham city centre to join the rally for the Drop the Debt Jubilee Campaign. I remember thinking “I probably won’t use it” and popped it into my bag. How wrong I was. We joined thousands of people making a nine mile human chain banging pots and pans, blowing hooters and waving klaxons, even rattling chains and old wooden footy rattles!

To this day, Birmingham evokes very precious memories of the joy of uniting with like-minded friends who work tirelessly for justice.

Last Saturday it happened again. There was a deep well of love that united over 45,000 people in London’s Hyde Park. It gives us great hope and of course we cannot forget that we have enough food for everyone, yet one in eight people go hungry.

IF we all speak out together in 2013 we can make our world leaders change the future.

A favourite hymn of mine is Breathe on me breath of God - “that I may love what thou does love, and do what thou wouldst do”.

Even though I didn’t have a voice for the voiceless on Saturday it didn’t matter I had my breath and the wonderful whistle worked it’s magic once again !

About the author: Chris Lappine is CAFOD’s diocesan manager for the Liverpool diocese.

G8 rallies: Christina’s story

As we wait in anticipation of the big Enough Food for Everyone IF G8 rally on 8 June, Christina Kelling looks back on her experience at a previous mass demonstration: Make Poverty History. Join us on 8 June and help make history >

Christina Kelling works for Medair Sudan, and formerly worked in the CAFOD Campaigns team: “I was raised in a Christian family and from a young age was taught that the two greatest commandments are to love God and to love other people.

Continue reading →

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Filed under CAFOD, Campaigning, UK

Tagged as CAFOD, campaigning, campaigns, Enough Food for Everyone IF, food, hunger, Hungry for change, make poverty history

by hmoriarty | April 11, 2013 · 2:03 pm

Side by Side Question Time: Do big demonstrations make a difference?

In the spring issue of Side by Side we’re asking:

“Thousands of people will join IF campaign rallies this summer. Do big demonstrations make a difference?”

Have you ever taken part in a demonstration? Do you think mass rallies are important or are they a waste of time? Does anyone really pay attention to them? Or does the sight of thousands of people coming together make a statement nothing else could match?

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1940s rations challenge: The end is in sight!

I’m into the last full week of my rations challenge. And thanks to lots of lovely generous people, I’ve raised £630.43 so far! So if you’re one of said lovely people, thank you. You’re making sure more hungry people get access to their fair share of food, and that’s a magnificent thing.

This has been an awesome experience. There have been highs and lows. The lows include: running out of fun things to make with potatoes. And wartime baking is a world away from my usual eggs-and-butter extravaganza and makes for dull, flat, sawdusty cake.

The highs include: learning to make bread and pastry with very few ingredients; Mary Anne Boermans (of Great British Bake-off fame) tweeting me recipe suggestions, and one lovely friend lovingly photocopying every single page of her own mother’s wartime scrapbook, with all the original food ministry leaflets and recipes for me. Loads of vital tips on ‘how to make the fat ration last’, ‘making the most of milk’. And what a privilege to see all the handwritten notes and comments from a real wartime cook!

Wartime recipes courtesy of a friend’s mum

Have you got a family recipe that comes from the rationing era? I’d love you to share it for my last week! @gleeandcakes on twitter!>>

So when I’ve been ready to throw in the towel and make a tomato omelette, your generosity has reminded me of why I’m doing this and then I’ve given myself a mental slap and got on with it. After all – I’m not starving. I’m not wondering where my next meal will come from, or trying to eke out £1 a day for my shopping.

Meanwhile, I’ve formed good habits. I’ve developed a keener sense of what I don’t need, and my shopping trolley is no longer overflowing with things I won’t finish before they go off.

Whereas usually in Lent, I find myself compensating for whatever I’m giving up – swapping my chocolate treat for a biscuit for example – this challenge is all about the overall amount of food available.

So the overriding issue most days is how to manage, how to make food last the week, and how to make do with what I have. And I really enjoy the planning and cooking and making rations stretch. I find it breeds gratitude for what I have.

Give thanks for the food we eat – why not add your own grace to our Grace wall?>>

Wartime turnovers

I’m starting to fantasise about Easter Sunday lunch (my husband’s fabulous Nigerian goat stew, with the full works: rice, plantain, and my sister in law’s amazing akara), there are definitely some lessons I’ll do my darndest to take forward.

I think local, seasonal food is the way forward. I’ll be trying to live by this maxim and recognise that food from overseas is a privilege.
I CAN live on much less than I’m used to, and buying a sensible amount cuts bills and waste. So while I’m looking forward to more variety, I won’t increase the overall amount I buy.
If we’re all going to have enough to eat, we should take only what we need of the world’s abundance. We need food systems to work for everyone, not just people who are lucky enough to live in certain countries. And this is within our power to change.

Have you added your voice to the fight against global hunger yet? Ask David Cameron to take action on food>>

Thank you so much for all your support this Lent. Despite the frustrations and occasional despondency, you’ve inspired and humbled me. The end is in sight for my challenge, and let’s pray that the end’s in sight for world hunger too!

About the Author: Claud Mba has worked in CAFOD’s digital communications team for three years. She lives with her husband in Kent and is a lifelong supporter of CAFOD’s work. This Lent she’s putting her love of 1940s style and culture to the test: getting sponsored to live on 1943 UK rations, in solidarity with people who don’t have enough to eat around the world.

You can read more about Claud’s challenge and sponsor her here: http://www.justgiving.com

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Tagged as campaigns, food, fundraising, IF, prayer, rations challenge

by claudmba | March 6, 2013 · 10:07 am

Kenya elections: When will we know?

About the Author: Joseph Kabiru is CAFOD’s Media and Communications Officer for the East and Horn of Africa.

Voters queing at Kadenye polling station, in Molo, in the Rift Valley before polls opened at 6am.

It is a rainy morning in Nairobi and just like other Kenyans, I am worried, waiting to see whether Kenya’s general election will conclude peacefully.

Technical hitches mean a delay until we know whether there was a first round win for any of the eight Presidential candidates. Uncertainty leads to anxiety.

I was among the hundreds of journalists and election observers who yesterday heard the Chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, Isaack Hassan, promise the wait will soon be over:

“The 290 constituencies around the country have now completed tabulating their results and they are making their way to Nairobi, where they will present the final results.

“I must say we had anticipated our electronic tallying system to be 100%, but we have had challenges and have not able to deliver the provisional results in real time.

“I am aware Kenyans are getting anxious, but I urge them to remain patient as we await the final results from the returning officers.”

The chairman faced a barrage of questions about whether the country was facing a repeat of 2007, where the country descended into chaos and violence following delays in releasing presidential results. While the electoral body chair re-assured Kenyans all was well, there is cause for concern.

Gauging by the mood of political parties’ agents, the stage is set for disputes to arise from the emerging results. One area of concern is over the large number of spoiled or rejected ballots, which by Monday evening stood at 330,000.

Should these ballots be included the total number of votes cast? If so, it will significantly reduce the percentage of votes claimed by each Presidential candidate. With the constitution requiring the winner to attain more than 50% of the total votes, this could be crucial, reducing the chances of a first round winner.

The Jubilee Coalition, whose candidate Uhuru Kenyatta is leading the provisional count, has said it will not accept the inclusion of spoilt votes in tallying the final percentages. Their rival, Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s Coalition of Reform and Democracy, has also expressed concern with the way the tallying of votes has gone so far.

My hope, and that of fellow Kenyans, is that by the end of today, final results will have been declared, they are accepted by all parties, and the country remains peaceful. We continue to pray for peace.

Please join us in praying for a peaceful conclusion to the Kenyan elections. find unique prayer resources here>>

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Tagged as campaigning, campaigns, election, Elections, Kenya