Category: Volunteering

Cross-continental learning on the value of volunteers

December 4, 2019

Local community volunteers play a vital role reaching out to those in need, playing a constructive role in their communities. Janet Crossly, from the Humanitarian Development team tells us about the passion of these volunteers for helping others in their communities.

When Cyclone Idai swept across southern Africa in March this year, it left a trail of destruction in its wake. Armed conflict in north-eastern Nigeria has caused thousands of families to flee their homes. And the Ebola crisis in West Africa devastated communities affected by the disease. What do these three very different emergencies, have in common?

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Witnessing action on the climate crisis

May 30, 2019

Father Hugh Pollock and Stephen Garsed are CAFOD campaigners and joined us for the climate change summit in Poland. They tell us about a few bits they saw and the fired-up attitude they have brought home.

Find out more about our campaigning on climate change
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Step into the Gap: Wasting our world away

March 5, 2019

Niamh Melton is a CAFOD Step into the Gap volunteer and is based at the Briars Centre, Nottingham. She recently returned from an overseas visit to Uganda. Here, she reflects on the experiences she had there.

Apply to Step into the Gap today

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Soup-er lunches for Lent

February 27, 2019

Joe, a volunteer from the CAFOD Birmingham team shares some inspiration from the St Osburg’s parish in Coventry on running a soup-erb lunch for Family Fast Day.

With Lent rapidly approaching, our thoughts will be turning to what we might give up, but, even more importantly, how we and our communities might give. Well, if we’re looking for inspiration, the people of St Osburg’s parish in Coventry provide a wonderful example.

Pledge to have soup this Family Fast Day
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Celebrating International Volunteers Day with volunteer stories from Nigeria

December 5, 2018

Oge Chukwudozie is a Humanitarian Capacity Strengthening Officer for CAFOD in Nigeria. Oge explains how community volunteers play such a vital role in CAFOD’s work to support remote communities.

As the most populous country on the continent, Nigeria is often referred to as the “Giant of Africa”. It is also large geographically, and transport links are poor in the more rural areas. It takes six hours for CAFOD staff to travel by road from Abuja to Omalla in Kogi state, and this is one of the closest areas where we work.

Community volunteers, supported by CAFOD and its partners, play an important role in supporting remote communities across Nigeria. This International Volunteers Day, on December 5th, I want to celebrate the important role that volunteers play in CAFOD’s work across the world, by sharing the stories of some of the wonderful volunteers in Nigeria.

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How Storm Emma helped me gain a new perspective on Family Fast Day

March 6, 2018

Elouise Hobbs from our media team shares how empty shelves during Storm Emma has given her a new perspective on Family Fast Day. 

On Friday 23 February, I marked Family Fast Day like thousands of others across the country by enjoying a simple meal of soup and bread.

And, although through my simple soup meal I was able to reflect and felt solidarity with those who do not have enough to eat, the feeling was short lived – I knew that when I got home I had a fridge full of food and could eat whatever I wanted.

Get involved with Family Fast Day today

It wasn’t until an experience last Friday that really inspired me to take a new perspective on Family Fast Day.

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Sussex CAFOD volunteers attend historic papal audience

January 4, 2018

Christina Lucey, a parishioner at St Mary Magdalene, Bexhill-on-Sea, and CAFOD volunteer, writes about her experience of hearing Pope Francis announce the new global migration campaign – ‘Share the Journey’ – at Saint Peter’s Square in Rome. 

What a wonderful morning – despite having to queue for over an hour from 7am to have a chance of a good situation in the square! Under the guidance of our tour guide, our group managed to find places close to the barrier where we could sit and rest for the long wait until Pope Francis was scheduled to appear.

Watch a video to learn more about the campaign launch

There was great excitement when Pope Francis finally appeared and did his usual tour. I stood on a chair so that I could see better and was able to alert the group when he was coming. We had to wait until almost the end, but it was worth it.

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Rohingya Crisis Appeal: Caritas volunteers join relief efforts

October 20, 2017

Tom Delamere is CAFOD’s Bangladesh Programme Officer. Here he tells us about his recent visits to Bangladesh, a country struggling to cope with the arrival of more than 582,000 refugees from Myanmar, on top of the devastating effects of recent flooding.

On landing in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s bustling capital city, two things immediately strike you. The first is the close, warm climate; growing up in the North of England didn’t really prepare me for South Asia’s summer temperatures. The second is just how busy the roads and streets are, ringing with vehicle horns, rickshaw bells and the movement of crowds of people.

Please donate to CAFOD’s Rohingya Crisis Appeal 

What sticks in my mind the most about the country is the hospitality shown by its people – a warm welcome, a cup of char and an engaging conversation are never far away.

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