An Advent journey
December 13, 2019
During Advent Catherine Gorman from our Theology team remembers Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and reflects on the journeys that thousands of people still face today.
Continue reading “An Advent journey”Tag: World Gifts
Christmas gifts that won’t cost the Earth
November 29, 2019
In the face of the current climate crisis we all need to make an effort to go green at Christmas. With just a few weeks to go, Becky Such, our World Gifts Coordinator, talks about our virtual gifts and how you can choose ethical Christmas presents.
Continue reading “Christmas gifts that won’t cost the Earth”Why I’m choosing World Gifts this Christmas
November 20, 2019
Christine Allen, CAFOD’s Director, picks out some of her favourite World Gifts and explains why they’re a great way to give this Christmas.
Continue reading “Why I’m choosing World Gifts this Christmas”Gifts for girls: a World Gifts perspective
November 14, 2019
Becky Such, from World Gifts, reflects on the new gifts she has created this year and how they highlight the struggles of women living in poverty.
Continue reading “Gifts for girls: a World Gifts perspective”Giving a charity goat this Christmas? All you’ve ever wanted to know about CAFOD World Gifts
November 12, 2019
With just over a month until Christmas, Sally Kitchener in our Communications team answers some of your questions about World Gifts – CAFOD’s virtual charity gifts.
Father’s Day gifts for the Dad it’s hard to buy for
June 3, 2019
Becky works on World Gifts at CAFOD. She tells us why she buys her Dad a World Gift for Father’s Day as well as celebrating the other father figures in her life.
Continue reading “Father’s Day gifts for the Dad it’s hard to buy for”CAFOD – Empowering women from day one
March 26, 2019
Becky is the World Gifts manager at CAFOD. She tells us about the inspiration she gathers from our female founders and our new director, as well as the women she learns about through her research for World Gifts.
When I first looked at applying to CAFOD, one of the things that really struck me about them as a charity is the story of their founders. Back in 1960, Jackie Stuyt and Elspeth Orchard, alongside women from other Women’s Catholic unions, joined together to run the first Family Fast Day.
Continue reading “CAFOD – Empowering women from day one”The power of a Birth certificate – a World Gifts update
December 12, 2018
Rachel works for CAFOD. Here she reflects on how meeting Katy, a CAFOD Gapper, helped her to discover the power of a simple birth certificate, and inspired her to create a new, very special virtual gift for CAFOD’s World Gifts collection that will help babies and children around the world.
The importance of a birth certificate
A birth certificate. Every person needs one, it shows our citizenship, lets us get a passport – it tells the world who we are. And I think that here in the UK, we take this simple legal document for granted.
But for people living in poverty, perhaps in rural areas, where babies are born at home, it is often forgotten. And a child without a birth certificate faces problems.
In Zimbabwe, children without a birth certificate cannot go to school, take exams, apply for an ID card, vote, travel, nor access many other basic essential services.
You can buy a Birth certificate World Gift so that a child can go to school
I’ve worked in fundraising for years and am always eager to hear about how donations help. Katy, who recently travelled to Zimbabwe on a gap year trip with CAFOD, told me about the terrible and long-lasting impact of growing up without a birth certificate.
Katy said, “Children around the world continue to grow up without the basic human right of an identity.”
This startling comment gripped me.
Continue reading “The power of a Birth certificate – a World Gifts update”
Feel good about giving this Christmas with World Gifts
November 28, 2018
Feeling all shopped out
In the wake of Black Friday madness gripping the UK for the last week, I reflect back to years gone by, with footage of people queuing for hours, or fighting to get the last bargain. How those people feeling now? I wonder if they are planning to replace last year’s new purchase with this year’s newer model, or whether they feel genuinely fulfilled by their choices.
Continue reading “Feel good about giving this Christmas with World Gifts”
Bringing childhoods back to life
November 23, 2018
Presenter and reporter Julie Etchingham travelled to Lebanon to see the work of CAFOD partner Caritas Lebanon.
So I’m flying home early this morning after three eye-opening days in Lebanon – expertly guided by CAFOD and their partners on the ground Caritas Lebanon. As we wind slowly upwards away from Beirut, I’m thinking of all the children we met in the past few days.
Help a refugee child. This charity gift will give much-needed emotional and educational support to children who have fled the violent trauma of war. Continue reading “Bringing childhoods back to life”