How did I do THAT?

I've been a long way.  And come back again.

It's safe to say that I haven't hidden just how nervous I have been about the cycle challenge my Dad and I took on this year.  It's been quite the palaver and I've been on the verge of backing out on more occasions than I care to admit.

Here's us at the start line:

Here's us at the finish line:


















Four days, three countries, three hundred miles.  And I rode every single one of them.  WHAT?!?!?

So being that I made quite the meal of it all, I wouldn't blame anyone for asking 'how exactly did I manage it?!'

Honestly?  I don't know.

But I have a few ideas;

- I didn't want to let my dad down.  That was worse than the thought of hating it.

- I didn't want to have to tell everyone I backed out or gave up.

- The more I did, the more I surprised myself.  The more I achieved, the more I wanted to know how much further I could go.  The further I got, the more I could do...

- It was rarefied air; all I had to do each day was get on a bike.  That's it.  Just keep said bike moving forward.  And that seemed a lot more manageable than normal life.

They say that people get to the end of these challenges and feel sad that it's over and I confess that sounded like utter tosh a week ago.  But come Saturday and the final 10 miles and I got it.  Partly because of the high of making it, the beauty of the scenery and the uplifting support from home.  But for me, I wanted to stay in the bubble, where all I needed to do was get on a bike.

My trusty steed.

In my last post I mentioned that carrying baggage is part of life.  I took mine all the way to Brussels.  And I wasn't the only one.  It was clear that we'd all been carrying some hefty weight with us for the trip.  Yet no one was shouting about theirs or opening it up for show and tell.  Trips like these are utter escapism and in the bubble you get to focus on something far easier than what you're carrying.

It was a privilege to travel with the weary and the burdened, quietly and positively.  The father raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust because his son has cancer.  The gentle man going through a divorce.  The funny northerner who had a suspected heart attack a few weeks ago.  I only caught glimpses of the baggage we each held to our chests but it was a breath of fresh air to both silently acknowledge and overcome it all if only for a few days.

I want to keep cycling if only to keep up some fitness and balance out my biscuit habit.  And I also want to seek out some rarefied air occasionally.  I think it might help to readjust the load and look at the scenery for a few moments.  I need days where all I need to do is get on a bike, so that when I step back out of the bubble I can be that little bit fitter.

p.s. you can still sponsor us

Fear and padded shorts.

On Sunday I preached on Matthew 16:21-28.  If you've not picked it up from my previous blogs, it's worth knowing that I'm not feeling much at the moment, it's a numb trudging through treacle type time.

When I first approached this text my heart sunk - here we go again, another passage that is interpreted in a number of ways; not all of which are particularly helpful.  There it was ready to thwack me about the head; pick up your cross and carry your burdens.  Some people add 'these things are sent to try us' or 'give everything up because then you'll be rich in heaven'.

Here's what I saw.

Jesus lived a life, and it can't have passed him by that most humans picked up a fair bit of baggage on the way.  Surely Jesus was inviting us burdened folk to pick it all up and come on the journey with him.  Maybe Jesus was essentially saying 'your baggage doesn't exclude you, bring it with you, you can use it, we can find hope within it.'

Blessed are the cracked; for they will let in the light.

I feel like I'm carrying a heavy load at the moment and it makes me want to give up, a lot.  I'm often like a child silently whimpering 'please don't make me go.'  But that load doesn't exclude me from moving forward and interacting with the world around me - not despite the brokenness but through it.

Tomorrow I travel to my childhood home for the last time before my parents leave that side of the country, and embark on simply the hardest thing I've ever attempted.  It sounds so silly in a world of serious stories and conflict, but my 300 mile charity cycle ride is a big deal at this moment in my life.

If I make it to the start line, I will have overcome the anxiety that makes it hard to leave my flat.  If I manage to ride most of the route each day I will have overcome my lack of fitness.  If I do the whole challenge I will be exceeding my own expectations.  But pulling out or giving up is not an option - I won't deal well with letting anyone down or having another failure on my books.

Whatever happens I will be carrying my burdens and my brokenness with me, all the way to Brussels, because they are part of my journey and there is hope within them.

Sinking, Standing, Speaking

There are certain moments in life where you think 'I just need to get through this somehow'.  These are the moments that if you fall, you fall irretrievably - or so it feels.

I had the privilege last weekend of leading four evening sessions at the Greenbelt festival as part of the worship programme.  I had done something similar last year but used a lot of content I had already tried and tested and a team I knew I could change things on.  This year we had no projection facility, a new venue and well, I'm far from the high last year's festival put me on.

I chose to take a whole new approach to it all and actually plan the sessions, write them out and have them printed ready if someone else needed to step in (always wary of a migraine, falling into a hole or some-such).  As I played out the sessions on the safety of my laptop I wrote freely and included some of the poems I've churned out over the past year.  Just lots of words on the page, as I prepared I knew I had plenty to read.

Only a flipping double rainbow

Before I knew it, set up was done and the first session was fast approaching.  I felt nothing.  Ready to go through the motions for the weekend.  The musician I was relying on to make the whole thing wonderful couldn't make it until the Saturday, so it was just me and my pre-written content.

The details aren't important really. The whole weekend went well, several people even asked for copies of my poems.  I was pretty astounded. What I will remember is the lack of nerves, the overwhelming feeling that I just had to get through it.  And being really surprised that no one found me out...

Always a little bit exciting to see
something you designed being
carried by thousands of people

As if to push the point entirely, on the final evening I went up to the venue without my notes.  I'm not sure why.  None of my colleagues could make it and my wonderful musician had gone home.  I assumed it would just be me sitting in the rain for an hour...  But the people came and huddled in under the canvas.  I stared at the mic with a few minutes to go.  There was nothing going on in my mind, no nerves, no excitement, nothing.  In that moment I could sum up what I had been feeling; 'I feel so worthless, such lack of self esteem that I don't even care if these people hate what I have to offer.  There is no ego to bruise, nothing to lose.'

For the following 40 minutes I completely made it up.  Drew from the depths of my memory and wrote poems on the hoof.  I led prayers from my heart and told a couple of old faithful stories.  It was improv worship and pretty darned stupid.

I doubt I impressed everyone in the venue, nor did I fool the crowd that I was reciting carefully crafted material.  But one lady summed it up for me; 'I haven't been to many things because of the kids and I came to this simply because the time worked.  But it was worth several seminars, and it was perfect.  You have the gift of getting out of the way and letting God speak through your heart.'

And so I've been reflecting on this; maybe it is a privilege and a gift to feel so empty sometimes.  To feel there is no pride at stake, no confidence to dent.  Because you offer only what you have, and in a world of fakes and pretence that honesty is well received.  Maybe the gift of depression is that on occasion, you're able to get out of the way.

I'm not advocating lack of preparation and I am fortunate that Greenbelt offers audiences of openness and understanding so that my heart on sleeve, ever so slightly experimental style fits right in.

But at a moment in my journey where I feel so low, having nothing to lose might just be my most precious gift.

My faith is small

I'm probably going to have to put
Mabel on the payroll soon

This week is Christian Aid Week.  It's no surprise to me that I've had a good run cloud-wise as I've been spending most of my working time out giving presentations and meeting supporters for the last few weeks.  I know right, I make this big play of being an introvert and I love to go out speaking in front of people.  Things just aren't that black and white folks!

Anywho, as much as this time of year is a hard slog it's also pretty amazing.  On Sunday I was sent away from three of my engagements with food for the journey and I've lost count of how many cream teas I've had...  and the whole raising money for people in poverty is important too.  Natch.

We hear so much about how much more shallow our pockets are and increasing numbers of people are dependent on aid and food packages.  You would think that special fundraising weeks like this one would be a waste of time in this climate.

I'm not saying it's easy, it is getting harder.  I'm not saying we don't need any more money, we do - it's not going as far as it used to.

But in my seven years at Christian Aid I have seen the people with the least give the most - without fail.

It follows what I'm learning about my own reflection (funny how that happens).  When I feel I have nothing, I become the most effective just in ways I wouldn't normally expect.  It's seem that when we have very little, we are forced to get out of the way and let the good stuff work through us.

It's not easy to keep encouraging those who are tired and sometimes unsupported to keep going, that their efforts are making a real difference.  We all want the wealthy and powerful to listen up and sort all this out once and for all, like we know they could.  With some sensible investment and high up decisions eventually we wouldn't need a Christian Aid Week.

But they will only do it if the rest of us use the little we have to shout.  We will only see communities start to thrive in the meantime if we stand with them.  If we all did as much as we could we would seriously be getting somewhere.

And saving the world with a cream tea.  It's not all bad...

Getting away with it

I know that we have probably all let our memories of this year’s World Cup go, not that everyone was even paying attention of course. I get the feeling that for a lot of us, the whole tournament will be remembered for the incredible amount of cheating and trying to get away with it that went on. This, from some of the most well paid role models in the world!
What a culture we’re nurturing! When did become so untrendy to toe the line? When did being a rebel rule breaker become cool? Why do acceptable mantras now include ‘success at all costs’ and ‘trample on anyone to get to the top’. And why are we surprised that our society’s conscience is diluted?

Christian Aid is one of the agents calling for dishonesty and underhanded tactics to be uncovered. Because while footballers who cheat get disciplined or develop a bad reputation, when multinational companies do it – people are trapped in poverty.
Poor countries have the riches to help work their own way out of poverty, including natural resources and products that we rely on, but it’s multinational companies that are reaping the rewards. A worldwide culture of financial secrecy allows tax-dodging firms to rob poor countries of more than 160billion dollars a year. Tax avoidance drains poor countries of more money every year than they receive in aid.

So I want to do myself out of a job. If developing countries were treated with the same respect we demand, they wouldn’t need aid anymore. I am talking about putting pressure on the powerful and causing a fuss and asking for a change in our consumer culture but you know what? I want to find my national pride again.

Goldfish

So much of life seems to be hit and run, fads and trends, fashion and shock driven. Our attention spans are ever shorter as we are fed a diet of sound bites and fast living. The danger with that is that we short change ourselves and those around us.

This year has seen some of the most heartbreaking disasters of a generation. In January in excess of 220 thousand people died as a result of the earthquake in Haiti. This summer a food shortage hit West Africa, leaving ten million people facing the prospect of severe food shortages across the region. The death toll following severe floods in Pakistan will continue to rise as food prices increase, disease spreads and people are left without shelter.

People across the world have wasted no time in giving generously to the appeals and to the desperate need of the families hit by these disasters. It’s been incredible and if you have given to any appeal then thank you. Yet it’s now, as the immediate shock has subsided, and the media has left and our attention turns to something else, that the need is greatest.

Agencies like Christian Aid are in it for the long haul whether it be a disaster situation, or long term development projects in communities completely ignored by the world’s press. Rebuilding countries, and lives, is a lengthy and delicate business but one to which we are committed.

1.5 million people are still living in makeshift shelters in Haiti, nearly half a million children are still facing malnutrition in Niger, and tens of thousands of people in Pakistan have seen their whole lives washed away. Please don’t forget them.

Numbertastic

It feels like we live in a world of statistics sometimes doesn’t it?

Meaningless big numbers whether we’re talking debt and deficit or population or distance. Here’s some more big numbers: If we woke up today with more health than illness, we are more fortunate than one million people who will not survive the week.
If we have never been shot at, or imprisoned, or tortured, or starved, we are more fortunate than 500 million people in the world.

Recently I heard a wonderful way of making a certain statistic a bit more manageable:
A billion people live on less than a dollar a day, and two billion on less than $2 – that’s a third of the planet’s population. I know a billion is a big number – but do you know how big? If we counted to one million, at a rate of one number per second, it would take us 11 days.
With this in mind, how long do you think it would take us to count to 1 billion?
It’s actually 32 years. But if 10 of us do the counting – it’s only 3 yrs.
If 100 it’s about 4 months… and a 1000, brings the task to 11 days.
The seemingly impossibly big challenges can be cracked if a community of people say – together, in a loud, clear voice, enough – this must be done.

And this is what happens every year in Christian Aid Week, when a third of a million people – another enormous number – take to the streets to collect money house to house, and many, many more run coffee mornings, events, sponsored walks – all sorts of things that raise money and awareness for the work of Christian Aid and our vision to end, yes END, poverty. It’s a huge task, but one we’re undertaking together.

Live

So, what are you looking for? Happiness maybe? Relationships, respect, security?
It seems perfectly reasonable that we would search for such things and others, we understand that we have the right to live as whole human beings. Through my work and personal encounters I know that there are many people not even close to ticking off their list anything they are looking for. For the majority of the world, the poorest on our earth – they are ‘just’ about living.
Let me narrow the question – What are you looking for in church? Are your answers the same? And how are your needs met? My experience with churches suggests that for most people, including clergy, we’re not quite hitting the mark. For some churches and for many Christians, well - it sometimes feels like we are ‘just’ about getting by.
So here’s a thought, how about we all embark on just living. Living justly. It’s when we look beyond ourselves, as churches, as Christians, as human beings, that we start to embrace what this life has to offer us and each and every person on this planet. Justice should be a core part of what we do and who we are – not an add on extra once the church roof is fixed…!
Christian Aid allows us to live out our values in an astounding way; to visibly embark on just living through our prayers, actions, collections, events and support as we stand alongside those tackling poverty and injustice around the world. Everything we do for Christian Aid joins with a movement that is tackling the root causes of poverty and helping people of all faiths and backgrounds help themselves to a better life.
Let’s not just live. Let’s live justly.

A Quote

"Christian Aid is not a colonial arm of the church, saying "We have the resources and we'll export them". Rather it says, "We believe the Holy Spirit has given gifts and sensitivities to all people and we will enable [them] to improve the life of their own nations"
John L Bell, The Iona Community

That ending poverty thing

If you look at the word ‘poverty’, you may notice something within it if you look really closely? There in the middle is the word over. This is the focal point of the new Christian Aid campaign, - poverty over. It came about when a secular marketing agency looked at everything we produced and all of our hopes and dreams, and came back to us simply saying – you believe in ending poverty don’t you? Well then that’s all you need to say. No gimmicks, no gloss. They effectively took us at our word.
It’s a brave thing to do – we really have risked being a laughing stock; no bases covered, no plan B, no excuses.
But when you consider it, human history is made up of instances where massive social change has occurred because of a determination to act. The ending of slavery, the collapsing of apartheid, and the eradication of smallpox within a decade are all examples. The scandal of poverty must be added to that list. The world has more wealth, more knowledge, greater interconnections and a greater capability to do so than at any other time in human history.
We are not calling for marginal improvements on what has gone before, instead fundamental changes in the global, national and local structures that create poverty are needed.

Christian Aid’s determination to end poverty is driven by the belief that the work of building the Kingdom of God is continued by his followers today. So, the church surely has a key part to play in all of this. Are we ready to really act with determination, regardless of what others say? Are we ready to take the gospel and put it into action? Are we ready to be taken at our word?

Boxed up

People tend to have all sorts of expectations when they meet me, before I've even spoken I can tell when I've been mentally put in a box. Whenever I throw in that I'm originally from Essex people seem to have an altogether different perception of me! I get all sorts of responses when I travel around the South West, turning up at a church to preach or lead a workshop, simply because I am a young woman. We have many preconceptions - which is not always a bad thing and it's certainly natural - but just as I have to so often prove myself beyond my first impression, I equally have to spend time dispelling the myths surrounding the poor.

Many people believe that the poor are lazy. I'm sure that, just as in this country, developing countries have their fair share of idleness but from what I've seen and known, those in the poorest countries are determined to change the futures for their own people.

Many people think that the money they give to development agencies like Christian Aid go to corrupt governments. It doesn't, we give money straight to partner organisations that account for every penny and are monitored and supported by us.

Many people know that throwing money at the poverty problem won't change things long term - and actually if you think that, you're right. And that's why Christian Aid is a development agency and not just a charity. We don't just give money, we give money to projects and local partners who are determined to tackle the roots causes of poverty. That's why we campaign and lobby the powers that keep the poorest poor and the powerful dominating.

That's why the continuing support through money, campaigning and solidarity from communities across the UK are actually changing the world because there are no quick fixes, just the long haul. Despite any preconceived ideas you may have, hope in action is what is changing our world.

My note to churches

If I had a pound for every time I heard how hard it was to interest younger people in the church I would go a long way to helping the country through the recession...!

I am in my twenties, and part of an 'apathetic generation' so I'm told. My advice to those who ask for it is this; people want something to live for. We've seen consumerism bring us down, we've learnt the lessons of materialism, and we've seen generations before us search for enlightenment. What is bringing a crowd of young new volunteers from outside the church to my office wanting to get involved is more that just the need to add to a CV. It's the profound dissatisfaction with the world as it is, and the burning desire to do something to be part of the solution - whatever the cost.

My message to churches in particular is this - the church that looks outwards, gives sacrificially and seeks the Kingdom first... grows. Christian Aid allows us to act ecumenically, be practical about unity and bring the Kingdom of God to the here and now, 'out there' beyond our church walls. It puts the poorest and most vulnerable to the top of our agenda not as an optional extra but as the heart and soul of the church and the community. It puts flesh on the gospel and love - radical, outraged love, into action. That's the kind of movement me and my 'apathetic' friends would want to join!

He did not just say what I think he just said... oh yes he did...

There's no chance of me getting complacent in my work, and not just because of the state of the world, but because people never cease to amaze.

I was doing a presentation with a young chap who'd come back from Asia recently and wanted to share his photos and experiences. I'd been asked to add to his thoughts and inspire some new supporters. He threw some odd asides during his slideshow - 'there's one of the locals just watching us work, that happened a lot...' and listing lots of depressing facts about the poverty he'd seen. I didn't worry - I was there to give the wider context and the hope element. He went over time and I had to choose whether to move on, or fill for five minutes before the break. He'd originally wanted to do a Q&A so I didn't think there'd be too much problem asking him a few questions on the spot.

So I asked what the hardest thing about his visit was, (totally seriously:)'doing my own washing.'
And what will change now he's back after such an eye opening experience? 'Nothing. I was really into raising money for charities before I went, but now I've seen the rich and the poor... I really don't think I will. Sorry.'

Sense the change in atmosphere in the room...

(Voice in My Head: 'Maybe I'm the only one who picked up what he actually ... no everyone got it... do I just go straight to the break... no that would be a cop out... I'm gonna have to say something... like what?! It's now been five seconds... speak Laura... they're looking at you in expectant shock ... SPEAK'

I said something about how it's great and important that we are reminded how complex poverty is, and how we shouldn't be afraid to struggle. I told them how when I came back from Uganda I seriously struggled to get motivated and find the hope in what I did. Many of us have been plugging away for years, and how has the world changed? For every small victory there seems to be another set of challenges... why do we bother?

(Voice in my Head: 'I really hope you're going somewhere with this...')

We bother because when you've seen the world as it really is, you have a choice: to do nothing, or do something. And the compassion and righteous anger planted in us simply means we cannot stand by and shrug our shoulders.

Yes, there are lazy people in the developing world - there are lazy people here too. Yes there is corruption in poor countries - ... who are we to speak on that one?! And we could give up. But there are millions of people who don't have that option - who get up every day despite the odds and bloody well get on with it.

Or words to that effect.

I am so grateful to my young friend for throwing the cat amongst the pigeons and frankly - saying what everyone was probably thinking. Let's not keep pretending with some kind of unrealistic niceness that we can pat ourselves on the back and keep smiling. We should be confused about the state of the world - it's confusing. And we should be downright angry too, and struggling.

And sometimes we just have to cling on to that scrap of hope. That's the most profound act of solidarity I can think of.

The Secret, part 3

The third part of my secret to involving new and younger people in the church reflects back to a subject I've spoken a lot about this year, and mentioned already in my blog. It is something so important I thought it worthy of another mention.

Worthy because my so-called apathetic generation is looking not for 'nice' or sentimental religion, rather we are looking for something radical, worth living for. We've seen the results of consumerisn all too well, and the emptiness and futility of fame and fortune. We've been burned by the promotion of shallow relationships and found a pick and mix spirituality sometimes lacking. What grabs our attention? A group of people who collectively see the world as it truly is and refuses to keep quiet, a crowd who live lives which take responsibility for themselves and others, with both gentle kindness and stormy prophetic actions take up the challenge to make the world fairer for all regardless of class, ethnicity or faith. So my third point is simply this - Do Love.

And do love well, the kind of love which screams at the policy makers and rages against the structures that keep people poor and oppressed, the kind of love that puts rotas last, and people first. The kind of love personified in Jesus - outrageous earth defying love. If the church professes that God is love then we have both the mandate and the power. And we certainly have no excuse.

The Secret, part 2

So, my secret formula for attracting new and younger people into the church. The first of my three points (I grew up Baptist after all) was the challenge to be something that people want to be part of, an authentic community.

Here's number two: do something that people want to do. It may sound obvious but you'd be amazed at how many struggling groups and churches i talk to and ask them why they do the things they do, and the answer is simply - 'because we always have...'.
Don't get me wrong, if something is proving worthwhile and hitting its potential then, fantastic. But in my experience people are craving some refreshment and so there are some hard questions to be asked. For example; 'If you weren't already involved, would you go to the activities you organise?' and 'What would you look forward to?, also 'Why don't you invite your friends and neighbours along?'.

Just as an aside, if you want to involve people like me (which you may not want to of course) then do everything around food.

I wonder why more and more younger people from outside the church are getting involved with Christian Aid activities? Maybe one reason is because they can see that what we do is worthwhie, with funds and awareness raising benefitting some of the poorest communities around the world. But another reason could well be that many of our events (like our pub quizzes, Quiz Aid) use a format people are comfortable with and don't require that they'll have to go near a church building!

I may be time for us to take a hard look at what we do and challenge ourselves out of our comfort zones and into those belonging to the people outside the walls of the church.

The Secret, part 1

I have a fairly unique perspective when it comes to churches; I grew up in a Baptist Church, worked for Pentecostal and United Reformed Churches and with ecumenical, multi-denominational, inter-church networks... in short - I'm denominationally confused.

This does mean that my knowledge of church alongside the fact that I'm in my twenties and of what has been termed an 'apathetic generation' gives me an interesting vantage point. I can't remember how many times I've been told how much people would like new and younger people involved in church and in things like Christian Aid. Recently, I discovered the secret which might just tackle these and other such problems. There are three parts. Here's the first:

Be something that people want to be part of. You know what? The most important issues for new or younger people looking for a spiritual home do not include furniture, flowers - or even whether there's a drumkit. We're looking for community; authentic, loving, inclusive community who accept people because God does and not because they fit, and allows them to challenge life not demand they conform to a certain world view.

And what's more, younger people are flooding through my office door at Christian Aid at the moment and I'm sure that their reasons include this search for a community that is outward looking, accepts them with their flaws ready to help them be part of the action, and practices the love it preaches.

Shhh

In this day and age there still seem to be so many taboos - sex, death, money. But I'm one of those people who is unafraid to take things head on, it can get me into trouble but I can't help it! So here's one for you - HIV.

Poverty will never be history unless we fight the underlying causes of HIV. A lack of education in schools, public clinics and hospitals; the increasing need to migrate in order to find work; the desperation that drives women and girls to work; and the lack of access to lifesaving treatment all point to the same conclusion: HIV is fuelled by, and is fuelling, the vicious cycle of poverty.

HIV is a virus, not a moral issue.

The response to HIV must therefore be based on public health measures and human rights principles, and not on judgements about what we perceive to be right or wrong.

Christian Aid supports partner organisations in developing countries working to provide treatment to the people who need it. They provide support groups and education, meeting the needs of people at every level. Globally we are calling for an end to stigma afflicted on those diagnosed as HIV-positive. We are asking for the church to step up and courageously take action alongside the world's poor as well as those people in the UK and around the world living with HIV.

HIV may not be at the top of many UK churches' agendas but raising the issue helps those infected to escape their isolation, it increases education which promotes prevention, and it makes us look outward to one of the most vicious epidemics crippling the world's poorest communities.

I may be a taboo, but this world needs those people bold enough to speak out, stand up and stand alongside those who deserve it.

Spare change

Did you know that if you have any disposable income at all, you are in the top 8% of the world's richest people? I don't mention that to play down the trauma of the current financial situation but it's always nice to be given a little perspective don't you think!? Did you know that £3 could buy a month's supply of beans for a family following the disaster in Burma?

One of the most common comments I receive after I give a presentation or talk is about not having the resources to do anything about poverty. Another one is not being able to do enough to make a difference. My mum used to tell me that I had an answer for everything and I'm happy to say that it's no different in this case!

Firstly, we can all do something. Whether it is looking at our lifestyles (which can save us money by the way) and remembering that the way we live has a huge impact on people all around the world, or giving as much as we can to an organisation like Christian Aid who then transform pounds into sustainable solutions for the world's poor, or we can take part in a campaign to challenge the rules and structures that mean that the world favours some and not others... we can all do something.

And as to whether is makes a difference, absolutely. I've seen it. I've seen £5.25 loaned to a family to buy their first set of cloth and dye and start a business which is now independent, and that loan has been paid back. I've seen £10 worth of trees producing fruit preventing soil erosion in Senegal. A little does go a long way...

Tricky business

Do politics and faith mix? Faith based organisations like Christian Aid come in for a lot of stick for our campaigning and political work. We have the ear of the government on issues like Climate Change and International Trade Rules. But shouldn't we just stick to raising money, and maybe a bit of prayer?

The God I believe in has a heart for the poor that hasn't changed. The Christianity I subsribe to teaches that no one is disposable to God. Christian Aid's gospel driven work is led by the belief that everyone deserves a future, refusing to be compromised by the world's complacency about poverty. Everything Christian Aid does come back to the responsibility laid by God at our feet, and the mandate to care for the vulnerable and speak up for the silenced.

Just as Jesus ministered outside accepted social barriers, healing people regardless of their beleifs - we are unafraid to get involved in complicated places. And while responding to people in need is vital, we believe that God does not want the world to be this way, so we campaign to change the underlying structures that make and keep people poor. It means challenging the people who have the power to change things, not trying to hide anger when the poor are exploited and pushing forward the values of justice, peace and love to change the world's values.

Becoming involved in politics helped people like William Wilberforce bring an end to slavery 200 years ago. It enabled campaigners to persuade rich governments to cancel the criplling debt if some of the world's poorest countries in the run up to the millennium. And so it is exactly because we are people of faith that we must continue to speak out.

The truth about women

Did you know that on average women use 20,000 words a day while men only use 7,000?

Here are some more gender facts for you:
Every year, more than 530,000 women die from pregnancy-related causes. That's one every minute. If this continues at the current rate another 4 million women will die in the next 6 years.
Women do 66% of the world's work and get paid less than 10% of its income, in Africa it's 80% of the work.
In the UK, women working full-time are paid on average 17% less an hour than men.
75% of all Russian women suffer from some type of violence within the family.
And of the 1.3 billion people living in poverty around the world, 70% are women.

Kofi Annan said that 'Gender equality is critical to the development and peace of every nation.'

And that's what Christian Aid partners and beneficiaries believe too. We work with communities, campaigners and educators to change the attitudes and structures which keep women downtrodden around the world. An inspiring female Indian leader once said 'Educate your women and the nation will take care of itself... the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.' And if we are serious about making a fairer world for all, then we have to challenge the inequality in our own communities too.

We may use more words than men, but the majority of women around the world still need their voices to be heard.