News

Peace on earth will be shattered as we empty our extra 3 million tons of rubbish after our celebrations

November 29, 2005

A Christmas message from Gavin McLellan, National Secretary of Christian Aid Scotland, featured in our Winter News-sheet

Thinking about, shopping for and wrapping presents is a very large part of our Christmas celebration; yet it is here that many feel most uncomfortable with the excesses of today; it is however a very difficult tradition to challenge. People in the UK will on average spend £750 on Christmas presents. Peace on earth will be shattered as we empty our extra 3 million tons of rubbish after our celebrations.

At Christian Aid at Christmas we feel this discomfort strongly over the excesses of consumption because they bring into sharper relief the suffering of others and injustice faced in the world. So we feel compelled to offer challenges and alternatives. Two possibilities of these for you and your church this year are; Child of Africa and Present Aid. Our thinking at Christmas often turns to home and the family gathering. Christmas is now a time when Angolans think of home, and thousands travel for up to 10 days to be with their families on 25 December. For many, home was a distant dream during the long years of war. Many Angolans were forced to flee their villages to avoid being caught up in the fighting. Many sought refuge in the harsh bush and the overcrowded cities. Today, Luanda, Angola’s capital, still hosts nearly 4 million displaced people, a third of the country’s population.

Christian Aid’s partner organisations in Angola, mainly churches, are now helping people to go back to their communities and rebuild their lives. They are providing seeds and tools, and rebuilding schools and clinics. Through training, they are also supporting those who will never be able to return home. In doing so, they are beginning the process of building a new and peaceful future for this beautiful country, that is rich in natural resources. ‘The war is finished in 2002’, says Julio, of Christian Aid’s partner, ACM, ‘but building the peace takes much longer. That is what we are now doing’.

Through another local partner, IECA providing training and support for refugees in Luanda, Josue (7) Jaeli (5) can attend school because their mother received training from IECA in baking, enabling her to start a small business. IECA is the Angolan Congregational Church, the largest Protestant Church in Angola. Its historical origin is in the centre/south of Angola, but it now has a presence in 15 out of Angola's 18 provinces. IECA’s social programmes are run by the department of social assistance, studies and projects, established in 1991. Christian Aid has been supporting them since 1997.

We currently support two projects. IECA’s women’s literacy and health education project was set up in 2000 to enable poor women in Luanda to acquire basic literacy, numeracy and vocational skills, and learn about health, hygiene and nutrition. The first classes were held outside under a tree, until Christian Aid provided funds to build a teaching centre. We also support IECA’s work with war returnees in Kuando Kubango province, a very isolated area in southern Angola. IECA’s rehabilitation project supports families who have recently returned home, providing basic equipment like buckets and blankets, as well as the seeds and tools they need to sow their first crops.

Now back to presents! It doesn’t always have to mean spending masses of money; or buying something that gets stuck in a drawer. How about a fishing net for families in Mali, or a flock of guinea fowl in Mozambique, or a sesame oil press in Nicaragua? Our Present Aid catalogue has plenty of selections for those who’d rather not receive a gift this year. From under £25 to over £500 there are options for you personally or as a fellowship to consider. Each present is a simple answer to a simple human need such as water, food, education and health, yet with real meaning and lasting benefits; no wasted wrapping and short shelf life.

Let’s turn Christmas from a guilt laden chore to a privilege. To help children like Josue and Jaeli in Angola through featuring the Child of Africa appeal in our Christmas services this year. Wouldn’t you rather hear these kind of thank you notes for your presents this year; ‘with the profits from the fish, I can buy more food and the family is much healthier’, Samba Kossibo, fisherman, Mali; ‘The sesame press is the heart of our community’ Ronald Urbina, Nicaragua.

Of course we have made it easier for those of you on-line at www.christian-aid.org/christmas and www.presentaid.org. Those of you who favour a human touch can contact us at our Edinburgh office for these resources 0131 220 1254. We also support Christmas alternatives through ALTERnativity looking at issues of injustice, inequality and exclusion. This year featuring the Star box advent calendar, advent meal events and More than just Tinsel school resources. Again online at www.alternativity.org.uk or by contacting our Glasgow office 0141 221 7475.

Let us hope we have a Christmas that challenges us afresh, impacts upon us the meaning of hope in the real gift of a new life and through our lasting gifts leading to renewed lives and peace all over our Lord’s hurting world.