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CAFOD in England and Wales
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It was was an exciting year of launches and new beginnings for CAFOD's
work in England and Wales, as preparations for the coming millennium got well underway
throughout CAFOD's network of support.
To make sure that the poor get a fair deal in the new millennium, CAFOD's
campaign on work and debt was launched and many Catholic communities joined in signing up
to a series of special commitments towards the poor.
All through the year parishes, campaigners, schools, youth groups and
individuals showed again and again their enthusiasm and generosity in helping to build
bridges between the Third World and the First through fundraising, fasting, campaigning
and prayer.
In response to Pope John Paul II's call for a special rededication to the
poor in his apostolic letter Tertio Millennio Adventiente, CAFOD has proposed a way for
the Catholic community in England and Wales to place the poor at the heart of preparations
for the millennium.
During 1997 a New Covenant with the Poor was drawn up and signed by
almost every diocese. This is a solemn promise to start the new millennium by focusing on
the poor and the search for real change. Each covenant contains a simple series of pledges
concerning prayer, wealth-sharing and campaigning. "The poor need to hear our voices
raised on their behalf," said Bishop Cripian Hollis of Portsmouth.
All around England and Wales dioceses signed their covenants within major
liturgical celebrations, to be followed by covenants for individual parishes. In Liverpool
the launch was the highlight of CAFOD's year in the diocese as Archbishop Patrick Kelly
led a Great Hunger commemoration service to mark the Irish famine 150 years ago.
Held at St. Anthony's Church, Scotland Road, the main parish for the
refugee Irish population of Liverpool, the service provided a moving setting for signing a
solemn commitment to the poor.
The year got off to a flying start in January when more than 1300
supporters helped launch CAFOD's new campaign for the millennium, Fair Deal for the Poor.
CAFOD partners Matilda Makombe from Zimbabwe and Emilio Alvarez Icaza
from Mexico were given a warm welcome at events throughout England and Wales as they
spread the message about the new campaign.
The launch hit the media when TV's Fat Lady chef Jennifer Paterson joined
in to lend her weight to the event. "I'm delighted to support CAFOD's campaign,"
she said, "everyone should have a fair slice of cake."
The campaign is pushing for a fair deal for the world's poorest people,
particularly over the issues of work and debt. Over the next four years CAFOD will be
drawing attention to the slave-like working conditions in many third world factories. It
will also push for a cancellation of unpayable debt for the poorest countries by 2000.
MORI polls commissioned by CAFOD found that 92% of people think companies
should have a minimum agreed standard of labour conditions for their workers in third
world countries, and that seven out of ten consider cancelling debts owed to Great Britain
by the world's poorest countries a better way of spending money than building a dome in
London.
As part of the war on debt CAFOD is a founding member of Jubilee 2000,
the joint agency initiative on debt which officially became a coalition in 1997. Nearly 60
UK agencies, Churches and labour organisations are working together to press urgency of
the case for debt relief and to see that a giant petition gains as much support as
possible. CAFOD collected 60,000 signatures during 1997.
"This is a chance to recommit ourselves to the poor in the
millennium" said CAFOD's Director Julian Filochowski, who joined with seven Catholic
bishops to tear up a giant replica cheque for 250 billion dollars - the debt owed by the
Third World to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
The new campaign scored a major success with a "Shoe Action"
launched in September. After the CAFOD report Just How Clean Are Your Shoes? exposed the
hazardous conditions in which many of the world's shoemakers work, Britain's second
largest shoe retailer, Clarks, answered CAFOD's call to trade ethically. Clarks agreed to
introduce independent monitoring of its code conduct on working conditions.
Following this a highly successful series of events was held around the
country in which CAFOD supporters went barefoot to draw attention to the plight of third
world shoemakers.
Events included barefoot school assemblies, sponsored shoe-shining and
the appearance in Kensington High Street of a giant shoe made by art students. "There
was a real feeling of solidarity and co-operation," said a Merseyside campaigner
after a barefoot mass at her local church.
As the year 2000 fast approaches, CAFOD has launched a new way for
parishes to mark the millennium. In a radical development for CAFOD's fundraising
strategy, all parishes in England and Wales were invited in October to join Challenge
2000, a major scheme to address one basic human need per year.
Starting with health in 1998, parishes who join will be helping to raise
�2 million that CAFOD is aiming to spend on healthcare projects in the Third World in
that year. CAFOD will provide action packs, followed by front line feedback through the
year from the people and projects which are benefiting. Education and food will be the
basic needs for 1999 and 2000 respectively. The launch was widely discussed in the
regional, Catholic and trade press.
In the true spirit of "ordinary people doing extraordinary
things", in 1997 sixteen keen CAFOD supporters visited the people in the third world
they have worked so hard to support.
During the extremely successful "Pilgrim People" pilot project,
four groups of parish activists, campaigners, youth workers and teachers, all with a
special commitment to CAFOD's work, travelled to see that work in action. For the trips,
which took place in Bangladesh, Kenya and Peru, participants contributed to their expenses
and on return drew up an action plan for taking their experience out into their
communities.
CAFOD then drew on this project to win a quarter of a million pounds from
the Millennium Commission in September for the further programme of exposure visits in
1998-2000.
Entitled Seeing third world development in action - building
understanding at home, the CAFOD Millennium Awards Scheme will take 48 individuals to
Africa, Asia or Latin America to visit CAFOD-supported projects. It is aimed at community
activists, youth leaders and teachers who are active in CAFOD or Catholic networks, who
will be able to share their experiences widely on their return.
CAFOD was honoured that Burma's heroine of democracy Aung San Suu Kyi
agreed to give the annual Pope Paul VI lecture in November. The Nobel Peace Prize winner
was the first Asian and , as a Buddhist, the first non-Christian to give the lecture.
Suu Kyi remains under virtual house arrest in Burma where the military
regime refuses to recognise democratic movement which she leads, so her words of hope that
"everything becomes possible with true charity in the heart" were delivered to a
packed theatre by her husband Michael Aris.
Throughout the year CAFOD worked hard to ensure that important concerns
of its partners overseas and supporters at home became live issues for the British
Government and the media.
CAFOD, along with other agencies, was consulted by the Government's
Department for International Development over the formation of its White Paper on
International Development. Published in November 1997, this was the first such White Paper
in 22 years. CAFOD's response was heard in national papers and on prime time television.
The December signing by 122 countries of the Ottawa agreement banning the
use of anti-personnel landmines was a particular success for CAFOD supporters who had
campaigned for two years on the issue.
CAFOD was delighted when its Cambodian partner Tun Channareth accepted
the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of all anti-landmine activists. Channareth, a
double-amputee landmine survivor, had launched CAFOD's campaign on landmines back in March
1995.
Another breakthrough came when the Sex Offenders Bill became law in
March. Many CAFOD supporters raised their voices on this issue. The new law means that
British citizens who have escaped prosecution for sexually abusing children in the Third
World can be charged and tried by the UK police and courts.
The year brought the usual whirlwind of activity for CAFOD's busy
regional staff, and for the teams of volunteers who helped them around the country. In
addition to excellent work being done by lay Parish Contacts within church communities,
there are now over 40 Covenant Volunteers committed to helping the regional offices in
different ways.
In a year packed with events, over 700 people, some in fancy dress, took
part in the longstanding Liverpool CAFOD Run. Started off by supporter Joe Benton, MP for
Bootle, the runners were spurred on by a brass band and a good crowd.
At the popular annual Pantasaph family day in Wales 300 people got
together for an open-air mass in a quarry, creative workshops and a special outdoor
Stations of the Cross arranged by young people, all rounded off by a barbecue in the
evening. "It was a good mix between fun, fundraising and spirituality," said
Elfred Jones, CAFOD's Regional Organiser for Wales.
Meanwhile a dozen intrepid staff from CAFOD's London headquarters
participated in the 1997 BUPA Great North Run. The runners all completed the half marathon
and raised close to �3000 for CAFOD's work.
In 1997 CAFOD moved ahead with getting its young people further involved
in the delivery of its education programme in England and Wales.
For the first time two young CAFOD partners came over from Peru to lead
workshops and share their experiences with other young people at various music and arts
festivals.
Volunteers helped to write the youth magazine Between the Lines and a
sixth former from Portsmouth was so enthusiastic about a CAFOD day run at his school that
he came to Head Office to help with the design of the publication.
Young helpers were instrumental setting up and leading CAFOD's week-long
Youth Camp, which was voted "the best ever" in 1997. "I see CAFOD very
differently now," said Joseph Watts from Sheffield, "I thought it was just
adults doing things for the Third World. But now I see that young people can make a
difference."
Training events for youth workers in communications development issues to
young people were held around the country, while overseas CAFOD was represented at the
Pope's World Day of Youth in Paris in August.
During 1997 the schools team was inundated with photos and stories from
young people around the country taking part in activities supporting CAFOD's fundraising,
campaigning and awareness work.
Inspired by a CAFOD talk on Bangladesh and its problems, junior engineers
from Cardinal Newman School in Luton won third place in the final of the Young Engineers
of Britain contest with a design for a solar-powered cyclone-warning system for coastal
villages in Bangladesh.
Following a CAFOD development day looking at fair trade, children at a
primary school in Essex invited the manager of a local supermarket in to answer questions
on the importance of selling fairly traded goods. "They certainly gave the
supermarket a run for its money!" said Angela Warren, CAFOD's primary schools
co-ordinator.
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CAFOD's Work at Home
CAFOD Review of the Year 1997
