North East
February 1998
March:
2nd – 15th - Fairtrade Fortnight
The Fairtrade Mark is the independent consumer label which appears on products as a guarantee that third world workers and farmers get a fair deal.
Fairtrade Fortnight celebrates the anniversary of the launch of the Fairtrade Mark, which was first seen on chocolate on 8th March 1994. Since its launch the "people friendly" consumer label has gone from strength to strength and now appears on a range of coffees and teas in most major supermarkets. The House of Commons has recently become the latest institution to switch, now serving only Fairtrade coffee in all of their catering outlets.
Last year to coincide with Fairtrade Fortnight local groups organised events and other activities to encourage people to buy and try new Fairtrade Marked products over the period. This year we plan to do the same.
The Fairtrade Mark provides a very powerful and positive link between the consumer and the producer:
* it helps consumers understand, and take responsibility for the role they play when buying products from the third world
* it ensures marginalised producers get a fair deal.
Sales of Fairtrade Marked products have a direct impact on the lives of the farmers and workers who produce them. Quite simply the more products sold the greater the benefit to producers and the more people can ultimately benefit. Sales not only impact on the lives of producers but also provides the most direct expression of support for Fairtrade from consumers. This encourages supermarkets to increase distribution (which leads to greater sales) and stock new Fairtrade products when they become available.
The aim of the campaign is therefore to generate extra sales of Fairtrade products during Fairtrade Fortnight and to encourage new people to buy Fairtrade Marked products in the future.
Friday 6th - Lent Fast Day
This Fast Day CAFOD is focusing on development and peace work around the Third World, with special emphasis on Sri Lanka.
CAFOD is supporting many peacemaking initiatives in war-torn Sri Lanka, and meanwhile continuing to support people in meeting their basic needs and building towards a return to normal life.
CAFOD asks you to go without a meal or luxury on Lent Fast Day and donate what you save. Please encourage others to participate in Lent Fast Day. It is an opportunity to bring prayer, fasting and almsgiving together all at once.
Regional Organiser: Mark Harris
email: [email protected]
Regional Assistants: Anne Marie Hanlon & Joan Longstaff*************************************************
** Rwanda Update
7.30pm at St Mary’s Parish Centre, SunderlandMaurice McPartland (CAFOD Project Officer) reports back on his recent visit to Rwanda.
CAFOD’s Rwandan Project Officer will be reporting back on his recent trip to this troubled part of Africa. This is your chance to find out how your money, given through CAFOD, is making a real difference. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear the good news and the bad, support the parishioners of St Mary’s as they take up CAFOD’s Challenge 2000 and celebrate Lent Family Fast Day in a special way.
All Welcome – No Charge For Admission
CAFOD is looking for a Contact Person in every parish. As a Parish Contact you are CAFOD’s representative in the parish. You can make a real difference simply by being on hand to help - especially at the Lent and Harvest Fast Days. Your assistance to the parish priest makes organisation smoother and encourages more parishioners to join in. Fulfilling this important role is easy.
If you wish to do more, there are plenty ways to help. You can join CAFOD’s campaign, for example, or help to organise overseas visitors’ meetings. You might like to sell CAFOD Christmas cards and other resources, or perhaps form a group to share these activities.
For more information contact the CAFOD Regional Office on: 0191 373 5001
Saturday 7th - Lent Fast Day
** A Day of Reflection on Justice & Peace
St. Mary’s Church, Bishop Auckland, 9.30am - 6.30pmProclaim Jubilee
The day starts with Mass at 9.30am.
If you are staying for the shared lunch an edible contribution would be welcome
**********************************************
** Poverty: A Response
St.Patrick’s Comprehensive School, Baysdale Road, Thornaby,10am - 4pm
Christian Aid / Church Action on Poverty
Guests include visitors from COPE and Sama Sama in the Philipines
Please bring shared lunch.
RSVP to Vincent Naylor, Christian Aid 01423 705309
Dave Cross, CAP 01642 765741.
May:
Friday 8th Mulima Kufekisa Akapelwa – CAFOD Partner from Zambia explaining the effects of Debt on the poor of Zambia – 7.30pm at St Joseph’s, Benwell, Newcastle
Saturday 9th Mulima Kufekisa Akapelwa – 7.30 at St Bede’s Pastoral Centre, York
Saturday 16th - The Birmingham G8 Event
*Make a Chain to Break the Chains of Debt*
11.00 am - Programme of events throughout Birmingham
11.00 am - 2.00 pm - CAFOD event at St. Chad’s Cathedral, Queensway, Birmingham:
2.00 pm - Forming of Human Chain between all the venues surrounding the G8 Summit
3.00 pm - Presentation of the Jubilee 2000 Petition by young people from the Summit countries
Contact the Regional Office
about a coach from your area
0191 373 5001
July:
5th - "Harambee"
The CAFOD North East Annual Get-Together
the North East Regional Fun Day at Ushaw College, Durham, Mass at 12 noon
July 5th is the date for your diary and as usual we will start with the celebration of Mass at 12 noon. All the usual activities, fun and games and once again Fothergill’s Pies will be providing excellent food at very reasonable prices and tea and coffee will be available.
Followed by games, fun-run, stalls, etc.
Lots of parishes now book a coach and make it their parish outing – why not do the same for your parish!!!
October:
2nd - Family Fast Day
If you are holding a CAFOD event please drop us a line or give us a ring and get your event mentioned in the next newsletter.
It’s also great to hear how your events went, and it’s helpful to pass on your good ideas to others. Hope to hear from you soon.
Ring Anne Marie, Joan or Mark
Telephone & Fax: 0191 373 5001or write to
CAFOD, Ushaw College, Durham, DH7 9BJ
Let’s invite the poor to our Millennium celebrations
January saw the launch of CAFOD’s new fundraising scheme, "Challenge 2000". This new scheme replaces Working in Partnership, and is a simple way to put the New Covenant with the Poor into practice. In 1998 we will focus on healthcare. In 1999 we will direct attention and finance towards Education, and in 2000 we will shift the emphasis to food.
In October every parish in England and Wales was invited to join the scheme. We hope your parish has received the information and has signed up or is ready to
CAFOD aims to spend about �2 million on 200 healthcare projects in 1998, so we urgently need your support to turn our hopes into reality.
Challenge 2000 Action Packs are available from the regional office. Throughout the year regular feedback about the projects will be circulated.
Sorcha Cusack with Mark Harris at the launch of Challenge 2000
Landmines
Tun Channereth, (Sareth) a Cambodian ex-soldier who has campaigned tirelessly for a world-wide landmines ban, accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of anti-landmines campaigners on 10th December 1997. Through his work and many other campaigners (including CAFOD) there is now an International Treaty banning the use of anti-personnel mines.
Sareth spoke at both York and Newcastle in 1995 as part of the CAFOD Campaign against landmines.
Jubilee 2000 Coalition
Last October saw the first highly successful assembly of the national Jubilee 2000 Coalition in the Houses of Parliament. Jubilee 2000 is now a coalition with nearly 60 member organisations, including CAFOD, which is campaigning for the one-off cancellation of the unpayable debts of the world’s poorest countries by the year 2000.
A steering group has recently been formed in the North East region to plan and advance the five areas of work laid out by the Jubilee 2000 Coalition:
* public education
* campaigning
* lobbying decision makers
* encouraging involvement in national Jubilee 2000 events (with the main focus on Birmingham 1998)
* co-ordinating the work and resources of local groups.
FEBRUARY 19th will be the date for the launch of the North East Regional Jubilee 2000 Coalition. Adrian Lovett, deputy director of Jubilee 2000 will be the speaker in Lecture Theatre 1, Herschel Building, University of Newcastle (opposite Haymarket Metro) at 7.30pm.
CAFOD IS GOOD NEWS FOR P.P.
We began a Parish CAFOD Group here in St. Mary’s 4 years ago. I find it hard to believe how much ground they have covered in that short time, and how quickly they have become a major and inspirational influence in the life of the parish.
It has 10 members. Fund-raising has not been their first concern, but they have raised thousands of pounds for the Poor in that short time with projects too many to mention. I also believe that socially they improve the life of the parish: their Traidcraft stall in Church is like the old corner-shop where people buy and stay and chat. I also believe they have a profound spiritual influence on the life of the parish community. But their main achievement has been educational. They have raised the awareness of hundreds about justice and peace issues in so many parts of the world. Their influence is widely felt in the two Catholic schools in the parish.
I first realised CAFOD was working when I overheard a parishioner on a Sunday morning say "Oh! CAFOD AGAIN!" There was no resentment but it did mean the message was getting through. In parish life CAFOD is very good news and springs directly from the Good News of the Gospel.
Rev. Michael Finnigan, St. Mary’s, Bishop Auckland.
Thanks to Fr Finnigan for this excellent appraisal of the CAFOD group in St Mary’s parish.
If you would like to get a group going in your parish feel free to use this to get the full support of your Parish Priest
A New Beginning
The start of the new year was celebrated in style at Ushaw College when 260 supporters from around the region came together to hear CAFOD’s Director, Julian Filochowski, tell some of CAFOD’s good news stories.
"You are CAFOD" – "CAFOD is all of us in the church uniting together to tackle poverty and injustice in our world"
"The Millennium …….the fact that the Millennium Dome is going ahead at a cost of �750,000,000 is a scandal and we have to keep re-affirming that we see the millennium to be about a new start, a new beginning and a new beginning particularly for the poor…….in many ways this kind of thing is a scandal when looking at how that money could be spent in relation to changing the lives and new beginnings of the poor in the Third World."
"The Pope has spoken about debt and globalisation and unjust trading many times in the past twelve months……there is a feeling that the Vatican and the Catholic Church world-wide has made the cancellation of the unpayable Third World Debt something which it is totally committed towards and I think that is something which is enormously positive."
"………..I say it again thank you for all that you do to make this CAFOD enterprise that we are all apart of something that is making a difference and it really is."
Ushaw President, Fr. Jim O’Keefe, summed it all up "Well I said it could be impassioned and it undoubtedly was!"
Some of the younger members present were entertained in a circus workshop led by Frank Johnson while others worked with CAFOD’s Youth Officer, Jo Kitterick, looking at Third World issues and then using their talents produced some designer ‘T’ shirts with original slogans. We were all able to share in the fun when the Circus and Fashion Parade joined the audience in the Hall.
The afternoon continued with a lively performance by Nomakhosi and Company, a group based on Tyneside who shared with us traditional entertainment from South Africa and Swaziland.
A big thank you to all who came and all who sent good wishes. The day was a great success and thanks to the help of volunteers and staff at the college all went off without a hitch – Well none that anyone saw!
The Tempest
No! Not another report of a disaster in the Third World. This was Shakespeare helping those in need.
From Tuesday 27th to Saturday 31st January 1998 The Venture Theatre Company performed at The Gulbenkian Theatre, Newcastle and all proceeds from this will be channelled through CAFOD projects.
The lively performance played to full houses with a number of school groups coming to see the work of the bard.
Our congratulations and thanks to all the members of the Venture Theatre Company.
Up to 48 People in England and Wales will be given the opportunity to visit the Third World with a grant from the Millennium Commission.
The scheme is aimed at community activists, youth leaders and teachers who have an interest in the developing world and are active in CAFOD or Catholic networks.
This scheme will be launched on February 19th and application forms are available from:
The Millennium Awards Co-ordinator
CAFOD
Romero Close
London SW9 9TY
