the season of giving…?

Working for a network of NGOs I am so very aware of how this current “economic crisis” is impacting the poorest of the poor, with many of our members praying desperately for enough donations to continue the vital work they are doing all over the world.

So I know money is tight for many people in the Western world at the moment, and heating costs a lot, and Christmas is coming. But here’s a little encouragement to remember those who are struggling to put food in their children’s mouths.

Need ideas? I have a few…

This is one I just came across through skipping across blogs on those evenings when I’ve been bored (actually can’t remember the last time that happened) but it just goes to show that if someone repeats the same message often enough, you do what you’re told.

I donated four pairs of shoes. I think part of the campaign’s appeal was remembering a similar campaign my friends Jon and Rob did yeeeeears ago at our church, to buy shoes for all the White Eagle boys in Uganda. The photos of the moment they told the boys that they had raised enough money for shoes, mattresses and their own chest are forever fixed in my head.

I’ve followed the lives and happenings of the White Eagle Boys since Rob and Jon and Tim first went off to Uganda and started writing back tales of their crazy adventures on that thin blue writing paper. The River of Life Church near Masaka in Uganda is doing some amazing work and has inspired some stupid heroic fundraising ideas!!…

cordFinally CORD, an NGO based in Leamington Spa (Jen, I miss you!) continues to inspire me with the work they do in some of the most difficult contexts in the world – Uganda, Burundi, DRC, Cambodia, Chad and Sierra Leone. CORD’s slogan is “New life after conflict” and they are doing some amazing work helping refugees return home and build a sustainable future after violent conflict. If you want further inspiration, read the recent article by their new country director to northern Uganda