Thank you to everyone who contributed to Christian Aid Week – by giving so generously or collecting in the streets. Between us we raised £974.98 in the parish.
The latest news from Christian Aid about where the money goes is:
Ethiopia food crisis
June 20 2008
Christian Aid is concerned by increasing food prices and the impact this is having in Ethiopia, a country already beset by drought.
Christian Aid has already sent teams to Ethiopia to help direct emergency aid to those facing severe hunger as a result of drought and spiralling food prices.
Staff and partners there speak of people sitting by the roadside and begging for food and have described the enormity of the situation as daunting.
Ethiopia, where seasonal rains have failed, is extremely vulnerable to fluctuations to rises in food prices.
The costs of some cereals such as maize have increased by 50 90% since September putting the cost of staple food out of the reach of most ordinary people.
Partners in Malawi and northern Kenya have also voiced their concerns about the impact rising food prices are having on poor communities there.
Typhoon hits the Philippines
June 22 2008
Christian Aid and its partners are providing immediate assistance to people who were evacuated from their homes as a deadly typhoon swept across the Philippines this weekend.
It is currently estimated that more than 150 people have died in floods and landslides caused by Typhoon Fengshen (locally known as Typhoon Frank).
That figure could rise in the coming days – say Christian Aid partners on the ground – if adverse conditions continue to hamper the efforts of rescue and relief teams to reach affected areas.
Widespread disruption
Winds of 170 km an hour (106 mph) hit the southern and central regions of the Philippines on Saturday, causing widespread flooding and forcing thousands of people to flee their homes.
Ten people drowned when the Risao river in the town of Upi burst its banks and washed away at least five houses. Eight more people are missing.
A landslide buried several houses in a slum area of Cotabato city, while roads connecting Cotabato with the city of General Santos were flooded. Elsewhere, a concrete bridge collapsed, isolating villages and towns.
Officials also reported that neck-deep flood waters had forced the evacuation of 5,000 people in Sultan Kudarat township in southern Shariff Kabunsuan province, near Cotabato city.
Christian Aid
Judy East