St Peter's Church
This year, Christian Aid – which is marking its 80th anniversary – is focussing its flagship appeal on work in Guatemala, in Central America, where climate change is causing the seasons to intensify and shift erratically.
As a result, farming communities have to battle severe floods and, more recently, ferocious heatwaves. Water sources are drying up and vital crops are failing, plunging farming families into hunger and poverty.
Climate change is getting worse every day. It’s killing our plantations and it’s killing us.
An inspirational farmer and community leader. Aurelia and her family belong to the Indigenous Q’eqchi’ community of the Alta Verapaz region. The climate crisis and industrial plantations have changed Q’eqchi’ land dramatically. Gruelling heatwaves, savage storms and unpredictable seasons are ravaging farms. Industrial agriculture is taking over the last of the region’s natural resources to feed the world’s richest countries.
Many of the vital crops that Aurelia depends on are withering and dying before her eyes. Despite the challenges families are facing, the unstoppable power of hope drives people to look for ways to push back. She tries to grow a range of crops so she can provide them with a balanced diet that contains the vitamins and minerals they need to thrive. In this way, Aurelia can protect her loved ones from malnutrition and ill health. But as increasingly intense conditions kill her crops, Aurelia’s ability to safeguard her family slips away.
Christian Aid has been working with organisations like, Coordinación de ONG y Cooperativas, to offer training and tools so farmers can diversify and grow more resilient crops, build water recycling systems, and create organic fertiliser.
Aurelia’s farm, first and foremost, feeds her family. She has observed many impacts of the climate crisis, including extended dry seasons, the degradation of soil, contaminated water and a decreasing diversity of plants and crops. There was a prediction this would happen in the future, but it has come earlier. This is very worrying for our kids and especially our grandkids.
Aurelia’s community is unbelievably impressive. There’s no electricity, water or phone signal, but this hasn’t been a barrier for the women. They are very proactive, and I think that’s because Aurelia has become a role model for them. Many are showing up at meetings they didn’t previously participate in and selling their cocoa balls and other products. They’re not dependent on Congcoop – they mobilise themselves.
Together, we can help people secure a better future for their families, giving them the chance to fulfil their potential.
Grandborough Parish has always given very generously to Christian Aid and we trust that you will still want to donate by using the e-envelope. We will no longer be doing door-to-door collections in the Parish. All donations are anonymous and Gift Aid can be added if you are a taxpayer.
Please think about giving a donation and sharing an e-envelope by clicking this link Donate by e-envelope.
With many thanks. Dorothy Johnson
Christian Aid Co-ordinator for the Parish of Grandborough