CHRISTIAN AID NEWS

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LAST WORD A reflection on playing a part in the fight against poverty, and living life in the wider family of Christian Aid Jean Harrison spent 17 years working for Christian Aid, and now she’s serving on the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI). Ecumenical accompaniers provide a protective presence to vulnerable communities, monitor human rights abuses and support Palestinians and Israelis working together for a just peace. Here Jean tells us about life in Bethlehem – the challenges, privileges, and sometimes heart-rending moments of living alongside a community under occupation I HARDLY KNOW where to start in describing life as an ecumenical accompanier. You arrive and have a comprehensive handover with the previous team, who introduce you to key people, organisations and places. Then suddenly it’s your responsibility, and despite the training you think ‘where do I go’ and ‘what do I do’. We plan our time around certain givens; such as the checkpoint watch, which we do four days a week from 4-8am. We keep track of how many Palestinians are passing through, and try and help anyone that gets turned away. Last Sunday four people were turned back: their permit papers were taken, and without those they will lose their jobs. We got their names and IDs, and sent those to an Israeli group called Machsom Watch, which can often help. The first time I went to the checkpoint, I was horrified. I was on duty in the metal detector area and had to walk through the main queue and push through the crush of people. Sometimes there is only one detector open, even though all three should be running. It’s our job to call the humanitarian hotline and ask them to open the others; usually that works. Aside from our weekly duties, we’re also here as a team to respond to urgent ‘PEOPLE APPRECIATE US BECAUSE WE’RE THERE AT DIFFICULT TIMES’ Christian Aid/Charlotte Marshall Jean watches children go to school Although sometimes I come home feeling angry and helpless, I know that our presence makes a difference situations. In the first week, we had a call from a Palestinian school in Tuqu. They said: ‘Please come, there are Israeli soldiers at the school stopping the children to line them up and search their bags’. The previous week, the soldiers had gone into the school and forced it to close for the day. The Israeli army claims that the schoolchildren are throwing stones at settlers’ cars as they walk along the road, so now they have stationed four soldiers along the route that the children take to school. As a team, we decided we’d also stand along this route, to be a protective presence as the children make their way to school. I was horrified to see the soldiers with guns, which are often pointed at the children. A lot of them are tiny children and I worry about what is going on in their minds as a consequence. A local taxi driver has a six-year-old son who attends one of these schools. He said to his father one day that he didn’t want to go to school, because he was ‘scared the soldiers will kill me’. Although at times I come home feeling angry and helpless, I know our presence makes a difference. People appreciate us because we’re there at difficult times. We have time to drink tea, talk and listen to them. It’s been one of the best aspects of my experience: you feel you like you belong here and it’s a privilege. The views contained here are personal and do not necessarily reflect those of Jean’s employer Quaker Peace and Social Witness (QPSW) or the World Council of Churches (WCC). If you would like to publish the information contained here (including posting it on a website), or distribute it further, please first contact teresap@quaker.org.uk for permission. For more information, or to find out how to join EAPPI, please visit eappi.org 30 Christian Aid News
Sweet gifts for your sweetheart on Valentine’s day Chocolate box 312 cocoa seedlings £27 Bee my honey a beehive £12 Christian Aid/Sam Faulkner Give your loved one something different An alternative to traditional flowers and chocolates, these gifts could sweeten your valentine’s day and help farming families in Latin America to escape from poverty. Buy online at presentaid.org/sweetheart or call 0845 3300 500 (quote ref: A013452) PRESENT AID GIFTS THAT KEEP GIVING UK registered charity no. 1105851 Company no. 5171525 Scot charity no. SC039150 The Christian Aid name and logo are trademarks of Christian Aid; Poverty Over is a trademark of Christian Aid. © Christian Aid, December 2011 12-372-V GET REAL CHANGE FROM YOUR CREDIT CARD The Christian Aid credit card from The Co‐operative Bank can help to bring lasting change to those in need. Every time an account is opened, The Co‐operative Bank gives Christian Aid £15. A further £2.50 is donated when the new card is used within six months, and then 25p is given for every £100 spent on the card. 18.9 % APR representative/variable • No interest on purchases and balance transfers*, fixed for six months from account opening. • A transfer fee is applicable during the promotional period. For an instant decision, phone 0800 002 006 or apply online at co-operativebank.co.uk/christianaid CHRISTIAN AID INTRODUCES OUR CREDIT CARD *Excludes balance transfers from other credit cards issued by The Co-operative Bank. Credit facilities are provided by The Co-operative Bank p.l.c. and are subject to status. Credit Card applicants must be aged 18 or over, a UK , Channel Island or Isle of Man resident and have a minimum annual gross income of £10,000 or more. The bank reserves the right to decline any application or offer a card that differs from those advertised. Interest rates are correct at time of going to press 11/11. The Co-operative Bank p.l.c. (Registered No. 990937), Head Office, P.O. Box 101, 1 Balloon Street, Manchester M60 4EP. The Co-operative Bank is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (No. 121885), subscribes to the Lending Code, the Financial Ombudsman Service and is licensed by the Office of Fair Trading (No. 006110). Calls may be monitored or recorded for security and training purposes. For BT customers, calls to 0800 numbers are free. Call charges from other companies may vary and you may want to check this with your service provider. Christian Aid UK registered charity no. 1105851, Company no. 5171525, Scotland charity no. SC039150, Northern Ireland charity no. XR94639, Company no. NI059154. AH1538 11/11 Provided by The Co-operative Bank
Page 1 and 2: CHRISTIAN AID NEWS Issue 54 Winter
Page 3 and 4: 020 7620 4444 CONTENTS F1986 EDITOR
Page 5 and 6: To view the audio gallery, please g
Page 7 and 8: malawi Grant funds £10.1m climate
Page 9 and 10: afghanisTan updaTe CHRISTIAN AID NE
Page 11 and 12: Climate Change: talk is just not en
Page 13 and 14: Every day we hear more than 100 voi
Page 15 and 16: Last November, Christian Aid’s Af
Page 17 and 18: nd SHip Tax havens: we’re gaining
Page 19 and 20: WEEK CHRISTIAN AID WEEK CHRISTIAN A
Page 25 and 26: Inspired Enraged Send your views to
Page 27 and 28: ✁ DO IT YOUR WAY GOT YOUR OWN BRI
Page 29 and 30: AROUND NORTH ENGLAND From Genesis t
Page 31 and 32: AROUND THE SOUTH EAST Regional news
Page 33 and 34: AROUND WALES ¡Viva Guatemala! The
Page 35 and 36: EVENTS IN NORTH ENGLAND MONDAY 16 J
Page 37 and 38: Regional news and events in London,
Page 39: PuDS DO GOOD After-pud entertainmen

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