PEOPLE in Redditch are fighting hunger across the world this Lent as part of a campaign by the Catholic charity CAFOD.
They’re doing it by hosting ‘family fast days’ to help communities around the world to grow crops and receive better nutrition.
The fast day concept aims to bring communities together where they can enjoy a simple meal and donate the money saved to charity.
This cash will then go to help fund agricultural training, education, and clean water projects for people living in poverty.
In an added boost, all donations to CAFOD’s Lent Appeal, up to £5 million, will be doubled by the UK government up until May 12 – meaning every donation will make double the difference.
A spokesperson for CAFOD said that worldwide, one in nine people regularly go hungry.
Malnutrition kills almost three million children a year. Even for a child who survives malnutrition, their growth can be stunted, and it can cause irreversible damage to mental development.
CAFOD is working in Zimbabwe, where one in three people are under-norourished, providing seeds and farming training for families and communities so everyone has enough to eat.
January to March – known as the ‘hunger gap’ – is the most difficult time of year for food with stores depleted as people wait for the April harvest.
The funds raised by CAFOD will reach an estimated 245,000 people in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Eritrea.
CAFOD’s representative for Redditch, Julia Hood, said: “The Lent appeal is such a great way of bringing people together and raising an incredible amount to help others.
“I’m delighted that the UK government is matching donations made by parishes like Redditch to CAFOD’s work, showing how important the money raised will be for some of the world’s poorest people.”
