Courtney McGrailFr Brendan Collins of Long Tower Parish in Derry shares his experience of a trip to Tanzania with Children in Crossfire
Fr Brendan Collins
The story of Children in Crossfire has its roots in what began as a tragedy and ended as a triumph of the human spirit to overcome adversity. On Thursday, May 4, 1972 when a 10-year-old Richard Moore was on his way home from school, his life was to change forever. As he ran past an army lookout post located at the edge of his school’s playground, a British soldier fired a rubber bullet, blinding him for life. This is where his remarkable story of forgiveness and compassion begins.
Despite losing his sight in such a traumatic way, Richard returned to his old school, went onto university, successfully ran his own business, became an accomplished musician, is married with two children and leads a very active and fulfilling life. In 1996 he set up the charity Children in Crossfire.
Richard didn’t harbour any bitterness towards the soldier who shot him and always expressed his desire to meet him. In January 2006, Richard met Charles for the first time and the two men have become close friends.
Since 1996, Children in Crossfire has been improving the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable children caught in the crossfire of poverty, focusing on health and education programmes in Tanzania and Ethiopia that provide access to food, clean water and much-needed medical care.
With the support of local people Children in Crossfire are able to:
Fund feeding programmes so that children are properly nourished to enable them to develop to their full potential. Without proper nutrition, children are susceptible to illness as well as being weaker and unable to perform well at school, damaging their future prospects as adults.
Provide clean water for thousands of people, transforming their lives for generations to come. Having a clean water source also means that instead of spending three hours fetching water, children can spend this time in school, building a better future for themselves and their families. 50% of the population of Tanzania is under-nourished
Train teachers and provide learning kits for children. 75% of children in Tanzania have no access to pre-school. It has been shown that children who are able to attend pre-school have a much higher chance of staying at school and doing well, breaking the cycle of poverty.
While much has been achieved as a result of the support of the local community, much more needs to be done.
Sadly the terrible reality is that during Advent this year in Tanzania 12,000 children who are not yet five years old will die. It’s shocking and upsetting and almost entirely preventable.
That’s why Children in Crossfire have to keep going, keep reaching out to the children most at risk and keep asking you to help. You can:
- Text Kids2 to 70660 to donate £5 (Northern Ireland only)
- Call our office on +44 (0) 28 7126 9898.
- Donate online
- www.childrenincrossfire.org or
- 2 St Joseph’s Avenue,
- Derry, BT48 6TH.
In the parish I am based in, we decided to support Children in Crossfire for its Advent appeal last year. For me, it was an opportunity for us to help those who live in the poorest situations in the world. Poverty is everywhere, sometimes it may not be evident. As a parish, we also work with local organisations, but as a Church we are called to reach out to all those in need.
This is challenging, but with small steps we can all make a difference. Earlier this year, I was able to travel to Tanzania with Richard Moore and visit the projects we as a diocese were able to support with the generosity of our communities.
This was my first time in Africa. I was unsure as to what to expect and I suppose I based most of this on what the media tells us. My preconceptions were changed. I witnessed first-hand the communities who had made many changes because of the opportunities they had been given by Children in Crossfire. The model they work from is the sustainable approach, empowering communities to lift themselves out of poverty and provide a future for their children. This model gave me hope to see a future for people struggling in a difficult environment. We also visited communities who were looking for help and support and this was extremely challenging to see the evident need.
Witnessing the work of Children in Crossfire in Tanzania made me thankful for what we have. I had never seen extreme poverty like this; families with absolutely nothing, living in mud huts, sleeping on clay floors and not knowing where their next meal was coming from. I also developed a real appreciation for the excellent work being carried out by our local charity Children in Crossfire.
One family stands out for me; we met a lady and her children, she had benefited from the support of Children in Crossfire and was now running her own sustainable project of growing and selling produce.
She showed us how she now had a new home, she was so proud because she was moving herself to a better life but this was still a difficult reality, they still had little to nothing. Erion Colombari showed me how, through the help of Children in Crossfire, vulnerable families like herself were benefiting. They were being given the support and tools to grow the vegetables to feed their children properly and to send their children to school; they were moving themselves forward.
The hope is there and we are part of creating the solution. Children in Crossfire’s annual Advent campaign is a fantastic way to support some of the world’s most vulnerable children. You can be part of providing a real future for families in Tanzania.
I am delighted and proud that our parish is supporting the Advent appeal this year and would urge you to do the same.
www.childrenincrossfire.org