With Australia’s annual Christmas Bowl appeal underway, JANET COUSENS, CEO of Act for Peace Australia, says that the impacts of COVID-19 reminded her once again of the hardships so many around the world face all the time…
It’s been a tough year.
Once again COVID-19 disrupted life for of most of us. As the year went on, and the pandemic caused more and more damage here in Australia, I had several moments of clarity.
Being stuck in lockdown reminded me of how lucky I am to have a safe place to call home. Being separated from loved ones reinforced how fortunate I am to also be surrounded by people who care about me. Worrying about people’s jobs, it was humbling to remember that I’ve always had food on my table.
Children pass time at al-Wara camp for internally displaced people in al-Khukha of Hodeidah province, Yemen, on 21st November. Yemen is among nations where thousands have been uprooted from their homes due to conflict or disaster. PICTURE: Reuters/Fawaz Salman.
The more COVID took away, the more I was reminded of the abundance of blessings God has given me; and of how much tougher it is for the people we serve at Act for Peace.
They are people uprooted by conflict and disaster, including by the crises in Ethiopia, Myanmar and Afghanistan right now. People who don’t have a safe place to call home. People who’ve lost loved ones and are surrounded by strangers. People who don’t know where the next meal is coming from.
“The more COVID took away, the more I was reminded of the abundance of blessings God has given me; and of how much tougher it is for the people we serve at Act for Peace. They are people uprooted by conflict and disaster, including by the crises in Ethiopia, Myanmar and Afghanistan right now. People who don’t have a safe place to call home. People who’ve lost loved ones and are surrounded by strangers. People who don’t know where the next meal is coming from. “
Rev Frank Byatt, the founder of the Christmas Bowl, may have had a similar moment of clarity back in 1949 when he looked at the food laid out on his Christmas dinner table, and thought of the refugees going hungry in Europe after World War II.
Frank placed an empty bowl on the table and asked all present to give what they considered to be the cost of the meal. He urged his guests to reflect on their good fortunes. He encouraged them to do something selfless for people uprooted by conflict around the world; to “share your good dinner with hungry children in other lands”.
With people like Esther*, who sought refuge with her children in Ethiopia in 2011 after conflict broke out in her home country. More than 800,000 people like her have been forced to seek refuge in Ethiopia. Most have been forced from their homes by violent conflict sparked by political and civil unrest or recurring natural disasters.
In the camp where Esther and her children found shelter, medical facilities are so poor that any illness can be life-threatening. When her younger daughter became extremely ill, Esther and her family were referred to our partner, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Development and Inter-Church Aid Commission (DICAC), for medical assistance and found a new home in Addis Ababa.
DICAC is now supporting Esther’s family and many other urban refugees just like them. I have been to Ethiopia several times and know the team well. Their skill and dedication is an inspiration. They work tirelessly, never giving up, serving each day in the face of incredible challenges. All they ask of us is to back them, through gifts and prayer.
I am reminded of Romans: “So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is…serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously…” (Romans 12:5-8, NIV).
While things are steadily improving here in Australia, for displaced people the situation is still dire – and the Christmas Bowl is a powerful and truly practical way to love our neighbours on the other side of the world.
Once again this Christmas, we come together to share God’s love with those who need it most, helping create a world where people uprooted by conflict and disaster – people like Esther and her family – have a safe place to belong.
*Esther’s name has been changed to protect her identity.
Share God’s love this Christmas by giving through the Christmas Bowl and help provide uprooted people with the food, shelter, and lifesaving support they so urgently need: christmasbowl.actforpeace.org.au/donate.
