Summer 2003

EDITORIAL

The fourth “Day For Burma” was held in Pinner in the middle of this month, when people from Burma met people in the UK who are working for human rights in an almost forgotten land, where the leader of the movement for democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi, has again been arrested and is in prison.   As a “Free Burma Ranger” said, “No one is safe.” One of the speakers for the Burma Day was Beryl Lee, the mother of Stephanie Lee who was killed in a road accident when she was working in a refugee camp on the Thai/Burma border eighteen months ago.  Beryl and her family now work for the Karenni Student Development Programme, for the education and development of the people, which was founded by Stephanie before she died.  Beryl said that she is sometimes daunted by what she and her family have taken on, but then she remembers her love of the Burmese people and is encouraged because she knows that although they can’t do everything needed, they can do something. 

And we can all do something towards change for the better for some of the people of our world, and at the very least for just one person.  There are many possibilities for action in this magazine alone, including Stan Platt’s article on refugees, who still continue to say that the friendship and support of others is vital to their survival as real people.  Most of us have refugees living not too far away from our homes.   There is the special focus on Ethiopia, once again facing famine and there is the letter from Zambia by Annabel Capel, where so much is needed.  She is someone who is doing something vital for the future in Msoro in Eastern Zambia.   Christians Aware members have been asked to pray for Zimbabwe by Bishop Wilson Sitshebo, the bishop of Matabeleland.   And we are also reminded of the 14 million people across Southern Africa who need food aid to survive.

Judith Allinson, who will be a speaker at our summer school, has asked us to challenge Christians Aware members to do something large or small towards fair trade for the poorest countries when they visit hotels and guest houses.  She writes, “I think it would be worthwhile if people were to ask when they stay at hotels if they could be given fair trade coffee.  They should not then get upset if they are denied their request.  Gradually the people who run the hotels will begin to see that there is a demand for fairly traded goods.”

Judith  herself has spent a lot of her spare time visiting hotels in the Craven Dales area to introduce the idea of fair trade.  At the end of the fair trade fortnight this year eleven of the seventeen hotels and bed and breakfast accommodations she visited had changed to fair trade tea and coffee.  We include the letter Judith wrote on page two, so that it can be used by others who would like to do something towards change in this area.     Jeremy Lefroy’s article gives a more detailed insight into fair trade.

A small but excellent way to begin to work for change could be to join the “Action Cards” scheme and to introduce it to churches, schools and other communities locally.  There is an insight into action cards on page 8. 

Like Beryl Lee and her family none of us can do everything, but we can all do something, no matter how small and simple it is, and small things do tend to grow.

Barbara Butler