Young people at St Francis Xavier School have been busy organising fundraising events as part of a national appeal.

Pupils fromSt Francis Xavier School put together all kinds of activities for Christian Aid Week 2024. Eachform groupplanned their own “mini” fundraisers, including raffles, lucky dips, hide and seek, cinema club and candy salads. There was a non-uniform day in which students were asked to wear colours of flames for a Pentecost-themed Christian Aid fundraiser, as well as a whole school cake sale.The school’s weekly community prayer and coffee morning was also dedicated to the appeal.

Chaplaincy Co-ordinator, Liz Sanders, said: “Every year, during this appeal, people across Britain and Ireland have seven days and so many ways to raise funds to support their global neighbours, in a celebration of hope for a fairer world.

“We have been taking part by putting on a variety of different fundraisers throughout Christian Aid Week in school. We want to raise awareness of the global poverty crisis, and do everything we can to help push back against it. Our ethos of ‘love of God, love of neighbour’ is something we actively strive to live out, day by day, and supporting Christian Aid Week is the perfect way to do this.”

Youngsters raised money for communities around the globe.

Money raised during Christian Aid Week will help the organisation’s partners empower vulnerable communities to find practical and sustainable ways out of poverty.

This year’s appeal - from May 12–18 - focused on work in Burundi, one of the most densely populated and poorest countries in Africa. Heavily reliant on agriculture, it’s also one of the least prepared to combat the effects of climate change, including droughts, floods and landslides. The global cost of living crisis has intensified the challenges: more than 70 per cent of the population live in poverty and more than half of children are chronically malnourished.

Christian Aid has been working in Burundi since 1995 when it first offered humanitarian assistance to people surviving the civil conflict. Now, alongside local partners, the organisation helps establish Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs). These community-led groups mean people can save and borrow money, making small businesses possible, offering reliable and diverse incomes so families can eat regularly, get medicine when they need it, and build safer homes.

To find out more about Christian Aid Week visit https://www.christianaid.org.uk/.

Richmond schoolchildren raise hundreds of pounds for charity.