Let’s share our abundance: our global response to COVID-19 crisis
As a nation, we’ve done really well in managing the COVID-19 crisis. In other places in the world, the struggle is much more severe than we could ever imagine. So our diocese is partnering with Anglican Missions to raise as much as we can for four projects with close associations to us. In Fiji, Kolkata, Gaza City and Mozambique, COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the daily life of our brothers and sisters there.
“In Aotearoa, many Anglicans have not lost their income, and some have even saved money during this period. I encourage you to get together in families, house churches and parishes and think creatively about how you can give into these places with great need. Every one of us can support these initiatives in prayer, and if you can give financially, I encourage you to give generously.”
You can read more about the four projects below. To donate, please visit the Anglican Missions Global Response page (link) give generously. You can also choose to donate to the campaign as a whole, with funds being spread across the projects that need it most.
Dreketi, Fiji
“Currently poverty is rife across the islands.”
Our gift will support grocery packs for vulnerable families and contribute to the investment in tools, seeds and seedlings so that each parish can have a tool shed from which members can borrow what they need to re-establish their sources of income.
Our brothers and sisters in Fiji are part of the Diocese of Polynesia within our own province. We have a strong relationship with Bishop Henry Bull, and many teams from our diocese have spent time in these communities which we are raising funds for.
Our gift will support grocery packs for vulnerable families and contribute to the investment in tools, seeds and seedlings so that each parish can have a tool shed from which members can borrow what they need to re-establish their sources of income.
Our brothers and sisters in Fiji are part of the Diocese of Polynesia within our own province. We have a strong relationship with Bishop Henry Bull, and many teams from our diocese have spent time in these communities which we are raising funds for.
Bishop Henry’s people are mostly rural dwellers, reliant on subsistence agriculture for their livelihoods. As the country went into lockdown, ports were closed and roadside traffic slowed to a trickle, which reduced the patronage of produce markets like the one in Dreketi where Bishop Henry serves. One vendor, Queenie Nivoi, told Bishop Henry that her sales were down to below 30 per cent of her pre-pandemic income.
Kolkata, India
“In April alone, over 122 million Indians lost their jobs.”
Funds raised will help “Pay, Protect, Provide” – paying workers their wage, manufacturing protective equipment to stop the spread of COVID-19, and providing 20,000 meals to people facing hunger.
Anthony Watts is one of many ex-pat Kiwis living in the poorest neighbourhoods of India, where they run businesses that offer employment to locals, offering them a way out of poverty. COVID-19 saw the whole nation of India go into complete lockdown. But with only four hours’ notice, millions of internal migrants were forced to travel at once, resulting in mass disruption and displacement. Anthony tells us that in April alone, over 122 million Indians lost their jobs.
Making things worse, Cyclone Amphan ravaged eastern India in May, causing widespread damage in the areas where Anthony and his fellow expats call home.
In order to get through the lockdown and support their employees, Anthony and the businesses he is involved in have embarked on a three-stage process called Pay, Protect, Provide. “Pay” means that the businesses are endeavouring to pay their employees 100% of their wages throughout lockdown; “Protect,” is about manufacturing and providing masks to help stop the spread of the disease in the cramped conditions of the slums where they live and work; and “Provide” is a an initiative to give away 20,000 meals to those who can’t afford food at this difficult time.
Anthony tells us that the funds we raise for them will help them achieve their goals in these three areas. He tells us “Together these resilient communities are rising up again and putting their lives together, and we invite you to be part of that with us.”
Al Ahli Arab Anglican Hospital, Gaza City
“We are suffering from shortages, running out of medicine and medical supplies.”
Funds will contribute to providing medical care for people in desperate need and enable Al-Ahli Arab Anglican Hospital to keep its doors open during the struggles and challenges of the COVID-19 crisis.
The hospital, in the centre of Gaza City, treats over 45,000 patients a year and is a haven of peace and hope in in the middle of one of the world’s most troubled areas. Restrictions on movement and imports can mean the Hospital is often without basic medicines and can struggle because of limited electricity, food, water, fuel and personnel.
On top of all this, the hospital is now facing the widespread challenge of the spread of the coronavirus which knows no borders, religion or social class. Everyone is at risk including the staff and patients. The lockdown has created a huge demand for treatment of patients who have been turned away from government-funded hospitals.
The hospital provides outpatient and inpatient care, emergency and ambulance services, and its doors are open to everyone in need. In addition to its hospital facility, Al Ahli Hospital also provides free mobile clinics to villages across Gaza City and offers specialised support for different groups including free clinics for elderly women, underweight or malnourished children, free screening programmes for early detection of breast cancer and psychosocial support. It is one of very few Christian witnesses in the city.
Diocese of Niassa, Mozambique
“People are not afraid of dying of the pandemic, but of hunger. We receive petitions for food support but with limited funds, we are unable to meet these requests.”
Malnutrition and poverty were issues in the diocese prior to the pandemic, and now these issues are magnified. Access to medicine, food and fresh, clean water are all difficult, and are made even more difficult as the country is locked down to fight coronavirus, without much of the government support we enjoy in New Zealand. Bishop Vicente intends to use the support we provide to them to provide more food support to those facing hunger, and is extremely grateful for our support in this time.
Anglican Movement has maintained a friendship with the people of the Diocese of Niassa in Mozambique for a number of years, and Bishop Eleanor speaks of them as a people of great faith. The diocese, led by Bishop Vicente, covers a huge land area and includes a population nearly double that of New Zealand. However many of the communities there are rural, and rely on subsistence agriculture for their livelihoods which were ruined by cyclones that devastated the country over the last couple of years.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought further hardship to the people. The country is in lockdown, causing small businesses to close with no assistance from the Government. Hospitals are failing to treat people, and those that live in rural areas don’t have the money to seek treatment at private clinics anyway. Pandemic information being disseminated by the Mozambique Government is in the official language of Portuguese, but about 40% of the population do not speak Portuguese, communicating using local languages alone – and no effort is being made to translate the information. Bishop Vicente writes: “People are not afraid of dying of the pandemic, but of hunger. We receive requests for support almost daily, support for the people who are sick and need some medication. We receive petition for food support but with limited funds, we are unable to meet these requests.”
