HOPE Spots!

HOPE Spot #52: Your SIX TIMES Christmas kindness for Taban

Tuesday 28 November 2023

Meet Taban.

He’s four years old, and lives with cerebral palsy in a Displaced Persons Camp in Somalia.

When Taban was diagnosed, his dad disowned him.

       Then abandoned the family.

              Tragically, this happens too often …

                    … and children with disabilities are left behind and forgotten.

That’s why, this Christmas I’m calling on your kindness

to help make sure no child is left behind.

 Donate now

You already live out the values of Christmas in your kindness and generosity …

… and that gives me confidence to share a challenge with you.

Earlier this year, the ALWS family gathered together to use an 18:1 grant to support 8,080 children in Somalia to go to school for the next three years.

           School kits.

                   Classrooms.

                             Teachers.

                                     Daily porridge…

Children like Taban need something more.

They need trained Special Needs teachers. Ramps. Disability-friendly toilets. Braille books. Crutches. White canes. Understanding. Patience. Care.

This costs more.

ALWS is stepping out in faith to support 3,500 children in Somalia like Taban to receive the treatment and care they need … and then be supported to go to school.

On average, it costs $52 per child to provide complete care (see 7 Step Plan below).

Donate now

GOOD NEWS!

The good news is that while we have not been able to get an 18:1 Grant for these special children, the Australian Government has provided: 

The Government explains the 5:1 Grant this way:

I explain it this way:

Donate 5:1 now

Your Christmas donation (tax-deductible) will help a child like Taban through:

YOUR 7 STEP ALWS ACTION PLAN

1. Enrol 2,500 Learners with Disabilities into school:

• Provide uniform
• Assistive devices
• Disability-friendly teaching and learning
• Teachers
  

2. Renovate one school as model for Inclusive Education:

• Widen doors for learners with wheelchairs and crutches
• Install more windows to increase lighting for learners with low vision
• Install ramps and rails for access
• Install disability-friendly latrines
• Clear signage to latrines / office / classrooms

3. Support 1,000 Children with Disabilities through Educational Assessment and Resource Centre:

• Technical assessment of disability and support required
• Rehabilitation program
• Physiotherapy and treatment
• Dry ration porridge (proven effective in encouraging parents to bring children for assessment & support)

4. Awareness and advocacy for inclusion:

• Community members
• School parents
• Local and national Government
  

5. Train local carpenters to build assistive devices:

• Crutches
• White canes
• Assistive rails

6. Build engagement with families:

• Home visits
• Outreach services
• Transport

7. Train teachers in disability-friendly techniques:

• Braille
• Sign-languages
• Individual Education Plans
• Special Needs Education

You can provide all this for a child like Taban for $52.

Tax-deductible.

PLUS the 5:1 Australian Government Grant means your impact is SIX TIMES your personal donation!

Donate 5:1 NOW!

Dreams achieved

Our ALWS ‘dream’ – step of faith – Christmas ‘wish’ – is to support 3,500 children with disabilities like Taban.

Taban’s mum, Shamsa, has a dream too:

“Taban is a brilliant boy and he’s getting better by the day.

I hope for a day when our world is adapted to be inclusive

for everyone with different abilities. Society should be mindful

of people living with disabilities by giving them equal chances

in life, as this will help them achieve their dreams.

All that these children want is to be included.”

… if you share Shamsa’s dream for her little boy …

… you are welcome to use the 5:1 Grant, at $52 per child, tax-deductible

… to support a child with disability like Taban to be included, just like every other child.

Donate 5:1 now

Thank you for helping make sure no child is forgotten or left behind.

That’s why you are a blessing at Christmas … and ALWayS!

HOPE Spot #51: 😊 😊 😊 😊 😊

Friday 24 November 2023

See these sunny smiles …

… they’re thanks to you!

These ladies are a Women’s Group Forum in Burundi that received your support through ALWS, and our partner LWF, to build a better life for their families – and themselves.

As you know, through ALWS you help people in danger of being forgotten by the world.

Your care goes to people living with disability, those who are elderly or sick, those rejected by the community …

… and girls and women, who too often suffer in ways that mean they need focused support.

Just being born female may mean:

…  you have to labour in the fields all day + fetch water

+ cook food + run the household + care for the children

… while missing out on education + your rights

+ being able to make your own decisions

… and too often being forced to marry someone

you don’t choose, or too early, or older than you,

or before your body is ready to have children

… while also suffering threats and violence and abuse.

That’s why this year we have a special focus on girls and women in Gifts of Grace.

The good news is this helps you have a real and lasting impact. Not just protecting women from violence, but also supporting change that enables all women’s gifts to bless their community.

You’ll see this for yourself when you listen to these ladies from Burundi:

Because the challenges facing girls and women are so great …

… ALWS supports the UN program 16 Days of Activism that aims to make sure girls and women receive the extra support they need, and that their rights are upheld.

You can take simple practical action for girls and women through ALWS Gifts of Grace:

• Provide a farmer like Tara in Nepal with Veggie Seeds for a home garden ($11)
• Help a women’s group in Indonesia set up a Banana Chip Business ($154)
  
• Supply 3 chooks and a start-up kit so a mum can start a Chicken Farm ($23)
  
• Give a Goat to a grandma in Burundi, plus training in livestock-raising ($75)
  
• Support a girl in Somalia to go to school with a School Set ($5)

The bonus good news is that investing in girls and women has a double benefit because it also directly helps children:

• extra income is spent on children’s needs
• children have more food to eat, and are healthier
• girls are more likely to be encouraged to go to school

Thank you for all you do through ALWS to support girls and women build better lives for themselves and their families. To them, you are a blessing ALWayS …

… so, please share in their sunny smiles!

PS: You can watch short videos from Nepal, Burundi and refugee camps in Kenya here (total time – 5 minutes) to hear direct from projects about your ALWS action for girls and women – drinking water taps, soap-making, hairdressing – watch now! The videos are at the bottom of the page.

HOPE Spot #50: Cold as Ice… Warm as Kindness

Wednesday 22 November

At ALWS staff devotion last week, team member Julie talked to us about ice.

Julie shared how if someone is treating us coldly, it doesn’t do much good to respond coldly. It just makes everything worse.

As Australia wrestles with challenging issues like the outcome of the Voice Referendum … the Israel Gaza Crisis … and so many other things on which people have different opinions, Julie suggested a different approach …

… responding with the warmth of kindness, that can melt cold hearts.

The next two weeks in Ukraine, the forecast is for temperatures down to minus 5 degrees.

Can you imagine facing that, when your ‘home’ has been reduced to this:

The building you see is in Kharkiv,
where you work through ALWS and our partner LWF,
aiming to renovate 525 apartments before Christmas!

It’s not a full renovation, but doors and windows are replaced, water and sanitation restored, and electricity reconnected. The aim is to make the apartments warm and habitable again.

According to Mark Mullan (photo), leader of the LWF team in Ukraine:

“Our commitment is to put displaced families at the very centre of our program, and provide a range of integrated services to support the families.

With this people-centric approach, we have a better chance of allowing people to return successfully to their homes of origin with dignity.”

The LWF team also engages community mobilisers who know the local context. They have been trained to offer support to vulnerable and traumatised people.

NOT JUST A HOME 

One of the people who will benefit from your help is Mykola Tisheninov.

When his apartment was bombed, the 73 year old had nowhere to go. Returning to his renovated apartment will be a cause for celebration:

“We are looking forward to returning to our own place.

 For us, it is not just a home.

 It’s a place of inspiration, a place where our family stories were born, and a place of our strength.”

Thank you very much for being part of the ALWS family working hard together to bring help and hope to people in danger of being forgotten.

The people of Ukraine remain a priority for ALWS:

• this week, ALWS was able to commit a further $329,331 to this ministry
• you can see more details of your work in Ukraine in Update 9
• ALWS is planning a Walk My Way Ukraine for central Brisbane on Saturday 11 May next year
• you can see your ALWS impact through Australia’s Emergency Action Alliance here
• you can donate here to keep helping the people of Ukraine – both inside Ukraine, and in Poland

Now, I don’t know what the temperature is where you live …

… but I’m pretty sure it won’t be minus 5 like it is in Ukraine.

Thank you for the warmth of your kindness and generosity that is such a blessing to people in danger of being forgotten by the world.

You are a blessing ALWayS!

HOPE Spot #49: Truckloads of Kindness

Thursday 16 November

I didn’t get the full rego of the truck that hit me last week …

… but it started with COV-1D.

Health is one of those things you can take for granted, until you don’t have it.

Like food on the table.

Clean water.

Peace.

As I lay in bed last week feeling sorry for myself, I realised what’s special about you is you don’t take these things for granted.

In fact, you see them missing in the lives of other people, and through ALWS you help.

Whether it’s through giving goats and school kits and Long Drop Loos in Gifts of Grace …

… or supporting the work of August Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem in response to the Israel Gaza Crisis

… or simply faithfully reading these HOPE Spots to stay updated, or find personal prayer points

… your kindness and generosity are a blessing ALWayS!

You are especially important for people in danger of being forgotten by the world, and that’s why I want to update you today.

This information is quite ‘heavy’ and detailed, so I understand if you don’t have time or wish to read it all …

… but I do want you to be fully informed about what you do for people through ALWS.

MYANMAR

As you know, the coup in 2021 has made life awful for the people, and also challenging for aid agencies like ALWS to get your help to where you are needed.

The good news is your ALWS action is still getting through, and making an impact.

At the same time, ALWS has added our support to a submission to a Senate Standing Committee on how Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) can do more to help agencies like ALWS support the people of Myanmar.

The submission comes from ACFID Myanmar Community of Practice (ACFID = Australian Council for International Development) and proposes:

1. Flexible and contextually appropriate approach to risk management that enables strengthening of local civil society.
2. Continued and strengthened Australian advocacy and diplomacy to address in-country barriers to delivery of assistance in Myanmar. 
3. Increase and target Australia’s overall ODA (Official Development Assistance) to Myanmar to meet urgent needs and enable greater localisation of assistance.

ETHIOPIA

You likely won’t have seen Ethiopia in Australian media reports …

… but the news from LWF (Lutheran World Federation) Country Representative, Sophie Gebreyes, continues to be very disturbing. Sophie shares:

CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

Earlier this year, ALWS accessed an 18:1 grant to support 8,080 children in Displaced Persons Camps in Somalia to go to school.

The response from the ALWS family was amazing – the full 3 years program is now totally funded!

The good news is ALWS has now secured a new 5:1 Grant from the Australian Government to help make sure other children – those  – in these camps don’t miss out on school.

I plan to give you more information in the next two weeks, in plenty of time for Christmas.

You’ll meet children like Taban and be amazed how our Christmas kindness can be life-transforming.

Our goal is to help 2,500 children with disabilities go to school next year, and support 1,000 younger children with disabilities receive the support they need to achieve their potential. 

THANK YOU!

Thank you that I can share these opportunities and challenges with you.

While some people feel helpless in the face of the hurt happening in so many parts of the world …

… your kindness and compassion through ALWS literally bring truckloads of help where you are needed most. Food. Water. Shelter. Medical care.

You don’t take people’s needs for granted, and that’s why you are a blessing ALWayS! Thank you! 

(I pray you stay safe and well and aren’t hit by the same ‘truck’ that hit me!)

PS: I have now recovered from being run over by the COVID truck – but it took me back to March 2020, when COVID first hit hard. That’s when I started writing these HOPE Spots, as an antidote of encouragement to COVID HOT Spots. Today’s HOPE Spot is my 187^th – I pray they may be a blessing to you.  Jonathan

PPS: NEPAL EARTHQUAKE 

When I wrote to you last week about the Magnitude 6.4 earthquake in Nepal, that took more than 150 lives, I told you that our partner LWF Nepal was not working in the area.

Since then, LWF has told us that 12,000 of the most affected people are Dalit – among the poorest and most marginalised people in the community.

Therefore, LWF has been called in to respond. The team you support is working to provide Emergency Shelter Kits, food, Hygiene Kits, warm clothes, blankets to withstand the cold, and psychosocial support. Priority is given to children, the elderly, and people with disabilities – those who are too often forgotten. If you have any questions, please call 1300 763 407. Thank you! 

HOPE Spot #48: Your ALWS action for Israel Gaza Crisis

Wednesday 8 November

Each day the news from the Israel Gaza Crisis seems worse. 

It can make you feel deeply sad and hopelessly helpless.

After the abhorrent acts of terrorist group Hamas against Israel, there seems no end to the loss of innocent lives.

Today I have a small glimmer of good news.

In the days immediately after the terror attack, ALWS committed $50,000 to the emergency response of our partner Lutheran World Federation (LWF) at the Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem.

The Hospital provides cancer treatment and kidney dialysis services to Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza (see photo).

The good news is the generosity of people like you,
means ALWS can DOUBLE our commitment to $100,000!

This enables your care to extend beyond the Augusta Victoria Hospital, and provide crisis care through ACT Alliance partner, Middle Eastern Council of Churches.

The Council’s Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees (DSPR) has long experience working in Gaza, and will now target care to:

Key aid activities you will support through ALWS include:

• Health
• Shelter
• Food security
• Job creation
• Psychosocial support
• Cash grants

DONATE NOW

I have prepared a full Update 3 for you of your expanded ALWS action, which you can read here.

ALWS has also joined with other international aid agencies based in Australia with a letter to our Prime Minister, calling for further action – ACFID Letter to Prime Minister

Meanwhile, of course, your ALWS action continues to help child victims of other wars, in places like South Sudan and Somalia, and in refugee camps at Kakuma and Dadaab – places and people forgotten by the world.

Through Gifts of Grace you can give practical help this Christmas, like:

• Porridge meal each school day for 6 months for a Somali refugee child: $6
• Set up a School Kitchen Garden at Kakuma Refugee Camp: $756
• School set of books and stationery for a child from Somalia: $5
• Support a mum in South Sudan to start a business: $150

Thank you again for all the help you give people through ALWS, especially in these deeply disturbing times.

Please take heart knowing that your kindness brings help and hope where people hurt the most. That’s why you are a blessing ALWayS. Thank you!

HOPE Spot #47: Gumboots

Friday 3 November

The second last time I wore a pair of gumboots was 50 years ago in my uncle’s cowshed.

I was a smart-alecky city-slicker kid on school holidays so my main job was on the end of a shovel, running from one south end of a cow facing north, to another.

Slippery business indeed.

The next time I wore gumboots was last weekend when we visited an old school friend on their family farm.

As you can see from the photo, it’s not quite so easy for me to slip on a pair of gumbies these days.

(I think they must make them different from what I remember??)

I wasn’t quite sure why I needed gumboots for a pleasant stroll in the sunshine …

… until 30 minutes later when I was sliding to the bottom of a gulley, radar on full alert for snakes upset at being woken, dodging ankle-breaker wombat holes and fresh splatty deposits of what my uncle had introduced me to in his cow shed.

Gumboots may not be the most fashionable footwear around …

… but they get you where you want to go, and keep you safe along the way.

Humble and hard-working.

A lot like the help you give people through ALWS:

• building bomb shelters in basements of schools in Ukraine

• supplying Dignity Kits at Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem to patients left stranded by the Israel Gaza crisis

• helping families construct Long Drop Loos for their homes in Indonesia

• teaching farmers how to turn goat droppings into organic fertiliser

• standing knee-deep in water to plant mangroves or plant-out rice paddies

• offering crutches and physio to someone struggling to walk another step

… the kind of behind-the-scenes, hands-on, ‘dirty’ work that won’t ever win a headline – but is essential to protect the lives of people most at risk, and in danger of being forgotten.

That’s you.

Where you’re needed.

Just getting on with it.

Like gumboots.

Which is why I’m happy to put my foot in it, and risk you getting offended at me calling you a gumboot. For me, it’s yet another reason you are a blessing ALWayS.

PS: ALWS volunteers are ready to pack your Gifts of Grace order to beat the Christmas rush, and the mail system’s non-rush (sigh). First 500 orders receive a special handmade gift from Indonesia, (see below) and each Grace Card has a Seed Diamond that blossoms into forget-me-not flowers, so your message of the true heart of Christmas can keep on growing. Order now

PPS: Early next week I will update you on your ALWS action in response to the Israel Gaza Crisis. You are welcome to donate here to provide help at Augusta Victoria Hospital.

HOPE Spot #46: Rapt or Wrapped?

Friday 27 October 2023

Last Friday I wrapped the Principal of a Lutheran school head to toe in Christmas wrapping paper, in front of her 150 students.

This was after I had tried to stuff her into a shoebox.

I had told the students the stories of three girls I met the last time I was at a Refugee Camp in Kenya – Diana, Joy and Judith.

Photo: ALWS

The cousins’ parents had been killed in the war in South  , and the girls had to flee on foot. After three days, they finally found safety supported by people like you at Kakuma.

The challenge was getting the kind of education every child deserves, when a typical class in a refugee camp may have 95 students in it.

They need more teachers.

That’s why I ‘volunteered’ the Principal of the Lutheran school to go! 😊

It was soon clear to her students that it made no sense to try to pack a shoebox here in Australia with a teacher (or school-desk, or schoolbooks, or disability-friendly toilet).

That’s when I introduced this year’s Gifts of Grace.

The students (and teachers) saw how they could support a teacher like Zainab in a refugee camp – $110 for one month, or $1100 to provide a teacher for all next year!

Photo: LWF Kenya

For $6 even the youngest students in Australia could provide a daily school meal of nutritional porridge for a child in a refugee camp every school day for 6 months!

$5 provides a School Kit.

The Aussie students were rapt … or is it wrapped?

I hope you will be too when you look through your Gifts of Grace catalogue and choose gifts to give your friends and family this year.

NEW this year are Grace Cards that can be hung on the Christmas Tree …

… then planted in the ground to produce Forget-Me-Not flowers!

(I wanted to give the Principal who ‘volunteered’ a bunch of Forget-Me-Nots to say thank you for being a good sport …
… but had to make do with some plastic fakes from the $2 shop.)

PLUS a ‘Thank you’ for you!

First 500 orders Gifts of Grace orders this year receive a unique Christmas Tree ornament gift, designed and handmade from recycled CDs, by people with disability in a Lutheran Centre you support in Indonesia.

My hope and prayer, in this world that seems so messed up right now, is that your ALWS Gifts of Grace will brighten the Christmas of those you love …

… as you bless those you help, like  and Zainab. What a priceless Christmas gift to unwrap – two Doctors, a Pilot and a Teacher.

That’s why you are a blessing not just at Christmas – but ALWayS!

PS: I will keep you updated on your ALWS support of the Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem, in response to the Israel Gaza crisis. You can read UPDATE 2 here.

HOPE Spot #45: How does your garden grow?

Tuesday 24 October 2023

Don’t you just love spring?

The first bursts of warmth in the air. Shrubs and flowers waking up from winter snooze. Veggies fresh and bursting to be planted.

Birds seem to sing louder (and earlier!). Butterflies flit.

Love it.

Here are three more people who love Spring.

Between them, Paul, Rex and Claire have more than 280 years of life experience …

… and for the last 20+ of those years, these wonderful ALWS supporters have been planting and propagating … loading and unloading … smiling and selling … through chilly mornings and windy afternoons … at weekend markets and local shows

… to sell plants to raise money to help people through ALWS!

(Paul’s wife, Annette, was a key part of the team until she was taken to walk the heavenly garden last year.)

If I told you how many dollars these green thumbs had grown with their hard work, you wouldn’t believe it.

So instead, let me just take you from one of Paul’s hothouses on the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia …

… to a hothouse at Kakuma in Kenya, supported by people like Paul and Rex and Claire and you through ALWS

… where Ayenai is now growing capsicum, kale, spinach and tomatoes

… and outside growing maize, pumpkin, butternuts, onions, watermelon and sorghum

… selling surplus to local cafes and supermarkets, after she has made sure her children have enough to be healthy and strong and fit for school.

This is how your garden grows
through ALWS.

That’s why I think you will enjoy your brand new ALWS Gifts of Grace!

Our theme this year is See your love grow!

And you’ll be able to do exactly that with gifts like:

• Veggie Seeds ($11)
• Irrigation ($9)
• School Food Farm ($756)
• Banana seedlings ($7)
• Mushroom Farm ($330)

That’s not all that’s growing …

… your Grace Cards this year each have a Seed Diamond that can be planted (after being hung on the family Christmas Tree) to produce Forget-Me-Not flowers!

I have much more to tell you about your Gifts of Grace …

… today I just hope I have planted a seed that puts a ‘spring’ in your step! 😊

Thank you for the seeds you sow, and everything you grow, in people’s lives through ALWS. You are a blessing ALWayS!

PS: Our theme Bible Verse for Gifts of Grace has a beautiful promise of what we can grow together:

God will provide rain for the seeds you sow.
The grain that GROWS will be abundant.
Isaiah 30:23

PPS: In my HOPE Spot on Friday, I mentioned statements re Israel Gaza Crisis from LWF and ACFID – but I forgot to activate the link. Sorry!

You can read our partner in Jerusalem, LWF’s, statement here.

ALWS is also one of more than 130 members of ACFID – Australian Council for International Development – that has released this statement.

HOPE Spot #44: Israel Gaza Crisis – inside the hospital

The Israel Gaza Crisis brings new horrors every day.

Today I can take you inside the Augusta Victoria Hospital you support in East Jerusalem through ALWS.                                                                             

The hospital is owned and operated by ALWS partner, Lutheran World Federation (LWF), and serves 5 million Palestinians.

The hospital specialises in care for cancer patients and providing haemodialysis for kidney patients.

Children also receive critical care.

DONATE NOW

Photo: LWF / Albin Hillert

Dr Fadi Atrash, heads the hospital, and shares the impact of the Israel Gaza Crisis:

Dr Fadi, can you give us an update on the situation at the hospital?

We are in an emergency, and we do not know how things will develop. I have set up an emergency team to coordinate our work. We have enough staff on board 24 hours a day to guarantee the operation of the hospital.

Our mission is humanitarian – we are on the side of our patients and those affected by war and conflict.

Most of your cancer patients come from the West Bank and Gaza. How is the crisis affecting them?

40% of our patients come from Gaza. We have a total of 71 people from Gaza in the hospital right now. They cannot return home, so we are finding accommodation for them here.

Since the war started last Saturday, 44 patients from Gaza were scheduled for chemotherapy and 28 for radiation. They cannot go home. We have another 60 patients scheduled for chemotherapy and 20 for radiation this week, but now they cannot come.

If the treatment for cancer is interrupted, it will of course affect the prognosis negatively.

What about kidney patients?

We keep the patients for haemodialysis in the hospital, because they need a session every other day. If they miss it, they will die. It’s a life-saving treatment.

We are keeping almost all of the children from the West Bank who receive haemodialysis here in the hospital, to guarantee the continuity of their treatment, and the safety of them and their families.

How are patients from Gaza dealing with the news they receive?

It is very, very sad and very difficult for them. On top of their very painful journey of cancer treatment, they are losing family members and their homes. They watch the news all day, trying to get in contact with their families. They see all the destruction, and they are far from their loved ones. They are suffering. Our nurses and psychosocial teams are trying to be with them all the time. It’s not easy to support them in this situation.

In previous years, the hospital has sent medical teams to Gaza to care for the wounded after air strikes. Is that possible now?

No, it is not possible. This time is different. Yesterday morning I called a friend who is in a UN shelter in Gaza. He told me: “There is no electricity, no water, and no humanitarian access, not even for blood transfusions. The hospitals are overwhelmed with injured and casualties. Lightly injured people die because there is no medicine, no blood products, or they cannot get to the hospital in time.”

People are very afraid in Gaza. Their voices are not heard. They are worried about tomorrow and what will happen to them.

What is your message to the world?

Everyone here is against killing of all civilians.

There is no doubt about this, whatever your origin, your race, your religion, as a human being. The human response should be equal on both sides.

Most important now is a ceasefire, and to open a humanitarian corridor for injured and sick people to be treated, and for fuel, water and food to enter. Guarantee the safety of children, women and innocent people, in Israel and Palestine, and allow for humanitarian and medical aid to reach those who need it.

Dr Fadi Atrash. Photo: LWF S. Gallay

ALWS has committed in faith $50,000 to the work of the Augusta Victoria Hospital at this time of crisis.

You are welcome to donate now.

Together, we pray for peace, for comfort for all those hurt or suffering loss, and safety for the staff of Augusta Victoria Hospital and all others providing medical and humanitarian aid.

Thank you for everything you do for people through ALWS, here in response to the Israel Gaza Crisis, and in other places in danger of being forgotten by the world.

Now, more than ever, you are a blessing ALWayS!

* Dr Fadi was interviewed by Cornelia Kastner-Meyer, Lutheran World Federation

PS: LWF has issued a statement on the Israel Gaza Crisis. You can read it here.

ALWS is also one of more than 130 members of ACFID – Australian Council for International Development – that has released this statement.

HOPE Spot #43: Israel Gaza Crisis – your ALWS action

Tuesday 17 October 2023

Yesterday ALWS received a plea from the Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem for help in response to the Israel Gaza crisis…

The hospital is owned and operated by our ALWS partner, Lutheran World Federation, with strong links to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land.

Located on the Mount of Olives, just above the Garden of Gethsemane, and 20 kilometres north of Bethlehem, the hospital needs support to provide:

• Medical supplies
• Meals for patients
• Dignity Kits
• Patient transport

While no one knows what coming days will hold …

… sadly, we can expect that many more people will suffer loss, pain and injury. That’s why:

On your behalf, ALWS has committed $50,000
to help people hurt by the Israel Gaza crisis.

You are welcome to join this emergency response: DONATE NOW

• $500 can support patient transport
• $50 can supply meals for patients
• $100 can provide critical medical supplies
• Any gift is precious and tax-deductible

The Augusta Victoria Hospital provides services to 5 million Palestinians, with 40% of patients coming from Gaza. Most come for cancer treatments. 15% of patients are children.

There are currently 71 people from Gaza at the hospital, unable to return home.

Your ALWS action is part of the response of churches worldwide through the ACT Alliance, that through other partners also includes:

• Nutritional support with Food Vouchers
• Emergency cash support
• Hygiene Kits
• Health support services
• Psychosocial support
• Potentially rehabilitate damaged homes

Thank you for all your kindness that means ALWS can step out in faith with this $50,000 emergency commitment …

… while still taking your care to victims of other emergencies – Ethiopia, Myanmar, Ukraine – who are in danger of being forgotten.

Wherever you help people through ALWS, please know your care focuses on those most at risk – children, the elderly, people with disabilities, those who are marginalised – and welcomes all, no strings attached.

On behalf of each person you help, thank you. Truly, you are a blessing ALWayS.

PS: Even as we respond together to this Israel Gaza crisis, it’s vital we maintain support for your ALWS work in other areas. That’s why in the next 10 days you will still receive your new ALWS Gifts of Grace – sneak peek here!

HOPE Spot #42: Sunflowers in the sadness

Thursday 12 October 2023

Keep your face to the sunshine

and you cannot see the shadow.

It’s what sunflowers do.

Helen Keller

Yesterday I went to the funeral of a member of our extended family.

The loss was expected, yet still it hurts. Not so much because I was close to the person we farewelled …

… but because I could see up-close the impact that loss had on so many people.

Today, yesterday, tomorrow,

there are too many people in our world

crying for loved ones lost suddenly,

without warning, in horrible ways.

You and I can look at the world, especially now in Israel and Gaza, and despair.

The horror we see in today’s headlines …

… and the pain in places it seems the world has forgotten. Places where you work through ALWS. Ethiopia. Myanmar. Even Ukraine.

What’s special about you is that what you see is not countries – but people.

And not masses of people – but individuals.

A mum. A grandpa. A pre-schooler.

You see someone who needs you, and you reach out your hand in kindness and love.

You supply seeds. Give goats. Train teachers.

Even more, you say: “You are precious. Your pain matters to me.”

In a world where there is so much hurt and horror, where hopelessness and helplessness can threaten to overwhelm, your kindness and compassion plant seeds of hope.

Seeds that can flourish and grow like …

… sunflowers

At the funeral yesterday, the church was adorned with sunflowers, and we were each given a sunflower seed to take home and plant.

Sunflowers hold special meaning for the family because sunflowers always turn to face the sun.

As they do, they delight all those who see them with their colour and life and energy.

The sunflowers reminded me of a child I met in Burundi many years ago. You can see by his clothes the poverty in which he lived then …

… yet in his smile amid the sunflowers, I see the seeds of hope you plant in people’s lives through ALWS.

As the world grieves the hurt we see around us, and prays for all those crying in the wake of the terror attacks in Israel on Saturday …

… ALWS will keep taking your care to people suffering pain, but who may feel forgotten by the world.

Your care is the seed of hope that reassures them they are not alone, not forgotten – that they matter.

Today, if the world feels dark to you, please know your love shines sunflower bright. ALWayS.

God will provide rain for the seeds you sow.

The grain that grows will be abundant.

Isaiah 30:23

PS: You might not know, but one of the ways you help people is supporting ALWS to inspire young people in Australia to care for others the same way you do.

 In a junior class recently was Charlie, who didn’t like being at school very much.

 The class did an ALWS exercise where students look at the world through the eyes of a child living in a poor country like Burundi. The children talk about things like food, clean water, houses, clothes and school, and compare it to how we live in Australia. The students then collect items that represent these things and stick them on a paper plate. They are encouraged to take their plate home and share what they learned with their family.

 At the end of the day, when Charlie’s mum came to pick him up, he took out his paper plate, and explained to her what all the items meant, and how he couldn’t believe there were children in the world who did not have the chance to go to school like he did.

 Charlie’s teachers were amazed at all he had remembered, how he shared it with his mum, and how a child like him, who doesn’t really like school all that much, could see how unfair and hard it is that some children don’t even get a chance.

 Another sunflower planted.

HOPE Spot #41: Side by Side

Friday 6 October 2023

So, you thought you’d got through the week after AFL Grand Final …

… without hearing from me as a Collingwood supporter????

Sorry! 😊

(We Collingwood supporters lose twice as many Grand Finals as we win, so when we can finally celebrate, we do!)

Seriously though…

… there’s a line in the Collingwood theme song, that relates to what you do for people through ALWS:

Side by side they stick together

This is exactly what you are doing for the LWF team you support on the front line in Ethiopia.

A couple of weeks ago, I told you about the Messages of Hope eBook we sent to the team, with messages of encouragement from people like you.

Let me share with you a few of the messages the team has sent back for you:

 I hope this encourages you as you work side by side with Miina and Fithalew and Abdelkadar and Sophie in Ethiopia …

… as we stick together to serve the people of Ethiopia, who can feel so forgotten by the world. Your commitment, lived out in your kindness, is why you are a blessing ALWayS!

HOPE Spot #40: Despite everything…

Thursday 28 September 2023

I have a message for you from the Dad of one of the families you help in Ethiopia through ALWS and our partner LWF.

When Takele’s house was burned down, his cattle killed, and all the family’s property destroyed, the family was forced to flee. Takele says:

“It was a nightmarish scene of screaming, and crying of children, of cattle in distress, too sad to remember.

My youngest still suffers from trauma.

What is most painful is that my children do not have access to education because of lack of materials.

I tried to engage in daily labour in order to buy food, and pay rent, but I can’t afford to keep sending my two children to school.

It was all too distressing.”

It can be easy to lose hope when you see people suffering as much as Takele’s family has, and when the security situation is still challenging (see below) …

… yet I have two messages of hope to share with you that I pray lift your spirits.

MESSAGE OF HOPE – 1

First, in August when I shared with ALWS supporters like you, the crisis in Ethiopia …

… I invited people to send a message of encouragement to the front-line LWF team.

We received more than 100 messages,

filled with words of kindness and compassion!

These have been turned into an e-Book so each member of the LWF team can be inspired and encouraged. You can enjoy it here!

MESSAGE OF HOPE – 2

People like you supported Takele with three months of food + support for children to go to school + cash-for-rent assistance + support to grow a vegetable garden + training in environmental sanitation…

… and you can see how hope can be restored when you hear Takele say:

“Currently we are receiving aid … what we really wish

is to get additional support so we could

work on a small business and garden farming,

so we can rebuild our shattered lives.

Despite everything, as Christians

we forgive what was done to us.”

Hold on to that hope as you read the latest report (22/9) from Sophie Gebreyes, who heads the LWF team in Ethiopia. Things are tough …

Thank you for taking the time to read that tough update.

ALWS is continuing to support the LWF team in Ethiopia, so as soon as it is safe to get aid into the danger areas, the team can.

You are welcome to donate here to reach out to the people who so desperately need us …

… or to be inspired by the Messages of Hope e-Book we are sending to the team, filled with messages of kindness and compassion like this one:

Thank you – you are a blessing ALWayS!

HOPE Spot #39: When the earth quakes …

Friday 15 September 2023

in this last fortnight we’ve seen tragedies:

• the flooding from the dam collapse in Libya, that has left 11,300 people dead

• earthquake in Morocco that killed 2,900 people, injured 2,500, and left thousands homeless

You may wonder why ALWS has not launched appeals to respond to these disasters. There are two reasons:

1. We are not confident we could get your aid safely to either region.

2. Our focus is getting your help into areas in danger of being forgotten by the world:
– conflict in Ethiopia
– Displaced Persons Camps in Myanmar
– refugees fleeing the crisis in Sudan

Your ALWS action does continue to help survivors of the Turkiye / Syria earthquake in February.

Your help has a special focus in Za’atari Refugee Camp, where you work through our partner LWF Jordan.

You support supply of household essentials to the most needy families, as you can see in the photo.

You also play a special role in helping children recover from trauma, by supporting dedicated caregivers in LWF community centres to provide early childhood development services:

Photos: LWF Jordan

You provide special support to women survivors by raising their awareness on

critical issues around safety and recovery:

You even support recreational activities to keep up spirits inside the camp.

The LWF Women’s Soccer Team you see here aren’t quite the Matildas, but they did win their final:

You and I know the earth will continue to ‘quake’ …

… whether through natural disasters, or human conflict, or simply a world that turns its eyes away from those in need.

That’s why your kindness and compassion are such precious gifts to the people you see here. Each day of care they receive from the LWF team you support is another day they know they are loved, and not forgotten. That’s why you are a blessing ALWayS. Thank you!

PS: The earth ‘quaked’ for us in a deeply sad way here at ALWS last week.

Our friend and colleague, Russell Noske, passed away suddenly, and went in faith to his heavenly home.

Russell worked quietly and steadfastly behind the scenes in ensuring safe financial transfers of your ALWS support, running our Farmers for Farmers program, and taking care of finances.

We miss Russell deeply and will celebrate his life with his family at a Memorial Service on Monday.

HOPE Spot #38: Friday 15 September 2023

Kicking on with Aliir Aliir at ABC

It’s AFL footy finals, and Aliir Aliir is one of the league’s stars, leading the backline of Port Power.

ALWS was blessed to have Aliir join our Ambassador Boot Camp (ABC).

Aliir shared the story of his journey from Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, where you work through ALWS, to the big league.

Let me share some of those stories with you:

Thank you for all you do through ALWS to support children to go to school at Kakuma Refugee Camp, where Aliir was born and grew up.

Along with the children you support at Dadaab Refugee Camp.

And in Somalia.

Even inside Displaced Persons Camps in Myanmar.

Making sure children with disabilities aren’t forgotten.

Who knows what the child you help today will ‘kick on’ to do tomorrow!

PS: Of course, after Aliir shared so generously with the teachers and Principals at ABC …

… I felt I should offer to share with Aliir some of my best footy tips.

Basically, you can beat anyone, but don’t beat Collingwood. 

I don’t think he listened.

HOPE Spot #37: Monday 11 September 2023

Sudan Crisis – your update from front line

Today I bring you updates from South Sudan and Ethiopia, where your ALWS action is welcoming people fleeing the crisis in Sudan. 

The world may have forgotten these people … 

… but through ALWS, and our partner Lutheran World Federation (LWF), you are right there where you are needed most.   

While the challenges remain, there is good news on the impact being made! 

SOUTH SUDAN – Mika Jokivuori, Program Coordinator  

Dear ALWS, 

Greetings from Renk, South Sudan. 

I have just returned from visiting Renk, where I saw with my own eyes how dire the situation is. The good news is work continues to provide community-based support for returning South Sudanese, and transport to Juba for the most vulnerable households. 

More than 200,000 people have come to South Sudan and it is expected to continue as no sign of holding peace in Sudan.  

LWF is committed to continue to provide our much-needed service. We have been requested by both the government and UN to provide flight service for the most vulnerable households, as living conditions in Renk is not suitable for them, especially during the rainy season that is starting soon. 

I would like to thank you all of you for your support, and would like to request you continue your help as needs are still here. 

Yours, 

Mika 

I’ve put together an update of your front-line work in Renk last week. I think you will be especially interested in the activities that focus on children: UPDATE 8 

You are also welcome to donate to support the in-faith commitment of $100,000 ALWS has made to support this life-saving action. DONATE NOW 

ETHIOPIA – Endeshaw Mulatu, Program Coordinator  

Dear ALWS, 

I am writing this to give you updates about the security situation in the project location of Lasta and Lalibela woredas in the Amhara region.  

After the last update we shared, the good news is the security situation looks calm, as there is no fighting at the moment. The government has announced it is taking all the necessary measures to control the situation fully.  

Government offices are open and services such as banks are operating in Lalibela.  

Ethiopian Airlines has resumed the daily flight to Lalibela.  

The only uncertainty at the moment is travelling to the rural areas located far from Lalibela which are still regarded as unsafe.  

Despite the existing security situation, LWF has been carrying out all the preparatory activities, such as recruitment of staff, anticipating start of project implementation on 1 September 2023.  

Kind regards.  

Endeshaw  

This improvement in the security situation in Amhara in Ethiopia is an answer to prayer! 

You can support this lifesaving work here. 

THANK YOU!  

Through ALWS, you work in some of the toughest places on earth.

We can never expect it will be easy, nor that all dangers can be removed. However, please know that the safety of the front-line staff you support is prioritised.

Your kindness and generosity are the reason ALWS can step out in faith to help people the world has forgotten. That’s why you are a blessing ALWayS! Thank you! 

PS: Last week ALWS held our first-ever Ambassadors Boot Camp – ABC – to equip leaders from Lutheran schools in South Australia to inspire their students to join in ALWS action, just like you. I will give you a full report in my next HOPE Spot. (I may even share some of the football tips I gave our guest speaker, Aliir Aliir, as his team Port Power start their finals campaign!!! 😊) 

Important Information

You help with practical care

Your donation will support the 23/24 ALWS commitment of $100,000 to South Sudan, and $100,000 to Ethiopia, to care for refugees fleeing Sudan. Should ALWS receive income beyond what is needed for this project, any extra will be used for ALWS development work in Ethiopia – commitment $365,000.  

Information in this communication is based on data correct at time of writing, and may change. Funds and other resources designated for the purpose of aid and development will be used only for those purposes and will not be used to promote a particular religious adherence or to support a political party, or to promote a candidate or organisation affiliated to a particular party, or to support welfare activities as defined by DFAT. For more information, call: 1300 763 407

Being careful with your care

In 2022, ALWS ‘overheads’ (fundraising and administration costs as defined by ACFID Code of Conduct) were 15.4%. The 5 year average is also 15.4%. A copy of the 2022 ALWS Annual Report can be viewed at alws.org.au or requested: 1300 763 407. 

Your privacy is important to us

ALWS collects personal information about you in order to process your gift. A copy of the ALWS Privacy Policy is available at alws.org.au If you don’t wish to receive further news from ALWS, simply call 1300 763 407 or write to alws@alws.org.au

Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) is The Overseas Aid & Development Agency of the Lutheran Church of Australia – ABN 36 660 551 871

HOPE Spot #36: Tuesday 5 September 2023

The ABC of Aliir Aliir

September is a very hard time of year for me.

As I have shared with you (six or seven hundred times!), I support Collingwood in the AFL.

This season we finished top of the ladder …

… which you may think is a good thing.

However, all Collingwood supporters know that this simply means we have further to fall. Sigh ☹.

Also in the Finals are Port Adelaide, along with star defender, Aliir Aliir.

While no doubt Aliir’s coach would like him

to be fully focused on finals, this Thursday morning he won’t be.

Instead, Aliir will be busy with ABC.

No, not the TV station.

And no, not the alphabet.

This ABC is the first ever ALWS Ambassadors Boot Camp!

39 teachers and Principals from across South Australia …

       … representing 18 Lutheran schools

       … and nearly 8,000 students

       … and the 16,000 parents of those students

       … will gather for two days of being equipped, inspired and challenged to be Ambassadors for ALWS in their schools

       … working to recruit young people and teachers to join you in the life-changing work you already do through ALWS!

Aliir Aliir is one of our keynote speakers.

He will share about life growing up at Kakuma Refugee Camp, where he was born and where he developed his natural sporting talent and skills …

… and where you play such an active role supporting children to go to school, welcoming new arrivals, making sure people with extra needs aren’t forgotten …

… and even running activities like basketball, volleyball and soccer to help give young people a purpose and outlet for their energy!

Photo: LWF Kenya

You can find out more about our Adelaide ALWS ABC here …

… and, if prayer is a ministry of yours, that support is welcomed too!

Our aim is that ALWS ABC will lead many young people to join you, as you…

… help people fleeing the crisis in Sudan to Ethiopia and South Sudan donate now

… support refugee children to go to school through ALWS Walk My Way:

• Victory & Wodonga – Bonegilla Migrant Centre, Saturday 14 October Find out more
• Melbourne – Luther College, Croydon, Saturday 21 October Find out more
• North Adelaide – led by LLL, Saturday 21 October Find out more

 … bring kindness and love where you are needed most.

When we do this together, even Collingwood supporters like me can be a winner!

(If only finals games were as simple as ABC 😊!)

That’s why you are a blessing ALWayS! Thank you!

PS: ALWS is very thankful to the generous sponsors whose commitment to Lutheran education and ALWS service has enabled ALWS to offer ABC free!

Important Information

You help with practical care

Your donation will support the 23/24 ALWS commitment to Ethiopia of $365,000, plus $100,000 to care for refugees fleeing Sudan. Should ALWS receive income beyond what is needed for this project, any extra will be used for other ALWS-supported development projects.

Information in this communication is based on data correct at time of writing, and may change. Funds and other resources designated for the purpose of aid and development will be used only for those purposes and will not be used to promote a particular religious adherence or to support a political party, or to promote a candidate or organisation affiliated to a particular party, or to support welfare activities as defined by DFAT. For more information, call: 1300 763 407

Being careful with your care

In 2022, ALWS ‘overheads’ (fundraising and administration costs as defined by ACFID Code of Conduct) were 15.4%. The 5 year average is also 15.4%. A copy of the 2022 ALWS Annual Report can be viewed at alws.org.au or requested: 1300 763 407. 

Your privacy is important to us

ALWS collects personal information about you in order to process your gift. A copy of the ALWS Privacy Policy is available at alws.org.au If you don’t wish to receive further news from ALWS, simply call 1300 763 407 or write to alws@alws.org.au

Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) is The Overseas Aid & Development Agency of the Lutheran Church of Australia – ABN 36 660 551 871

HOPE Spot #35: Wednesday 30 August 2023

Working for you here at ALWS, I sometimes feel like I am in two worlds.

There is the world of life-threatening challenges, as we face now taking your ALWS action into Ethiopia, where families in Amhara Region are threatened by conflict.

At the same time, there is the world of kindness and compassion I’m privileged to see in the generosity of people like you …

… and the actions of communities in events like ALWS Walk My Way (more on that later).

Working to bridge the gap between those two worlds, ALWS strives to meet the highest standards of professional action. That’s why I want to share good news from ACFID (Australian Council for International Development) about your ALWS action:

This simply means that you can be confident your generosity is in safe hands, reaches the people you want to help, and provides the help needed most.

At the same time, ALWS also works hard to make your donations work hard – the ‘overheads’ rate over the last 5 years averages just 15.4%.

(‘Overheads’ are fundraising and administration costs according to the ACFID Code of Conduct.)

Please know you are always welcome to ask questions:

• Reply to this email, or call 1300 763 407
• Check the Annual Report
• Invite an ALWS Guest Speaker

UPDATE: CAN DO meeting with Australian Government

You might remember a couple of weeks back I asked for prayer support for a meeting that ALWS, along with a team from CAN DO (Church Agency Network Disaster Operations), was having with the Australian Government.

Leah Odongo, our ALWS Programs Director, was part of a larger delegation that met with 43 politicians, including Senator David Pocock. (See photo below – Leah is on the right.)

The team also met with the Honourable Pat Conroy, Minister for International Development and the Pacific.

Leah said she felt there was a real open door from all the politicians, across all sides of the Parliament, and that it was a wonderful opportunity to show them the unity of the church.

Leah felt this openness in a way she had not experienced before, and puts this down to the power of prayer support. She also told us:

“There are many ordinary people

planted in different places

who have a passion for compassion.”

And that included in Parliament in Canberra!

You’re one of those people with a passion for compassion …

… and your ALWS team are humbled to work with you in bringing your compassion to people who are vulnerable, and feel forgotten by the world.

That’s why you are a blessing ALWayS!

PS: Your ALWS action is precious for people in the Amhara Region in Ethiopia donate here …

 … and you are also welcome to join ALWS Walk My Way to help children in refugee camps go to school:

• Aberfoyle Park (SA) – Saturday 2 September Find out more
• Victory & Wodonga – Bonegilla Migrant Centre, Saturday 14 October Find out more
• Melbourne – Luther College, Croydon, Saturday 21 October Find out more
• North Adelaide – led by LLL, Saturday 21 October Find out more

Important Information

You help with practical care

Your donation will support the 23/24 ALWS commitment to Ethiopia of $365,000, plus $100,000 to care for refugees fleeing Sudan. Should ALWS receive income beyond what is needed for this project, any extra will be used for other ALWS-supported development projects.

Information in this communication is based on data correct at time of writing, and may change. Funds and other resources designated for the purpose of aid and development will be used only for those purposes and will not be used to promote a particular religious adherence or to support a political party, or to promote a candidate or organisation affiliated to a particular party, or to support welfare activities as defined by DFAT. For more information, call: 1300 763 407

Being careful with your care

In 2022, ALWS ‘overheads’ (fundraising and administration costs as defined by ACFID Code of Conduct) were 15.4%. The 5 year average is also 15.4%. A copy of the 2022 ALWS Annual Report can be viewed at alws.org.au or requested: 1300 763 407. 

Your privacy is important to us

ALWS collects personal information about you in order to process your gift. A copy of the ALWS Privacy Policy is available at alws.org.au If you don’t wish to receive further news from ALWS, simply call 1300 763 407 or write to alws@alws.org.au

Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) is The Overseas Aid & Development Agency of the Lutheran Church of Australia – ABN 36 660 551 871

HOPE Spot #34: Thursday 24 August 2023

What you sow …

A couple of weeks ago ALWS held an Asante* event at Loxton in the Riverland of South Australia.

In the main street was a procession of signs sharing the history of the region. That’s where I came across the sign you see above. The photo is from 1914.

What struck me is that what you see there – a farmer scattering seed by hand in soil ploughed by a horse-drawn team …

… is exactly how farmers in Ethiopia plant their land now. 

More than a century later. 

(The only difference is they use oxen instead of horses.)

What makes things worse is they have suffered five years of drought … and now floods. 

No wonder farmers struggle to grow enough to feed their families and suffer a ‘Hunger Gap’ of up to six months each year. 

In times past, wheat could be imported from Ukraine and Russia, but Russia’s blockades have stopped that.

All this is why ALWS is now taking your support into Ethiopia.

Donate Now

Our plan is to equip 223 farming families in Amhara Region with improved grain varieties, irrigation and training in modern farming methods …

… so they can achieve the same success farmer Amare Mulaw has achieved with a new corn seed variety called ‘Lutheran’. True!

Photo: LWF / OCS

A CORN CALLED ‘LUTHERAN’

“The ‘Lutheran’ changed my life,” says Amare Mulaw. 

The Ethiopian farmer is speaking about the benefits of a new crop variety introduced by the LWF team you support in Ethiopia.
 
Amare is happy to explain why the ‘Lutheran’ seed has become popular:

“To start with, it has a superior taste. Secondly, the corn stalk holds three large cobs, whereas previous varieties only hold one or two small ones, maximum. 

“Furthermore, due to the leafiness and thickness of the cob cover, it does not get attacked by birds and pests. I now get twice the amount for one cob.

“Finally, the extra two months that Lutheran takes to grow is worth the wait due to the size, yield, taste, overall quality and potential for commercialisation.”

Amare says he has tripled
his income by using ‘Lutheran’!

Amare has used his increased income to improve his house and send his children to school. He now plans to buy a bajaj, Amharic for tuk-tuk – the most affordable transport here.

This is the benefit you can bring to a farming family in Ethiopia too.

Donate now

Just like the Loxton farmer in 1914, and the Ethiopian farmers, this will be hard work. Conflict in the Amhara region is bringing challenges for the LWF team you support …

… however, it is precisely when things are hard that your help matters most!

It reminds me of Jesus talking to His followers:

“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, 
to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Luke 10:2 (NIV)

The map below shows the ‘harvest field’ where ALWS has committed to helping farmers …

You can find out more about the project here. You’re also welcome to donate to help a farming family. 

Amare sums up very simply the impact of your help through ALWS and the LWF team you support in Ethiopia:

“My life has changed!”

Thank you for sowing the seeds of hope for farmers and families struggling to survive in places where they can easily feel forgotten. That’s why you are a blessing ALWayS!

* Asante is Swahili for ‘Thank you’. An ALWS Asante Event is where we come to your community and share with you stories and facts about the work you do through ALWS – with some hospitality afterwards! You’re welcome to invite ALWS – simply call 1300 763 407

HOPE Spot #33: Friday 18 August 2023

When little steps are a big step…

10 kilometres is a long way to walk when your legs are little.

Yet 18 months old Zuri was very keen to join the ALWS Walk My Way at his family’s church – Redeemer Lutheran in Rochedale Queensland.

Zuri stepped out with 80 others – 18 months to 80 years – walking from church to Daisy Hill Conservation Park …

… so children in Myanmar could step in to school

… and find hope inside the Displaced Persons Camp where they’d been forced to live.

Thanks to the efforts of the Redeemer team, a school washed away by Cyclone Mocha can be rebuilt and fitted out with learning materials.

That’s a big step to a better future.

Meanwhile, 1,825 kilometres south-west (two million steps!!!), the 170 students and their teachers at Loxton Lutheran Primary School turned their ALWS Walk My Way into a whole day!

Their goal?

To raise enough money to support 170 children in Myanmar to go to school to match the number of children in school at Loxton. ($32 supports one child)

The fun kicked off with chapel, then the walking began:

• the littlies walked for 32 minutes
• Years 1 – 4 walked four kilometres
• Years 5 – 6 walked eight kilometres

Then it was time to do activities to learn more about the children they were helping in Myanmar (see ALWS School Resources):

The activities included making animals representing those that would help families in Myanmar. What do you recognise:

(Cow, pig, chicken.)

Then it was everyone on their feet for a 32 minute Dance-athon …

After all that, it was time for a snack …

… with everything donated by local Loxton businesses!

Tummies full, students spent their pocket-money at stalls where students sold items they made  …

… from Jelly Cakes to Christmas Cards to Beaded Goods

… along with the chance to have some fun tossing bean bags at teachers, whose passion and energy and enthusiasm and care for their students led them to jump in feet-first:

GOOD NEWS!

More ALWS Walk My Way‘s are happening across Australia:

• Aberfoyle Park (SA) – Saturday 2 September, led by Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, walking around the Happy Valley Reservoir Join, DonateOR Sponsor a Walker
• Melbourne at Luther College on Saturday 21 October Join, Donate OR Sponsor a Walker
•  

… and other walks from Wodonga to Queensland. you can donate, join, sponsor a walker or volunteer to help, have a look on the Walk My Way website…

Plans are also underway for an ALWS Walk My Way in Brisbane on 20 April 2024!

Thank you for all the steps you take to help people through ALWS. Whether your steps are big or little, every step we take together brings us closer to these smiles from Loxton in South Australia and Rakhine State in Myanmar …

… that’s why you are a blessing ALWayS! Thank you!

Photos: ALWS

HOPE Spot #32: Wednesday 9 August 2023

What are you doing at 11am tomorrow (AEST)?

I’ve shared with you before how ALWS works to s t r e t c h the impact of your kindness by accessing matching grants.

Already this year we’ve had 18:1 for Somalia from partners in Europe and the US …

… and 5:1 from the Australian Government for your ALWS work in Myanmar.

The Australian Government also provides money to aid agencies for emergency responses after disasters – like the Turkiye Syria earthquake earlier this year.

This is called the Australian Humanitarian Program (AHP).

ALWS has joined with other church aid agencies in a partnership called CAN-DO (Church Agencies Network – Disaster Operations).

Together we ‘bid’ for grants from the AHP, so we can extend your impact through ALWS.

CAN DO has strong trusted networks through local churches in hard-to-reach places – like highland villages of PNG, challenging places like Afghanistan, dangerous places like Myanmar.

AHP grants to CAN DO can build on the wonderful support ALWS already has from the Australian Government through their 5:1 Grant Program.

(ALWS 5:1 grants increased by 12% this year, thanks to the generosity of people like you.)

A good example of the impact you and I can have with AHP Grants through the CAN DO Network is what we have achieved together in Bangladesh for Rohingya refugees.

Last year alone, 115,828 people were helped, through work that included:

• 2,935 families received blankets for winter
• employing refugees with disability to plant 103,870 tree seedlings to restore the environment, and provide families with an income (see photo below)
• 2,445 people supported to start small businesses
• drains cleaned and sprayed to protect people from disease and malaria

Photo: LWF / RDRS Bangladesh

All this is why I ask what you’re doing at 11am tomorrow (Thursday) AEST.

That’s when a delegation from CAN DO, will be meeting Sophie Wilkinson, the Chair of DFAT’s Submission Appraisal Panel, to discuss how the CAN DO Network can do more with the Australian Government and AHP. (DFAT: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade)

Leah Odongo (photo), our Program Director here at ALWS, will be part of that delegation as they:

• present the unique impact CAN DO has in reaching people in danger of being forgotten
• offer evidence of the quality of CAN DO work from activation results analysis
• share the passion and commitment of churches to serve the poor, despite the challenges

Photo: ALWS

We truly believe there is more we can do together to serve the poor.

(If Australia’s wealth is represented as a $100 note,
our overseas aid is a 20 cents piece!)

That’s why, when 11am AEST comes around tomorrow, I’m going to stop work on the computer …

… and go to work in prayer that the delegation has a successful meeting with Sophie.

If prayer is one of your personal ministries …

… please add your voice, wherever you are.

If you prefer, you can raise your voice …

… by contacting your local Federal MP
and telling them you believe Australia
can afford to be more generous. This will
support DFAT efforts to do the same!

Whatever you CAN DO as you set your alarm for 11am, don’t be ‘alarmed’ – you are a blessing ALWayS. Thank you!

PS: I know this is different to a normal HOPE Spot, so feel free to email back if you have a question or a comment. I’ll do my best to help you.

HOPE Spot #31: Friday 4 August 2023

You don’t have to kick a goal to be a winner

How good has it been watching the Matildas boot in goals in the Women’s World Cup!

(If only the Collingwood forward line could be as accurate!)

You might be surprised to know that football / soccer is one of the ways you care for children forced to flee the crisis in Sudan!

As you’d expect, children can suffer worst in a crisis like this.

There is the physical hurt of malnutrition, exhaustion and currently a Measles outbreak.

Just as damaging is the psychosocial pain of seeing people hurt and killed, houses burned, military attacking.

Through ALWS, you provide specialised care for children at Renk in South Sudan, where refugees cross the border out of Sudan.

Your help includes games like:

• Playing football
• Skipping rope
• Colouring-in
• Playing Ludo
• Dancing
• Singing

In the photo, you can see the smiling welcome the LWF team you support gives children!

You provide a range of other specialised care for child refugees, including: 

• Facilitated psychosocial activities (indoor and outdoor games) for a total number of 849 children (450 girls, 399 Boys) at the Transit Centre
• Shelter-to-shelter child protection awareness-raising this week reached 883 people, including 307 girls, 228 women, 237 boys and 111 men
• Key messages on dangers of harmful practices like physical abuse, child neglect and available services for children and care-givers
• Focus group psychosocial support sessions for 15 female-headed households:

– identify psychological problem in children during emergency

– how to support children with psychological problem

– where to get support

– importance of positive disciplining to the caregivers’ mental well-being

You can see an extended report on your work at Renk in South Sudan in your Update 7.

ALWS has committed in-faith $100,000 to this emergency action here in South Sudan, and a further $100,000 to work on the border in Ethiopia, also welcoming refugees from the Sudan crisis. You are welcome to donate here.

As Australia welcomes the world to our home for the Women’s World Cup …

… I thank you for what you do through ALWS to welcome refugees fleeing the crisis in Sudan. You are kicking goals. That’s why you are a blessing ALWayS! Go Matildas!

PS: You’re always welcome to invite an ALWS Guest Speaker to your church, fellowship group, school, Probus, Rotary – just reply to this email or call Amanda on 1300 763 407, and we’ll do our best to make it happen! Don’t forget Update 7!

Photo: LWF South Sudan

HOPE Spot #30: Friday 28 July 2023

This is something I never thought I’d talk to you about.

What’s less than 2mm long? Lays two eggs every 3 days?

And causes fast weight loss in sheep?

Lice.

Commonly known as ‘Chewing Lice’.

Such a tiny thing … but it’s estimated to cost Australia’s sheep industry more than $120 million each year.

You may (I hope) know as little about this subject as I do.

But last week, driving to Melbourne to present at an ALWS Asante*, I was lucky enough to hunt down a city-style coffee in a trying-not-to-die country town.

Inside the café was a crowd of farmers.

Lots of flanny shirts. Scuffed elastic-sided boots. And the best collection of beanies and battered hats you’d find anywhere.

The farmers were there for a seminar on … wait for it …

The first ever oral
lice treatment
for sheep

If you’re city like me, you might go ‘Huh?’

Yet, when I listened in on the farmers talking, I learned how important this new product could be. For the health of the sheep. For family profits. For stopping the spread of lice.

But that’s not what I wanted to share with you.

What really struck me was how clear and direct the title of the seminar was.

No fancy advertising. No clever gimmicks. No tricky ways to get you in.

Just:

               Here’s the problem …

                   … and here’s how you can fix it.

That’s exactly what I try to do for you here at ALWS.

Show you a need in the world that you can help fix. Give you the facts. Explain why you are needed, and exactly what you can do.

As much as I can, I try to step back and let the person you can help tell you why you are important.

That’s what we did early this year when the devastating earthquake hit Turkiye and Syria.

You saw the need on the TV news, and the information I sent you …

… and then people like you gave lifesaving aid with amazing generosity through ALWS.

Today, I’m pleased to share with you the 3 month report of your ALWS action alongside other Australian aid agencies through the Emergency Action Alliance. See attached report below.

Your ALWS action is delivered through our partner LWF Jordan, working in a coalition of churches of many denominations from around the world through the ACT Alliance.

As you read the report, you’ll see there is work still to be done …

… but you’ll also see that while the world’s media may have forgotten the people hurt by this crisis

… you are still there, humbly helping those who are hurting.

On behalf of each person who benefits from your kindness through ALWS, thank you!

Whether you help after natural disasters like the Turkiye / Syria earthquake …

… or use Matching Grants, like our 18:1 for Somalia, or 5:1 for Myanmar

… or dedicate a gift in your Will through Lives you touch

… you are a blessing. ALWayS.

And that’s no ‘lice’. Thank you!

PS: * Asante is the Swahili word for ‘Thank you’. It’s the name we give our events when we come to your community and show you your ALWS work. You’re welcome to invite us – just give us a call  1300 763 407. You can see more reports of your work through ALWS:

2022 Annual Report

2023 Mid-Year Report Back

EAA Turkiye Syria 3 Month Report

HOPE Spot #29: Friday 21 July 2023

If you’ve been watching the Tour de France, you’ll see carloads of bicycle mechanics chasing after the cyclists flying across the stunning French countryside. 

Abdulaziz is a bicycle mechanic … 

… but the only thing he is chasing, is safety. 

Abdulaziz is one of the people fleeing conflict in Sudan, who you help through ALWS. 

Abdulaziz has no family, but before the conflict he lived an independent life, with his own business as a bicycle mechanic. He never had formal training, but simply used his natural skills and learned on the job. 

He laughs when he shares that he earns more than people without disability! 

Abdulaziz had to flee Khartoum a month ago, on 18 June. 

It took him five days to travel 569 kilometres to the border town of Metema in Ethiopia. (This is where the LWF team you support through ALWS meets and welcomes refugees.) 

Normally this trip would only take a day, but Abdulaziz and other refugees faced many challenges: 

• multiple armed checkpoints 
• soldiers confiscating items from refugees 
• refugees having to pay bribes to be allowed to cross 
• people killed 
• others giving up everything, and still being turned back 

Abdulaziz was not spared. 

All his belongings were taken. He showed your LWF team scars on his face and his hands. He does not know what happened to his relatives. He has nothing. 

“The war in my country has done  

what disability did not do in my life.  

I cannot imagine sitting here  

and waiting for food from someone else.” 

Abdulaziz spent four days at the entry point to Ethiopia before he could be relocated to Kumer Refugee Camp, 70 kilometres away in Amhara region in Ethiopia. 

Like all the other refugees, he is totally dependent on help from others for food, shelter and other basic needs. 

Because he has an impairment, Abdulaziz is even more vulnerable. 

“I have never depended on anyone  

since I was an adult. 

I must now say that I am unable,  

and need help.” 

That’s where you step in.

The kindness and generosity of people like you means ALWS has been able to commit in-faith $100,000 to the emergency aid effort here in Ethiopia.

(A further $100,000 has been provided to support the LWF team in South Sudan to also care for refugees fleeing the crisis in Sudan.) 

You are welcome to donate to support this emergency effort. 

You will provide cash grants and the practical essentials that refugees like Abdulaziz need most … 

… along with the love and care you see here as Charles Masanga, LWF Senior Humanitarian Manager in Ethiopia, welcomes Abdulaziz. 

Thank you for helping make sure refugees like Abdulaziz are not forgotten … 

… and offering support with the ‘mechanics’ that will help them rebuild their lives. 

That’s why you are a blessing ALWayS! 

Photos: LWF Ethiopia, July 2023.  

Interview and story: Charles Masanga, Sophie Gebrayes, LWF Ethiopia 

HOPE Spot #28: Friday 14 July 2023

It’s my birthday today …

… and to celebrate I’m seeing the latest Mission Impossible movie.

Sometimes the work you and I do here together at ALWS feels like ‘Mission Impossible’ too.

War in Ukraine. Military junta in Myanmar. Terror groups in Somalia.

Climate crisis in Horn of Africa.

Earthquake in Turkiye / Syria.

The good thing about your ALWS action is you don’t to have to be a Tom Cruise, performing your own stunts.

(In fact, it’s fine to be an 80 year-old, like Harrison Ford in the latest ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ movies.)

Photos like this of Daryna (in Ukrainian this means ‘God’s gift’), being cared for in a Lutheran Church Crisis Centre in Poland …

… show the impact you make on people’s lives simply through your love and kindness.

Thanks to people like you, working through ALWS, Daryna is safe and secure and being supported to build skills and find joy, as she waits for whatever happens next in her life.

(Its hard to see in the picture but Daryna drew her smiling flower with braces on its teeth. That’s because the LWF team member helping her had braces!)

You can see more of your ALWS action impact here:

• July Report Back 2
• Sudan Update 6
• 2022 ALWS Annual Report

You will see the people you help, the aid you provided, the hope you restored.

Importantly, your help continues for people hurt by disasters the world seems to have forgotten – like the Turkiye/Syria earthquake.

Thanks to ALWS membership in alliances like ACT Alliance (churches of many denominations from around the world) and Emergency Action Alliance (Australian aid agencies), your ALWS action continues long after the world’s media attention has moved on.

In the photo below, you see our ALWS partner LWF at work in Aleppo in Syria …

Photo: LWF Syria

You may not think of yourself as an Action Hero like Tom Cruise or Harrison Ford or an Aid Worker on the front-line…

… but for the people you help through ALWS, that’s exactly what you are.

Can we bring love to life for vulnerable people, in danger of being forgotten by the world?

Thanks to you, that is most definitely Mission POSSIBLE! ALWayS!

NB: Photo ALWS / LWF Poland – Daryna’s name has been changed to protect her safety

HOPE Spot #27: Friday 7 July 2023

Sometimes it’s hard work stopping myself being naughty.

I was working in the Lutheran Church office this week, and in the lunch-room I saw this …

The naughty part of me wanted to slip a piece into my pocket.

Can you imagine it? After weeks of person after person adding a piece at a time …

… they’d get to the end of the jigsaw, and there would be one piece missing.

The whole picture would be spoiled.

Naughty? More like nasty.

So, of course, I didn’t do it.

(Though I may have had a little fun pretending that I did 😊)

This puzzle was 1000 pieces, and maybe too big a task for just one person.

(Certainly for me. Especially as I’m colour-blind.)

But when you get lots of people working together, each doing their bit, piece by piece something amazing can be created!

Sometimes the challenges you and I take on through ALWS

 seem overwhelming. The big picture a puzzle.

Helping children go to school deep inside Myanmar, in Displaced Persons Camps, where a military junta puts up all kinds of barriers.

Supporting girls in Somalia stay in school, even when famine threatens … and they face the danger of being forced into early marriage to an old man … so the family can receive a dowry of livestock so they have a chance to survive.

Welcoming families in Ethiopia and South Sudan as they flee conflict in Sudan. Providing food and shelter so they can be embraced as guests.

That’s when something else I saw at the Lutheran Church office inspired me:

Churches from right across Australia have made a strip 50cm long with their name on it.

These have been sewn together into a big beautiful banner.

For me, it’s a powerful reminder that even though we are all different and individual …

… when we come together, we can do something far greater than we can do on our own.

That’s why I’m so thankful for what you do through ALWS.

Whether it’s a donation of money, the gift of prayer, giving Gifts of Grace at Christmas, joining a Walk My Way , leaving a gift in your Will through Lives you touch…

… you are a vital piece of the puzzle, and the picture wouldn’t be complete without you.

So, thank you! You are a blessing ALWayS!

HOPE Spot #26: Friday 30 June 2023

Last week my wife Julie had cataract surgery.

In just a few minutes she went from someone who had worn glasses all her life …

(and was legally blind without them)

… to being someone set free to see!

Julie was a little uncertain at first. It took some getting used to. 

But as each day passes, and the soreness decreases, Julie’s joy increases.

This reminds me of Jesus healing a man who had been blind since birth (John 9).

To heal the man, Jesus spat in the dirt to make a little mud. He rubbed the mud on the man’s eyes. Then told the man to go wash it off.

When he did, the man’s sight was restored! 

You can imagine his joy – joy like that you bring into people’s lives with the work you do through ALWS.

Your work too is hands-on. 

Close-up. 

Face to face.

Person to person.

Your ‘healing’ may be porridge for a child in Somalia, and support to go to school. 

You help rebuild a Temporary Learning Space inside a Displaced Persons Camp in Myanmar, washed away by last month’s Cyclone Mocha. You re-stock books and pencils.

Your hands-on work may be getting knee-deep in mud planting mangroves in Indonesia. Growing veggie gardens and banana plantations in Burundi. Supporting people with disabilities to start a business. Empowering a woman in Nepal to lead her community.

You may kneel alongside Julie (in her pre-surgery days) as she meets 14 year old Meron at Kakuma Refugee Camp, using the braille-writer you provided, who shared:

“I became blind when I was very young because of disease. 

It is good to be here and have the machine 
because I can write like other learners. 

I feel good to learn 
and I can get more knowledge from school.

My teacher helps me a lot.”

As we reach the end of the Financial Year, you will likely see lots of ads shouting out about  ‘tax time’ and ‘claiming benefits’ and ‘checking receipts’*.

What I hope you also see is the joy you bring
into people’s lives through your love and kindness.

Joy that looks like this:

Smiles like these are a sight for sore eyes in our confused and challenging world!

As these children in Somalia go to school for the first time, with uniforms and books and teachers and school lunches you provide …

… I thank you for bringing love to life to so many like them through ALWS, and pray you see you are a blessing ALWayS!

 
* PS: Yes, I need to give you a message about Tax Time too! 😊 

You are welcome to give a donation before 4pm today (Friday 30 June) so you can claim any tax benefit you are due this financial year. 

In mid-July, we will send your Annual Donation Statement, so you can easily claim your tax benefit. You also receive a Report Back on what you have achieved in people’s lives through ALWS over the last year. If you have any special requests for your Donation Statement (eg couples may wish to split their Statement), simply call us on 1300 763 407 or reply to this email. Thank you!

Photos: ALWS
 

How your donation is used wisely

[✓] You help with practical care

Your donation will be used to match the 5:1 Australian Government Grant for Myanmar. The ALWS match required is $84,500. Should ALWS receive income beyond what is needed for the ALWS match, any extra will be used to support other critical work inside Myanmar – including a $100,000 commitment of emergency aid. Any surplus beyond this supports other critical life protecting ALWS projects. Information in this communication is based on data correct at time of writing and may change. Funds and other resources designated for the purpose of aid and development will be used only for those purposes and will not be used to promote a particular religious adherence or to support a political party, or to promote a candidate or organisation affiliated to a particular party, or to support welfare activities as defined by DFAT. For more information, call: 1300 763 407

[✓] Being careful with your care

 In 2022, ALWS ‘overheads’ (fundraising and administration costs as defined by ACFID Code of Conduct) were 15.4%. The 5 year average is also 15.4%. A copy of the most current ALWS Annual Report can be viewed at alws.org.au or requested: 1300 763 407.

[✓]  Your privacy is important to us

ALWS collects personal information about you in order to process your gift. A copy of the ALWS Privacy Policy is available at alws.org.au. If you don’t wish to receive further news from ALWS, simply call 1300 763 407 or write to us at alws@alws.org.au.

Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) is The Overseas Aid & Development Agency of the Lutheran Church of Australia – ABN 36 660 551 871

HOPE Spot #25: Friday 23 June 2023

The theme of Refugee Week this week was ‘Finding Freedom’.

Sadly, for children like Ma Med XXX forced to live inside Displaced Persons Camps inside Myanmar, there is little freedom.

The current ‘political crisis’ brings new challenges, and the danger is these vulnerable children will be forgotten.

That’s why the new 5:1 Australian Government Grant
to ALWS for Myanmar is such great news!

It means your impact to support children like Ma Med XXX to go to school is SIX TIMES your donation!

School-books. Writing materials. Learning aids.

Backpack. Water bottle. Mini solar lamp.

Raincoat. Crayons. Pencil case. A complete Student Kit: $32!

The 5:1 Matching Grant means your impact is SIX TIMES your $32 donation!

You may like to donate $176 to provide a complete Teacher Kit, or support a teacher inside the camp with a wage of $131 per month.

You can even help repair a damaged Temporary Learning Space for $4,500.

The new 5:1 Australian Government Grant kicks off on 1 July, so please donate by next Friday 30 June if you can. (You can then also claim your tax benefit this financial year.)

Your open-armed kindness and compassion …

… and smart use of the Australian Government 5:1 Grant

… offers a child like Asi XXX the best chance of the freedom only education can give.

“I am in Grade 2,
and I want to be a teacher!”

Thank you for helping make sure these children in Myanmar are not forgotten.

While for now they may be forced to live behind a fence, your investment in their education today will be a blessing to them ALWayS!

Jonathan Krause

Community Action Manager, ALWS

PS: The 5:1 Australian Government Grant means your impact is SIX TIMES your personal donation. The new Grant starts 1 July 2023, so please donate by Friday 30 June if you can. Your donation is tax-deductible, and donations by 30 June are tax-deductible this financial year.  Donate 5:1 here. 

All photos: ALWS / Magdalena Vogt   NB: Children’s names redacted to protect their safety

HOPE Spot #24: Monday 19th June 2023

This week is Refugee Week. 

You are part of Refugee Week because you are part of the ALWS family that last year …

…  helped 531,687 people, displaced from their homes by conflict and crisis.  

If those 531,687 people stood COVID 1.5 metres apart … 

     … the line of people would stretch from Adelaide to Melbourne! 

Alongside ALWS partners, you were there …

     … in countries around Ukraine, for people fleeing Russian attacks 

     … in Bangladesh, and inside Myanmar, for displaced Rohingya people 

     … in Kenya, for people displaced by drought and conflict in the Horn of Africa 

     … inside South Sudan and Somalia, for displaced people returning home 

Each one of those 531,687 people was met with a warm welcome. Their names learned. Their story shared. 

That’s what’s special about your support  for people forced from their homes. 

The people you help are welcomed as individuals, not as statistics. 

I saw this at Nadapal, at the Transit Centre on the border between South Sudan and Kenya. There, Isaac (photo) shared how he had been given responsibility by his family to take the extended family’s children to the border to try to find safety. 

Isaac told me: 

“I came because I believe there is a lot of crisis.  

People are killing. They are putting people inside the hut and killing them. My father has died. He was killed in the conflict, for independence. My mother is too old to come.  

We had nothing there, so I have to bring the children. 

I came with six. We had no food. The children were frightened. Now I have six children to take care of. It is very hard. My hope is you can help the children get education and life.” 

Another time, in the south of Ethiopia, in a camp on the border of Somalia, I saw this sign that greeted every refugee as they arrived: 

I really like that ‘spelling’ of welcome. You come, and we want you to be well. 

Once people had seen that sign, the first words they heard as they sat down to rest and recover were: 

“Welcome. You are safe now. 

This is your new home. 

We will look after you.” 

At Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, where you help welcome new arrivals at the Reception Centre, there is this sign:

In Poland, there are 1.5 million people officially registered as refugees from Ukraine. Through ALWS, you support Lutheran churches as they care for those they can.   

The churches don’t call those they serve ‘refugees’. They call them ‘guests’. 

The local Lutheran vicar explains: 

          “The word refugee creates a distance. 

          There is no distance in the word guests.” 

That makes a world of difference for people like Nataliia, and her son Antin, whose hometown was Chernihic, close to the Russian border: 

          “The route of the invading army led through our town. 

At first, I was not sure  

it was the right decision to leave, 

but when we arrived here, my son said: 

‘Mama, I can look outside the window. 

It is no longer dangerous.’ 

Then I knew I had done the right thing. 

My son is safe here.” 

Photo: LWF/Albin Hillert*  

As Nataliia and Antin are welcomed guests of the Lutheran Church in Poland … 

… the LWF (Lutheran World Federation) teams you support inside Ukraine are helping communities by rehabilitating critical infrastructure in hard-hit places, including Nataliia and Antin’s hometown. 

My hope is that next week in Refugee Week, the media will feature stories to remind the world the needs of refugees cannot be forgotten. 

I doubt you will see any mention of you or ALWS or LWF in helping the 531,687 people we did together… 

… but that’s OK.  

You understand we’re here simply to serve.  

Heads humble. Hearts open. Hands on. 

Following the example of Jesus. (Himself a child refugee.) 

Thank you for being there last year for people like Nataliia and Antin and Isaac.  

Thank you for being there now too, as we commit $100,000 for aid to help people fleeing the crisis in Sudan. See your Update 5. 

Thank you too for any support you can give to the people of Myanmar, where so many people have been forced from their homes. You are welcome to increase your impact by using the 5:1 Grant from the Australian Government. Donate 5:1 here. 

During Refugee Week, the most important number is not 531,687 … 

… but 1 – the fact you welcome each person as an individual, and treat them as Number 1.  

That’s why you are a blessing ALWayS! 

Jonathan Krause 

Community Action Manager, ALWS 

“I was a stranger and you invited me in …” 

Jesus, Matthew 25:35 (NIV)

* Other photos: ALWS 

HOPE Spot #23: Monday 5th June 2023

What if this was your house?

In some ways, it is.

It’s what’s left of the home of one of the team members you support in Myanmar through ALWS, after Cyclone Mocha hit on Sunday 14 May:

“Everything in my house was destroyed!

So, we’ll have to buy everything

to rebuild my house.

I wish I could get some tarpaulin …”

Kyaw XXX, Education & Training Team

The full force of the cyclone hit Rakhine State, the area you support children in Displaced Persons Camps go to school. Damage was devastating.

While we in Australia have networks of Emergency Services to help during crises, the people of Myanmar are on their own.

That’s why ALWS has already committed $100,000 to the emergency response for those most in need. We also have a new 5:1 Grant from the Australian Government for your ALWS work here.

(I have snail-mailed you full details.)

DONATE NOW

Your ALWS action for the most needy will also include help for our Partner’s* frontline team, so they can continue taking your help to the communities you serve.

The team suffered damage as follows:

* I can’t mention our Partner’s name for security reasons.

A further 500+ Rohingya staff of our Partner – displaced themselves – live inside the camps, and most have lost everything.

You get a sense of the scale of the disaster when you hear the Team talk about what happened:

“… it was as if our home

had been hit by a nuclear bomb.

Except for the foundation and a few posts,

my entire house was destroyed.

I was so relieved to find

that my sister is still alive.”

Hla XXX, Assistant Field Officer

Our Partner is still working to contact each of these people individually, to see what support they need, and help them deal with trauma, so they can then help others.

“Listening to their voices makes me so sad.

Some colleagues are desperate for help,

and some were devastated.

They had just lost their houses

and everything else,

but they are still going to work

to help the needy.”

Zaw XXX, Communications

You are welcome to donate now to support the ALWS emergency response, and provide ongoing help using the Australian Government 5:1 Grant.

As you can see in the photo below, the Team are doing all they can to keep on helping…

(Electricity comes from a generator to a dry spot in the office in Partner HQ.)

Thank you for your kindness and compassion through ALWS to help make sure the people of Myanmar are not forgotten.

As they face so many challenges, you are right there with them – a blessing ALWayS.

PS: Just a reminder of how the Australian Government explains the new 5:1 Grant for your action through ALWS:

Every donation you make to this project will be combined with funding

from the Australian Government  to reach more people.

ALWS has committed to contribute $1 for every $5

received from the Australian government.  Your donation will allow us to extend our programs.

PPS: In my last email, I said the Australian Government had increased their support through ALWS by 9.1%.

It’s actually even better – 12.3%! What a credit to the generosity of people like you. Thank you!

HOPE Spot #22: Wednesday 31st May 2023

Great news you can count on

How are you with numbers ?

This HOPE Spot will have quite a few (sorry) …

… but it’s worth it because you will hear great news you can count on (5:1 !!!!).

I’ll admit that when I look at a financial spreadsheet, sometimes all I see is:

(NB: It’s actually a school lesson on a blackboard I found in a Temporary Learning Space you support through ALWS inside Internally Displaced Persons Camps in Myanmar.)

You’ll be excited when you hear what the Australian Government sees when it looks at your ALWS action inside a challenging country like Myanmar:
• they see your success in supporting children go to school
• they also see your generosity.

Those two things add up to make great news for your ALWS work:

The Australian Government has INCREASED
their aid through ALWS by 9.1% for 2023/4!

In fact, the total grant is now a massive $2,342,026!

The Australian Government allocates its ANCP Grants (Australian Non-Government Cooperation Program) based on the percentage people like you donate to ALWS, compared to other Australian aid agencies.

The ALWS family’s donations were so generous last financial year
that ALWS qualified for this wonderful increase.

Of course, these grants are only awarded if the aid agency meets all the Australian Government compliance requirements – which ALWS does!

OK, now some more numbers (sorry again!) …

The $2,342,026 Grant is dependent on ALWS matching it with $1 for every $5 granted.

That means we have to raise $468,000 over the next 12 months.

The Government explains it this way:

Every donation you make to this project will be combined with funding

from the Australian Government to reach more people.

ALWS has committed to contribute $1 for every $5 received from the Australian government.

Your donation will allow us to extend our programs.

One of the countries where ALWS can use this 5:1 Grant so you can have an impact SIX TIMES your donation is Myanmar.

As you know, this country is very challenging to work in because of the political crisis. Then, three weeks ago it was hit by devastating Cyclone Mocha.

Tragically, Myanmar is too often forgotten by the rest of the world.

What I know is that the children of Myanmar can count on the fact that ALWS and you won’t forget them.

Photos: ALWS / Magdalena Vogt

That’s why it’s such good news that you can now use the new 5:1 Government Grant to help children go to school …

… where they will make much more sense of the writing on the blackboard than I was able to do! 😊

I will mail you a pack of information this week, so you can see exactly what your 5:1 donation can do for children like this young girl…

… and how your personal impact is now SIX TIMES whatever donation you give.

You are welcome to Donate 5:1 NOW to provide school supplies, teaching materials and even build more Temporary Learning Spaces for children.

As you do, your kindness and compassion add up to make you Number One!

A blessing ALWayS – thank you!

PS: if you can handle more numbers, then here’s more good news. This week the Australian Government announced an allocation of $29 million to alleviate the impact of famine and conflict in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East. This includes $15 million for Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia … three countries where through ALWS you have been helping fight famine over the last 9 months, and caring for people for many years before that! Thank you for leading the way in helping make sure these people aren’t forgotten!

HOPE Spot #21: Friday 26th May 2023

the power of one

This week I had a couple of meetings in town.

Between meetings, I had a moment to walk through a beautiful autumn-leaved park.

I found this plaque on a seat …

I have no idea who Ralph and Jennifer were …

… but I was really struck by the last line:

Too dearly loved to be forgotten

That message is at the heart of all you do for people through ALWS.

These days, media attention lasts a moment.

The devastating Cyclone Mocha in Myanmar two weeks ago: forgotten.

The crisis in Sudan forcing millions of people to flee: forgotten.

But not by you.

The compassion and generosity of people like you means ALWS has been able to commit $100,000 of emergency aid to help people hurt by those disasters.

Food. Shelter. Hygiene Kits.

Welcome. Care. Kindness.

You can see new updates on your life-transforming help here:

• Sudan Update 4
• Cyclone Mocha Update 3

Which brings me back to my meetings in town this week.

I’d been invited to share at Comunet (a hi-tech digital company in Adelaide) about ALWS work in Somalia.

(I was more nervous than normal, because technology and I get on about as well as Collingwood and Carlton supporters do!)

The company was having a Porridge Party to raise money to help children in Somalia go to school, and be protected from famine, using our ALWS 18:1 Grant.

As you can see below, the company really got hold of the porridge idea and offered all kinds of varieties (though I was far too nervous to try any):

What made me smile was that the company is mostly young people, and they had to look up a recipe on the internet to know how to make the porridge!

Yet, look at what they achieved!

Dozens of children in Somalia can now go to school and have a cup of fortified porridge at school each day

What’s most amazing though is this all started with one person in the company.

Michelle organised a Team for our Barossa Valley ALWS Walk My Way a couple years back.

That led to this Porridge Party …

… and the chance for me to share with staff the extraordinary things ‘ordinary’ people can do for others through ALWS.

That is the power of one.

That power starts with people like you who say about people in Somalia, Sudan and Myanmar:

Too dearly loved to be forgotten

Thank you – you are a blessing ALWayS!

Don’t forget those who are suffering,

but imagine you are there with them.

Hebrews 13:3b

HOPE Spot #20: Tuesday 23rd May 2023

Your name in the newspaper…

I wrote to the Weekend Australian about you yesterday.

On the weekend, the newspaper had a big story about the efforts of our Government and Defence Forces evacuating Australian-connected families from Sudan.

While I didn’t mention you by name in my letter, and I doubt it will be published …

… I wanted to highlight how people like you are also heroes in crises like Sudan.

(You can see my Letter to Editor below.)

Your kindness and generosity through ALWS are the reason families like this one …

Photo: Colin Delfosse

… can be welcomed with food and water, and love and care.

Treated not as refugees, but as guests.

When you hear Ashta’s story, you see what a blessing such a welcome would be. She’s 32, and fled her home in Darfur with her husband and six children:

 “At home I was growing onions. When a member of our community was killed, we decided to leave town …

We took our children and left. The older ones walked, the smaller ones were on the back of our donkey, and the baby was on my back.

 I’m relieved now, but I still think about what happened. I haven’t received any help yet, but I’m still happy.”

When I saw the photo of Ashti and her children on the donkey, I was reminded of Jesus’ story of The Good Samaritan:

… who, when he saw a man beaten and bleeding on the side of a dangerous road

… did not cross to the other side to stay safe

… but came close, kneeling down to patch up the wounds

… then loaded the injured man onto a donkey to carry him to proper care.

This is what you are doing now for families fleeing Sudan.

These are families it seems the world has forgotten …

… yet your compassion means ALWS can commit $100,000 to the relief effort of the LWF teams caring for Sudanese families fleeing to the Ethiopia and South Sudan borders.

It’s a big challenge, as you can see here on the border with Chad …

Photo: Colin Delfosse

… yet the power of love that comes to life is bigger. You’ll see this as you read Update 3 of your ALWS action.

If this touches your heart, you’re welcome to donate here.

I doubt your ALWS action will make a Letter to the Editor in a newspaper, let alone a headline to give you public glory.

So, let me thank you here, privately. You are a blessing – ALWayS.

PS:  the people of Sudan are not the only ones forgotten by the world. So are the people of Myanmar, hit by Cyclone Mocha last week, and struggling through a political crisis.

Through ALWS, you support them with food, shelter and Hygiene Kits, and rebuilding schools inside Displaced Persons Camps. You can see your ALWS action in Myanmar here in Update 2.

Thank you!

HOPE Spot #19: Thursday 18th May 2023

Your ALWS-supported team safe after Myanmar Cyclone

Through ALWS you help thousands of people hurt by conflict in Myanmar.

On Sunday, the areas you work in Rakhine State were hit by the devastating Cyclone Mocha.

Villagers saw a huge wave 10 metres high wash huts and whole villages out to sea.

460 people are reported killed, and fears are held for many more.

On-site volunteers and community leaders report:

• Family shelters, made of bamboo and tarpaulin, destroyed
• Latrines and bathing stations damaged
• Very limited phone connection

Communications have been challenging, but ALWS has received this update from the Head of our Partner’s team in Myanmar.

(For security reasons, I cannot mention our Partner’s name.)

Dear All,

All full-time staff are safe and accounted for, as are our camp and community-based incentive workers and volunteers.

The communications remain a challenge as power is still out and cell phone are running out of batteries in the more remote camps, etc.

We have succeeded in getting the generator at the office running so phones can be charged by staff.

We are working on Travel Authorizations for staff to access camps.

They returned to Sittwe yesterday and will be undertaking rapid needs assessments in coordination with OCHA and the UN Clusters starting today, access permitting, as some areas are still flooded.

Camp and communities in high-risk areas were also relocated to safer evacuation centres.

We lost communications for a day, but phone, internet and flights are all operational again as of yesterday evening. Electricity is still out.

We want to assure you that despite the challenges we have good working relations with the authorities and can informally access those in need through our camp and community- based staff.

Thank you again for your goodwill and to respond to all those in need after Cyclone Mocha and beyond.

David

There has been damage to our partner’s office in Sittwe, as you can see below:

On your behalf, ALWS has committed an immediate $100,000 for the emergency response.

Critical needs are likely to include:
• temporary shelter
• water and sanitation
• emergency food supplies
• clothing

The families you are helping already had very little.

Some have been living in Displaced Persons Camps for 10 years. The current political crisis increases the challenge.

That’s why our Partner’s network of community-based workers is so important.

They are trusted by both the authorities and the communities, and this is vital to getting your ALWS help through to where you are most needed.

The Australian Government also has confidence to support your ALWS work in Myanmar …

… and I have high hopes that very soon I can share news with you of a new 5:1 Grant!

You are a blessing ALWayS – especially at times of emergency!

PS: As soon as I have confirmation of the potential 5:1 Australian Government Grant for Myanmar, I will let you know.

I hope this will be within the next two weeks, so our 5:1 donations can be claimed as a tax benefit this financial year. Thank you!

HOPE Spot #18a: Thursday 11th May 2023

I made a mistake yesterday…

… so instead of eating Cornerstone Cake, today I’m eating humble pie!

When I told you about the amount of Development Aid in Tuesday’s budget, I wrote:

                   For 23/24, this is: $4,768 billion.

Of course, it should be: $4.768 billion.

A full stop instead of a comma.

But a factor of 1000. Sigh. Sorry.

In correcting my mistake, let me add one extra detail to my graphic from yesterday. It’s at the end:

  Imagine our total income

– Gross National Income –

       as one of these:

What we give to people

      in poor countries

         is one of these:

in fact, it’s less

– just 19 cents.

PS: Thank you to Neil for pointing out my error!

HOPE Spot #18: Wednesday 10th May 2023

Did you get your slice?

Last week I told you how students at Cornerstone College in SA created 52 cakes in their Annual Bake-Off …

… and sold them slice-by-slice to support children in Somalia to go to school.

As I’ve watched the media Budget talk …

… I thought about those cakes.

It seems everybody wants their slice of the Budget Cake …

… and for it to be bigger.

That’s for others to comment on.

I’ll just share the facts about Australia’s aid for people in poor countries. Our:

Official Development Assistance.

For 23/24, this is: $4,768 billion.

Which sounds like a lot of money. And is …

… until you look at Australia’s total income.

Imagine our total income

– Gross National Income –

as one of these:

What we give to people

in poor countries

is one of these:

In fact, it’s less

– just 19 cents.

That makes us 27^Th out of 30 rich countries (OECD) in our generosity. (Sweden gives FIVE TIMES what Australia does.)

I don’t know how that makes you feel  …

… but it makes me feel a little ‘crumby’.

I don’t blame the Government. Whatever Government we have.

It is us as an Australian community who tell our leaders what is important to us …

… which is why ALWS does welcome the Budget commitment to increase the amount Australia gives by 2.5% per year from 26/27 forward.

If we want a larger slice of the cake for those who only get crumbs swept from our table …

… then we need to speak up, LOUD, so those who are most vulnerable are not forgotten.

Is that having my cake, and eating it too?

Thank you for being a blessing ALWayS.

 ALWS works with networks like MICAH to speak up for those who don’t get heard. I hope this info today is helpful when you talk with people. 😊

HOPE Spot #17: Tuesday 9th May 2023

When the kids at Kingaroy decided to help kids in Somalia through ALWS … 

… they really put their foot in it. 

Not just with the Crazy Socks Day you see above … 

… but stepping out on their own ALWS Walk My Way too. 

Meanwhile, in SA’s Barossa Valley … 

… you needed to be very careful not to put your foot in it. 

There, the local Lutheran Parish held Cockroach Races and Yabby Races outside a century-old shearing shed …  

… as they raised money to support children in Somalia at their annual ‘Blessing of Seeds, Soils and Waters’! 

What’s exciting about my role here at ALWS is that I get to see first-hand all the wonderful ways people like you bring love to life … 

… like St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Sydney, right near the heart of Kings Cross, who on Sunday served up porridge to raise money for children in Somalia. 

Today, I just want to thank you for all you do for others through ALWS … 

… and encourage you that you are not alone in having a heart of kindness in this world where so many people need our help. 

Tonight, when the Budget is delivered, media will encourage us to ask:  

‘What’s In It for Me?’ 

Meanwhile, people like you ask:  

‘What’s In Me that I can do for Others?’  

That’s why together we can support children in Somalia … 

… and respond straightaway to help people fleeing the Sudan crisis*.  

Crazy socks.  

     Kindness. 

Cockroaches. 

     Courage.  

Porridge.  

     Passion. 

This is why you are a blessing ALWayS. Thank you! 

* Please see Update 2 on your ALWS response to the crisis in Sudan. 

HOPE Spot #16: Friday 28th April 2023

Nope. 

These luscious creations weren’t lovingly handcrafted by a local Ladies Group for a church stall. 

Or made by me.  

(My first job was 5 years as a 5am pastry-chef in a Czech bakery in inner Melbourne.) 

 In fact, the amazing cakes you see here were created by students of Naturi House at Cornerstone Lutheran College in Mt Barker South Australia … 

… and are just 3 out of a total 52 cakes the students made!  

The best cakes are judged to find a winner … 

… and then sold off slice-by-slice to raise money to use the ALWS 18:1 Grant  

… to support children in Somalia to go to school 

… with a hot meal of porridge each day for the whole school year 

… prepared in a kitchen perhaps ‘slightly’ different to yours 

 No matter what kitchen you have, or what quality cook you might be … 

… if you’re kind and caring, they’re the only ingredients you need to make a difference in a child’s life. 

As the students at Cornerstone did … 

… with the $2217.60 they raised in their Bake-Off, to support 220 Somali children at school. (Proving you can have your cake and eat it too!) 

And as you do … 

… with everything you do to bring love to life for people through ALWS. 

That’s why you’re a blessing ALWayS – thank you! 

PS: See how I resisted making any bad Dad jokes about cakes?   

Until now.  

What do you call your Dad when he’s eaten so much cake he’s about to explode? 

Pops. 

Sorry – that was crumby. 😊 

HOPE Spot #15: Tuesday 25th April 2023

Today, on ANZAC Day, we take time out from our everyday to reflect on those who gave their lives, their health, their youth, their sons and daughters … 

… that we might live in a world of peace. 

Sadly, for millions of people that world of peace seems a world away. 

Ukraine. Myanmar. Ethiopia. Somalia. Afghanistan.  

Sadder still, is when those of us who are blessed with comfort, forget those who are hurting.

   That’s why today, as I huddle in the cold with the crowd gathered around our town’s war memorial … 

… waiting for dawn to break and the bugle’s mournful cry to call the past into the now  

… I’ll also take time to think on those people hurt by war and conflict who, through ALWS, you work so hard to make sure are not forgotten.    

 Lest we forget, let’s remember… 

I remember Jacob …

… who quietly kept me out of trouble’s way at Dadaab Refugee Camp on the border with Somalia 

… who saw friends killed by the Improvised Explosive Devices of terrorists Al Shabaab 

… who had to live behind a 3 metre high dirt-packed wall, designed by the US Army to stop the shred of shrapnel 

… who wanted to be an Accountant in Nairobi  

… but told me God had called him to serve here 

… and so serve he would. 

I remember Ma Med …

… forced to live in a Displaced Persons Camp just five kilometres from his home in Myanmar 

… who saw his house burned 

… his neighbours attacked with ‘long knives’ … 

… who told me: 

“At this time the children are crying. They cannot eat for three days. The children saw everything that happened, and after they see, they hold on to us, and are crying.” 

… a Dad, who could find it in his heart to say: 

“I still love the people who did these things.” 

I remember Concepta …

… whose husband was killed in the war in South Sudan 

 … who fled with a child on her back, another held by the hand, another in her belly 

 … whose two teen daughters were kidnapped to be ‘wives’ to commanders  

 … who became a leader in education for children at Kakuma Refugee Camp, working with your Lutheran-supported team to give other children what she could not give her own 

 … telling me: 

 “Since the beginning of this pre-school, the people of Australia have been supporting us, and we are very much appreciating it. Without them, we thought the pre-school would close down. Tell them we are still working hard, and we welcome them helping us very much. They are the top people in the world assisting us. We are really thankful.” 

Today I also remember you … 

… and how blessed ALWS is that you do not forget those who are suffering 

… and through your kindness and caring bring love to life in their lives. 

Thank you for saying, and living, ‘Lest we forget’.  

Today, and ALWayS. 

Don’t forget those who are suffering, 

but imagine you are there with them. 

Hebrews 13:3b 

HOPE Spot #14: Tuesday 18th April 2023

I had hoped to be writing this HOPE Spot to you from Tigray in northern Ethiopia.

I wanted to show you where the food and support you supplied through ALWS was transforming lives.

However, last Wednesday we received an urgent email from Sophie Gebrayes, who leads the LWF team you support in Ethiopia.

(That’s Sophie in the photo, at the opening of a borehole you supported through ALWS.)

Conflict has broken out. Two aid workers have been killed. The Australian Government has issued a ‘Do Not Travel’.

That means instead of seeing first-hand the food you provide for people threatened by famine in the Horn of Africa …

… I’ll be in my office at home south of Adelaide.

Selfishly, I was feeling a bit disappointed for myself, until two messages arrived in my In-Box:

Photo: LWF Ethiopia

(I know at least two churches are also holding a Power Porridge Party to help provide food and school for children in Somalia using our 18:1 Grant.)

That brings me to the second email that arrived in my In-Box, from the front-line team you support in Somalia. They wanted to show you the children receiving the porridge you provide: 

Photo: LWF Somalia

This is your work, what happens when your kindness brings love to life!

After the children have finished their porridge, they’ll go into the classrooms you see behind them (which you also helped build through ALWS).

There they will receive the schooling you provide through the 18:1 Grant …

Photo: LWF Somalia

… where your $10 donation can support a child in school for the rest of this year with teachers, desks, uniform, support for children with disabilities

… along with a cup of fortified porridge each day (200+ meals this year).

So, when I see the joy you bring these children in Somalia, then I happily say:

 ‘No, I am not sick of porridge yet!’

Thank you for being a blessing to these children – ALWayS!

PS: If prayer is one of the ways you care for people, I know Sophie’s LWF team in Ethiopia would appreciate your prayer support at this time. Thank you!

PPS: And if you’d like to hold your own Power Porridge Party, check out the details below!

HOPE Spot #13: Wednesday 12th April 2023

$2 for 1.8kg. 

That’s how much the rolled oats cost for the Power Porridge Party I cooked for ALWS Staff and Board Members before Easter. 

Add a litre of milk, and total cost was under $5 … to produce 40 serves. 

Which we offered for a $10 donation.  

($10 with the 18:1 Somalia Matching Grant can support a child in school for a year with a School Meal each day – around 200+ meals.) 

Our Guest Speaker, the Reverend Tim Costello, who leads the Help Fight Famine campaign of Australian churches through the Micah Foundation, got stuck in … 

… though I didn’t have the same success encouraging people to ‘go commando’  

(having the porridge plain, to feel even closer to the children they help in Somalia). 

Instead, people donated extra for access to this table … 

Which brings us to the school renamed ‘Jacinta’ in Somalia. 

I can’t show you a photo of the school, because that kind of exposure makes it a target for terrorist group Al Shabaab. (The same reason the school has no name on it anywhere.) 

Yurub, a front-line LWF worker you support in Somalia, explained why the community renamed the school Jacinta – the name of your ALWS Program Coordinator for Somalia: 

When I read all these things you achieve for the children through ALWS … 

… the school could just as well have been renamed <<MARTHA>> SCHOOL! 

I don’t know what kind of day you’re having today … 

… or what you had for breakfast  

… but I hope this message from Somalia brings you a smile as big as these: 

That’s your work <<Martha>> … and why you’re a blessing. ALWayS! Thank you! 

PS: You might consider having your own Power Porridge Party? Maybe for the first day of winter? If you do, take a photo and tell me about it!  JK 

HOPE Spot #12: Tuesday 4th April 2023

What do you remember about 2018? 

For me, it seems a lifetime ago. 

My clearest memory is my wife Julie beginning the 18-months planning and production process for our 70s-themed 60th birthday.  

Which turned out like what you see in the photo (check out the shoes!)

Back in 2018 … 

… who could have imagined some of the things that have happened since then: 

COVID-19… 

… 761,402,282 cases worldwide  

… 6,887,000 lives lost 

Russia invading Ukraine… 

… up to 60,000 Russian soldiers killed 

… 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers 

… 7,200 civilians 

… 8 million Ukrainians become refugees 

… another 5.3 million displaced inside Ukraine 

Floods … 

… five years ago Australia was in the grip of the horror 2018 – 2019 drought 

AUKUS … 

… 8 submarines 

… up to $368 billion 

… (Australia’s foreign aid budget 2022/23:  $4.549 billion) 

AI … 

… did a computer write this HOPE Spot? 

… no – but apparently now it can. 

All this happened in just five years. 

Few could have predicted any of it. 

Which makes it really hard to know what might happen during the next five years.  

(Apart from Julie starting planning for our next ‘big’ birthday!) 

This is the challenge we all sometimes face. Finding the balance between … 

… looking forward to responsibly plan for what may be 

… looking back to learn from what has happened. 

What’s really important is we don’t overlook what is happening now … 

… like the famine threatening the Horn of Africa, which the world seems to have forgotten. 

That’s why ALWS is so thankful for people like you. 

You see what people need now, and you act.  

We’ve seen that in the wonderfully generous response to the 18:1 Somalia Grant to help children in Somalia go to school and have food to eat … 

… and how the ALWS family is providing shelter and support through our partner LWF to survivors of the Turkiye / Syria Earthquake. 

Your kindness last year … 

… we’re preparing your 2022 Annual Report. When you receive it, you’ll see: 

In 2022, working with other caring people like you, 

 together we impacted the lives of 343,267 people! 

(PLUS the tens of thousands of Ukrainian people that continue to benefit from our ALWS support through ACT Alliance.) 

For me, this demonstrates that no matter what the world (and the next five years) bring … 

… when we work together to bring love to life, each one of us can do extraordinary things! 

Thank you for all you do – you are a blessing ALWayS! 

Jonathan 

PS: One of the ways I am looking to the future is updating the gift Julie and I leave in our Wills to ALWS – though hopefully that’s still a few birthdays away yet!  

If you’d like a copy of our Lives You Touch brochure to show how you can do that too, simply give us a call on 1300 763 407. Thank you! 

HOPE Spot #11: Tuesday 28th March 2023

Last year, Australia had a record winter grain crop.

Our farmers harvested 67.3 million tonnes.

(That’s despite the floods that hurt so many.)

If you loaded that grain into a B-Double like this …

… you’d need 1.5 million trucks to transport all that grain!

Put those B-Doubles end-to-end, and there’d be a line of trucks 30,000 kilometres long …

… that’s TWICE around Australia on Highway #1!

That’s something our country can be thankful for, and proud of …

… but doesn’t come close to the pride and thanks that farmer Amare Mulawa feels about four cobs of corn he’s grown in Ethiopia.

Photo: LWF Ethiopia

You know already about the five years of drought that threatens famine in  Ethiopia and Somalia.

What you might not know is that a new corn seed variety

– called ‘Lutheran’! –

 is transforming life for families like Amare’s.

Amare is a role-model farmer, supported by the LWF team in Ethiopia, now successfully growing ‘Lutheran’ corn.

“For the first time, I was able to earn almost ETB 9,000 ($600) from the sale of ‘Lutheran’ grown on my land.”

Amare is happy to explain why he prefers the new grain.

“To start with, it has a superior taste.

Secondly, the corn stalk holds three or four large cobs, whereas the old kind only holds one or two small ones, maximum.

Furthermore, due to the leafiness and thickness of the cob cover, it does not get attacked by birds and pests.

I now get 6 ETB (30 cents) for one cob, whereas before I used to get half the amount.”

“Finally, even if Lutheran takes two extra months to grow, it’s worth the wait due to the size, yield, taste, overall quality and potential for commercialisation.”

Amare concludes: “If you want to triple your income, get Lutheran!”

 I’m not sure if you watched Foreign Correspondent last week, with its feature on Somalia. (You can still watch it on ABC iView.)

What’s happening with the drought there, and in Ethiopia, threatens famine.

ALWS action like the 18:1 Grant to provide Daily School Meals of fortified porridge, and a year of schooling, to 8,080 children in Somalia …

… along with agricultural innovations like Amare’s ‘Lutheran’ corn

… and the fact ALWS supporters like you continue to reach out with care and kindness to help people far away, people you’ve never met

… means for families like Amare’s, you deliver a B-Double load of blessing. ALWayS.

Thank you!

Jonathan

PS: I will be heading off to Ethiopia straight after Easter to look at how ALWS can grow our action here as we work together to help fight famine. If you’d like me to visit your church / school / Fellowship Group / Probus etc, just reply to this email, or call 1300 763 407. I’d love to share with you (and promise not to tell too many of my ‘corny’ Dad jokes! 😊

HOPE Spot #10: Thursday 23rd March 2023

Tonight (urgent) … and yesterday 

 Can I urge you to watch Foreign Correspondent tonight.

 It’s on at 8pm on ABC (or catch up on iView). 

 The 30-minute program is focused on Somalia, where you work through ALWS. 

 I only saw the promo on TV this morning, but you will see scenes like this:

What you may not see is the food you are already delivering through ALWS and our partner LWF Somalia:

The photo shows one of your ALWS-supported food distributions in Somalia.  

Each pack you see is a monthly food ration for a family of six.  

($105 can supply that 80kg pack of rice, wheat flour, sugar, vegetable oil and dates.) 

Foreign Correspondent tonight also interviews a young Somali mum, 7 months pregnant, who walked 30 kilometres a day, for many days, to find safety … 

… exactly the safety and support you offer in Displaced Persons Camps to families in Somalia who have lost everything. 

Later, the reporter looks fearfully into the camera, as the crew has received word that terrorist group Al Shabaab knows where they are. 

I vividly recall that same fear when I was talking with a Somali mum in a refugee camp, and we received word that Al Shabaab knew we were there. (That kind of challenge is why we at ALWS always welcome your prayers!) 

While I’m not sure what else will be in the Foreign Correspondent story tonight … 

… you can take heart knowing that through our 18:1 Matching Grant, you are supporting Somali children, like those you see on the TV, to go to school: 

Thanks to the 18:1 Grant, just $10 can provide a Daily Meal of fortified porridge (200+ meals in a year) plus everything a child needs to go to school. 

That brings us to another school, back here in Australia, yesterday. 

Celia, who leads our ALWS work in schools inspiring students to action, shared what happened after she’d delivered a chapel to the school about Somalia: 

Delivered a chapel this morning and then a big Year 12 lad, Muhammad, came up to me afterwards with his phone in hand and asked how he can make a donation.  

He wanted to donate $20. 10 each for him and his brother. 

I helped him get onto our website on his phone, and showed him how, and he did it then and there. When I asked him what moved him to do this he said: 

“We have so much… I wish I could give more,  

but I want to do this for two people like me and my brother.” 
 

Thank you for your love and care and kindness. 

Please watch Foreign Correspondent tonight at 8pm on the ABC, and see first-hand the people for whom you are a blessing – ALWayS. 

Jonathan 

PS: Something else happened yesterday … ALWS Team Member, Julie, was calling supporters to say thank you for their generosity. A very senior lady, who’d been faithfully giving donations of $20, was grateful for the call, and even had Julie pray for her as she was feeling unwell. It was only when Julie finished the call that she realised the lady hadn’t given $20 … but $20,000! 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

HOPE Spot #9: Tuesday 21st March 2023

Bless our guest

Last Friday I went to the funeral of a family member – ‘Uncle’ Keith. It was a small funeral.  Just 12 people. 11 of us family.  Up back, on his own, sat a gentleman no one knew.

 

It was only at the graveside, when he shared a few words, that we learnt he had been the hairdresser for Uncle Keith for many years.   He’d quietly made the journey from citysalon to country town for the funeral farewell. That sort of extra effort made me think of you, our supporters…. … and what you do for people through ALWS.  You give quiet humble care.

Happy to sit in the ‘back row’, yet ready to help make sure no one is forgotten or overlooked.   On the same day as Uncle Keith’s funeral, I received an update from the LWF team you support in Poland, caring for people fleeing the war in Ukraine.   NB: Poland hosts 1.5 million people forced to flee Ukraine.   The LWF team don’t refer to the people they serve as ‘refugees’. Instead, they call them ‘guests’. That says a lot. The people aren’t numbers to be processed. They are guests to be welcomed.  Made to feel at home. Delighted with hospitality, and little acts of kindness. The vicar of the Lutheran Church welcoming guests from Ukraine, Adam Bujok, explained: “The word refugee creates a distance. There is no distance in the word guests.” You can see that approach come to life in the care the LWF team, and volunteers from Lutheran churches, give their guests, on behalf of people like you whose kindness helps make it possible:

 

Volunteers help children make handcrafts. Others bake cakes … then listen. Some serve up spaghetti. New friends manicure the nails of mums who survived bombings You can see why this hands-on personal care is precious when you hear stories from survivors – like 10 year-old Fedir, who escaped from a town close-by a nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
	One day Fedir rode his bicycle to get milk: “I heard explosions and rode my bike very fast.  I saw a crowd of people. I came closer, and I saw a person lying in blood.

 

People cried, and there was broken glass everywhere.  A tree was burning in the city centre. The explosion had thrown a man’s dog away. An ambulance came and took the person that was lying there.  He was a power plant worker, and people said he died.” That happened six months ago, and Fedir still recalls every detail. Children carry trauma with them … … as you can see when children playing with Lego build army checkpoints with their plastic bricks. That’s why kindness is so critical.          Reading storybooks.                     Manicuring nails.                              Cooking food.                                        Cutting Uncle Keith’s hair. Thank you for all you do through ALWS to bring your love to life for guests like … … Fedir, now safe in Poland  … children going to school in Somalia thanks to 18:1 Grant donations  … earthquake survivors in Aleppo in Syria, who now have shelter. Your kindness and care help make sure no one is forgotten. That’s why you are a blessing to your guests – ALWayS.   Jonathan Krause, Community Action Manager, ALWS   Photos: LWF Poland

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HOPE Spot #8: Wednesday 8th March 2023

Someone is stealing my future – International Women’s Day

Today it is one year since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.

 

8 million Ukrainian people were forced to flee.

180,000 Russian soldiers are estimated killed or wounded.

100,000 Ukrainian soldiers too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo: LWF/Albin Hillert

 

40,000 Ukrainian civilians killed.

At least 400 children.

 

What’s a life worth?

 

The death toll from the earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria is now more than 46,000 people.

A million people homeless.

26 million people needing aid.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo: GOPA– DERD / ACT Alliance

 

What’s a life worth?

 

When you read those numbers, you can feel overwhelmed.

Wonder what you can do.

That’s why I want to tell you about Christian… 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(That’s Christian being a funny fella as he and I worked the barbie at an ALWS Walk My Way.)

 

Christian was a highly-valued colleague here at ALWS.

A good friend.

A loving husband.

A fun-filled dad.

On Wednesday, it was the second anniversary of cancer taking Christian’s life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo: ALWS

 

When I think about how much we miss Christian:

•    his big ever-present smile 

•    his over-the-top generosity – especially with lollies!

•    his heart full of passion to help others, as a Primary teacher … advocate for the poor through ALWS … worker of wood

… it reminds me how precious each person is who you help through ALWS. 

 

How loved they are … 

… how much love they give

… and how worthy they are of the love you bring to their life:

 

In Ukraine, building bomb-shelters in basements of schools so children are safe to learn.

In Syria, serving meals and putting up emergency shelters for families left homeless by the earthquake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo: GOPA- DERD / ACT Alliance

 

In Somalia, sending children to school, with a meal of porridge each day to protect them against the deadly threat of famine.

 

So, what’s a life worth?

 

Your kindness and generosity tell the people you help they are valuable, and valued.

For people in danger of being forgotten by the world, that’s a priceless gift.

So today, on these anniversaries that bring so much pain …

… I thank you for bringing love to life.

 

It is worth it.

ALWayS.

 

Jonathan

Jonathan Krause – Community Action manager

 

PS: Just a reminder about the 18:1 Matching Grantto support children in Somalia to go to school. Thanks to the Grant, your impact is 18 TIMES your personal donation … so, just $10 can provide support for one year – school uniform + school desk + daily school meal (200+ meals of porridge) + renovated classrooms + Dignity Kits for girls + training for teachers. Donate 18:1 now!

 

 

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HOPE Spot #5: Tuesday 21st February

Porridge – how do you like it?

I’m not sure if you think much about porridge.

 

It’s been on my mind because of the new 18:1 Grant you can use to provide porridge to children threatened by famine in Somalia.

 

Back when I was a kid, we had two versions of porridge – Dad’s was boiled in water, Mum’s in milk.

 

Dad’s was thin, Mum’s thick.

 

 

I’m not brave enough to say which I liked best … but neither matched the Froot Loops I craved, but our family couldn’t afford.

 

Instead, porridge was a cheap easy way to fill the tummies of four hungry kids – Porridge isn’t cheap and easy anymore.

 

Go to a café, and they add fancy this, and healthy that, and colourful something else.

For me, the only fancy thing to put on top of porridge is Milo! Two spoons.

 

But whatever porridge you prefer …

 

… I’m sure none will taste quite like the porridge you serve up as a School Meal for children in Somalia, using the new ALWS 18:1 Matching Grant.

 

The School Porridge you provide is mixed cereal food (rice, wheat, sorghum, millet) and protein (beans) blended to porridge.

 

Not so delicious, but super nutritious!

 

The porridge is delivered as a dry ration to parents, up to 10kg per family per month.

 

This has two benefits – it saves cost plus engages parents in the process.

 

There is a special focus on ensuring children with disabilities receive all the nutritional support they need.

 

What’s amazing is the 18:1 Grant means your donation of just $10 can support a child in Somalia in school for one year ($184 value) – school uniform + learning materials + renovated classrooms + training for teachers +

 

… 200 School Meals of fortified porridge!

DONATE 18:1 NOW!

Your gift of porridge keeps children strong and healthy now …

… while the schooling you provide builds children for the future.

 

This really came home to me when I talked to Regina, a refugee cook at the Reception Centre at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. Here, you support new arrivals from countries like Somalia to be welcomed with food and shelter …

 

             “My biggest priority is education

              for my children. I will do whatever

              I have to do, go wherever I have

                   to go, so they can have

                       a stable education.”

 

Photo: ALWS

 

“I have nobody here at Kakuma, but I know that education is the biggest gift I can give my children.

 

That is why we are here, and why I work in this kitchen.

 

After we arrived, I was one year without a job.

 

I was praying very hard God will bring me a job because I did not have any money to help my children. I kept coming here in the Reception Centre asking for a job. They kept saying no. But I kept asking and asking.

 

I begged the Officer, even if you don’t pay me, let me work here for just a little extra food I can give my children.

 

I worked for one month without pay, and then I got this official job. They had seen my efforts, and my good work, and so they gave me a job.

 

On the days I must cook porridge, I wake up at 5am. I come here and I build the fire. In the pot I put water until it boils. I put in the porridge, and stir this for 15 minutes. Then it goes in the serving pot.

 

Some days I cook for 2,000 people. Today it is more than 1,000.

 

There are four cooks working with me. One person is at the pot, stirring. Another is collecting wood to put in the fire. The other is washing the utensils. Two remain for serving.

 

I want to say thank you very much to the people who give. You really help us so much.

 

There are children here who have lost their parents, but at the end of each day they have a plate of food because of you.

God bless you.”

 

I think you can see now why your porridge is so precious!

 

Our ALWS aim is to use the 18:1 Grant to support 8,080 Somali children to go to school, and have the porridge each day that can protect them from the threat of famine.

 

If you’d like to help serve up porridge, you’re welcome to donate 18:1 now!

 

Jonathan Krause,
Community Action Manager, ALWS

 

PS: Earthquake Update Yet again, the kindness and generosity of the ALWS family is shining through, and we have now met our in-faith ALWS commitment of $80,000 to support earthquake survivors. Your help will go to work in Aleppo in Syria, through our partner LWF and Caritas Syria, aiming to provide shelter, meals and support for children to return to school. Thank you!

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HOPE Spot #4: Wednesday 15th February

GOOD NEWS – new 18:1 Grant to support Somali children to go to school

 

Each day seems to bring more bad news from Turkiye and Syria, where more than 35,000 people have lost their lives to the earthquakes.

Through ALWS, you have a special focus on helping children, including with education…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo: GOPA- DERD / ACT Alliance

 

School is one of the most effective ways to help children recover from trauma, as they see life can be ‘normal’ again.

Children learn. Have fun. Make friends. Play.

 

Right now, as the world is focused on Turkiye and Syria, it’s vital that families threatened by famine in Somalia and Ethiopia aren’t forgotten – especially the children.

 

That’s why I’m excited to bring you good news today:

 

A new 18:1 Grant means you can protect children

in Somalia from deadly hunger…

… plus support them to go to school!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 DONATE 18:1 NOW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look at what you do for each child you help:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cost to give this support to one child for one whole year averages $184.

 

The 18:1 Grant means you can do

all this for a child for just $10!

 

(Includes 200+ School Meals of fortified porridge

– one per day for the whole school year –

vital to protect children against hunger!)

 

DONATE 18:1 NOW

 

Why the children need you – especially the girls!

 

Our aim is to support 8,080 Somali children to go to school …

… of whom 5,300 are girls – about the same ratio as the photo above.

 

The reason is only 3% of girls and women in Somalia have completed primary education …

… and 99% have suffered the trauma of Female Genital Mutilation.

 

Supporting girls to go to school is a very practical effective way you can help girls overcome this disadvantage they suffer simply because they are girls.

Your 18:1 donation even includes Dignity Kits for girls with female-only hygiene essentials!

 

Here’s how your 18:1 Grant works

I have sent out a Mail Pack with all the details of the 18:1 Grant from ALWS partners in Europe and the US, but this simple diagram summarises what it means for you:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 18:1 Grant you give help 18 TIMES your personal donation 

Plus, your donation is tax-deductible.

So, if you’d like to support a child in Somalia to go to school, and be safe from hunger, simply DONATE 18:1 NOW!

 

The table below is a guide to how many children you can support:

 

 

 

 

Thank you from Hani

Let me leave you with Hani, a girl in Somalia who has already benefitted from the schooling people like you have provided through ALWS:

 

 

 

“I missed my chance for education because my parents couldn’t afford the school fees. This had disappointed me a lot.

In fact, it was very painful. When you get discouraged, your future remains in the dark, but I always wished that better chances would arrive.

 

I never had such opportunities before, and now there is great difference.

I am very happy. Thanks for giving me such a wonderful support.”

 

Thank you for your wonderful support. You are a blessing ALWayS!

 

Jonathan

 

PS: Our ALWS aim is to support 8,080 children in Somalia to go to school, and be safe from hunger. Using the 18:1 Grant, your donation of $10 can support a child in school for one year – including 200+ daily School Means. Please donate 18:1 now to give more Somali children like Hani ‘better chances’ and ‘opportunities’!

 

 

 

 

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HOPE Spot #3: Tuesday 14th February

You did it for me …

Thanks to the kindness of people like you for victims of the Türkiye Syria earthquake:

 

ALWS can DOUBLE AGAIN our in-faith commitment

for the emergency relief effort – to $80,000!

 

Already, as of 8 am Tuesday 14 February, $75 901 has been donated … 

thank you!  

 

DONATE NOW

 

Our ALWS commitment will support the work of Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Aleppo in Syria. LWF will work with Caritas Syria to: 

 

• support 8,250 children with education 
• supply shelter and householder essentials to 5,000 people 
• deliver food for 27,500 people 
• give health support to 2,600 people 
• implement water and sanitation for 8,800 people 
• provide psycho-social first aid 

 

While there are challenges helping when so many are hurt … 

… you can take hope seeing the impact of your generosity, as these photos from another ACT Alliance partner, GOPA-DERD (from Greek Orthodox church) will show you:  

 

“When I was hungry …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

… you gave me something to eat 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I was thirsty …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

… you gave me something to drink 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I was a stranger … 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

… you welcomed me 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I was naked … 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

… you gave me  something to wear 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PHOTO:MECC

 

When I was sick … 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

… you took care of me 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PHOTO:MECC

 

When I was in jail … 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

… you visited me 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Whenever you did it for any of my people … 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

… no matter how unimportant they seemed 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

… that was me,  you did it for me.” 

Jesus 

Inspired by Matthew 25:34-40 

 

Donate Now

 

Today, Valentine’s Day, celebrates romantic love. 

I thank you for the generous selfless humble love you bring to life for people who have lost everything. You are a blessing ALWayS! 

 

Jonathan 

Jonathan Krause

Community Action Manager

 

PS: Even as ALWS responds to this earthquake emergency in Türkiye and Syria, we have today mailed good news of an 18:1 Matching Grant to support 8,080 Somali children to go to school. This includes a daily school meal of fortified porridge to protect them from hunger.  Donate 18:1 for Somalia  to help make sure children threatened by famine aren’t forgotten. Thank you! 

 

All photos supplied by: GOPA-DERD, MECC -ACT Alliance

 

 

 

Yesterday my son sent me a photo from the Turkiye earthquake.

 

It is too heartbreaking to show you here …

… a father was holding the hand of his daughter, who lay crushed under the concrete.

 

My son is a 19 year-old tradie.

Tough as nails.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yet he said the photo brought him to tears.

It did me too.

 

The photo reminds us that when we see the horrifying death toll of more than 11,000 people …

… that each of those 11,000 people has a family and friends, who will now have to bear a loss that lasts a lifetime.

That’s why your help through ALWS is so precious, and why I’m thankful I can tell you:

 

Your generosity means we can now DOUBLE

our in-faith ALWS emergency support to $40,000!

 

DONATE NOW

 

Photos like the one my son sent me, and the one below from an ACT Alliance partner,  remind us that every single life is precious…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos: GOPA-DERD / ACT Alliance

 

… worth clawing away with bare hands in the rubble of a collapsed building, even as darkness falls and the temperature drops to freezing.

 

Your ALWS action is precious not just here in Turkiye and Syria …

… but in crises the world seems to have forgotten:

 

•      threat of famine in Somalia and Ethiopia
•      families displaced and in danger in Myanmar
•      world’s poorest communities in South Sudan and Burundi.

 

Thank you for bringing hope where it’s hardest.

 

You can see this in a report I received overnight, outlining what ACT Alliance church partners are already doing in Turkiye / Syria:

 

•     provide hot cooked meals
•     distribute blankets and winterization items
•     deliver shelter items

 

 

 

On-the-ground teams in Syria are also carrying out needs assessments.

This work is challenging because of the impact of the 12 year civil war. It is planned that Christian Aid will lead response in non-government-controlled areas, while MECC (Middle East Council of Churches) will lead in government-controlled areas.

Your prayers are welcomed for the ACT Alliance teams you support here.

 

How else can you and I find hope where there is so much hurt?

I see flickers of hope in the humanity of:

 

• 45 nations sending aid and rescue workers
• churches of the world responding together through ACT Alliance
• Australian Government committing $10 million of aid
• Australian aid agencies working through Emergency Action Alliance
• Russia and Ukraine offering to help
• China making a contribution
• and, of course, people like you who care, and act

 

I pray that even as you see the hurt and pain in Syria and Türkiye …

… and think of the photo of the father holding the hand of his lost daughter

… you can take heart knowing your actions of love shine through the darkness, and show a way out of misery.

Thank you for being such a blessing. ALWayS.

 

Jonathan

Jonathan Krause – Community Action manager

 

PS: As ALWS responds to this earthquake emergency in Türkiye and Syria, we will maintain our efforts to help families of Ethiopia and Somalia threatened by looming famine.It is our commitment they will not be forgotten. The good news is we have locked in an 18:1 Matching Grant to support 8,080 Somali children to go to school – where they will receive daily school meals. The 18:1 Matching Grant means your personal impact is 18 TIMES your donation. 

 

Donate 18:1 for Somalia

 

PHOTOS: *GOPA-DERD is Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, Department of Ecumenical Relations and Development

 

 

 

 

 

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HOPE Spot #2: Tuesday 7th February

Your ALWS action for Türkiye / Syria Earthquake

 

 

YOUR ALWS ACTION

 

Our plan is that your ALWS aid will be channelled through on-ground ACT Alliance partner, Christian Aid.

While damage assessments are still in process, our experience in responding to previous earthquake disasters indicates likely needs may include:

•      shelter
•      clean water
•      sanitation
•      household essentials
•      warm clothes

 

Thank you for any emergency response you may like to give – donate now

 

Jonathan

Jonathan Krause – Community Action Manager

 

 

Donate Here

 

 

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HOPE Spot #1: Friday 3rd February

What ABC listeners got wrong at Christmas

 

Lovely to talk with you. I hope you had a blessed Christmas.

If you got to have holidays too, I trust they went well. (Mine did – family, food, fun!)

One of the things I like most about summer is listening to the cricket on ABC radio.

 

 

 

Such a summer thing to do. The voices so smooth and soothing you soon slip into a nap.

(Not a good idea though if you’re wielding a power tool at the time!)

This year, the Australian team was so strong, the games all seemed to finish early, and I’d have to listen to ‘normal’ radio.

 

In one such session, the radio host asked listeners for three words to describe the season of Christmas.

(As you’d expect these days, Jesus didn’t get a mention. ☹)

What encouraged me though was that the three top words were:

 

HOPE

JOY

KINDNESS

 

As I thought about that, I realised I’m blessed to experience those three things year-round.

They are what you do for people through ALWS.

My only change would be to re-order the words:

 

      Your KINDNESS …

                                    … brings HOPE

                                                              … which creates JOY

 

The world can use all the kindness it can get.

The famine threatening in Ethiopia and Somalia.

Violence in Myanmar, and hurt for Rohingya refugees who fled.

The cold-blooded attacks on Ukraine.

 

When you see all the hurt …

… you may wonder if what you and I do together through ALWS makes a difference.

When I feel like that, I lift my eyes and see:

 

•      300 families in Somalia with 80kg of food per month,

because of you

•      thousands of displaced children in Myanmar with a school to go to,

because of you

•      schools in Ukraine with bomb-shelters in their basement to keep children safe,

because of you

 

Going back to the ABC listeners’ list of Christmas words, I reckon there’s one missing.

The most important word of all.

Love

 

The love we receive.

The love we then offer others.

The kind of love that never gives up …

 

… despite the fifth year of failed rains in Somalia and Ethiopia

… despite the unrelenting missile attacks of the Russians on Ukraine

… despite it being a full two years of brutal military junta in Myanmar

 

Love that is patient, kind, supportive, loyal, hopeful, trusting,

(1 Corinthians 13)

 

 

 

You can see what this means to these children, and their parents, at a Learning Space you helped build inside a Displaced Persons Camp in Myanmar.

Thank you for bringing your love to life through ALWS – you are a blessing ALWayS!

 

Jonathan

 

PS: Next week I can share news of an 18:1 Matching Grant that will vastly increase your ministry through ALWS for the children of Somalia!

 

HOPE Spot #46: Friday 16 December

When Frankenstein came to Christmas 

 

How’s your Christmas prep going? Busy, isn’t it.

I haven’t started yet …

 

… apart from sharing about your ALWS work at the Christmas & Carols service of two churches in the Barossa Valley last Sunday.

I wasn’t sure how to link together Christmas in Bethlehem 2,000+ years ago … to us here in Australia today … to the famine that’s been looming Somalia over the last few months.

 

It’s so easy for those worlds to seem so far apart.

 

 

 

That’s when Frankenstein came calling.

 

I was thinking about the Three Wise Men who came to welcome and worship the baby Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh …

… which led to my wife’s story of her uncle who managed in the Christmas reading at church to include Frankenstein among the gifts the Wise Men brought!

 

You can see in the photo the ‘gifts’ I used to symbolise the gifts of the wise men …

… but when children from the congregation opened the ‘Ho Ho’ gift boxes, they found something very different:

 

 

Photo:ALWS

 

This is the food ration you deliver to families threatened by famine in Somalia.

 

What you see here is food for a family of six for one week:

•    6kg of wheat flour

•    6 kg of rice

•    6 kg of sugar

•    a litre of vegetable oil

•    250 gms of dates

(Cost: $25. Value: priceless.)

 

The children placed the food in the manger the church had made for their ‘Live Nativity’ Christmas presentation to their community.

This is a little different to how your food aid in Somalia is actually delivered …

 

 

 

Photo: LWF Somalia

 

… but it’s a way of showing that while you may not bring actual gold, frankincense and myrrh 

… your gift of food to hungry families in Somalia is just as precious!

 

THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS

 

I know people like you help others through ALWS for all kinds of reasons. 

For me, as a Christian, it’s a way to live my faith and bring love to life. 

 

Whatever reason you have for helping …

… at Christmas I feel especially blessed to witness your kindness and generosity, and see your humble selfless love for others.

 

In a world that is so crazy and commercial,

you are the true spirit of Christmas.

That’s why I want to thank you for everything you have done for others through ALWS in 2022:

  * people of Ukraine, under attack from the failed Russian invasion

  * child victims of conflicts forgotten by the world – Ethiopia and Myanmar

  * people with disabilities in the world’s poorest communities

  * girls and women in Nepal suffering simply because of their gender

  * farming families in countries like Burundi hurt by changing climate

 

Right now, I especially thank you for the help you give to mums and dads and kids and grandies and aunties and uncles threatened by famine in the Horn of Africa.

You are extra important here because the world seems to have forgotten these people.

We haven’t though.

 

That’s why, heading into the new year, ALWS is working on a partnership to increase the number of lives you can save and children you can protect.

The partnership aims to bring you together through ALWS with …

… the Church of Sweden and the American Friends Service Committee 

… to access a large matching grant from Bread for the World in Germany 

… delivered by LWF (Lutheran World Federation) in Somalia!

 

That sounds complex …

… but what it will mean for you is simply that any donation you give will be multiplied many times over!

Together, we hope to help 25,000 of the hardest-hit families.

(We’ll need a very big Christmas manger to fit in all that help!)

 

As we work on that partnership …

… can I leave you with a message from another partnership you have in Africa through ALWS, in Burundi.  

Pablo Lo Moro, who oversees the program for LWF, wrote to me this week:

 

I take advantage of this opportunity to thank everyone at ALWS for their unwavering support.

Without ALWS, there would literally be no LWF in Burundi, ranked as the world “hungriest” country by some measures. 

My gratitude to the Australian taxpayers as well. We do strive to make a difference with these hard-earned funds.

Pablo

 

 

This is how precious you are in the lives of the people you help.

You live the spirit of Christmas with every gift you give, every prayer you bring.

 

That’s why I pray you have a blessed Christmas season with those you love …

… and thank you for the love you bring to life for people at risk from hunger and poverty and injustice and discrimination and the danger of being forgotten.

Truly, you are a blessing ALWayS!

 

Jonathan

 

PS: Just a reminder that I (and all the team here at ALWS) welcome invitations to visit your church, school, Probus, Rotary or Social Group, to share stories of what you do in people’s lives through ALWS. Just call 1300 763 407 or reply to this email.

Thank you, and may God bless you with a very happy Christmas!

 

 

 

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HOPE Spot #45: Monday 5 December

Simple things, small help, smiling faces

One of the special joys of working for you at ALWS is hearing from people like you!

Whether that’s a two-line email after a HOPE Spot … a quick chat over dodgy coffee when I’ve presented at a church … or a note like this one from Rosemary about Gifts of Grace:

 

I appreciated the little write-ups about how each donation gets used in the ‘Gifts of Grace’ catalogue. I wanted to add why I chose some.

 

When I turned the page to the ‘Assistive Devices’, the girl in the picture is Irene. My dear mother’s name was Irene, and although she died nearly 20 years ago, I still think of her every day. She was a kind and lovely lady who helped others, so this is in memory for her.

 

Then I saw ‘Irrigation’ and that made me think of my dear Dad who died just a few months ago. He always ate vegetables, so I thought those veggies are in memory for him.

The ‘School Sets’ are because my grandchildren are still in their school.

 

 It saddens me to think of how hard it is for these people. But these simple things seem to help them so much and they seem to appreciate the help so very much. 

 

I hope our small help can help them very much. Their smiling faces help me.

Rosemary

 

 

 

When I read this note, I got a tear in my eye.

In just a few lines, Rosemary has summed up what your help through ALWS is all about.

You might think that ‘simple things’ like giving someone a Mosquito net … or teaching them how to use Drip Irrigation … or providing pencils and paper with a School Set are ‘small help’ …

… yet ‘smiling faces’ like these children at Kakuma Refugee Camp show you just how precious you are:

 

 

HOPE Spot #44: Tuesday 22 November

Your starting role in tomorrow morning’s Socceroos World Cup campaign ⚽

But when Australia takes on France at 6am tomorrow morning (Wednesday 23/11) …

… you’ll be there.

Not just in the stands, or on the bench, but right there on the pitch.

 

Why?

 

Because Awer Mabil, Australia’s winger and goal-scoring sensation, was born and grew up at Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya …

… where, through ALWS, you support refugee children (like he was) to go to school

 

HOPE Spot #43: Friday 11 November

How your Long Drop Loo is a lifesaver

WARNING You might need a peg for your nose,  and soap for your hands, today!   Have you got a Gifts of Grace Long Drop Loo for someone special in your life this year?   You should. It’s a fun gift to give (teenage son / Boss / anyone in your household who hogs the loo) … … plus it’s a life-saver for the family you help!   Look up (down?) your Long Drop Loo now.   As you do, let me tell you about my loo. It uses a septic tank.

So, while it’s not like the loo you see here – in a refugee camp in Ethiopia, on the border of Somalia – the mechanics are similarly basic.   (NB: You don’t ask too many questions about mechanics when dodgy goat stew means you have multiple first-hand experiences of the ‘facilities’!)   Back home in Australia … … every three years a man arrives at our place with a tanker truck and a big hose to empty the septic tank. (You know he’s coming, because when he visits other houses, there is a particular fragrance that perfumes the suburban air.)   I like to have a chat with the man and offer him a coffee.  I want to make sure he knows we appreciate what he does for us.   Of course, this takes me right to the $51 Long Drop Loo you can give families in developing communities through ALWS. Like this one, that someone like you supported in Indonesia through ALWS …     The family you help do all the hard work – digging the hole, installing the concrete squatting slab, making a privacy enclosure using whatever materials they have available.     You provide the support – the materials, the construction training, and the health teaching to show families how critical good sanitation is for children’s health.   This partnership is why it costs only $51 to give a Long Drop Loo through Gifts of Grace this Christmas. The clean healthy Long Drop Loo you provide is a big step up from what people had to use before:     Even worse, in many communities, families have nowhere to go to the toilet but the fields. Disease can spread easily.   Girls and women face physical danger from attack, not to mention the impact on privacy and dignity … so they ‘hold on’ all day, until they can ‘go’ in the dark. NB: You can also give a $15 Dignity Kit for girls and women with sanitary napkins and other hygiene essentials through Gifts of Grace.   Hygiene training is also critical to protect young children from deadly diarrhoea …     So, what do you think?  This is very humble work.    Many people don’t want to think about it, or talk about it …  … but it’s typical of what you do for others through ALWS.    You give the help that’s needed most. No matter if it’s hard work. No matter if others don’t want to do it. No matter if there’s no fan-fare for you.    Are you brave enough to give someone a Long Drop Loo this Christmas?   Your teenage son / Boss / loo-hogging family member may be surprised by your gift … … but you can be certain the family you help will consider you a blessing ALWayS. Thank you!   Jonathan   PS: It’s a good idea to order your Gifts of Grace early. Our ALWS volunteers will pack your Grace cards as quickly as they can, but post can be slow. Order now or call Amanda and the team on 1300 763 407. Thank you!   Photos: ALWS

HOPE Spot #42: Wednesday 2 November

Whoops…

Not sure if you noticed the mistake in my Gifts of Grace HOPE Spot #41 last week?   I meant to write ‘Christmas List’ … … but instead wrote ‘Christ List’.   When I thought about it though, maybe that’s not a bad thing.   Here at ALWS, we are inspired by the example of Jesus in reaching out to vulnerable people, in danger of being forgotten by the world.   With Australians expected to spend up to $24 BILLION on Christmas this year (gifts, food, holidays) …

… when I look at your ALWS Gifts of Grace, it’s reassuring for me as a Christian to see it really is a Christmas List:   People Jesus You   children   Jesus said,    “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”                            Matthew 19:14   School Set   $9   girls   [Jesus] took her by the hand and said to her,   “Talitha koum!’   (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!’’).                              Mark 5:41   Dignity Kit   $15   sick   Jesus turned and saw her.    “Take heart, daughter, your faith has healed you.”    And the woman was healed at that moment.                              Matthew 9:22   Elder care   $6   women   When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her,    “Will you give me a drink?”     The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)                              John 4:7-9   Irrigation  $6   stigmatised   When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said to them,    “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous,  but sinners.”                                          Mark 2:16,17   Kitchen Garden  $218   disability   Some men came, bringing to him a paralysed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on … So he said to the man,    “I tell you, get up, take your mat and  go home.”     He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all.                                   Mark 2:3,4,11   Assistive Devices  $7   hungry   During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said,    “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have  nothing to eat.”       Mark 8:1-2   Emergency Food   $12   Then the King will say,    ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things  to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me. Matthew 25:40     I’m not sure what motivates you to give Gifts of Grace … … but I thank you if that’s what you choose to do. You’re a blessing ALWayS!   Jonathan   PS: Over the weekend I called up my 86 years-old Dad to make some arrangements about Christmas. He declared in his hearing-aids-out former-school-teacher voice: “I’m not giving anyone Christmas presents this year, they’ve all got enough. They’re getting Gifts of Grace instead.”  Good on you Dad!

HOPE Spot #41: Tuesday 25 October 

Mozzies, Aussies, becozzee …