Commitment for Life (CfL) |
Home Other sites |
Trinity URC supports CfL which is the URC's vehicle for channelling money to Christian Aid. This is done by focussing on four specific projects in the following countries Bangladesh Palestine Jamaica Zimbabwe Trinity URC supports the project in Bangladesh through the Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh (CCDB). This aims to support women who have long been second class citizens in Bangladesh . With limited access to education they are often forced into marriage at a young age and are then trapped in traditional roles in society. For these reasons women are often the poorest of the poor in Bangladesh . This is why CCDB aims to meet the needs of women as a priority. Working through local forums CCDB offers non formal programmes of leadership training as well as savings and loan programmes that enable women to transform their lives. One such example is Musamud Kamrun Nahar. Five years ago she borrowed from the savings and loan group to start a shop in her village in north Bangladesh . She has been able to repay her loans and is now the manager of a thriving little business. The shop is in a tiny wooden hut crammed with everything from oranges eggs rice and flour to matches string and children's exercise books. It is open from 7am to10pm and earns her £20 per month. Her husband works as an agricultural labourer but he could not earn that much even if he were able to find work for every day of the month. Her business has bought Musamud better social status as well as self confidence. On meeting her eldest daughter coming home from school she said ‘in ten years I want to meet her coming home from college'. In a society where women can easily be left out that is quite a dream. But it is a dream shared by CCDB, whose work with women helps them to challenge their position in society. This empowerment of women extends far beyond their personal lives. Bangladesh is home to 130 million people and is one of the least developed and most densely populated countries in the world. The GDP per person is one of the lowest in the world. Whilst the last two decades have seen some improvement in the overall standard of living poverty remains deep and efforts to relieve it continue to be hampered by environmental disaster and debt. We try to have one big fundraising event each year and in the past these have taken the form of a Quiz evening or a concert by a local choir or band. Neil and Frances Caldwell are the CfL coordinators for Trinity URC. Visit the Commitment for Life website. |