09 June 2006
Celebrating 21 years of small miracles and changed lives
Methodist Relief and Development (MRDF) will be celebrating 21
years as a registered charity at the Methodist Conference on Monday
26 June. New President of the Methodist Conference the Revd. Graham
Carter will mark the event by blowing out the candles on a
'virtual' birthday cake.
Conference representatives will then tuck into a giant chocolate
cake, made with Fairtrade ingredients, ensuring farmers in poor
countries are paid a fair and reliable price for their crops.
MRDF Director Kirsty Smith said: 'We can all be part of tackling
poverty. We may feel overwhelmed by the scale of the world's
problems, but even doing something small can change someone's life
for the better. Over the last 21 years MRDF, with the support of
churches in the UK, has helped tens of thousands of individuals and
communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America to reach their full
potential - these small miracles are worth celebrating!'
MRDF will also be launching its new Small Miracles Harvest Pack at
the Conference. The free pack provides everything you need to
celebrate Harvest with MRDF, including activities, posters, worship
materials and stories of 'small miracles' in Nepal, Ethiopia and
Cameroon. Radika Rokaia from Simikot village in Nepal is pictured
on the cover, holding a bowl of fresh apples that she has grown
despite the area's rocky terrain, low rainfall and freezing
temperatures. New techniques taught by MRDF partners have
transformed her diet: instead of only eating dried food during the
winter months, she is now able to grow fresh fruit and vegetables
throughout the year. Conference representatives will each a receive
an MRDF 'identity card' on arrival, encouraging them to find out
more about Radika's life and the lives of four other individuals
who have benefited from the work of MRDF partners.
The Harvest Pack also includes a Fairtrade birthday cake recipe,
devised by celebrity chef Jane Asher. It is hoped that the cake
served at Conference will be the first of many, as hundreds of
churches and groups across the UK mark MRDF's birthday at Harvest
time with special services and fundraising activities. The pack is
initially being mailed to over 3,000 contacts, with many more
orders expected over the summer.
MRDF's website is also being redesigned and expanded to coincide
with the release of the Harvest Pack.