Church appeal for Rwanda

This year, churches in local communities across Rwanda in West Africa are also at the heart of this year’s appeal, as it seeks to strengthen and support them in the fight against food insecurity.

Primarily for Irish Presbyterians, the world development appeal takes place in the run up to Christmas and New New Year, and normally raises between £300,000 and £500,000 to support life-changing sustainable development projects in some of the poorest communities and disadvantaged places in the world.

Banbridge minister the Rev Liam Rutherford, who convenes the development appeal, explains: "For more than 40 years the Irish Presbyterian church's 500-plus congregations have been assisting the work of their church relief and development partners - Tearfund and Christian Aid, in a number of countries across the world. This year’s appeal is entitled ‘Hunger pains, scarcity to abundance’ and the lead project is a Tearfund programme in Rwanda. When we think of Rwanda, we automatically think for the genocide that took place there in 1994. Since then, it has had to start from scratch and now 30 years on, it is one of the more stable countries in Africa.

"When I went with the Tearfund team to Rwanda in March we found a beautiful greenhouse of a country. However, some 90 per cent of the population are involved in subsistence farming and as much as half of the population live in poverty. Food insecurity is a big issue. This is not helped by climate change which is making farming more uncertain.

"On the ground, Tearfund is working to address this issue through the main churches including the Eglise Presbytérienne au Rwanda (Presbyterian Church in Rwanda (PCR)).”

Mr Rutherford adds: “In a country that is 94 per cent Christian, the Rwanda church (PCR) has more than 4,000 congregations and two million members, and this year’s appeal will seek to strengthen the church through Tearfund’s church community transformation programme.

Chris Thompson, Tearfund’s NI director, confirms: "Each of the CCT projects is improving food security and increasing the resilience of communities. At the heart of each project is the local church and we are so grateful to the Presbyterian church for its faithful partnership with us through the world development appeal.”

Presbyterian moderator the Rev Dr Richard Murray says his church's world development appeal money will greatly improve food security in Rwanda.

“Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 9:11 that ‘You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.’ The annual world development appeal is an important opportunity to look beyond ourselves, to reach out and support those in need. For many years we have been able to respond with generosity which can only lead to increased hope."