Write a comment
Presbyterians across Counties Down and Armagh are being encouraged to 'bee generous' this Christmas in responding to this year's World Development Appeal, which has been launched by the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.
Entitled 'Hives of Hope: Working together for a better tomorrow', this year's annual appeal is supporting a number of overseas projects, including one in Honduras that is helping families to make a business from beekeeping. The appeal normally raises between £300,000 and £600,000 to support life-changing sustainable development projects in some of the poorest communities on the planet.
Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Rt Rev Dr Richard Murray who is the minister
of Drumreagh Presbyterian Church near Ballymoney, and the Council for
Global Mission’s Mission Support Officer (partnerships) Pip Florit.
Rev Liam Rutherford, PCI's World Development Appeal Agent and minister of Ballydown Presbyterian Church near Banbridge, visited Honduras in March to see how support could change lives and communities. He explained that around 60 per cent of Honduras' population live in poverty and 19 per cent of children under the age of five have impaired development.
He said: "Honduras is not a place we are terribly familiar with, but it is in the middle of Central America, in a region of the world that is heavily impacted not only by climate change but also by drug trafficking, political instability, gender-based violence and food insecurity. Beekeeping was chosen as an income generating project and it has proven very successful."
In the hills and valleys of western Honduras, Christian Aid's partner OCDIH works with local indigenous communities, training women in beekeeping and helping to produce and market honey. Income generated through selling honey can support families and provide education for children.
PCI's Moderator, Right Rev Dr Richard Murray, encouraged congregations to get involved, saying: "The faithful support of Irish Presbyterians through the World Development Appeal has become a traditional part of our Christian witness at this time of year. It is a time when we can sow real and lasting hope, the kind that helps families far away from us as they struggle to provide enough to cover their basic needs."
Dr Murray was ordained in 1997 as minister of Hilltown and Clonduff Presbyterian Churches where he served for seven years.
Rosamond Bennett, Chief Executive of Christian Aid Ireland, said the generosity of Irish Presbyterians has allowed Christian Aid Ireland to help transform lives across the world, adding that this year's money will make a huge difference to families in Honduras struggling with poverty and hunger.
Marie, one of the beneficiaries of the beekeeping programme in Honduras, wants to build up the number of hives she has from two to ten and then start to sell the honey. Running a small shop from her home, she said: "It was a dream. I wanted to have those beehives, but due to the situation, I couldn't, but thanks to Christian Aid, this dream was a reality."
This year's appeal will also support Tearfund projects in Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, Mozambique and the DRC, alongside other Christian Aid projects in Kenya, the Dominican Republic and Zimbabwe. For over 40 years, PCI's congregations have been assisting the work of the all-Ireland denomination's relief and development partners, Christian Aid, Tearfund and Tearfund Ireland.
