London: CAFOD supporters hear from cyclone survivors

Fr Pius addresses group

This week CAFOD welcomed Burmese priest Fr Pius Win Than to their head office in London for an event to raise awareness about the devastating effects of extreme weather on poor communities overseas.

Addressing a room full of CAFOD supporters, Fr Pius spoke about his harrowing experience helping people after Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) in 2008.

Fr Pius, Associate Director of CAFOD Church partner Caritas Pathein, played a central role supporting his community after the cyclone killed 150,000 people. With funding from CAFOD he has been training people in his diocese in disaster risk reduction and building early warning systems so that, should another cyclone hit, people are prepared and have a safe place to go.

During the evening, Fr Pius thanked CAFOD supporters for their backing and for the opportunity to share his experiences with the Catholic community in England and Wales. Supporters in turn expressed sincere gratitude for the work he is doing on their behalf.

CAFOD's Head of Campaigns, Sophie Dodgeon, said: "When we hear about the impact that extreme weather is having on some of the poorest communities around the world, like those Fr Pius serves, it brings home just how urgent this issue is. While we cannot link any single extreme weather event to climate change, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change tells us we should expect more frequent and more severe weather events. It is crucial that our government tackles climate change for the sake of vulnerable communities around the world.

"Our event on Tuesday evening gave CAFOD supporters an opportunity to see how their money is spent on projects that will save lives in the future. It gave us a greater sense of hope that we are working together with our worldwide Catholic community to make a difference."

A voluntary collection at the event raised £95 for CAFOD's Lent Appeal, which will be doubled to £190 by the UK government's match funding scheme.

Money raised during the Lent Appeal period (18 Feb - 17 May) will go towards helping people overseas recover from extreme weather such as droughts, floods and storms. Every £1 given will be matched by the UK government to the value of £5 million.

To join CAFOD's One Climate, One World campaign, calling on politicians to tackle climate change and stop it pushing the poorest people deeper into poverty overseas, follow this link: www.cafod.org.uk/Campaign/One-Climate-One-World