70 and counting
11/10/12 05:35
It was October, 1942. War was ravaging Europe and the Pacific. England was fighting for its way of life, its government. It looked as if the axis powers were poised to take over all of northern Africa in addition to their control of most of the landmass of Europe.
Food supplies were short in many part of Europe. Despite the bombings, despite the danger, despite the shortages they themselves were experiencing, a group of people got together in Oxford to see what could be done about starving children in Greece. They formed the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief. Sending relief supplies to starving women and children in Greece meant coming up with a strategy to get the supplies through the allied naval blockade.
The committee, meeting at St. Mary’s Church on High Street in Oxford, decided to fund their efforts by donating their own household items and selling them in a gift shop. It wasn’t easy clearing the political landscape of the time, but they persisted. The early years were tough, with the group often at political odds with the majority of the citizens of England. In 1945, the Save Europe Now campaign was launched to persuade the UK government to allow food parcels to be sent to Germany. Sending food to the enemy, even after the defeat of Germany, was not a popular action. But women and children were starving and the group felt a need to respond to a genuine humanitarian crisis.
Oxfam has been responding to crises ever since. Today the group has more than 700 shops in the UK, supported by 22,000 volunteers. I guess we should be congratulating the present leaders of the organization on the occasion of their 70th anniversary. But celebrating seems to be the wrong mood.
Oxfam is still crossing political barriers to bring food to hungry people.
Thousands of people are seeking refuge in Kibati, on the outskirts of Goma in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Conflicts in that country are devastating the lives of many and the internal refugees are facing severe shortages of food and water.
Oxfam has commissioned a short film to examine how the illegal arms trade is threatening the basic well-being of people around the globe.
Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed in 2005, yet southern Sudan remains one of the poorest regions on earth. The people hope that peace will bring development, but in the meantime, emergency food supplies are a thread by which many are clinging to life.
Oxfam is responding to food crises in Somalia, Pakistan, Yemen, Niger, and Assam.
70 years after its founding, it seems that the need for emergency food relief is as great as ever. 70 years after its founding, there is little to celebrate. Dame Barbara Stocking, who has been the head of Oxfam since May, 2001, said, “In many ways, 70 years of Oxfam is not really a cause for celebration. We will only really be able to celebrate when there is no more need for Oxfam, when everyone in the world has enough to eat and extreme poverty and suffering are consigned to history.”
Right now it appears that the celebrations are a long way off, indeed.
The phrase “perfect storm” is often used these days after Sebastian Junger wrote a book about the 1991 Halloween Nor’easter storm. The phrase may have been brought to popular culture by the Junger’s book and the movie based on the book, but the phrase has been around a long time. The Oxford English Dictionary has published references to “perfect storm” going back to 1718. It’s first use was to describe applause. In Junger’s book it was describing a weather phenomena. These days we use the term to refer to almost any kind of complex combination of factors. They say that Somalia is at the center of a “perfect storm” of poor rains, crop failure, death of livestock and political insecurity.
There is nothing “perfect” about the situation at all.
People who were just barely coping with drought conditions and high food prices a year ago are now facing literal starvation without humanitarian support. They need to be given food in order to survive. Development is needed, but first the people need enough food to stay alive. Skipping meals is the norm across large parts of Somalia.
Somalia is just one place where relief is critical to the survival of starving people.
Four years after the formation of Oxfam, 37 denominations in the United States banded together to form Church World Service. The mission of CWS is to provide sustainable self-help, development, disaster relief, and refugee assistance around the world. Like Oxfam, Church World Service envisions a day when hunger and extreme poverty are eliminated. Unfortunately that day seems to be a long way off.
Both Oxfam and CWS have discovered that disaster response and refugee assistance can be intensely political actions. Like the Prophets of the Bible, leaders of hunger relief organizations have found out that it can be dangerous to call for justice and peace. Even giving blankets to people suffering from exposure to the elements following a disaster can be far more political than it would seem possible.
So this month I am noting the anniversary of Oxfam, but we have no celebrations planned. We’ll be preparing for our Blankets Plus offering to be taken in November as we join with about 8,000 congregations throughout the United States to support efforts to combat hunger and suffering caused by natural and political disasters. If that is getting the church involved in politics, so be it. Like the brave people who started Oxfam, we refuse to be silent while children are starving.
This Sunday we will once again read the story of a rich young man who went away from Jesus saddened because his wealth prevented him from following Jesus. Mark’s gospel reports that Jesus loved that man. By the standards of the world, we are the rich people. Like the man in the Gospel, we have to free ourselves from the things that prevent us from becoming disciples. It is a challenge that will not easily disappear from our lives.
Food supplies were short in many part of Europe. Despite the bombings, despite the danger, despite the shortages they themselves were experiencing, a group of people got together in Oxford to see what could be done about starving children in Greece. They formed the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief. Sending relief supplies to starving women and children in Greece meant coming up with a strategy to get the supplies through the allied naval blockade.The committee, meeting at St. Mary’s Church on High Street in Oxford, decided to fund their efforts by donating their own household items and selling them in a gift shop. It wasn’t easy clearing the political landscape of the time, but they persisted. The early years were tough, with the group often at political odds with the majority of the citizens of England. In 1945, the Save Europe Now campaign was launched to persuade the UK government to allow food parcels to be sent to Germany. Sending food to the enemy, even after the defeat of Germany, was not a popular action. But women and children were starving and the group felt a need to respond to a genuine humanitarian crisis.
Oxfam has been responding to crises ever since. Today the group has more than 700 shops in the UK, supported by 22,000 volunteers. I guess we should be congratulating the present leaders of the organization on the occasion of their 70th anniversary. But celebrating seems to be the wrong mood.
Oxfam is still crossing political barriers to bring food to hungry people.
Thousands of people are seeking refuge in Kibati, on the outskirts of Goma in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Conflicts in that country are devastating the lives of many and the internal refugees are facing severe shortages of food and water.Oxfam has commissioned a short film to examine how the illegal arms trade is threatening the basic well-being of people around the globe.
Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed in 2005, yet southern Sudan remains one of the poorest regions on earth. The people hope that peace will bring development, but in the meantime, emergency food supplies are a thread by which many are clinging to life.
Oxfam is responding to food crises in Somalia, Pakistan, Yemen, Niger, and Assam.
70 years after its founding, it seems that the need for emergency food relief is as great as ever. 70 years after its founding, there is little to celebrate. Dame Barbara Stocking, who has been the head of Oxfam since May, 2001, said, “In many ways, 70 years of Oxfam is not really a cause for celebration. We will only really be able to celebrate when there is no more need for Oxfam, when everyone in the world has enough to eat and extreme poverty and suffering are consigned to history.”
Right now it appears that the celebrations are a long way off, indeed.
The phrase “perfect storm” is often used these days after Sebastian Junger wrote a book about the 1991 Halloween Nor’easter storm. The phrase may have been brought to popular culture by the Junger’s book and the movie based on the book, but the phrase has been around a long time. The Oxford English Dictionary has published references to “perfect storm” going back to 1718. It’s first use was to describe applause. In Junger’s book it was describing a weather phenomena. These days we use the term to refer to almost any kind of complex combination of factors. They say that Somalia is at the center of a “perfect storm” of poor rains, crop failure, death of livestock and political insecurity.
People who were just barely coping with drought conditions and high food prices a year ago are now facing literal starvation without humanitarian support. They need to be given food in order to survive. Development is needed, but first the people need enough food to stay alive. Skipping meals is the norm across large parts of Somalia.
Somalia is just one place where relief is critical to the survival of starving people.
Four years after the formation of Oxfam, 37 denominations in the United States banded together to form Church World Service. The mission of CWS is to provide sustainable self-help, development, disaster relief, and refugee assistance around the world. Like Oxfam, Church World Service envisions a day when hunger and extreme poverty are eliminated. Unfortunately that day seems to be a long way off.
Both Oxfam and CWS have discovered that disaster response and refugee assistance can be intensely political actions. Like the Prophets of the Bible, leaders of hunger relief organizations have found out that it can be dangerous to call for justice and peace. Even giving blankets to people suffering from exposure to the elements following a disaster can be far more political than it would seem possible.
So this month I am noting the anniversary of Oxfam, but we have no celebrations planned. We’ll be preparing for our Blankets Plus offering to be taken in November as we join with about 8,000 congregations throughout the United States to support efforts to combat hunger and suffering caused by natural and political disasters. If that is getting the church involved in politics, so be it. Like the brave people who started Oxfam, we refuse to be silent while children are starving.
This Sunday we will once again read the story of a rich young man who went away from Jesus saddened because his wealth prevented him from following Jesus. Mark’s gospel reports that Jesus loved that man. By the standards of the world, we are the rich people. Like the man in the Gospel, we have to free ourselves from the things that prevent us from becoming disciples. It is a challenge that will not easily disappear from our lives.