Over 250 campaigners from across England and Wales came together on Saturday 10 November for the official launch of the Hungry for Change campaign. The event occurred at Westminster Cathedral Hall and outside on the Cathedral Piazza, where CAFOD held an unseasonable picnic to raise awareness of the problem of hunger and malnutrition globally.
The day began with CAFOD’s Chair, Bishop John Arnold, giving the liturgy. Bishop Arnold went on to speak about ‘how working out what the Gospel wants us to do is not easy as we live in a changing world’ and how our responses to these problems can therefore not be static either. He went on to praise CAFOD for its work to restore the dignity of the human person in face of these great challenges and of the tens of thousands of people around the world it has helped to build sustainable livelihoods with.
Following from Bishop Arnold campaigners heard from a number of distinguished speakers. Father Joe Komakoma Deputy General Secretary of SECAM, spoke about the implications of climate change on poor farmers in Zambia, Next CAFOD’s Head of campaigns Clare Lyons argued for the importance of the Hungry for Change campaign in a time when, for the first time in a generation, the number of people suffering malnutrition is rising. Following from this was a talk by theologian David McLoughlin who spoke of Jesus’ message and how it was lived out in his approach to food by his willingness to eat with all, irrespective of status.
To raise awareness and inform people about the launch of the Hungry for Change campaign CAFOD organised a ‘picnic’ outside of Westminster Cathedral in which people called out loudly for change. The campaigners went on to share a feast of different foods and gained the opportunity to socialise with others from around England and Wales.
After lunch there were workshops for the campaigners to learn how to use different skills, including photography and social media, to their fullest effect.
