OYiMS students join ADRA-UK in humanitarian cause

On Monday 17 October, students from the One Year in Mission and Service course joined ADRA-UK in Parliament Square, in support of encouraging the government to respond to a humanitarian crisis. The Horn of Africa is experiencing its fifth season without rainfall, and as a result, in addition to the rise in poverty and the increase of living costs, there are millions of people in the region and neighbouring areas who are pushed to starvation.

“In Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, a person dies from starvation every 48 seconds on average. At least 10 million children are facing severe drought conditions and over 7 million people have had to leave their homes in search of food.” – ADRA-UK website.

Joanna Shepley was one of the students in attendance:

“With escalating crises around the world, there are catastrophes unfolding which go unnoticed due to limited media coverage and a lack of a voice.

Invited by ADRA UK, the One Year in Mission & Service (OYiMS) students from the College joined in an advocacy event in London, outside the Houses of Parliament on Monday 17th October, to literally sound the alarm for the urgent risk of famine in East Africa. ADRA, alongside several other NGO’s, set small alarm clocks to ring at 5:30pm. And in somewhat unison, the alarms were raised up and a chorus of beeps were heard, as people fell silent to listen. Together, we raised the alarm for the Horn of Africa. It was a really special moment.

As a young student interested in International Development and Humanitarian Aid, this was a fantastic event to witness and be a part of, even just to show my solidarity. I was particularly moved by the joint effort of several NGO’s (including Christian Aid, MSF, Oxfam and more), all of whom collectively saw the need for unison and took their time to raise awareness, despite all the work they already do.

Having had workshops with ADRA throughout the OYiMS course, I was grateful to have the opportunity to stand by ADRA, the way ADRA consistently looks to help those in need.

I learnt that together, we have a voice. What can we do as a Newbold community to raise awareness for those without a voice? “

To learn more about this cause, please visit the ADRA website.
To learn more about the One Year in Mission and Service cause, please visit this page.