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The Anglican Church in Tasmania Search |
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a healthy church...transformingLIFE |
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June 2006 |
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Simply Sharing WeekKaylea Fearn from the National Council of Churches talked to Will Longbottom about Australia’s commitment to improving health in the Solomon Islands. Violence broke out in the Solomon Islands in 2003 as a result of ethnic tensions and over 20,000 people were forced to flee their homes as the economy collapsed and many lost their jobs. Three years later, the country is still suffering riots and a health crisis, as people go without proper access to medical treatment, clean water, education or employment. Simply Sharing Week is a joint program from Caritas Australia and the National Council of Churches Australia. It is an annual program that makes a difference by focusing education and fundraising on one project. Kaylea Fearn, a coordinator of the program, has recently travelled to the Solomon Islands visiting villages supported by Simply Sharing Week. Kaylea says that Solomon Islanders are trained and sent back to their communities, where they run health and trauma programs. The skills learnt include vital health education such as HIV/AIDS awareness, but also practical things like community leadership, providing clean water, preventing malaria and treating the mental trauma caused by the conflict. She says that at the moment what the Solomon Islands need is healing. Everyone, children and adults, have been affected by the violence. ‘While some people feel that we should deal with the basic things first, the trauma counselling helps heal the mind and has gone a long way to reducing domestic violence and sexual abuse,’ she says. Kaylea says that worldwide freedom from poverty is achievable by 2015, but the Australian government needs to meet its commitment to overseas aid. When Australia signed onto the Millennium Declaration, 2000, it agreed to ‘Spare no effort to free our fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty.’ Australia has an opportunity to help free our neighbours from poverty by 2015. The UN recommended we increase our overseas aid to 0.7% of our gross national income, but even an increase to 0.5% would mean about 40,000 fewer child deaths each year, and access to clean water for almost 11 million more people, as well as improved education and fewer deaths from disease. ‘Our motto or slogan is “Live simply, so others may simply live”’,’ says Kaylea, ‘The bottom line is that giving isn’t a burden, it’s a joy. It runs true to Christian roots.’
For more information contact Kaylea at Simply Sharing Week. Phone: 03 9650 6811 |
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