Saturday 30th September 2023
Listening, Learning & Advocating
Listening
September saw the first national Gathering for all our supporters since the pandemic restrictions. Whilst it was really good to be together like that, it was also striking to see the sheer diversity: of ages present, of length of experience of Hands at Work or of complete newcomers! This diversity extended to the voices heard during the day, with video contributions from African leaders and UK volunteers. Long-term UK volunteers, Chris & Jo Poulsom, were able to be present and the voice of the African diaspora was expressed through Hands at Work UK Board member, Ann-Marie Ageyman, who challenged us to be open to what we learn and receive in our partnerships from Africa; “If we cannot express what we receive from Africa then it isn’t a partnership and it’s clouded with pride”.
During the course of the day we heard from UK teams that had visited this year, including nurse, Helen Cullen, from St. Albans, who went to support the Service Centre staff in Kabwe, Zambia, in undertaking pioneering health assessments of our children.
Learning
Chris & Jo Poulsom spoke about the process of communities moving towards independence – ‘graduation’, as we call it in Hands at Work. Working with local volunteers and church pastors, we seek to mobilise the churches in the communities to fulfil the biblical mandate to care for the orphan and widow. Chris & Jo explained how this process works in practice and how, by moving towards graduation, it enables Hands at Work to reach even more vulnerable communities.
Advocating
The Gathering was hosted by Highgrove Church in Bristol, part of the Woodlands group of churches, faithful partners of Hands at Work. They have recently built a new lobby area on the side of the church to create a more welcoming and hospitable space, which it did very effectively. As I stood welcoming people as they arrived, I could look out through the glass walls of the entrance area and see people passing on the street outside. I wondered as I did so whether they could possibly imagine what had brought us all together, this assorted gathering of people? A shared passion for the very poorest in our world, a desire to walk alongside them, learn from them, and share our gifts and resources; each person there called to return to their own context and be a voice for the people they have met and come to know by name and learn their stories – people who are themselves denied a platform. So, after a day of listening and learning, we were sent out to be a more effective voice on behalf of the poor and vulnerable.
David Newsome