During Lent, Catholics in Scotland are traditionally invited to support SCIAF, the official relief and development agency of the Catholic Church in Scotland.
This Lent, the appeal focuses on Ethiopia – a country full of hope, resilience, and faith. For years, communities have been building a better future: children going to school, families successfully farming, young people growing up with bright futures. But in recent years, much of that progress has been undone by war, displacement, drought, flooding, and drastic cuts to aid. Behind all of these challenges there still lies a basic need for many: access to clean safe water. Clean water – the most basic gift of life – is becoming harder and harder to reach for many communities. Families walk miles to fill a single water carrier. Wells have been destroyed. Water pumps no longer work. And without water, schools close, crops fail, young people drop out of education, and entire communities are pushed to breaking point.
When clean water flows in a village, children return to school, women and girls have time for education and work rather than long, dangerous walks for water. Families grow more food. Communities flourish again. And hope returns. Your generosity doesn’t just deliver water. It delivers dignity. It delivers opportunity. It delivers hope.
You can pick up a WEE BOX in the church. There will be a special collection on the 4th Sunday of Lent, 15 March. You can also donate directly on SCIAF’s dedicated website.