What's funny about tragedy? Nothing, really – but with a typically wry look at the process of collecting for Christian Aid Week, cartoonist Dave Walker is at least looking for something to smile at.
The Church Times cartoonist was hired by the aid agency to produce cartoons for the annual collecting week (May 13-19), the country's oldest. Thousands of Christians take part in house-to-house collections, and judging by Walker's insight he is probably one of them: his 'Collecting the envelopes' cartoon, recording highlights such as 'Two buttons and a watch battery' and 'Dog: I ran away' is entirely true to life, while 'Reasons to do it' include 'It's incredibly rare to be kidnapped' – possibly a tilt at desperate excuses some people come up with to avoid getting involved.
The cartoons also highlight a scheme to raise money via a 'Big Brekkie' for friends and community, while we're also reminded that Christian Aid's earthquake-resistant houses erected in the wake of the 2010 disaster withstood Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
This year, the charity is highlighting the plight of the millions of people displaced around the world, but who remain within their own countries.
Today, more than 40 million people are internally displaced by conflict, accounting for approximately two thirds of those who find themselves forced from their homes. A further 24 million were displaced by disasters in 2016 alone. Yet, because they haven't crossed a border, the general public rarely hear about them and they receive practically no political attention.
The charity instances Vilia, left homeless by Haiti's earthquake in 2010 in which her mother was killed. Bereaved and homeless, for Vilia, her husband and their seven children, life became a struggle. Christian Aid's local partner, KORAL, built her and her family a new home, that was safe, stable and strong enough to stand up to natural disasters.
When Hurricane Matthew hit, of the dozens of houses built before it hit, only one lost its roof in the disaster, and Vilia's home was able to shelter 54 people over several days following the hurricane.
Amanda Khozi Mukwashi, chief executive of Christian Aid, said: 'Internally displaced people are rarely at the forefront of the news. At Christian Aid we believe that everyone counts, and we will continue to fight alongside them for justice.
'So, this Christian Aid Week, please stand together with displaced people, like Vilia, and help them weather the storms.'
For more information about Christian Aid Week click here.
