A message from Nigel Edward-Few, Director.

As Christmas once again draws near, many of us here in Britain are already beginning to make our preparations for the forthcoming celebrations. The Christmas season seems to arrive earlier each year, as our Western culture increasingly focuses on the extravagances of Christmas. Even in the last few days, and despite the recent increase in bank rate, I have heard people on the news saying that their Christmas preparations 'for a great family Christmas' will not be cut back.

While for many of us this will be a time of more than adequate sufficiency and maybe even a little over indulgence, for many of BibleLands' Project Partners and the children they serve, Christmas will simply be like the rest of the year – a continuing struggle for survival.

Wherever BibleLands and its Project Partners seek to serve the needy in the lands of the Bible, whether with victims of civil conflict, social deprivation, disability or disease, the supply of healthy food and a balanced diet is becoming an increasing problem, as more and more people are marginalised.

Over this last year, as I have had the privilege of travelling throughout the region and of visiting the majority of our Partner Projects, many have raised, again and again, the increasing importance, and now-assumed responsibility on their part, to do whatever they can to provide proper nutrition, particularly in respect of the children in their care.

Against this background of need, we hope that this Christmas, you will want to 'invite' a child or a family in the care of our Project Partners to 'share' in your Christmas meal, by making an appropriate gift to BibleLands' Christmas Appeal.

It almost goes without saying that there are so many lasting benefits of providing these children, in particular, with such a healthy, balanced and consistent diet:

• Snacks, or the provision of full meals, encourage the children to come to school; often the food provided within our Partner Projects is the main or only proper meal that the children receive during the day.
• Such provision ensures that the children receive a balanced diet and remain healthy.
• Budgets of the very poorest families are eased by children from the family receiving a meal at school.
• Not least is the fact that a 'full stomach' helps the children to be alert, focused and able to concentrate on their lessons.

To this end, BibleLands has recognised and already committed itself in certain centres, to ensuring that our future grants include resources to provide balanced meals and such vital nutrition all the year round.

The fact sheet (right) briefly outlines how some of our Partner Projects are providing food to the children and families they care for on a daily basis, whether within the schools or orphanages that they run, or to the wider families of the children concerned. I hope that you will take just a few moments to read through this leaflet and be encouraged to join us in 'setting an extra place' at your Christmas table this year.

As we and our Project Partners seek to make this Christmas and the year ahead as special as possible for the children in our care, could I ask you to respond to this growing area of need by printing and returning the response slip (below right)? We and they would be very grateful.

From all of us here at BibleLands, we wish you a very Happy Christmas and Blessed New Year. Thank you for your continued and valuable support of our work.

With warmest Christian greetings

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Response Form. [178KB]