Lineup announced for fundraising concert tonight
Money raised to help combat hunger in the Sahel region of West Africa and long- term development in countries of the Global South
Development and Peace is hoping for a great turnout for a fundraising concert taking place today at 7: 30 p. m. at Murphy’s Community Centre, 200 Richmond St., Charlottetown.
The concert welcomes people of all ages and promises a talented cast featuring Ten Strings and a Goat Skin, Michael and Shane Pendergast, Bailey Smith, Jenna Cheverie, Gary Chipman and others. Admission is by donation at the door.
Concert organizers are hoping to raise funds to combat hunger in the Sahel region of West Africa, as well as funds for long- term development in countries of the Global South. Allana Smythe, the youth representative of the Diocesan Council of Development and Peace, hopes there will be a good turnout of young people. At the same time she invites the general public because the performers and their music appeals to all ages. It promises to be a great evening of entertainment.
Smythe says that the world for the most part overlooked the massive hunger and suffering of 18 million people in the Sahel region of Africa that comprises countries such as Mali, Burkino Faso, Niger, Mauritania, Senegal, the Gambia, Cape Verde and Chad where crops failed because of lack of rain.
“As a student of nutrition at UPEI, I am very concerned that malnutrition rates among children in the region have more than tripled over the past year. When crops failed, many families had to eat the seeds they reserved for this year’s planting along with whatever wild plants and berries they could find. Now they are facing more long term hunger as seeds available through the market are too expensive.”
Development and Peace, the official development agency of the Canadian Catholic Bishops, has intervened in co- operation with the Canadian Food Grains Bank, providing $ 5 million. The money, raised through donations, was funnelled through Caritas Internationalis, an organization with close ties to the community at the base. The money helped to supply food, water, seeds, and medical necessities. This organization is able to identify those who need help the most and see that they receive supplies. One Mali Caritas worker told the crowd assembled to collect beans, maize and oil, “when you are in difficulty, to find someone to help you is a joy.”
While Development and Peace, in co- operation with Caritas, is one of the first agencies on the scene to help when disasters strike, its main purpose is to work in solidarity with people at the grassroots to overcome underdevelopment and the root causes of poverty through long term projects in countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East ( formerly called the Third World and now referred to as the Global South).
Everyone is welcome to come to the concert and join in solidarity with the people of the Sahel and partners worldwide. For further information, call 892- 9074.