Glenn's Act of Hope

18-year-old Glenn Adams is a volunteer for SCIAF, and a keen writer. Here he talks about what the WEE BOX appeal means to him, and how he has Acted in Hope this Lent.

SCIAF’s WEE BOX

The WEE BOX appeal brings to my mind easy tasks of cutting down on chocolate or giving up the Friday pint, then donating what you save to SCIAF’s work overseas. However, if we look deeper, the impact that the WEE BOX can have on the world is profound. It’s inspirational to think how such a mass effort here in Scotland can support those people who are living in the poorest parts of the world. And, most importantly, it should encourage us to think about how we can continue to make change around the world, once Lent is over.

My Lenten practices

This Lent, I’ve refrained from eating meat for a few days each week, which has proved to be no easy feat!

This Lent, me and my family have been popping money in our WEE BOX. Neatly positioned next to the house keys, it has been there every year as I’ve grown up. Any spare change we gather throughout the day – including behind the sofa and in deep pockets – goes in to the WEE BOX, which then goes back to SCIAF, and then onto the people who need it most. In places like Malawi, this spare change can help people grow more food, access education, and create better futures for themselves.

Climate solutions

Climate change causes weather systems to be exaggerated. In places like Malawi, it creates more extreme weather events, more often – including floods, droughts and disasters such as Cyclone Ana, which in January 2021 destroyed people’s homes and crops, leaving them with nothing. For the people living there, climate change has made life really hard.

Issues such as global warming cannot be fixed with a snap of the fingers. But there are solutions – solutions which can be enacted with a communal, global effort where we all play a part. Eating less meat, walking more, using public transport, and buying sustainable products makes a small but important difference, and allows us to stand with our sisters and brothers who are feeling the effects of climate change today.

Let’s come together

Acts of Hope make a difference. If we can continue these new habits in our day-to-day lives then, I am convinced, we will eventually see the difference our small sacrifices make. Who knows, I might even go vegan!