Catholic Charity Raises £200k in Two Months to Support Suffering Christians in Africa

Nairobi, 16 January, 2024 / 7:35 PM

The “£100k4Africa” challenge that the Catholic Pontifical and charity foundation, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) UK, launched during last year’s #RedWednesday initiatives to support persecuted Christians in Africa has raised £200,000.

The funds, ACN has reported, will provide shelter, food and trauma counselling, as well as other forms of practical and spiritual aid for suffering Christians in Africa.

ACN (UK) announced on January 12 that it had reached its £100,000.00 donations target, unlocking a further £100,000, “thanks to pledges by a number of generous benefactors.”

“Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is delighted to announce the success of its #RedWednesday ‘£100k4Africa’ challenge, which will help struggling Christians on a continent that has seen a dramatic rise in violent conflict and persecution,” the charity foundation said.

According to ACN, nine African countries were in the red category in ACN’s 2023 Religious Freedom in the World Report, indicating widespread persecution on the continent.

Patricia Hatton, Head of Fundraising and Marketing at ACN (UK), said in the January report, that there had been “an explosion of violence in Africa in recent years”, prompting the charity foundation to make the African continent a priority in its funding initiatives.

She said that in Africa, “Christians are displaced and suffering trauma as a result of targeted violence, with countless families enduring the loss of their homes, livelihoods and loved ones.”

The ACN official noted that the massacre of about 200 people over Christmas by Fulani extremists in predominantly Christian villages in Nigeria’s Plateau State was “a tragic validation” of ACN’s focus on Africa, highlighting “an ongoing but silent crisis.”

Africa was also at the centre of last year’s #RedWednesday, ACN’s annual initiative shining a light on Christian persecution.

Mrs. Hatton said, “Our first ever matched challenge was a spectacular success, enabling us to provide vital assistance at a time when so many families are turning to the Church for help.”

In her message of gratitude to the ACN benefactors, she said, “Thank you to everyone involved: parishes, schools, various groups and all those who responded to our appeals leading up to Christmas and the new year.”

ACN (UK) launched its “£100k4Africa” challenge at the same time as its call for “100k Decades of the Rosary” to be prayed for persecuted Christians in Africa.