Harvest Family Fast Day
Friday 3rd October 2025
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This Fast Day we are invited to give to help our neighbours like Waré in Ethiopia.
WARÉ’S STORY Waré is a mother to five children and she and her husband herd goats in southern Ethiopia. Severe drought there over the last four years has meant a lot of livestock died, and water has become very hard to find. Waré said she has never seen a drought as severe as this. “Because of drought, we always have little water,” she says, “and because we have lost so much, many families are vulnerable.” |
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Every day, Waré gets up at 5am and walks for a minimum of five hours to find water and return home. But if the nearest water sources have dried up, she has to keep looking – a much longer day, walking to find water.
This is Waré’s daily challenge. She even had to walk to find water when she was pregnant with her youngest child. “Sometimes I felt so weak I could fall down. I was fearful for the baby I was pregnant with, but that child was with me – so I was also afraid for my other children, thinking that maybe I would not make it back to them and they would be left as children without a mother.” |
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But Waré had you, the Catholic community of England and Wales, as her good neighbours. With your gifts at Family Fast Day, CAFOD worked together with Waré and her community to build an underground water storage tank, able to support 300 families through a normal dry season and even in longer droughts.
Instead of walking ten hours there and back, or longer, now the tank will mean Waré has water just a 10 minute walk from her home. Change like this takes time. It calls us to stand with people for the long term, just as Waré and her community stand alongside and support each other. |
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Please pray that the rains come for Waré’s community – your prayers for our neighbours are so needed.
And please give to this Appeal to help communities like Ware’s until those rains come. If you can consider starting a monthly gift, you will be committing to helping more of our neighbours in need around the world for the long term.
The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development has a mission to fight against poverty and injustice and help all people to fulfil their God given potential. Right now CAFOD urgently needs our support to enable CAFOD to continue to respond in communities that face extreme poverty, injustice and the consequences of climate change.
The vastness of global struggles can feel overwhelming. However, we are not asked to solve everything single-handedly, but simply to respond to the needs we see before us.
In the Gospel reading for 28th September we are reminded of the importance of being a good neighbour and caring for one another, as we hear the fate of the rich man who ignored Lazarus at his gates. Our faith calls us to open our eyes to the needs of others, to share what we have and to support one another in difficult times.
In this way, we can work together towards a better world and a movement of hope.
And please give to this Appeal to help communities like Ware’s until those rains come. If you can consider starting a monthly gift, you will be committing to helping more of our neighbours in need around the world for the long term.
The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development has a mission to fight against poverty and injustice and help all people to fulfil their God given potential. Right now CAFOD urgently needs our support to enable CAFOD to continue to respond in communities that face extreme poverty, injustice and the consequences of climate change.
The vastness of global struggles can feel overwhelming. However, we are not asked to solve everything single-handedly, but simply to respond to the needs we see before us.
In the Gospel reading for 28th September we are reminded of the importance of being a good neighbour and caring for one another, as we hear the fate of the rich man who ignored Lazarus at his gates. Our faith calls us to open our eyes to the needs of others, to share what we have and to support one another in difficult times.
In this way, we can work together towards a better world and a movement of hope.
Prayer for Harvest Family Fast Day
CAFOD’s Harvest Family Fast Day is on Friday 3rd October, a day we can pray, give, and eat simply in solidarity with our global family.
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Generous God,
we praise and thank you for all that you have given us. May the fast that we make remind us that all good things come from you and are intended for all. Fill our hearts with your love and move us to be good neighbours to all our sisters and brothers. Turn us away from indifference and lead us to work together to create a movement of hope. Inspire us all to play our part, to build a better world where each and every person can share in the joy of your gifts. Amen. |
Thank you for your support of previous Fast Days and thank you for your generosity and prayers for our sisters and brothers in this Harvest Appeal.
HERE is a video version of this CAFOD prayer to assist reflection on this important theme. |
CAFOD’S CALL FOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT
This Harvest Family Fast Day please donate to CAFOD to enable it on your behalf to help those many sisters and brothers around the world, whose ability to sustain their livelihood in agriculture and animal husbandry is severely constrained by lack of reliable sources of water and basic infrastructure for this and other necessary resources.
CAFOD donation envelopes
The donation envelopes handed out at Mass include a Gift Aid Declaration. These envelopes can be returned in the second collection baskets after the Masses on 4th and 5th October. If you are able you can also start giving monthly.
CAFOD donation envelopes
The donation envelopes handed out at Mass include a Gift Aid Declaration. These envelopes can be returned in the second collection baskets after the Masses on 4th and 5th October. If you are able you can also start giving monthly.
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The QR code enables online gifts. Cheques should be made payable to CAFOD.
Contactless payment at church The Contactless terminals will also be available for donations. Gift Aid is not available with this method. Using this QR code: Using the CAFOD online envelope: HERE |
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Alternative ways of donating
It would be helpful if all donations could be made not later than 13th October and, where practicable, if you could indicate that your donation is made as a parishioner of the Catholic Parish of Guildford.
If you are a UK taxpayer and wish to apply Gift Aid to your donation in option A above please download the CAFOD Gift Aid Declaration HERE, complete and sign it and include it with your cheque.
- A. Post a cheque (but not cash) made payable to CAFOD at CAFOD, Romero House, 55 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7JB.
- B. Use the CAFOD online donation opportunity HERE, by selecting the Donate green button to the right of the screen, if appropriate applying Gift Aid.
- C. Telephone CAFOD in office hours on 0303 303 3030 to donate over the phone.
It would be helpful if all donations could be made not later than 13th October and, where practicable, if you could indicate that your donation is made as a parishioner of the Catholic Parish of Guildford.
If you are a UK taxpayer and wish to apply Gift Aid to your donation in option A above please download the CAFOD Gift Aid Declaration HERE, complete and sign it and include it with your cheque.
MORE ABOUT CAFOD
To get further information on the Harvest Appeal and the other CAFOD campaigns and initiatives please visit their website HERE.
If you have any questions about CAFOD or the Harvest Family Fast Day Appeal or how to donate, please contact Bill Norman at [email protected] or on 07736 057699.
Thank you for all you have done and continue to do to support CAFOD’s work – both
with your donations and also through your prayers and especially for supporting this CAFOD Harvest Family Fast Day Appeal.
If you have any questions about CAFOD or the Harvest Family Fast Day Appeal or how to donate, please contact Bill Norman at [email protected] or on 07736 057699.
Thank you for all you have done and continue to do to support CAFOD’s work – both
with your donations and also through your prayers and especially for supporting this CAFOD Harvest Family Fast Day Appeal.
Download it here: The Report
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"Debt Cancellation is Justice not Generosity”
- Pope Francis. The Vatican wants to solve the global debt crisis. Our political leaders should take note: Vatican article on global debt crisis |
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Exploring the Debt Crisis
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CAFOD Presentation:
Jubilee 2025 - the Debt Crisis Maria Finnerty is the Lead Economist at CAFOD and author of the CAFOD Report Jubilee 2025: The new global debt crisis and its solutions. At St Pius Hall from 7.30 to 9.00 pm on Monday 14 July. |
Listen to Father Charlie Chilufya
Archdiocese of Nairobi |
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The report identifies the structural causes of reoccurring debt crises, highlights their impacts. It outlines why the world once again faces an acute global debt crisis. It sets a course for change, recommending policies to advance a fair and functional debt system:
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Frequently Asked Question
What is the new global debt crisis?
Many of the world’s poorest countries have been plunged into a new debt crisis. Despite facing significant poverty burdens, countries are having to make huge repayments on high-interest loans to wealthy banks, institutions and governments, leaving them unable to properly fund essential services. Often, the original debt has been repaid many times over but will never be cleared because the interest keeps on growing.
Why is CAFOD talking about debt right now?
Low-income countries have been facing increasingly unsustainable debt since the 2008 financial crisis, when banks, hedge funds and traders saw an opportunity to make vast sums of money by lending to them at high interest rates.
Almost half of the total external debt owed by lower-income countries is to these ‘private lenders’, including BlackRock and HSBC, who often lend recklessly, and with no accountability, and as a result make huge profits. This is causing more and more countries to fall into debt crisis. Today, there are 54 low-income countries facing unsustainable debt levels, up from 22 in 2015.
Wasn’t the problem of debt addressed by Jubilee 2000, 25 years ago?
CAFOD has campaigned against unjust debt for a long time. After decades of debt justice activism in the Global South, the late 1990s saw the issue of debt become a mainstream issue with the Jubilee 2000 movement. Between 2000-2015 the global Jubilee campaign won $130 billion of debt cancellation for 36 lower-income countries, which on average reduced their debt by three quarters. In countries that had debts cancelled, children completing primary school increased from 45% in the 1980s-90s to 66% by 2012 as the money governments saved went into public services.
However, the scheme did not prevent debt crises recurring. Despite efforts by the Jubilee 2000 campaign, no new regulations were introduced to make lenders more responsible or transparent. The same structural causes that led to the crisis remain in place. That is why we need action now.
What is CAFOD calling for on the debt crisis?
The UK government has the power to do something about this. Incredibly, almost 90% of debt contracts of the poorest countries are governed by English law due to the pivotal role of the City of London in the global financial sector. This means the UK ultimately oversees how these debts are enforced and could introduce legislation to make private lenders take part in debt relief.
Currently, when a country requests debt cancellation because it is unable to meet repayments, other governments, and multilateral institutions like the World Bank and IMF, work with that country to find a way forward. But private lenders have not taken on the same responsibility, often holding out for maximum payment. They insist on repayments no matter the human cost.
The G20 group of countries has taken steps to address the debt crisis, but they haven't been effective. We need new legislation that would ensure fair and equal treatment for lenders so that countries’ debts are reduced in a more comprehensive way. As UK citizens, we can play a key role in pushing our government to pass this legislation.
Shouldn’t debts just be repaid?
Often, low-income countries have repaid their original debts but they're paying them several times over because of sky-high interest. The current system isn't working. We believe that paying debts should not be put ahead of funding vital public services or tackling the climate emergency. Doing so means debt payments to lenders are being prioritised over life itself.
Private lenders lent to lower income countries at high interest rates – around 6-10% - at a time when they were lending to governments like the US and UK at 0-1%. They supposedly charged these high interest rates because of the risk of not being paid. Therefore, the lenders were always aware that defaulting might be a risk.
Over recent years we have had a succession of shocks – the Covid pandemic, rising food and energy prices, rising global interest rates, and climate disasters. The risk has materialised, and so private lenders must be made to take part in debt relief. Otherwise they will make mass profits, while people in the affected countries will suffer from declining public services and economic stagnation.
How can we ensure that debt relief doesn’t enable corruption?
Existing structures are not providing solutions to corruption. Only under a more transparent and comprehensive global debt system can corruption be tackled. Developing a transparent global debt registry is one systemic change that would enable citizens to better hold borrowing governments to account.
History demonstrates that, overall, money gained from debt relief is not spent irresponsibly or illegitimately. Indeed, following the Jubilee 2000 campaign, in countries that had debts cancelled children completing primary school increased from 45 per cent to 66 per cent as the money saved on debt repayments went into public services.
More broadly, without global economic structures that enable low-income countries’ economic and political development – including the development of strong political institutions, economic growth, and investment in public services – tackling corruption is extremely difficult. Enabling long-term development by reforming global debt structures is therefore essential to global efforts to reduce corruption.
Won’t countries just get into debt crisis again if it’s cancelled?
Not if we reform the system to stop the cycle of debt crises from happening. We need clear legislation and a permanent global debt mechanism to ensure that debts are agreed transparently and that there is a functional relief and restructuring framework.
This will incentivise lenders to be more responsible with their loans, taking greater care over whether they can be repaid. A transparent register of loans would also help hold governments and lenders to account, and so make problem debts less likely to arise.
Beyond this, we need to tackle other underlying causes of lower income countries being so dependent on debt in the first place, such as tax avoidance and evasion, unfair trade rules, and the climate emergency.
Why did countries borrow money at such high interest rates?
Low-income countries borrowed at high interest rates due to aggressive lending practices following the 2008 financial crash, when private lenders saw an opportunity to make huge profits.
Decades of IMF and World Bank policies had opened these countries to risky international capital flows, leaving them vulnerable. Crises in the 2020s, including the Covid pandemic and rising global interest rates, exposed the fragility of these debts, forcing countries to borrow further at extortionate rates. The G20’s debt relief framework has largely failed due to private lenders' resistance, leaving countries trapped in unsustainable debt cycles.
What does the Church say about debt?
The Bible gives us a model of money lending which is about accompanying the vulnerable in order to help them, rather than to make profits:
“If you lend money to my people, to the poor among you, you shall not deal with them as a creditor; you shall not exact interest from them.” (Exodus 22:25) Pope Francis spoke repeatedly and clearly about this issue, calling for action in the Jubilee Year:
"I ask that affluent nations acknowledge the gravity of so many of their past decisions and determine to forgive the debts of countries that will never be able to repay them. More than a question of generosity, this is a matter of justice.”
Many of the world’s poorest countries have been plunged into a new debt crisis. Despite facing significant poverty burdens, countries are having to make huge repayments on high-interest loans to wealthy banks, institutions and governments, leaving them unable to properly fund essential services. Often, the original debt has been repaid many times over but will never be cleared because the interest keeps on growing.
Why is CAFOD talking about debt right now?
Low-income countries have been facing increasingly unsustainable debt since the 2008 financial crisis, when banks, hedge funds and traders saw an opportunity to make vast sums of money by lending to them at high interest rates.
Almost half of the total external debt owed by lower-income countries is to these ‘private lenders’, including BlackRock and HSBC, who often lend recklessly, and with no accountability, and as a result make huge profits. This is causing more and more countries to fall into debt crisis. Today, there are 54 low-income countries facing unsustainable debt levels, up from 22 in 2015.
Wasn’t the problem of debt addressed by Jubilee 2000, 25 years ago?
CAFOD has campaigned against unjust debt for a long time. After decades of debt justice activism in the Global South, the late 1990s saw the issue of debt become a mainstream issue with the Jubilee 2000 movement. Between 2000-2015 the global Jubilee campaign won $130 billion of debt cancellation for 36 lower-income countries, which on average reduced their debt by three quarters. In countries that had debts cancelled, children completing primary school increased from 45% in the 1980s-90s to 66% by 2012 as the money governments saved went into public services.
However, the scheme did not prevent debt crises recurring. Despite efforts by the Jubilee 2000 campaign, no new regulations were introduced to make lenders more responsible or transparent. The same structural causes that led to the crisis remain in place. That is why we need action now.
What is CAFOD calling for on the debt crisis?
The UK government has the power to do something about this. Incredibly, almost 90% of debt contracts of the poorest countries are governed by English law due to the pivotal role of the City of London in the global financial sector. This means the UK ultimately oversees how these debts are enforced and could introduce legislation to make private lenders take part in debt relief.
Currently, when a country requests debt cancellation because it is unable to meet repayments, other governments, and multilateral institutions like the World Bank and IMF, work with that country to find a way forward. But private lenders have not taken on the same responsibility, often holding out for maximum payment. They insist on repayments no matter the human cost.
The G20 group of countries has taken steps to address the debt crisis, but they haven't been effective. We need new legislation that would ensure fair and equal treatment for lenders so that countries’ debts are reduced in a more comprehensive way. As UK citizens, we can play a key role in pushing our government to pass this legislation.
Shouldn’t debts just be repaid?
Often, low-income countries have repaid their original debts but they're paying them several times over because of sky-high interest. The current system isn't working. We believe that paying debts should not be put ahead of funding vital public services or tackling the climate emergency. Doing so means debt payments to lenders are being prioritised over life itself.
Private lenders lent to lower income countries at high interest rates – around 6-10% - at a time when they were lending to governments like the US and UK at 0-1%. They supposedly charged these high interest rates because of the risk of not being paid. Therefore, the lenders were always aware that defaulting might be a risk.
Over recent years we have had a succession of shocks – the Covid pandemic, rising food and energy prices, rising global interest rates, and climate disasters. The risk has materialised, and so private lenders must be made to take part in debt relief. Otherwise they will make mass profits, while people in the affected countries will suffer from declining public services and economic stagnation.
How can we ensure that debt relief doesn’t enable corruption?
Existing structures are not providing solutions to corruption. Only under a more transparent and comprehensive global debt system can corruption be tackled. Developing a transparent global debt registry is one systemic change that would enable citizens to better hold borrowing governments to account.
History demonstrates that, overall, money gained from debt relief is not spent irresponsibly or illegitimately. Indeed, following the Jubilee 2000 campaign, in countries that had debts cancelled children completing primary school increased from 45 per cent to 66 per cent as the money saved on debt repayments went into public services.
More broadly, without global economic structures that enable low-income countries’ economic and political development – including the development of strong political institutions, economic growth, and investment in public services – tackling corruption is extremely difficult. Enabling long-term development by reforming global debt structures is therefore essential to global efforts to reduce corruption.
Won’t countries just get into debt crisis again if it’s cancelled?
Not if we reform the system to stop the cycle of debt crises from happening. We need clear legislation and a permanent global debt mechanism to ensure that debts are agreed transparently and that there is a functional relief and restructuring framework.
This will incentivise lenders to be more responsible with their loans, taking greater care over whether they can be repaid. A transparent register of loans would also help hold governments and lenders to account, and so make problem debts less likely to arise.
Beyond this, we need to tackle other underlying causes of lower income countries being so dependent on debt in the first place, such as tax avoidance and evasion, unfair trade rules, and the climate emergency.
Why did countries borrow money at such high interest rates?
Low-income countries borrowed at high interest rates due to aggressive lending practices following the 2008 financial crash, when private lenders saw an opportunity to make huge profits.
Decades of IMF and World Bank policies had opened these countries to risky international capital flows, leaving them vulnerable. Crises in the 2020s, including the Covid pandemic and rising global interest rates, exposed the fragility of these debts, forcing countries to borrow further at extortionate rates. The G20’s debt relief framework has largely failed due to private lenders' resistance, leaving countries trapped in unsustainable debt cycles.
What does the Church say about debt?
The Bible gives us a model of money lending which is about accompanying the vulnerable in order to help them, rather than to make profits:
“If you lend money to my people, to the poor among you, you shall not deal with them as a creditor; you shall not exact interest from them.” (Exodus 22:25) Pope Francis spoke repeatedly and clearly about this issue, calling for action in the Jubilee Year:
"I ask that affluent nations acknowledge the gravity of so many of their past decisions and determine to forgive the debts of countries that will never be able to repay them. More than a question of generosity, this is a matter of justice.”