Lesson video

Hi, I'm Ms. Minton, and welcome to this Christianity practises lesson on the work of CAFOD.

Now, by the end of this lesson, you'll be able to describe Christian teachings about poverty and how the work of CAFOD reflects these teachings.

Now, lots of our learning today will be new to you, but don't worry because I'm here to guide you through each step of our lesson, and I'm confident that by the end you'll achieve this outcome.

So let's get started by taking a look at our keywords for today.

We have CAFOD, charity, and poverty.

Now, CAFOD stands for Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, and it's the Official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

A charity is an organisation that's been set up to provide help and raise money for those in need.

And poverty refers to the state of being without the things needed for a reasonable quality of life.

So that day-to-day living is a struggle.

Now, our lesson today, we will have two parts.

We'll start by looking at Christian teachings and CAFOD, and we'll then move on to look at the work of CAFOD.

So let's get started and take a look at Christian teachings and CAFOD.

So to get started, I'd like you to consider: what do humans need access to in order to live on a day-to-day basis? So pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself.

Off you go.

So as part of your thinking time or your discussion, you may have said things like food, water, shelter, clothing, personal hygiene products, sanitation, heat and electricity, and healthcare.

Now, what you might find shocking to know is that it's actually estimated that over 10% of the world's population live in extreme poverty.

So this means that they don't have access to the basic necessities, so they don't have access to some of the things that you may have considered as being necessary for day-to-day living.

And this means that day-to-day life for these people is a real struggle.

Now, for many Christians, it's really important that poverty is responded to and that these people who are living in poverty are supported as much as possible.

And this is because both Jesus's teachings and actions show Christians that they have a duty to help relieve poverty.

So to help people who are living without basic necessities.

Now in the Bible, there are many passages where Jesus addresses wealth and poverty.

One example is the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats.

Now in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Jesus taught that those who serve the poor also serve God.

And we see this in the gospel of Matthew 25:35, which says, "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink." Now, in this passage from the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Jesus does not mean that his followers directly gave him something to eat and drink, but what he means is that when they have served people in need, they have also served him.

Another example from the Bible where Jesus addresses wealth and poverty is in his account with Zacchaeus, in Luke chapter 19:1-10.

Now, Zacchaeus was a tax collector who was very wealthy, but after meeting Jesus, he gave half of his wealth to people living in poverty.

Now, after this act, Jesus suggested that Zacchaeus would receive salvation so that he'd go to eternal life in heaven with God.

Now, another example of where Jesus addresses poverty is in the beatitudes during the Sermon on the Mount.

Now as part of the beatitudes, Jesus stated, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of heaven." And we can find this quote in the gospel of Matthew 5:3.

Now, this means that Jesus was showing that those who were living in poverty are close to God, and in doing so, Jesus is also challenging the injustice that people living in poverty face.

So let's check your understanding.

When did Jesus say, "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven?" A in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats.

B, when he met Zacchaeus, the tax collector.

Or C, during the beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount.

Fantastic.

The correct answer is C.

Jesus said this during the beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount.

Well done.

Now, one way that Christians can respond to poverty and follow the teachings and example of Jesus is by establishing and supporting charities.

Now, an example of a Christian charity that supports people who are living in poverty is CAFOD, which stands for the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development.

CAFOD is the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

And it was set up as a charity in 1962 by the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, to try to coordinate the church's overseas aid and development work.

Now, the history of CAFOD actually dates back to just before it was established as a charity, and it dates back to 1960 when a group of women organised what's known as a Family Fast Day.

Now, on Friday, the 11th of March, 1960, the group of women asked people to make an act of self-denial.

So denying themselves the privileges that they would normally have.

They asked children to give up their sweets and for parents to make just one main meal for the family for as little money as possible.

And with the money saved from giving those things up, it was then donated to charity.

Now due to the amount of donations, CAFOD was set up as an official charity two years later.

So let's check your understanding.

This sentence contains a missing word.

CAFOD is the official agency of the, blank, church in England and Wales.

Is the missing word, A, Baptist, B, Catholic, C, Methodist, or D, Orthodox? Fantastic, the missing word is B, Catholic.

So CAFOD is the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

Well done.

Now today, CAFOD works in solidarity with the world's poorest communities, offering them both long-term support and emergency aid.

Now, CAFOD is guided by Christian teachings, specifically Catholic social teaching.

Catholic social teaching is a set of teachings that's been developed by the Catholic church addressing social justice issues, and they're based on biblical teachings.

Many Catholics recognise seven Catholic social teaching principles, and these are: dignity, solidarity, the common good, the option for the poor, peace, creation and environment, and the dignity of work and participation.

Now, CAFOD demonstrates these values through compassion, justice, and commitment to ending poverty.

But even though CAFOD reflects Catholic teachings, the charity works with individuals and communities from all backgrounds all over the world.

So let's check your understanding.

True or false, CAFOD is a charity that supports Christians living in poverty? Fantastic, that statement is false.

But why is that statement false? Well, it's because although CAFOD is a Christian charity, specifically a Catholic charity, it actually supports individuals and communities from all backgrounds, not just people who are Christian.

So well done for identifying that the statement is false, and for identifying the reason why.

It's now time for you to have a go at a task.

I would like you to write a paragraph explaining how CAFOD reflects Christian teachings on poverty.

And in your paragraph, you must include a source of authority.

Here's some guidance that you might find helpful.

You might begin by saying, "Within Christianity, helping people who are living in poverty is important because.

For example.

." And then finally, "CAFOD reflects these teachings because.

." So pause the video and have a go.

well done for your work during that task.

So you ask to explain how CAFOD reflects Christian teachings on poverty, and you were also asked to include a source of authority within your paragraph.

Your answer might be similar to this: "Within Christianity, helping those living in poverty is important because Jesus's teachings and actions show that Christians have a duty to help relieve poverty.

For example, in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Jesus stated that those who serve people in need have also served God, which demonstrates the importance of supporting those living in poverty.

CAFOD reflects these teachings because it's a Catholic charity that aims to support individuals and communities facing poverty through both long-term development and emergency response." So what you can see here is I've chosen to use the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats as my source of authority.

You may have used a different source of authority, but as long as you've been able to accurately apply that to the point you've given and CAFOD, then that is absolutely fine.

So well done again for you work on that task.

We're now moving on to the second part of our lesson, which is to look at the work of CAFOD.

Now, CAFOD works with communities in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, and they support people who are living in poverty and people who are marginalised within their communities.

Now, some examples of the work that CAFOD do include supporting global development projects, responding to emergencies, campaigning for justice, and educating and engaging communities.

Now we are going to look at these four things that CAFOD do in more detail now.

So CAFOD supports global development projects by providing clean water, education, and healthcare to people in need.

They also support sustainable farming and livelihoods.

So for example, in 2024, CAFOD supported 520 farmers in Sierra Leone in Africa to access training and support on more sustainable agricultural techniques.

CAFOD also help by responding to emergencies.

So for example, when there's an emergency, CAFOD will provide food, water, and shelter.

They'll also help provide medical aid.

As well as this, CAFOD also support long-term recovery plans to help communities get back on their feet after experiencing an emergency.

An example of this is that CAFOD respond to natural disasters like the Myanmar earthquake in March, 2025.

So let's now check your understanding, true or false, CAFOD support global development projects and respond to emergencies? Fantastic.

That statement is true.

But how do we know that this statement's true? Well, it's because CAFOD do support both long-term development and emergencies.

So for example, in 2024 and 2025, CAFOD supported farmers in Sierra Leone with sustainable farming, and responded to the earthquake in Myanmar.

So well done for identifying that the statement is true and for identifying the reason why.

Now let's take a look at how CAFOD campaigns for justice.

So CAFOD campaigns for justice by challenging unfair trade, climate injustice, and global inequality, and CAFOD runs campaigns on current issues.

An example of this is in 2025, CAFOD have organised lobbying on issues such as the global food system, the climate emergency, the debt crisis, and human rights issues.

And finally, let's take a look at how CAFOD educates and engages communities.

So CAFOD does this by providing workshops in schools, by offering volunteering and leadership opportunities for young people, and by organising community events.

An example of how CAFOD do this is that they promote the Family Fast Day, which is how CAFOD began.

This is promoted twice a year, and the money that's saved by the families who take part is then donated to people in need.

So now we've looked at some examples of the work of CAFOD.

Let's imagine that I've been asked to give one way that CAFOD support people living in poverty.

I've said that they respond to emergencies like natural disasters.

I'm now going to ask you the same question.

So I would also like you to give one way that CAFOD supports people living in poverty.

So pause the video and have a go.

So you may have said that CAFOD supports people living in poverty by campaigning for climate change, the debt crisis, and human rights, challenging injustice, educating and engaging community through the Family Fast Day and by organising community events.

So well done if you've got one of these answers or something similar.

Now because CAFOD is a charity, this means that it relies on donations and volunteers to support its work.

CAFOD engages individuals, schools, churches, and communities in supporting their cause in the following ways: allowing donations to be made via the website, offering fundraising opportunity, using world gifts that can be purchased to fund real life projects, promoting fundraising events that respond to world issues, and providing opportunities for volunteering.

Grace is a Roman Catholic Christian who attends a Roman Catholic school and she explains how her school supports CAFOD.

Grace says, "In my school, we regularly support CAFOD's campaigns.

During Lent, my school takes part in the Big Lent Walk, where as a school we walk 200 kilometres and raise money to help fight global poverty.

During Advent, we also raised money to buy a world gift.

Everyone in my class donated one pound, and as a class we were able to buy a virtual gift that funded a real life project that provides families with firewood for winter." So what we can see here is an example of how CAFOD engages schools in fundraising activities so that the money raised can support their cause and help people who are living in poverty.

So let's check your understanding.

True or false, individuals, schools, and communities support CAFOD through donations and fundraising? Fantastic.

That statement is true.

But why is that statement true? Well, it's because individuals, schools, and communities can take part in fundraisers like the Big Lent Walk and make donations through initiatives like world gifts.

So well done for identifying that that statement is true and the reason why.

It's now time for you to have a go to task.

Alex is responding to the task, explain two different ways in which CAFOD helps those living in poverty.

So far Alex has said, "One way that CAFOD helps those living in poverty is by responding to emergencies.

For example, CAFOD supplies food, water, and shelter to people who've been affected by natural disasters such as earthquakes.

This supports individuals and communities who've lost their homes, belongings, and do not have the money or resources to access necessities." Now I would like you to write another paragraph explaining a different way.

So pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your work during that task.

So Alex had been explaining two different ways in which CAFOD helps those living in poverty.

And you were asked to write another paragraph explaining a different way.

Your response might be similar to this: "Another way that CAFOD help those living in poverty is by supporting global development projects in communities facing poverty.

For example, sustainable farming.

This can help individuals and communities grow crops and provides them with food and income which can give them a better standard of living." So well done for explaining a different way that CAFOD helps those living in poverty.

We've now reached the end of our lesson, but before we finish, let's take a look at some of the key things that we've learned today.

So we've learned that Christianity teaches that people should help those in need, including those living in poverty, and that Jesus demonstrated the importance of helping those in poverty through his own actions and teachings.

We've looked at how one way Christians can respond to poverty is by establishing and/or supporting charities.

We looked at CAFOD as an example of this.

So CAFOD is the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, and it's the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

CAFOD supports individuals and communities who are living in poverty across the world by supporting global development projects, responding to emergencies, campaigning for justice, and engaging with communities.

And finally, we looked at how individuals, schools, churches, and communities can all support CAFOD through donating, fundraising, and volunteering.

So a huge well done for all of your work today.

It's been wonderful learning with you.