Raise Awareness
Whether in your community, church, or family, you can help spread the word about opportunities for people to respond to poverty, disease and hunger through Episcopal Relief & Development. Here are just a few suggestions:
- Start a reading club focused on poverty and related issues. Check our suggested reading list for materials.
- Create a display using a mosquito net. Mosquito nets are a powerful visual aid for educating people about malaria. Purchase a net from a local camping store or online and hang it prominently in your church to draw attention. Include a poster or brochures with information from our NetsforLife® page about how this net can help stop a deadly disease.
- Arrange a “sleep outside Saturday.” Church members can learn more about the importance of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets for preventing the transmission of malaria by sleeping outside. If you have a church yard, consider dedicating one Saturday night for youth members to sleep outside. Alternately, suggest a “sleeping bag Saturday” — youth can sleep in the church basement to experience what it’s like to go without the comforts they’re accustomed to. The next day’s sermons and Sunday school activities can include discussion on the experience of “living” in someone else’s shoes and the hardships of poverty.
- Hold a weekend holiday retreat to explore challenges facing people living in poverty. Consider taking a special offering to support Episcopal Relief & Development’s work around the world.
- Serve one inexpensive meal each week, such as rice and beans, to help your family understand what many people around the world eat daily. If you have children, decorate a box or jar together and use it to collect the savings from your weekly meal for donation to Episcopal Relief & Development.
