Adults

While Christian Aid partners delivered life-saving food aid in Ethiopia during the drought of 2011, for many people the most pressing need was to save their livestock, which are their livelihoods.

Hereg Dane had already lost half her animals, but Christian Aid partner Agri Service enclosed a piece of land so her community could grow fodder without it being destroyed by wild animals or livestock. Thanks to this vital enclosure, Hereg has been able to save the rest of her herd.

Give 20p for each pet you’ve had that you could easily care for without worrying about food shortages.

Children

Around 100 million people in the world are homeless, and over 40 million people have been forced to leave their homes because it wasn’t safe there. Draw a picture of your home, and give 5p for each room in your house.

How fortunate we are in the wealthy weat that we can keep animals simply for the pleasure of their company or entertainment value.

So, pets I (we?) have had.  Well OK...

Cats

Tinker and Tiddles - short-haired black and white

Tig and Tag - short haired tabbies

Sailor, her daughter Smudge, her daughter Whitey and her daughter Kizzy... strays adopted by our neighbours and us, who never quite got neutered in time!  Sailor outlived all her off-spring

Dusty - my first cat, a short-haired black-tabby who oived fourteen years and died of mammary cancer.

Holly - long-haired black and white who shares my home.

Dogs

Benny - a pedigree golden Labrador; a failed army dog who had to be rehomed again as he failed to settle

Lassie - a rough collie, also a rescue dog, whose nbame cam ewith her, and who lived to a ripe old age and brought much joy to my parents

Rabbits

Twinkle - a black and white dutch, second hand, and eventaully rehomed

Hazel - named after the Watership Down character, again second hand and re-homed elsewhere

Guinea Pigs

To my shame I have not a clue what our second hand guinea pigs were called; all I do recall is that when me moved house, they died a day apart, within the week we arrived there.

I am choosing not to inlcude hens my dad kept for eggs, the mice or goldfish my sister kept, nor the budgie who belonged to my brother... though maybe I ought to count Tommy the frog I grew from a tadpole (Tommy Tadpole) when I was six...

However I count it, that's a lot of animals!  Seventeen (inlcuding Tommy) if my arithmetic is correct!  So that comes to £3.40 at 20p a go.

My Pledge

Today - £3.40

Total - £29.25, six prayers, one rant, one memory and one e-petition signed