Renouncing lunch to help fund works of solidarity for a Congolese village: that’s the idea put into practice in the United Kingdom, where CAFOD, the most important Catholic charity for aid to the Third World, held the traditional “Fast Day” on 6 October, aimed at Catholic schools and parishes in the country. Thousands of people did without their lunch to fund works of solidarity for a village in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which lost all its livestock through famine or plunder during the civil war, leaving its inhabitants in poverty. CAFOD has funded an organization to purchase new livestock for the village with the result that now peasants of various ethnic groups are co-owners of animals, working together for the community. The Fast Day was complemented with a series of events promoted by Catholic schools, such as cross-country walks, sports contests, and competitions between masked groups to collect other donations. Last year 1.25 million pounds (1.78 million euros) and two years ago 1.2 million pounds (1.7 million euros) were collected.
