Taking a stand

We don’t like ‘making a scene’ in Britain. 
 
However, sometimes you witness something that’s just plain wrong. And you’re left with a choice: do you leave things as they are, or do you kick up a fuss.

Here are some inspirational stories of how our supporters stepped outside of their comfort zones and spoke up. Take a look and get inspired to become a changemaker yourself!

Rising Dump

‘On a return trip to Mozambique, I discovered that one of the communities I had been working in had become a rubbish dump for the city nearby. Trucks arrived every day dumping mounds of rubbish between the houses. I took photos that showed the children scavenging amongst the smouldering rubbish instead of going to school. I went straight to the Director of Health for the area. Within a week the rubbish trucks had stopped.’
Sam 

Playing for keeps

‘About a year ago I started to take a reusable mug to church on Sunday for coffee after the service. Now about half the church are doing the same and the pre-service powerpoint reminds people to do their bit and bring a mug. It didn't need a campaign, I just did it and others followed.’
Lorna

Sack-rificial

‘As a trade union representative, I got someone their job back after they had been unfairly sacked. It took several months and at least 50 hours of extra work but it was worth it!’
Louise

Date sensitive

‘Years ago, when my husband was working in a joinery shop, we prayed against the “glamour model” calendars given every year by suppliers. The next year, all the calendars featured countryside scenes, or advertisements for their products.’
Prue

Needs must

‘I invited our local district Councillor to visit the special needs group we host in our Church. He was gripped by the stories that the parents told of their struggles to get their children to special schools, which often involved a 45 minute taxi ride. As a result he now champions local special educational needs and disability provision in our area.’
Christine 

Seeing the light

‘I was studying to be a rehabilitation worker for newly blind adults and there was no disabled student allowance for the course. I persuaded the local government to introduce the disabled student allowance for special equipment nationwide.’
Steph

Doing time and a half

A man in our church used to visit a large prison in Ethiopia. After one trip, he told us that there was a women's wing and the women often had their children with them. There were no proper beds, the toilets were and there were no windows. The children didn’t have any books or toys and so nothing to do all day. I couldn’t bear the thought of this so I spoke to our minister, and together we raised money for the women and kids. 

With the money they improved the facilities for two women's prisons and provided toys and activities for the children. 
Ruth 

The moral of these tales: there’s more than one way to make a difference to the world: you can do it, campaigning with thousands of like minded souls. Or, sometimes, you can take a stand all by yourself.