Lent Assembly 2018:Give It Up

Lent Assembly 2018:give it up

For teachers: If you are having a CAFOD visitor this Lent, please let them know if you are planning to use this assembly with your students, so they do not repeat it.

For volunteers: Remember to check with your schools whether they are planning to run this Lent Assembly themselves.

/ Slide 1: [Display the first slide as children come into the hall so they can see the give it up animated logo.]
Good morning/afternoon everyone. I am here with you today to think about how we take the CAFOD challenge to build a better world this Lent.
/ Slide 2: Who can remind me what CAFOD stands for?
[Invite responses from the children.]
At CAFOD we believe in a better world, where no one lives in poverty and each of us can become the best person we can be. In a world without poverty, people have clean, safe water to drink and enough food to eat. Everyone has a safe home, children can go to school, and anyone who is sick can visit a doctor or nurse.
CAFOD works together with poor communities around the world to end poverty.

[Allow children to draw on their own experiences – they may say things like “I'm not allowed to”, “others won't let me join in” etc. Go on to explain that malnutrition stops other children from playing.] / Slide 3:
Think about your favourite games. What are they?
[Ask the children to tell the person next to them what their favourite game is. You might wish to have props of different games on display and select children to come up and choose their favourite game and tell everyone why they like it.]
Imagine what it would be like if you were not able to play your favourite game anymore. How would you feel?
It is not always possible to play your favourite games. Why might this be?
Around the world malnutrition stops some children from being able to play. Malnutrition is when you don’t have the right nutrients to be healthy(for younger children, you could replace the word nutrients with “vitamins and goodness in food”). This can happen when people do not have enough food to eat. It stops children from having enough energy to play.
/ Slide 4:
Meet Svondo. Svondo is seven years old and lives in Zimbabwe with his family.Here he is with his mum, Marian. Svondo loves to run around and play. He enjoys playing football.
Svondo has an older brother, Tawanda. When he was Svondo’s age he was not able to play, because he did not have enough food. He was malnourished.
Marian says: “A malnourished child is always tired. She or he never plays with others.”
Optional slide for KS2
/ Slide 5:
Every child has the right to food and the right to play (see Articles 27 and 31 of the UN Convention on the rights of the child).
What is a right? [Invite responses from the children.]
Rights are things that every child should have or be able to do to have the best start in life. The UN Convention on the rights of the child tells us: Every child has the right to food and the right to play and relax.
CAFOD is helpingSvondo’s and his community to enjoy these rights.
/ Slide 6:
Let’s find out more about Svondo’s story
[Click photo to go to the video of Svondo’s story]

[Display the first keyword ‘training’ with letters missing and ask the children to help work out what the word is – you may wish to make this easier/ more challenging depending on the age group.]

[Click onto the image and then read out the paragraph to go with training – or ask in advance for some older children to read out the paragraphs. Repeat with the rest of the keywords]. / Slides7 & 8:
Let’s think about Svondo’s story a bit more...
Training – A few years ago, Marian did not have enough food to feed her children. But with training, Marian and her community have learned how to set up a community garden.
[Make a paperchain as you go… As you go through each keyword, display the word on a long, thin strip of paper/card and staple it together to a form a link for a paper chain. You will also need six strips the same size with either the name of the school or “you” on them. Explain to the children that each link of the chain connects to the next part just as the keywords in Svondo’s story do – and they are the links that together it makes a successful chain! They are the link which makes this all possible.]
/ Slides9 & 10:
Tools – With this training and the right tools, the community garden is growing well. Marian’s community have been given seeds to plant and fences to protect the crops from animals.
/ Slides 11 & 12:
Nutrition – The family grow lots of nutritious things, like tomatoes, carrots and peanuts. They make peanut butter which Svondo loves. It is packed with nutrition and goodness, which helps Svondo have a good diet.
/ Slides 13 & 14:
Rights of the child – Svondo is growing up strong and healthy. You can see him eating peanut butter here! Unlike his older brother (who didn’t have the community garden), Svondo is able to enjoy hisright to food and his right to play.
/ Slides15 & 16:
Selling vegetables –Marian now grows enough vegetables to sell some of them. With the extra money she can buy things her family needs.
/ Slides17 & 18:
Education – With some of the money, the family have bought a solar panel. This means the family now has lights so Svondo can do homework in the evenings. By getting a better education, Svondo will have a brighter future.
[This slide links with CAFOD’s recent Power to be energy campaign – remind children if they know about this campaign]
/ Slides19 & 20:
Support – With continued support from you, more families like Svondo can build a better future for themselves, so they do not have to live in poverty.
/ Slide 21:So how can we support others and build a better world?
It’s simple – take the challenge… andgive it up this Lent.
Whether it’s biscuits, sweets, or something else, choose something, give it up and donate the money you save.
Orthink of something more challenging and get sponsored to give it up.
Then watch your fasting transform into something amazing that helps poor communities.
/ Slide 22:
You could turn fast food into fresh food and help more families like Svondo to grow a nutritious veggie garden.
Or…
Biscuits to beans – give up biscuits!
Apps to taps – give up your phone!
Treats to toilets – give up treats like cupcakes or trips to the cinema!
[Show Give it Up! animations/ illustrations.]
/ Slide 23: What will you give up this Lent?
[Invite ideas from the children.]
/ Slide 24: Did you know…?
[Click] £1 buys seeds for a family to grow beans
[Click]£10 means a family has enough seeds to grow nutritious vegetables for a year
[Click] £33 supplies a family with safe water
[Click] £85 helps build a community toilet with handwashing facilities
This Lent you can make double the difference. For every pound you donate to CAFOD, the UK Government will contribute a pound, up to a total of £5 million.
So £1=£2, which buys seeds for two families to grow beans.
[If using this assembly on Family Fast Day, please rephrase to talk about how the school has got involved with the Give it up! challenge this Lent, to help build a better world.]
/ Slide 25:
We are going to finish with a prayer, so let’s sit quietly for a minute. Close your eyes and think about one thing that has struck you from today.
/ Slide 26:Thank you for your support!
The give it up stickers are like magic buttons. When someone at home asks you what the sticker is for – tell them all about the give it up challenge and what you are going to give up to help build a better world.
Stickers can be ordered from shop.cafod.org.uk

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Training

Tools

Nutrition

Education

Support

Selling vegetables

Rights of the child

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