Albert uses frankincense to ‘scent’ a message about famine in Horn of Africa

A veteran fundraiser and lifelong humanitarian from Derry is raising awareness of the hunger crisis raging in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya by hanging a bag of frankincense on his Christmas tree this festive season.

Albert Smallwoods, a leading Church of Ireland layman who has raised hundreds of thousands to help end poverty in some of the world’s poorest countries, hopes his gesture of solidarity will encourage people to give a gift this Christmas to support the work of Christian Aid Ireland.

Albert is a member of Glendermott Church of Ireland near Altnagelvin Hospital and gave 50 years serving in a variety of positions in his parish.

Albert uses frankincense to ‘scent’ a message about famine in Horn of Africa.

His compassion for those living in extreme poverty led him to become involved with Bishops’ Appeal, the Church of Ireland’s world development committee which raises funds to support the work of Christian Aid and other agencies.

For 40 years, he sat on the board of Bishops’ Appeal, raising funds throughout the Derry and Raphoe diocese to help end poverty in some of the world’s poorest countries.

Albert’s decades of unpaid service to the Church of Ireland, Christian Aid and dozens of other charities earned him an MBE in 1992 and saw him named ‘Pensioner of the Year’ a decade later.

He was also made a Knight of the Order of St John and in 2005, he was among eight people from Northern Ireland selected to attend a special reception at Buckingham Palace to mark UK Year of the Volunteer.

Christian Aid is currently responding to the severe drought in the Horn of Africa where more than 23 million people are short of food after five failed rainy seasons.

Frankincense is a fragrant resin obtained from trees native to the Horn of Africa and is famous as one of the gifts given to the baby Jesus by the three wise men.

Aid agencies are warning that the worst drought to hit the Horn of Africa in 40 years has created conditions that are pushing millions close to famine in the hardest-hit regions.

People are being forced to take desperate measures to survive in the face of extreme hunger as the drought causes failed harvests and livestock deaths as well as water shortages. The severe conditions are being made worse by the climate crisis and the war in Ukraine which has caused food prices to rise and badly impacted grain exports to the region.

Working through local partners, Christian Aid is responding in Ethiopia and Kenya, helping over 300,000 people by repairing wells, handing out water purification kits, providing cash support, trucking water to drought-affected communities as well as providing fodder and veterinary medicine to keep valuable livestock alive.

Christian Aid Ireland Chief Executive Rosamond Bennett thanked Albert for raising awareness of the crisis. Rosamond travelled to the region in the summer to see for herself the hardship caused by the drought.

She said: “In northern Kenya, we drove over several bridges but none of the rivers had any water. They were just wide, empty tracts of sand and dust. The landscape was littered with carcasses. Weakened by hunger and thirst, the animals had died where they stood - goats and cattle mainly but even the camels, the ships of the desert, had succumbed to this harshest of droughts.”

“I met a woman farmer we’ve been supporting who told me that her harvest had been badly affected by the drought. She showed me her brown, shrivelled vegetables. Also, all her cattle have died so she has no meat or milk to sell.”

To support Christian Aid’s work this Christmas, please click HERE.