The Diocese of Rochester's Annual Poverty and Hope Appeal for 2026 to 2027 has now launched as it gets set to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
Over that period some £1.5 million has been raised and used to support mainly small-scale, sustainable education, farming and women’s empowerment projects in some of the world’s poorest countries.
Last year's appeal raised over £20,000 from supporter parishes and individuals, enabling the Diocese to give a helping hand to seven trusted overseas partner organisations in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
"We regularly support Poverty and Hope because it is the Diocese's way of sharing its concern for other parts of the world in a practical way. At harvest thanksgiving, it is so important to demonstrate gratitude by sharing. We share our gifts and our prayers and together that is shared through partners to the communities where they are used to raise a harvest of hope. How wonderful is that?"
Rev Canon Kenneth Clark, Rector of Stone
This year's appeal
The theme of this year's Appeal is Giving children and young people a better future.
Projects include three schooling projects in Myanmar, Gaza, and Tanzania, with all seven beneficiaries featured involving different forms of education and hopes for a better life.
Myanmar
USPG has been providing long-term support for children's education in Myanmar where years of conflict, displacement and economic hardship have left millions of children without access to education, the programme is helping vulnerable children find safety, stability and hope for the future.
Gaza
Since the start of 2025 Amos Trust has been supporting temporary education initiatives in Gaza, providing informal education via locally run tent schools, as well as temporary learning spaces through a joint partnership with Taawon and Ajyal Association.
Tanzania
St Peter and St Paul Pre and Primary School, Kondoa is for children from 4 to 14 years old, and is now seven years old. It serves both Christian and Muslim communities and the school’s ethos is to build bridges between the two communities, as the children make friends and learn to respect other faiths
Find out more about the Appeal
Small contributions make a big difference
Bishop Simon Burton-Jones, the Bishop of Tonbridge, says that the lessons of our diocesan Poverty and Hope appeal are that small contributions can make a disproportionate difference in the lives of impoverished people:
"This is because the links we possess and the agencies we use are rooted in local communities and sensitive to their needs."
Understanding the financial pressures being face by many, he encourages parishes and individuals to give as generously as they can to support the children who will benefit from the Povety and Hope Appeal:
"Big and small nations are rearming today, mistrustful of one another. It was Nelson Mandela who said: ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Let’s give it that chance.
Watch and share a video message from Bishop Simon (captions available / download a transcript)
Support the Appeal
St Paul with All Saints supports the Poverty and Hope Appeal because it puts our Christian faith into action by directly funding vital projects in counties with great need. By partnering with this appeal, we are working with churches across the Diocese to help provide essential resources and dignity to vulnerable individuals, their families and communities.
Rev Jenny Warrington, St Paul with All Saints, Chatham
Find out more about the Poverty and Hope Appeal, other ways to donate, and materials to help share the Appeal, visit: www.rochester.anglican.org/everyday-faith/ourfaithinaction/poverty-and-hope-appeal
Or please contact Peter Kettle, Volunteer Poverty and Hope Coordinator on: povertyandhope@gmail.com.