Day of Fasting and Prayer 

Tuesday 6 May, 7.15pm. Talk: Harapan Rainforest: hope for Sumatra’s lowland rainforests Ian Rowland Tropical Forest Conservation Manager (RSPB).

The lowland rainforests on the Indonesian island of Sumatra are among the richest in wildlife the world over - rivalling even the Amazonian rainforests for diversity of plantlife. Lowland rainforests are also among the most threatened, at risk of disappearing completely in the next few years. Much of the deforestation that is occurring is fuelled by demand for pulp, timber and palm oil, which is a common ingredient in many household foods and is now being marketed as a biofuel. The conservation of the world’s forests is one of the best weapons in the struggle to arrest human-induced climate change.

Indonesia is the most populous Muslim-majority nation in the world with over 234 million people, around half of whom live on less that $2 a day. Its former dictator, General Suharto, borrowed billions from rich nations to fund corruption and oppression at home, with the UK Government facilitating large amounts of arms sales to Indonesia from British companies. Because of this, the Indonesian people continue to pay around $56 million every day to rich nations. This illegitimate debt is not only sustaining horrific levels of poverty and suffering, it is stopping the Indonesian people from addressing the problems of deforestation and profiteering whose solution is vital not only for Indonesia and Asia but for the whole world.

Today we join with others across the UK in the Drop the Debt Fast calling for the G8 countries to drop debts against Indonesia.  As we fast, we pray for the Indonesian people and the diversity of life on its islands. We are asking that people donate what they would have spent on food to the RSPB campaign to save the Sumatran Rainforest. Please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with the subject line ‘Sumatra’ to make a pledge. If you are a UK taxpayer, please indicate whether you would like to gift-aid your pledge. At the end of the ten days, we will send all the money we have gathered to the RSPB campaign.

Boy with football image is by Jonathan McIntosh and is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License