As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, it’s hard not to reflect on the world around us—the unrest, the conflict, and the millions of lives uprooted by violence and crisis.
For so many, peace can feel like a distant dream. Yet Christmas reminds us of the coming of the Prince of Peace, a beacon of hope in even the darkest times.
This year, as we hang decorations on our trees and light candles for Advent, supporters of Christian Aid are taking a moment to reflect.
Across the UK, individuals churches and communities are displaying doves—symbols of peace and hope—as an act of solidarity with families living through conflict. It’s also a united call for world leaders to do more to encourage peacebuilding.
This Christmas, will you support families fleeing conflict to buy food and lifesaving supplies?
A nationwide call for hope
The dove is a symbol rich in meaning, appearing throughout the Bible as a sign of God’s presence and guidance.
From Noah’s ark, when a dove brought back an olive branch as a symbol of renewal, to the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus at his baptism, the dove points to God’s enduring promise of peace and hope.
For Rev Helen Burnett from Surrey, the symbol of the dove took on a new depth of meaning after meeting young refugees from South Sudan:
Meeting young refugees from South Sudan whose only chance of life was to walk away from their family home when they were not much older than the children in these pictures shocked me to the core; just imagine a situation in which you encourage your child to leave on a treacherous journey because if they stay they'll be forced to become child soldiers.
A dove of peace is a universal symbol, I pray that one day peace will be a universal experience for the people of war-torn and drought-ravaged countries like South Sudan, not just a desperate cry for hope folded into a paper bird.
We’ve been working in Sudan, and what’s now South Sudan, since the 1970s, working closely with churches and other partners to promote peace, while also delivering and supporting lifesaving humanitarian responses.
Peace and hope for South Sudan
South Sudan has faced decades of conflict, compounded by hunger, drought and displacement. The numbers are staggering—over four million people have been forced to flee their homes, and every day brings new families seeking refuge.
Christian Aid has been working for decades alongside local partners in South Sudan.
The Smile Again Africa Development Organisation is one such partner, providing vital financial assistance to families in the Wedweil Refugee Settlement. This support helps families meet their immediate needs—such as food, clean water, and medicine—while also enabling them to begin rebuilding their lives.
It’s a programme that brings choice, hope and dignity to people who’ve lost so much. As well as meeting their immediate needs, families are also using the financial assistance to establish new incomes that will support them in the longer term.
Our work in peacebuilding
In South Sudan, we work with local communities to foster peace from the grassroots up.
Through peacebuilding committees, neighbours come together to resolve disputes and rebuild trust. These committees are not just about preventing conflict; they’re about empowering people to take ownership of their future.
Donate to support families like Shede’s to protect themselves from hunger and malnutrition.
Join a movement
At the heart of Christian Aid’s work in South Sudan are the stories of resilience, collaboration and faith.
Take Shede, a mother who fled her home in Darfur when bombs began falling in her village. She arrived at Wedweil with nothing but her determination to keep her daughter safe. Through financial assistance from Christian Aid’s programme, Shede was able to buy food and start selling vegetables at the local market.
Supporters like you are a vital part of this story. Every paper dove hung in a window, every prayer said for peace, and every donation made to the Christmas Appeal brings hope.
