On May 11 2018 Christian Aid’s I Witness exhibition is coming to Sheffield Cathedral. This is a beautiful and spectacular collection of photographs and paintings.

I Witness brings images of hope and resilience from Haiti, where Christian Aid has been working through its local partner organisations to build new homes, plant thousands of trees and supply school children at more than 80 schools with free milk every school day following the earthquake in 2010. Haiti is the focus for this year’s Christian Aid Week. 

The exhibition was put together following a trip to Haiti by three UK Christian Aid supporters, who witnessed how legacies and gifts in memory given to the charity were making a difference. 

One of those supporters was Kathy, whose daughter Esther died of a rare bone cancer when she was just 14 years old.  Although her life was short, Esther left a lasting impression here in this world.

Kathy told us:

“Before her illness Esther was a normal teenager with all the usual teenage preoccupations.    But in the months following her diagnosis, she was brought face-to-face with her own mortality – and the experience really changed her.  Far from rejecting God, she turned more and more towards Him.  And as she did so, she found the best way to deal with her own situation was to focus on the needs of others.

A few days before she died, Esther dictated her last wishes.  By then she had saved some money and she decided she wanted this money to be used to help others after she was gone. That’s why she left her gift to Christian Aid.  She trusted that through their work, her death would support life.  

After her trip to Haiti Kathy said:

I know that today Esther really is helping people to transform their lives...“I have been blessed to see how Esther continues to touch the lives of many, many other people. People living thousands of miles away and in desperate need.  People who Esther never met, but who she nonetheless felt called to reach out to”.

The exhibition will be in the Cathedral until May 25 so there will be plenty of time to explore this wonderful expression of Cristian Aid’s work.