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Soup sales will save kids' lives

Good Samaritans at a busy Sunday School are pulling out all the stops to save the lives of people in Africa.

Caring kids at St John's Scottish Episcopal Church discovered that more than one billion people across the world lacked access to clean water – and that more than 5,000 children died every day because of the shortage.

So they decided to support a Wateraid charity project to pipe fresh water to rural areas of Zambia where only 58 per cent of the population has access to taps, wells and fountains.

Now the boys and girls will raise money for the enterprise by selling soup throughout Lent, which begins tomorrow, to members of the congregation, following services at the church in Floors Street, Johnstone.

And all the cash they coin in will go to the East African republic where fresh drinking water, something which people in Britain take for granted, means the difference between life and death.

Yesterday, the Rev Donald Orr, priest at St John’s, in Floors Street, Johnstone, praised the kind-hearted children and their Sunday School leaders, under the guidance of Wilma Keenan, for tapping into the generosity of the worshippers at the church to help families in Zambia who are desperate for fresh drinking water.

"Lent is a time of reflection in the Church year and people like to do something extra to help others to mark this important season," said Mr Orr.

"I am very proud that our children and their leaders have committed themselves so conscientiously to this humanitarian project and are determined to keep it going during Lent.

"The money which they bring in might seem like small coppers to us here in Scotland, but to the people of Zambia it will mark a huge change to their lives. Here, in the developed Western world, we regard a clean and seemingly endless water supply as our birthright with each family using dozens of litres every day.

"Yet, in places such as Africa, the figure is so much less, and people are put at risk because clean water is in short supply.

"As Christians, we believe it is our duty to help people in these countries.

"That is why our Sunday School children will be selling the hot soup after Sunday morning services to bring hope and life to the people of Zambia.

"I'll probably have some myself," he added.

Sunday morning worship in St John's is at 9.45am and services last until around 10.45am.

The church is linked to St Margaret's Scottish Episcopal Church in Renfrew.

Full story at the Paisley Daily Express.