We’re excited to announce the return of the Gifts From the Heart colouring contest!
Churches across Canada are partnering with the farmers around Lake Chad who are fighting to bring their ecosystem back to life. Thanks to the generous support of Martin Luther University College*, you can help! Colour in a scene from near Lake Chad, and you could win up to $500 to spend donating items from our Gifts from the Heart catalogue! One grand prize winner will win a $500 donation to CLWR and an exclusive prize pack! An additional winner in each age group will win a $100 donation to CLWR, as well as a prize pack. (Age categories: 0-4 years, 5-8 years, 9-12 years, 13-17 years and 18+)
To enter the contest, download the colouring page, email a photo of your completed picture to churches@clwr.org by December 15, 2025, along with your name, age, city and home church. Winners will be contacted via email the week of December 16th.
About the scene: The scene for this year’s colouring contest was drawn by Winnipeg artist Farideh Saffari. The illustration shows some of the ways that farmers around Lake Chad are seeing their lives improved by the support from churches participating in Friends of Creation. Around Lake Chad, things have gotten very hard for farmers, and for everyone, now that their ecosystem isn’t working like it used to—because of people not caring for the earth well. The lake has gotten much smaller, plants aren’t growing well, lots of families don’t have enough food, and many people aren’t able to find jobs. But now people are farming and fishing in new ways, planting many thousands of trees, growing gardens, and working with scientists to learn about new plants that improve the soil and grow even as the land gets drier. This means that some farmers can now grow enough food to feed their families and sell extra at the markets to earn income. Others can access funding to raise livestock like goats that help them support their families, and as the ecosystem is being restored families will be able to catch more fish. Learn more about how the project is making a difference at clwr.org/nbs!
Special thanks to Martin Luther University College for generously contributing the gifts for the winners! *Winners will choose items from the Gifts from the Heart catalogue, and a gift from Martin Luther University College will be made directly to CLWR. Winners are not eligible for tax receipts for the donation made by MLUC.