teartimes summer 2011

timesSummer 2011

tear

We are churchEvery Christian counts this harvest

Digging deeperIt’s time to uncover corruption

Walk a mile in her shoesJoin Sarela’s journey oftransformation

Be part of a miracle | www.tearfund.org

Copyright © Tearfund 2011. All rights reserved.

Permission is granted for the reproduction of text from this publication

for Tearfund promotional use only. For all other uses, please contact us.

Cover image: Sarela carries her daughter Jhuliana in Cajamarca, Peru.

Layton Thompson/Tearfund

welcome

2 summer 2011 teartimes

Editor: Peter Shaw News Editor: Mark Lang Design: Premm Design Print: Pindar Graphics

TearfundWe are Christians passionate about the local church bringing justice and

transforming lives – overcoming global poverty. And so our ten-year vision

is to see 50 million people released from material and spiritual poverty

through a worldwide network of 100,000 local churches.

We can support you if you want to encourage your church and others

to get involved with Tearfund. And if you have any questions, we’d be

delighted to talk to you.

s part of my role at Tearfund,

I have the amazing privilege

of visiting and meeting

communities where Tearfund’s work

is transforming lives. I can testify that

lives and livelihoods are changing

thanks the work of local churches –

thanks to your generosity and prayers.

I recently visited a community in

Nepal who were living in slavery just

ten years ago. Tearfund’s unleashing

the power of the local church has

truly set people free – see page 13

for more details.

As editor of Tear Times, I aim to take you to such places and give you an encounter

with the people whose lives you are touching. While words and pictures can achieve

so much, we want to give you a deeper experience. And we think we’ve found a way

to do that.

While Tearfund can’t take all of you by the hand and lead you directly to places

where local churches are helping communities overcome extreme poverty,

we can offer you a greater – more personal – insight

than we’ve been able to ever before. See how and

start your journey on page 4. Thanks to technology,

we can tread lightly on this world and its resources,

but still get personally involved in the lives of God’s

poorest, and most precious, people.

Peter Shaw, Editor

[email protected]

timesSummer 2011

tear

We are

church

Every Christian

counts this

harvest

Digging

deeper

It’s time

to uncover

corruption

Walk a mile

in her shoes

Join Sarela’s

journey of

transformation

Be part of a miracle | www.tearfund.org

Peter Shaw, Tear Times Editor, and Madan Shah,Pastor of Tikapur Christian Church, Nepal.

Ralph Hodgson/Tearfund

A

7

teartimes summer 2011 3

CONTENTS

4 Let the journey begin – see for yourself thedevelopment of a poor community

7 Unlocking potential in northern Peru – meetSarela as the local church helps her to improve her prospects

10 Awakening the local church in Uganda – meetElizabeth who has found acceptance through thelocal church

13 Finding freedom in Christ in Nepal – meet Sitafrom Shivnagar, a former slave community

16 World view – Elizabeth from Uganda chooses a dress

18 A new vision of life to the full – how mobilisingchurches brings salt and light to communities

20 Great expectations – preparing for Tearfund’sChristmas resources

21 One family, one year on – a look back at lastyear’s harvest appeal

24 Every Christian counts this harvest – find outhow your church can support Tearfund

26 Bringing light into the darkness – putting thespotlight on unjust exploitation

28 News – Crisis in Ivory Coast and updates fromacross the world

10

13


Peru: Sarela and Jhuliana have more to smile about now.

‘I want to give

my daughter

a better future.’

Sarela from

Cajamarca, Peru

Join with us

'We invite you to journey

with our communities.

And see for yourself how

the local church can enable

each of our communities

to work their way out

of poverty.'


We’ve wrestled for a while with

this problem: how to show you,

in a compelling way, the unique

poverty-stopping power of local

churches. We think we’ve found

the answer…

Words: Steve Adams

see-for-yourself.org

Let the journey rticles, films and photographs are

powerful. But they provide an insight –

not a three-dimensional journey.

Four years ago, I visited to Malawi to make

a film about how Tearfund’s partnership

with a local church was changing everything

in one poor community. The crew included

a camera-woman. We’ll call her Mary.

She wasn’t a Christian. She told me on the

flight that her mum had visited Tearfund’s

website, and warned Mary against working

with ‘religious fanatics’.

Mary asked me not to try to convert her. ‘I’m

not a Christian and don’t believe in church,’ she

said. It was on the fourth day that Mary opened

up – after seeing the village church care for the

sick and help the strong to help themselves.

A



Top: Pastor Eulogio from Sol de Justicia Church,

Cajamarca, Peru. Bottom: Pastor Madan Shah,

from Tikapur Church, who serves the Shivnagar

community, Nepal


begin…‘For the first time in my life,’ she said, ‘I’ve

understood what the church is really meant

to do.’ Four years on, she’s still in touch with

friends she made from that village church

in Malawi.

What changed Mary?

Jesus didn’t study us from afar. He joined

our journey. He saw for himself. Mary too saw

for herself. She watched the church at work.

She met the people during their journey.

She heard – and continues to hear – their

stories unfolding.

Travel costs and the environmental impact

mean not everyone can visit a community

overseas. But we’re using that same idea

of journeying with people, and inviting you

to be part of it from the comfort of your

own home.

Your invitation

Our invite to you today is to journey with

one poor community. And to see for yourself

how a local church can enable its own

community to work their way out of poverty.

You’ll see the ups and downs. The messy

beauty of development as it unfolds.

It starts with you choosing the continent

where you’d like to be part of mobilising

thousands of churches – to help countless

poor communities. Africa, Asia or Latin

America?

You make a monthly gift, and pray – and

these things are invested in mobilising

KIeran Dodds/Tearfund

Pastor Joseph Achibu, from Ogongora church, eastern Uganda.


Seeing is believing

Steve Clifford, General Director

of the Evangelical Alliance

‘I remember seeing for myself the lives of

a family living in the enormous Kibera slum

in Nairobi. And I became aware that this

was the world in which I live – the humanity

that God loves. And I couldn’t detach myself

from poverty.

‘The men, women and children there were

as much a part of my world as my neighbours

in my street. But in the midst of the extreme

poverty they faced, the church wasn’t absent.

It was present – transforming lives.’

Anne Coles, Ministry Pastor for New Wine

‘Last year, I visited a Tearfund project in a

rural community in Nepal where we prayed

for sick and troubled people, and saw

firsthand the life-changing impact those

things had.

‘We also saw the church effect a greater

change through literacy lessons to untaught

girls and by building a mill for the farmers to

grind corn near their homes. I encourage

Tearfund supporters to share this wonderful

experience, to follow a community and see

for yourself... ’

churches across the continent you choose,

and turned into something eternal.

Where in the world?

If you choose Latin America, you’ll journey

with Cajamarca community, Peru – see page

7. If you opt for Africa, you’ll follow Ogongora

village, Uganda – see page 10. And if it’s Asia,

you’ll journey with Shivnagar community,

Nepal – see page 13.

You’ll meet some incredible people through

the Welcome pack you’ll receive on signing

up. Then you’ll see their stories unfold

through monthly email updates and prayer

notes, and film updates every three months.

In all its messy beauty

The sceptic would warn Tearfund that we’re

opening ourselves up to trouble. After all,

when a charity tells a story after it’s

happened, it can decide what to include –

and what to exclude.

But so confident are we in the power of

God working through churches to birth

transformation – even in the poorest places –

that we want you to see this as it happens.

In the raw. It’s where we came from.

In 1968, churches across the UK and Ireland

spontaneously sent gifts to the Evangelical

Alliance, asking it to make a Christian

response to the hunger crisis in Biafra. And so

Tearfund was born, as the church’s response

to poverty. Started by local churches and

driven by a vision to end spiritual and

material poverty through local churches.

So, for Tearfund, this invite is about us

building on that legacy. Building a global

network of local churches working together

as one.


See for yourselfMany of you give

generously already, or

support us in other ways. If that’s you,

thank you for being a vital part of this

global church movement. We’re not asking

you to switch your giving.

If you’d like to give – and are considering

a regular investment in these communities

– then let it be a fulfilment of your own

desire to be God’s light and hope to people

in need.

Start seeing for yourself now. Simply

select a community and sign up using

the tear-out card between pages 8 and 9.

And let the journey begin…

Women at prayer at Tikapur Christian Church, Tikapur, western Nepal.


arela knows hardship, but she also has

hope and strength – drawn from her

loving family and her faith in God.

She became a mother when she was young,

and was subsequently abandoned by the

father of her child.

She cries when she talks of those days.

Baby Jhuliana is just two, so the emotional

wounds are still fresh. And Sarela still worries

about not being able to provide for her child.

‘I want to be able to give my daughter a

better future,’ she says. ‘I don’t want her life

to be hard like mine.’

Sarela is driven by her love for her

baby, so is grasping with both hands the

new opportunities available through

Tearfund partner Warmis. Each week,

she attends workshops at the local church

where women practise reading and writing,

pray together and learn skills such as

embroidery.

These skills provide women with new ways

to earn a living and fulfil their potential.

‘This helps me support my baby,’ says Sarela.

‘When we sell the things we make, we can

buy other things we need.’

S


Sarela is a warm, intelligent, motivated 21-year-old. She lives in

rural Cajamarca with her young daughter, Jhuliana. Sarela is full of

potential. When I visited, I was struck by this potential everywhere.

Words: Amy Church Photos: Layton Thompson/Tearfund

Unlocking potential in northern Peru

Sarela and Jhuliana in a momentof affection at home.

‘I want to be able

to give my daughter

a better future…

I don’t want her life

to be hard like mine.’Sarela, Cajamarca, Peru


The potential of the place

Most families here live on small farms. At first

glance, Cajamarca looks like the ideal place

for farming – with its luscious hills and valleys.

And for past generations, it was. But things

have changed.

‘Our farming families face big challenges,’

explains Miguel from Tearfund partner Warmis.

‘We’re seeing the effects of climate change…

unpredictable rainfall, poor harvests and

therefore a lack of food.’

The community is proud of its way of life.

People don’t want to move to the city or give

up farming – they just want to break free

from poverty. One man I met, Jose – a rugged

farmer who loves his land – described to me

how he cried when he realised he couldn’t

support his family.

Warmis is closely connected with the

plight of families like Jose’s, teaching

them new techniques so that, despite the

increasingly unpredictable climate, they can

harvest crops. And release the potential of

the land once more..

The potential of local churches

Warmis is doing amazing things in rural

Cajamarca. But the staff know that, for this

work to produce lasting, whole-person

transformation, it must be led by local

churches.

‘Last year, Warmis started working more

with churches – helping them understand

and respond to local problems,’ says Miriam

from Warmis.

Sarela selling the goods she embroidered – a skill she learnt through her church.


See for yourselfWe’re confident that

church and community

mobilisation is the best way to see people

lifted out of poverty. So we’re giving

people the chance to see this

transformation from the inside by

following a community’s journey.

For more information, see the tear-out

form opposite.


Seeing is believing

Elfed Godding, Director of the Evangelical

Alliance in Wales

‘We must understand that built into the

core of the gospel is this amazing love of

God that reached out to the margins of

society. My prayer life has been stirred by

the people and connections I‘ve made in

poor communities across the world. Seeing

for yourself stirs you to pray in a different

way, to be more deliberate and strategic.

‘In the multimedia age in which we live,

we have the opportunity to listen and see

the stories of poor people for ourselves.

We can share the vision together without

having to jump on aeroplanes, spend lots

of money, and burn lots of fuel and go to

these places.’

Please pray

Thank God for filling Sarela and her

community with hope and potential.

Pray for God’s will to be done in Cajamarca

as it is in heaven.

This is the start of an exciting journey.

For local churches, helping people materially

and spiritually – and not just spiritually –

is a new approach.

But Warmis, supported by Tearfund,

is intent on helping local churches reach their

potential and become what God intended

them to be: powerhouses of transformation

in their communities. ‘It’s going to happen –

little by little,’ says Miriam.

The key to transformation

Cajamarca is at the start of a process called

church and community mobilisation. This way

of doing development sees churches inspired

to empower their communities in Jesus’ name.

It sees communities themselves taking

ownership of the work, overcoming poverty

without hand-outs. And it really works.

As you read through this Tear Times,

you’ll see the amazing impact this God-

rooted way of working is already having

around the world.

But it isn’t all about Tearfund’s partners and

local churches – because you are key to this

transformation. This work is powered by the

prayers and gifts of people like you. Together,

we are the body of Christ, and we’re at our best

when we act as one.

So, on behalf of Sarela, Jose, the Warmis team

and the local church leaders in Cajamarca –

thank you for everything you do!

Now Sarela has business skills she can provide for herdaughter, Jhuliana.

‘This helps me support my

baby. When we sell the things

we make, we can buy other

things we need.’Sarela, Cajamarca, Peru


When Elizabeth’s husband died in 2000, her world fell apart. With no children,

she felt alone – rejected and isolated from her community. Since then, as I

saw when I visited, the local church has come to Elizabeth’s rescue. But it’s

been a long journey...

Words: Steve Adams Photos: Kieran Dodds/Tearfund


Awakening the local church in Uganda

Elizabeth Odongo, 50, is a widow

living with leprosy who has benefited

greatly from church mobilisation.


eople wonder why you’re there

when you don’t have children,’ says

Elizabeth, 50. ‘I felt that without a

child, I’m useless.’

The murderous Lord’s Resistance Army

came to Ogongora village, forcing Elizabeth

and many others to flee. When the militia

left, she returned to face new hardship –

her home had been destroyed and

crops stolen.

Elizabeth looked for compassion among

her neighbours. It would have been easy for

her to give up, especially as she also has to

contend with leprosy. But, with help, she

found strength to carry on.

Church catalyst

The catalyst for change was Elizabeth’s

local church, which is being helped on its

journey of material and spiritual fulfilment

by Tearfund partner the Pentecostal

Assemblies of God (PAG).

Through your support, PAG awakens local

churches to their God-given potential to

transform themselves and the communities

they serve. The church takes communities

through a programme where they work

together to bring about positive change

for everyone.

‘They taught us to assess our situation and, if we find a problem, we look at how we can meet it.’ Elizabeth Odongo, Ogongora,

Uganda

The process starts within local churches

and then spreads into the community.

PAG’s work in Ogongora has already

improved many lives, including Elizabeth’s.

As God has worked through the church, the

congregation has grown from 40 to more

than 300 in five years.

Elizabeth says, ‘They taught us to assess

our situation and, if we find a problem,

we look at how we can meet it.’

Inspiration from scripture

Using biblical examples, PAG staff help

church leaders and congregations learn the

importance of self-help within a mutually

supportive environment, building

relationships to solve problems. Jesus

feeding the 5,000 in Matthew 14 proved

inspirational for Elizabeth. It made her think

about what she had and how it could be

better used to improve her life.

Fertile soil is the main resource Elizabeth

has at her disposal and, after PAG taught

her the importance of maximising the

seasonal growing calendar, she’s now

producing enough food for her own needs,

with a surplus to sell.

This has enabled her to buy a bull and,

by hiring it out, she earns more money.

So she has been able to fix her roof and

buy a mattress and new clothes.

Studying God’s word has transformed

Elizabeth’s outlook, turning her from self-

pity to self-help. ‘This process has brought

changes in my life that I never thought

would happen,’ she says.

Thanks to your generosity

This change 4,000 miles away begins thanks

to churches here. Your generosity enables us

to support PAG as it connects with poor

communities that would otherwise receive

little assistance.

The next step for PAG in Ogongora will

be to prepare the church to engage with

the wider community, gathering

information about people’s needs and using

that to form plans to tackle them together.

PAG staff will train volunteers in the

processes needed to make their dreams

become a reality, and will monitor progress

throughout.

P‘

Connect your church to PAG in Uganda

Find out about Tearfund’s Connected Church

programme on page 15.

Elizabeth (centre) finds great comfort in having friends from the church.



Seeing is believing

Alan McWilliam, Church of Scotland

minister and leader of CLAN (Christians

Linked Across the Nation)

‘In a world full of problems, seeing poverty

for yourself completely transforms how we

view these big issues. Only then do we

understand that poverty means that

Elizabeth in Uganda might not have

enough food to eat tonight.

‘To be able to see her and hear her makes

what can seem impossibly huge issues

become real and poignant. It also brings it

down to a scale which can mean that you

know you can do something about it.

Seeing for yourself brings a personal

connection that means that my life is

connected to Elizabeth’s.’

Please pray

Thank God for working powerfully through

us, his church, in the hearts of individuals

like Elizabeth, and in communities such as

Ogongora.

See for yourselfAlready the community

is thinking about what it

needs – a borehole and a medical centre

are priorities. And over the next year they’ll

move closer to these things with our help as

one church working together – Christ’s body

here on earth.

More work needs to be done in Ogongora

and places like it worldwide, but we believe

your continuing investment in communities

like this will reap a rich dividend, in lives not

only freed from the blight of poverty but

also transformed by a relationship with our

loving God.

If you’ve been inspired by Elizabeth and

Ogongora church, you can continue to follow

their story. See the tear-out form between

pages 8 and 9 for details.

t church, I like to hear the miracle

stories of Jesus,’ explains Sita. ‘Because

when it seems impossible for us, it is

still possible for God.’

A decade ago, it would have been literally

impossible for Sita to aspire to anything

beyond a life of slavery. Although bonded

labour is a little-known form of slavery, it is

the method of enslaving people most widely

used in the world.

Neither slave nor free

Mercifully, when she was only four, Sita was

set free. The government of Nepal decreed

that all the bonded labourers in her district

should be released.

But, like all the former slaves, Sita’s family

spent their first weeks of freedom without

a home or employment during Nepal’s

monsoon season. The government promised

the former slaves land rights, but this has

not yet happened due to ongoing civil unrest

and political instability.


Ten years ago, 14-year-old Sita and

her family lived in slavery. Now free

from an oppressive system called

bonded labour, Sita has escaped the

chains of her past. But, as she

explained when we met, the true

freedom she has found is in Christ.

Words: Peter Shaw

Photos: Ralph Hodgson/Tearfund

Finding freedom in Christ in Nepal

‘When it seems

impossible for us,

it is still possible

for God.’Sita, Shivnagar,

Western Nepal.

A


Please pray

Sita asks: ‘I want to be a doctor, so I would

like my new neighbours in the UK to pray

for me for my studies.’

Eventually, a group of former slaves set

up home illegally, on a plot of land outside

the small town of Tikapur on the plains of

western Nepal. They call themselves ‘the

freed community’ of Shivnagar – where Sita

lives today. The community comprises 300

families – nearly all Hindu.

But this oppressed and uneducated

community were still considered outcasts

by the people around them. Although they

were free, in many ways life could be even

tougher than it was before.

Set free by the local church

But, looking around Shivnagar today,

you can see there is a real sense of hope –

people come together to plough the land,

rear animals and gather the harvest. Excited

children enjoy learning to read and write –

a right denied the generations that came

before them. All this change has happened

through the church – enabled by your

dedicated support to Tearfund.

Tikapur Christian Church – with

encouragement, training and support from

Tearfund’s partner, Sagoal – came to the

people of Shivnagar offering the

unconditional love that they have found

in Jesus. Working alongside the community,

the church have set up a primary school,

a farming cooperative and an animal

programme so far.

Through the animal programme, the church

gave Sita’s family a buffalo to rear to

maturity. From the sale of the animal, they

were able to buy a nearby plot of land and

set up a small business making and selling

punga – a form of snack food.

‘If the church were not here, the standard

of living in the community would be much

worse,’ says Sita, who still struggles as the

only Christian in her school class. Moved by

the care and compassion of the church, 16

families so far have given their lives to Jesus –

many prompted by miraculous healings.

And the church is welcomed and valued by

the Hindu community.

Sita sorts through the dried punga before it is deep fried and sold as snack food.


‘If the church were not

here, the standard of

living in the community

would be much worse.’


Connect your church with Sagoal

As well as you being personally connected,

your entire congregation can join

collectively with Tearfund partners such

as Sagoal in Nepal, Pentecostal Assemblies

of God in Uganda (see page 10) or one of

15 other church-based projects in

locations across the world.

Connected Church is a transformational

experience for churches here in the UK

to link with church projects in developing

countries, to learn what it means to be

part of the global church.

First, you choose from projects across

Asia, Africa and Latin America. Then, your

church makes a commitment to support

one project financially and through prayer.

Tearfund will provide your church

with quarterly updates, and you can also

send prayer requests and news from your

own church.

To strengthen the connection, you can

visit some of the projects, to meet the

workers and community members

benefiting directly from your support.

Could your church benefit from being

a Connected Church? Visit

www.tearfund.org/connected or call

0845 521 0021 to find out more.

Seeing is believing

David and Hilary McClay, Leaders of New Wine Ireland

Hilary: 'For me and my husband, David, it was hugely significant when we heard stories and

saw for ourselves what life was like for the desperately poor in Nepal, when we visited the

country. That’s why I think this opportunity from Tearfund is so exciting because it gives

people not just a snapshot of the need and how the local church is transforming lives,

but it's a really meaningful opportunity to connect.

'We can pray for individuals in Shivnagar, Nepal, share ourselves with them and hear

the stories of what God is doing in their lives – and I’m sure it will also have an amazing

impact on our lives.’

See for yourselfWe’re offering you a

unique opportunity to

follow the community of Shivnagar as it

works with the church and Sagoal to help

its people progress and thrive. You can

follow developments in Sita’s life alongside

other freed slaves in the village – see the

tear-out form between pages 8 and 9 for

full details.


worldview


Tearfund photographer Kieran

Dodds says, ‘A visible picture of

an unseen change, Elizabeth’s life

is now cut from a different cloth.

A widow without children or hope,

Elizabeth, from Uganda, has found

family in the local church and has

learned wisdom for life through

studying the Bible. Now she has an

income to buy food and clothes.’

Photo: Kieran Dodds/Tearfund


‘This process has motivated me to work hard and see all the resources I already

have.’ ‘It’s made me young again.’ ‘It’s united us.’ ‘It’s helped us to go the extra

mile for those in need.’ ‘In the past, people gave us fish. Now I understand that

we actually need nets.’

Words: Matthew Frost, Chief Executive

reflection

hese extraordinary

words are from

villagers of Akoboi

district, south Soroti,

Uganda. For me, they

confirm the incredible

power of what I witnessed

on my trip there in July

2010. It was a community completely changed,

humming with infectious enthusiasm at the

countless possibilities for more growth and

more growth – and more.

How this had happened was no accident.

Something had switched in the hearts of the

people there, had given them a new vision.

‘This process has helped me to see things

clearly again – I have rediscovered my sight!’

said one villager.

‘It’s motivated me to work hard and

see all the resources I already have.’

Eyes opened

For the few hours I spent in one small village in

Katakwi district, north of Soroti, I heard many

stories of individuals ‘rediscovering their sight’.

I learnt of villagers seeing anew the resources

and opportunities they already had.

They discovered the power of working

together, magnifying the smallest beginnings

into new lives, new livelihoods and better

relationships. People had a fresh vision of what

life is really all about, not just economics and

health statistics, but a ‘whole’ life – the ‘life to

the full’ that Jesus promised.

The ‘process’, of course, is what we’ve come

to call church and community mobilisation,

and it’s what we’re inviting you to come and

see for yourselves as a living reality in this

edition of Tear Times. It’s what happens when

people come together to forge their own path

out of poverty, with their own resources –

using their own skills and responding to their

own problems.

This is what makes for truly lasting

development. It’s born out of – and motivated

by – real, personal, spiritual change in

individuals, because it draws its strength and

direction from the gospel, and it starts in the

church. But it takes a skilled hand to steer any

community used to living without hope

towards a new way of thinking.

Carrying the heart of Jesus

Thankfully, such skill exists in facilitators trained

by Tearfund partners – people like Jane Frances

Achaloi from the Pentecostal Assemblies of God

(PAG). When I met her in Uganda, I couldn’t

help noticing that Jane’s a person who just

embodies Christ. She takes the churches’ role

in community transformation very seriously.

She’s an expert in leading this ‘self-

development’, always listening, watching,

asking just the right questions, guiding people

on their own journey. ‘My vision is to get

people to have a heart,’ she says. ‘Church is

very important in mobilising the community

because the church carries the heart of Jesus

Christ. The way Jesus would feel for the needy

is the way the church feels.’

A new vision of

T


Coming home from Uganda, I remember

being struck by three things. Firstly, throughout

the entire trip – amazingly – no one asked me

for anything. I’m used to going to places where

need is extreme: people aren’t shy when it

comes to asking for help. But not here. Why?

Because the process, and continued support

from PAG, have taught people to look to their

own skills and resources.

Secondly, no one thanked me for anything.

They knew the community – through God –

had achieved all the good things they were

seeing. And they praised God for his provision!

The final thing I saw was that, in my

experience, successful church and community

mobilisation is the most effective method of

releasing people from poverty in communities

like this – in terms of return on investment.

‘Church is very important in

mobilising the community

because the church carries

the heart of Jesus Christ.’

Yet, its impact can hardly begin to be

calculated. Its currency is in intangibles.

Facilitation is the investment. But the return

is also becoming evident in schools built, wells

dug, incomes increased, children in school…

It’s the five per cent that leverages the 95 per

cent of innate human capacity. It’s the yeast,

or the salt, or the light. And it’s what you can

bring, through your support, to communities

yearning to transform themselves. So bring the

salt, sow the seed, add the yeast. Bring people

like Jane. The yield is incalculable.

Kieran Dodds/Tearfund

‘My vision is to get people to

have a heart… the way Jesus

would feel for the needy is

the way the church feels.’Jane Frances Achaloi,

Pentecostal Assemblies of God,

Uganda

life to the full


This year, Tearfund will celebrate with First Christmas – our 2011

Christmas church resources – and we invite you to rejoice with us.

The resources – including an inspirational, easy-to-use Nativity play

– are all you need to produce a festive and thought-provoking

Christmas service.

First Christmas will feature:

• Nativity play script and performance guide

• Three-minute festive film showing Christmas in Nepal

• Interactive craft activity for children

• Prayer points and much more

‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy

that will be for all the people.’ (Luke 2:10)

Pre-order these free resources now and they will

be sent out in August – in good time to plan and

prepare your Christmas church service.

Contact 0845 521 0021 for England & Wales;

0141 332 3621 for Scotland and 028 9068 2828 for

Northern Ireland. Or email [email protected]

Great expectationschristmas resources

Shepherds still watch their flocksby night in Tikapur, Nepal.


ne family was the Tearfund campaign

that featured Mol and Tol. And, one

year on, we’re pleased to report that

because so many of you stood as one family

with them, they – and thousands of

vulnerable families like them – are taking

another step towards a happier future.

One family generated more than £750,000.

Money which is being invested in helping

people like Mol and Tol.

Life before

Zip back 12 months. Mol and Tol told us then

that their life had been changed through the

work of Tearfund’s partner and their local church.

‘Before the Wholistic Development Organisation

[Tearfund’s partner –WDO] came here, I had very

little knowledge of agriculture,’ explains Mol.

WDO began working with a local pastor named

Vinn Chheoun – and mobilising his church.

Together WDO and the church taught Mol and

O


Last harvest time, we took you to one rural community in Cambodia,

where parents Mol and Tol Tuch, and their four children, welcomed

you into their family.

Words: Steve Adams Photos: Ralph Hodgson/Tearfund

One family – one year on

The Tuch family whofeatured in Tearfund’sharvest resources last year.

one family revisited


Tol about agriculture; provided fish for their

pond and seedlings for their fields; funded a

community rice bank to help in the dry season

– and brought the knowledge and hope of God.

And what’s happened in Mol and Tol’s

community is now going national. WDO

estimates that within five years they will have

mobilised churches across the whole of

Cambodia.

Life in 2010

When we visited, as part of the One family

campaign, Mol and Tol’s seemed like a story

that was on track for a happy ending. We left

them at the end of our third day, with the sun

setting through the palm trees, lowering their

nets into their pond to catch fish for supper.

The next time we visited – two days later –

Mol, Tol and their children seemed distraught.

The pond, which had been so full, was now

empty. Mol’s commitment to water his

crops – carrying 600 buckets a day – had

drained the pond.

The One family church pack left Mol and Tol

on this cliff-hanger. And one year on, we’d like

to show you how, by being one family with Mol

and Tol, you’ve been part of improving things.

Life now

Here’s how Tearfund’s partner and the local

church have been supporting Mol and Tol:

The pond – WDO funded the extension of Mol

and Tol’s pond. It now measures 10m by 15m,

and is 4m deep, holding significantly more water.

The training – WDO had advised Mol and

Tol which crops to grow, based on how

much water and land they had. Mol and Tol

bought additional crops. This is why the pond

ran dry. WDO has worked with the family to

help them understand the need to calculate

what they can grow based on their new

pond size.

The harvest – Currently, Mol is growing

watermelon, peanut, cassava, potato, rice,

and beans. This represents a vast improvement

on their previous yields.

Education – Thanks to the bike provided by

WDO for the children to go to school on,

the children ‘are doing well and they go to

school every day’, reports Mol.

The family still play an active part in their

local church. ‘We all go to church every

Sunday,’ explains Mol. However, life has not

Tuch Mol cleans his bicycle, which was donated by Tearfund’s partner WDO.

one family revisited


been easy for them. ‘My wife has chronic

diseases – a bladder problem, uterus and

large-intestine infection – which make her

feel dizzy and pass out at times,’ explains Mol.

This puts extra strain on the family income

– something their local church is aware of

and will continue to work through with them.

As we carry on supporting our partners,

helping vulnerable people like Mol and Tol,

we’d invite you to be part of this year’s

harvest campaign, titled We are church.

Turn the page to learn more, order a free

copy and get your church involved in this

life-giving campaign.

Joining the family...

We’d like to say thanks from Mol and

Tol and the many other families helped

because of your prayers and fundraising.

Here’s a small selection of the massive

outpouring of generosity of churches

across the UK in response to One family...

• Jessica Rudman of St John’s, Worksop,

encouraged her church to make a giant

kite which they hung in the chancel for

their harvest service. During the service

they showed the One family film and

the children brought prayers to tie to

the kite. It was then hoisted up into

the roof. They raised £200.

• South Carntyne Church of Scotland,

Glasgow, raised more than £250 last

harvest. They showed the One family film

during their main service, the junior

church used the children’s resources,

and the placemat quiz featured at

their harvest lunch.

• Newton Mearns Baptist Church, Glasgow,

raised just over £4,000 at their One family

harvest events. They used the prayer

material and film, and also challenged

three people from the congregation to live

on just £1 for a day! They were asked to

make video diaries of their experience

which were shown during the service.

• Queen Edith Chapel, Cambridge, used

the One family film and ‘Nothing in the

fridge’ sketch from the church resources,

and the church children gave their

version of Psalm 65. By inviting children

from their mid-week clubs, many more

families came to their Harvest

Thanksgiving Service than usual.

Thanks to thefundraising efforts of

people across the UK,more families like the

Tuchs’ will have enoughfood this harvest.

he resource is called We are church. It will

help you plan an inspiring, thought-

provoking harvest service or thanksgiving

meal. And it’ll help your church get right to the

heart of how poverty can be beaten. Because in

the stand against poverty, every Christian

counts. And when we all stand together, as one

worldwide church, we present a challenge that

poverty cannot resist.

But don’t just take our word for it.

This resource features the story of Richard

and his family in Uganda: a moving and

memorable testimony of the power of an

active local church. We’d love you to share

this powerful story with your own church.

We are church is packed with creative and

engaging materials. Just complete, detach and

return the card found between these pages and

we’ll send you the materials for free.

Richard’s story

‘If the local church had not intervened in

my life, I would be dead,’ says Richard, 30.

Many of the friends he used to drink with

have already died as a result of alcohol.

His wife, Rose, explains: ‘The greatest

change in the life of Richard happened

when he gave his life to Jesus Christ.

Before, he cultivated only a few crops and

he would harvest and sell it and use all

the money for drinking. But now he sells

it and uses it for the family – we have food

in the house.’

The journey for Richard and his village is

just beginning. And this year, we’re inviting

everyone in your church to journey with

them. The We are church resources include

leaflets inviting people to begin this journey.

Find the full story from Uganda on page 10.


This year, we’re excited to offer you a harvest resource

that will take every member of your church on a unique

journey with one village in Africa.

Words: Steve Adams Photos: Kieran Dodds

T

EVERY CHRISTIAN COUNTSthis harvest

harvest church resources

Richard, 30, is a fishermanwhose life is being transformedthrough church mobilisation.

What’s in the pack?

We are church includes plenty of easy-to-

use materials designed to get your whole

church thinking this harvest time, including:

• An Organiser’s guide, including a quick-

start guide and a service plan

• Essential resources for your harvest

celebrations, including a sketch,

PrayerPod ideas, Bible-based notes

for speakers, spoken prayers and a DVD

with three short films and a range of

downloadable materials

• Three films, which are suitable for your

harvest service or small group. The first

film is designed for an all-age service

and tells Richard’s story. The second has

more of a focus on Richard’s personal

testimony. The third features Richard’s

local pastor, Joseph, and his work, and is

great for church leaders who want to

know more about how churches can

transform their local communities

• A range of children’s resources, including

a worksheet which offers an insight into

the daily life of Dan, Richard’s 12-year-old

neighbour

ORDER NOW!

In the stand against poverty every Christian

does count. Please make a stand against

poverty this harvest, by filling in the tear-

out form above and sending it back to

pre-order your copy of We are church.


Request a Tearfund speakerIf you would like a Tearfund speaker to talk at your church

about our work this harvest, contact our Churches team on

0845 521 0021 for England and Wales, 028 9068 2828 for

Northern Ireland or 0141 332 3621 for Scotland.

campaigns

BRINGING

LIGHTIN THEDARKNESS


We’ve shone light on the global

sanitation scandal, now it’s time

to turn the spotlight on the unjust

exploitation of oil, gas and mining

resources. With your help, we want

to Unearth the truth...

Words: Laura Selman

We want companies to

publish what they pay to

access natural resources –

such as those pictured

above mined in Bolivia.

wo years ago, Tearfund introduced you

to 13-year-old Stidia (pictured, right)

from Kigazi, Uganda. Every day she

walked down a steep, dangerous path to

collect water for her family. On this arduous

trek she risked being beaten by older boys,

and she was often late for or missed school.

It was time to end this injustice and see lives

like Stidia’s around the world transformed.

We built a movement of Christians, uniting

as the global church to pray and act to make

sanitation and water available for all. Tearfund

joined with End Water Poverty to bring an end

to the global water and sanitation crisis.

Piling on the pressure

Through your support, we made this neglected

issue impossible to ignore. Spring 2010 saw

MPs on their way to work confronted with a

section of the world’s longest toilet queue

outside Parliament. You filled their postbags

with pleas for action on water and sanitation.

In fact, in 2009 the Department for

International Development received more

Geoff C

rawford/Tearfund

T


letters and cards about water and sanitation

than anything else – Tearfund supporters have

sent a staggering 100,000 messages to the UK

government calling for action.

Amazing success!

Three years ago, access to safe water and

sanitation was a forgotten issue. Today, thanks

to the campaigning and prayers of Christians

and churches, solving the problem is the sole

task of the groundbreaking Sanitation and

Water for All initiative. This global partnership

between poor countries, rich ones, communities

and charities is working to bring access to

water and sanitation within everyone’s reach.

We have done what we set out to do – we’ve

brought the injustice to the attention of those

who must do something about it, and

persuaded them to set up Sanitation and Water

for All as we asked them to. Tearfund will

continue to be a member of End Water Poverty,

keeping up the worldwide momentum on

water and sanitation. But from now on, we are

asking you and your church to shine a light on

another injustice...

Unearth the truth

Tearfund’s local church partners in Africa, Asia

and Latin America are asking us to get mining,

oil and gas companies to publish what they pay

to developing country governments in order to

access a country’s resources. So we are starting

a campaign to unearth the truth behind the

extractive industry, calling for transparency

not secrecy in their dealings with developing

country governments.

Many poor countries are blessed with

an abundance of God-given resources.

Yet, poor countries see those resources

extracted and shipped off. They don’t see

the benefits. If companies began publishing

what they pay governments to access these

resources, then churches and citizens could

hold governments to account for how the

money is spent. This has the potential to

unlock billions of pounds and lift millions

out of poverty.

This transparency is vital in tackling

corruption. In Africa alone, the cost of

corruption is estimated at £90 billion a year.

That’s about £3,000 a second that could

be spent on nurses, schools or infrastructure

to support small businesses. In the words

of Tearfund partner Huamanga, Peru,

‘Corruption generates mistrust amongst

the population, and that further increases

poverty. There will never be development

for those who are deceived.’

When the church speaks and prays, govern-

ments listen. We give thanks for great progress

in the fight for access to safe water and

sanitation for all. Now is the time for us to turn

to unearth the truth about resource extraction.

Visit www.tearfund.org/unearthetruth to join

with us.

Your first opportunity to do this is over a

cup of tea with your MP on Thursday 9 June in

London – we’ll even provide the tea! Find out

more about Tea Time for Change:

www.tearfund.org/teatime

But whoever lives by the truth

comes into the light, so that it

may be seen plainly that what

they have done has been done

in the sight of God. (John 3:21)

Stidia washing her hands at school in Kigazi.


Layt

on T

hom

pson

/Tea

rfun

d


n two months’ time, Africa should see

the birth of its newest nation following

the decision of South Sudan to separate

from the north. The move comes after

a referendum in January resulted in an

overwhelming 99 per cent vote in favour

of independence.

The referendum took place under the terms

of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement,

which ended two decades of civil war

between north and south.

The new South Sudan state is due to come

into existence on 9 July. Big challenges await

the new government, which will preside over

a country with little infrastructure in terms

of schools, health facilities and roads.

Another pressure will be a big influx of

returnees from North Sudan who are coming

to start a new life in the south. Tearfund,

which has a long association with Sudan,

is looking to step up its work to help

the returnees.

We’ve been working in the south since

1998, undertaking projects to improve

water and sanitation and food security,

and to promote health. More than 500,000

people are being assisted. Tearfund has

been operating in Darfur, in Sudan's

north-west, since 2004, providing water,

sanitation, nutritional support and

health education.

Thank you for your prayers during the

referendum, which passed off relatively

peacefully. Please pray for the challenges

which lie ahead for Sudanese people in the

north and south.

Egypt unrest updateThe work of Tearfund partners in Egypt is returning to stability after the unrest which led

to the country’s president being deposed.

Insecurity during demonstrations against former leader Hosni Mubarak hindered our

partners’ work temporarily, most notably those supporting refugees from Ethiopia and

Sudan inside Egypt.

I

Unloading goods at Apada transition camp for returnees on the outskirtsof Aweil town in South Sudan.

Independent South Sudan faces challenges

‘Big challenges await

the new government,

which will preside over

a country with little

infrastructure in terms

of schools, health

facilities and roads.’


omen from Tearfund-backed self-help groups in

Ethiopia were invited to talk to British

government officials in Addis Ababa about the

difference the projects are making in their lives.

Thousands of these groups, which enable people to save

money and access business loans, are operating across the

country and are proving successful in helping people out of

dire poverty.

The schemes are operated by Tearfund church-based

partners such as the Kale Heywet Church which has

hundreds of congregations. The Ethiopian government has

also endorsed the self-help approach, granting a legal

identity to these groups in certain areas.

W

Tearfund’s work has received a

boost thanks to the tired legs

of supporter Bruce Nuttall.

Bruce walked 22 miles from

Westerham in Kent to

Westminster Abbey to raise

nearly £1,500 for Tearfund.

The occasion was the

Abbey's annual pilgrimage to

the shrine of St Edward the

Confessor. Our picture shows

Bruce, who confessed to stiff

legs for days afterwards,

arriving at the Abbey.

Bruce’salmighty trek

Ethiopian women mean business

Afghan flood reliefVillagers in Afghanistan’s central highlands

have been getting help from a Tearfund

partner after flash floods washed away

their crops.

Locals living at 11,000 feet in Lal-wa-

Sarangal district had never experienced such

devastation before. But they were able to

replant after our partner provided equipment

to help reclaim damaged land, as well

as new wheat seeds.

Bruce Clark, Tearfund’s Country

Representative for Afghanistan, explained

that this had increased locals’ resilience

and confidence in their ability to work

together to protect their land and

livelihoods.

news

The Ethiopian government has endorsed a self-help approach tosupport business women.

Elea

nor

Bent

all/T

earf

und

Bruce arrives at the Abbey.

ROI www.tearfund.ieEmail: [email protected] Tel: +353 (0)1 878 3200Tearfund Ireland, 5–7 Upper O’Connell StDublin 1, Ireland Registered Charity No. CHY 8600

Challenge House, 29 Canal Street, Glasgow G4 0AD

Ty Catherine, Capel Cildwrn, Llangefni, Ynys Môn LL77 7NN

Rose House, 2 Derryvolgie Avenue, Belfast BT9 6FL

^

1

Get in touch with us!

UK www.tearfund.orgEmail: [email protected] Tel: 0845 355 835500 Church Road, Teddington TW11 8QE

Registered Charity No. 265464 (England and Wales)

Registered Charity No. SC037624 (Scotland)


Geo

ff C

raw

ford

PRAYER PULSEPrayer is the heartbeat of Tearfund

The successful start of One

Voice, our Global Poverty

Prayer Movement, and for the

thousands of Christians who

took part and continue to do so.

A largely peaceful outcome to

the Sudan referendum which

saw overwhelming support for

South Sudan to become an

independent state.

GIV

ING

TH

AN

KS

FO

RP

RA

YIN

GF

OR

Latest prayer news atwww.tearfund.org/praying

edicated supporters Brenda and

Gordon Wilkinson have found the right

ingredients for a tasty Tearfund earner.

Their book, Recipes for disaster... relief and

development, has raised £25,000 for our work

since it was launched almost five years ago.

It features 42 recipes from 25 countries and

gives readers information about how Tearfund

is working with partners and local churches to

bring spiritual and material transformation in

each location. More than 4,000 copies of the

book have been snapped up, with orders from

across Europe and the US.

The book is the latest in a long series of

fundraising exploits for Tearfund by the

Wilkinsons. Philippa Peck, Tearfund’s Director

of Marketing and Fundraising, said, ‘We’re very

grateful for Brenda and Gordon’s incredible

support. Since 1984, they have raised nearly

£50,000 for Tearfund, which has fed and

supported many families across the world.’

To order your copy of Recipes for disaster,

visit www.recipesfordisaster.org

D

Food forthought

Sudan in the period leading up

to 9 July as it prepares to split

formally into two nations on

that day.

People in poor communities

around the world feeling the

pain of rising food prices.

The swift implementation

of the Bribery Act by the

UK government.

The book that's raised £25,000 for poor communities.


housands of people displaced as a

result of Ivory Coast’s disputed election

are receiving essential aid from

Tearfund partners.

A million Ivorians are homeless and more

than 1,500 have died following months of

unrest in the West African state, which has

resulted in reports of mass killings, rapes

and abductions.

Water, sanitation and healthcare are

being provided by partners, particularly in

neighbouring Liberia, where 150,000 Ivorians

fled seeking safety. Another 13,000 are in other

surrounding countries.

Although fighting subsided following the

arrest of former President Laurent Gbagbo,

it’s expected that it will be many months

before the refugees feel it’s safe to return

to Ivory Coast.

Humanitarian conditions are growing worse,

with partners reporting increasing cases of

disease, particularly caused by poor water

supplies, and hunger. Host communities in

Liberia that are helping Ivorian refugees are

themselves coming under immense strain as

food stocks decline.

Liberia-based Tearfund partner Equip, which

specialises in healthcare, is working with

40,000 refugees, particularly those suffering

from malaria, diarrhoea and malnutrition.

In Ivory Coast, a consortium of six partners

has supplied water and sanitation for 24,000

displaced people in the western city of

Duékoué, the scene of much bloodshed.

Babatope Akinwande, Tearfund’s Country

Representative for Ivory Coast, said, ‘The

election dispute has been a dark episode for

Ivory Coast, and its humanitarian legacy will

be felt for some considerable time to come

as so many people have been displaced.’

You can help our work by giving at

www.tearfund.org/ivorycoast and

downloading our Ivory Coast prayer PowerPoint

at www.tearfund.org/praying

NEWSREU

TERS/Luc Gnago, courtesy Trust.org – A

lertNet

Protesters run past burning tyres at a roadblock in Abobo, Abidjan.

Tearfund helps thousands in Ivory Coast crisis

‘The election dispute has been a darkepisode for Ivory Coast, and its

humanitarian legacy will be felt forsome considerable time to come as so

many people have been displaced.’

Babatope Akinwande, Tearfund’s Country

Representative for Ivory Coast

T

God’s church is the hope of the world. Invest £20 a month to follow a community in Peru, Nepal or Uganda. And be part of the transformation…

Your £20 can transform lives, enabling churches to empower communities like Sarela’s to work their own way out of poverty.

For example, each month your £20 could resource a church women’s workshop like Sarela’s – equipping women with new ways to earn a living and feed their children.

See for yourself by signing up today using the tear-out form between pages 8 and 9 or at www.see-for-yourself.org

Photos: Layton Thompson/TearfundRegistered Charity No. 265464 (England and Wales) Registered Charity No. SC037624 (Scotland)20223-(0511)

SE EF O RY O U R S E L F

teartimes summer 2011

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