Teartimes Spring 2012 by Tearfund

teartimes Spring 2012

Finding freedom A community released from slavery Use your skills New opportunity to raise funds

Hope for South Sudan Update on progress in the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youngest nation Be part of a miracle | www.tearfund.org

welcome

visited Nepal last year to find stories of lives transformed to encourage you that your support is making a huge difference. What I didn’t know was that one of the villages our team was due to visit, Shivnagar, was made up exclusively of former slaves. I had packed an old Tearfund T-shirt, little realising the significance of the words quoted on the front from Olaudah Equiano, a former slave and abolitionist who lived in the 18th Peter thanks the church in Tikapur, Nepal, for their century. It read: ‘Can anyone be a hospitality. Christian who asserts that one part of the human race were ordained to be in perpetual bondage to another?’ The photo here is of me thanking the church – spot the T-shirt – for sharing their Christmas celebrations with us so generously. It was a moving experience to see so many former slaves celebrating not just freedom from physical chains, but the true freedom they now have in Christ. You can read more about the free people of Shivnagar on page 8. I hope that the stories from Nepal and across the world in this Tear Times provide renewed inspiration at the start of this year. Thank you for all that you do to offer true freedom to poor and struggling people across the world. Peter Shaw, Editor editor@tearfund.org

Tearfund We 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.

Editor: Peter Shaw News Editor: Mark Lang Design: Premm Design Print: The Artisan Press Copyright © Tearfund 2012. 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: The Shivnagar community of freed slaves, Nepal. Ralph Hodgson/Tearfund

spring 2012 teartimes

CONTENTS 4

News – East Africa food crisis update, and the latest from across the world

‘I have made myself a slave to everyone’ – A journey from slavery to freedom in Nepal

Filling the gap in our gospel – Incarnating the values of the kingdom of God

Pray with One Voice – Can you survive a week on just rice and beans?

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Worldview – Women composting in Rwanda

Make time for Tearfund – Use your skills and time to release people from poverty

Celebrate Mother’s Day – Join with mums around the world

Love without limits – interview with Nelida, a determined mum from Peru

Changing the world. All together – How prayer and action can bring transformation

Celebrating 40 years of transformation – Revisiting the first Tearfund public overseas trip in 1971

A new country is born... – How your support is transforming South Sudan

‘I serve people considered to be worthless.’ Parshu Ram Mahato from Shivnagar, Nepal

Keeping it simple – Reflection from Tearfund’s Theological Adviser, Dewi Hughes

Bernard Henin/Tearfund

'I will never forget what Tearfund has done for us. I can now feed my family.' Dut Adim Longor teartimes spring 2012

NEWS

Ralph Hodgson/Tearfund

Children wait for lunch at St Johns Primary school, Marsibit, Kenya.

Thousands receive Tearfund emergency aid in East Africa

ore than 130,000 people affected by the food crisis in East Africa have been given emergency aid from Tearfund. Generous support for our appeal for the region has enabled our partners to meet urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. One of the worst droughts in 60 years has left 13 million people without enough food, following failed harvests and widespread loss of livestock. Famine is still affecting parts of Somalia, and although recent rains have eased the situation in northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia, the EU is warning that the crisis will last until at least the spring, if not the summer.

‘The entire school wishes a long life for Tearfund.’ In Kenya, our partner CCSMKE has organised tankers carrying clean, fresh water to supply communities that, until recently, had been dry for months. Schools have been able to keep open as a result. Guyo Hursa, deputy headteacher of St John’s Primary in Marsabit, said, ‘We’re grateful to Tearfund for what they have done. They’ve helped us a lot with our water challenges and we appreciate it. We don’t know when this is 4

going to end – no one can tell us when it will rain. We rely on God. This area used to be green: now it’s like a desert.’ Anna Maria Denge, headteacher of St Theresa’s Primary School, said, ‘I have never seen a drought as bad as this.’ But she said that since Tearfund’s water deliveries, the performance of pupils had improved. ‘The entire school wishes a long life for Tearfund,’ she added. In Ethiopia, Tearfund partners have been supplying food such as maize and beans to 40,000 of the most needy people. One area benefiting is Moyale district which, before recent rains, was described as barren. Some 75 per cent of livestock here has died. On the Kenya-Somalia border, we’ve been providing more than 33,000 people with cooking items, mosquito nets, medical supplies and plastic sheets for shelter through our partner World Concern. Many of these people are fleeing famine in Somalia. Claire Hancock, Tearfund’s Disaster Management Project Officer for East Africa, said, ‘We’re very grateful for all the financial and prayer support that’s enabled us to help people who are going hungry. Progress has been made but sadly it looks as though this crisis will continue well into 2012.’ spring 2012 teartimes

Tearfund support reaches out to West Africa’s hungry

earfund is responding to help some of the 6 million people across West Africa who are suffering from renewed food shortages. Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Niger are once again facing severe drought which has ruined crops and claimed much livestock. Niger is particularly badly affected, with the World Food Programme estimating a million people are in need of food. As well as tough climatic conditions, some areas have seen crops ravaged by insects, while the return of 200,000 Nigeriens from Libya is also stretching limited food stocks. Tearfund partners are helping rural communities by setting up grain banks and market gardens and by improving animal health. Issoufu Hammadou and his family have lost half their millet crop to the drought – but they have been sustained by their new market garden.

‘The countries affected by this crisis are some of the poorest in the world.’

Clive Mear/Tearfund

He said, ‘Thank you, Tearfund. Through your support I have been able to develop market gardening and do many things. There has been a real change in my life. May God bless you.’ In Burkina Faso, the government has raised the alarm over the worsening food situation, which is being exacerbated across the region by rising Mali: In the 50 degree heat, this villager gathers firewood from the top of the sand dune that threatens to engulf his village.

staple food prices. Across Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali, our partners are running initiatives similar to those in Niger to help the most vulnerable. Janet Whalley, Tearfund’s Disaster Management Officer for West Africa, said, ‘The countries affected by this crisis are some of the poorest in the world. It is clear that this extreme poverty, combined with very low harvests, means governments, donors and NGOs must act now in order to avoid a food crisis of the same scale as experienced in East Africa.’

Storms batter Central America Relief teams from Tearfund partners have been responding to tropical storm damage that has affected nearly 2 million people across several Central American countries. Heavy rainfall brought flooding and mudslide misery to Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, southern Mexico and Guatemala. Colombia was also hit. Many communities have seen homes swept away, roads and bridges severely damaged, water sources contaminated and livelihoods blighted. Partners provided food, water, household items, medical treatment and help with regenerating damaged farmland.

news

Kieran Dodds/Tearfund

Children in Ogongora village, Uganda, supported by Tearfund partner PAG.

Calling all Tearfund supporters

regularly to Tearfund. Such amazing support in these tough economic times is vital to help us fulfil our vision to see 50 million people released from material and spiritual poverty through a worldwide network of 100,000 local churches.’ Heed Handicrafts

ver the last few months, some of you may have received a phone call from Tearfund asking if you could support our work helping poor communities. Those calls resulted in donations of more than £120,000, money which will make a substantial difference to people living in extreme poverty. Andrew McCracken, Tearfund’s UK Director, said, ‘We asked for help in supporting our work and we’re immensely grateful that so many people responded to our calls to give

‘We’re immensely grateful that so many people responded to our calls to give regularly to Tearfund.’

Co-op banks for Tearfund Tearfund credit card holders raised more than £90,000 last year for our work to reduce poverty around the world. For every new account that’s opened, Tearfund automatically receives £15 from The Co-operative Bank and we get 25p for every £100 you spend. We apologise that previously some customers making new card applications experienced website glitches but these have now been resolved. To sign up, go to www.co-operativebank.co.uk and click on ‘credit cards’. Scroll down the page and you’ll find Tearfund’s logo under ‘charity credit cards’. Click on our logo for full details. 6

Created fair trade sale now on Created, Tearfund’s range of fairly traded, beautifully handcrafted products from around the world, is having a sale during January and February, where three items can be bought for the price of two. There are loads of year-round presents on offer, including gifts to celebrate birthdays and weddings. Grab a bargain now at www.createdgifts.org spring 2012 teartimes

Jay Butcher/Tearfund

Generous giving which has enabled us to help East Africans facing starvation as a result of drought. Supporters’ regular monthly donations that tackle poverty day in, day out.

PRAYER PULSE Prayer is the heartbeat of Tearfund

Thousands of people still homeless after renewed flooding in Pakistan’s Sindh and Balochistan provinces last summer. An end to violence in Egypt: a fresh outbreak in October claimed dozens of lives.

PRAYING FOR

earfund’s global anti-corruption campaign, Unearth the truth, is setting its sights on Europe after 10,000 Christians urged the UK government to do more on the issue. The campaign is seeking greater transparency from oil, mining and gas companies working in developing countries where lucrative contracts often do little to improve the lives of local people. Last October, 10,000 postcards, many collected at last summer’s New Wine conferences, were handed in to the Treasury, urging the UK government to do more to tackle global corruption. They were hand-delivered by Tearfund Chief Executive Matthew Frost and New Wine Directors John and Anne Coles. Tearfund will continue to keep the pressure on ministers here and this spring it is also taking Unearth the truth to MEPs on influential European Parliament committees and to the Danish government, which currently holds the presidency of the Council of the EU. In 2008, exports of oil, gas and minerals from Africa were worth roughly nine times the value of international aid to the continent (US$393 billion as against US$44 billion). Find out more, including how you could join us in lobbying the EU, at www.tearfund.org/unearth

Progress on reconstructing Haiti two years after the earthquake.

GIVING THANKS FOR

Europe faces up to the truth on corruption

Christians coming together to join our Global Poverty Prayer Movement 2012.

Latest prayer news at www.tearfund.org/praying

Tearfund’s Unearth the truth campaign launch in Westmister, London.

teartimes spring 2012

see-for-yourself.org

Pastor Parshu Ram Mahato with a young member of his church in Tikapur, western Nepal.

‘I have made myself a slave to everyone’ Abandoned and desperate, the freed slaves of Shivnagar village found help from an unexpected place – a church led by a former slave-master. Words: Peter Shaw Photos: Ralph Hodgson/Tearfund 8

spring 2012 teartimes

my life has totally changed,’ he says. ‘The Bible taught me to love and care for the poorest people. Now, I live to serve people considered by many to be worthless.’

‘I live to serve people considered by many to be worthless.’ Slavery today There are still many millions of people worldwide living in slavery today, and bonded labour is the most widely used method of enslaving people. Someone becomes a bonded labourer when forced to work to repay a loan – trapped and made to toil for little or no pay. There’s no escape and the debt is passed on from generation to generation. This was the predicament of the people who now live in Shivnagar, a village just outside Tikapur. Shivnagar is a small community of 300 families who came together through necessity – they were outcasts. Protests convinced the Nepalese government to end bonded labour in the district surrounding Tikapur in 2001. Overnight, masters were forced to release their slaves. But these slaves were abandoned with no education and few skills and were still considered the lowest of the low.

espite living in Nepal – one of the poorest countries in the world – Parshu Ram Mahato was born into a privileged family. Their large property in western Nepal was attended to by about 40 bonded labourers – effectively slaves – who carried out all the household chores and worked the fields that provided their masters with a lavish lifestyle. More than half a century later, Parshu Ram’s life couldn’t be more different: he now serves former slave families as a church pastor in a nearby town called Tikapur. ‘Thanks to God, teartimes spring 2012

From master to servant Meanwhile Parshu Ram had also been released. During the 1960s, he became outraged as a cholera epidemic killed many people in his locality. ‘I realised that they were dying because they had no medicine,’ he says. ‘So I chose to train as a doctor.’ He studied medicine alongside a remarkable lady. ‘Gyani Shah was one of the very first Christians in this part of Nepal,’ explains Parshu Ram. ‘As I worked with her, I saw something different in her life. She would read the Bible and talk about Jesus. When she prayed for sick people, they would often be healed.’ Gyani’s faith and compassion for poor people spoke deeply to Parshu Ram. He gave his life to Jesus – as did many people touched by God through Miss Shah, particularly the 9

see-for-yourself.org

Pastor Madan visiting Sita, a former slave living in Shivnagar, Nepal, to encourage and support her.

poor families treated in her clinic. As the number of Christians increased, Parshu Ram decided to train as a pastor to serve the new converts. There are now more than 900 Christians in the district.

with the community to form a long-term plan to help the freed slaves work together and develop essential skills.

Support from Tearfund Pastor Parshu Ram’s son-in-law, Madan Shah, 'I serve poor people because that is the outreach pastor at Tikapur church – he’s an expert in community development. is what Jesus calls us to do.' Tearfund supports Tikapur church through our Christian partner organisation, Sagoal. God’s love for outcasts Sagoal trains and encourages Pastor Madan The church still upholds Gyani Shah’s and Pastor Parshu Ram to reach out to the commitment to serving people’s physical poor people in the surrounding area through needs as well as their spiritual ones. ‘Like church and community mobilisation. Sagoal Gyani, I serve poor people because that is and the church supplied materials and what Jesus calls us to do in the Bible. It is expertise so the community could construct because of God’s love.’ a school building, and they trained and paid So when Tikapur church heard of the plight of the former slaves of Shivnagar three years teachers for the first year, until the village committee secured long-term funding. ago, the Christians came to them offering To enable the former slave families to feed that same divine love. Sadly, little had changed since the 1960s. The first support the and provide for themselves, the church set up an animal programme. The ‘Love your church provided was a medical clinic to help neighbour’ scheme gives struggling families families who had fallen sick because of a young pig, goat or buffalo. waterborne diseases such as cholera. When the families have reared the animal Once the medical crisis was dealt with, the church – now trusted by the village – worked to maturity, they sell it if it is male and, if it’s 10

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female, they sell its offspring. From the first litter or sale, the family give back one animal – or enough money to buy one – for the church to give to the next family. Sagoal and the church also supported the village in establishing a community cooperative, so that families can work together to grow crops and get a better price for their goods at market.

‘My fear is that without significant support, they will go back to being slaves.’ Church growth in Shivnagar Through the church sharing the love of God with the community, more than 20 families have become Christian and a small church building has been built in the community so believers can meet together in the village. But there is still a long journey ahead for the former slaves of Shivnagar – they need support to help them develop vocational skills and improve facilities at the school. There is no decent sanitation in the village, leaving them vulnerable to another cholera outbreak. Supported by Sagoal, Pastor Madan is working with the community to develop plans to address these and other issues. ‘My fear is that without significant support, they will go back to being slaves,’ says Pastor Madan. ‘I believe we have just five years to transform this community.’ Pastor Madan fears that if conditions are not significantly improved, the grinding toil of daily life in Shivnagar may, sadly, tempt some villagers to return to slavery. While they value and celebrate their freedom, as bonded labourers they had a stable source of basic shelter and food – just enough to keep them fit for work. But the church is determined never to let this happen, to work with the community so they have the freedom to thrive. We are offering you the opportunity to journey with Shivnagar and see the community transformation for yourself. See the tear-out form between pages 8 and 9 for how you can commit your support. Or visit www.see-for-yourself.org/nepal for more information about about Shivnagar. teartimes spring 2012

Meet the villagers… ‘I thank God for the church.’ Fourteen-year-old schoolgirl Sita is part of the first generation to be educated in Shivnagar. While school takes up her week days, she is busy early mornings, evenings and weekends helping her family with their burgeoning snack-food business.

‘When I became a Christian, I was truly set free.’ For more than 60 years of his life, 74year-old Motilal was a slave – regularly beaten and abused by his masters. Now far from retirement, his life is still a daily struggle to help provide food for his family, and he often suffers ill health.

‘I have the church to thank for my business.’ With her husband away in India, motherof-three Dhandevi struggles with the hard manual labour she carries out in her bicycle business. But she is determined to give her children the education she was denied as a bonded labourer.

integral mission

Filling the gap in our gospel True transformation should be inspired by scripture, the biblical call to address people’s material and spiritual needs – and not just people overseas. For Cornerstone Church in Swansea, this meant setting up The Gap, a group for young people excluded from school, which reaped unexpected results... Words: Peter Shaw ‘

hen the church is committed to integral mission and to communicating the gospel through everything it is, does and says, it understands that its goal is not to become large numerically, nor to be rich materially, nor powerful politically. Its purpose is to incarnate the values of the kingdom of God and to witness to the love and the justice revealed in Jesus Christ.’ – Extract from What is integral mission? by C René Padilla, a theologian and formerly Tearfund’s International President No one could deny that The Gap was good news for the people of Swansea. Not just for the young people whom the scheme supported but also for the whole community who witnessed love and justice in action – an incarnation of the kingdom of God. Disaffected teenagers are often written off as troublemakers and sadly – without suitable training, encouragement, employment skills and a sense of spiritual self-worth – they sometimes live up to that reputation. ‘I used to be in trouble with the police because I would get drunk with the boys in the park,’ says Craig. ‘School just did my head in, to be honest, and that’s why I didn’t go as much as I should have.’ 12

Active churches change communities As we know from what we see on our streets and in the news, the problem of disaffected young people is not exclusive to Swansea. Antisocial behaviour affects many of our towns and cities. But these communities also have another constant: local churches. Cornerstone is a church that centres much of its activity on social action projects in its community. These have included a group for people over 50, after-school sports clubs, a pre-school play group and – one of its most successful ventures – The Gap. The Gap reached out to teenagers disaffected with school or facing exclusion and provided them with social and employment skills and qualifications. Inspired by biblical principles and expressing the love of Jesus to communities, The Gap ran for more than 12 years, encouraging and mentoring about 1,000 young people. spring 2012 teartimes

Craig was one of them. ‘We did surfing, kayaking, gorge walking, rock climbing – I just loved it all,’ he says. As well as these fun confidence-building activities, Craig learnt interview skills. ‘They taught us what to expect [from a job interview], rather than us going in there first time and trying to get a job, and just crumbling.’

looking for other ways to support and encourage young people in our community. Swansea is one of the most deprived areas for child poverty in the country.’ You may be confused as to why you are reading this in a Tearfund publication. What has Craig’s story to do with poor people in extreme poverty in the developing world? It’s relevant because a full understanding of the gospel has local as well as global ramifications. Integral mission is not just for Africa: it’s for everywhere. We believe a community-engaged church will have a deeper commitment to challenge injustice across the world. And a church concerned for those suffering overseas should not ignore the disaffected on its doorstep. There should be no gaps in our gospel.

The fruit of the time and patience given to Craig from the church members running the group was dramatic. ‘We started to grow up a lot more,’ says Craig. ‘If I hadn’t come to The Gap, I would have gone down a road I didn’t want to go down – I would say it is the best thing you will ever do with your life.’

‘If I hadn’t come to The Gap, I would have gone down a road I didn’t want to go down.’ Craig, The Gap, Swansea A star of CCTV In fact, Craig’s life has been upturned in quite an unusual way. ‘I now work for a CCTV company,’ he says (see photo, right). ‘I used to be the one that other people wanted to catch on camera – now I’m trying to catch them. So it’s pretty mad!’ Like many such projects, The Gap was needed for a specific time. Hundreds of young people now have jobs and better employment prospects thanks to the scheme. These successful services have now been taken on by the local council. Sarah Richards, a church leader at Cornerstone, says, ‘We helped the council to set up their programme and we are now teartimes spring 2012

• Inside Out is a new course to inspire and equip your church to take a fresh look at integrating words and actions, and help bring change to your community locally and globally. • Discovery is a process that helps churches to indentify needs within their communities, realise their potential to make a difference and plan a successful response. For more details on both, visit www.communitymission.org.uk/courses Photos showing the work of The Gap, a project from Cornerstone Church in Swansea. 13

global poverty prayer movement

PRAY WITH ONE VOICE JOIN OUR GLOBAL POVERTY PRAYER MOVEMENT Words: Craig Borlase Photo: Kieran Dodds/Tearfund

eflect, pray, act: these three little words are at the heart of the One Voice prayer week. From Sunday 26 February, Christians all over the globe will unite to reflect on the injustice in the world around us, to pray for transformation and be prepared to act as part of the answer to those prayers. One Voice is a fantastic opportunity to unite the global church. From small children to experienced hands, the week is a focal point for everyone to pray for people in poverty across the planet. With Micah 6:8 as our key verse, we’re excited about the prospect of so many Christians worldwide acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with our God.

Can you live on rice and beans? For five days, we’re inviting you to take on the challenge of eating the kind of food that the vast majority of people rely on – day in, day out. That means eating only oats, rice and beans as you fast and pray – and donating to Tearfund the money you save at the supermarket. Fantastic free resources! If you have a church small group, prayer group or youth group, we have some great free resources for you: prayer guides, a short film and practical suggestions to make your week a success. Simply call 0845 521 0021, email churches@tearfund.org or visit www.tearfund.org/onevoice to order your free church resources.

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Do good

Switch to Ecotricity Change to Ecotricity and Tearfund gets £40 or £60 if you switch your electricity and gas to invest in helping poor communities adapt to the changing climate. Ecotricity is dedicated to building new sources of renewable green energy, investing more per customer than all the other UK suppliers put together. And they promise to price match the standard tariffs of the big 6 energy suppliers. Do good today! Please call Ecotricity free on 0800 302 302 and quote Tearfund or visit www.ecotricity.co.uk/tearfund working together with

DON’T JUST READ IT. LIVE IT. Poverty is a disease that can be cured. 58: THE FILM will inspire you to live out Isaiah 58’s call to break the chains of injustice. Unless we act, poverty will continue to destroy lives. Watch the trailer today!

www.live58.org Brought to you by:

worldview

spring 2012 teartimes

Tearfund photographer Will Boase says: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;On a hillside terrace near Nyarusiza village, a group of farmers gather around a communal compost heap. A survivor of two famines and the Rwandan genocide, Evasta Nyiranshamubanzi (in orange bandana) is one of the farmers helped by Tearfund partner Moucecorp, who have trained her community in composting to increase their yield.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Photo: Will Boase/Tearfund

teartimes spring 2012

south sudan appeal

A new country is born, and hope glints on the horizon… Last July, Tearfund launched an appeal for the newly independent South Sudan, one of the poorest countries on the planet. We’ve been amazed by your generous response… Words: Mark Lang Photo: Bernard Henin/Tearfund

ouncing brightly on her mum’s knee, baby Nyigeng Doroca surveys the scene around her with contentment as her dad, Deng Deng, looks on admiringly. Six months ago, Nyigeng’s arrival in the South Sudan village of Omdurman was a source of worry and stress. The birth brought complications and her mum, Ajak, lost lots of blood. A long and arduous road trip to the nearest hospital in Aweil looked likely but medical staff at a Tearfund clinic in Omdurman – the only health facility for many miles – were able to help successfully. ‘Thank God the staff in the Tearfund clinic managed to control the bleeding,’ says Deng. ‘My wife improved well and, as you see, the baby is fine. I’m happy for God’s grace upon my family.’

Collecting water from a borehole built by Tearfund at Apada returnee camp, South Sudan. 18

Big challenges ahead Thanks to your overwhelming support for our South Sudan appeal last summer, Tearfund is improving lives in Omdurman and other communities like it across the world’s newest nation, and not just by offering healthcare. We’re helping to build better water and sanitation facilities and training people to improve their agricultural production so they can better feed their families. The demand for such help is considerable. As well as locals like Deng, there are thousands of people returning to South Sudan from the north, hoping for a better life, many buffeted by decades of civil war. Dut Adim Longor is one of them. Tearfund has provided him with seeds, tools and two goats since he arrived six months ago and he’s now growing five crops. A borehole constructed by Tearfund is only ten minutes’ walk from his home. Dut says, ‘I’ll never forget what Tearfund has done for us. I can now feed my family and live with hope.’ But big challenges remain for the people of South Sudan who gained independence officially on 9 July 2011. The new government faces the unenviable task of building a nation out of a land scarred by conflict and natural disasters such as flooding and droughts. With health facilities and schools scarce, it’s not surprising that South Sudan is in the bottom ten for countries with poor development. And of course, after so many spring 2012 teartimes

Dut, who lives in a returnee camp in South Sudan, proudly shows off his garden which he grew with seeds supplied by Tearfund.

years of fighting, tensions remain. Border clashes, tribal conflicts and disputes over land and cattle forced nearly 300,000 people from their homes last year. Long-term commitment Tearfund is committed to helping the people of South Sudan overcome the obstacles of material and spiritual poverty, to work alongside them with Christ-like compassion as we have for many years. Generosity towards our appeal means that our operational team there can target remote and neglected areas as well as deal with future emergencies. They’ll be able to help communities build more wells, water-storage facilities and latrines, as well as tackling sickness and disease by providing primary healthcare.

‘I’ll never forget what Tearfund has done for us. I can now feed my family and live with hope.’ Dut Adim Longor, South Sudan Your giving will enable us to help people develop sustainable livelihoods and train them to feed themselves. And for our local partners, whom we’ve been supporting for 40 years, it’ll mean they can undertake a variety of development projects, working with local churches. Jonas Njelango, Tearfund’s Country Representative for Sudan, says, ‘So many teartimes spring 2012

lives here are shackled by poverty, but the wholehearted response to our appeal offers us the opportunity to bring hope where otherwise there might be none. Thank you for your generosity and for showing the church is responsive to the needs of the world’s newest nation.’ Please pray for: • the reintegration of those returning to South Sudan and that they can help tackle poverty • an end to tribal violence which has killed many since independence and for wisdom for churches seeking to mediate • improvements to food supplies, amid warnings there could be chronic shortages due to erratic rains.

Progress in South Sudan Here’s a snapshot of work we’ve done in Omdurman and Aweil in recent months: • 17,000 patients treated in four clinics • 1,700 children screened for malnutrition • 9,000 tools distributed • 6 boreholes repaired, giving 1,800 people clean water • 22 shallow wells protected, giving 6,600 people clean water • 150 household latrines built, giving 1,000 people access to better sanitation

get involved

Make time… for Tearfund How offering your skills and dedication can help release people from poverty… You’d think that in the year 2012 we would have become wise to the wily tricks of modern living. We’re surrounded by gadgets that promise to save our time, loaded down with magazines that offer to improve our surroundings and bamboozled by programmes that tell us ways to fix our figure. All this and yet we’re probably busier, messier and lumpier than ever. Words: Craig Borlase

ut you and I know that there’s more to life than following the crowd – and you, our dedicated supporters, are living proof of the fact. Across the country, people are making time for Tearfund, stepping up and figuring out ways to use their time and talent to serve God, challenge injustice and help support local churches across the world.

‘Across the country, people are making time for Tearfund, stepping up and figuring out ways to use their time and talent to serve God.’

Alwyn Coates/Tearfund

Tearfund’s got talent People like Jane Campbell in Newporton-Tay, Scotland. Unlike many of us bathroom-crooners, Jane was brave enough to take the show tunes she sang in the shower out to the wider world. She started with a solo concert in her local church hall to raise funds for the church, and since then she has recruited some additional performers and staged numerous charity concerts. Last

Tearfund volunteer baker Sarah Roberts and her daughter. spring 2012 teartimes

October, she put on Tunes for Tearfund, raising £440 in the process. Or what about Andy Rayner (below)? After more than a decade of volunteering, he has raised an impressive £96,000 for Tearfund. This coming year, he’ll be working with schools and local churches as they prepare for Waiting for Christmas: a great opportunity for children to get involved, hear about poverty and injustice, and raise money to make a difference. Visit www.waitingforchristmas.org.uk to find out more. While some, such as Jane and Andy, are obviously blessed with proven talents which they can use, we at Tearfund believe that it’s the attitude that is important – as the story of the widow’s mite shows (Luke 21:1-4). Water challenge That’s why we love HaEun Ji’s response to the water crisis facing many poor communities around the world. With the average person

Tearfund volunteer cameraman and choirmaster extraordinaire, Andy Rayner.

Andy Rayner

Alwyn Coates/Tearfund

Why not join us? Visit www.tearfund.org/ maketime and pledge to ‘share your talent’ today.

in the developing world living on just ten litres of water a day – compared to our 200 litres – HaEun Ji decided to see for herself how hard it is to survive on so little water. ‘We set ourselves a challenge: ten litres a day, for seven days,’ she says. ‘We knew it was going to be messy – but we also figured we could raise some funds to help those whose reality this is 24/7. I can say that it was truly one of the most valuable experiences I've had! It made me realise the importance of water, and the serious injustice that exists in this world.’ Whatever your talent – or however much or however little time you have available – choosing to share it to benefit others is one of the best decisions you can make. Whether you make cards, bunting or pictures and sell them on eBay, or raise funds by sponsored running, climbing, reading, eating, sleeping or whatever catches your imagination, you can help Tearfund, have fun and go deeper with God in the process.

Tearfund volunteer Andy Rayner’s children’s christmas concerts have so far raised nearly £100,000 for Tearfund. teartimes spring 2012

get involved

Make time for Tearfund! Here are five great fundraising ideas to get you started… • Give up something you love for a day, a week or a month and get sponsored for your efforts. • Dig out all those nearly new items that are taking up space, get your friends to do likewise and get together for a bringand-buy sale. • If you’ve got some little helpers at home, why not bake some cakes and sell them on to friends and family? • Get friends round for dinner, show a Tearfund film between courses and ask them to donate. • Encourage your church small group to get together and run an event – a barbecue, tea party, or drinks and nibbles – and charge a small entrance fee.

Tearfund volunteer singer Helen Dennison.

Tearfund volunteer speaker Gillian King.

Have you made time for Tearfund? We’d love to hear about it – so email us at volunteer@ tearfund.org

Alwyn Coates/Tearfund

www.goldchallenge.org

Visit this great site and find out how you can help raise money AND join in the Olympic and Paralympic fun at the same time. Gold Challenge is a unique charity challenge where you can test yourself in Olympic and Paralympic sports by the end of 2012. Take part on your own, or with a team: either way it’s a great opportunity to get fit, have fun and raise funds for Tearfund. spring 2012 teartimes

Alwyn Coates/Tearfund

For a complete guide to fundraising – along with details of many opportunities for you to get involved with Tearfund – visit www.tearfund.org/maketime

22 February to 7 April 2012 Join the Carbon Fast this Lent for daily doses of climate-friendly actions to help you care for Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good creation and help protect our global neighbours who are hit hardest by the changing climate.

www.tearfund.org/carbonfast

mother’s day

Yanamango village, Peru: mum Nelida Aguilar, who is helping to teach her daughter, Alicia, to read.

Celebrate Mother’s Day with mums around the world If you could catch, and bottle, everything your mum means to you – all that love, all those hugs, all those tears – you’d have a potion of great value. Words: Steve Adams Photo: Geoff Crawford/Tearfund

ecause a mother’s love can rebuild and restore. A mother’s love can achieve the impossible. And this Mother’s Day, we’re celebrating the fact that in some of the poorest places on earth, mums are achieving the impossible with the help of the local church and Tearfund’s partners. Not only mums who have their own children – but sisters, aunties or friends who offer motherly love to others.

mums around the world. Mums who are trapped, with their children, in poverty. Mums like Nelida, a Peruvian mother of one, who is – right now – doing the impossible for her eightyear-old daughter Alicia. Reflecting on how Tearfund’s Peruvian partner Warmis has helped her, Nelida says, ‘I only went to school for two years, because my mum needed me in the field, looking after the sheep. ‘I could only put my first name, my last name and a few words. Mother’s Day 2012 ‘But Warmis has taught me to read newspapers. I understand more, and now I can Join us as we make 18 March 2012 a day to thank God not just for our own mums, but for add, subtract, multiply.’ 24

spring 2012 teartimes

For her daughter Alicia, this is not just good news, it’s life-changing news. It’s the news that draws a line in the sand and begins her journey out of poverty. ‘Now I’m able to teach my child. When she arrives home she says, “Teach me and help me with my homework.” I’m teaching my little girl. ‘I don’t want Alicia to have the same life as me. I want the best for her. This is why I do all I can to earn enough so my daughter can go to school and study and better herself.’

Mother’s Day is about celebrating and upholding mums as an expression of God’s love. Particularly mums caught tightly in poverty’s grip.

Bless Mum, and Tearfund! Surprise Mum with a beautiful bouquet from Bunches.co.uk this Mother’s Day and 20 per cent of the sale will go directly to Tearfund. Visit www.bunches.co.uk/tearfund and use code ‘TF20’ at the checkout. Offer ends 6 April 2012. And for us, this year, we’re doing our bit to spread the Mother’s Day love. We’re offering you and your church a short film, designed for an all-age service, featuring Nelida and her daughter Alicia. It tells of their moving story of hope, transformation and motherly love. Inside the church pack you'll also find giving slips, prayer points and a colouring sheet for children to make a card for their mother. Tearfund’s Mother’s Day resources are free, inspiring and available to order now. Call our friendly Tearfund team on 0845 521 0021, or email churches@tearfund.org or order from the end of January at www.tearfund.org/ mothersresources

Life is a daily toil for mother and daughter Nelida and Alicia, Peru. teartimes spring 2012

Q&A with Nelida Saucedo

Love

without limits

Nelida Saucedo is a Peruvian mother whose life is driven by one main purpose: to secure the future for her eight-year-old daughter, Alicia. High up in the Andes mountains, Nelida and Alicia live in the grip of poverty. Rural schooling is pretty basic. Living off the land is precarious, with years of drought affecting crops. On the face of it, Nelida’s dreams for Alicia could be just wishful thinking. But transformation is underway. In Nelida’s village of Yanamango, Tearfund partner Warmis is working with the local church to run literacy classes, sewing classes and other income-generating programmes so mothers like Nelida can achieve the impossible. Nelida’s love and determination may well be enough to change her daughter’s life. Words: Lorraine Kingsley Photos: Geoff Crawford/Tearfund When did you come back to Yanamango? I left my work as a maid when I was 26, because my mum got sick and there was no one here to take care of her. She was ill for months with kidney problems. So I returned, and started to care for the animals. I look after the sheep, chickens, guinea pigs, whatever we can raise. I also plant crops on the farm. I work from 7am until it gets dark around 6pm when my girl Alicia helps me to put the sheep in the pen for the night.

How did poverty impact your childhood? When I was a little girl, my mum provided for my education for just two years, but she didn’t have the resources to support it, so she said, ‘Already you know how to write your name, and sign documents, and that’s enough.’ So I had to leave school, which made me very sad, and look after the sheep. I did that until I was 15, and then I went to work in the city as a maid. I liked that work. 26

‘Warmis teach us Christian values and encourage us to go to God to ask for his direction.’ Where is Alicia’s father? He didn’t stick around. It was the same with my father. He left my mother when she was pregnant with my brother and I was only two years old. Alicia’s dad lives far away in Trujillo spring 2012 teartimes

‘I don’t want Alicia to have the same life as me. I want the best for my daughter.’

Life in Yanamango village, Peru, is tough for Nelida as she toils daily to provide for her daughter.

and I have to raise Alicia alone. He tells me he doesn’t get paid often. He says that the food store where he works often docks his pay for things that go wrong. So there’s no other source of income. Sometimes, when we get sick, or there’s something extra at school that needs to be paid for, I get angry. I think, ‘Why doesn’t he send anything?’ When Alicia grows up, will she take over the farm and continue to look after the animals? I don’t want Alicia to have the same life as me. I want the best for her. This is why I do all I can to earn enough so my daughter can go to school and study. I would be very happy if Alicia was a secretary. Something that is easier, lighter work than in the field where sometimes the animals live, and sometimes they die, and sometimes they get stolen. I intend to support Alicia so she can better herself. How has Tearfund partner Warmis helped you? When I started to go to the Warmis workshops on Saturday, I could only read and write a few teartimes spring 2012

words. Now I have learnt so many things. I can read newspapers. I have learnt how to sew and do embroidery. I have made blankets and bags and sold these at exhibitions. Warmis have also encouraged us to create a kitchen garden where we grow vegetables that we eat and sell. They also teach us Christian values and encourage us to go to God to ask for his direction, and they read the Bible and pray with us at each meeting. What can we pray for you? I would like you to pray that God helps me physically so I can work and improve my life and support my girl to have a better life. Without my support, Alicia surely couldn’t study. And please pray my parents will be with me a little longer because I would be lost without them. If you feel inspired to help mothers like Nelida as they support their children, turn back to page 24 and find out how you can celebrate Mother’s Day with mums around the world. 27

campaigns

Changing the world… all together If you type ‘how to change the world’ into a well known search engine, it delivers no less than 146 million responses! Tearfund thinks that the ingredients needed to change the world are far fewer… Words: Laura Selman

God + his people + prayer + action = transformation

his equation is being worked out in communities all over the world. It’s what makes access to clean water and sanitation possible for some of the millions who have been denied it. It gives hope and new livelihoods to those affected by floods in Pakistan or drought in East Africa. We see it working at the local level where the church is helping communities to find their own way out of poverty. But it doesn’t stop there. When God’s people come together in his power across borders and boundaries to pray and act for change, we see transformation on a grand scale too.

‘When God’s people come together to pray and act for change, we see transformation on a grand scale.’ When the church speaks, things change History shows us that, when we speak out, we see debt cancelled for poor countries – millions of pounds of unjust and unpayable debt – freeing nations to use what money they have for their own development. We see new laws enacted that begin to tackle the causes of climate change. Looking back further, we see the church playing a vital

Inspired by TV comedy Father Ted, a group of 'Mrs Doyles' take part in the Tea Time For Change lobby of parliament in 2011. Clive Mear/Tearfund

spring 2012 teartimes

Jay Butcher/Tearfund

People United is a space for experts, interested parties and complete novices to find out why campaigning is a natural outworking of our faith and a powerful tool in the fight against poverty and injustice. It’s a toolbox of resources to help you and your church mobilise together and journey into prayerful political action on issues affecting poor communities around the world. And it’s a community of people sharing their stories of success, struggle and answered prayer.

Tearfund supporters challenge the Conservative Party’s climate commitments at their party conference.

‘Our responses to poverty and injustice should be many and varied, as creative and fun and loud as we are.’

role in the abolition of slavery. Either these changes would not have happened or they would have taken far longer, with the loss of many more lives, if the church had left the problem for the ‘experts’ at the time to solve. We pray, speak and act to show the world the love God has for the poorest people and his passion for justice. Psalm 9 says: ‘The Lord is known by his acts of justice.’ As the body of Christ, the church is charged with challenging and inspiring decision-makers and powerful people to re-shape our societies so that the last are put first. This is how we obey God’s command to ‘seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow’ (Isaiah 1:17). To a hurting and broken world, a church that prays and acts with, and on behalf of, the poorest and most vulnerable people is good news indeed.

Get inspired and active Our responses to poverty and injustice should be many and varied, as creative and fun and loud – or quietly determined – as we are. People United isn’t about telling you what to do. It’s about helping you do what you want to do really well, and making sure that we stand the best chance of bringing real change for poor communities. People United is also a place for sharing our experiences so that we can learn from each other as we journey together – a people united against poverty and injustice. People United is a communication hub for church leaders, campaigners and to whom God is speaking about the scandal of global poverty. Explore online at www.tearfund.org/ peopleunited and take the latest action. Then ask God whether he is calling you to help your church be a people united too.

A people united There’s an old proverb that says ‘One hand alone cannot clap’. Similarly, it’s hard for one person, however persistent and passionate, to bring transformation on their own. Poor communities need local churches to play their part. To help your church to do just that, Tearfund is launching a new initiative for 2012 – People United – your one-stop online shop for church-friendly campaigning inspiration, information and resources. teartimes spring 2012

What you’ll find at www.tearfund.org/PeopleUnited Latest campaign actions • sermon ideas small group study outlines • in-depth briefings • ‘how-to’ guides on working with local media and building a good relationship with MPs • theological resources • links to others who are passionate about the same issues • prayer ideas

reﬂections

n 1972, a small team of Tearfund supporters visited Edinburgh Medical Missionary Hospital in Nazareth. It was the first trip of its kind. Over the last 40 years, thousands of people have visited Tearfund projects across the world – enjoying an adventure of a lifetime and seeing extreme poverty at first hand. Today, these overseas visits through Tearfund are called Transform and they are often a profoundly moving, life-changing experience. Four decades on, Peter Graves, one of the leaders of the very first trip, reflects on the impact it is still having on his life today… ‘I had the very great pleasure of leading the first-ever Tearfund work party. On 15 July, a group of 21 eager 20-somethings left Heathrow bound for the hospital in Nazareth.

Peter Graves

Celebrating 40 years of transformation ‘Our visit to Nazareth reinforced in me the conviction, which has never wavered since, that serving the kingdom is as much about helping poor and dispossessed people without distinction, as it is about preaching the word.

‘Tearfund remains the spearhead of evangelical social engagement.’ ‘In my opinion, Tearfund remains the spearhead of evangelical social engagement. [Tearfund founder] George Hoffman and I were close friends, and I was able to observe the founding and growth of the organisation from close quarters. I can't tell you how privileged I still feel to have been around at the beginning, and then to have been asked to lead the very first work party.’

Be transformed today

1972: Peter Graves visiting the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Hospital in Nazareth.

Transform aims to open the eyes and hearts of individuals through experience and we offer many different types of trips – for families, gap-year students, two-week visits for the over-25s, and prayer-focused excursions. Whatever your age or experience, we send you to work with our partners in some of the world's poorest places – offering an experience that will challenge and change you. To find out more, call 020 8943 7777, email transform@tearfund.org or visit www.tearfund.org/transform

Peter Graves

If you’ve been on a trip with Tearfund in the last 40 years, join us for our celebration event on Saturday 10 November. For details, see www.tearfund.org/transform40 spring 2012 teartimes

KEEPING IT SIMPLE I feel honoured that Matthew Frost, Tearfund’s Chief Executive, has stepped aside in this issue to allow me to provide this reflection before I retire as Tearfund’s Theological Adviser. But the pressure is on to say something deeply profound – that’s what’s expected of theologians! I’ll leave you to decide if I succeed… Words: Dewi Hughes Photo: Cally Spittle/Tearfund

hen Karl Barth, one of the greatest Christian theologians of the 20th century, was asked to reveal his most profound thought, he answered: ‘Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.’ You may know the acronym KISS – ‘Keep It Simple, Stupid’. But, in light of Matthew 5:22, ‘Keep It Simple, Saints’ is a better alternative for Christians. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that our most important choices are simple. It’s not like choosing from 20 types of salad dressing – it’s a choice between treasure on earth and treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:19–21, 24). Between these two alternatives, Jesus teaches about eyes: ‘If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness’ (Matthew 6:22–23). Listeners at the time would have understood precisely what Jesus meant by ‘unhealthy eyes’. It was a term that meant refusing to be generous to poor people – ‘evil eyes’ are mean. But a ‘healthy eye’ is not just generous – the best translation of ‘healthy’ here is ‘simple’. It means something which is not complicated or confused, but which operates as it should. A ‘simple eye’ always responds with generosity. When it sees someone in need and has money to give, it gives generously. If we have simple eyes, we can be sure to seek heavenly treasure, and serve God, not money. teartimes spring 2012

‘Simple eyes see the suffering of poor people and respond with generous giving.’ Simple eyes see – in stark reality – the suffering of poor people and respond with generous giving. I love Tearfund’s commitment to the whole gospel and I think that mobilising local churches to transform communities is the most exciting thing we’ve ever done. But everything we do is dependent on all of us choosing heavenly before earthly treasure, God rather than money. We must have simple eyes. So my goodbye KISS is this: keep those eyes simple, saints!

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