SPRING ’17
NORTHERN IRELAND
A DIGNITY MISSION Northern Ireland brings hope to DR Congo
DIRTY GLORY
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER
Pete Greig on prayer and poverty
Make your special day the best ever
Demand 100% green energy for N. Ireland
2 . TEAR TIMES
WELCOME... LITTLE LIONS My daughter Evie has a creative spark inside her, loving nothing more than making amazing worlds out of Lego. Or writing short stories filled with adjectives I didn’t know until I was in my twenties. She adores reading lengthy novels, baking fabulous buns and learning to play the violin and piano. She’s nine years old and she’s flourishing. That’s why it’s so heartbreaking for me to read the story of a child like Ahed (see page 8), a Syrian refugee who now lives in a makeshift camp in Lebanon. His mum and dad were forced to take the brave, but life-shattering, decision to flee to Lebanon. Now aged ten, Ahed has endured five years in the camp. He has one toy, a little lion teddy. There are no Lego worlds, wonderful books or piano lessons for him. Jesus came to proclaim ‘good news to the poor’ (Luke 4:18). He came to bring good news to children like Ahed in Lebanon so they could flourish and thrive. He came to bring this good news to people like Kalongo and Yvette (whose stories you can read on page 30) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, too. And, he calls us to play our part, to join him in being his hands and feet in the world. Read about people in Northern Ireland doing just that on page 7. Thanks for all you are doing to bring help and hope where the need is greatest around the world.
Tim Magowan Northern Ireland Director, Tearfund twitter @Tearfund_NI | email ni@tearfund.org
Photo: Marcus Perkins/Tearfund
TEAR TIMES . 3
04
CONTENTS NEWS & UPDATES 04 News Haiti hurricane and more updates 24 Zip it, grandma! Make this your best birthday ever
FEATURES 08
08 Children on the scrapheap How Syria's children are surviving in the rubble 14 Changing with the climate A vision of Malawi for the next ten years 18 Wiping out poverty in Guatemala Why the greatest gift can be a toilet 20 Juba calling My career path from south-west London to South Sudan
16
26 Beans means lives How a week on rice and beans makes a big difference 28 Speaking truth to power providers Don't let Northern Ireland lag behind
PULL OUT POSTER 16 I lift my eyes to the mountain – where does my help come from?
REFLECTIONS 30
22 Dirty glory Pete Greig on God's presence in the poor 30 Following Jesus into a massacre Tim Magowan reflects on a visit to DR Congo
Copyright © Tearfund 2017. All rights reserved. Permission is granted for the reproduction of text from this publication for Tearfund promotional use. For all other uses, please contact us. Cover image: David McAllister with Yvette, a conflict survivor in the Democratic Republic of Congo Photo: Chris Nelson/Tearfund
4 . TEAR TIMES NEWS
IN THE
NEWS Beatrice, who fled her home because of conflict in the DRC
HOPE, HEALING AND RESTORATION FOR THE DRC Many of the stories coming out of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are truly horrific. Since 1999, a civil conflict has claimed the lives of six million people and devastated large parts of the country. In April 2016, armed men rampaged through the village of Kavumu, and 33 girls – some as young as three years old – were brutally attacked and raped. Sadly, this isn’t an uncommon story. That’s why we launched an appeal to support Tearfund’s work with local partner organisations across the DRC. After years of conflict, we’re helping communities to rebuild, supporting access to medical care and psychosocial support for those affected by the violence, as well as ensuring access to safe water and sanitation. A mother of a young survivor in Kavumu expressed her gratitude, ‘With this help
'With this help from Tearfund we can begin to heal’ from Tearfund we can begin to heal and forget – our girls can start again.’ Thanks to generous supporters like you our appeal exceeded our £500k target – in fact you’ve raised over £650k. But the need is still great. ‘As the DRC spirals downwards into everincreasing violence and political turmoil,’ says David McAllister, Tearfund’s country representative in the DRC, ‘with increasing foreign aid sanctions imposed due to lack of progress in the democratic process, we rely more and more on your generous donations to address the critical needs of families. ‘Tearfund, with its vibrant network of local Christian partners, stands as a beacon to continue to bring life-saving assistance in Jesus’ name in this drastic situation.’
Photo: Richard Hanson/Tearfund
NEWS TEAR TIMES . 5
DEVASTATING HURRICANE HITS HAITI Tearfund and our local partners continue to carry out emergency relief work in Haiti, which was hit by Hurricane Matthew on 4 October last year. The most powerful Caribbean storm in decades left a trail of catastrophic damage in the nation, with torrential rain and powerful winds. Between three and five million people have been affected, with many thousands of homes destroyed, along with schools and other key infrastructure. ‘This is the worst hurricane in Haiti for more than half a century,’ says Jean-Claude Cerin, Tearfund’s Country Representative for Haiti. ‘It’s been devastating for thousands of Haiti’s very poorest. The nation is still vulnerable after the major earthquakes of 2010.’ Tearfund has been at work in Haiti for more than 30 years. Along with our local partner organisations, we have been working hard to make communities more robust – better able to withstand the effects of disasters like this. Above right: Food distribution in Haiti following the hurricane
‘This is the worst hurricane for more than half a century’
Photo: Jade Beakhouse/Tearfund
MORE THAN PEANUTS IN VANUAT U When Cyclone Pam hit the Vanuatu area in March 2015, the impact was devastating, particularly for farmers. Almost the entire coffee harvest on Tanna Island was lost – an island with a population of 30,000. But, thanks to Tearfund New Zealand partner, Nasi Tuan, livelihoods are being rebuilt. Nasi Tuan is providing seedlings and tools to farmers to rehabilitate their coffee farms or cultivate peanuts as an alternative cash crop. Peanuts have a quick growth cycle and farmers form groups to enhance their collective selling power. The project’s inclusive approach has meant the whole community has taken part – including young and older people, and people with disabilities.
‘Rice finishes, but knowledge remains’ Women are empowered to generate income and it means their children can stay in school. One woman who took part in the programme said: ‘Rice [given by other agencies] finishes, but the knowledge from what Nasi Tuan has taught us will remain.’
Photo: Jenny Barthow/Integral Alliance
6 . TEAR TIMES NEWS
IN THE
NEWS
BELFAS T TO CONGO EVENTS CONTINUE THE AMAZING S TORY
A CRUTCH FOR THE BOLD Despite being on crutches, amazing Elaine McBride completed the gruelling six peak challenge in the Mourne Mountains, County Down. Adding all the peaks together, that’s the equivalent of Elaine reaching the summit of one of Northern Ireland’s highest mountains, Slieve Donard – 850 metres in total! Elaine’s test of endurance and determination has raised £3,945.33 to help protect children at risk through Tearfund’s No Child Taken campaign. Thank you Elaine, and we hope you make a full recovery!
Last October, Tearfund Northern Ireland hosted two events at Shankill Parish Church, Lurgan and Wellington Church, Ballymena. The events featured music from the New Irish Arts, which works in partnership with the Irish Church to present Christianity through the arts. The events continued the story of A Deadly Mission: from Belfast to Congo, a BBC documentary which follows the life of Bob and Alma McAllister who left the shores of Belfast Lough to live as missionaries in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the 1950s. At the events Bob, alongside his two sons Bill and David, gave an account of how their family survived a violent rebellion in the DRC in the mid-sixties, and how the call to follow Jesus in the DRC remains true today. The events proved to be a moving experience. ‘It was a great evening, with the McAllisters reflecting on Congo past and present,’ said Alan Wilson who came to the Lurgan evening. ‘God is at work in amazing ways. The whole story was superbly supplemented by music from New Irish.’
Above: Elaine's amazing six peak challenge – on crutches!
Photo: John McBride
Above: Stories and music tell the moving story of the McAllisters in the DRC
Photo: Gemma Brown/Tearfund
NEWS TEAR TIMES . 7
‘What a fabulous event,’ said Freda Bell who came to Ballymena. ‘It was very emotional with wonderful music woven through the story of Bob’s life.’
Giving thanks for
We are planning two more events with New Irish and the McAllisters at the end of March, in Belfast and Londonderry. For information and tickets, please visit www.tearfund.org/ni
Your generous response to our Democratic Republic of Congo appeal, which will enable our partners to support families caught up in the conflict
‘It was very emotional with wonderful music woven through the story’
Elaine McBride who completed the grueling Six Peaks Challenge to raise money for vulnerable children
MAYOR H ILARY IS OUR SUPERHERO! We are delighted to have been chosen by Hilary McClintock, Mayor of Derry and Strabane, as one of her two charities this year. So far, the Mayor has raised funds through two concerts at the Guildhall in June, a Family Fun Day in August, and a tea dance and Superhero Day in October. We are so thankful for the Mayor’s support, and for the hard work and enthusiasm of our volunteers in the area. Look out for more events to come this year – including some jazz and a sponsored walk! Visit www.tearfund.org/ni for details.
Lives and livelihoods being rebuilt in Vanuatu, two years on from the devastation wrought by the cyclone in March 2015
PRAYER
PULSE
Praying for The people of Haiti as they recover from last October’s devastating hurricane, which caused catastrophic damage including widespread flooding and landslides More successful events thanks to the support of Hilary McClintock, Mayor of Derry, who chose Tearfund as one of her charities of the year Syrian refugee families living in appalling conditions in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
Above: Superhero Day with Hilary McClintock, Mayor of Derry
Photos: Lorcan Doherty
8 . TEAR TIMES FEATURE
CHILDREN on the SCRAPHEAP WRITTEN BY PETER SHAW PHOTOS S TELLA CHETHAM/TEARFUND
‘I lived through the war in Syria,’ says Ahed, aged ten. ‘We were bombed every day and every day something was destroyed. I saw the damage all around me. I saw buildings collapse near my house. Then our home was destroyed too.' As we approach March this year, the conflict in Syria will reach another grim milestone – six years of brutal war. That’s longer than the second world war. Widespread destruction of civilian homes and workplaces has forced nearly five million Syrians to flee, mostly to neighbouring countries such as Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. More than 1.25 million Syrian refugees now make up one third of Lebanon's population, half of them are children. All have suffered physical and mental trauma in their home country and continue to face huge challenges in Lebanon.
'I WISH I WAS BACK IN SYRIA AND NOT HERE'
Around a quarter of a million families live in basic shelter, camps and derelict (often unsafe) buildings in Lebanon. People fled with the bare essentials and, because of a lack of work in their host country, families struggle to provide basic needs such as food, water and sanitation. LIVING IN THE DIRT Six years of upheaval is a long time in anyone's life, but for Ahed, it is almost all he can remember. Ahed lives with his mum, dad and five brothers and sisters. Originally from Homs in Syria, they now live in a makeshift shelter in the Bekaa Valley, home to more than 350,000 refugees. ‘We’ve been in Lebanon for five years but I am not happy here,’ says Ahed. ‘We live in the dirt and rubbish. But at least it’s peaceful. My parents are safe and I live with them. I look after my brothers and sisters. ‘My cousins and I used to play in our back garden. They have fled and I don’t see them any more. I wish I was back in Syria and not here as I want to go back to school. ‘Last year I was able to go to school, but the bus doesn’t come to collect us any more. I love school. My favourite subject is mathematics. Six plus two is eight! I would love to study maths again.’
FEATURE TEAR TIMES . 9
‘WE LIVE IN THE DIRT AND RUBBISH’
Above: Ahed's brother and sister who live with him in their makeshift home
Left: Half of ten-year-old Ahed's life has been marred by conflict in Syria
DELIVERING HOPE Syrian refugee families are in a desperate situation. Few jobs mean that their meagre savings, already decimated by the weak Syrian currency, have either been spent or are running out. This often leaves Syrians in debt with landlords and shopkeepers. Families face eviction and hunger. The additional strain of a quarter of the population of Lebanon now being refugees has caused discontent and is putting massive pressure on local services and infrastructure.
A LOST GENERATION The UN Refugee Agency estimates that more than two thirds of Syrian refugee children are not regularly attending school. If the situation does not improve, when peace comes, Syria may be left with a lost under-educated generation. Despite the lack of prospects, Ahed still has hope and aspirations for the future. ‘My dream is to be a football star. Dad wanted to put me in a football club but then the war happened. When I am a professional footballer, I will help children learn to play football. ‘I don’t have a favourite toy here. Today I am playing with my little lion – the only toy I have.’
‘I DON’T HAVE A FAVOURITE TOY HERE. TODAY I AM PLAYING WITH MY LITTLE LION – THE ONLY TOY I HAVE’
But your generous support is making a huge difference to Syrian families like Ahed’s. Our partner Heart for Lebanon is organising Christians to distribute essential food and hygiene parcels to families displaced by the conflict. ‘I love everything in the food parcel, it’s all good to eat and gives us energy,’ says Ahed. ‘We thank God for it! I love the cheese and the tins of meat. My mother is a great cook and makes us delicious things with it.’ ‘Thank you for supporting us with food parcels!’ adds Ahed’s mother, Yana. ‘There are so many things we would not have without the food parcel. We wouldn’t have meat for our children every week. ‘Thanks to the food parcel, we have money left over to pay for medical treatment and fresh fruit for our children. So, thank you for all that you do to support us. Without the food parcels, we would struggle to pay for the things we need. And thank you that it’s something we can rely on every month.’ TOWARDS SELF-SUFFICIENCY When everything else is in turmoil and restored, they want to encourage families to return home and help rebuild Syria, equipped with the strength they need to succeed and forge a better future.
Right: Tearfund partner Heart for Lebanon distributes food parcels to hungry Syrian refugee families in Lebanon
‘I hate everything that is happening to my country,’ says Ahed. ‘If I could speak to the terrorists, I would tell them to get out and stop bombing Syria.’ DESPERATE FOR PEACE Of course the only way to secure a safe future for Ahed and so many children like him is for lasting peace to be restored in Syria. Please continue to pray for an end to the conflict. But, until then, there are thousands more children like Ahed who need your regular support to survive. Today, across the world, one in every 122 people is now either a refugee, internally displaced or seeking asylum. Thanks to your prayers and support we are providing longterm help to people displaced by conflicts in countries including Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq and South Sudan. The need is great and, with no immediate end to these conflicts in sight, it is growing. But conflict is not the only cause of people being displaced, natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes and hurricanes also leave families without shelter, support and livelihoods. In the face of such unprecedented disaster, the need to strengthen and support families such as Ahed’s has never been more urgent. Your gift of £10 could give a refugee family like Ahed's a monthly food parcel and provide emotional support. Across the world, families like Ahed’s are being pushed to the brink by conflict, disasters and food shortages – so please give what you can using the tear-out form on page 8. Thank you. Right: Ahed's mum who is thankful for Tearfund's monthly food parcels
'WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE IN THE UK ARE DOING THEIR BEST TO HELP US’
12 . TEAR TIMES FEATURE
A DREAM OF JESUS IN THE BEKAA VALLEY Tearfund’s CEO Nigel Harris visited Lebanon in August, where he met some of the Syrian refugees. There he heard the story of Nadia who met Jesus in a dream... I’m standing in the Bekaa valley, visiting a tented settlement where our partners are distributing supplies to desperate people fleeing the conflict in Syria.
‘ONE NIGHT JESUS APPEARED TO NADIA IN A DREAM. HE WAS HOLDING HER FAMILY IN HIS HANDS’ I talk to the remarkable Pastor Ramy, who founded a church with just seven members. The war began and refugees started arriving, swelling the congregation. The church, now around 300 strong, reaches out with unconditional love to their Syrian neighbours, prioritising people in most need. Pastor Ramy tells me about one member of his church, Nadia. Separated from her sick husband in Syria, she was struggling to feed her three children. One night Jesus appeared to Nadia in a dream. He was holding her family in his hands saying that he was going to provide for them. The next morning she left home, carefully checking both doors were locked. The house was still locked on her return. However, to her Tearfund CEO Nigel Harris in the Bekaa Valley
Photo: Edward Woods/Tearfund
astonishment, her empty cupboard was now full of food. Nadia was deeply moved by this amazing provision but wondered how to explain it to her husband. That night she had the same dream. The next day she called her husband. Before she could say anything, her husband told her how he had a dream where Jesus was providing for all their family's needs. Nadia and her husband and family are now back together. Through all this – one way or another – their needs continue to be met. Every refugee I speak to asks us to pray for peace. If peace comes, they will return home. It’s tempting to think that it’s not worth the effort to pray – nothing could change such a vicious and intractable conflict.
C
M
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Then I think of the God who inspires the tireless work of our partners in Lebanon, as they stop and show care to every last person they visit with food. And I think of the God who fills Nadia’s larder – suddenly the effort of a few prayers doesn’t seem so much to ask.
‘EVERY REFUGEE I SPEAK TO ASKS US TO PRAY FOR PEACE’
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14 . TEAR TIMES FEATURE
CHANGING WITH THE
CLIMATE
WRITTEN BY CUTHBERT GONDWE, CHURCH AND COMMUNITY MOBILISATION COORDINATOR
In the last issue of Tear Times, we asked Cuthbert from Tearfund partner Eagles Relief and Development, to look back over a decade of development in Malawi. This edition, he looks forward to the next ten years, and the challenges that the southern African nation will face... One of the huge problems we face is action on climate change, which will be very important over the next ten years. When we talk to people about the environment very few Malawians have concerns, the rest don’t care. That’s because most people are focussed on surviving day-to-day. Around nine per cent of Malawians have electricity, two per cent use it for cooking, the rest just for lighting. Even those who use electricity for cooking use charcoal, and firewood as well because of frequent power cuts. So, more than 90 per cent of Malawians need wood to survive every day so there’s a huge demand to chop down trees. We are not planting as many trees as we need to keep up with demand, let alone increase the numbers.
CLIMATE CHALLENGE What we are doing to the land is a challenge we must take seriously. We have experienced more severe floods, landslides and mudslides over the last decade. And it’s because, in places like Blantyre and Zomba in southern Malawi, most of the mountains have lost trees. Forests are being cut down and you can actually see – in that destruction – how people are building disaster all over Malawi. As a result, the floods and landslides are getting worse. We need to encourage communities to value trees, protect them and plant more. Disasters are hitting areas where people never expected. In 2014 there were huge floods in low areas, places where floods have never happened before – in the capital Lilongwe and in Blantyre – and people died.
‘PEOPLE ARE BUILDING DISASTER ALL OVER MALAWI’
FEATURE TEAR TIMES . 15
Over the last year it has been very difficult because people still recovering from the floods now face drought. It has been severe, hitting areas not usually prone to drought. Communities have been hit very, very badly. The government estimates that three million people face severe food shortages, and emergency food distribution will continue into 2017.
Cuthbert from Tearfund partner Eagles Relief and Development
FOSTERING EFFECTIVE FARMING In the past, the north of Malawi has always had enough food. But in 2015 heavy rains came and massive floods swept crops away. In Mzuzu people died because the rain was so heavy and unpredictable. I was travelling to Karonga to do some training with the local church. We arrived to find the town flooded – massive rocks and debris scattered on the road. Most of the crops in the fields swept away. This is a huge problem in Malawi, because this is not something we are prepared for. This is our reality now because of climate change, and we will have to plan, to learn and adapt.
Malawi was hit by devastating floods in January 2015
Innovative farming methods are helping overcome drought in Malawi
We urgently need to teach families and communities to farm in the most effective way, and we can do that through envisioning church leaders. Pastors can train a church group of 300 people in one meeting. And they will go home and tell their families – that’s 1,500 people impacted with very few resources. Through Foundations for Farming methods – sometimes called ‘farming God’s way’ – we can teach families to plan ahead, not to waste seed, to keep the moisture in the ground using mulching. And how to make natural fertilisers that enrich rather than damage the soil. That would be a great help in Malawi right now. So, we need to build on the work of the last ten years – continuously envisioning and encouraging churches and communities. We need to teach communities to farm effectively, to value and protect the environment, and build resilience for the future.
‘WE URGENTLY NEED TO TEACH FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES TO FARM IN THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY’ Photos: Layton Thompson/Tearfund, Wilford Phiri/Eagles, Aaron Lewani/Tearfund
On the road to Balaka, Malawi
Photo: Andrew Horton/Tearfund
‘I LIFT UP MY EYES TO THE MOUNTAINS – WHERE DOES MY HELP COME FROM? MY HELP COMES FROM THE LORD.’ PSALM 121:1-2
18 . TEAR TIMES
WRITTEN BY SEREN BOYD, MEDIA OFFICER, TOILET TWINNING Mateo is a proud dad. Ask him about his new latrine and he can barely contain his excitement. It took him three days to dig the pit. He made the cement floor, installed the ventilation pipe and built the corrugated aluminium walls.
His village, San Juan Mocá in south-west Guatemala, clings to steep volcanic slopes. Digging a seven-metre pit is no mean feat. The people here are indigenous Tz'utujil and extremely poor. Most men, including Mateo, scrape together a meagre living as day labourers. So he is immensely proud to give his family something to keep them healthy. ‘Our daughter used to relieve herself in the compound. She didn’t like going outside and it was a health risk. If your child’s ill, you buy medicines, even if it means asking the shop for credit. Now we have toilets, the village will prosper.’ A HELPING HAND Tearfund partner Acción Médica Integral San Lucas provided the training and materials for the new toilets that have sprung up across San Juan Mocá. Project Coordinator Gengly Gutiérrez taught families about handwashing and how to use the eco-filters to provide safe drinking water.
Gengly cares deeply that Mateo has earnt self-respect from building his own loo and the resulting impact on Aura, Mateo’s wife and their one-year-old son Domingo. ‘Women here don't think they have any worth and don't feel they deserve things,’ says Gengly. ‘If you go to the toilet while people are watching, you lose dignity. Giving women a toilet changes the way they think about themselves. Otherwise, traditionally, they are just there to cook tortillas and have children.’ Previously, Mateo and Aura, like others in the village, used to go to the toilet in the river – where people wash their clothes and get drinking water. Only a handful had latrines, which also deposited the waste into the river.
‘WOMEN HERE DON'T THINK THEY HAVE ANY WORTH’
FEATURE TEAR TIMES . 19
TOILETS TO THE FUTURE The alternative was to squat under the trees above the village – risking humiliation, insults and snakes bites. When the rains come, the mud flows through people’s homes, bringing all manner of waste with it. Someone else who’s excited about toilets is Pastor Rafael Puac Trejo. He’s been passionately persuading villagers to join the project - involved at every stage, hosting church training sessions and distributing building materials. Pastor Rafael believes water and toilets are a vital first step to help villagers think differently about their future, especially women. His wife teaches women in the community to cook a local dish called tamales, which helps them earn an income. ‘I love to see a family moving forward,’ he says. ‘Change takes time but it will come.’ DEVELOPMENT AND DIGNITY Reina is a good example of Pastor Rafael’s vision. While her husband, Sebastián, works away in Guatemala City, she runs a snack shop outside her home. Twelve years ago, Reina’s first baby, Juana, died of diarrhoea and vomiting. The memory is still painful. ‘I didn’t know what caused it,’ says Reina. She’s pregnant again but now she’s confident she can protect her children’s
Above: Reina and her son, Jeremías, stand beside their life-changing latrine
health, despite local outbreaks of Chikungunya and Zika viruses. ‘We have a toilet and know about handwashing. So we don’t get dirty. If our toilet pit gets full, we’ll dig another hole.’ Stories like this are a great encouragement to project coordinator Gengly, she knows – thanks to the skills they have learnt – that Reina and her family will always have a toilet. This is a life-changing event. Forever. ‘A toilet is a big gift for a family,’ says Gengly. ‘From that, everything else will come. Development comes when people have dignity.’
‘A TOILET IS A BIG GIFT FOR A FAMILY’ TWIN YOUR LOO AND GIVE A FAMILY LIVING IN POVERTY A LIFE-CHANGING LATRINE When you give £60 to Toilet Twinning, you receive a certificate to hang in your loo, complete with a photo of your twin and its GPS coordinates. By twinning your toilet, you help those in desperate poverty to have access to a proper latrine, clean water and the information they need to be healthy. Visit www.toilettwinning.org
Above: Group of children playing in San Juan Mocá village, south-west Guatemala
Photos: Ralph Hodgson/Toilet Twinning
20 . TEAR TIMES FEATURE
G N I L L A JUBA C FROM LE
S
outh Sudan, a landlocked country in East-Central Africa, gained independence from Sudan in July 2011. Civil war broke out in December 2013 and ever since then, the country has endured political turmoil and conflict. Despite a peace agreement in August 2015 there has been ongoing violence in the capital, Juba, as unrest continues to unfold. More than 1 million people have been displaced by conflict, and almost half of them are now refugees in neighbouring countries. Meet David Freeman, who works for Tearfund and is preparing to venture to South Sudan for an initial six month placement. David joined Tearfund as an intern in the Humanitarian Support Team in October 2013. Within the first month he was helping prepare for a cyclone warning in India, and was soon heavily involved in the Philippines Typhoon Haiyan response. ‘I remember reading about typhoon Haiyan in the newspaper as I came to work,’ says David. ‘I wondered what I could I do to help. I was one month into the job, but I wanted to do something.’
Right: David Freeman in South Sudan
ON TO SOUTH AFY TEDDINGT Written by A
ngie Sahe-La
SUDAN
cheante
A PASSION FOR JUSTICE That passion and determination has seen David move from an internship, to two secondments and various positions within Tearfund and now heading to South Sudan. The stirring to work in international development started when David was young. Whether it was a mission trip to South Africa, auctioning his belongings for charity on his 21st birthday, or helping with food banks here in the UK, justice issues have always been close to his heart.
FEATURE TEAR TIMES . 21
‘I READ ABOUT TYPHOON HAIYAN IN THE NEWSPAPER, AND WONDERED WHAT I COULD DO TO HELP’
David says, ‘To help poor people you have to equip yourself, and the best thing to do is to find out what's happening on your doorstep.’ The breadth of experience David gained at Tearfund has been so important to him. ‘My one piece of advice,’ says David, ‘is if you want to do something, find a way to be with people who are doing it already, and learn from them.’
David will work on nutrition projects in South Sudan
Photo: LuAnne Cadd/Mission Aviation Fellowship
‘Please also pray that my experience will have a positive impact to my family, friends and church here in the UK – that God would use me to tell a story to them about South Sudan and that what people hear will be a real blessing.’ Please keep David and our Tearfund staff in Juba in your prayers – for safety, protection, and for God’s hand to be in every situation so that we can continue to reach families in greatest need. PUT YOUR PASSION INTO ACTION
MY PRAYERS ANSWERED In South Sudan, David will work on nutrition projects, help to coordinate government grants and put together funding proposals. ‘I’m so grateful because I prayed a long time for an opportunity like this.' ‘It’s great to do something you know makes a difference. The team at the field base are from Kenya and Uganda – I’m the only Brit! I really want to be a blessing to the people I meet.’ ‘Romans 8:28 says, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” I know that God uses tough times to prepare you for things to come. He’s growing and testing you in adversity.’ ‘Please pray for South Sudan. There are many issues and difficulties. It’s the world’s newest nation that is defined by conflict. So I would encourage people to pray for that.’
Tearfund are always looking for passionate people to join our team. Visit www.tearfund.org/jobs for details.
'IN ALL THINGS GOD WORKS FOR THE GOOD OF THOSE WHO LOVE HIM' PRAY FOR SOUTH SUDAN Pray for an end to conflict in South Sudan – for families who have been displaced as a result of fighting and now struggle to survive. Lift up all our staff and partners who work tirelessly to carry out essential nutrition, water, sanitation and community development work, that they will be restored, and their families kept safe.
22 . TEAR TIMES REFLECTION
Pete Greig at Big Church Day Out
G O D ’ S P R E S E N C E I N T H E P O O R / Written by Pete Greig, Tearfund Vice President Sometimes people ask me why a person who’s into prayer should get hot under the collar about social injustice. Others must surely wonder why Tearfund seeks to ground everything it does in prayer. One famous Christian leader pointed to a few of the current crises in our world and asked me outright, ‘Do you really, seriously believe that prayer… works?’ Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, God promises to answer the prayers of those who ‘loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke’ (Isaiah 58:6). And of course, Jesus modelled this integration perfectly. He was a man of prayer whose passions were aroused by the injustices perpetrated at the temple. He saw moneylenders taking advantage of honest pilgrims and denounced them forcefully as ‘a den of robbers’. A call to prayer is a call to the poor (Matthew 25:35–36). Compassion for the hungry, the stranger, the naked, the sick and the prisoner is not an optional extra for those with a strong
social conscience. It bleeds from the heart of true Christian worship. When we care for the poor, we minister to Jesus himself. On the day that he cleansed the temple, we read that Jesus entered its outer courts and began to drive out those who were selling. ‘It is written,’ he said to them, ‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers’ (Luke 19:46). Sometimes this dramatic confrontation is caricatured as if Jesus was merely very annoyed with some dodgy market traders who’d been fleecing a few gullible tourists. The reality was far more serious. Jesus was actually indicting the entire temple bureaucracy for systemic corruption.
‘WHEN WE CARE FOR THE POOR, WE MINISTER TO JESUS HIMSELF’ We know this for sure because contemporary archaeologists have discovered coins minted by the temple at the time of Jesus which proves that its authorities had effectively created their own currency for exclusive use within the hallowed precincts. This explains the presence of so many moneylenders in the Court of the Gentiles. The authorities
Above: Prayer meeting in Burundi
Photo: Will Baxter/Tearfund
REFLECTION TEAR TIMES . 23
had probably created their own currency because the Roman money carried a ‘graven image’ of Caesar. But it also enabled them to set their own exchange rates, thereby making as much money as they wanted from those pilgrims desperate enough to pay over the odds for the sacrificial animals that bought them forgiveness or an answered prayer. No wonder Jesus denounced the temple authorities for reducing the house of prayer to ‘a den of robbers’ – a phrase loaded with prophetic significance. Jesus was quoting the prophet Jeremiah, who stood
‘AS WE SEEK GOD, WE ARE COMPELLED TO ENGAGE WITH THE THINGS THAT BREAK HIS HEART’ But citing Jeremiah’s condemnation of the temple as ‘a den of robbers’ was subversive and politically dangerous. When ‘the chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this’ (italics mine), they ‘began looking for a way to kill him.’ (Mark 11:18). Again and again the Old Testament prophets railed against the people of God for two great neglects: turning from God to foreign idols (false worship), and ignoring the plight of the poor (injustice).
at the gates of the previous temple and asked, ‘Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you?’ (Jeremiah 7:11) Jeremiah was condemning Solomon’s temple for tolerating and even perpetrating injustice against aliens, orphans, widows and the innocent. By using this phrase, Jesus was drawing a direct comparison between Herod’s temple in which he was standing, and its doomed predecessor. He was announcing the imminent destruction of an edifice that stood at the heart of Jewish faith and identity. The authorities were alarmed. Quoting Isaiah’s words about being ‘a house of prayer for all nations’ had perhaps been an appropriate challenge from the Galilean firebrand. Overturning a few tables had been outrageous, but it was easily fixed. Above: Worship at Big Church Day Out
Photo: Clive Mear/Tearfund
Right worship and social justice were, they maintained, equally important and intrinsically linked. Some people then, as now, clearly considered social injustice less important than spiritual worship, but the prophet Amos annihilates any such cant (Amos 5: 23–24). The resounding biblical call to express our worship through justice continues to be an essential and consistent provocation to the 24-7 prayer movement which could otherwise, so easily, withdraw into cloistered irrelevance. But in prayer rooms around the world, as we seek God, we are continually compelled to engage with the things that break his heart, and conscripted to go out and engage his enemies. This is an extract from Pete Greig’s book, Dirty Glory: Go Where Your Best Prayers Take You. Pete is one of the founders of 24-7 Prayer – an international, interdenominational movement of prayer, mission and justice. Find out more at www.24-7prayer.com
24 . TEAR TIMES NEWS
ZIP IT, GRANDMA! For Norma’s 80th birthday, she decided to prove to her grandchildren that she’s not too old to have an adventure, and raise vital money for people in poverty in the process...
When retired schoolteacher Norma Brown discussed her forthcoming 80th birthday with her grandchildren, she asked them not to make a fuss, telling them, ‘I’ve got everything I need.’ In return, they challenged her to think of something different to mark the occasion. After a few months of pondering, amazing Norma decided to celebrate by being strapped into a harness and sent flying down a zip wire at 119mph. ‘My grandchildren think I’m getting too old,’ says Norma. ‘So I thought I’d have a go and show them what I can do...’ She booked a ride at Zip World, the world’s fastest zip wire ride in Bethesda Quarry, North Wales. But Norma wanted to make the occasion even more special by raising money for Tearfund, through sponsorship from family and friends. So, in September last year, she found herself at the top of a very, very high former quarry in North Wales. ‘All I could see was the mountainside full of slate. I wasn’t scared – it was just so exciting.’ Above: Gran on a wire – Norma zips for Tearfund
Photo: Gerry Blackford Photography
‘I THOUGHT I’D HAVE A GO AND SHOW MY GRANDCHILDREN WHAT I CAN DO’ ‘I just wanted to help some children who were in difficulty. Never a day goes by when I don’t think about those poor children in Syria and all those awful places.'
GIVE AWAY YOUR BIRTHDAY! You don’t have to be a thrill seeker like Norma to bless people on the day of your birth. You could simply encourage others to donate to Tearfund instead of cards or presents, or take a collection at your birthday party or event. If you want to abseil off a cliff, fly in a hot air balloon or jump out of an aircraft and get sponsored, then that’s amazing too!
So, make 2017 a memorable year by showing your friends and family how much you care about people living in poverty. Visit www.tearfund.org/birthdays to get everything you need to have a generous birthday this year.
BEANS
26 . TEAR TIMES FEATURE
MEANS
LIVES
a week on w living for Find out ho eans can make rice and b nce a big differe
Written by Hannah Awesome, Community Fundraising Manager
F
or five days, Alice, Annie, and Isabelle, together with her husband Dave and family gave up their favourite food and drink for a diet of beans, rice and water. While raising crucial cash for families facing hunger across the world, they also found the experience to be a challenge to their emotions, lifestyle and faith... Alice Bates, aged 15, was inspired by the story of Yasmin, aged six, from Chad whose mother, Jumana, struggles to provide food for her. While she wanted to help other children like Yasmin, she learnt something of what daily hunger is like. ‘I discovered just how debilitating hunger can be,’ says Alice. ‘It affects all spheres of your life, it’s a constant, relentless problem.’
‘But I was impressed by how committed to doing the challenge our children – Daniel aged ten and Katie aged 12 – were. It made it difficult for them to cope with a normal school day. It was just a tiny taste of what life is like for many people as they watch their children unable to thrive through lack of food.’ The short time they went without adequate food made them think about life for those who face hunger on a daily basis. ‘I was looking forward to the end of the challenge all week,’ says Alice. ‘But for people in poverty, their hunger never stops.’ ‘I knew in my heart that hunger is a reality for a lot of people,’ says Annie. ‘So in the days I did Mean Bean, it made me sad that for millions this never ends. And that made me very upset.’
BEANS, BEANS, BEANS... ‘Hunger makes you feel despondent and miserable,’ says Annie Jones. 'Day-to-day working must be so hard.’ ‘Food is very boring when it’s the same all the time,’ adds Isabelle Reed. ‘I became very focused on when I could next eat.
‘During the week we did it we prayed more for poor people,’ says Isabelle. ‘The hunger was a constant reminder!’
‘DURING THE CHALLENGE, WE PRAYED MORE FOR POOR PEOPLE’
FEATURE TEAR TIMES . 27
Photos: Joel Upton/Tearfund
‘MEAN BEAN WAS A GREAT WAY TO TALK TO MY FRIENDS ABOUT MY FAITH’
GRATEFUL PRAYERS Mean Bean also had a lasting effect – helping people to focus on poverty and injustice in their daily lives. ‘It changed my understanding of poverty,’ says Alice. ‘It has led me to be so much more grateful in my prayers.’ ‘Mean Bean made me lean on God and pray for others,’ says Annie. ‘And that’s something I still do.’ SHARING YOUR FAITH IN FOOD Annie found that her limited diet opened up doors to talk to people at the hospital where she works. ‘I had a conversation with a few nurses, telling them about how Mean Bean has made a huge difference.
‘The nurses said they couldn’t live on just rice and beans, even for a week. I told them of course they could and encouraged them to take the challenge.’ ‘I would definitely recommend the Mean Bean challenge,’ agrees Alice. ‘And I’d encourage anyone reading this to go for it! It was a great way to talk to my friends about my faith.’ ‘It was great to do it together as a family,’ says Isabelle. ‘We could encourage each other, because we were in it together.’
CHALLENGE YOURSELF THIS LENT For five eye-opening days, you commit to eating a diet of plain beans and rice, with only water to drink – you could do it as part of Lent. This year, we’re encouraging people to take the challenge from 27 to 31 March 2017, but feel free to do it any time. Get your friends and colleagues to sponsor you or even join the challenge themselves. Together you can raise some serious money to overcome hunger. For more details of how to get involved visit www.tearfund.org/meanbean
28 . TEAR TIMES FEATURE
Written by TIM MAGOWAN, NORTHERN IRELAND DIRECTOR In August, I found myself in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with a group of people being taught how to farm more productively. Kalongo, our local partner, told me the August rains hadn’t arrived yet, meaning their harvest will be late. They would struggle to feed their children later in the year. Alongside the brutal ethnic conflict happening all around them, the farmers were battling the climate too. On every Tearfund trip I’ve taken over the last five years, farmers have told me the same story: rain patterns are changing. This means the poorest people are increasingly at risk of losing their crops, livelihoods and even their homes from drought and flooding. As I stood in that field in DRC, on the front line of a changing climate, I felt challenged how my use of coal, oil and gas was making the lives of these people living
The changing climate is causing more erratic harvests in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Photos: Chris Nelson/Tearfund
in extreme poverty even harder. That’s why I believe tackling climate change is incredibly important. As Christians, we are called to demonstrate and proclaim life and hope to God’s earth and the people who live on it. We want to see a world where everyone can live life in all its fullness, where everyone has their basic needs met and has the opportunity to become the person God created them to be. We are called to care for our neighbours and for God’s creation, which he has given to sustain us.
'IT’S IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE A GREEN ENERGY PROVIDER IN NORTHERN IRELAND’
FEATURE TEAR TIMES . 29
LET'S CATCH UP WITH THE REST OF THE UK In the rest of the UK, churches and Christians are caring for God’s creation by taking a simple step: switching their electricity supplier to a 100 per cent renewable tariff. This ensures all their energy is clean, sustainable and not damaging to our global neighbours. However, Northern Ireland is the only nation in the UK where a 100 per cent renewable tariff isn’t available. So, we are inviting you to sign our petition to let electricity companies know that people in Northern Ireland want renewable energy. We want to have the same choice as the rest of the UK. This will demonstrate that we care about the farmers I met in the DRC and across the world. 'It is important that we have a green energy provider in Northern Ireland,’ says Rachel Hanna from Crescent Church in Belfast. ‘Choosing an energy provider based on their ethical values and commitments rather than just the price per unit is a lesson in good stewardship and investment in the future of our global family.’
‘CHOOSING AN ETHICAL ENERGY PROVIDER IS AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE’
100 PER CENT COMMITMENT When we join together, we also speak powerfully to people around us and to those in positions of influence. As the petition grows, we will use it to speak to the energy companies in Northern Ireland to ask them to provide 100 per cent renewable energy tariffs. As a Christian, I’m excited about the potential this petition gives us to care for creation and our global neighbours. Please join me by signing it at www.tearfund.org/NIswitch – and follow progress on the Tearfund Northern Ireland website and social media.
30 . TEAR TIMES REFLECTION
FOLLOWING JESUS INTO A MASSACRE Written by Tim Magowan, Northern Ireland Director
M
y phone buzzed with a new message: 70 people had been killed by rebel forces in eastern Congo. I maybe wouldn’t have paid much attention to it, but this news caught me by the lapels and slammed me up against a wall. In four days time I was due to fly into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a country where horrific conflict has led to the deaths of six million people since 1999. I was already anxious about the trip. The news about these fresh massacres, which had taken place close to the city I was planning to visit, was profoundly worrying. I reviewed my travel plans with Tearfund’s local staff and decided to continue with a strong risk management plan in place. Yes, there was risk. Yes, I was anxious. But there was also an important story to be told about how Tearfund is helping local churches to bring hope in the midst of horror. LEFT ANGRY AND FRUSTRATED Four days later I arrived and visited Kamanda, a camp for 10,000 people who had fled the recent violence. There I met Kavira, a mother of eight, who had escaped the massacre I had been so worried about. Photos: Chris Nelson/Tearfund
Conflict in the DRC has taken eight of Yvette's family
We learnt that 40 people from Kavira’s village had been killed with machetes. ‘We left with just the clothes on our backs,’ Kavira told me. She and her family had no shelter, food, water or clothes. It was an overwhelming experience. I had followed Jesus to this place of incredible need and it left me feeling upset, frustrated and angry. It reminded me of the time Jesus arrived at the home of his friend Lazarus, to find he had died. Lazarus’ family and friends were weeping and angry with Jesus for not intervening sooner.
‘WE LEFT WITH JUST THE CLOTHES ON OUR BACKS’ Jesus’ first response was simply to weep, showing just how much he cared about Lazarus and his family. Just as Christ’s loving heart broke for Lazarus, I realised as I sat in Kamanda that Christ was showing me that his heart weeps for the people of the camp – and for millions of families around the world who have been impacted by violence.
REFLECTION TEAR TIMES . 31
BRINGING NEW LIFE Right in the midst of Lazarus’ wake, in the middle of all the pain and hurt, Jesus announced, ‘I am the resurrection and the life’ – declaring that out of the darkest, bleakest situation God can bring new life and hope. This hope was what I saw in Kalongo, our local Congolese partner who had himself lost 250 of his tribe, including 13 of his family and his wife in the conflict. Emboldened by his strong Christian faith, Kalongo’s response to his tribe’s massacre was to set up Action Entraide, Tearfund’s local partner who is bringing help and hope to more than 2,000 people from all tribes in the area. At Kamanda camp, Kalongo spent the day putting together a plan to provide shelters for hundreds of displaced people, funded in part by the amazing generosity of Northern Irish donors. Christ was bringing new life through Kalongo. RESTORING DIGNITY AMID THE DEVASTATION I also saw this hope in Yvette, a conflict survivor who had suffered the death of eight of her family members. Kalongo and his team had given Yvette a cash loan, along with some training, to set up businesses making doughnuts and women’s clothes.
‘I THANK GOD FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE FOR ME’
Conflict survivor Yvette has set up a tailoring business
Yvette with Tearfund's DRC country representative David McAllister
Her eyes lit up with dignity as she told me how she can now give her children enough food, send them to school and live in a better house. Her faith has grown too. ‘I thank God for all you have done for me,’ she says. Christ was nurturing new life in Yvette. At Tearfund we’re called to follow Jesus where the need is greatest, and that’s why I went to the DRC. There, he invited me to weep with him and join him in bringing new life out of the death and devastation of the DRC. I may never be quite the same again.
You can watch Tim’s film which features Kalongo, Yvette and the Kamanda camp by visiting www.tearfund.org/ni
‘WE LIVE IN THE DIRT AND RUBBISH’ To escape the relentless bombing in Syria, Ahed’s family fled to Lebanon. They live in a makeshift home made of scraps of tent and anything they can salvage. With little work or prospects, Tearfund’s monthly food parcel is a lifeline. Across the world, families like Ahed’s are being pushed to the brink by conflict, disasters and food shortages. You can read more about Ahed on page 8
www.tearfund.org/ahed
£10 YOUR GIFT OF £10 COULD GIVE A REFUGEE FAMILY LIKE AHED’S A MONTHLY FOOD PARCEL AND PROVIDE EMOTIONAL SUPPORT
241 Newtownards Road, Belfast BT4 1AF 100 Church Road, Teddington TW11 8QE Tŷ Catherine, Capel Cildwrn, Cildwrn Road, Llangefni LL77 7NN Challenge House, 29 Canal Street, Glasgow G4 0AD
www.tearfund.org/ni +44 (0)28 9073 0060 email ni@tearfund.org www.twitter.com/Tearfund_NI twitter facebook www.facebook.com/tearfund.ni Registered Charity No. 265464 (England and Wales) Registered Charity No. SC037624 (Scotland) Photo: Stella Chetham/Tearfund 31697-(0117)
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