Teartimes Summer 2011

teartimes Summer 2011

Walk a mile in her shoes Join Sarela’s journey of transformation

We are church Every Christian counts this harvest

Digging deeper It’s time to uncover corruption

Be part of a miracle | www.tearfund.org

welcome

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Ralph Hodgson/Tearfund

s part of my role at Tearfund, I have the amazing privilege of visiting and meeting communities where Tearfund’s work is transforming lives. I can testify that lives and livelihoods are changing thanks the work of local churches – thanks to your generosity and prayers.

I recently visited a community in Nepal who were living in slavery just ten years ago. Tearfund’s unleashing the power of the local church has Peter Shaw, Tear Times Editor, and Madan Shah, Pastor of Tikapur Christian Church, Nepal. truly set people free – see page 13 for more details.

As editor of Tear Times, I aim to take you to such places and give you an encounter with the people whose lives you are touching. While words and pictures can achieve so much, we want to give you a deeper experience. And we think we’ve found a way to do that.

While Tearfund can’t take all of you by the hand and lead you directly to places where local churches are helping communities overcome extreme poverty, we can offer you a greater – more personal – insight than we’ve been able to ever before. See how and start your journey on page 4. Thanks to technology, we can tread lightly on this world and its resources, but still get personally involved in the lives of God’s poorest, and most precious, people.

s e m i t r a te 2011 Summer

Peter Shaw, Editor editor@tearfund.org

mile Walk a oes in her sh la’s Join Sare of journey ation transform

We are church

ristian Every Ch is counts th st rve ha

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.

Digging deeper

It’s time ver to unco corruption

Be part

w.t acle | ww of a mir

rg earfund.o

Editor: Peter Shaw News Editor: Mark Lang Design: Premm Design Print: Pindar Graphics Copyright © Tearfund 2011. All rights reserved.

Permission is granted for the reproduction of text from this publication for Tearfund promotional use only. For all other uses, please contact us.

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

Layton Thompson/Tearfund

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CONTENTS 4

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

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Unlocking potential in northern Peru – meet Sarela as the local church helps her to improve her prospects

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Awakening the local church in Uganda – meet Elizabeth who has found acceptance through the local church

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Finding freedom in Christ in Nepal – meet Sita from Shivnagar, a former slave community

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World view – Elizabeth from Uganda chooses a dress

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A new vision of life to the full – how mobilising churches brings salt and light to communities

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Great expectations – preparing for Tearfund’s Christmas resources

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

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Every Christian counts this harvest – find out how your church can support Tearfund

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Bringing light into the darkness – putting the spotlight on unjust exploitation

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News – Crisis in Ivory Coast and updates from across the world

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‘I want to give my daughter a better future.’

Sarela from Cajamarca, Peru

Layton Thompson/Tearfund

Peru: Sarela and Jhuliana have more to smile about now. teartimes summer 2011

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see-for-yourself.org

Let the journey We’ve wrestled for a while with this problem: how to show you, in a compelling way, the unique poverty-stopping power of local churches. We think we’ve found the answer…

Words: Steve Adams

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rticles, films and photographs are powerful. But they provide an insight – not a three-dimensional journey.

Four years ago, I visited to Malawi to make a film about how Tearfund’s partnership with a local church was changing everything in one poor community. The crew included a camera-woman. We’ll call her Mary.

She wasn’t a Christian. She told me on the flight that her mum had visited Tearfund’s website, and warned Mary against working with ‘religious fanatics’.

Mary asked me not to try to convert her. ‘I’m not a Christian and don’t believe in church,’ she said. It was on the fourth day that Mary opened up – after seeing the village church care for the sick and help the strong to help themselves.

Layton Thompson/Tearfund

Join with us

Ralph Hodgson/Tearfund

'We invite you to journey with our communities.

And see for yourself how the local church can enable each of our communities to work their way out of poverty.'

Top: Pastor Eulogio from Sol de Justicia Church, Cajamarca, Peru. Bottom: Pastor Madan Shah, from Tikapur Church, who serves the Shivnagar community, Nepal 4

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begin…

‘For the first time in my life,’ she said, ‘I’ve understood what the church is really meant to do.’ Four years on, she’s still in touch with friends she made from that village church in Malawi.

to be part of it from the comfort of your own home.

Your invitation Our invite to you today is to journey with one poor community. And to see for yourself What changed Mary? how a local church can enable its own Jesus didn’t study us from afar. He joined community to work their way out of poverty. our journey. He saw for himself. Mary too saw You’ll see the ups and downs. The messy for herself. She watched the church at work. beauty of development as it unfolds.

She met the people during their journey.

It starts with you choosing the continent She heard – and continues to hear – their where you’d like to be part of mobilising stories unfolding. thousands of churches – to help countless Travel costs and the environmental impact poor communities. Africa, Asia or Latin mean not everyone can visit a community America? overseas. But we’re using that same idea You make a monthly gift, and pray – and of journeying with people, and inviting you these things are invested in mobilising

KIeran Dodds/Tearfund

Pastor Joseph Achibu, from Ogongora church, eastern Uganda. teartimes summer 2011

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see-for-yourself.org churches across the continent you choose, and turned into something eternal.

See for yourself Many of you give generously already, or support us in other ways. If that’s you, thank you for being a vital part of this global church movement. We’re not asking you to switch your giving.

If you’d like to give – and are considering a regular investment in these communities – then let it be a fulfilment of your own desire to be God’s light and hope to people in need.

Start seeing for yourself now. Simply select a community and sign up using the tear-out card between pages 8 and 9.

And let the journey begin…

Ralph Hodgson/Tearfund

Where in the world?

If you choose Latin America, you’ll journey with Cajamarca community, Peru – see page 7. If you opt for Africa, you’ll follow Ogongora village, Uganda – see page 10. And if it’s Asia, you’ll journey with Shivnagar community, Nepal – see page 13.

You’ll meet some incredible people through the Welcome pack you’ll receive on signing up. Then you’ll see their stories unfold through monthly email updates and prayer notes, and film updates every three months.

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

In all its messy beauty The sceptic would warn Tearfund that we’re opening ourselves up to trouble. After all, when a charity tells a story after it’s happened, it can decide what to include – and what to exclude.

But so confident are we in the power of God working through churches to birth transformation – even in the poorest places – that we want you to see this as it happens.

In the raw. It’s where we came from.

In 1968, churches across the UK and Ireland spontaneously sent gifts to the Evangelical Alliance, asking it to make a Christian response to the hunger crisis in Biafra. And so Tearfund was born, as the church’s response to poverty. Started by local churches and driven by a vision to end spiritual and material poverty through local churches.

So, for Tearfund, this invite is about us building on that legacy. Building a global network of local churches working together as one.

Seeing is believing Steve Clifford, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance ‘I remember seeing for myself the lives of a family living in the enormous Kibera slum in Nairobi. And I became aware that this was the world in which I live – the humanity that God loves. And I couldn’t detach myself from poverty.

‘The men, women and children there were as much a part of my world as my neighbours in my street. But in the midst of the extreme poverty they faced, the church wasn’t absent.

It was present – transforming lives.’

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Anne Coles, Ministry Pastor for New Wine ‘Last year, I visited a Tearfund project in a rural community in Nepal where we prayed for sick and troubled people, and saw firsthand the life-changing impact those things had.

‘We also saw the church effect a greater change through literacy lessons to untaught girls and by building a mill for the farmers to grind corn near their homes. I encourage Tearfund supporters to share this wonderful experience, to follow a community and see for yourself... ’ summer 2011 teartimes

‘I want to be able to give my daughter a better future…

I don’t want her life to be hard like mine.’

Sarela, Cajamarca, Peru Sarela and Jhuliana in a moment of affection at home.

Unlocking potential in northern Peru Sarela is a warm, intelligent, motivated 21-year-old. She lives in rural Cajamarca with her young daughter, Jhuliana. Sarela is full of potential. When I visited, I was struck by this potential everywhere.

Words: Amy Church Photos: Layton Thompson/Tearfund

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arela knows hardship, but she also has hope and strength – drawn from her loving family and her faith in God. She became a mother when she was young, and was subsequently abandoned by the father of her child.

She cries when she talks of those days.

Baby Jhuliana is just two, so the emotional wounds are still fresh. And Sarela still worries about not being able to provide for her child.

‘I want to be able to give my daughter a better future,’ she says. ‘I don’t want her life to be hard like mine.’

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Sarela is driven by her love for her baby, so is grasping with both hands the new opportunities available through Tearfund partner Warmis. Each week, she attends workshops at the local church where women practise reading and writing, pray together and learn skills such as embroidery.

These skills provide women with new ways to earn a living and fulfil their potential.

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

‘When we sell the things we make, we can buy other things we need.’

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

The potential of the place Most families here live on small farms. At first glance, Cajamarca looks like the ideal place for farming – with its luscious hills and valleys.

And for past generations, it was. But things have changed.

‘Our farming families face big challenges,’ explains Miguel from Tearfund partner Warmis.

‘We’re seeing the effects of climate change… unpredictable rainfall, poor harvests and therefore a lack of food.’

See for yourself We’re confident that church and community mobilisation is the best way to see people lifted out of poverty. So we’re giving people the chance to see this transformation from the inside by following a community’s journey.

For more information, see the tear-out form opposite.

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The community is proud of its way of life.

People don’t want to move to the city or give up farming – they just want to break free from poverty. One man I met, Jose – a rugged farmer who loves his land – described to me how he cried when he realised he couldn’t support his family.

Warmis is closely connected with the plight of families like Jose’s, teaching them new techniques so that, despite the increasingly unpredictable climate, they can harvest crops. And release the potential of the land once more..

The potential of local churches Warmis is doing amazing things in rural Cajamarca. But the staff know that, for this work to produce lasting, whole-person transformation, it must be led by local churches.

‘Last year, Warmis started working more with churches – helping them understand and respond to local problems,’ says Miriam from Warmis. summer 2011 teartimes

Please pray Thank God for filling Sarela and her community with hope and potential.

Pray for God’s will to be done in Cajamarca as it is in heaven.

This is the start of an exciting journey.

For local churches, helping people materially and spiritually – and not just spiritually – is a new approach.

But Warmis, supported by Tearfund, is intent on helping local churches reach their potential and become what God intended them to be: powerhouses of transformation in their communities. ‘It’s going to happen – little by little,’ says Miriam.

But it isn’t all about Tearfund’s partners and local churches – because you are key to this transformation. This work is powered by the prayers and gifts of people like you. Together, we are the body of Christ, and we’re at our best when we act as one.

So, on behalf of Sarela, Jose, the Warmis team and the local church leaders in Cajamarca – thank you for everything you do!

‘This helps me support my baby. When we sell the things we make, we can buy other things we need.’

Sarela, Cajamarca, Peru

The key to transformation Cajamarca is at the start of a process called church and community mobilisation. This way of doing development sees churches inspired to empower their communities in Jesus’ name.

It sees communities themselves taking ownership of the work, overcoming poverty without hand-outs. And it really works.

As you read through this Tear Times, you’ll see the amazing impact this Godrooted way of working is already having around the world.

Seeing is believing Elfed Godding, Director of the Evangelical Alliance in Wales ‘We must understand that built into the core of the gospel is this amazing love of God that reached out to the margins of society. My prayer life has been stirred by the people and connections I‘ve made in poor communities across the world. Seeing for yourself stirs you to pray in a different way, to be more deliberate and strategic.

‘In the multimedia age in which we live, we have the opportunity to listen and see the stories of poor people for ourselves.

We can share the vision together without having to jump on aeroplanes, spend lots of money, and burn lots of fuel and go to these places.’ teartimes summer 2011

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

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Elizabeth Odongo, 50, is a widow living with leprosy who has benefited greatly from church mobilisation.

Awakening the local church in Uganda When Elizabeth’s husband died in 2000, her world fell apart. With no children, she felt alone – rejected and isolated from her community. Since then, as I saw when I visited, the local church has come to Elizabeth’s rescue. But it’s been a long journey...

Words: Steve Adams Photos: Kieran Dodds/Tearfund 10

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eople wonder why you’re there when you don’t have children,’ says Elizabeth, 50. ‘I felt that without a child, I’m useless.’

The murderous Lord’s Resistance Army came to Ogongora village, forcing Elizabeth and many others to flee. When the militia left, she returned to face new hardship – her home had been destroyed and crops stolen.

Elizabeth looked for compassion among her neighbours. It would have been easy for her to give up, especially as she also has to contend with leprosy. But, with help, she found strength to carry on.

Church catalyst The catalyst for change was Elizabeth’s local church, which is being helped on its journey of material and spiritual fulfilment

by Tearfund partner the Pentecostal Assemblies of God (PAG).

Through your support, PAG awakens local churches to their God-given potential to transform themselves and the communities they serve. The church takes communities through a programme where they work together to bring about positive change for everyone.

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

Elizabeth Odongo, Ogongora, Uganda The process starts within local churches and then spreads into the community.

PAG’s work in Ogongora has already improved many lives, including Elizabeth’s.

As God has worked through the church, the congregation has grown from 40 to more than 300 in five years.

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

Inspiration from scripture Using biblical examples, PAG staff help church leaders and congregations learn the importance of self-help within a mutually supportive environment, building relationships to solve problems. Jesus feeding the 5,000 in Matthew 14 proved inspirational for Elizabeth. It made her think about what she had and how it could be better used to improve her life.

Fertile soil is the main resource Elizabeth has at her disposal and, after PAG taught her the importance of maximising the seasonal growing calendar, she’s now producing enough food for her own needs, with a surplus to sell.

This has enabled her to buy a bull and, by hiring it out, she earns more money.

So she has been able to fix her roof and buy a mattress and new clothes.

Studying God’s word has transformed Elizabeth’s outlook, turning her from selfpity to self-help. ‘This process has brought changes in my life that I never thought would happen,’ she says.

Thanks to your generosity This change 4,000 miles away begins thanks to churches here. Your generosity enables us to support PAG as it connects with poor communities that would otherwise receive little assistance.

The next step for PAG in Ogongora will be to prepare the church to engage with the wider community, gathering information about people’s needs and using that to form plans to tackle them together.

PAG staff will train volunteers in the processes needed to make their dreams become a reality, and will monitor progress throughout.

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see-for-yourself.org

See for yourself

Please pray

Already the community is thinking about what it needs – a borehole and a medical centre are priorities. And over the next year they’ll move closer to these things with our help as one church working together – Christ’s body here on earth.

More work needs to be done in Ogongora and places like it worldwide, but we believe your continuing investment in communities like this will reap a rich dividend, in lives not only freed from the blight of poverty but also transformed by a relationship with our loving God. If you’ve been inspired by Elizabeth and Ogongora church, you can continue to follow their story. See the tear-out form between pages 8 and 9 for details.

Thank God for working powerfully through us, his church, in the hearts of individuals like Elizabeth, and in communities such as Ogongora.

Connect your church to PAG in Uganda Find out about Tearfund’s Connected Church programme on page 15.

Seeing is believing Alan McWilliam, Church of Scotland minister and leader of CLAN (Christians Linked Across the Nation) ‘In a world full of problems, seeing poverty for yourself completely transforms how we view these big issues. Only then do we understand that poverty means that Elizabeth in Uganda might not have enough food to eat tonight.

‘To be able to see her and hear her makes what can seem impossibly huge issues become real and poignant. It also brings it down to a scale which can mean that you know you can do something about it.

Seeing for yourself brings a personal connection that means that my life is connected to Elizabeth’s.’

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

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‘When it seems impossible for us, it is still possible for God.’ Sita, Shivnagar, Western Nepal.

Finding freedom in Christ in Nepal Ten years ago, 14-year-old Sita and her family lived in slavery. Now free from an oppressive system called bonded labour, Sita has escaped the chains of her past. But, as she explained when we met, the true freedom she has found is in Christ.

Words: Peter Shaw Photos: Ralph Hodgson/Tearfund

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t church, I like to hear the miracle stories of Jesus,’ explains Sita. ‘Because when it seems impossible for us, it is still possible for God.’ A decade ago, it would have been literally impossible for Sita to aspire to anything beyond a life of slavery. Although bonded labour is a little-known form of slavery, it is the method of enslaving people most widely used in the world.

Neither slave nor free Mercifully, when she was only four, Sita was set free. The government of Nepal decreed that all the bonded labourers in her district should be released.

But, like all the former slaves, Sita’s family spent their first weeks of freedom without a home or employment during Nepal’s monsoon season. The government promised the former slaves land rights, but this has not yet happened due to ongoing civil unrest and political instability.

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‘If the church were not here, the standard of living in the community would be much worse.’

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

Eventually, a group of former slaves set up home illegally, on a plot of land outside the small town of Tikapur on the plains of western Nepal. They call themselves ‘the freed community’ of Shivnagar – where Sita lives today. The community comprises 300 families – nearly all Hindu.

But this oppressed and uneducated community were still considered outcasts by the people around them. Although they were free, in many ways life could be even tougher than it was before.

Set free by the local church But, looking around Shivnagar today, you can see there is a real sense of hope – people come together to plough the land, rear animals and gather the harvest. Excited children enjoy learning to read and write – a right denied the generations that came before them. All this change has happened through the church – enabled by your dedicated support to Tearfund.

Tikapur Christian Church – with encouragement, training and support from Tearfund’s partner, Sagoal – came to the people of Shivnagar offering the 14

Please pray Sita asks: ‘I want to be a doctor, so I would like my new neighbours in the UK to pray for me for my studies.’

unconditional love that they have found in Jesus. Working alongside the community, the church have set up a primary school, a farming cooperative and an animal programme so far.

Through the animal programme, the church gave Sita’s family a buffalo to rear to maturity. From the sale of the animal, they were able to buy a nearby plot of land and set up a small business making and selling punga – a form of snack food.

‘If the church were not here, the standard of living in the community would be much worse,’ says Sita, who still struggles as the only Christian in her school class. Moved by the care and compassion of the church, 16 families so far have given their lives to Jesus – many prompted by miraculous healings.

And the church is welcomed and valued by the Hindu community. summer 2011 teartimes

Connect your church with Sagoal

See for yourself We’re offering you a unique opportunity to follow the community of Shivnagar as it works with the church and Sagoal to help its people progress and thrive. You can follow developments in Sita’s life alongside other freed slaves in the village – see the tear-out form between pages 8 and 9 for full details.

As well as you being personally connected, your entire congregation can join collectively with Tearfund partners such as Sagoal in Nepal, Pentecostal Assemblies of God in Uganda (see page 10) or one of 15 other church-based projects in locations across the world.

Connected Church is a transformational experience for churches here in the UK to link with church projects in developing countries, to learn what it means to be part of the global church.

First, you choose from projects across Asia, Africa and Latin America. Then, your church makes a commitment to support one project financially and through prayer.

Tearfund will provide your church with quarterly updates, and you can also send prayer requests and news from your own church.

To strengthen the connection, you can visit some of the projects, to meet the workers and community members benefiting directly from your support.

Could your church benefit from being a Connected Church? Visit www.tearfund.org/connected or call 0845 521 0021 to find out more.

Seeing is believing David and Hilary McClay, Leaders of New Wine Ireland Hilary: 'For me and my husband, David, it was hugely significant when we heard stories and saw for ourselves what life was like for the desperately poor in Nepal, when we visited the country. That’s why I think this opportunity from Tearfund is so exciting because it gives people not just a snapshot of the need and how the local church is transforming lives, but it's a really meaningful opportunity to connect.

'We can pray for individuals in Shivnagar, Nepal, share ourselves with them and hear the stories of what God is doing in their lives – and I’m sure it will also have an amazing impact on our lives.’ teartimes summer 2011

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worldview

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Tearfund photographer Kieran Dodds says, ‘A visible picture of an unseen change, Elizabeth’s life is now cut from a different cloth.

A widow without children or hope, Elizabeth, from Uganda, has found family in the local church and has learned wisdom for life through studying the Bible. Now she has an income to buy food and clothes.’

Photo: Kieran Dodds/Tearfund

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reflection

A new vision of ‘This process has motivated me to work hard and see all the resources I already have.’ ‘It’s made me young again.’ ‘It’s united us.’ ‘It’s helped us to go the extra mile for those in need.’ ‘In the past, people gave us fish. Now I understand that we actually need nets.’

Words: Matthew Frost, Chief Executive

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hese extraordinary words are from villagers of Akoboi district, south Soroti, Uganda. For me, they confirm the incredible power of what I witnessed on my trip there in July 2010. It was a community completely changed, humming with infectious enthusiasm at the countless possibilities for more growth and more growth – and more.

How this had happened was no accident.

Something had switched in the hearts of the people there, had given them a new vision.

‘This process has helped me to see things clearly again – I have rediscovered my sight!’ said one villager.

‘It’s motivated me to work hard and see all the resources I already have.’

Eyes opened For the few hours I spent in one small village in Katakwi district, north of Soroti, I heard many stories of individuals ‘rediscovering their sight’.

I learnt of villagers seeing anew the resources and opportunities they already had.

They discovered the power of working together, magnifying the smallest beginnings into new lives, new livelihoods and better relationships. People had a fresh vision of what life is really all about, not just economics and health statistics, but a ‘whole’ life – the ‘life to the full’ that Jesus promised.

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The ‘process’, of course, is what we’ve come to call church and community mobilisation, and it’s what we’re inviting you to come and see for yourselves as a living reality in this edition of Tear Times. It’s what happens when people come together to forge their own path out of poverty, with their own resources – using their own skills and responding to their own problems.

This is what makes for truly lasting development. It’s born out of – and motivated by – real, personal, spiritual change in individuals, because it draws its strength and direction from the gospel, and it starts in the church. But it takes a skilled hand to steer any community used to living without hope towards a new way of thinking.

Carrying the heart of Jesus Thankfully, such skill exists in facilitators trained

by Tearfund partners – people like Jane Frances Achaloi from the Pentecostal Assemblies of God (PAG). When I met her in Uganda, I couldn’t help noticing that Jane’s a person who just embodies Christ. She takes the churches’ role in community transformation very seriously.

She’s an expert in leading this ‘selfdevelopment’, always listening, watching, asking just the right questions, guiding people on their own journey. ‘My vision is to get people to have a heart,’ she says. ‘Church is very important in mobilising the community because the church carries the heart of Jesus Christ. The way Jesus would feel for the needy is the way the church feels.’ summer 2011 teartimes

life to the full Coming home from Uganda, I remember being struck by three things. Firstly, throughout the entire trip – amazingly – no one asked me for anything. I’m used to going to places where need is extreme: people aren’t shy when it comes to asking for help. But not here. Why? Because the process, and continued support from PAG, have taught people to look to their own skills and resources.

Secondly, no one thanked me for anything.

They knew the community – through God – had achieved all the good things they were seeing. And they praised God for his provision!

The final thing I saw was that, in my experience, successful church and community mobilisation is the most effective method of releasing people from poverty in communities like this – in terms of return on investment.

‘Church is very important in mobilising the community because the church carries the heart of Jesus Christ.’

Yet, its impact can hardly begin to be calculated. Its currency is in intangibles.

Facilitation is the investment. But the return is also becoming evident in schools built, wells dug, incomes increased, children in school…

It’s the five per cent that leverages the 95 per cent of innate human capacity. It’s the yeast, or the salt, or the light. And it’s what you can bring, through your support, to communities yearning to transform themselves. So bring the salt, sow the seed, add the yeast. Bring people like Jane. The yield is incalculable.

Kieran Dodds/Tearfund

‘My vision is to get people to have a heart… the way Jesus would feel for the needy is the way the church feels.’

Jane Frances Achaloi, Pentecostal Assemblies of God, Uganda

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christmas resources

Great expectations ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.’ (Luke 2:10) This year, Tearfund will celebrate with First Christmas – our 2011 Christmas church resources – and we invite you to rejoice with us.

The resources – including an inspirational, easy-to-use Nativity play – are all you need to produce a festive and thought-provoking Christmas service.

First Christmas will feature: • Nativity play script and performance guide • Three-minute festive film showing Christmas in Nepal • Interactive craft activity for children • Prayer points and much more Pre-order these free resources now and they will be sent out in August – in good time to plan and prepare your Christmas church service.

Contact 0845 521 0021 for England & Wales; 0141 332 3621 for Scotland and 028 9068 2828 for Northern Ireland. Or email churches@tearfund.org Shepherds still watch their flocks by night in Tikapur, Nepal.

Ralph Hodgson/Tearfund

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one family revisited

The Tuch family who featured in Tearfund’s harvest resources last year.

One family – one year on Last harvest time, we took you to one rural community in Cambodia, where parents Mol and Tol Tuch, and their four children, welcomed you into their family.

Words: Steve Adams Photos: Ralph Hodgson/Tearfund

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ne family was the Tearfund campaign that featured Mol and Tol. And, one year on, we’re pleased to report that because so many of you stood as one family with them, they – and thousands of vulnerable families like them – are taking another step towards a happier future.

One family generated more than £750,000.

Money which is being invested in helping people like Mol and Tol.

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Life before Zip back 12 months. Mol and Tol told us then that their life had been changed through the work of Tearfund’s partner and their local church.

‘Before the Wholistic Development Organisation [Tearfund’s partner –WDO] came here, I had very little knowledge of agriculture,’ explains Mol. WDO began working with a local pastor named Vinn Chheoun – and mobilising his church.

Together WDO and the church taught Mol and 21

one family revisited Tol about agriculture; provided fish for their pond and seedlings for their fields; funded a community rice bank to help in the dry season – and brought the knowledge and hope of God. And what’s happened in Mol and Tol’s community is now going national. WDO estimates that within five years they will have mobilised churches across the whole of Cambodia.

Life in 2010 When we visited, as part of the One family campaign, Mol and Tol’s seemed like a story that was on track for a happy ending. We left them at the end of our third day, with the sun setting through the palm trees, lowering their nets into their pond to catch fish for supper.

The next time we visited – two days later – Mol, Tol and their children seemed distraught.

The pond, which had been so full, was now empty. Mol’s commitment to water his crops – carrying 600 buckets a day – had drained the pond.

The One family church pack left Mol and Tol on this cliff-hanger. And one year on, we’d like to show you how, by being one family with Mol and Tol, you’ve been part of improving things.

Life now Here’s how Tearfund’s partner and the local church have been supporting Mol and Tol: The pond – WDO funded the extension of Mol and Tol’s pond. It now measures 10m by 15m, and is 4m deep, holding significantly more water.

The training – WDO had advised Mol and Tol which crops to grow, based on how much water and land they had. Mol and Tol bought additional crops. This is why the pond ran dry. WDO has worked with the family to help them understand the need to calculate what they can grow based on their new pond size.

The harvest – Currently, Mol is growing watermelon, peanut, cassava, potato, rice, and beans. This represents a vast improvement on their previous yields.

Education – Thanks to the bike provided by WDO for the children to go to school on, the children ‘are doing well and they go to school every day’, reports Mol. The family still play an active part in their local church. ‘We all go to church every Sunday,’ explains Mol. However, life has not

Tuch Mol cleans his bicycle, which was donated by Tearfund’s partner WDO. 22

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been easy for them. ‘My wife has chronic diseases – a bladder problem, uterus and large-intestine infection – which make her feel dizzy and pass out at times,’ explains Mol. This puts extra strain on the family income – something their local church is aware of and will continue to work through with them.

Joining the family...

We’d like to say thanks from Mol and Tol and the many other families helped because of your prayers and fundraising.

Here’s a small selection of the massive outpouring of generosity of churches across the UK in response to One family...

As we carry on supporting our partners, helping vulnerable people like Mol and Tol, we’d invite you to be part of this year’s harvest campaign, titled We are church.

Turn the page to learn more, order a free copy and get your church involved in this life-giving campaign.

Thanks to the fundraising efforts of people across the UK, more families like the Tuchs’ will have enough food this harvest.

• Jessica Rudman of St John’s, Worksop, encouraged her church to make a giant kite which they hung in the chancel for their harvest service. During the service they showed the One family film and the children brought prayers to tie to the kite. It was then hoisted up into the roof. They raised £200.

• South Carntyne Church of Scotland, Glasgow, raised more than £250 last harvest. They showed the One family film during their main service, the junior church used the children’s resources, and the placemat quiz featured at their harvest lunch.

• Newton Mearns Baptist Church, Glasgow, raised just over £4,000 at their One family harvest events. They used the prayer material and film, and also challenged three people from the congregation to live on just £1 for a day! They were asked to make video diaries of their experience which were shown during the service.

• Queen Edith Chapel, Cambridge, used the One family film and ‘Nothing in the fridge’ sketch from the church resources, and the church children gave their version of Psalm 65. By inviting children from their mid-week clubs, many more families came to their Harvest Thanksgiving Service than usual.

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harvest church resources Richard, 30, is a fisherman whose life is being transformed through church mobilisation.

EVERY CHRISTIAN COUNTS this harvest This year, we’re excited to offer you a harvest resource that will take every member of your church on a unique journey with one village in Africa.

Words: Steve Adams Photos: Kieran Dodds

T

he resource is called We are church. It will help you plan an inspiring, thoughtprovoking harvest service or thanksgiving meal. And it’ll help your church get right to the heart of how poverty can be beaten. Because in the stand against poverty, every Christian counts. And when we all stand together, as one worldwide church, we present a challenge that poverty cannot resist.

But don’t just take our word for it.

This resource features the story of Richard and his family in Uganda: a moving and memorable testimony of the power of an active local church. We’d love you to share this powerful story with your own church.

We are church is packed with creative and engaging materials. Just complete, detach and return the card found between these pages and we’ll send you the materials for free.

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Richard’s story ‘If the local church had not intervened in my life, I would be dead,’ says Richard, 30.

Many of the friends he used to drink with have already died as a result of alcohol.

His wife, Rose, explains: ‘The greatest change in the life of Richard happened when he gave his life to Jesus Christ.

Before, he cultivated only a few crops and he would harvest and sell it and use all the money for drinking. But now he sells it and uses it for the family – we have food in the house.’

The journey for Richard and his village is just beginning. And this year, we’re inviting everyone in your church to journey with them. The We are church resources include leaflets inviting people to begin this journey.

Find the full story from Uganda on page 10. summer 2011 teartimes

Request a Tearfund speaker If you would like a Tearfund speaker to talk at your church about our work this harvest, contact our Churches team on 0845 521 0021 for England and Wales, 028 9068 2828 for Northern Ireland or 0141 332 3621 for Scotland.

What’s in the pack?

We are church includes plenty of easy-touse materials designed to get your whole church thinking this harvest time, including: • An Organiser’s guide, including a quickstart guide and a service plan • Essential resources for your harvest celebrations, including a sketch, PrayerPod ideas, Bible-based notes for speakers, spoken prayers and a DVD with three short films and a range of downloadable materials • Three films, which are suitable for your harvest service or small group. The first film is designed for an all-age service and tells Richard’s story. The second has more of a focus on Richard’s personal testimony. The third features Richard’s local pastor, Joseph, and his work, and is great for church leaders who want to know more about how churches can transform their local communities

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• A range of children’s resources, including a worksheet which offers an insight into the daily life of Dan, Richard’s 12-year-old neighbour

ORDER NOW! In the stand against poverty every Christian does count. Please make a stand against poverty this harvest, by filling in the tearout form above and sending it back to pre-order your copy of We are church.

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campaigns Geoff Crawford/Tearfund

BRINGING

LIGHT IN THE T DARKNESS

We’ve shone light on the global sanitation scandal, now it’s time to turn the spotlight on the unjust exploitation of oil, gas and mining resources. With your help, we want to Unearth the truth...

Words: Laura Selman

We want companies to publish what they pay to access natural resources – such as those pictured above mined in Bolivia.

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wo years ago, Tearfund introduced you to 13-year-old Stidia (pictured, right) from Kigazi, Uganda. Every day she walked down a steep, dangerous path to collect water for her family. On this arduous trek she risked being beaten by older boys, and she was often late for or missed school.

It was time to end this injustice and see lives like Stidia’s around the world transformed.

We built a movement of Christians, uniting as the global church to pray and act to make sanitation and water available for all. Tearfund joined with End Water Poverty to bring an end to the global water and sanitation crisis.

Piling on the pressure Through your support, we made this neglected issue impossible to ignore. Spring 2010 saw MPs on their way to work confronted with a section of the world’s longest toilet queue outside Parliament. You filled their postbags with pleas for action on water and sanitation.

In fact, in 2009 the Department for International Development received more summer 2011 teartimes

letters and cards about water and sanitation than anything else – Tearfund supporters have sent a staggering 100,000 messages to the UK government calling for action.

That’s about £3,000 a second that could be spent on nurses, schools or infrastructure to support small businesses. In the words of Tearfund partner Huamanga, Peru, ‘Corruption generates mistrust amongst Amazing success! the population, and that further increases Three years ago, access to safe water and poverty. There will never be development sanitation was a forgotten issue. Today, thanks for those who are deceived.’ to the campaigning and prayers of Christians When the church speaks and prays, governand churches, solving the problem is the sole ments listen. We give thanks for great progress task of the groundbreaking Sanitation and in the fight for access to safe water and Water for All initiative. This global partnership sanitation for all. Now is the time for us to turn between poor countries, rich ones, communities to unearth the truth about resource extraction. and charities is working to bring access to Visit www.tearfund.org/unearthetruth to join water and sanitation within everyone’s reach. with us.

We have done what we set out to do – we’ve Your first opportunity to do this is over a brought the injustice to the attention of those cup of tea with your MP on Thursday 9 June in who must do something about it, and London – we’ll even provide the tea! Find out persuaded them to set up Sanitation and Water more about Tea Time for Change: for All as we asked them to. Tearfund will www.tearfund.org/teatime continue to be a member of End Water Poverty, keeping up the worldwide momentum on But whoever lives by the truth water and sanitation. But from now on, we are comes into the light, so that it asking you and your church to shine a light on another injustice... may be seen plainly that what

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they have done has been done in the sight of God. (John 3:21)

Layton Thompson/Tearfund

Unearth the truth Tearfund’s local church partners in Africa, Asia and Latin America are asking us to get mining, oil and gas companies to publish what they pay to developing country governments in order to access a country’s resources. So we are starting a campaign to unearth the truth behind the extractive industry, calling for transparency not secrecy in their dealings with developing country governments.

Many poor countries are blessed with an abundance of God-given resources.

Yet, poor countries see those resources extracted and shipped off. They don’t see the benefits. If companies began publishing what they pay governments to access these resources, then churches and citizens could hold governments to account for how the money is spent. This has the potential to unlock billions of pounds and lift millions out of poverty.

This transparency is vital in tackling corruption. In Africa alone, the cost of corruption is estimated at £90 billion a year.

Stidia washing her hands at school in Kigazi.

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Independent South Sudan faces challenges

I

n two months’ time, Africa should see the birth of its newest nation following the decision of South Sudan to separate from the north. The move comes after a referendum in January resulted in an overwhelming 99 per cent vote in favour of independence.

The referendum took place under the terms of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which ended two decades of civil war between north and south.

The new South Sudan state is due to come into existence on 9 July. Big challenges await the new government, which will preside over a country with little infrastructure in terms of schools, health facilities and roads.

Another pressure will be a big influx of returnees from North Sudan who are coming

to start a new life in the south. Tearfund, which has a long association with Sudan, is looking to step up its work to help the returnees.

We’ve been working in the south since 1998, undertaking projects to improve water and sanitation and food security, and to promote health. More than 500,000 people are being assisted. Tearfund has been operating in Darfur, in Sudan's north-west, since 2004, providing water, sanitation, nutritional support and health education.

Thank you for your prayers during the referendum, which passed off relatively peacefully. Please pray for the challenges which lie ahead for Sudanese people in the north and south.

Layton Thompson/Tearfund

‘Big challenges await the new government, which will preside over a country with little infrastructure in terms of schools, health facilities and roads.’

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

Egypt unrest update The work of Tearfund partners in Egypt is returning to stability after the unrest which led to the country’s president being deposed.

Insecurity during demonstrations against former leader Hosni Mubarak hindered our partners’ work temporarily, most notably those supporting refugees from Ethiopia and Sudan inside Egypt. teartimes summer 2011

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news Eleanor Bentall/Tearfund

Bruce’s almighty trek

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

Tearfund’s work has received a boost thanks to the tired legs of supporter Bruce Nuttall.

Bruce walked 22 miles from Westerham in Kent to Westminster Abbey to raise nearly £1,500 for Tearfund.

The occasion was the Abbey's annual pilgrimage to the shrine of St Edward the Confessor. Our picture shows Bruce, who confessed to stiff legs for days afterwards, arriving at the Abbey.

Ethiopian women mean business

W

omen from Tearfund-backed self-help groups in Ethiopia were invited to talk to British government officials in Addis Ababa about the difference the projects are making in their lives.

Thousands of these groups, which enable people to save money and access business loans, are operating across the country and are proving successful in helping people out of dire poverty.

The schemes are operated by Tearfund church-based partners such as the Kale Heywet Church which has hundreds of congregations. The Ethiopian government has also endorsed the self-help approach, granting a legal identity to these groups in certain areas.

Bruce arrives at the Abbey.

Afghan flood relief Villagers in Afghanistan’s central highlands have been getting help from a Tearfund partner after flash floods washed away their crops.

Locals living at 11,000 feet in Lal-waSarangal district had never experienced such devastation before. But they were able to replant after our partner provided equipment

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to help reclaim damaged land, as well as new wheat seeds.

Bruce Clark, Tearfund’s Country Representative for Afghanistan, explained that this had increased locals’ resilience and confidence in their ability to work together to protect their land and livelihoods.

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D

Geoff Crawford

A largely peaceful outcome to the Sudan referendum which saw overwhelming support for South Sudan to become an independent state.

PRAYER PULSE Prayer is the heartbeat of Tearfund

Sudan in the period leading up to 9 July as it prepares to split formally into two nations on that day.

People in poor communities around the world feeling the pain of rising food prices.

PRAYING FOR

edicated supporters Brenda and Gordon Wilkinson have found the right ingredients for a tasty Tearfund earner.

Their book, Recipes for disaster... relief and development, has raised £25,000 for our work since it was launched almost five years ago.

It features 42 recipes from 25 countries and gives readers information about how Tearfund is working with partners and local churches to bring spiritual and material transformation in each location. More than 4,000 copies of the book have been snapped up, with orders from across Europe and the US. The book is the latest in a long series of fundraising exploits for Tearfund by the Wilkinsons. Philippa Peck, Tearfund’s Director of Marketing and Fundraising, said, ‘We’re very grateful for Brenda and Gordon’s incredible support. Since 1984, they have raised nearly £50,000 for Tearfund, which has fed and supported many families across the world.’

To order your copy of Recipes for disaster, visit www.recipesfordisaster.org

The successful start of One Voice, our Global Poverty Prayer Movement, and for the thousands of Christians who took part and continue to do so.

GIVING THANKS FOR

Food for thought

The swift implementation of the Bribery Act by the UK government.

Latest prayer news at www.tearfund.org/praying Get in touch with us!

UK

www.tearfund.org Email: enquiries@tearfund.org Tel: 0845 355 8355 100 Church Road, Teddington TW11 8QE Registered Charity No. 265464 (England and Wales) Registered Charity No. SC037624 (Scotland)

Challenge House, 29 Canal Street, Glasgow G4 0AD T y^ Catherine, Capel Cildwrn, Llangefni, Ynys Môn LL77 7NN Rose House, 2 Derryvolgie Avenue, Belfast BT9 6FL

ROI

www.tearfund.ie Email: enquiries@tearfund.ie Tel: +353 (0)1 878 3200 Tearfund Ireland, 5–7 Upper O’Connell St Dublin 1, Ireland

The book that's raised £25,000 for poor communities. teartimes summer 2011

Registered Charity No. CHY 8600

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NEWS ‘The election dispute has been a dark episode for Ivory Coast, and its humanitarian legacy will be felt for some considerable time to come as so many people have been displaced.’

Babatope Akinwande, Tearfund’s Country Representative for Ivory Coast

REUTERS/Luc Gnago, courtesy Trust.org – AlertNet

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

Tearfund helps thousands in Ivory Coast crisis

T

housands of people displaced as a result of Ivory Coast’s disputed election are receiving essential aid from Tearfund partners.

A million Ivorians are homeless and more than 1,500 have died following months of unrest in the West African state, which has resulted in reports of mass killings, rapes and abductions.

Water, sanitation and healthcare are being provided by partners, particularly in neighbouring Liberia, where 150,000 Ivorians fled seeking safety. Another 13,000 are in other surrounding countries.

Although fighting subsided following the arrest of former President Laurent Gbagbo, it’s expected that it will be many months before the refugees feel it’s safe to return to Ivory Coast.

Humanitarian conditions are growing worse, with partners reporting increasing cases of disease, particularly caused by poor water 28

supplies, and hunger. Host communities in Liberia that are helping Ivorian refugees are themselves coming under immense strain as food stocks decline.

Liberia-based Tearfund partner Equip, which specialises in healthcare, is working with 40,000 refugees, particularly those suffering from malaria, diarrhoea and malnutrition.

In Ivory Coast, a consortium of six partners has supplied water and sanitation for 24,000 displaced people in the western city of Duékoué, the scene of much bloodshed.

Babatope Akinwande, Tearfund’s Country Representative for Ivory Coast, said, ‘The election dispute has been a dark episode for Ivory Coast, and its humanitarian legacy will be felt for some considerable time to come as so many people have been displaced.’

You can help our work by giving at www.tearfund.org/ivorycoast and downloading our Ivory Coast prayer PowerPoint at www.tearfund.org/praying summer 2011 teartimes

S

EE F O R Y O U R S E L F

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

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

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

See for yourself by signing up today using the tear-out form between pages 8 and 9 or at www.see-for-yourself.org Photos: Layton Thompson/Tearfund Registered Charity No. 265464 (England and Wales) Registered Charity No. SC037624 (Scotland) 20223-(0511)