TEAR Correspondent February 2014

TEARFUND.ORG.NZ

ISSUE / FEBRUARY 2014

SIERRA LEONE INVESTOR: CH BOUGHT: 26,000 HA PURPOSE: AGROFUEL

AFRICA GHANA INVESTOR: IT, UK, IL, NO BOUGHT: 735,000 HA PURPOSE: AGROFUEL

7% 2%

2013 FINANCIAL INCOME REPORT PAGE 4

BENIN BOUGHT: 400,000 HA OF WETLANDS PURPOSE: PALM OIL

NIGERIA STATE LAND AQUISITIONS USING FOREIGN CAPITAL GRABBED: 100,000 HA

ETHIOPIA INVESTOR: UK, DE BOUGHT: 23,961,000 HA PURPOSE: BIO FUEL AND EDIBLE OIL

CAMEROON INVESTOR: FR BOUGHT: 58,000 HA - 60YR LEASE PURPOSE: PALM OIL

LANDGRABS PAGE 8

91%

KENYA INVESTOR: JP, BE AND CA BOUGHT: 500,000 HA PURPOSE: TBA

INVESTOR CODES: BE = BELGIUM BR = BRAZIL CA = CANADA CH = SWITZERLAND CN = CHINA DE = GERMANY ES = SPAIN FR = FRANCE

NVADER TEAR FUND’S NEW PARTNER PAGE 6

ANGOLA INVESTOR: BR, ES, ZA BOUGHT: 500,000 HA PURPOSE: AGROFUELS

GROWING HOPE

NOTE: IN MOST CASES GIVEN, THE INVESTOR COUNTRIES RELATE TO CORPORATIONS BASED IN THESE COUNTRIES RATHER THAN THE GOVERNMENTS OF THESE COUNTRIES

MOZAMBIQUE INVESTOR: CA, UK, IT, DE, PT, UA BOUGHT: 4,800,000 HA PURPOSE: AGROFUEL

A MOTHER’S LEGACY: With the help of TEAR Fund’s partner, Bhekini (left) and Zama restore the garden left to them by their mother.

I’d heard the term ‘child-headed household’ before and shuddered in disbelief and horror. In a sweltering hot mud hut in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, I met some people behind the label. Through the tears of two orphans whose parents had died of HIV; I listened to Bhekini (18) and Zama (23) tell me their story.

Story and pictures by Helen Manson

Z

ama said “We’ve lived in this area since we were born. Our mum and dad were so loving and they wanted us to do things right, be strong citizens and have a good future.

Our fondest memory of our dad is watching him do his fitness exercises.

Our favourite memory of mum is that she used to kiss us a lot, and we liked that. Life was good even though it was

hard for them to care for us. After dad died, mum created a garden with the help of (TEAR Fund’s partner) African Cooperative Action Trust (ACAT) so that she could provide food to eat and make a little money selling the surplus vegetables. She died in 2007, and life became very difficult for us. We went from having – to not having. There was nobody to support us.”

Bhekini continued: “After mum died I was given a grant from the government

A HELPING HAND: Bhekini and Zama getting support to rebuild their home.

IL = ISRAEL IT = ITALY JP = JAPAN NO = NORWAY PT = PORTUGAL UA = UKRAINE UK = UNITED KINGDOM ZA = SOUTH AFRICA

for school. Zama had to pull out of school as we couldn’t afford it. The grant had to stretch to include food, clothing, shelter, books and writing materials. Because of this, we cannot all go to school. One goes and then the other one will follow. Sometimes we go hungry just so we can buy a school book.”

Zama added: “Today I take care of my siblings. I try to do piecemeal jobs like washing for others to earn a small amount. Sometimes there is not enough food, so we have to go without. As you can see, we live in a very small house with few things. The day mum died there was this great pain and shock knowing we were all alone.”

Tears streamed down her face. As we locked eyes, I felt overwhelmed with sadness and empathy. Before me was a young girl that could very well have been me. Like me, she was also the eldest of four siblings. Although eight years younger but we’d faced a very different life. This ‘accident of latitude’ meant that she was born into a community of poverty where disease ravages families, and I was born into comparative luxury. I could see the weight of responsibility for taking care of all her siblings was a heavy burden for her slender frame to carry.

Zama continued: “Right before mum died, TANZANIAshe joined an ACAT group. She 1,000 RICE FARMERS was taught how to create a small but FORCED FROM THEIR LAND fruitful PURPOSE: AGROFUEL garden that sustained our family. After she died, the garden fell into disrepair. ACAT helped us apply for government grants. The group our mother was part of has continued to support us, and recently, the group said they wanted to help us rebuild our home and have bought some bricks for us. The ACAT team leader has shown us how to re-establish the garden so that we can have enough food.”

Behkini said: “I have accepted that I don’t have parents, and that I will have to put it upon my shoulders to work hard in order to get to where I want to be. Through the garden, we will be able to eat the produce and save the money we would normally spend on buying vegetables. The ACAT garden is our hope.”

After I left their humble home, an ACAT staff member told me that the children hadn’t had breakfast that morning. Food insecurity was the last thing these children should have to worry about. Thankfully, TEAR Fund’s partner ACAT is helping some of the most vulnerable people in KwaZuluNatal to become food secure. By simply helping to establish secure access to on-going nutritional needs, ACAT is making room at the table for the vulnerable in our world. The food is not the answer to all their problems, but it’s the first piece of a poverty puzzle this family can start solving. However, in order to do this for them and for others, ACAT needs our support.

For this young group of siblings, their mother’s legacy lives on in an ACAT garden that holds within it some serious potential for a gift that will keep on giving. It’s their ticket to a foodsecure home and a hope for the future.

As they start the process of cultivating the rocky land that surrounds them, and a mountain of memories deeply entrenched within the soil, I pray they’d lift up their weary heads and know their parents would be proud.

To support the work of ACAT, please fill in the form in this publication.

Alternatively, you can give online at tearfund.org.nz or phone 0800 800 777.

PRAY • Pray for the continued well-being of Zama and her family.

• Pray for the ongoing success of ACAT’s training programme.

PO Box 8315, Symonds St, Auckland 1150, New Zealand • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • 0800 800 777 • tearfund.org.nz

2 | TEAR CORRESPONDENT

Room at the Table Almighty Father, host of the banquet,

ROOM AT THE TABLE

THRIVING COMMUNITIES: Vegetable growing is putting good food on the table and increasing incomes.

By Keith Ramsay

W

e trust you had a good break over the Christmas and New Year. While many of us gathered with loved ones around a hearty Christmas dinner, we launched into 2014 by turning our attention to those who face a challenge to put food on their tables.

Many times in the Bible we get a glimpse of hierarchy of the Kingdom of God and how it is the polar opposite of our earthly social and political orders.

In the book of Luke, especially, food is at the centre of parables that show Jesus’ view of social order. In the parable of the wedding feast, for instance, the privileged are invited, but they make feeble excuses not to attend, and so the host sends servants to gather all of those at the bottom of the social heap. In our world of privilege, it is the poor who are at the bottom, and so we are asking our supporters if there is room at your table for one more. By supporting our partners in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in Vanuatu and Mongolia you can make room at the table for them. Our partners

are helping the less privileged to become food secure. Food security is something aid agencies talk about a lot. Essentially it means not having to worry about food.

However, it is a little more complex; based on the pillars below:

• FOOD AVAILABILITY: sufficient quantities of food available on a consistent basis.

• FOOD ACCESS: having sufficient resources to obtain appropriate foods for a nutritious diet.

• FOOD USE: appropriate use based on knowledge of basic nutrition and care, as well as adequate water and sanitation.

More and more, low-income countries are facing multiple threats to their food security. Such threats are coming from climate change, global population growth, unstable global food markets and land grabs, to name a few. Our partners are helping the vulnerable to become food secure and less reliant on outside sources of food by giving them the skills and tools to grow more food with less water and using organic methods, so they are not reliant on chemical fertilisers and pesticides.

PICTURE / MATT GUMBRELL

In order for our partners to go out, as the host in the parable and reach more vulnerable people, we need your prayers and financial support so more can be invited to the ‘table’. In this issue of the Correspondent, you can read more about how our partners are helping families to become food secure, some of the issues surrounding food security and some actions you can take to improve food security for the most vulnerable. For instance, your family and friends or even your church can get involved in putting on a ‘Feast for the Least’ on Neighbours’ Day. You can see the details on our new Advocacy section, page five. This section is a new feature in the Correspondent. It is where you can find ways to take action on issues of poverty with the support of TEAR Fund. If you want to take action on slavery and human trafficking, you might be interested in our new initiative to combat this crime and our new partnership with Nvader. Read more about these on page six. We thank you for your continued support and we are looking forward to a new year partnering with you to help improve the lives of those most in need overseas.

INSIDE OUT

By Ian McInnes

I

Ian McInnes — CEO.

leaned against the open door of the tin building in Vanuatu trying to catch what breeze I could, while watching Himali, my wife, hurriedly scribbling notes into her ring binder.

She sat cross-legged on the floor in the middle of a large room full of village men and women, all fixated on the animated man at the front. Rey, the Director of our work among indigenous Filipinos (see Rey in action on page seven) had come to Vanuatu to work with the community on their cash crops.

He was using every teaching method in the book — from his mini projector, expressive hand movements, using students as props — to describe how

peanuts are best grown and harvested.

Himali is a keen gardener, besides being a GP. With clinical precision, she was filing away the facts associated with peanuts, no doubt for trial in our backyard next summer! Rey would periodically trumpet the nutritional value of the humble legume followed by, “isn’t that right Dr Himali”, at which she would duly nod in agreement.

In December, we moved house. Prior to moving we got permission from the outgoing house owner to build raised veggie beds in time for the spring planting season. This helped lay the table for our Christmas lunch. Food, its seasons and our festivals, are an integral part of our lives; whether you live in a New Zealand city or farming

In your Kingdom, at your banquet, you have given the poor; the marginalised, the oppressed and the disadvantaged, pride of place. In a world where those with power dominate the present global banquet, literally discarding food by the tons every single day, may balance be restored so that those who struggle to meet their basic needs can be given room at the table. This season, give success to TEAR Fund’s partners, working to deepen secure access to basic food needs for communities in Mongolia, Vanuatu and South Africa.

Inviting Son, revealer of the nature of the Divine, In the parable of the banquet, you revealed a generous God. May we reflect that generosity.

In that story, you showed an upside-down Kingdom that shuns the power-games people play, may we embody your call to show hospitality to the poor and marginalized by making them part of our lives, because in your upside-down Kingdom, that’s how it should be. In doing so, may we demonstrate your character and what it means to be part of your Kingdom.

Compelling Spirit, You call all, extending the invitation to all people to come to the table. Where our lives have shut others out, transform us, so we may embody the humility Jesus talked of and make room for those so often pushed aside.

Help us to see where we may need to sacrifice our place of privilege and power so others may be given the place of honour. Help us to see the value and dignity inherent in all people.

Teach us to use our resources to the benefit of others.

May our lives be lived and the work be done for the glory of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

community, or a Vanuatu village.

Some of us in New Zealand are deeply involved in the cultivation, production and distribution of food, from produce as varied as milk powder to mushrooms.

Did you know New Zealand sells black truffles wholesale for up to $3,000 a kg?

That’s more expensive than gold!.

In this issue you will see that the global system for food is broken. Roughly 1 billion people missed out on an adequate Christmas lunch and they do so every other day of the year as well. Bizarrely, half of them are farmers and their families. Why did Himali’s veggies make it to the dining room table but for so many people this did not happen? What’s going wrong? What is TEAR Fund doing about it? How can you help? Read on…

PO Box 8315, Symonds St, Auckland 1150, New Zealand • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • 0800 800 777 • tearfund.org.nz

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KIWI SUPPORT VITAL IN PHILIPPINES DISASTER RESPONSE DESTRUCTIVE FORCE: New Zealanders responded generously to help ease the suffering of Filipinos hit by Typhoon Haiyan.

By Madina Turgieva

O

n November 8, 2013, the Philippines was ravaged by one of the deadliest typhoons on record. In its wake, Super Typhoon Haiyan left a trail of destruction taking more than 6000 lives, displacing 4.5 million and injuring 29,000.

Thanks to your generous support, our partners have supplied emergency relief to the victims of this disaster. TEAR Fund has been working through its partners Food for the Hungry and Taytay

Sa Kauswagan Inc (TSKI), helping locals work through the initial stages of the disaster and helping them slowly rebuild their livelihoods. Food for the Hungry has supplied emergency food to 4,000 households (16,000 individuals) in West Samar Island, while TSKI has been helping 3,000 families in Eastern Visayas and Northern Iloilo. Our partners have provided emergency food and water, as well as non-food items such as hygiene kits. Food for the Hungry has established child-friendly spaces to protect vulnerable children from human trafficking, to get

their education underway again, and to help them re-adjust to life post-disaster.

In these spaces, they can also receive psycho-social counselling to deal with grief and loss.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our wonderful supporters, we have raised nearly $500,000 to help our partners on the ground in the Philippines which will continue to give hope to the victims of this disaster. With the initial emergency phase over, we are working hard to ensure the community is not just returned to its original condition but is strengthened

PICTURE /MISSION EAST

and more resilient.

We are now focusing on trauma rehabilitation, counselling and the rebuilding of livelihoods. Although Typhoon Haiyan has disappeared from news headlines, it will take years for the Philippines to recover completely.

Our partners will continue to help these communities rebuild and meet their longer-term needs.

If you would like to help with this next phase of recovery you can donate online or phone TEAR Fund on 0800 800 777.

BIBLICAL SNAPSHOT: ROOM AT THE TABLE

By Frank Ricthie

I

n Luke 14, we’re presented with a parable that involves a great banquet. The parable illustrated an incident where Jesus was eating in the house of a Pharisee. He challenged the accepted social and hierarchical norms in place, at the meal where people sought privilege. He turned this social order upside down by encouraging people to lower their social place and to elevate the place of the outcasts.

Luke was a master storyteller and as with all of his narrative about the life of Jesus, the parable is layered with meaning and interwoven with the whole story. If we take the time to examine the gospel he wrote, we see his constant use of meals as a grounding picture for illustrating points he wanted to make about Jesus and God’s kingdom.

Meals were a space that determined who was in and out of various groups— who was privileged and who wasn’t. In them, social hierarchies were played out.

In the same way today, access to food can show us who are the privileged and who

are the marginalised.

Using the meal in this parable, there are layers that talk about the nature of God’s kingdom—what creation’s redeemed future will look like, the nature of Christian hospitality and a challenge of social norms drawing us towards engagement in the ills of the world.

In verse 15, Luke gave the parable an eschatological flavour, pointing it towards what some commentators call the ‘messianic banquet’—signalling a future reality that will find its fullness in the new heavens and the new earth talked of in Revelation. For Luke, the emphasis with this in mind is that God’s kingdom gives favour to those on the outside—the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame—those who are cast off by a society that gives privilege to the powerful.

Luke made a connection to the present reality of the dinner Jesus was at, and the future reality of the fulfilled kingdom, challenging the order of his time. Thus, the parable of the banquet also had a social layer speaking to Luke’s present

time which reflected the social heart of much of his gospel. It’s this layer that has relevance to what we do at TEAR Fund.

The inherent challenge in Jesus’ words to those who were listening was, ‘this is what God’s future will look like, so you need to act like this now.’ The same challenge exists for us. In part of the challenge Jesus gave at the dinner and in the parable he used, he’s asking us to lower ourselves and lift up those who our global society has swept aside and kicked to the curb.

It’s not lost on us at TEAR Fund that the parable involves a banquet—lavish amounts of food, something that those on the global margins often lack secure access to. With that in mind, we want to ‘invite them to the banquet’, in a very real way. We want to say there is room at the table and if that means giving up some of our own privilege in a country where we throw tons of food away regularly, then so be it.

This season we’re highlighting food security and the work of our partners to help build it in Mongolia, Vanuatu and South Africa. We’re inviting them to the

banquet, not by giving lavish amounts of food but by simply helping to establish secure access to on-going nutritional needs.

PO Box 8315, Symonds St, Auckland 1150, New Zealand • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • 0800 800 777 • tearfund.org.nz

4 | TEAR CORRESPONDENT

FINANCIAL REVIEW FINANCIAL REPORT Jon Horne - Finance and Operations

A

s always, we firstly give thanks to God for his faithfulness and financial provision for another year. The total income for the year was down marginally to $12,078,569 from $12,264,511. This year saw increases in

most areas of income for TEAR Fund, but disaster-relief donations were $900k less than in the previous year. TEAR Fund responded to several disasters through its partners in regions such as Afghanistan, Niger, India, and the Pacific to name just a few, but there was no major disaster that captured the attention of the New Zealand media and public. However, the worsening of the Syrian war and

INCOME + EXPENDITURE DONATIONS: 91%

7% 2%

$10,952,053 GOVERNMENT GRANTS: 7%

$886,739

2013

INCOME

INTEREST + EVENTS: 2%

$239,777

$12,078,569

91%

PROJECTS: 76%

11% 2013

$9,047,933 13%

EXPENDITURE 76%

FROM THE CEO Ian McInnes CEO

T

EAR Fund, in 2012-13, built on its strength as a trusted partner of some of the most exciting Christian relief and development organisations in existence. I joined as CEO in February 2013, and immediately engaged with partners as varied as those in Delhi’s slums who are helping the poor gain access to the services that are rightfully theirs — to our child sponsorship partner, Compassion, in southern Mexico battling the influence of drug cartels in young men’s lives. This

MARKETING: 11%

$1,293,231 ADMINISTRATION: 13%

$1,501,597

$11,842,761 sits alongside communities in Vanuatu, who are marketing their organic coffee, and villages in Sri Lanka’s north, where a combination of specialist support from New Zealand’s dairy sector and the dogged determination of families to rebuild their lives after civil war, is paying off in improved incomes and safer communities for their children.

God is at work across this planet where people are exploited or worndown by poverty, and it is a thrill and a responsibility of ours to join him there. With sponsored children in 26 countries and relief and development projects in over 25 countries, TEAR Fund now touches the lives of hundreds of thousands of families in need each

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT Gary Agnew - Board Chairman

I

n February, 2013, we welcomed Ian McInnes as TEAR Fund’s new CEO. Our previous CEO, Steve Tollestrup, stepped down in December after 18 years of remarkable service.

Ian brings a fresh energy and enthusiasm for the next phase of TEAR Fund’s journey, but also a deep respect for its roots as the church’s relief and development arm.

TEAR Fund was initially established to be a fund for Christian relief as an

extension of the New Zealand church.

TEAR Fund continues to be a leading advocate for Christian action in response to poverty. The organisation is uniquely placed to partner with the church and to represent the church to beneficiaries around the world.

The response to recent appeals for the Syria crisis and the devastating cyclone in the Philippines demonstrate the effectiveness of this partnership in the face of immense suffering.

TEAR Fund’s advocacy role extends even to Government. Contributions

its impact on the millions of innocent civilians forced to flee their country, meant that TEAR Fund launched an emergency appeal in early July. This campaign to date has raised over $500k.

The surplus of $235k for 2013 resulted mostly from some historical income such as sponsorship payments, which should be distributed this financial year. TEAR Fund’s total programmatic expenditure was 76%, while our administration costs as a percentage of expenditure was 13%.

Together with marketing and engagement

expenditure of 11%, the combined overhead is 24%.

We thank our supporters for their financial contributions throughout the year and pray that we continue to be faithful stewards of the funds you entrust to us, in demonstrating the love of Christ to those in need.

A full set of audited financial statements is available on request email: Business_services@tearfund. org.nz or call 0800 800 777

PROJECT EXPENDITURE $12M $10M $8M $6M $4M $2M $0M

2009

2010 Disaster

2011

2012

2013

Development

CHILD SPONSORSHIP

12,846 BY 10,360 KIWIS IN 26 COUNTRIES

CHILDREN HAVE BEEN SPONSORED TO DATE

year, as we join our efforts with theirs to bring about lasting change in their lives.

Our strategy at TEAR Fund is to be a responsive partner to these innovative Christian organisations who serve the poor.

This year, we will build on the success of the popular Live Below the Line and Poverty Cycle events and you will see us focus our work around a handful of key themes that we believe are interlinked and fundamental to reducing poverty and exploitation on this earth. Issues like how people improve their incomes, attain food security and increase agricultural productivity in sustainable ways; the quality of health care and education; whether people live secure and protected

lives free from slavery and the fear of trafficking; free also from conflict and with the ability to manage the devastation wrought by disasters. Child sponsorship underpins all this, helping to provide a safe place for children to know the love of God and uncover their potential. Finally, you will see TEAR Fund has responded to disasters wherever we are able and wherever people are overwhelmed.

The funding outlined in this publication is just one element, and I am grateful for the steady contribution levels this last year: however, the prayers, commitment and determined efforts of our supporters, international partners and ultimately those we serve, inspire me all the more.

from NZAID have increased this year as innovative projects in Sri Lanka, Mongolia, India and Fiji have received funding from the national aid budget.

The Government considers TEAR Fund’s use of private sector expertise in livelihood projects in Sri Lanka and in health initiatives in India to be ground breaking.

At least as exciting are the steps TEAR Fund is taking to combat human trafficking and slavery in South and Southeast Asia. A newly-forged partnership with Christchurch-based anti-trafficking organisation Nvader, enables even bolder action to be taken

in this dark world of exploitation.

I invite you to join TEAR Fund again this coming year as we search for ever more effective ways to shine God’s light of justice, mercy and compassion on injustice and poverty.

I wish to offer special thanks to you, our committed donors, to the dedicated and highly-skilled team at TEAR Fund, and to our outstanding international partners, who with the love of God, make all this possible.

Most importantly, I would like to thank God for the many ways he has empowered us to work together to show his love to a suffering world.

PO Box 8315, Symonds St, Auckland 1150, New Zealand • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • 0800 800 777 • tearfund.org.nz

5

TAKE ACTION!

LEND A HAND: Join TEAR Fund’s network and speak out on issues of global injustice.

PICTURE /iSTOCK

So you are a supporter of TEAR Fund? Have you ever thought, “what else can I do to make a difference on issues of global injustice?” If so, we want to help you. Welcome to our Advocacy page.

By Murray Sheard

I

n 2014, we are ramping up our advocacy. This is your invitation to join us as active citizens. We are keen to raise a prophetic voice. We want to provide you with well-researched and clear action opportunities to add your voice to fight injustices that undermine human rights and the relief of poverty in our partner countries.

Here’s what you can do right now.

Jump on that new-fangled interweb thing and: • Click the LEARN and TAKE ACTION links online at tearfund.org.nz • Join our new TEAR Fund Advocacy facebook page. “Like” it and you can join discussions and hear about opportunities to partner with us on issues we care about.

Why not also join up as part of

1

FEAST FOR THE LEAST: NEIGHBOURS’

DAY: MARCH 29–30

JOIN THOUSANDS OF KIWIS TO BRING YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD TOGETHER, while drawing attention to global food security and the impact of our food use. In collaboration with Neighbours’ Day Aotearoa, as part of our focus on making Room at the Table, we are encouraging our supporters to host a meal for their neighbourhood: a Feast for the Least – in your church, in your home, with the BBQ on your street.

• ORGANISE a community meal • PROMOTE our overseas partner’s work • DOWNLOAD resource ideas, from our website and from http://www. neighboursday.org.nz/ • FEEDBACK. Let us know what you did. Take pictures and post them to our advocacy facebook page. We could make you famous!

Driven by the simple belief that great neighbours make great neighbourhoods, the Neighbours’ Day campaign is about turning streets into neighbourhoods, strangers into friends and turning every street in New Zealand into a fun, friendly, safe and resilient place to live. At the same time, you will be raising awareness about global food security and TEAR Fund’s food security projects. See our website for more.

our advocacy network? You’ll be kept informed, resourced, and invited to our advocate training weekends. Send our Education and Advocacy Manager an email on advocacy@tearfund.org.nz to discuss what gets you going. Through the website and Facebook page, we will house and promote these campaigns and provide a platform for discussions and action around these issues.

While our partners do such good

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CLIMATE JUSTICE

HOW SHOULD WE LIVE ON GOD’S GREEN EARTH? Our planet works in such natural and self-renewing harmony – when we treat the earth as the Lord’s.

But when we lose sight of that and fail to see our impact on it, the trouble starts.

Clearly we have a pollution crisis. Species loss and deforestation are accelerating and the climate is changing. These have a devastating effect on our partners.

Climate change increases storm damage and the price of food. When Cyclone Haiyan hit the Philippines it was one of the five biggest storms since records began. Food price rises predicted by conventional supply and demand analysis will be roughly doubled by the impact of climate change.

The safe concentration of C02 in the atmosphere is 350 parts per million. A year ago we hit 400.

HOW CAN YOU HELP? Divest! Our institutions ought to look out for the public good, but many support the fossil fuel industry through investment.

This includes our churches. It’s our money, so we’re asking them to divest.

We’re supporting the global campaign by calling on churches to divest their money from the fossil fuel industry and increase investment in renewable energy. Last year, five regional Anglican Synods voted to divest from fossil fuel funds such as pension funds. Get in touch and partner with us to bring this issue to the attention of other church denominations.

WHAT ABOUT OUR OWN IMPACT? On our website you can learn how to reduce your own environmental footprint and to challenge others to do the same.

work overseas, their efforts can be hampered by injustices they didn’t create. Advocacy asks the question: Why are they poor? What factors keep on repeating so that it is hard to break out of poverty? You know the old adage: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” That’s a fine start.

But we must also ask: Who owns the pool? Why does a fishing licence cost so much? Why do the powerful people always take the yummy bits of my fish?

Without structural change, the causes of poverty keep recurring.

Here’s a taster. You can find out more on our website.

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FREEDOM FROM SLAVERY

WE HAVE AMAZING PARTNERS WHO ARE DAILY FIGHTING AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND SLAVERY. We’re in there with them and we’d love you to join us.

Did you know that the gadgets you buy and the clothes you wear are very likely made by modern-day slaves? On the “Take Action” page on our website you can do your bit to bring freedom and wholeness for people who have had their humanity brutally taken from them.

The “Take Action” page shows how this issue directly connects with you; through what you buy, and shows you how to increase demand for products that aren’t made by slaves. You can also sign up to act against slavery.

This issue needs people willing to say ‘no more!’ and to take steps to do something about it. None of us can combat it alone, but a whole lot of us together can make a difference in the lives of children, women, and men who have fallen victim to the ravages of human trafficking and slavery. Walk with us to find out how your life can be used to bring freedom for others.

Check out tearfund.org. nz to see how you can get involved.

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DISCOVERY COURSE

REACHING YOUR COMMUNITY EFFECTIVELY It’s easy to have an idea to reach your community, but much more challenging to figure out how to do it. TEAR Fund offers a great tool to help churches undertake community development in their own area.

Discovery is an interactive process offered over seven sessions with a group picked from within a church. It uses the same community empowerment methods implemented in communities in the developing world.

Within the Discovery process, the group learns the spiritual foundations for community development, identifies their gifts and talents and the problems and needs in the community.

It teaches how to research, develop, grow and monitor a project and is designed to be fun and hands-on. It has been a success in the UK, and we already have a number of groups enthusiastically using it in New Zealand.

To request training or to learn more, email discover y@tear fund. org.nz

PO Box 8315, Symonds St, Auckland 1150, New Zealand • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • 0800 800 777 • tearfund.org.nz

6 | TEAR CORRESPONDENT

TEAR FUND PARTNERS WITH NVADER

By Madina Turgieva

W

e are excited to announce a new partnership that will see our fight against one of the greatest injustices of our century taken to the next level. TEAR Fund is partnering with Nvader, a New Zealand-based organisation that utilises the skills of criminal investigators to document individual cases of sex trafficking in the South East Asia / Pacific region. They then use the evidence gathered to facilitate the rescue of the victims, the prosecution of the perpetrators and the empowerment of the local law enforcement community.

Last year, with Nvader’s director Daniel Walker, TEAR Fund hosted the God in a Brothel tour. Daniel recounted his experiences, struggles and triumphs working undercover in the highly dangerous and sinister underworld of human trafficking.

The response to Daniel’s message was overwhelming. Those who heard him speak were shaken to the core.

It inspired many to take part in Live Below the Line and live on $2.25 for all their food and drink for five days to help fund rescue operations. The effort paid off. Last October, Daniel and his team helped rescue several 13 and 14-yearold girls who had been trafficked into a brothel in Southeast Asia.

Last year, Daniel appeared in some high-profile publications, such as, Mindfood and Good magazines and was a guest on TVNZ’s Seven Sharp programme. This exposure has helped raise awareness of this issue in the New Zealand media, and we think it’s about

time. Most people don’t realise that there are more slaves today than at any time in history. It’s estimated that 27 million people are in bondage across our planet, and the average age of a trafficking victim is just 12 years old.

Nvader is an organisation that has consistently punched above its weight, but to keep the momentum going, they needed to expand their operations.

That’s where TEAR Fund, and more importantly, you come in.

Recognizing how valuable their work is and seeing how passionate our supporters are about the issue of human trafficking; we’ve joined forces with Nvader. The new partnership means TEAR Fund is responsible for raising support so that Nvader can concentrate on deploying their professional teams of investigators to rescue women and children trapped in the brothels of Southeast Asia, and to bring their oppressors to justice. This is something we can all celebrate.

To kick-off our exciting new venture, we are launching a hard-hitting antitrafficking initiative to help fight against slavery and human trafficking. For more information, visit tearfund.org.nz.

PRAY • Pray for continued effectiveness of Nvader’s work as they free those trapped in slavery.

• Pray that Kiwis would be generous in their support of this work.

• Pray for the restoration of those freed. Pray that they would know their value and worth, and find love in supportive communities.

PICTURE / DANIEL ALEXANDER

INAPPROPRIATE AID

By Keith Ramsay

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hen we see people living in poverty or a disaster strikes, it is natural to want to help.

In a disaster, we have seen people gathering clothing, food and other goods from their communities and local businesses to ship to disaster victims. In a bid to make life easier for those in poverty overseas, various businesses have come up with ideas which promote their products and help those in poverty at the same time.

These include initiatives such as buying a pair of shoes or a tee-shirt and they will send an equivalent to those living in poverty. It sounds like a good idea, but what about the realities? One of the biggest problems with this is that sending goods undermines the local economy. There are people in these communities who make shoes and teeshirts for a living, but who is going to pay for these things if they can get them for free? Local businesses suffer while those businesses promoting the idea get increased sales by promoting what they are doing for those in poverty.

I am all for businesses helping and they have a genuine desire to do this, but the quality and robustness of the methods they choose are critical. In the case of

disasters, containers of goods arriving also undermine the local economies in the same way. A lot of the items that arrive are inappropriate. I have heard of people sending winter jackets and heaters to hot countries. While they do get cold, most don’t even have electricity to run heaters, and western-style clothing can be inappropriate in some cultures. It is good to help but it simply comes down to how you do it. Giving money to an aid agency you trust is the best way to do this. In a disaster, aid agencies will use donations to buy food and other essentials within the country to help the local economy. If local businesses can be sustained, this also helps with the recovery. They can also buy culturally-appropriate foods and clothing and items that do not require electricity, such as solar lights. What’s more, they coordinate their actions to avoid duplication, as TEAR Fund does though the Integral Alliance. So instead of rallying your community to give goods, why not rally them to raise funds so that the help you give can have maximum benefit.

GOOGLE SEARCH

JOIN THE FIGHT OUR FOOD PROGRAMMES

By Gavin McCulloch

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ike you, at TEAR Fund, we believe it is time that forced labour and human trafficking were resigned to history. We understand that to implement real change, requires real action. We believe in the resolve of this generation that is inspired by the radical vision of Jesus to stare this evil down. We believe this generation can take its place in history

trafficking initiative to help fight against slavery and trafficking in South-East Asia and Nepal. We are inviting you to be part of a movement of passionate supporters to help our local partners on the ground to combat this evil.

Together, we are driven by the conviction that all of humanity has the right to live a life free from slavery, and a life of freedom and opportunity. This is a movement of New Zealanders who stand on the shoulders of Jesus — the

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” - Edmund Burke and work to change the systems that sustain the agony of men, women and children in some of the world’s poorest communities.

We are putting the finishing touches to TEAR Fund’s exciting new anti-

hope of the world — and those who have followed him, like William Wilberforce and Martin Luther King Jnr. If you would like to join us in the fight visit tearfund.org.nz/trafficking.html

Africa Co-operative Action Trust (ACAT): KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) ACAT helps the most vulnerable by taking them through a four-stage programme which takes them from a basic “survivalist” home garden, to a sustainable business earning all their income. (Read more on page 1) FARM: Mongolia FARM is helping former livestock herders increase their incomes by growing vegetables after successive cold winters wiped out up to 80% of the country’s livestock. Vegetable cooperatives are helping to increase household incomes which will enable herders to rebuild herds. Growing vegetables provides more nutritious food as meat has been the staple of the Mongolian diet.

(Read more on page 9)

“Worst International Aid Ideas”

Nasi Tuan, Tanna, Vanuatu Nasi Tuan is working on Tanna Island training locals to grow sustainable organic crops and small livestock for markets.

• Sustainable cropping/ garden techniques, communities taught to increase soil productivity and intercropping • Improve yields and quality of cash crops through education (such as coffee production) • Introduce small livestock husbandry techniques.

• Educate on how to access available markets.

• Greater market awareness of available markets and how to improve quality and quantity to be able to access these markets.

(Read more on page 7)

PO Box 8315, Symonds St, Auckland 1150, New Zealand • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • 0800 800 777 • tearfund.org.nz

7

GRASSROOTS DEVELOPMENT: Clockwise from left: Rey from GreenMinds passionately shares his wisdom. Yasur volcano shows its true colours.

Kasou Kiang pleased with his coffee crop. Ian and Himali McInnes take time out by a waterfall.

GROWING GREEN

By Himali McInnes

S

tanding on the rim of the Yasur volcano on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu, I flinch as huge molten rocks are catapulted into the air. Lava bubbles a fierce red only a hundred metres from where we stand. Yasur is both frightening and awe-inspiring at the same time.

It is also, paradoxically, life-giving. The ash from Yasur coats the whole island in a layer of fine black grit, creating a deep volcanic loam that is intensely nutritious and retains water. So, even at the height of the dry season, Tanna is a lush green paradise, from the vines covering the jungle floor to the wild papaya trees, drooping with fruit.

We are here on Tanna to visit a local NGO, Nasi Tuan. Created in 2011, Nasi Tuan is mainly supported by TEAR Fund, and is a thriving grass-roots community development programme.

With relatively little funding and much input from the participants, the programme has seen the creation of a biointensive garden, rainwater catchment tanks, health posts, and a local coffee cooperative.

Tanna island is small—only 40km long and 19km wide—but with 20,000 people, it is one of the more populous of Vanuatu’s 83 islands. It is just a one-hour flight from the capital of Vanuatu, Port Vila. The star attraction is undeniably Yasur—there are few other places in the

world where you can drive to within 50 metres of the rim of an active volcano.

Tanna island is also known for the John Frum cargo cult, whereby devotees believe that if they return to traditional, or Kastom, ways of living, and perform certain rites, they will be blessed with much material wealth. Black magic is still practiced in many parts of Vanuatu also. The interface between the physical and the spiritual is not as distinct here, it seems, as it often is in the West.

Tanna is farmed organically using traditional techniques. Nasi Tuan uses GreenMinds Inc, a TEAR Fund partner from the Philippines with expertise in organic farming practices, to help teach Tanna islanders how to increase crop productivity and cash income. On the day we visited, Reynaldo Lombardo and his lovely wife Rose were in full swing with a training session on growing and processing peanuts. I was amazed at how much Rey knows about this humble legume, and how well he teaches the villagers how to grow, harvest, and process peanuts into a saleable crop.

On a previous visit in 2011, Rey demonstrated hard pruning of coffee trees to increase productivity, the processing of cassava and other crops into flour, and how to make compost in just 14 days using a simple bamboo A-frame.

May Isaiah, a gentle 38-year-old learnt how to make cassava cookies out of the flour. She told us that she enjoys selling these at the monthly market, and storing

PICTURE / IAN MCINNES

BRINGING PROSPERITY TO TANNA

up the income for her family. Her friend Hannah showed us the budgeting system taught to her by Nasi Tuan—different plastic jars labelled for different types of savings; simple, visible, and encouraging.

Kasou Kiang, a 32-year-old coffee farmer from neighbouring Ikapahhu village, tells us: “The training and tools provided have helped me improve my coffee production so much that I sold 1500kg of coffee beans last year.” The farmers are clearly stakeholders in this project, and are thrilled with the outcomes.

The coffee cooperative has increased the price the farmers can get for their coffee beans to as much as 270 Vatu per kilo, or about NZD3.40. The coffee is certified as 100% organic by the Vanuatu Ministry of Agriculture, and currently is awaiting organic certification by Ecocert.

A Fair Trade certification is also being looked at. The coffee is smooth and nuttytasting and delicious—we managed to bring some home with us to enjoy later.

Vanuatu is a relatively undeveloped country. As much as 80% of the population is engaged in agriculture; much of this is subsistence farming. Although primary schooling is free, it is not compulsory, and so Vanuatu has one of the lowest school enrolment rates in the Pacific. Houses are often made of local materials such as thatched coconut leaves, and last on average only two years, leading to poor structural resilience against natural disasters. Roads are scarce on many of

Vanuatu’s islands, and the ones that do exist are unsealed and deeply rutted.

Yet there is also an undeniable richness to life in Vanuatu. Land is inherited freely as part of Kastom land rights.

Villages are close-knit communities, where children are looked after by many adults. Possessions are readily shared with neighbours. The ‘hurry sickness’ that afflicts so many in more developed countries is markedly lacking here, replaced instead by the languor of ‘island time’. People are friendly, good-natured and honest, and crime rates are low.

The beauty of sun and forest and ocean coalesce here into a truly spectacular country. In fact, in 2006 Vanuatu topped the Happy Planet Index which measures the wellbeing of a country’s inhabitants— and it is not hard to see why.

When it came time to leave, we did so knowing that TEAR Fund is helping to fund work on Tanna island and respects the islander’s strong desire to adhere to Kastom farming practices, while building resilience, creating jobs and increasing cash incomes in needy communities.

PRAY • Pray for continued growth and learning of Nasi Tuan as they serve the local farmers and communities.

• Pray for more ways for TEAR Fund partners to learn from eachother.

PO Box 8315, Symonds St, Auckland 1150, New Zealand • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • 0800 800 777 • tearfund.org.nz

8 | TEAR CORRESPONDENT

SIERRA LEONE INVESTOR: CH BOUGHT: 26,000 HA PURPOSE: AGROFUEL

AFRICA GHANA INVESTOR: IT, UK, IL, NO BOUGHT: 735,000 HA PURPOSE: AGROFUEL

BENIN BOUGHT: 400,000 HA OF WETLANDS PURPOSE: PALM OIL

LAND GRABS THREATENING THIRD-WORLD FOOD SOURCES

By Keith Ramsay

F

ood sources in low-income countries are facing a threat from neo-colonialism, through what has been termed land grabbing. While some countries enjoy an overabundance of food, others struggle to feed their populations. Over the past decade, food sources around the world have been facing multiple threats and challenges and even those countries that enjoy an excess are beginning to worry about whether they can sustain their consumption. There are now more than 7 billion people on the planet and by 2050, the population is expected to surpass 9 billion. To meet global food demand in 2050, agricultural production will need to increase 60% by weight from that produced in 2005. The good news is that the number of people suffering from chronic hunger, (defined as not regularly getting enough food to conduct an active life) has been dropping. Between 2010 and 2012, 868 million people were reported to be in chronic hunger, but in the period between 2011 and 2013, this number dropped to 842 million people. While this is worth celebrating, unless there is decisive intervention,

food security, and their governments are complicit in this, enticed by the uncertain promise of economic growth.

In many cases, national economic growth has followed, but what will be the longterm costs to those at the bottom of the economic chain? In the short-term, many indigenous small-hold farmers have had their land taken from them as wealthy nations have purchased their land against their will, while they have received little or no compensation or have been relocated. Many end up as labourers on their own land, which has been converted for large-scale agricultural production, not for local consumption, but for those living in high-income countries. This echoes the land grabs that underwrote both colonialism and imperialism. An example of land grabbing is that of India where rural tribal land has been acquired for big business and infrastructure. In a cruel irony, India is grabbing land using the colonial Land Acquisition Act of 1894 to claim lands for infrastructure. This was the same act used by the British colonials to forcibly remove small-hold farmers from their ancestral land so that it could be used for commercial purposes.

Africa remains the largest target for agricultural foreign investment. A prime

...many indigenous small-hold farmers have had their land taken from them as wealthy nations have purchased their land against their will... the number of hungry will grow significantly. Although the growing population is a significant factor, there are many more hurdles in trying to feed the world. The world’s agricultural systems are increasingly challenged by water scarcity, climate change and volatility and over consumption by richer countries. The growing energy needs, especially of wealthier countries, are also encroaching on available land, as well as damaging the environment.

Perhaps one of the more sinister threats to food production is that of land grabbing. Wealthy countries are worrying about how they are going to feed their growing populations. Driven by a combination of crises in food security, energy, finance, and the environment, these countries have bought cheap land in low-income countries such as Africa to meet food and energy demands.

These low-income countries are facing a neo-colonialist threat to their own

example of this is in Ethiopia. In 2010, up to 123.5 million acres (almost 50m ha) of African land—double the size of Britain— was bought or was under negotiation by governments and investors. Ethiopia alone has approved 815 foreign-financed agricultural projects since 2007. This has seen tens of thousands of people in western Ethiopia being driven off fertile ancestral lands, according to Human Rights Watch. The biggest interests are Chinese based. Ethiopia exports fruit and vegetables worth about $60 million annually, as well as flowers valued at about $160 million per annum, but at the same time, Ethiopia is often affected by droughts and is unable to feed its population leaving it reliant on food aid.

As the affluence and population grow, China is buying land to help feed its wealthier population. Energy needs for high-income countries has also resulted in a big increase in demand for bio and agro-fuels taking land out of food

NIGERIA STATE LAND AQUISITIONS USING FOREIGN CAPITAL GRABBED: 100,000 HA

ETHIOPIA INVESTOR: UK, DE BOUGHT: 23,961,000 HA PURPOSE: BIO FUEL AND EDIBLE OIL

CAMEROON INVESTOR: FR BOUGHT: 58,000 HA - 60YR LEASE PURPOSE: PALM OIL

CONGO INVESTOR: CN, IT BOUGHT: CH 1,000,000 HA, IT 70,000 HA PURPOSE: PALM OIL

INVESTOR CODES: BE = BELGIUM BR = BRAZIL CA = CANADA CH = SWITZERLAND CN = CHINA DE = GERMANY ES = SPAIN FR = FRANCE

IL = ISRAEL IT = ITALY JP = JAPAN NO = NORWAY PT = PORTUGAL UA = UKRAINE UK = UNITED KINGDOM ZA = SOUTH AFRICA

KENYA INVESTOR: JP, BE AND CA BOUGHT: 500,000 HA PURPOSE: TBA

TANZANIA 1,000 RICE FARMERS FORCED FROM THEIR LAND PURPOSE: AGROFUEL

ANGOLA INVESTOR: BR, ES, ZA BOUGHT: 500,000 HA PURPOSE: AGROFUELS

NOTE: IN MOST CASES GIVEN, THE INVESTOR COUNTRIES RELATE TO CORPORATIONS BASED IN THESE COUNTRIES RATHER THAN THE GOVERNMENTS OF THESE COUNTRIES

MOZAMBIQUE INVESTOR: CA, UK, IT, DE, PT, UA BOUGHT: 4,800,000 HA PURPOSE: AGROFUEL

WHAT CAN YOU DO? production. The big drive by Europe for agro-fuels is creating huge demand for land in low-income countries. For example, in Sierra Leone it is estimated that since 2009 more than a fifth of the country’s arable land has been leased to mostly foreign companies for industrialscale agriculture. A huge chunk of this land is growing crops for agro-fuel.

Another huge threat to sustainable food production is the world’s love for meat, especially beef. This is becoming even more of a threat with the growing affluence in China adopting a more western diet. Around 40%-45% of the world’s land is devoted to raising livestock but to accommodate growth, land is being cleared at an alarming rate especially the rain forests in South America. This is replacing life-giving oxygen with poisonous methane gas which is also a key contributor in climate change. As there is not enough grassland to feed cattle, more grain is being grown to feed cattle, taking more land out of food production for human consumption.

With more livestock more methane is produced. Climate change is expected to cut food production as more frequent weather events wipe out crops and livestock.

The result of land grabbing is that wealthy countries are ensuring they are well-fed while the less wealthy countries struggle to meet their own food needs. In addition, more land is being taken out of agricultural production for infrastructure; animal grazing and livestock feed, and for other big-business needs. Add to this the growth in biofuels and climate change causing more frequent droughts, floods and cyclones, and the task of feeding the population in 2050 will be a challenge, especially for those in low-income countries. As we are seeing already, low-income countries export food to high-income countries and become reliant on food aid from the highincome countries.

SUPPORT OUR AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMMES

• By supporting TEAR Fund’s grassroots agricultural programmes, participants are learning to grow their own food. This means they are not so reliant on buying imported and other local foods which can go up in times of food scarcity. They can sell excess produce at the markets or barter with others for food they don’t grow themselves.

They are being taught how to grow more, without chemical fertilisers and the methods used allow them to grow crops in a way which helps retain moisture in the ground for better crop growth.

EAT LESS MEAT

• Even one or two meatless days can reduce the pressure on the food system and help minimise environmental impacts. If the majority of people did this, we could make a significant reduction in demand and be healthier for it.

LOBBY BIG BUSINESSES

• Many big corporations have purchased land which has been grabbed from small-hold farmers. For example, Coca-Cola and Pepsi have been sourcing sugar crops on land that has been acquired this way. As a result of consumer lobbying, Coco-Cola has agreed not to purchase sugar from land which has been grabbed.

REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

• Walk instead of taking the car when possible • Grow your own food where you can. This reduces food imports and can save you a trip in the car to buy vegetables • Reduce your energy consumption.

Check out www.energywise.govt.nz to get started

PO Box 8315, Symonds St, Auckland 1150, New Zealand • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • 0800 800 777 • tearfund.org.nz

9

VEGGIES BRING NEW WAY OF LIFE IN MONGOLIA HARVEST OF HOPE: Glachuluun and his wife enjoy the fruits of their labour.

By FARM Mongolia

E

xtreme cold is becoming more frequent in Mongolia, and this has severely affected the traditional herder lifestyle as livestock have died in their hundreds of thousands. TEAR Fund’s partner, FARM, is introducing families to alternatives, which are creating cash reserves to rebuild herds, and improving their nutrition in the process through growing vegetables (not a normal part of the Mongolian diet).

Galchuluun’s family is just one example how a family’s life has been changed.

FRESH START BRINGS BENEFITS Forty-year-old Galchuluun Otgon lives in the small town of the Guchin-Us soum with his wife and four children. He was a traditional herder until he lost his herd in an extreme winter in 2000. He struggled to get regular work even though he learnt to weld and do basic carpentry, and he began to drink more heavily. He says, “Losing all my animals because of extremely cold weather was hard to forget, and the thought of what would happen to my family lured me into heavy drinking.”

In the spring of 2011, he saw an

Point Chevalier School wins TEAR Fund Justice award

PICTURE /SUPPLIED

announcement about FARM’s Community Garden Mongolia (CGM) Project. “I applied to become one of the project’s 50 household participants. Our entire family is now very much involved in all project activities. In the first year, we harvested a total of 583 kg of vegetables in five months (outdoor cucumber, squash, beets, potatoes and turnips. In our second year, our harvest had doubled.”

Galchuluun’s wife participated in a food preservation and cooking workshop in August 2012. She was very encouraged and could not stop talking about what she had learnt. She has started eating

DREAM VISIT TO SEE TEAR FUND PROJECTS

WINNERS: TEAR Fund CEO, Ian McInnes (2nd from right at back) with the winning team

DREAM REALISED: Tricia with Liezel

By Frank Ritchie

By Tricia Stevenson

T

EAR Fund again partnered with The Outlook for Someday film challenge for young people.

The competition encourages young people to make films around issues of sustainability. TEAR Fund sponsored the Social Justice Award, encouraging young people to grapple with what social justice means for the strengthening of communities, especially with issues of poverty, and to be understood as a facet of a sustainable world.

The winning film in TEAR Fund’s category was Cool Bananas. It was made

by The Fairtrade Superheroes, a team of great kids from Point Chevalier School.

It was exciting for us to see a large team

healthy vegetables (beets, tomatoes and cabbages). Since that time, her blood pressure has stabilised, her weight normalised and irregularity in her liver has somehow been managed by regularly eating vegetables.

“We are very thankful for this opportunity. Aside from having regular food on our table, we sell vegetables for some cash. In the past, we never had a steady income. On top of this, we are healthy, motivated, and we get opportunities to socialise and work together with our fellow vegetable farmers.”

of seven and eight-year-olds telling the story of Fairtrade bananas with a clear understanding of the issues facing growers, the nature of the supply chain and the difference we can make when we purchase products that have the good of the growers in mind.

Advocating alongside our partners in the field and being a voice for the poor, is a significant part of who we are and what we do. Equipping young people to advocate by using the storytelling medium of film, is something that excites us. If these children are an indication of a generation that is globally aware and sensitive to the difference they can make, then the world is in good hands.

Visit http://bit.ly/TF-Vid to watch the winning entry.

T

ricia Stevenson had an interest in TEAR Fund’s work and grabbed an opportunity to join TEAR Fund Mission’s Dream Team to visit the Philippines last November.

We started in Manila where we visited a child sponsorship project in Malabon.

The team visited a TEAR Fund Compassion project caring for children sponsored through TEAR Fund. I met Liezel, one of the project’s teachers. Liezel took us to visit some sponsored children in their homes. This was a moving and unbelievable experience.

We then travelled to Mindanao to visit GreenMinds Inc, who is helping indigenous tribes to grow organic crops. We hiked

PICTURE /SUPPLIED

up to Kitaotao and stayed overnight in a community that has received training from GreenMinds. We talked with villagers about how GreenMinds had helped change their lives. They used to only grow corn, a low-value crop, to raise money for all their food needs. Malnutrition was a common problem, and school attendance was low. Now, the villagers grow a range of vegetables for their families, and as a community, they are growing peanuts to generate higher incomes.

Malnutrition is gone, school attendance is up, and there was an optimistic feel about the place. These people had not simply been given food or money; they had been given the skills to get these things for themselves — a longer-lasting, furtherreaching result.

PO Box 8315, Symonds St, Auckland 1150, New Zealand • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • 0800 800 777 • tearfund.org.nz

10 | TEAR CORRESPONDENT

VISITING SPONSORED CHILD LEAVES LASTING IMPRESSION ALL SMILES: Caitie Jackson with some of the girls at the TEAR Fund/Compassion project school.

The Jackson family decided to visit their sponsor child Ashik, in Bangladesh last year, and found that sponsoring a child through TEAR Fund is a worthwhile investment.

By Russell Jackson

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e have sponsored a child in Bangladesh through TEAR Fund/Compassion for a few years and this year we decided to visit Ashik and his family. We made arrangements with TEAR Fund to visit him six months before our trip. Ashik lives in the far north of Bangladesh near the border with India and Nepal.

The overnight train from Dhaka was four hours late so we created quite a spectacle with our eight young children (four of our children and their four cousins) on a crowded railway platform late at night in Dhaka.

Arriving in the north of Bangladesh early in the morning was beautiful.

We enjoyed a quiet ride on a “van garri” (a cross between a bicycle and a wagon) through villages, past rice paddies and bright green vegetation to the LAMB hospital (Lutheran Aid to Medicine in Bangladesh). It was such a contrast to Dhaka. We stayed in the LAMB guest house for the next three days. The kids all enjoyed running around the grounds finding interesting creatures (mainly frogs and geckos) and even swimming in a pond. We were absolutely overwhelmed and humbled by the welcome we received at the Compassion project attended by Ashik.

Caitie and Lydia were fascinated by all the beautiful Bengali dancing and music that the children performed for us, and the boys loved playing a game

UPCOMING EVENTS Upcoming 2014 Events March 7 – 23 Beautiful Survivor 2.0, featuring Juliagrace and former sponsor child, Lillian Nakabiri.

C

ome along and hear a story of a Beautiful Survivor whose life was transformed by the grace of God and the power of compassion.

The odds were stacked against Lillian Nakabiri from day one. Born into a life of poverty and hardship, Lillian’s mother died when she was just a baby. Her father was kidnapped and murdered not long after. Going from one foster home to

another, she endured horrific hardship.

Cold, hungry and starved of affection, Lillian thought that nobody would ever love her, and she would amount to nothing…until her life was transformed with a simple gift of compassion.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to hear Lillian’s remarkable story of hope and redemption.

Joining Lillian on tour is awardwinning New Zealand singer-songwriter Juliagrace, who will be performing some of her most loved songs. Bring your friends and family along for what will be a truly inspirational evening.

Check out tearfund.org.nz for event dates and locations.

of soccer with the kids. After a tour of the school, we had a special lunch with the staff, and Ashik tasted his first ever Coca-Cola —which he enjoyed.

After lunch, we went to Ashik’s village to visit his family. His father works as a rickshaw driver and the family lives on about $1 a day. They are from a marginalised tribal people group that has never been treated with respect. They told us how happy they were that their son is part of the sponsorship programme, and that he has a hope and a future. As they said this, tears ran down Kathryn’s face.

What we give seems so little compared to what we spend to live in New Zealand, and we were embarrassed by their gratefulness. A child in a TEAR Fund sponsorship programme in Bangladesh goes to the public school in the morning (they only have four hours of school normally), and then they go to the programme for a healthy lunch and two hours of extra tuition. The programme is run in partnership with a local

visit tearfund.org.nz for the latest info

LILLIAN NAKABIRI: Beautiful Survivor.

PICTURE / SUPPLIED

church which helps to provide holistic care for the family. The sponsorship covers the child’s entire education costs (fees, uniform, stationary), all medical care, hygiene supplies, some basic food supplies for the family and one set of extra clothes. The programme seemed well organised with lots of happy kids and staff. We are so happy to be part of this child sponsorship programme.

If you sponsor a child through TEAR Fund, be encouraged— your investment is very worthwhile.

Life is different in every way in Bangladesh—what you eat and drink, how you dress, how you get around, how you earn money and how you spend it. Language, landscape, culture, manners, religion, recreation, noise— Bangladesh stretched us, challenged us, and enlarged our world view.

It was a fantastic journey filled with many adventures and experiences. Most of all, it was the people we met and stayed with which left the most lasting memories.

Slight adjustment to child sponsorship

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e wrote to all our wonderful child sponsors a couple of months ago to advise them about a change to the cost of sponsoring a child. As of January 1, TEAR Fund slightly adjusted its monthly sponsorship to $48 to ensure that the quality of our humanitarian and pastoral care is met for each of your sponsor children. This change will ensure that the care our children receive is still of the highest standard covering healthcare, education, spiritual development and nutrition.

If you haven’t adjusted your payment, or you have any questions or concerns about this change, please contact our friendly staff on 0800 800 777. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of the children you sponsor.

PO Box 8315, Symonds St, Auckland 1150, New Zealand • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • 0800 800 777 • tearfund.org.nz

11

FREE TO CHOOSE: Shusama was supported to make a stand against child marriage.

SPONSORED CHILDREN AT LESS RISK FROM UNDER-AGE MARRIAGE Story and picture By David Adhikary

to make decisions about their lives. In many Hindu and Muslim families, girls are not allowed to speak openly.

Sushama Das is an exception among the village girls. She is a sponsored child and aware of her rights. Her parents tried to make her marry, but she refused even though they found a boy for her whose demand was affordable.

Sushama’s parents forced her older sister to get married at 13, and she faced many challenges but although her parents pressured Sushama to marry, she refused. She went to the programme manager and told her everything. The project manager, along with a female social worker, immediately visited her house. They talked with Sushama’s parents, but her parents said they did not believe in child marriage. However, project workers were not convinced, and they warned her parents that next time they would bring the police.

According to Bangladeshi law, girls are not allowed to get married before they are 18. In the absence of serious complaints or protests, the police cannot take action in rural areas. In Sushama’s case, she protested and TEAR Fund’s partner, Compassion, was behind her to make a formal complaint. As a result, the local administration supported Sushama.

The project immediately arranged a rally

against child marriage, an event in which local government bodies participated.

Compassion-assisted children led the rally, which travelled around the village.

They brought awareness to people in the community about the dangers of child marriage. After that event, the negative impacts of child-marriage become an important topic in the parents’ meetings at the project.

This young girl became an example for other girls. “My parents tried to force me, but I denied getting married this early,” Sushama says. “My elder sister got married when she was 12 or 13. She had to quit her studies. She suffered from different sicknesses and couldn’t take care of her child properly. Her husband also beat her often. I don’t want that life.”

There were two sources of strength for Sushama. First, was the experience of her sister’s life; and secondly, the teaching she received at the project.

The project uses a curriculum for teenage girls, which points out the negative impacts of child marriage. Compassion staff also take awareness classes, in which they discuss the necessity of education for girls, as well as health care and ways to prevent child marriage.

“I learnt about the drawbacks of child marriage at the project,” Sushama says.

“I understood that if I got married early,

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n most countries the legal minimum age of marriage is about 18, yet in many low-income countries, cultural traditions fly in the face of the law and girls are forced to marry from the age of 12. By sponsoring a child through TEAR Fund’s Compassion projects, girls have a much better chance of avoiding child-marriage. Sushama Das is an example of how TEAR Fund’s partner, Compassion, is turning the tide against child-marriage and helping to bring change around this issue.

Girls, especially from Hindu families, have the mind-set that being a girl is unfortunate, and that they are created to serve in their husband’s house. Because of the dowry system, many parents are not happy to have girls. The dowry system causes parents financial hardship. As a result, parents want their girls to marry men who demand less.

At the age of 12 or 13, many males think the girl’s demand is at its peak, and the parents of the boys compromise on their dowry payments. Parents leap at the chance for a cheaper dowry and let their girls marry without thinking about the consequences of early marriage. In most cases, girls cannot protest against getting married, as they are not allowed

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then it will harm my health, future and life. I want to continue my study and become a nurse.” After Sushama took a stand, girls at the project became engaged in different activities to develop awareness against child marriage. They made their own songs, dramas and slogans against this social curse. One of their slogans is: “Stop Child Marriage for a Better Life.”

Compassion’s initiative is appreciated by local government officials, but some parents are not very happy. There is a big challenge ahead for project workers to convince parents that child marriage is not a good option. Sushama’s story is one example, but there are many communities in Bangladesh facing the same challenges.

PRAY • Pray for increased awareness of the value of educating girls in communities where it is given low priority.

• Pray for workers from churches that oversee sponsorship projects as they input into the lives of girls.

• Pray for the safety of young girls vulnerable to being taken advantage of.

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ASHIK

Trishna

Fernand

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Age 4, From Bangladesh

Age 3, From Bangladesh

Age 4, From Burkina Faso

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Ashik lives with his parents. He helps by running errands. His father is sometimes employed as a labourer.

Trishna lives with her parents. Running errands is her household duty. Trishna is not presently attending school.

In his home, Fernand helps by running errands. He lives with his parents. He loves soccer and playing group games.

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Age 4, From Burkina Faso

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Debora lives with her parents. She attends Kindergarten and Bible class and loves dolls and hide-and-seek.

Alvaro lives with his grandparents. He is responsible for carrying water and cleaning. He loves playing ball games.

Lara lives with her parents. At home, she runs errands. Playing house, playing with dolls and jumping rope are her favourites.

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Wellington

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Age 6, From Brazil

Age 6, From Colombia

Age 3, From Dominican Republic

Wellington lives with his mother, who sometimes works as a labourer. Wellington enjoys soccer and playing with cars.

Yair makes his home with his father and his mother. There are 2 children in the family.

At home, Laurelis helps by running errands. She lives with her mother. For fun, Laurelis enjoys playing with dolls.

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Haydee

Nadun

Darshika

Age 7, From Ecuador

Age 4, From Sri Lanka

Age 7, From Sri Lanka

Haydee lives with her parents. She is in primary school where her performance is above average.

Nadun lives with his mother. He is responsible for helping in the kitchen. His mother maintains the home.

Darshika lives with her father and her grandmother. There are 3 children in the family. Darshika enjoys hide-and-seek.

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Bavithraj

Yusanthan

John

Age 7, From Sri Lanka

Age 7, From Sri Lanka

Age 6, From Philippines

Bavithraj lives with his father and his mother. His parents are employed as labourers. He loves playing with marbles.

Yusanthan helps by gathering firewood, running errands and cleaning. He lives with his parents and is in primary school.

John lives with his father and his mother.

Playing with cars and art are John’s favourite activities.

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Please send to: TEAR Fund, Freepost 140677, PO Box 8315, Symonds St. Auckland 1150

LUKE 18:16 (NIV) “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

Mukamwiza

Niyodusenga

Elizabeth

Age 5, From Rwanda

Age 4, From Rwanda

Age 4, From Tanzania

Mukamwiza lives with her parents. At home, duties include carrying water and helping in the kitchen.

Niyodusenga lives with her parents. In kindergarten her performance is average and she also attends church activities.

Elizabeth lives with her uncle and aunt.

Playing house, playing with dolls and ball games are Elizabeth’s favourite activities.

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