Tear Times Summer 2013

times

Be part of a miracle | www.tearfund.org

Make happenYou can help end hunger

A pathway out of poverty?Harvest resources for your church

When the basket is emptyWho can Lucyturn to?

tearSummer 2013

can’t imagine what it’s like to be hungry,really hungry. Not just for an hour, anevening or a day. But daily, desperately

hungry, having only just enough food tosurvive. That’s the reality for nearly a billionpeople on this planet. Yet, God hasabundantly provided enough food for us all.It’s easy to see such a huge problem and

believe that hunger is here to stay. But incommunities across Uganda we’ve seenhunger halved – all thanks to yourcommitment to pray, support and be partof Tearfund. It’s a miracle that flows from biblical teaching, ignited by the Spirit ofGod, which helps churches fulfil their calling to be shining lights in their communities.You can meet grandmother Lucy and her children, and find out more on page 8.It was amazing to be with many of you, joining with others from all our partner

organisations, at the launch of the Enough Food For Everyone IF campaign atSomerset House in London in January. I know many more of you took part inregional launches for IF.As actress and friend of Tearfund Tamsin Greig says of IF, ‘We can do something:

it’s a moment to decide. It’s a great opportunity.’ Thank you for taking up thechallenge to help end hunger in 2013. See page 12 for more details of how you canbuild on that momentum, and bring about amazing change this year through IF. Let’s be determined to be bold in our faith and speak out in the name of Jesusagainst the injustice of hunger.

Peter Shaw, [email protected]/TearTimes

Copyright © Tearfund 2013. 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: Ugandan grandmother Lucy and three of the children she looks after. Cally Spittle/Tearfund

welcome

2 summer 2013 teartimes

Editor: Peter Shaw News Editor: Mark Lang Design: Premm Design Print: Red & Green Marketing Ltd

Peter at the IF campaign launch in London.

Clive M

ear/Tearfund

I

TearfundWe are Christians passionate about the local church bringing justice andtransforming lives – overcoming global poverty. And so our ten-year vision is to see 50 million people released from material and spiritual povertythrough 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 bedelighted to talk to you.

teartimes summer 2013 3

24

CONTENTS4 News – Syria crisis latest, and updates from

across the world

8 The church is shining in Uganda – How yoursupport is bringing churches alive

12 Five brilliant things you can do to make IFhappen – Simple steps to help end hunger

16 Worldview – Woman's self-help group in India

18 Drawing smiles in Darfur – Looking back, tenyears from the start of the conflict

21 Jesus, poverty and the phone in your pocket –How thousands of young people are living just lives

24 Two paths, one choice – Share Sina’s story inyour church this harvest

28 Living lightly in a world of wounds – Interviewwith Ruth Valerio

30 The most physically challenging month of mylife – Why Hayley chose to go hungry

31 A glimpse of heaven in Uganda – Reflectionfrom New Wine's Ian Parkinson

Your support is helping the church in Ogongora, Uganda, to reach out to struggling families like Lucy's.

8

'Tearfund are atthe forefront ofsustainable aid.'John Coles, Director of New Wine

‘If I could feedmy children, I

would be happy.’Sina, Cambodia

28

Cally Spittle/Tearfund

rightened families who have fled theconflict in Syria are receiving life-savingaid from Tearfund partners in Jordan

and Lebanon.Food, blankets, stoves, shelter and hygiene

kits are among the essential items suppliedby our partners to help those who haveescaped the civil war, which has claimed morethan 70,000 lives.Tearfund’s response to the growing

humanitarian needs of those who have fled hasbeen boosted by generous donations to ourSyria appeal, which have so far reached £1.7million. As the conflict enters its third year,there are a million Syrians in neighbouringcountries and the UN reports that 3.6 millionothers are homeless inside Syria. The story of 28-year-old Maha is typical of

many who have escaped the fighting. Themother-of-seven said, ‘We used to live in Syriauntil our town was bombarded by rockets andbombs. We got to the checkpoint to leave thecountry and they would only allow women andchildren through, not men. That was the lasttime I saw my husband.’After staying in various places, Maha is now

living in a makeshift camp in Jordan but

conditions are harsh. ‘We don’t have clothesor food, nothing,’ said Maha. ‘We arrived herewith nothing.’Morag Gillies, Tearfund’s Country

Representative for Syria, said, ‘Many of thosewho have fled Syria have left with just theclothes on their back. Host countries are underpressure as they try and cope with this influx.Even if the conflict is resolved soon, thehumanitarian crisis won’t be as so many peoplehave been displaced. Their need for help isurgent and ongoing.’Thank you for all your prayers and support

for Syria – we will continue to respond as thesituation unfolds.

Eleanor Bentall/Tearfund

Thanks to your support, Tearfund partners are providing urgent medical assistance to Syrian refugees in Jordan.

Your support is providingvital assistance in Syria


NEWS

‘We used to live in Syria until ourtown was bombarded by rocketsand bombs. We got to thecheckpoint to leave the country andthey would only allow women andchildren through, not men. That wasthe last time I saw my husband.’Maha, 28, Syrian refugee in Jordan

F

earfund’s Unearth the Truth campaignto stop secrecy and corruptionbetween extractive industry

companies and governments will reach acrucial point in June.The natural resources mined in Africa each

year are worth more than nine times what the continent receives in aid, yet corrupt dealsmean that the poorest communities rarelybenefit from this wealth.Two years ago, Tearfund launched the Unearth

the Truth campaign to put pressure on Europe

to shine a light on such practices and to ensurethat money isn’t lost through secret payments.And because of your prayers and actions, the

European Parliament has listened. Last October,a key EU committee backed all of our campaignasks and signalled the introduction of new lawsrequiring that oil, gas and mining companiespublish what they pay to governments.Andy Wilson, Tearfund’s Campaign Officer,

said, ‘The last few months has been a waitinggame. Whilst we’ve known that new lawshave been on the horizon, the EuropeanParliament has delayed voting several times.Please join us in praying that, come June, the parliament will take this crucial step inchallenging corruption and release billions of pounds to tackle poverty.’

Road sign in Sierra Leone: across Africa, corruption is holding back efforts to end poverty.

Jay Bu

tche

r/Tearfund

‘Please join us in praying that,come June, the parliament willtake this crucial step inchallenging corruption andrelease billions of pounds totackle poverty.’Andy Wilson, Tearfund’s Campaign Officer

T

Crunch time for Tearfund’s corruption campaignPlease pray for the success of Unearth the Truth


Tearfund responds to renewed conflict in DRCTearfund has been helping civilians affectedby renewed violence in the troubledDemocratic Republic of Congo.Fighting between the Congolese military

and an armed group called M23 late lastyear led to about 150,000 civilians fleeingtheir homes in South Kivu province. Many people moved to the city of Gomawhere Tearfund teams helped them with essentials.As schools became makeshift camps,

Tearfund staff installed rainwaterharvesting tanks connected to water points,which provided people with supplies forshowers, cooking, cleaning and washing

clothes. This was combined with soapsupplies and a public health awarenesscampaign to prevent outbreaks of disease.A spokesman for one school said, ‘When

the displaced people first arrived, we wereworried for our students about disease. Buton behalf of the school, we wish to expressour gratitude to Tearfund for providingwater and training. Thank you so much.’However, despite peace talks between

M23 and the Congolese government, thesituation in North Kivu – of which Goma is the provincial capital – remains unstable.The UN estimates there are 900,000displaced people there.

ore women in northern Afghanistanare to receive help from Tearfund toovercome poverty, thanks to you.

A project supplying pedal-powered spinningwheels is being expanded in Jawzjan province,benefiting 450 women for whom producingyarn for carpets is a way of making a living.Traditionally, yarn is produced by hand, anuncomfortable and arduous process.Thanks to your donations, Tearfund will be

able to provide more spinning wheels andtraining to use them. This will enable thewomen to boost their productivity and workin greater comfort.Bruce Clark, Tearfund’s Country

Representative for Afghanistan, said, ‘Thewomen are maximising their yields, in bothquality and quantity, and are using theadditional time saved and money earned tofurther support their families. ‘They’ll be able to increase the daily yield of

yarn they’re able to spin from an average of

0.6 kgs to 2.8 kgs. In one month, this can meanan increase in income for their families of £25,a significant amount in poor rural areas.‘In the pilot spinning wheels project,

implemented in 2010, several womencommented that Tearfund’s project hadboosted their confidence and enabled them to be seen as having a role increasing thehousehold income.’

Thanks from Uganda! Villagers in Ogongora receiving Christmasgreetings and prayers on basket-shapedcards from Tearfund supporters.

TearfundPentecostal A

ssemblies of G

od

Thanks to your generosity, Tearfund is expanding a carpet-making project for women in Afghanistan.

Women money-spinning in Afghanistan

M


‘Tearfund’s project had boostedconfidence and enabled them to beseen as having a role increasing thehousehold income.’

news


PRAYER PULSEPrayer is the heartbeat of Tearfund

Partners in West Africa who arehelping poor communities adaptto the changing climate

The enthusiastic take-up forTearfund’s new campaigningapp, Nudge

UK churches looking to twinwith churches in poorcommunities overseas

GIVINGTHANKSFOR

♥

PRAYING FOR

Latest prayer news atwww.tearfund.org/pray

A resolution to the Syria crisisand the plight of refugees inJordan and Lebanon

Churches to join the IFcampaign, speaking out aboutthe injustice of global hunger

The continuing needs of Maliansmade homeless by ongoinginsecurity

Poetry book legacy celebrates a generous lifeWhen Mary Topham died last year aged 98, she left behind a richcollection of poetry which her friend, Lalage Carswell, hasillustrated and published. The proceeds will be donated to Tearfund.

The wonder of it all is testament to Mrs Topham’s love of nature,her strong faith and her determination to serve the Lord. Thepoems are drawn from her work with the Derbyshire VillageMission, dark days of illness and anxiety, and holidays in the LakeDistrict and the Forest of Dean.Clare Norman, Tearfund’s Legacy Executive, said, ‘This poetry

book is a wonderful tribute to Mrs Topham’s memory. We are so grateful that Lalage haschosen to remember her friend in a way that transforms the lives of those living in poverty.’If you would like more information about how to make a gift in memory of your loved

one, please contact Clare Norman by email at [email protected] or by telephoning0845 355 8355.

More funds to tacklepoverty in the UKTearfund is stepping up its work with people facing poverty in England, thanks toa £500,000 cash injection. The governmentaward will enable our Impact UK team, inpartnership with the Cinnamon Network, to expand its work helping churchesmobilise volunteers to serve disadvantagedcommunities.Resulting projects could include food

banks, debt advice services, job clubs,support for people with learning difficultiesand befriending services for the elderly.It’s hoped that, by the end of the year,

1,500 volunteers and their respectivechurches will have been mobilised across England. The money for the work is coming from

the Social Action Fund, administered bySocial Investment Business, which hasawarded Tearfund more than a £1 millionover the past year. If your church is interested in accessing

financial or advisory support to helpmobilise volunteers and develop their work,please visit: www.tearfund.org/impactukor www.cinnamonnetwork.co.uk/funding

‘Tearfund is stepping up its work withpeople facing poverty in England.’

Mary and her poetry book.


See for yourself

The church is shiningin UgandaHow your support is bringing churches alive and halving hunger

Lucy’s life is a perfect storm. She’s a widow and grandmotherliving in Ogongora, rural Uganda.Her daughter and son-in-law died. She cares for six children,including four grandchildren, alone.Everywhere she looks, there’spoverty. Who can help her?

Words: Isobel Peaty


ecades of struggle have taken their toll on Lucy. If only something couldchange, someone could help, there

might be a future to look forward to. Untilthen, Lucy and the children’s lives are a high-wire act, a precarious teeter between survivaland disaster. There’s nothing to catch them ifthey fall.What do you think of when you hear the

word ‘church’? If you’re a traditional Anglicanlike me, there’s a mood board of imagery todraw on: Gothic buildings, stained-glass

windows, altars, crosses, vicars in robes. To behonest, it’s only next that I start to consider thechurch as its believers, the Body of Christ, theglobal church – concepts less well defined butmore provocative, more alive. ‘And I tell you that you are Peter, and on

this rock I will build my church, and the gatesof Hades will not overcome it.’ The term Jesuschooses here in Matthew 16:18 for church –ekklesia – is deliberate. This definition isn’tabout a building or place, but an assembly of people.

D

‘I would say: get involved,sponsor it. Get your churchesinvolved. You’re making asignificant difference if you do.’

Mark Melluish, New Wine London & South East Regional Leader

Your support for the church in Ogongora, Uganda, is providing a vital lifeline forgrandmother Lucy and the children she cares for, including twins Canna and Noah.

Cally Spittle/Tearfund


Where two or three gather in my nameBuildings fall down, don’t feel, can’t act – it’s the people of the church that define it.Jesus knows it. Inspired by his love, fuelled by his Spirit, the people of the church have ajob to do, and right now they’re hard at workin Uganda.Back to Lucy, because this desperate

grandmother isn’t so desperate now,thankfully. Instead, her life is a testament toher local church in Ogongora doing what theywere made for. They are reaching out in love,caring for her, making all the difference. Sheisn’t alone.This is Jesus’ ekklesia. And we want to show it

to you, because if you’re in church then you’repart of it. It’s a dazzling sight.

‘The principles... we’re seeingbeing lived out here areprinciples for all of us to live by.Own this work, get behind thiswork, give yourself to it.’

David McClay, Director of New WineIreland

See transformation for yourselfAt Tearfund, we’re committed to using yourmoney in the most cost-effective – and life-affecting – way we know. All it took was onefacilitator dedicated to transforming thecommunity to open the church’s eyes in avillage like Lucy’s, leading them through thegospel, letting the word speak: love yourneighbour, bring your loaves and fish, God will multiply.Because of it, the church put themselves at

the heart of the village, built up theirmembers who, in many cases, have beencompletely transformed. Sign up to giveregularly through our See for yourselfprogramme (www.see-for-yourself.org) andwe’ll bring you updates of this ‘church inaction’ to inspire you, invite you to meetpeople who are working with God to buildnew lives and futures, even in the toughestcircumstances.

Hunger – the challenge. Church – the solutionThis year, the IF campaign confronts hunger,one of the world’s greatest injustices. Hungercan destroy a person. Extreme hunger sapsphysical strength, mental energy, turns littlechildren into listless, joyless ghosts. Slow-burn

‘The church tries to help me when I cry to them – they give me food and help me tend my crops,' says Lucy from Ogongora, Uganda.

See for yourselfC

ally Spittle/Tearfund


hunger, lacking a balanced diet, can stuntgrowth and brain development in the young.And the impact is irreversible.‘If one of you says to [your brother], “Go, I

wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” butdoes nothing about his physical needs, whatgood is it?’ (James 2:16). This is the messagethey’re living in Ogongora. And Lucy knows it.‘The church tries to help me when I cry tothem that I am badly off,’ she says. ‘They giveme food and they also help me tend mycrops.’ Without a local church, ready to care,there would be no-one for her.

More than survivalNew Wine church leaders recently travelled toUganda with Tearfund Chief ExecutiveMatthew Frost and witnessed Tearfund’schurch-led community regeneration forthemselves. They visited a project started bywomen with HIV in Soroti district, a projectthey’d called ‘Shine with HIV’.

‘Looking into the faces of these womenthere was no doubt they had found the joyand freedom that comes from a relationshipwith Jesus,’ Matthew says. ‘They shone!’ Andthis is the critical difference.Put God’s word at the heart of community

transformation and lives are changed. Womenwith HIV are culturally stigmatised acrossAfrica – but here they have worth and hope.Material help alone is just not enough to liftpeople out of poverty. It can make mattersworse – ensuring dependency, encouraginginertia. But when a person is changed by God,anything can happen.

You can halve hungerMeanwhile, thousands of Lucys are waiting.We’ve got a job to do. It’s what the churchwas made for. It’s time to shine. In 50communities in Uganda, we found we’ve cuthunger in half through mobilising churches.By giving regularly through See for yourself,

you can help provide more facilitators toinspire churches to shine in theircommunities around the world. Please fill out and return the tear-out form betweenpages 8 and 9 – give what you can, and helphalve hunger.

‘This is the kingdom of Godtransforming whole communitiesand it’s unbelievable to see.’

Pete Hughes, who leads New Wine’swork with 18- to 30-year-olds

Jamie Fylem

an/Tearfund

‘Tearfund are right at the forefront of understanding how to deliversustainable aid.’

John Coles, Director of New Wine


Enough Food for Everyone IF

Light projection on SomersetHouse at the London launchof the Enough Food ForEveryone IF campaign.


n 17 and 18 June, President Obama,David Cameron and all the G8world leaders will meet to discuss

global issues in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland.It’s the first time the G8 has met in the UKsince they came to Scotland in 2005.Then, they were greeted by 225,000passionate campaigners lining the streets of Edinburgh calling on them to ‘MakePoverty History’. The church was thebackbone of Make Poverty History andJubilee 2000, along with many campaignsfrom Wilberforce and the slave tradeonwards. And 2013 is a bumper year ofbrilliant opportunities to speak and actprophetically and practically.

For all of us who share something of God’spassion for justice, there’s probably a list as long as your arm of things you’d like tosee world leaders do to help tackle poverty.This year, the Enough Food for Everyone IFcampaign is asking them to do just onething: start the end of hunger. There’s enough food in the world to feedeveryone and yet one in eight people goesto bed hungry every night – it’s time we didsomething to change that. Here are the topfive things we can do together, as chosen byTearfund’s intrepid Campaigns team…

O

Question: What do you

do when the

‘leader of the free wor

ld’ comes to town?

Bake a cake...

Make a banner...

Take to the streets...

All of the above?

Find out how you and

your church

can make sure world l

eaders have

a G8 summit worth re

membering...

Words: Laura Selman

‘This year, the Enough Food forEveryone IF campaign is askingthem to do just one thing: start the end of hunger.’

Clive M

ear/Tearfund


Enough food for everyone IF

‘With Nudge, Tearfund’ssimple campaigning app, youcan easily lobby MPs, petitiongovernments and sharecampaigning news whereverand whenever you like.’

‘The church’s rightfu

l place is at the heart

of the

IF campaign. Speaking out ag

ainst injustice and

encouraging our leade

rs to take brave steps

towards a world free

of hunger.’

1. COME TO LONDON!On Saturday 8 June, thousands of people willgather in central London ahead of the G8summit, to demonstrate just how much wecare about tackling poverty and to show theworld’s media that we know what needs to bedone to start to end the injustice of hunger.There are plans afoot for a massive churchservice beforehand where we’ll be united inprayer and worship, sent out as part of theglobal church, standing shoulder to shoulderwith others, demonstrating that our God is aGod of justice. It’ll be family-friendly, safe andfun. Consider yourself and your whole churchinvited! All the latest info, free posters, travelideas and more can be found atwww.tearfund.org/G8

2. COME TO BELFAST!On Saturday 15 June, just 48 hours before theG8 summit starts, there’ll be an event in Belfastto welcome the G8 leaders and make sure theyhear our cries for justice loud and clear. Buildingon the momentum generated in London theweek before, this event brings the campaignjourney a step closer to its destination.Tim Magowan, Tearfund Northern IrelandDirector, says ‘The church’s rightful place is atthe heart of this campaign. Speaking outagainst injustice and encouraging our leadersto take brave steps towards a world free ofhunger. It won’t happen overnight but it’stime we got started. I can’t wait to be therewith my friends and family. Please join me.’Go to www.tearfund.org/G8 for more.

3. GIVE DECISION-MAKERS A NUDGE...You don’t need to wait until June to takeaction. With Nudge, Tearfund’s simplecampaigning app, you can easily lobby MPs,petition governments and share campaigningnews wherever and whenever you like. It’s free,easy and you’re always in control. Download ittoday, take the latest IF campaign action andtell your friends about it on facebook andTwitter, all at the click of a button! Available foriPhone and iPad through the iTunes App Storeand for Android through Google play.


4. PRAYWe know that world leaders have the powerto begin to end hunger. But we also knowthat it counts for nothing if God is not atwork, transforming their hearts and minds,while we speak through his church about hisvision for a more just world. Everything we do is made possible throughGod’s strength and must be covered in prayer.Please pray for the one in eight people whowill go to bed hungry tonight. And ask God toshow you how you can play your part inbeing the generation to end hunger. Prayerresources for your church can be downloadedfree at www.tearfund.org/IFpray

5. COME TO LONDON!OK, we know we’ve already said this once alreadybut, honestly, this is THE most exciting thing we can think of happening this year! This is where the making a banner bit, the baking a cake bit AND the taking to the street bit all come in. Go to www.tearfund.org/G8 for more. And, ifLondon really is a step too far, check out the events taking place in Belfast on 15 and Enniskillenon 16 June (see www.tearfund.org/nireland) and for details of events in Wales visitwww.enoughfoodif.org/wales

‘Everything we do is madepossible through God’sstrength and must becovered in prayer.’

Across the country, churches and Christians havejoined the IF campaign, people have lobbied theirMPs and many campaign events have taken place.

Craig Philbrick/Tearfund, A

lison Proud, Richard Weaver/Tearfund, C

live Mear/Tearfund, Richard W

eaver/Tearfund, Chris D

obson


worldview


Tearfund photographer Peter Caton says: ‘The lady in

the middle is the women's group leader doing amazing

work in India. She had a stern expression, but I wanted

to bring out the joy in her. So, I said the word ‘smile’ in

Hindi, but deliberately said it very badly to get a

comedy reaction. It worked…’

Photo: Peter Caton/Tearfund


darfur conflict – ten years on

arfur is a region roughly the size ofSpain in western Sudan, and home tosome 6 million people. Over the past

decade, an estimated 200,000 people havebeen killed there as a result of thedevastating conflict which started in 2003.In response to this humanitarian crisis,your generosity over the past nine years has enabled Tearfund to fund nearly £40million of relief and recovery work withmore than 1 million people displaced by the fighting.

Long-term supportWe began operational work in Darfur in 2004, to provide long-term andsustainable ways for people to regaincontrol of their lives. This includes

supporting hygiene, water and sanitationinitiatives, and helping people to generatetheir own livelihoods – as well as improvingnutrition and food security.

‘A fire broke out and all ourbelongings were destroyed.’

We also support vulnerable groups such aschildren, and respond to emergency needsas and when they arise. Some 1.4 millionpeople continue to live in camps, whichleaves them extremely vulnerable to naturaland manmade disasters – for example,temporary shelters in close proximity to oneanother pose a high fire risk.Hussein Bireima, 15, lives in Sabah Elkheirvillage, East Darfur. His community was

D

Drawing smilesin Darfur

‘Don’t ask me to stop weeping. I’m not angry because the fire destroyed all that weown. I’m crying because God sent Tearfund to us to draw a smile on our sad faces.’

Hussein Bireima, 15, East Darfur

Words: Peter Shaw Photos: Geoff Crawford/Tearfund

Looking back, ten years onfrom the start of the conflict


devastated by a fire which destroyed ninehomes and badly damaged another six.‘My parents went to the field for harvest,’says Hussein. ‘A fire broke out in our blockand all the houses caught fire. All ourbelongings were destroyed.’Mercifully, no one died in the blaze but 15families, including Hussein’s, lost all theirpossessions and were left homeless.

‘Tearfund was the only agency to respond to our needs.’

How your dedication is saving lives‘Tearfund was the only agency to respond to our needs,’ says Hussein. ‘We receivedbasic utensils for cooking, plastic sheets forprotection from the wind and sun, mats and

blankets, and jerry cans to store our watersafely. Thank you, Tearfund, for your supportand kindness.'Alongside our vital emergency work,Tearfund provides support to improve foodsecurity, make livelihoods secure andprovide access to education. This long-termwork aims to help communities to becomemore self-reliant. According to the UN, anestimated 3.5 million people in Darfur are still dependent on food aid.

Starting life from scratchKhadeja Mohammed Adam, a woman in her40s, lives in a camp for displaced people in EdDaein with her husband and seven children.The family have been at the camp for fiveyears now, 200 km away from their home.

‘We received basic utensils, plastic sheets, mats, blankets, and jerry cans. Thank you for your support and kindness.’

Hussain Bireima, Darfur


Fleeing the conflict, they arrived with nothing –a life started again from scratch.‘Getting food for my family, having reliableshelter during the rainy season and not havingsanitation facilities were among the mainchallenges that threatened our existence whenwe arrived,’ says Khadeja. ‘In our hometown wedid not have these problems.‘I used to travel on foot for about five or sixhours to collect firewood to cook food for myfamily. Firewood is the only source of energywe have in the camp. I used to collect up toseven bundles of firewood from the field –weighing around 35 kg – to cook food to feedmy family for the week.’But help came through the provision of fuel-efficient stoves from Tearfund. The stoves,which use far less fuel than traditionalcooking methods, also reduce air pollutionand save time and effort – particularly forwomen who traditionally collect firewood.Now that Khadeja has a stove and has beentrained how to use it, her daily life hassignificantly improved.

Darfur, 2004: for nearly a decade, thanks to yoursupport, we have provided emergency assistance and long-term help.

‘Getting food for my family, havingreliable shelter during the rainyseason and not having sanitationfacilities were among the mainchallenges when we arrived.’

Ten years of transformation – thanks to youThese are just two stories of how yoursupport for Tearfund is helping to save livesand greatly improving them in the long termin Darfur. With you, we have stood alongsidethe people of Darfur for nine years. We werethere as initial fallout from the conflictdevastated communities, and we’ve continuedto respond to new emergency needs.Your support and prayers are making a hugeand tangible difference in Darfur: we haveinstalled nearly 70,000 latrines, given about80,000 families seeds and tools, and plantedsome 60,000 trees.But there is still much to do. We are arecommitted to ending the suffering of families in Darfur, and lifting more and more communities out of poverty for good.We hope and pray it will not take another ten years. But, thanks to your consistentsupport, we are determined to stay for aslong as it takes.

‘Your support and prayers aremaking a huge and tangibledifference in Darfur.’

Darfur conflict reports in Tear TimesSummer 2005 Healthy meeting: ‘If children mix together, we can teach them to live together.’ Tearfundhealth clubs bring divided communitiestogether

Spring 2007 False accusations: ‘We do not deserve to have Tearfund back to help.’ Shortly after a Tearfund staff member is killed by a mob in Deigie camp, the Tearfund team return to resume relief work – urging forgiveness and reconciliation

Autumn 2007Light in the darkness: ‘Trusting that God has the victory is never easy... If we are not praying for Dafur, who is?’ A furtheremergency appeal raises £2.1 million toprovide urgent food, water and sanitation

Spring 2008Extra help for troubled Darfur: ‘I lost hopethat my child would recover... I am thankful to God and Tearfund.’ Tearfund extends itsfeeding programme in South Darfur asmalnutrition escalates

youth and emerging generation

JESUS, POVERTYAND THE PHONE IN YOUR POCKET


We’ve long cared about joining the dots between life, Jesus and poverty –and helping young people do the same. Since the days of Terry Tearaway,Tearfund’s justice-exploring 1980s cartoon character, we’ve been findingengaging ways to bring the realities of poverty to young people. But thingshave moved on. Meet Rhythms.

Words: Helen Crawford

How thousands of young people are living just lives with Rhythms

hythms has its own cartoon characters,but they’re not on a printed page.Rhythms is a mobile phone app

[application] designed to help developpatterns, or ‘rhythms’, of justice. It brings themany ways to address poverty straight intothe hands of young people, literally. But is adigital device really necessary?

‘When we talk to young people aboutinjustice and poverty, they just get it,’ says Kiera Phyo, Tearfund’s Head of Youth.‘The majority of young people don’t need to be convinced that by loving Jesus you willbe drawn to encounter poverty in youreveryday life.’

But despite there being a plethora of waysyoung people can engage with poverty –websites, petitions, acts of generosity – theteam still found many young people didn’tknow how to turn their compassion fired up atchurch on Sunday into action come Monday.

‘When we talk to young peopleabout injustice and poverty, theyjust get it.’

R


youth and emerging generation

Change the world and yourselfRhythms provides a framework to help peopleengage with justice issues, by inviting them tosubscribe and take a series of actions arounda particular theme. Choosing from one of fourrhythms – connection, generosity, advocacyand contentment – people can commit todeveloping one area, changing boththemselves and the world.

Actions could be anything from text-donating £3 to holding a door open forsomeone, to eating less meat. Some actionshave a direct impact on overcoming poverty,while others are about changing yourattitudes and actions. All are designed toempower people to make a differencewithout being overwhelmed.

‘Rhythms says you can do something now,’explains Huw Tyler, Youth CommunicationsManager. ‘You can take one small step, and bydoing those small things regularly, you’regoing to have a much bigger impact thantrying to change the world in one go.’

‘Rhythms helps you become the kindof person who changes the world.’

Justice in every area of lifeRhythms is about community, too. The websiteis a hub of lively discussion of issues aroundfaith, lifestyle and justice. Videos, interviewsand articles fuel thought and provide a place toexplore what it means as followers of Jesus –wrestling with the challenges and celebratingthe successes.

This holistic and communal approach meansRhythms encompasses your whole life, wholeperson and whole church. It reminds us thatjustice is a trait that should run through everyarea of life and it creates a space to explorethat in community.

‘It’s designed to help you become the kind ofperson who changes the world,’ says Huw –and that’s probably the most exciting thingabout Rhythms. ‘It’s in these formative years asyoung people practise these things that itmakes a difference, as they go into jobs,business, and increase their influence. If they’vegot the justice muscles that we’re developing inthem now, then that’s brilliant,’ says Huw.

‘Whether it be buyingsomething Fair Trade, talking to a Big Issue seller or examining my theology onjustice, Rhythms is helping mepiece together these actionsinto regular habits, going frombeing extra add-ons to my faithto something that is key to who I am as a Christian.’ James, Rhythms user


Rhythms is gonna get youYou have a choice of four ‘rhythms’ to help you buildhabits through repeated actions.

CONNECTIONIt’s easy to disconnect with people in a digital age, but we were made formore than digital relationship. Reconnect with the world, with actions frombaking a cake for your neighbours to spending a night sleeping on the floor toshow solidarity for 150 million street children.

ADVOCACYWe can make a huge difference if we'd only use our voice. Find out how youcan make a noise by meeting your MP, asking your local coffee house to stockFair Trade coffee and writing a poverty-related fact on a bank note.

GENEROSITY We sometimes forget that all we have is on loan from God. Pump yourgenerosity muscles with exercises like ‘put pocketing’ (secretly putting asweet into someone’s pocket), volunteering your time and exercisinghospitality.

CONTENTMENTThe world can seem like a maelstrom of options. Find out how to enjoy thepresent without longing for what you don't have. Actions include a socialmedia fast, handwashing your clothes for a week and buying secondhand.

PICK ARHYTHM

Get RhythmsJoin Rhythms – whatever yourage – at www.rhythms.org@TearfundRhythmsThe app is now avaliable oniPhone through iTunes andAndroid from Google Play.

SIGN-UP NOW @JessicaSarah I’m richer than

85 per cent of the world’spopulation. Even during ayear with no salary. Humbled.Learning to be content with@TearfundRhythms


harvest

Two paths,one choice

ina’s family can’t afford to buy a ‘proper’ house or land, so they live in a one-room shack built with their

own hands using scrap materials. There’s noelectricity, no running water, apart from thedirty tributary outside the house, and nosanitation – Sina and her neighbours use a nearby field as a toilet.

Next to nothingThis tiny home sits precariously on the edge of the village. Because it’s built ongovernment-owned land, Sina wakes up each morning wondering if today is the dayher family will be moved on.

SSina lives with her husband and threesons in Tonle Batie village, Cambodia.‘I feel like I have nothing,’ says Sina.And at first glance, this looks to betrue. Cambodia’s government givesthe poorest people ‘poor cards’ ratedbetween one and three – one beingallocated to the poorest of the poor.Sina’s card is a number one.

Words: Amy Church Photos: Ralph Hodgson/Tearfund

‘I feel like I have nothing.’

Will you share Sina’s story in your church this harvest?


‘If I had some land, where I couldgrow vegetables to sell and feed tomy children, and maybe raise somechickens to sell at market, I wouldbe so happy.’

Bora, Sina’s husband, is poorly educated, sohis employment options are scant, low-paidand unstable. At times, he must work awayfor weeks at a time, leaving Sina and thechildren alone. Sina strives to provide healthy food for

her growing boys, but she can’t afford much.On the good days, they’re able to catch somefish or snails in the dirty river.

Sina often goes without food so there’smore for her children – and it shows. Heryoungest son, Den, was born just five-and-a-half months ago, but this 28-year-oldbreastfeeding mother is as slight as aschoolgirl.

More than nothingDespite her material poverty, you only needto spend a little time with Sina to realise thatshe has more than nothing – in fact she hassomething special. Sina has strength and determination. And

for the sake of her children, she holds on tothe hope that the future can be better thanthe present. She’s powerfully motivated bythe desire to build a safe and secure life for

‘Sina strives to providehealthy food for hergrowing boys, but shecan’t afford much.’

Sina’s life is at a crossroads– you can choose to helpfamilies like hers overcomehunger this Harvest.


her children, and she has some ideas for howthis might be achieved. ‘If I had some land, where I could grow

vegetables to sell and feed to my children, andmaybe raise some chickens to sell at market, I would be so happy,’ she says. But even these simple things are beyond

Sina’s reach at the moment. Although sheknows the way to go to improve things, shefeels powerless to take this path.

A better pathDown the road, with Tearfund’s support, thelocal church has started an exciting newproject to help villagers to work as a group toidentify some of the reasons they’re poor andthink of fresh ways to start tackling theirpoverty. Then, group members start learningnew skills, as well as sharing the time andresources they already have, to turn theseideas into reality. People are already benefiting. For example,

villagers with no land have managed to borrowspare plots to start growing vegetablestogether – a new way of doing things in TonleBatie. Others have started a chicken-breedingproject, helping increasing numbers of peopleas more eggs are hatched and shared withothers. Like Sina, those involved used to thinkthey had nothing, but now they’re starting tosee that they have more than they thought. The church is piloting the project with 21

families who are already part of thecongregation, so they can show the widervillage and its leaders that this way of beatingpoverty really works. After that, in the nextyear, their plan is to roll it out to the rest of the village. But to be able to expand the project

successfully, they need long-term committedsupport – both prayers and finances.

‘A new world could be opened up to Sina, in which she has the choice to take her family down a different path.’

The choice is yoursBy pledging your support, you will enable morechurches across the world to reach out withconfidence to whole communities – right tothe very edges, to people such as Sina. If this happens, Sina will be given the

opportunity to take part. Thanks to you, anew world could be opened up to her, inwhich she has the choice to take her familydown a different path. This won’t happen without the support of

people like you. Right now, Sina has nochoice. Right now, the choice is yours. Please share Sina’s story with your church by

using our 2013 Harvest resources, and help usraise vital prayer and financial support to helpher and others like her. The pack contains abeautiful film about Sina, prayer and children’sresources, sermon notes and more.

Sina struggles to provide for her family, including her young son Den – but her local church is starting income-generating programmes in her community.

Harvest resource out nowOrder yours today by calling 0845 521 0021,emailing [email protected] orreturning the form between pages 24 and 25.Or, if you just want to give, please use theform enclosed with Tear Times. To find outmore visit www.tearfund.org/harvest – keepchecking here as we add more resources.

Celebrate life: plant a legacy of love

2006

Marcus Perkins/Tearfund

Thanks to you, Rano Ticho lives!‘He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”’ (Mark 2:12)

Back in 2006, Rano – from Pakistan – was stick-thin with a high fever, confined to a mat on the floor, dying. Today he is in good health, thanks to treatment provided by one of our partners. This is just one of many miracles made possible through your support for Tearfund.

Gifts in wills are crucial to Tearfund’s income. We are determined to keep providing life-saving support to people like Rano for as long as it takes.

Please consider prayerfully whether you would like to leave a gift to Tearfund that will save lives. Your legacy will equip local churches to provide long-term solutions to poverty.

To find out more about how you can leave a legacy of love for future generations, please contact Clare Norman, our Legacy Executive, either by emailing [email protected] or by telephoning 0845 355 8355. Thanks to treatment provided through

Tearfund, Rano is now in good health.


Ruth Valerio describes herself as a ‘community activist, Christian, academic, eco-warrior, mum, author, veg grower, wife and pig-keeper rolled into one’. She liveswith her husband and two daughters in Chichester, where she is part of RevelationChurch, leads a cell group and preaches regularly. Theology Adviser to A Rocha UK, Ruthruns its Living Lightly initiative, and is also part of the Spring Harvest leadership team.

Interview: Peter Shaw Photo: Matt Freer

Living lightly in aworld of wounds

Q&A with Ruth Valerio

How did you become interested in caring for creation?

When I was younger, I started to become moreaware of environmental issues. I read a lot, butit was mostly non-Christian writings. Americanecologist Aldo Leopold, said, ‘One of thepenalties of an ecological education is that onelives alone in a world of wounds.’ When I readthat, I burst into tears, thinking, ‘This is me: I’mliving alone – no one else understand this worldof wounds.’ Then I came across A Rocha anddiscovered that there are other people whocarried the same burden – I wasn’t on my own.Now I am part of a whole crowd of people,including Tearfund, who are interested in caringfor God’s earth. A Rocha has been a greatencouragement for me.

‘This is me: I’m living alone –no one else understand this world of wounds.’

Why should Christians care aboutenvironmental issues?

We are in a situation in which working onissues of hunger or the environment issometimes seen as being in competition withwanting to see people become Christians. Forme, there is no competition – they are all part

of the same thing. Jesus’ understanding of thekingdom was never purely ‘spiritual’ – by whichI mean ‘otherworldly’. His understanding of thekingdom is very much based on Old Testamenttheology. The Psalms and Proverbs in particularare very earthy and tangible. It’s not aboutbeing whisked away to some ethereal sphere:it’s about new life beginning here, with Godcoming into the centre of his people andthrough forgiveness. So, themes aroundforgiveness and redemption must walk hand in hand with themes around caring for people’sphysical well-being and caring for creation. You can’t separate them.

Why are you supporting the Enough Food For Everyone IF campaign?

The centrality of food in the Bible issomething I have been recognising more andmore. Right at the start of creation, all theway through to the end of Revelation, foodfeatures. Food is given to us and the widercreation from God. It’s a blessing. The IFcampaign very much ties in with that and Ibelieve the campaign is completely biblical. It is something God is thrilled to see us doing.Because we can use food to damage peopleand his wider creation. Or we can use food to respect and care for his creation. Foodreminds us that we are mortal. Food is a gift,something we must approach reverentially,


with care, respect and thought. For me, theaims behind IF – challenging world hunger –are very much biblical aims and principles.

‘I believe the IF campaign is completely biblical. It issomething God is thrilled to see us doing.’

Why do you think it is important to makelifestyle changes as well as campaign?

My husband and I were involved in practicaloverseas action, and we then becameinvolved in campaigning – supporting thework of Tearfund and others. We started tothink we also needed to look at how our ownlives are contributing to these very problems.

Visit www.ruthvalerio.net to find outmore about Ruth and her work. Ruth has written a seven-day IF Bible readingplan for Tearfund, which you can sign up to through YouVersion here:www.tearfund.org/IFbible – or you canread a shortened version on page 6 of the Prayer Diary (enclosed with this Tear Times).

Ralph Hodgson/Tearfund

That didn’t mean stopping campaigning ortaking action – changing our lifestyle was thethird leg we needed to bring in. So we beganto think about the changes we could make to our own lives. I realised that I can give to something and I can campaign. But if it is not impacting my life or I’m not makingany personal changes, then I am really being a hypocrite. I’m calling on other people to do things, but not being prepared to makeany changes myself. So it is crucial to see all those things as working together, not in competition.

‘I can give to something and I can campaign. But if it is notimpacting my life then I amreally being a hypocrite.’

Ruth Valerio speaking at the Oxford Diocese ‘Food Matters’ evening, to launch the IF campaign.

live below the line

cross the world, 1.4 billion people live inextreme poverty, living off less than £1a day. That’s an outrage and I wanted

to do something to fight against this injustice.So I chose to volunteer with Tearfund on a

project in Bolivia, through its InternationalCitizen Service scheme. And I needed tofundraise to make it happen.I decided to challenge myself to live below

the poverty line – spending just £1 a day onfood and drink for a month. As well as gettingsponsorship, I wanted to use this as a platformto raise awareness for those living in extremepoverty every day – so I wrote a daily blogabout the experience.It was the most physically and mentally

challenging month of my life. £1 does not buyvery much and the minuscule meals were ashock to the system. Unsurprisingly, one of thebiggest challenges was hunger, and all the sideeffects that come with it.

‘My body became used to eatingless but the hunger was never really satisfied.’

By the end of the challenge, my body hadbecome used to eating less but the hunger wasnever really satisfied. Throughout the month, itbecame clear to me that feeling a little bithungry for 31 days was nothing compared toliving in extreme poverty indefinitely.Whereas I could see the end of my challenge,

for one in eight people, hunger is a constantreality. Although a trial, the Live below the linechallenge was one of the best things I have everdone. Suffering in a small way allowed me tolearn a lot. It sparked some interestingconversations and ignited my passion forfighting the injustice of poverty.

I would recommend this challenge toeveryone. It’s an excellent way to raise moneyand extremely humbling – it will change yourattitudes for the better. It was also reallyexciting for me to raise awareness. I loveTearfund and I can see how its vital work,joining with local churches and communities, is playing a significant part in helping peopleout of poverty.

‘The most physically and mentallychallenging month of my life.’ Why I chose to go hungry

‘It’s extremely humbling.’ Hayley decided to take up the challenge of living below the poverty line for a month.

Words and photo: Hayley Faulkner

A


Could you live on £1 a day?To find out more about Live below the lineand how you can take up the challenge, visitwww.livebelowtheline.com/uk-tearfund

reflection

hey received a modest income from the sale of the eggs, and also became asupport group for one another, stepping

in with practical help when any group memberfell sick. Ten years on, the farm – workedexclusively by those with HIV – is quite literally a foretaste of heaven, a place wherepeople display a sense of joy and dignity, which is striking.Those who have benefited from Tearfund’s

initiative turn out to be the greatestevangelists, filled with a longing that theirneighbours might also enter the process andfind a new quality of life, both spiritual andmaterial. There is now a widespreadunderstanding, explained to us by variouspeople in the different projects we visited, that the concept of development is not simplyabout the provision of resources. Rather, it isabout the provision of ideas and expertise insuch a way that people might own them for

themselves and share them more widely.The impact of this

Participatory EvaluationProcess – which encouragescommunities to engage withscripture and, as a result,show practical love to theircommunities – has beennothing less than dramatic. Here were principles which I wanted to bring

back home and apply to some of the ministries I and others seek to grow in resource-hungryareas of our own nation. I came back fromUganda renewed in my confidence in the powerof God’s story to change lives, and in theconviction that the church which intentionallyinhabits this story truly is the hope of the world.

Ian Parkinson is the Regional Director for New Wine North & East, and vicar of All Saints’ Marple.

Discipleship Year with Tearfund and New WineWe’re excited to be partnering with NewWine on its Discipleship Year programme –a year of discovery and adventure for 18-to 24-year-olds. Students will be equipped,encouraged and empowered as disciples of Jesus, through weekly teaching andpractical local church internships. They willalso have the opportunity to go on a 14-day overseas mission trip with Tearfund.For more information, visit the New Winewebsite: www.new-wine.org/dy

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www.tearfund.orgwww.twitter.com/tearfundwww.facebook.com/tearfundEmail: [email protected] Tel: 0845 355 835500 Church Road, Teddington, TW11 8QE

Registered Charity No. 265464 (England and Wales)Registered Charity No. SC037624 (Scotland)

Challenge House, 29 Canal Street, Glasgow, G4 0ADTy Catherine, Capel Cildwrn, Llangefni, Ynys Môn, LL77 7NN 241 Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 1AF

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Get in touch with us!


Church service in Soroti, Uganda, whereIan visited.

On a recent trip to Uganda with New Wineleaders and members of a Tearfund team, themost glorious and moving project we saw wasa poultry farm where a number of locals pooledtheir small sums of money to buy hens.

Words: Ian Parkinson, New Wine Photos: Jamie Fyleman/Tearfund

T

‘It was a foretaste of heaven – a place where people display a sense of joy and dignity.’

Ian Parkinson

A glimpse of heaven in Uganda

You can help halve hungerIn 50 villages in Uganda where Tearfund works through church mobilisation, we’ve seen hunger halved.

But we won’t be satisfied until we play our part in ending extreme hunger for good. That’s why we need you to give now, and give regularly – to find out more, see page 8.

Your £16, £20 or even £30 each month can protect more families from hunger.

www.tearfund.org/halvehunger

Registered Charity No. 265464 (England and Wales) Registered Charity No. SC037624 (Scotland) Photo: Cally Spittle/Tearfund 31007-(0513)

Documents

Tear Times Summer 2013