Summer 16 tear times by Tearfund

FEATURE TEAR TIMES . 1 SUMMER ’16

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WOULD JESUS RENEW HER HOPE?

tearfund.org

KILLERS OR PEACEMAKERS?

ETHIOPIA CRISIS

LIFE-CHANGING ADVENTURE

The future of Syria’s children

Worst drought in decades

Enjoy a gap year with Tearfund

2 . TEAR TIMES

WELCOME... A BIT OF A DISASTER ‘Disaster!’ my four-year-old son Benedict sometimes exclaims if he knocks over his glass of milk in the morning. I think it’s a word he picked up from me – using it to diffuse the situation. And we often use it to describe something that has gone slightly awry: ‘It was a bit of a disaster.’ Meaning: a minor inconvenience but it’s okay really... You will see the word disaster and reference to disasters (starvation, floods, earthquakes, war) throughout this issue of Tear Times. So try, like I am, to put aside the casual use of the word that we drop into everyday conversation. Jumana in Chad probably never uses the word ‘disaster’ to describe the starvation that she and her children face. Yet, it is a disaster. It hasn’t happened suddenly like a flood or an earthquake. Jumana is facing a slow and painful struggle to provide food each day and, despite all her efforts, it’s just getting harder and harder. If you’ve been supporting Tearfund for a while, thank you! You will know that what we aim to do is help communities see the potential around them and take them on a journey so that they can flourish as the whole people God created them to be. But that’s just not possible for Jumana. Not yet, anyway. Her full story on page 8 reveals why we’re having to start from a very different place with families like Jumana’s. And that’s painful because it means the poverty she faces is so extreme. But there is hope. We want to turn Jumana’s protracted struggle into one which ends in victory, where she can provide for her family. But first, we must start with the basics – providing lifesaving food before we can help tackle the long-term issues.

Editor

Peter Shaw twitter @TearTimes | email editor@tearfund.org

Photo: Ralph Hodgson/Tearfund

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CONTENTS NEWS & UPDATES 04 News Ethiopia crisis and more updates 25 Does your church have the answers she’s looking for? Support starving families with our new church resources

30 A ten-year miracle Find out what happened to Esther from Fombe

FEATURES 08 Digging for dinner A life of toil and hunger for a desperate family in Chad 14 Killers or peacemakers... ... what future for Syria’s children? 18 Set up for life A life-changing gap year

20 A flood of trafficked children Disasters and child trafficking 22 How Bob’s flipchart… ... rescued Francisco and Bertina 26 Make your life 100% better Switch to renewable energy

POSTER 16 ‘When you pass through the waters, I will be with you’

REFLECTIONS 24

24 Interview: Kim Walker-Smith Bound for Big Church Day Out 28 Beauty from brokenness A heart-warming story from St Helens

Copyright © Tearfund 2016. All rights reserved. Permission is granted for the reproduction of text from this publication for Tearfund promotional use. For all other uses, please contact us. Cover image: Digging for dinner in Chad Photo: Peter Caton/Tearfund

4 . TEAR TIMES NEWS

IN THE

NEWS ‘Ethiopians have suffered two failed harvests’

ETHIOPIA FACES WORST DROUGHT IN HALF A CENTURY Wander around Fentale District in Ethiopia and you soon get a clear idea why millions of people are going hungry. The landscape is brown, parched and arid – rivers are in retreat – and people are suffering as their daily meals dwindle. Nationally, the worst drought in half a century and the impact of the El Niño weather phenomenon have conspired to leave ten million Ethiopians needing food aid. And if the rains don’t deliver enough water at the right time, that could rise to 18 million by the end of the year. All of this is grim news for people who rely on the land either to grow crops or to provide pasture for their livestock. Tens of thousands of animals have already died in Fentale and a million have perished nationwide. Tearfund has been responding to this growing crisis for several months.

Through our local church partner, we’ve helped 68,000 of the most vulnerable people with emergency food rations, consisting of maize, beans, vegetable oil and nutritionally enriched flour. We’re working with the Ethiopian authorities to identify those most in need and have also supplied 2,000 households with maize and bean seeds, in anticipation of muchneeded rains.

‘Lack of water is pushing people to the limits of survival’ Keith Etherington, Tearfund’s Country Representative for Ethiopia, says, ‘Ethiopians are experiencing their worst drought in 50 years and have suffered two failed harvests as a result. Since the start of the year, estimates for those facing hunger have risen steadily. Put simply, lack of water is pushing people to the limits of survival.’

Photo: Esperant Mulumba/Tearfund

NEWS TEAR TIMES . 5

ESSENTIAL MAINTENANCE AT TEDDINGTON OFFICES Hard hats and dust sheets are the order of the day at Tearfund’s main UK office, which is undergoing essential maintenance work. Our building in Teddington has served us well since it was bought by founder George Hoffman in 1985. But today its heating, ventilation and cooling systems are failing. They have exceeded their life expectancy and need to be renewed so the building can be used safely by staff and adhere to UK legal requirements. It’s the first time since Tearfund acquired the building that major renovations have been needed. The work is also giving us an opportunity to use our limited space more effectively and flexibly for many years to come. Despite the upheaval, Tearfund’s day-to-day operations will continue as contractors upgrade one floor at a time, and you can continue to contact us as usual. Above right: Tearfund’s Teddington offices Photo: Margaret Chandler/Tearfund

TEARFUND SUDAN OFFICE HAS CLOSED After more than a decade of life-saving work, Tearfund has ended its operations in Sudan. Last December, our in-country offices were visited by government officials who requested us to close until further notice. Despite efforts to clarify the situation and resume our humanitarian activities, we were notified by the government that our work in Sudan is to be closed permanently.

‘We were notified by the government that our work in Sudan is to close’ Since then, we’ve been working to minimise the impact on those we have been helping, particularly the malnourished children who’ve been reliant on our services. We’ve been liaising with government officials, donors, other charities and the UN to ensure the needs of these vulnerable Sudanese continue to be met. Tearfund began working in Darfur in 2004 and has provided 300,000 people each year with life-saving humanitarian support. Please pray for those affected by this closure decision, that their needs will be met.

Photo: Sarah Pickwick/Tearfund

6 . TEAR TIMES NEWS

IN THE

NEWS PUTTING CAR ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY Thank you for showing you have not forgotten the plight of the people of the Central African Republic (CAR). The humanitarian impact of three years of civil conflict in one of Africa’s poorest nations rarely makes the headlines. But the need in this landlocked country of 4.6 million people remains acute. Two years ago, Tearfund began work in CAR from scratch, and thanks to your generous and faithful giving, we’ve been able to help many of these forgotten people. In a country where even the most basic services are lacking, we’ve concentrated on plugging the gaps. So 114,800 people have benefited from access to decent sanitation and hygiene training, while 52 fresh water facilities have been renovated or built. With most people reliant on the land to feed themselves, Tearfund has provided 90,000 people with seeds and tools, along with agricultural and nutritional training.

100-MILE CYCLE CHALLENGE FOR TEN-YEAR-OLD PAUL While many of us were merrily munching our way through chocolate eggs over Easter, nine-year-old Paul Collins was eating up the miles on a sponsored bike ride for Tearfund. Over four days, Paul pedalled for more than 100 miles across North Yorkshire, from the moors to the sea, to raise funds for Tearfund’s Nepal earthquake recovery work. Paul experienced the earthquake in Kathmandu while living there a year ago, as his father, Steve, was working as Tearfund’s Country Representative in Nepal. ‘Seeing the effect of the quake firsthand really had an impact on Paul,’ said Steve, who is now Tearfund’s Head of Asia. ‘One day at dinner, out of the blue, he mentioned he wanted to do this bike ride to raise money for Tearfund’s work. As a family, we’re really proud of what he’s achieved and his compassion for those in need.’ It’s not too late to support Paul: go to justgiving.com/cycling4nepal To find out more about what Tearfund is doing to help Nepal’s recovery, visit tearfund.org/nepal Above: Paul on his bike in Kathmandu, Nepal Photos: Hannah Maule-ffinch/Tearfund, Steve Collins

NEWS TEAR TIMES . 7

LIFT-OFF FOR ECO CHURCH Your church can play its part in caring for creation through Eco Church, which aims to help congregations to integrate environmental care throughout church life. This could range from how churches manage their buildings, to the lifestyles of members, as well as global engagement and how creation care is reflected in worship and teaching. Eco Church encourages congregations through bronze, silver and gold awards.

‘Through Eco Church, your church can care for creation’ The scheme was launched at St Paul’s Cathedral in January, with support from former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rev Dr Rowan Williams, as well as Friend of Tearfund, Ruth Valerio. Eco Church is an A Rocha UK project, run in partnership with Christian Aid, The Church of England, The Methodist Church and Tearfund. Discover more at ecochurch.arocha.org.uk

Giving thanks for Churches that want to show that Christians care for creation by signing up to A Rocha’s Eco Church Award scheme The new permanent homes being rebuilt by Tearfund in Nepal for vulnerable earthquake survivors Steps towards recovery being taken, with Tearfund’s help, by children traumatised by conflict in the Central African Republic

PRAYER

PULSE

Praying for Vulnerable children and their mothers who were receiving vital nutritional support from Tearfund in Darfur until the Sudanese government closed down our work Rains at the right time in Ethiopia, where 10 million people are going hungry due to the worst drought in decades Our European partners reaching out to Syrian refugees in Greece, Macedonia, Hungary, Croatia and Serbia, with practical, emotional and spiritual support

Above: Rev Dr Rowan Williams presents St Paul’s Cathedral with an Eco Church Award Photo: St Paul’s Institute

8 . TEAR TIMES FEATURE

Written by Amy Church This is Jumana, a mother of six from Chad. In this photo, she’s digging through an ants’ nest in 50-degree heat, collecting small seeds buried there by the insects. She’ll then take these seeds home to feed to her children, such is the hunger and desperation faced by this family.

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As a mum myself, it’s hard for me to get my head around this kind of hunger. I suppose my equivalent would be to go to my local park, dig up acorns buried by squirrels, and serve them up for my fouryear-old daughter’s tea. I can barely even imagine being that desperate for food. Maybe I’m pushing it a bit with the comparison, because the context is different – very different. But would Jesus say Jumana’s struggle is acceptable just because she lives 3,000 miles away? Jumana from Hillé Bar village, Chad, collects seeds to eat from an ants’ nest Photo: Peter Caton/Tearfund

I don’t think so. We’re both mothers, both made in God’s image, and our children both deserve the absolute best chances in life. Our friends at Oxfam recently published a report on how the richest one per cent of the world’s people now have more, materially speaking, than everyone else combined. To me, this is mind-boggling. But when I compare myself to Jumana, I can start to get my head around this extreme inequality.

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THE MAKINGS OF A FOOD CRISIS Everyday poverty: Chad is one of the poorest countries in the world. Erratic rainfall: global warming plus El Niño (a Pacific weather pattern impacting this part of Africa) mean the rains are becoming ever less predictable and farming ever less fruitful. Deep vulnerability: when their crops fail, which often happens, families have no Plan B. Jumana’s husband leaves the village to find work, but earns next to nothing. Jumana weaves baskets and mats to sell at market: it takes seven days to weave one basket, which can be sold for the price of just two meals. Water hole at a receding river bed near Hillé Bar village, Chad. Families here are struggling because of exceptionally high temperatures and a lack of rainfall. The harvest of millet and sorgum they need to survive has failed – leaving the community facing famine Photo: Peter Caton/Tearfund

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WHATEVER IT TAKES In Jumana’s situation, I can’t possibly say how long it’d take for me to start giving up. I only hope I’d be able to show just a little of her grit. Jumana’s been facing devastating food crises on and off for years – she’s already lost one child and her father – but she’s still fighting. ‘We do extreme things to survive,’ she says.

‘IT’S LIKE ME DIGGING UP ACORNS AND SERVING THEM TO MY FOUR-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER’ She explains how every mum in her village, Hillé Bar, has resorted to taking seeds from ants’ nests at some point. They also collect sugarcane, grind it down and mix it with water to try and give their children extra energy. Parents get by on as little food as they can so there’s more for the children. The people here are starving. ‘Yasmin goes to play,’ says Jumana about her six-yearold daughter, ‘but her hunger prevents her from playing. And when she is hungry, she will come and lie down close to me on the mat.’ ‘THE HUNGRY HAVE NO EARS’ It’s not just the children who are floored by hunger: it’s bringing everyone to their knees. Abdel Hassan has been chief of Hillé Bar village for ten years. He’s proud of his community – its fighting spirit and feeling of togetherness – but he’s seen steady decline, as people have died or deteriorated. ‘The hungry have no ears,’ is a Chadian proverb Abdel shared with us when we visited – a powerful metaphor for where this community is in terms of development and transformation. If you’ve ever wondered what comes before church and community mobilisation (CCM) –

Tearfund’s much-lauded approach to tackling poverty through the church – it’s this… People are so consumed with scraping together enough food to stay alive that they don’t have room for anything else. How can you ask people to stop foraging for seeds for their children, and instead come to a CCM workshop at the church? You can’t. ‘I used to be a very strong woman, but now I have been reduced to thinking only of how I can feed my family,’ says Jumana. ‘Before, I had many dreams – I thought we could buy and sell cattle, and then send the children to school. But now, that is not possible.’ This is why, in places like Hillé Bar, where disaster and desperation have taken over, we must start with the basics.

‘I USED TO BE A STRONG WOMAN. NOW I THINK ONLY OF HOW I CAN FEED MY FAMILY’ Whole-life transformation is the end goal. But the first step is to follow Jesus where the need is greatest, right into the heart of this disaster, to tackle extreme hunger.By pledging a monthly gift of £10, using the tear-out form on page 9, you could provide a child like Yasmin with two good meals a day. The difference this can make to a family like Jumana’s and their community is huge.

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THERE IS HOPE, BECAUSE THERE IS CHURCH The majority of people here are Muslim, yet there is a church. It’s not big, and its members struggle with poverty too, but they are passionate about working with Tearfund partner PEDC to turn things around. God is on the move here. The church and the team from PEDC have started some powerful work. And things in the village would be far worse if not for the good work they’ve already begun. For example, the river is drying up due to the changing climate, meaning it gets harder and harder to water crops. PEDC workers and church members have been cultivating new communal nursery areas close to the remaining water where crops can still be grown. In addition, following many years of destructive tree-felling, the soil is parched and eroding, and the desert is closing in. Our team is working with villagers to replant trees so farmland can be rejuvenated.

Jumana at home with her four children holding a week’s worth of food Photo: Peter Caton/Tearfund

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This is just the beginning. Once people are back from the brink of starvation, this work can be expanded. New livelihoods can be established, resilience to disasters can be built, and church mobilisation can take off as people dare to plan and hope again. Hope is my prayer for Jumana. Yes, I want her family to have enough to eat, but my prayer is that she’ll be able to start dreaming for her children again – as I do for mine, and as every mother should be able to. What’s your hope for Jumana? Pray for her today and, if you can, please give to bring fullness of life where the need is greatest. Thank you.

‘MY PRAYER IS THAT JUMANA WILL START DREAMING FOR HER CHILDREN AGAIN – AS I DO FOR MINE’

14 . TEAR TIMES FEATURE

KILLERS

PEACEMAKERS?

What future for Syria’s Children? As Syria’s devastating conflict enters its sixth year, Christians in Lebanon are leading the way, healing wounds and bringing hope to the next generation...

Words and photos by Stella Chetham, Tearfund’s Middle East communications officer

Tearfund has been supporting. It’s possible some of her pupils are related to the very Syrians who terrorised her as a child.

Aged nine, Amina saw a Syrian sniper shoot her neighbour and his mother in the street. Amina’s father told his family to lie on the floor. Crawling on his stomach, he threw the injured pair a rope and pulled them inside – where they lay bleeding on the floor. Amina still finds the experience traumatic.

‘We grew up hating Syrians,’ admits her husband, Pastor Wissam, who oversees a raft of refugee projects through their church, including Amina’s school. Because of their Christian faith the couple rejected that hatred. When their former enemies started seeking refuge in Lebanon, the couple reached out to help.

But this didn’t happen in Syria’s current civil war; it dates back 30 years to Syria’s armed occupation of Lebanon. Now in her 40s, Amina, a Lebanese national, runs a school for Syrian refugee children that

‘We have many traumatised children here,’ says Pastor Wissam. ‘One child lost all his family, killed by chemical weapons.’ Every child has been emotionally damaged by the conflict.

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TOO MUCH, TOO YOUNG Syria, 2012: Brothers Ahmad and Abed watch from their window as a child is shot and killed in the Ahmad, 13 street. Three days later, a man comes to move the body but is shot and left too, as the little boys look on. When their family flee to Lebanon, Ahmad and Abed start to attend Amina’s school. ‘The Lebanese here are very hospitable,’ says Zahraa, their mother. ‘The church takes good care of our children.’

them to forgive people when they hurt you.’ ‘The thing that touches people most is “love your enemies”,’ says Pastor Wissam. ‘They can see it in us. They have to see it. Because it’s God’s work.’

‘CHILDREN LIKE ABED ARE GROWING UP TO REJECT REVENGE’

But the teachers find Ahmad and Abed aggressive and forgetful. ‘I knew something was wrong,’ says Miss Hala, a Syrian teacher who left her job to work with refugee children. ‘I made sure I took time to talk to them and see what’s wrong. I told them they’re very special to me. As a Christian, I try to be faithful in the smallest details.’

‘THE THING THAT TOUCHES PEOPLE MOST IS “LOVE YOUR ENEMIES”’ Ahmed started to open up. ‘During classes he’d ask to talk,’ says Miss Hala. ‘He loved talking to me.’ Ahmed became more calm, and his school work improved. Now aged 13, Ahmed is a thoughtful child who wants to help rebuild his country. LOVING YOUR ENEMIES His younger brother Abed took longer to respond. ‘While everyone was playing, Abed sat by himself,’ says Miss Hala. ‘I spoke to his mum, Zahraa, and encouraged her to give him love and attention. As we both did this, Abed started getting better.’ Zahraa is delighted by Abed’s progress. ‘He was arguing and about to push his friend to the floor,’ says Pastor Wissam. ‘Then he remembered that Miss Hala encouraged

Abed, 11

The amazing hospitality of the Lebanese is being stretched to its limits as the tiny, fragile country now hosts 1.7 million Syrian refugees – around one in four of its population. Yet against the tide of growing tensions, Christians are putting their faith into action – welcoming their former enemies, overturning old prejudices. Thanks to your support, many more children like Ahmad and Abed are growing up to reject revenge and become people of peace. Christ’s love expressed through Amina’s school has helped Ahmad and Abed overcome the trauma of the past and find hope for the future. Of his teachers Abed simply says, ‘I love them and they love me.’

16 . TEAR TIMES

TEAR TIMES . 17

‘WHEN YOU PASS THROUGH THE WATERS, I WILL BE WITH YOU’ ISAIAH 43:2

Photo: Peter Caton/Tearfund

18 . TEAR TIMES FEATURE

SET UP

for life

Fresh from finishing her A Levels, Sophie Pearson took the trip of a lifetime visiting remote communities in Brazil with Tearfund. The adventure taught her new skills, strengthened her faith and gave her confidence to be herself...

FEATURE TEAR TIMES . 19

I’d finished my A levels and lived to tell the tale. But I knew I wanted to take a break before university. I chose to go on a Tearfund gap year because I really like their values, and the placements looked great. I was keen to go with a Christian charity so I could pray for the people I met and support the worldwide church. Tearfund’s Global Volunteering Team were very helpful. They found me a six-month placement in Brazil. I didn’t really know what to expect. Brazilian culture came as a massive shock – in a good way! Based in north-east Brazil, we witnessed the work of Tearfund partners who are bringing amazing transformation to communities.

‘IF I HADN’T BEEN ON A GAP YEAR, I’D BE LESS PREPARED TO LEAVE HOME’ We volunteered in schools, taught English, ran sports clubs, prepared and served food and helped in a home for vulnerable children. We learnt so much about God’s love for the world and the part we can play. WELCOMED INTO THE FAMILY I’ll never forget travelling with Tearfund partner Instituto Solidare to a remote village. A young family there told us about the big changes that have taken place thanks to them. They helped the community install a well, access gas and electricity for the first time and set up a project providing regular meals for children. I did miss my family. But my team cheered me up when I was homesick. Our Tearfund coordinator, Christine, was always there when I needed her. And the people we met treated us as family.

After seeing extreme hardship firsthand, the way I look at solutions to poverty changed – and so has the way I act. Because you know the people. So you recycle because when a town is flooded due to climate change, it’s your friend’s house that is destroyed. My gap year definitely strengthened my faith – I learnt so much about God’s desire to bless us as we serve one another. LEARNING HOW TO BE MYSELF I’m incredibly fortunate simply to go to university. I met people my age with such difficult lives who have worked much harder than me, but who won’t ever enjoy higher education. In some cases, they can’t access any education at all. I want to do something about this inequality. After uni, I’d love to work for a charity. I have more confidence to challenge myself now. I would have been less prepared to leave home if I hadn’t taken a gap year with Tearfund. I can be myself with new people rather than worrying what they think of me. That’s something many students struggle with at university. If you are thinking of taking a gap year, I’d say go for it! If God is calling you to do it, he will provide everything you need.

FILL THE GAP If you are interested in learning more about having a gap year adventure in Asia, Latin America or Africa with Tearfund, email go@tearfund.org, phone 020 8943 7777 or text 07885 879618. Our next gap year programme runs from February to July 2017. You can go on either a three- or a six-month trip. We’re still finalising country options for 2017, but in previous years volunteers have travelled to Peru, Cambodia, South Africa, Brazil, Malawi and Colombia.

Sophie Pearson enjoyed a life-changing gap year adventure with Tearfund in Bazil Photo: Sam Barker/Tearfund

20 . TEAR TIMES FEATURE

A FLOOD OF TRAFFICKED CHILDREN BY DR PRATIBHA SINGH

The Brahmaputra river in Assam, India, floods every year – engulfing the whole of the south bank. Poor families who live on the riverbank accept this as part of their life. Usually, there’s about a 50:50 chance each year that families will be flooded off their land. Yet, more and more regularly, such as in 2012, the floods can be very severe and everyone is affected. Rising water claims lives, and it washes away people’s homes, belongings and crops. But another huge side effect of these natural disasters is a stark increase in child trafficking. When my organisation Emmanuel Hospital Association (EHA) – a Tearfund partner – set up health camps in villages devastated

by the 2012 floods, we were alarmed to discover that the entire year’s rice paddy crop had been destroyed. Without their harvest, parents knew they had no hope of feeding their children. So they began to sell them. LIVES WASHED AWAY Children started to disappear. I heard of a 12-year-old girl being sold for 10,000 Rupees [about £100] and taken to Delhi to work. Families believe that by selling their children, they are offering them a better life – a good job, education and hope for the future. The floods leave people desperate. I met with one family who lost all of their land to soil erosion caused by the floods.

‘PARENTS HAD NO HOPE OF FEEDING THEIR CHILDREN – SO THEY BEGAN TO SELL THEM’ Photo: Jamie Fyleman/Tearfund

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They had to set up home in the forest, where crops would not grow. It’s situations like this that make families vulnerable to the lies of child traffickers – selling children as young as five or six years old on the promise of a better life. Many parents believe their children will send money back to provide a lifeline for the rest of the family. However, trafficked children often end up as house servants for more wealthy families living nearby, who believe the more servants you have in your house, the higher your social status. House servants are effectively slaves working for their daily food and some old clothes. These children – the youngest we’ve seen was three or four years old – work from 4am to 10pm every day in appalling conditions. CHILDREN KEPT AS SLAVES I once found a five-year-old girl working as a house servant who had fallen into a fireplace in the centre of a room. The owners did not bother to get her any treatment for the burns. She was in shock and couldn’t speak, but they just kept her working. House servants often suffer emotional, physical and sexual abuse from their owners. Many are beaten until they fall unconscious. What we do at EHA is try to prevent people from becoming vulnerable in the first place, so that families are not placed in the impossible position of having to decide whether or not to sell their child. Families facing hunger because of the floods know they cannot feed their children. So, however much they fear selling their children to the traffickers, they know at least they will have food. KNOWLEDGE STOPS TRAFFICKING As well as providing emergency aid and healthcare to flood-hit communities, we work with families to encourage them to grow a more diverse range of crops, not just rice paddy which won’t sustain a family for a year. We train people in alternative livelihoods and doublecropping, and encourage them to cultivate cash crops such as ginger, turmeric and yam that can be grown in different seasons and sold throughout the year.

And key to all this is informing families about the lies of traffickers. We have an educational film which shows the reality of the life of a trafficked child, how they are often drugged and end up working in brothels. In one church where we showed the film, there was an outcry from the elders because it was so hard-hitting and graphic. But the young people defended it, saying that we need to talk about these issues in church so that people know how to keep their children safe.

‘I FOUND A FIVE-YEAR-OLD HOUSE SERVANT WHO HAD FALLEN INTO A FIREPLACE’ So, when you hear on the news of floods and other natural disasters hitting poor communities, remember that it’s not just about the initial loss of lives, homes and belongings – devastating though they are. Disasters cause severe long-term problems to poor families, and child trafficking always increases when families are pushed to the limit. Dr Pratibha Singh is Director of Baptist Christian Hospital (a unit of Tearfund partner EHA), Tezpur, which helps poor and marginalised people in Assam, giving them holistic, appropriate healthcare, and offering training, research and development to vulnerable communities. THANK YOU FOR KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE Our anti-trafficking campaign, No Child Taken, has been crucial as we’ve sought to raise awareness and support for the world’s most vulnerable children, to protect them from the dangers of trafficking, disease and disaster. You have been incredible – praying, donating and campaigning beyond our wildest dreams. As a result, by April 2016, we will have been able to help protect more than 100,000 vulnerable children! Thank you for being part of this powerful and ongoing work.

22 . TEAR TIMES FEATURE

HOW BOB’S FLIPCHART RESCUED FRANCISCO AND BERTINA FROM THE FLOODS

WRITTEN BY PETER SHAW This story starts with a man called Bob Hansford running a workshop and ends seven years later with the dramatic rescue of an elderly couple plucked to safety from rising floodwaters… One of the things Tearfund puts a lot of energy into is giving people knowledge, insight and understanding that will change their lives. People like the aforementioned Bob travel to remote communities to run training courses.

It’s a far cry from the traditional understanding of what ‘aid workers’ do. Our Bobs don’t arrive with sacks full of maize or spades to dig latrines: they bring marker pens, flipcharts and training manuals. But first, to explain a little more about the transforming impact of training, I want to talk about toilets… Above: Pastor Victorino (at the back) rescued this elderly couple from the floods in a dug-out canoe Photo: Ralph Hodgson/Tearfund

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A FLUSH IN THE PAN I remember my first Tearfund trip to Malawi, meeting a young lady in a very poor village called Fombe. She told me how people used to provide toilets to rural villages. A bus-load of eager folk would turn up with a plan to make a block of flush loos. They would toil away until the toilets were complete then hand them over to the local community. And for a few months it was great. The community had nice new flush toilets. But what happens when a toilet gets blocked, a pipe springs a leak or the flush handle snaps off? Even if the community knew how to fix the problem, where would they get the money for tools and spares? So, these toilets would invariably end up broken and dirty. And, after a few months, people would stop using them. That’s why in Fombe village Tearfund’s partner Eagles Relief and Development didn’t build a single toilet. They trained people to build their own using materials they had around them. That’s why today almost everyone in the village has a clean, functioning toilet – all thanks to training. BACK TO BOB In 2008, Bob Hansford travelled halfway across Mozambique to a very poor, isolated community called Megaza, six hours’ drive up a basic track from the nearest small town, Morrumbala. The community lived on the banks of the Shire river – an area prone to frequent floods.

‘GOD BLESS ALL YOU BOBS WITH YOUR MARKER PENS AND FLIPCHARTS’ There he ran a workshop in disaster risk reduction. Bob went through a series of steps that communities could implement easily to make them more resilient to future disasters. Fast-forward seven years to January 2015 and Francisco and Bertina, an elderly couple from Megaza, find themselves

trapped by the fastest-rising water they have ever experienced. They are not strong enough to climb a tree and the waters are up to their necks...

BOB’S TRAINING TO THE RESCUE That’s when Bob’s training kicked in. The local church rescue team were prepared: they had already identified the 50 most vulnerable people in their community. They knew who was safe and who was still out in the waters – and that Francisco and Bertina were in trouble. So one of the pastors, Victorino Americo – risking his own life – took to the swollen river in a basic dugout canoe. The waters still rising, rain lashing down, he spotted the couple struggling desperately for their lives. Paddling over, he heaved them into the back of his canoe and made for higher ground. Bob Hansford has not set foot in Megaza since 2008. But his legacy – the life-saving training he delivered – means that Francisco, Bertina and many more vulnerable people in the village are alive today. So God bless you, Bob, and all the Bobs with your marker pens and flipcharts: you are lifesavers. Below: Children from a flood resettlement camp near Morrumbala, Mozambique Photo: Ralph Hodgson/Tearfund

24 . TEAR TIMES FEATURE

BE PART OF

something bigger Based in Sacramento, California, Jesus Culture is a community of worship leaders and musicians who want to see a generation encounter the presence of God. Worship leader Kim Walker-Smith has been a part of Jesus Culture since the beginning, and will be singing with them at this year’s Big Church Day Out.

Is it difficult to get people to worship at a big outdoor event? For years, I refused to do festivals – feeling it was difficult to get people to focus on worship. Then we prayed and did a couple of festivals, and it was amazing to see what the Lord did, and how he encourages people in that environment. Our job is helping people engage with God in worship – create an atmosphere that welcomes his presence. How can worship help people to be more generous? When we spend time encountering God through worship, love grows inside of us and we want to help people – to give, be generous and to serve. The Bible is really clear that, as Christians, we should take care of orphans and widows, love our neighbours, and take care of poor people. When we get into the presence of God and experience his love, it awakens that heart inside us. Why should people come to the Big Church Day Out? I’d say, definitely come with a hunger for more of the Lord, to meet and have an encounter with him. I would also encourage people to come to connect with other people, churches and members of the body of Christ. Come and be a part of something bigger!

The Big Church Day Out (BCDO) is one of the UK’s largest Christian events, drawing together more than 25,000 people for two days of fun, fellowship, music and worship. This year’s BCDO takes place 28 and 29 May 2016 at the Wiston Estate in West Sussex. Alongside Jesus Culture, artists performing include Tim Hughes, Toby Mac and Newworldson. Tearfund is a big part of BCDO and this year we will again be hosting the Tearfund Tea Tent, as well as raising support and awareness of the unfolding hunger crisis that is affecting families in Chad and across the Sahel region of Africa. To book a place or find out more visit bigchurchdayout.com

FEATURE TEAR TIMES . 25

YOUR PACK INCLUDES

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Three A4 double-sided posters that can be used to advertise your service or event and can be arranged as a larger display. These posters could also be used in prayer stations. An envelope of answers including wonderful resources for your children’s and youth groups, an overview booklet about Chad, our partner and the community featured in the film, and a prayer resource packed full of creative ideas and ways to pray. This resource also includes a five-minute talk for those who are time pressured. A USB stick that contains a short film about Chad and all the pack contents in PDF format for you to print as required. Sample response envelopes which include a campaigning action.

Photo: Peter Caton/Tearfund

26 . TEAR TIMES FEATURE

M A K E YO U R L I F E So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering. Romans 12:1-2 (The Message) When we think about serving God, we might think it’s about inspiring and visionary acts that bring about big change and big impact. These are important, but they are not for everyone. For most of us, it’s about asking how we can serve God and worship him in the everyday. These verses from Romans remind us God is interested in the whole of our lives. This includes the ordinary, everyday decisions we make. Which raises a question: is it possible to love your neighbour with your energy bills? We believe it is – which is why we’re asking Christians to make 2016 the year we make the switch to 100 per cent renewable electricity. We’re calling this the Big Church Switch – a movement of Christians using our energy for good in our homes and church buildings. Taking this action can be an integral part of our

ordinary, everyday offering of worship, following Jesus where the need is greatest. Switching to renewable electricity is a powerful and practical way to love our global neighbours, like Jorgé and Nina in Mozambique. Last year their family and community were devastated by floods. They lost four children, their home and livelihood. It was devastating. The impacts of climate change are taking their toll on families and communities, and we have a responsibility to play our part in making this happen less often. In the UK, our largest contribution to climate change is burning fossil fuels to make the electricity we consume. Switching to a renewable electricity supply is one of the biggest things your household or church can do to reduce your carbon footprint.

FEATURE TEAR TIMES . 27

100% BETTER IT’S WORKING, BUT LET’S MAKE IT EVEN BETTER! In the UK we are cleaning up our act. In 2014 an encouraging 19 per cent of our electricity was renewable. Switching means money we all spend on our electric bills turns into investment in generating more clean power – speeding up the change. More than 100,000 people have made the switch in the last two years. So we are making progress, and if thousands more Christians in the UK make the switch to renewable electricity, the impact will be enormous – another step in the right direction for the UK. When the church acts together, we have a powerful voice. We’re working with others to access better rates from energy suppliers and together build pressure on the government to move faster on reducing climate change.

THAT SOUNDS GREAT: HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED? Join the Big Church Switch by switching to 100 per cent renewable electricity in your home or church building at tearfund.org/switch For homes, we’ll be running group offers at various times throughout the year. When deals are not running, we will be providing alternative options to enable you to make the switch. For churches, the first step is simply to register an interest and to see if this is something you or your church might consider once you know more. More than 400 churches have registered already! Visit tearfund.org/switch today to pledge your support.

‘It is good to know that the money we spend on our energy is going to be invested in renewable sources and that even while we sit and enjoy watching TV, we are contributing to a more sustainable future locally and globally.’ Matt and Miriam Sawyer, Winchester

28 . TEAR TIMES REFLECTION

BEAUTY IN BROKENNESS How St Mark’s Church in St Helens was inspired to make something beautiful out of stories of broken lives WRITTEN BY JILL HEYES

‘The women we work with are like beautiful glass which has been thrown out from the fourth floor – broken into a thousand pieces.’ Sachin, Tearfund partner, Tear Times spring 2015 At St Mark’s Church in Haydock, St Helens, we have started a three-year journey connecting with a Tearfund partner, Sahaara in India. Sahaara works in the red-light district of Mumbai, bringing light and hope to thousands of sex workers and their children.

This picture really spoke to us, long after the meeting. We noticed some amazing connections. Sahaara made us think of deserts and sand – the main ingredient of glass – and St Helens is famous for glassmaking. So we decided to make some glassware to take to India as a gift. A SMASHING EXPERIENCE We spoke to a lady in a shop called The World of Glass in St Helens. When we told her our idea for the gift, she was in tears. She put us in touch with one of the glass-makers and he told us about a new technique – reusing shards of broken glass to make new work, letting the colours and light shine through.

A team of six of us from St Mark’s were planning a visit to Sahaara’s projects in Mumbai to learn more about their inspirational work and deepen our connection. We also decided to meet up on the first Monday of each month to pray for them.

They showed us some examples and it was beautiful. We decided to make a panel that echoes the vibrant colours of India. At first we thought we’d just give them our ideas and let them do the work. But they asked us – because of the story behind it – whether we would enjoy being part of the process…

At one prayer meeting, one of our members brought the picture from the opening quote above – about how trafficking smashes people’s lives like glass. But also how Tearfund’s partners like Sahaara are putting the shards of shattered glass back together – creating something beautiful with dignity and strength.

Of course we were delighted and three of us went to help create the panel. They explained it would be best to make four panels because when you use broken shards some of them are likely to explode when they are heated in the kiln. Photo (right): Margaret Chandler/Tearfund

REFLECTION TEAR TIMES . 29

MAKE YOUR CONNECTION Get in touch with Tearfund’s Churches team about how your Tearfund project can build an inspiring relationship with a project in another country, just as St Mark’s has with Sahaara in India. Call 020 8943 7972 or email churches@tearfund.org

BEAUTY FROM ASHES It was an amazing experience choosing the glass and setting up the panels. Two weeks later, we went to see the results and we were astonished to find that all four panels had survived and looked beautiful! So, we decided to take one panel out as a gift for Sahaara in Mumbai, and keep one displayed at St Mark’s as a reminder of the connection. The third will be displayed at The World of Glass along with a storyboard about its creation – so this has given us a special connection with our local community too. And the final one we’ve given to Tearfund to display at its offices in Teddington to inspire the team there. It’s been such an amazing, moving and exciting adventure! Detail of the glass-work created by the team from St Mark’s

Photos: Top right and left Stella Chetham/Tearfund, bottom Candice Roggeveen/Tearfund

30 . TEAR TIMES UPDATE

A TENYEAR MIRACLE Written by Jimmy Likagwa Back in 2006, we introduced you to Esther, from Fombe village in Malawi, who is living with HIV, and her ten-year-old daughter, Alinafe. They featured prominently in our Work a miracle appeal which aimed to stop the spread of HIV in the poorest places where we work by 2015. Back then, because of her poor diet, Esther was concerned that she would not live long enough to see her daughter married. ‘I don’t want to tell Alinafe that I have HIV,’ she told us. ‘When I’m ill, I tell her I might not get better. But it makes her so sad.’ Ten years on, we thought you’d like to know the latest news about their (growing) family…

‘WHEN I’M ILL, I TELL ALINAFE I MIGHT NOT GET BETTER. BUT IT MAKES HER SO SAD’ Photos: Marcus Perkins/Tearfund, Jimmy Likagwa/Tearfund

2006

REFLECTION UPDATE TEAR TIMES . 31

We are pleased to report that both Esther and her daughter, Alinafe, are well. Esther managed to farm three acres of land on her own last year – so she is definitely healthy and strong, which was sadly not the case a few years ago. Thankfully, Esther no longer has to make a 50km trip to Blantyre to get antiretroviral medicines for her HIV treatment. She was referred to the local clinic in nearby Chikwawa because her immune system showed significant improvement. Alinafe, now 20, is married and has two children: her son, Mphatso, is five and her daughter, Mercy, is two. Esther still has four goats and this year planted three varieties of crops: maize, cotton and plenty of millet as it is drought-resistant and she can use it to make flour. With adequate rainfall, Esther will be able to harvest enough to

support her for the whole year but – unfortunately – when I spoke to her there had been no rain for two weeks. Esther joined the community savings group and took out a loan to set up a business selling green vegetables. Sales have slowed recently as it’s farming season and also because her community is facing economic hardship. Esther is focusing on farming but is concerned that the lack of extra income will mean she has to spend any money she has on essentials like food, rather than paying back the loan. It will be hard to get extra money until harvest time, and only then if the crops grow well.

‘ESTHER IS WELL – SHE FARMS THREE ACRES OF LAND’

Esther today with Alinafe’s children Mphatso (right, age six) and Mercy who’s two

When I last visited her, Esther was suffering from pneumonia but she had had a course of treatment and felt well after a couple of days. Alinafe’s daughter, Mercy, has also been unwell: she has asthma and was admitted to hospital for a week but now she is in good health. So, please keep praying for Esther and for Alinafe, her husband and their children, Mphatso and Mercy, for continuing good health. And pray particularly for rain, to provide a good harvest of maize, cotton and millet this year. Jimmy Likagwa is Church Mobilisation Facilitator with Tearfund partner Eagles Relief and Development Programme WINNING THE HIV BATTLE IN MALAWI Since 2006, efforts by the Malawian government, NGOs and charities including Tearfund have helped to reduce HIV significantly at both local and national levels. There were nearly 100,000 new infections in 2005, but only 34,000 recorded in 2013. Praise God that there has also been a 67 per cent reduction in HIV infection in children – the biggest decline in any country in sub-Saharan Africa. (Source: AVERT, 1 May 2015)

2016

YASMIN IS TOO HUNGRY TO PLAY Hunger is a heavy burden for Yasmin. It stunts her growth and dulls her senses – robbing Yasmin of her childhood. With food in their bowls, families stifled by hunger can plan for a better future. Your donation today could enable children like Yasmin around the world to live the life that Jesus wants for them. Please give like Jesus and turn your faith into action today.

Give like Jesus £10 A monthly gift of £10 could provide a good meal every day to two children like Yasmin. You can read more about Yasmin on page 8

tearfund.org/yasmin

100 Church Road, Teddington TW11 8QE Tŷ Catherine, Capel Cildwrn, Cildwrn Road, Llangefni LL77 7NN Challenge House, 29 Canal Street, Glasgow G4 0AD 241 Newtownards Road, Belfast BT4 1AF

tearfund.org +44 (0) 20 8977 9144 email info@tearfund.org twitter.com/tearfund twitter facebook facebook.com/tearfund Registered Charity No. 265464 (England and Wales) Registered Charity No. SC037624 (Scotland) Photo: Peter Caton/Tearfund 31548-(0416)

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