Tear Times Autumn 2017

AUT UM N ’17

WWW.TEARFUND.ORG

MY NIGHTMARE JOURNEY IN SOUTH SUDAN

TEN-YEAR SUCCESS

A PIECE OF CAKE

HEAVEN ON EARTH

Thank you for a decade of progress

Big Bake is back

Charting success in our annual review

2 . TEAR TIMES

WELCOME BELIEVE IN MIRACLES ‘What is a miracle?’ asked Pastor Cuthbert Gondwe in 2006, launching Tearfund’s ten-year vision. ‘When a new baby enters the world safely. When you strike water in a well.

When God answers the cry of a hungry person through his church. I believe passionately in the difference each of us can make when we come together as local churches.’

Just over a decade ago, Tearfund invited you to ‘Be part of a miracle’ and get behind a new vision. Our ten-year vision was to see 50 million people released from material and spiritual poverty through a worldwide network of 100,000 local churches.

Now we’ve come to the end of that milestone and analysed the results of those ambitious targets. Regular Tear Times readers will know we’ve reported back before and the results were encouraging. Now you can see the full picture on page 18.

What that audacious vision taught us, I believe, is that God can (and will) do, ‘immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.’ Yes, we can tell you the facts and figures but the real story of transformation over the last ten years goes deeper than any chart can reveal.

There are many, many thousands of lives – across more than 50 countries – that have been enriched with skills, renewed vision, faith and hope. None of which would be possible without your response to Jesus’ call and your dedicated support for families in poverty. Thank you!

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

Photo: Ralph Hodgson/Tearfund

TEAR TIMES . 3

04

CONTENTS NEWS & OPPORTUNITIES 04 News Amazing Big Church Day Out and more updates 16 It’s Big Bake time!

Ending poverty is a piece of cake 18 Ten years: one vision A big difference in a decade

08

FEATURES 08 Hopes, dreams and nightmares A life torn apart in South Sudan 13 Toilets winning in the Central African Republic Fleeing militia and fighting disease 20 Thyme to beet food waste Why Ruth and Tim love their leftovers

REVIEW OF THE YEAR 20

On earth as it is in heaven Pull-out centre page annual review

REFLECTION 22 A God-shaped calling Adventure can be just a heartbeat away

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Copyright © Tearfund 2017. All rights reserved. Permission is granted for the reproduction of text from this publication for Tearfund promotional use. For all other uses, please contact us.

Cover image: Josephine, who lives in a camp in South Sudan Photo: Tom Price/Tearfund

IN THE

NEWS CHURCH GIVES HOPE AT THE BIG CHURCH DAY OUT The Big Church Day Out gets bigger and better every year. For the first time there were two venues in the north and south, over two weekends in May and June, welcoming a total of 30,000 visitors.

Tearfund is the main partner for the Big Church Day Out and this year we told the stories of Polly and Sylvia in Malawi.

Polly has benefited from an innovative farming method called Foundations for Farming. Sylvia meanwhile has struggled to get enough food for her family. She’s now starting to learn about Foundations for Farming and has renewed hope.

At the events we shared Polly’s secret, so that more people like Sylvia can have their lives transformed. Our 360° video experience was a big hit with visitors to the Tearfund café, giving people a taste of life in a Malawian village.

‘We raised enough funds to help thousands more like Sylvia’ Over the two weekends, we raised enough funds to train hundreds more communities like Sylvia’s and see 48,087 lives changed thanks to improved farming techniques. When the church comes together great things happen.

Tim Jupp, founder of the Big Church Day Out, says, ‘Our passion is to see churches gather to worship. We want to use the platform created by the Big Church Day Out to impact lives through missional giving and engagement. Partnering with Tearfund is a significant part of us being able to achieve this.'

Thank you to all our volunteers, without you we couldn’t have made such a big impact. See you next year at one or both of the events!

Above: Totaliser showing lives transformed thanks to Big Church Day Out Photo: Clive Mear/Tearfund

JUMANA’S JOY: UPDATE FROM CHAD Last year we shared the story of Jumana in Chad, who was forced to dig through ants’ nests to find food for her family. We recently visited Hillé Bar village to find out the difference your support has made to Jumana and families like hers.

Rain has come, her crops are growing and now there’s grass for the livestock to graze. This year she harvested three bags’ worth of grain – all made possible by the food assistance she received thanks to your support.

‘Jumana used to be a very shy woman,’ says Tearfund's Bertha Chunda. ‘But when I saw her she was well dressed and there was a sense of empowerment about her.’

There are still challenges: climate change is bringing unpredictable weather patterns to the Sahel region of Africa. But, thanks to your ongoing support, we are helping many of the most vulnerable to be more resilient.

‘Jumana was well dressed and there was a sense of empowerment about her’

Above: Jumana and her family are stronger thanks to your support Photo: Levourne Passiri/Tearfund

CHOLERA CRISIS DEVASTATES YEMEN The humanitarian crisis in Yemen continues, with an outbreak of cholera sweeping through the country. Ongoing conflict has seen intense bombing, leaving many of Yemen’s medical facilities out of action.

‘By acting quickly we can save lives’

In June the UN Security Council said the spread of cholera is ‘the latest indicator of the gravity of the humanitarian crisis.’

Guy Calvert-Lee, Deputy Head of Tearfund’s Eurasia programme, says, ‘Cholera should not be a problem in this day and age. It is not particularly difficult to prevent. People just need clean drinking water and basic hygiene and sanitation.

‘It is a measure of how broken Yemen has become that cholera has reached the epidemic levels that it has. But by acting quickly we can save lives and reduce further transmissions.’

In December 2016, alongside the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal, Tearfund supporters raised £1.5 million for the Yemen Crisis Appeal. Thank you.

Above: A boy washing his hands in water dripping from a truck in Yemen Photo: Tearfund UK

IN THE

NEWS FREE CYCLING TO END CHILD TRAFFICKING

OUR SIX-YEAR-OLD RUNNING SUPERSTAR

‘As a dad, I am passionate about protecting children,’ says Ruan Pienaar, Ulster and South Africa rugby star, and Tearfund Ambassador.

When six-year-old Bethany Wynter heard about the food crisis in East Africa she wanted to do something about it. Having already completed the Wimbledon Common parkrun nine times she used the tenth occasion to fundraise for Tearfund.

On 14 June, Ruan led a group of 30 cyclists on a 90km charity bike ride across the northern coast of Ireland.

They aimed to raise £90,000 for Tearfund which could protect up to 2,500 children from child trafficking, disease and disaster.

‘Trafficking is a global crime that affects the world’s most vulnerable,’ says Ruan.

‘I am so moved by the many people who signed up for the Cycle for Freedom.’

‘Trafficking is a global crime that affects the world’s most vulnerable’ One of the stories which inspired the cycle was that of Mazna, who found herself trafficked from her village in rural India and sold to a brothel. Tearfund partner Oasis India helped Mazna set herself free.

‘I never thought I would be released from this darkness,’ says Mazna. ‘But Tearfund gave me the strength and confidence to keep fighting.’

‘I saw some people doing a sponsored walk,’ Bethany says, ‘so I decided to have a go.’ Braving a cool March morning, cheered on by friends and family, Bethany secured a personal best time for the 5km course.

‘I saw people doing a sponsored walk and decided to have a go’ Her aim was to raise £720 for the East Africa Crisis Appeal – set up to help 23 million people facing a food crisis in Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. So far, Bethany has raised more than double that: a total of £1,590 (including Gift Aid).

Well done to Bethany, and all our supporters who challenge themselves to raise money for Tearfund. Visit www.tearfund.org/fundraise to find out how you can fundraise too.

Above: Six-year-old Bethany is a fundraiser for Tearfund Photo: Seamus Reilly/Tearfund

NEWS TEAR TIMES . 7

CHRISTMAS CARDS THAT SHOW YOU CARE Tearfund Christmas cards are a great way to send seasons greetings to friends, family and church, and show that you care about people suffering poverty and injustice around the world.

This year we have a heavenly host of beautiful designs, each with a festive Christian message of hope.

All our cards feature a Bible verse and are available in packs of ten or 20. They are designed and produced in the UK and printed in Yorkshire on FSC© paper from Cumbria.​You can order cards online at www.tearfundchristmascards.co.uk – where there’s a huge selection of cards to choose from (including ranges from previous years). We have exclusive online offers including three for two on certain card designs and free shipping on orders over £50.

The website includes a selection of Christmas gift ideas including jewellery, mugs and decorations. Our cards and gifts also raise vital funds for families living in poverty across the world.

Giving thanks for A great response at the Big Church Day Out, which means more than 48,000 people can be released from hunger.

Amazing fundraiser six-year-old Bethany Wynter who ran 5km and raised more than £1,500.

Jumana in Chad whose livelihood has been restored, after having to dig through ants’ nests for food.

PRAYER

PULSE

Praying for The people of Yemen facing a humanitarian crisis, compounded by the cholera outbreak.

An end to child trafficking in India, and that the determination of Ruan Pienaar and his fellow cyclists would bring justice to children.

Tearfund’s Big Bake, which is happening again this year, to be a great success in raising funds to tackle global poverty.

A selection from Tearfund's 2017 Christmas card catalogue

HOPES, DREAMS AND Written by Peter Shaw, Tear Times Editor Photos: Tom Price/Tearfund

‘Since that day I haven’t slept,’ says Josephine. ‘I have nightmares every night, dreaming there is fighting all around. I see people coming after me, trying to grab me.’ Two years ago, fighting from South Sudan’s bitter civil war finally reached Josephine’s home in Malakal.

Josephine’s family set out with only the clothes they stood up in, walking barefoot.

When they reached Pachala – 400km away – a group of soldiers put them in a vehicle and drove them the final stretch.

Then aged 16, Josephine saw many people from her community killed. Malakal is South Sudan’s second largest city after the capital, Juba. And it was to Juba, more than 600km away, that Josephine, her grandmother, three sisters and four brothers chose to flee to escape the threat of death.

‘It was a terrible journey from Pachala to Juba,’ says Josephine. ‘We slept on the roadside. The roads were muddy so we often had to stop and get out to pull the car from the mud.’

A NIGHTMARE JOURNEY

Josephine, who lives in a makeshift camp outside Juba, South Sudan

FEATURE TEAR TIMES . 9

The family eventually arrived but they were stranded in the city with nothing – no money or possessions. Josephine’s mother died in 2013 after falling ill. Her father looked after the family but he took the difficult decision to stay in Malakal while the rest of them fled.

‘My dream is to study higher education and become a maths teacher. But my future is in crisis because of this conflict. I often feel hopeless. But I still have a little hope left. If peace comes I will go back home to Malakal and finish my education. But it is hard to see what the future will be for my country.

Now aged 19, Josephine is responsible for her elderly grandmother and younger siblings. She has occasional contact with her father, but the phone line often breaks and there’s no way to send money across the country.

‘My hope is in God. I trust that he will do a miracle and bring peace to South Sudan.

Because life is very hard here.’

The rest of the family now live in Konyo Konyo, a camp in Juba for displaced people fleeing South Sudan’s protracted conflict.

‘Life in the camp is difficult,’ says Josephine.

‘There is little food or basic items. Even getting clothing is hard.’

LIFE IN A REFUGEE CAMP Konyo Konyo camp is currently home to about 2,000 families – that’s more than 7,000 men, women and children. The camp is overwhelmed by the needs of so many families.

Fortunately, Josephine has been able to continue at school – which is vital for her long-term prospects. But for now she has no regular source of income. Josephine and her family are surviving on food distributions from Tearfund partner Africa Inland Church.

‘It’s the only help we have,’ says Josephine.

‘That’s why we are very happy to receive the food distributions. We thank God for them.’

HARD TO HOPE FOR THE FUTURE She is also grateful to all of you who generously give to support families like hers in acute need: ‘I would like to offer my thanks to Tearfund for bringing us food.

We pray that God will bless Tearfund to bring even more food because the need here is very great.

More than six million people – that’s more than half the population of South Sudan – are severely food insecure, the largest number ever recorded in the country. In the midst of this, Tearfund and our partners are providing food assistance for more than 17,000 people like Josephine who have been displaced. We are also giving malnutrition treatment to about 50,000 children and pregnant mothers – and we’re desperate to do more.

A CRISIS ACROSS AFRICA But it is not just South Sudan that is suffering. Extreme drought conditions, often exacerbated by conflict, have left millions on the brink of starvation and it will only get worse if we don’t act quickly.

East Africa is in crisis with 23 million people facing desperate food shortages – according to the UN, it’s the largest humanitarian crisis since the second world war. As is so often the case, it is women and children who suffer the most. More than 800,000 children under five are severely malnourished.

‘LIFE IN THE CAMP IS DIFFICULT. THERE IS LITTLE FOOD’ Giving £9 a month over a year could provide food for one person. Your generous support and prayers today can help more families like Josephine’s across the world facing hunger, poverty and disaster.

10 . TEAR TIMES FEATURE

‘MY HOPE IS IN GOD. I TRUST THAT HE WILL DO A MIRACLE AND BRING PEACE TO SOUTH SUDAN’ JOSEPHINE, SOUTH SUDAN

A VIEW FROM THE GROUND IN SOUTH SUDAN Written by Andrew Horton, News Editor

Images of desperation in South Sudan have filled newspapers and flooded TV screens. When I visited the country, I wanted to see for myself what the situation was really like.

In the brief time I’ve worked for Tearfund, I’ve seen horrendously difficult situations in the countries we work in, as well as hearing stories of unbelievable hope in the face of adversity. But nothing could prepare me for South Sudan...

I visited in March 2017, meeting people who were severely malnourished, and families who’d travelled for days clinging to lorries to escape fighting or walked miles barefoot to reach the camps.

Most of those I met had no possessions, no income and no idea where their next meal would come from. To look into the eyes of a woman who tells you, ‘All I’m eating is grass from the ground,’ is a moment you can’t forget.

Above: Konyo Konyo IDP camp in Juba

A MOTHER’S LOVE One story that lingers vividly in my memory is of Mary, aged 30, and her five-month-old child in Twic East, north of Juba. Despite relying on food assistance, she was a woman with a strong personality.

‘ALL I’M EATING IS GRASS’ Yet, when I met her, she couldn’t even lift a bucket of water from a well. She showed me how thin her arms were: I’ll never forget how fragile they looked. Mary looked me straight in the eye when we talked. Her passion to communicate her story was compelling.

12 . TEAR TIMES FEATURE

HOPE IN GOD The contrast in my life is something I’m still coming to terms with. Shopping at the supermarket recently, I was asked by the woman at the till if I’d found everything I was looking for. Thinking of the vast choice of food available compared to what I had witnessed in South Sudan was unbearable.

I choked up a little.

Then there was the malnourished mother in Panyangor, who was overjoyed when she was told that her ten-month-old daughter was no longer malnourished.

There is something so powerful about a mother’s sacrificial love for her child. Such determined stories in an arena of heartbreak continue to inspire me.

‘MOST PEOPLE HAD NO POSSESSIONS, NO INCOME AND NO IDEA WHERE THEIR NEXT MEAL WOULD COME FROM’

Some people complain that donations to big appeals don’t actually help the people who are suffering. But when I visited Tearfund feeding centres, workers spoke movingly of the huge progress being made in discharging children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. I saw firsthand the incredible difference your generosity makes.

Despite the ongoing conflict in South Sudan and a severe hunger crisis, the people I met were strong and resilient. When I asked, ‘Where do you find your hope today?’ more often than not, people’s reply was that they find their hope in God. To see a tiny malnourished baby recover after six weeks at a feeding programme is so powerful. To hear that children are being discharged from feeding centres is deeply heartening. But, to know that this work could easily be expanded to help more people reach their full potential is what really motivates me.

Taking rest in the Konyo Konyo IDP camp Above: Interviewing a young mother at a nutrition centre in Maar

RE YOU VIE R P W UL OF LO TH UT EY EA R

ANNUAL REVIEW 2016/2017 ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

Everything we do at Tearfund is about seeing God’s kingdom come – his will done on earth as it is in heaven. This desire is what’s at the heart of our strategy, holding it together, motivating us to push harder, and inspiring you, our supporters, to get behind us.

Maybe this is why I quite enjoy the process of annual reporting. That’s right, I enjoy it! Because it gives us the chance to look back and see behind us a trail of lives saved, potential unlocked and burdens lifted. Our annual reporting enables us to see where God has been at work through us, and reminds us that he is already at work ahead of us.

Children in Chagunda village, Salima, Malawi Photo: Tom Price/Tearfund

We have much to celebrate this year, with a wonderful four million people directly benefiting from our work in over 50 countries.

In the following pages, you can read some of the highlights of our full Annual Report, broken down into key areas of Tearfund’s work: disaster response; working through the local church; transforming communities; and changing unjust policies. I hope you find it as inspiring as I do.

Nigel Harris, Tearfund CEO

DELIVER US: DISASTERS RESPONDED TO Disasters are brutal. They are sudden and devastating, and so often they strike where people are already facing poverty and hardship. This is why tackling disaster always has and always will be a priority for us.

Back in October when warnings started coming in of a hurricane heading towards southern Haiti, we didn’t know how bad it was going to be, but our partners were prepared for the worst.

The communities in Haiti also didn’t know what to expect. Tropical storms and floods are common there, so many of the locals just carried on as usual.

This time, however, the storm was anything but run of the mill. Hurricane Matthew struck on 4 October 2016 – more than 800 people were killed in the worst storm to hit the island in 50 years.

THIS YEAR AROUND THE WORLD

800,000 PEOPLE WERE HELPED THROUGH OUR DISASTER RESPONSE WORK

Jenniflore can smile again Photo: Jade Beakhouse/Tearfund

After the hurricane, we spoke to single mum Jenniflore. She huddled in her modest rented home when the disaster struck, her four children already up the hill with their grandma. But the house didn’t stand a chance and the roof was ripped off, sending Jenniflore fleeing into the chaos, terrified.

Hundreds of people were killed that night.

Jenniflore was grateful that she and her family survived, though they lost their home, livestock and vegetable plot. Our partners responded quickly and effectively, distributing emergency food kits to Jenniflore and many others in need.

Now, our response has moved on to helping Jenniflore and others affected to rebuild their lives, and become better prepared for future disasters.

THIS YEAR AROUND THE WORLD

21,000

Church service, Chagunda, Salima district, Malawi Photo: Tom Price/Tearfund

CHURCHES WERE ENVISIONED TO BRING CHANGE AMONG THE COMMUNITIES AROUND THEM

YOUR KINGDOM COME: CHURCHES ENVISIONED It’s amazing just how much good the church can do when it’s secure and inspired in its calling to be the hands and feet of Christ. For us, working through local churches is the most authentic and powerful way to bring down poverty and bring about God’s transformation.

In the words of Clive Mather, Chair of Tearfund’s Board, ‘Working through the local church brings God into the equation in remarkable ways.’ That’s why we are passionate about equipping the church.

Being Tearfund – wholly committed to following Jesus where the need is greatest – we respond quickly, even when it’s messy and difficult. Take Honduras as an example, where cities such as San Pedro Sula regularly feature among the world’s top ‘murder capitals’.

For many years, the church felt powerless to act, intimidated and overwhelmed by the huge social challenges surrounding them. But we know they have the potential to bring about healing and peace in their communities. To unlock this potential, together with our partners in the Micah Network, we are uniting a movement of church-led change in Honduras.

It’s early days, but the signs are good. So far, 16 local churches, 14 key influencers and three NGOs are involved. Through coming together, local churches in Honduras are growing stronger. They are dreaming and learning together and have amazing plans for the future.

THANK YOU for your support!

YOUR GENEROUS DONATIONS Income 2016/17

Thank you for all your generosity which will be used to support some of the poorest people on earth in Jesus’ name...

GENERAL DONATIONS £41.7M

57.4% Gifts donated to Tearfund

to support all of our work.

This includes money from fundraising events and activities, individuals and churches.

EMERGENCY APPEALS £8.6M

11.8% Gifts donated by fundraising events and activities, individuals and churches in response to emergency appeals and disaster situations.

GOVERNMENT GRANTS £19.9M

2.6%

CONTRACT INCOME £1.9M

Contracts awarded to Tearfund to carry out specific contracted water, sanitation and hygiene work overseas and deliver our International Citizenship Service Programme – both funded by the Department for International Development.

0.8%

OTHER INCOME £0.6M

Income from others sources such as card sales, overseas trips for supporters and interest from investments.

27.4% Grants awarded to Tearfund

from sources such as the UK government and the European Union to carry out work overseas.

TOTAL INCOME

£72.7M

HOW WE INVESTED YOUR MONEY Expenditure 2016/17

Your gift follows Jesus to the place of greatest need.

This is how we invested the money you entrusted to us...

10%

FUNDRAISING £7.1M

Making your gifts go further to have a much greater impact serving people in poverty. We grow relationships with churches, respond to your enquiries and keep you informed of the greatest need.

9.5%

SUPPORT AND RUNNING COSTS £6.7M

Putting robust systems and processes in place to keep our frontline staff safe, and evaluating our work to learn and improve so that your money is used more effectively as a result.

9.2%

6.6%

CHANGING UNJUST POLICIES £4.7M

Because poverty is also top-down, we campaign in the UK and globally for fair policies to support – not harm – poor people.

DISASTER

35.5% RESPONSE £25.1M

Most people (92 per cent) who are affected, or killed, by disasters are in poor countries. Our 50 years’ experience responding to floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, food crises and conflicts enable us to act quickly, using your support to save lives.

ENVISIONING THE GLOBAL CHURCH £6.5M

Equipping the church to end poverty. The giants of poverty must be faced by a more powerful force if they’re to be overcome. So we use your support to work through local churches – the world’s largest voluntary network.

£6.7m £7.1m £4.7m

EXPENDITURE 2016/17

£25.1m

£6.5m

DEVELOPING

29.2% COMMUNITIES £20.7M

Enabling communities to defeat their poverty. Clean water. Food for tomorrow.

A roof when it rains. A livelihood.

Whatever the need, we don’t do it for them. We go one step further: we help them do it.

£20.7m Did you know?

In every £1, we spend 35p responding to disasters, 29p developing communities, 9p envisioning the local church and 7p on changing unjust policies. The remaining 20p is spent on support and running costs, and fundraising to generate more income, a relatively low percentage compared with some charities.

YOUR WILL BE DONE: COMMUNITIES DEVELOPED We serve a God who has made each one of us in his own image, capable of wonderful things. That’s why we come alongside people, empowering them to take charge of their own development and fulfil their God-given potential.

Pastor Moses Maomou’s community from Kakata town, north-east Monrovia is a good example of this. Two of the communities the pastor serves had been divided by marshland.

For much of the year the marsh turned into an impassable swamp. Children in one community were forced to trek more than two miles to reach the school.

That’s until Pastor Moses became involved with Church and Community Mobilisation (CCM) and his church helped the two

THIS YEAR AROUND THE WORLD

3.22M

PEOPLE IN COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN EMPOWERED TO START OVERCOMING POVERTY

The bridge that made a big difference Photo: Francis Wahome/Tearfund

villages reconnect. Moses’ church led villagers through the CCM programme, and helped them identify the issues they wanted to address. The need for a bridge across the swamp was high on many people’s agenda.

Once they understood it was possible, and that they had the skills and resources needed to make change happen, villagers decided to build a bridge themselves. They successfully lobbied the local authority to provide materials.

Now, navigating the swamp means a journey of just a few hundred metres. The communities have overcome one of their biggest longstanding problems and feel proud of what they’ve achieved.

THIS YEAR AROUND THE WORLD

27,000

Recycling plastic bottles into usable items Photo: Jos Green Centre

TEARFUND SUPPORTERS ACTIVELY PROMOTED A MORE SUSTAINABLE, RESTORATIVE ECONOMY

THE POWER AND THE GLORY: POLICIES CHANGED God calls us to stand up against the injustices that fuel poverty and oppression. In Proverbs 31:9, we’re called to: ‘Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.’

When you hear about advocacy and campaigning, placards in Westminster may spring to mind. But Tearfund’s advocacy spans continents. In 2016/17 alone, we’ve helped change unjust policies in Nepal, Bolivia, Brazil, Uganda, Haiti and Nigeria, as well as the UK. In Nigeria our partner is training young people to bring about local social change through advocacy, as well as entrepreneurship and networking.

This is bringing change on so many levels.

The local authorities in the city of Jos have agreed to adopt more sustainable policies, benefiting the environment as well as families living there. They have also given young people permission to clear the streets of abandoned signs to ‘upcycle’ them to make shopping bags to sell for income, improving living conditions as well as creating businesses.

So far, 650 young people are speaking out, engaging in social action and advocacy in Jos and beyond. And they are now reaching out to young people across the country to encourage even further change.

NOW AND FOREVER:

AN ASTONISHING 92,000 OF YOU DONATED TO TEARFUND IN 2016/17 That’s amazing. And you are amazing.

Without the support of people like you praying, giving and encouraging, the things you’ve read about – the four million lives touched this year – would not be possible.

You are part of Christ’s work, helping to change hearts, minds and lives around the world. You are part of a beautiful thing.

We love having you with us on this journey.

Thank you for joining us as we follow Jesus where the need is greatest.

Photo: Tom Price/Tearfund

You can read the full Tearfund Annual Report and accounts by visiting www.tearfund.org/annualreport or you can request a printed copy by emailing info@tearfund.org or calling 020 3906 3906.

FEATURE TEAR TIMES . 13

TOILETS WINNING IN THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Written by Lorraine Kingsley and Seren Boyd

Ericaine’s home is a square of bare red earth marked out by wooden struts and tarpaulin walls. The bed is a bundle of sticks bound with string and a thin rattan mat. There’s a tiny suitcase, a few clothes, the odd pot and pan and notebook – and precious little else.

On the other side of the tarpaulin divide another seven families share this tent.

Home for Ericaine is a displacement camp in Boda – and has been for three years. She’s one of more than 500,000 people displaced within the Central African Republic (CAR).

It’s a refuge of sorts from the chaos that still rages, though the fighting has come

within a few miles of the camp. But the main threat now is not the militias: it’s sickness and disease.

ON THE RUN Before she came here, Ericaine had a comfortable life with enough to feed and clothe her children. It was the crack of gunfire one day that shattered her world.

People started running in every direction, terrified. Grabbing her children, she fled.

They hid for two nights in the bush. Ericaine, who was pregnant, stayed awake, guarding her family. On the third day, they made their way to a church where about 100 other families had sought refuge.

Above: Ericaine (right) and friends monitor and clean toilet blocks to protect the health of the whole camp Photo: Ralph Hodgson/Tearfund

14 . TEAR TIMES FEATURE

Many of those flooding into Boda at that time had walked for days. Some had seen loved ones brutally killed. Everyone was traumatised. Everyone was a stranger. The church compound and a piece of tarpaulin were home for the next eight months.

Even there, they weren’t safe. Gunfire sent them back into the trees for days at a time.

Ericaine gave birth to her youngest child in the bush, alone and fearful.

The team capped the nearby spring to ensure a good supply of clean water and built toilet blocks, washrooms and handwashing stations. They also taught camp residents about hygiene.

They found volunteers to take on responsibility for cleaning the toilets and making sure people used them properly.

Ericaine volunteered immediately. Now, she and her team are often busy with their rubber gloves, brooms and buckets.

DANGER AND DISEASE Conditions in the compound were bad – no better even when the families were moved to a UN camp set up next to the church.

At first, there were no toilets and the nearby spring was not kept clean. The children went to the toilet everywhere. Modesty drove women into the bush, where they feared being attacked by snakes or militia.

‘MODESTY DROVE WOMEN INTO THE BUSH, WHERE THEY FEARED BEING ATTACKED BY SNAKES OR MILITIA’ TOILETS AND TEAMWORK Tearfund staff began work in Ericaine’s camp in 2014 – a water and sanitation project partly funded by our Toilet Twinning initiative.

Everyone in the cleaning team is highly motivated to keep the toilets clean and avoid disease. Rose, another mother in the camp, knows the importance of this all too well. Her 14-year-old son survived the militias’ guns and machetes – only to succumb to disease in the camp.

‘Things were very bad before: there was so much sickness,’ says Rose. ‘They’re much better now.’

Tensions continue to flare in CAR. Ericaine longs for her old life, but her neighbours in the camp are her community for now. ‘I want to make the camp a healthier place – not just for my family but for everyone.’

‘THINGS WERE VERY BAD BEFORE: THERE WAS SO MUCH SICKNESS’ Below: For three years, home for Ericaine and her children has been a square of bare earth with tarpaulin walls Photo: Ralph Hodgson/Tearfund

Twin your toilet for World Toilet Day on November 19 and help keep the world’s most vulnerable families like Ericaine’s safe from disease. www.toilettwinning.org

FEATURE TEAR TIMES . 15

FIVE YEARS OF CONFLICT IN THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Extreme violence broke out in the Central African Republic in 2013 when a militia group overthrew the government. A second group retaliated with attacks: burning villages, killing and raping civilians. As a result, many people fled their homes.

The need in CAR is enormous: 2.2 billion people (that’s 40 per cent of the population) depend on humanitarian aid for their survival.

Tearfund is responding in a number of ways: •• The protracted conflict has left communities divided and fearful, leading to further uprising, animosity and fear. Tearfund runs workshops and groups to help bring communities together.

•• Tearfund is providing seeds and tools for farming, as well as agricultural training. Between January and April this year we trained 1,389 people, enabling them to provide for their families and begin to buy and sell goods at the local market.

•• We’ve installed latrines to reduce disease and set up schools in camps for displaced people.

•• Tearfund has trained women, who have suffered greatly during this conflict, in numeracy and literacy, enabling them to start businesses. We’ve also trained churches and communities to respond to sexual violence, empowering survivors to help others who have suffered.

This displacement camp in CAR lacked clean water and proper sanitation before Tearfund began work there Photo: Ralph Hodgson/Tearfund

16 . TEAR TIMES NEWS

BEATING HUNGER IS A PIECE OF CAKE Taking part in Tearfund’s Big Bake puts you right at the heart of the fight against poverty. Whether you bake or buy, every pound raised at your bake sale will make a difference to people in huge need. So let’s crank up that oven and turn up the heat on poverty!

WATCH OUT POVERTY, THE (OVEN) GLOVES ARE OFF! Without fundraisers like you, our work simply wouldn’t be possible. Take Sahira*, from the Central Asian States, where life is tough. HIV, drug abuse, unemployment, family breakdown, crime and violence are all on the rise.

Sahira’s parents were unable to care for her when she was young, leaving her vulnerable and alone. Sahira found a safe haven with Lev and Zarina, a husband and wife team running an orphanage for vulnerable girls supported by Tearfund – where she joined a baking course.

The course is making all the difference to the girls, giving them the skills and confidence they need to make a living and build safe lives. ‘For us, this can mean economic freedom and independence in the future,’ says Sahira.

Due to security reasons, we are not able to name specific areas or partners, all names have been changed and images are representative only.

*

Photo: Alice Keen/Tearfund

‘LEARN TO DO RIGHT; SEEK JUSTICE. DEFEND THE OPPRESSED. TAKE UP THE CAUSE OF THE FATHERLESS; PLEAD THE CASE OF THE WIDOW.’ ISAIAH 1:17

WHETHER YOU BAKE OR BUY, YOUR BIG BAKE CAKE SALE CAN CHANGE LIVES.

£216

£432

Raise £216,

and you could provide two people like Lev with community development training to transform the lives of girls like Sahira.

Raise £432, and you could

provide four people like Lev with community development training, transforming even more lives.

£1,304

Raise £1,304, and you

could provide the equipment to start a baking business in another community like Sahira’s!

18 . TEAR TIMES NEWS

TEN YEARS: ONE VISION Praise God for a decade of progress!

LOOKING BACK AT AN AMAZING DECADE OF TRANSFORMATION This year we have been looking back over where we have been and what changes we have seen during our ten-year strategy. It is a great opportunity for us to learn and reflect on what has been working, what we can continue to scale-up and focus on, and to see how we can adapt and improve on the way we and our partners work in the future.

Since 2006, when our strategy was launched, we have seen some notable global changes. Absolute economic poverty has reduced more in the last 50 years than in the last 500 years, along with dramatic increases in life expectancy.

The number of people living in extreme poverty is set to fall below ten per cent of the global population for the first time. This is progress but, as we know, there is still work to be done to help people step out of poverty and lead transformed lives.

I want to thank you, our donors and supporters. Without your trust in us, your generosity and sacrificial giving, we and our partners would not be able to have an impact across the world.

Tearfund’s ten-year vision (2006-2016) was to see 50 million people released from material and spiritual poverty through a worldwide network of 100,000 local churches. And over the last ten years...

MORE THAN

154,000

churches have been envisioned, empowered and equipped to play their part in the transformation of the poorest communities and in changing society.

MORE THAN

32 MILLION people have been reached through community development projects – some of the poorest communities are now resilient to shocks and stresses, and are working for peace and unity, contributing to better futures for themselves and others.

NEWS TEAR TIMES . 19

FOLLOWING JESUS WHERE THE NEED IS GREATEST Within Tearfund in the last ten years, we have seen: the expansion of our Church and Community Mobilisation work; selfhelp group models, nurtured in Ethiopia, growing and multiplying in other countries; adaption of our response to HIV and AIDS to incorporate sexual and genderbased violence; our emerging work on peacebuilding; adaptation and resilience building for communities affected by climate change; and our influencing and advocacy work speaking into a broad range of issues including restorative economy and the role of faith leaders in the Ebola crisis.

We're committed to following Jesus where the need is greatest, whether in response to disasters or working through local churches, where appropriate, to unlock people's potential and see them transformed and flourishing.

GET THE BIGGER PICTURE These results are just a snapshot of what has been achieved over the last ten years. There are more details and analysis of our work this year, and during the previous decade, in Tearfund’s 2017 Impact and Learning Report, which you can download and read here: www.tearfund.org/impact – or you can request a printed copy by emailing info@tearfund.org or calling 020 3906 3906.

In the next edition of Tear Times we will give details of Tearfund’s new strategy.

Nigel Harris, Tearfund CEO

MORE THAN

300

policies have been changed – ensuring that social, political, economic and environmental systems and policies now work for the poorest communities, ensuring access to basic needs, reducing inequality and sustaining growth.

MORE THAN

13 MILLION

people have been supported following disasters – having their immediate needs met after crises and natural disasters damaged community structures and mechanisms.

Photo: Alice Keen/Tearfund

20 . TEAR TIMES FEATURE

THYME TO BEET FOOD WASTE Written by Katherine Maxwell-Rose, Online Youth Editor

A third of all food produced in the world is never eaten. Not only is this a moral challenge when millions go hungry, but the wasteful grow-and-throw cycle is also contributing significantly to climate change – hitting those who live in poverty the hardest.

‘It’s upsetting to think that we so easily make choices, usually based on convenience, without giving a second thought to the impact on others,’ share Ruth and Tim Hutchison, Tearfund supporters from Leighton Buzzard.

INJUSTICE OF WASTED FOOD ‘These actions are contributing to a more erratic climate worldwide, affecting poorer communities through increased flooding and droughts. It’s really sobering. It makes us think about food waste: how we buy our food, what we buy, and what we do with leftovers.’

They realised they have the power to make a change. Stopping avoidable UK household food waste would be the equivalent of taking one in four cars off our roads.

The Hutchisons have always tried to reduce how much food they throw out. But realising the broader impact on the environment really concerned them.

When they spoke to their children, aged 12 and ten, about the issue, their daughter had already learnt about it at school. Both were really keen to get involved.

‘WE SO EASILY MAKE CONVENIENT CHOICES WITHOUT GIVING A SECOND THOUGHT TO THE IMPACT’

‘We plan our menu for the week – meals and packed lunches – then write a shopping list. We shop online and make sure we get everything so we don’t have to do top-up shops. We use leftovers creatively and have become very good friends with our freezer.’

SUPPORTED BY

FEATURE TEAR TIMES . 21

NOT SO ‘SUPER’ MARKETS Although much of the food wasted in the UK does come from households, supermarkets also have a role to play in reducing waste. Currently around a third of vegetable crops are not even harvested because supermarkets have such strict cosmetic standards.

‘We should be putting pressure on our supermarkets to offer products that are edible but maybe don’t look so nice,’ say the Hutchisons. ‘At home, we show our children that it’s perfectly fine to eat an apple that’s got a few lumps, bumps and blemishes.’

The Hutchisons' faith plays an important part in how they make these day-to-day decisions. A passage in Isaiah has challenged them in particular: ‘Stop doing wrong.

Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.’

(Isaiah 1:16-17) CHOOSING TO LIVE DIFFERENTLY These verses are reminders that ‘doing right’ doesn’t come naturally but has to be learnt and pursued in every area of life.

‘In regards to food waste, it may take a little more planning and being stricter, but it’s the ‘right’ thing to do because of the global consequences and therefore we should embrace it as a family.’

Ruth, Tim and their children live out the Isaiah verses every day through their simple choices and actions but they don’t see it as anything extraordinary, ‘It’s just the way we live.’

Tearfund recently launched its Renew our Food pledge to tackle food waste. Visit www.tearfund.org/foodwaste to join the Hutchisons and take the pledge to reduce your own food waste, and call on supermarkets to commit to halving theirs by 2030.

An Edinburgh Food Waste Feast attendee shares their thoughts on food waste Photo: Euan Ramsay

Tips • Refuse to buy more food than you need.

• Reduce the amount wh goes into your landfill ich bin.

• Share your foodsaving tips with others.

Follow @ TearfundAct to see some of our favour ites!

22 . TEAR TIMES REFLECTION

A GODSHAPED CALLING

By Lucy Pieterse, Global Volunteering Communications Manager Pouring cold water over my head from a plastic bucket, I stand inside the small, open-aired shower. My bright sarong covers the gap in the mud walls and I silently pray that I’m fully concealed.

‘Eti sen, Lucy?’ I hear the morning greeting called from the footpath and reply as best I can, hoping it’s just the sarong that is recognised.

These morning showers, just outside my mud-built house, in a tiny village in Ghana were the beginnings of a journey for me.

A journey into a career serving poor people overseas and the start of living out a calling that I believe God placed on my life.

HEARING THE CALL I can still remember the moment I heard this call. I was 12, standing next to my best friend at a youth service and wishing my heart would stop beating so fast.

But it didn’t. And I followed the call to stand up. I felt compelled to ask for prayer because I really believed that God was calling me to work in Africa. In my head I had a picture of a mud hut, and that was about it.

Looking back it makes me smile. That image compared to the very different reality of life in an African village. But it was the start of something that I couldn’t shake. I was only 18 when I spent six weeks with a prayer team living in Ghana.

I was young and inexperienced, but during that time God gave me a passion to care about people facing poverty and injustice.

‘AS LONG AS I’M USING THE GIFTS GOD HAS GIVEN ME, AND HELPING PEOPLE, I’M LIVING OUT MY CALLING’ Lucy's adventures in Ghana during her gap year

REFLECTION TEAR TIMES . 23

USING OUR GOD-GIVEN GIFTS

TIME TO LISTEN

Over the past few years I’ve realised that my calling is shaped around writing: capturing the stories of injustice around the world and hoping my words will lead to change. But at times I do stop to ask myself, was this really a calling God had placed on my life, or just a desire to travel and make a difference?

I was recently struck by the reminder that every time Jesus was facing success in his ministry, he sought solitude and quiet, to be alone with his Father.

I interviewed an entrepreneur who has just launched his own ethical business, Bird Sunglasses. I asked him if being an entrepreneur was his calling.

‘GOD GAVE ME A PASSION TO CARE ABOUT PEOPLE FACING POVERTY AND INJUSTICE’ ‘I think living out your calling is about using your talents,’ he replied. ‘For me, as long as I’m using the gifts God has given me, and helping people, I’m living out my calling.’

And maybe that’s the key thing. We need to understand the gifts God has given us and use them to help people.

In quiet time spent with our Father, we can get perspective on life, and hear God’s voice. It’s during those times we can hear God’s calling, whether it’s to go back to something we were working on, or on to something new.

In the words of Nigel Harris, Tearfund’s CEO, ‘Trying to follow God’s call can be scary at times, but it always makes sense in the rear-view mirror, if not necessarily through the windscreen.’

So, what is God calling you to?

That one thing that stirs you up?

Maybe it’s climate change and the reality that the world God has given us is slowly being changed for ever.

If it is, check out the Renew Our World campaign at www.tearfund.org/renew Maybe it’s a desire to show God’s love in practical ways as you visit and learn from Tearfund partners and inspirational communities overseas. Volunteering overseas is an amazing way to learn more about yourself and spend time figuring out your own calling. If this is for you, check out www.tearfund.org/go Maybe it’s the homeless person that you just don’t know how to help. If it is, gather a few friends together and pray, ask God to show you how to be his hands and feet in your neighbourhood.

‘I HAVE NIGHTMARES EVERY NIGHT’ Fleeing brutal conflict in South Sudan, Josephine walked for many miles barefoot to a makeshift camp. Far from home, she arrived with nothing. ‘Life in the camp is difficult,’ Josephine says.

‘There is little food or basic items.’

Despite still being haunted by the attacks, she can imagine a better future: ‘I still have a little hope left.’

Read the full story on page eight.

Across the world lives like Josephine’s are blighted by extreme poverty, conflict and disaster.

£9

Your gift of £9 a month over a year could provide enough food for one person.

www.tearfund.org/josephine

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