TEAR FUND
40 years of transformation TEAR Fund is turning 40!
From children’s lives transformed to preventing death from sickness. From innovative organic farming to self-sufficient families. From helping disaster-stricken communities find their feet to nurturing partners to maturity. You have helped spark all this through your generosity.
Partnered with the International Justice Mission in Thailand, starting our work in anti-slavery.
TEAR Fund is officially registered as a charity.
1975 The Evangelical Fellowship of New Zealand embraced the idea of a humanitarian arm of local churches. With a £10,000 grant from Tearfund UK, TEAR Fund New Zealand was birthed. The first grant provided was $2,000, to construct a village well in Guinea Bissau. From small and humble beginnings, TEAR Fund has grown to become one of the largest aid agencies in New Zealand.
• E OM C N I
1976 First ‘TEAR Torch’ published - which later becomes the Correspondent
9 • 19
00
20,0
TEAR Fund begins child sponsorship in NZ after kiwis were sponsoring children from Tearfund UK!
1981 Artists Tours begin. Remember Obadiah and the Minor Prophets? In a long history of creative partnerships, New Zealand and overseas musicians have given their time to raise interest in child sponsorship. These have included Cliff Richard, Derek Lind, Peter Shurley, Steve Apirana, Watoto Children’s Choir, Garth Hewitt, Luke Pilkinton, Dan Bremnes, Strahn, Juliagrace, Naomi Striemer and more!
DA • TO M
2015
What a privilege! For 40 years, New Zealanders like you have been partners in the mission of God to the most vulnerable, raising up the least and challenging the powerful. You sow love where there is hate, light where there is darkness, hope where there is despair.
2011
2.1M
00
2002
4 million lives changed. Our partner, EFICOR, started providing literacy and community development training to impoverished Indian communities. EFICOR has expanded to 12 states, through 48 development programmes, covering nearly 4 million people. Our current project works with Small beginnings: With only a borrowed 4,000 families. table and chair, Dr Kiran Martin started Asha in 1988. We began our partnership in 1992 and now, they impact 400,000, people across 50 slum communities in the poorest of parts of Delhi. Asha works through mother and child healthcare; upgrading houses and improvements in sanitation. They also advocate between impoverished people and government authorities.
1992
1986 Joined with Compassion International, with 1 sponsor!
3.6M
1 Y- $
13.9
$ 10 0 2 •
5- $ 9 9 •1
,000
650
1984
(MAP) to fight Guinea Worm in its last stronghold in Ivory Coast. As a result, the country got World Health Make Guinea Worm Extinct Today Organisation clearance as Guinea worm free. We helped eradicate an entire country of Guinea Worm. Please give generously to rid Côte d’Ivoire from this nasty parasite, ring TEAR Fund on 0800 800 777 or visit www.tearfund.org.nz
$ 00 0 2 •
03,0
9 0- $
6- $ 8 9 •1
40
5- $ 197
Clean safe water and your support is all that is needed to eradicate guinea worm from Côte d’Ivoire and for work to begin in Ghana.
3.8M
Steve Tollestrup takes the position of Executive Director. He guides us for 17 years and grew TEAR Fund to what it is today.
TEAR Fund remains a leading microeconomic development agency, and continues to fund innovative development projects, such as self-help groups in Ethiopia.
,000
2009
5- $ 0 0 •2
1995
TEAR Fund took a risk, and championed the revolutionary development method known as Microenterprise. Today, millions of the world’s poor have taken advantage of small, fair-credit loans to improve their lives.
8 • 19
Kouadio endured five long weeks of excruciating pain as the guinea worm was slowly extracted from his badly blistered foot by slowly winding it round a stick. There is no other cure for guinea worm but it can be prevented. Guinea worm has afflicted the poor for centuries but it is on the verge of being eradicated. Please join TEAR Fund in making guinea worm history.
Please give generously to stop West African children suffering intense pain or being crippled by metre-long parasitic guinea worms that grow inside their bodies.
8.8M
1984
2 0- $
When seven year-old Kouadio ingested the guinea worm larvae he didn’t realise this nasty parasite began growing inside him. He began to feel burning pain and started to hobble. Soon, he couldn’t walk as he developed a gaping wound - a dangling parasite was clearly visible from his foot.
TEAR Fund Compassion Day with New Zealand’s Rhema resulted in 544 children being sponsored by generous New Zealanders, during a radio extravaganza from 7am to midnight. There have been 11 Compassion Days since, including 2014. Over these events, 3,588 children have been sponsored.
1999
For well over a decade TEAR Fund has been fighting against human trafficking and slavery. We took a massive step forward by forming our partnership with Nvader. We commit over a million dollars a year to this work, which is only possible because of the amazing support of New Zealand donors.
spot the guinea worm? neither Imagine if this was your child can the people We partnered with the Medical in west africa Assistance Programme International
2000
And we don’t look a day over 40!
1980
2014
2004 It was Boxing Day, and while many in the world slept, a series of tsunamis struck with deadly force, devastating coastal areas of 14 countries bordering the Indian Ocean. Waves were up to 30 metres high and killed approximately 230,000 people. We were the quickest New Zealand NGO to action appeal for victims of the Asian Tsunami. You donated $1,630,000 from a total of $2,770,000 raised.
CEO Steve Tollestrup and the international programmes staff slept in the office that week.
The first Poverty Cycle toured the country. It started the day before the February 22nd Christchurch earthquake with the cycling teams stopping to help out. Today, the Poverty Cycle is raced at Clevedon, Auckland and includes up to 19 corporate and social teams, and raises up to $96,000 for at-risk children in New Zealand and overseas.
Thank you!
2005
We co-founded the Integral Alliance, a global development collaboration, which massively expanded our disaster relief reach. Over $3,000,000 has been raised to respond to disasters in the last five years, and the alliance has grown to over 20 members. In 40 years we have responded to over 45 disasters.
come
Commit with us to stay in the fight and find out where the Spirit will take us together. Because...
the best is yet to
TEARFUND.ORG.NZ
ISSUE / FEBRUARY 2015
GLASS HALF 40 YEARS, 40 ORGANIC FULL CHILDREN FARMING PAGE 12
PAGE 6-7
PAGE 9
GROWING VEGETABLES IN MONGOLIA AGAINST THE ODDS GROWING A BETTER LIFE: Chogdon Luvsandan tends cabbages in the community garden.
By Himali McInnes
T
hundering hooves galloping across the Gobi desert, slight seven-year-old boys riding bareback with nonchalance and staring at the foreigners taking photos. This is the scene that greets our small team from TEAR Fund as we drive along multiple dirt tracks snaking under the huge blue Mongolian skies. Riding a horse is as natural as breathing to most Mongolians. Even many of the residents of Ulan Bataar, Mongolia’s cosmopolitan capital and a frenetic city of 1.3 million people, yearn to own herds of animals and live simply in the rolling grasslands. Such is the hold animals have on the Mongolian psyche, that growing and eating fresh vegetables, not just for better health but as a source of food and income, can be a difficult concept to grasp. Due to the harsh climate and the traditional nomadic lifestyle, Mongolian cuisine consists of meat and animal fats including horse, camel, sheep or goat as well as dairy products. Fermented mare’s milk, or airag, is served to all visitors to a ger (traditional Mongolian dwelling), and is an acquired taste;
while the dried milk products, which can be salted or sweetened, are more palatable. Mongolia covers 1.5 million square kilometres, and with only 2.9 million citizens, most of whom live in the capital, it contains swathes of unpopulated land. The average life expectancy is just 68 years. With up to a third of rural Mongolians living under the poverty line, and average annual incomes of only NZ$3,990, it becomes imperative to help build resilience in nomadic communities. TEAR Fund’s partner in Mongolia, Family Agricultural Resources Mongolia (FARM), was set up in 2008 with the aim of teaching herders simple agricultural practices. This is a safeguard against the increasing frequency of severe winters, where plummeting temperatures and droughts can cause the loss of entire herds of livestock. The district that FARM works is in the south-west of the country, and the dry, rolling brown hills and clear air, bear a striking resemblance to central Otago—only ten-fold larger. Since 2011, FARM has helped to establish eight different agricultural sites, with about 50 families per site. The nomadic herders acquire the basics of agriculture by
PICTURE / IAN MCINNES
growing fresh vegetables in greenhouses or open fields, and attending classes on how to preserve the produce to eat or sell during the winter months. The sites we visited grew a plethora of produce, from potatoes, cabbages, spring onions, beets, oats and wheat, to fat cucumbers and chunky tomatoes inside earthen-walled greenhouses to trap the desert heat by day and release it by night. But agriculture can be a struggle here. The land is dry and devoid of ample rainfall. Water must be sourced from underground springs. Composting is not possible, due to the weather. Sudden hailstorms can devastate crops—we arrived at one farm minutes after such a storm, to find hailstones the size of golf-balls carpeting the ground, and a mess of shredded plants. FARM’s crop resilience training helps to mitigate some of these agricultural and weather challenges. Yet this is a place so steeped in history, where humans have survived seemingly against the odds, that such setbacks seem like minor obstacles to the programme’s participants. There is a common Mongolian understanding of nature as something to be treasured and
Chogdon Luvsandan with Himali. looked after, not quelled or conquered. As Chogdon Luvsandan, a petite leader of one of the sites, reflected: “It has been nice for everyone to work together. It is good to have another way of making a living and looking after our children.”
PRAY • Pray for the on-going creativity and success of FARM.
PO Box 8315, Symonds St, Auckland 1150, New Zealand • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • 0800 800 777 • tearfund.org.nz
2 | TEAR CORRESPONDENT
40 YEARS OF SOWING SEEDS OF HOPE PICTURE / HELEN MANSON
By Keith Ramsay
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elcome to TEAR Fund’s 40th Anniversary issue of The Correspondent. Back in 1975, the New Zealand Evangelical Fellowship in New Zealand had a vision to establish a relief agency that could be a conduit for the church to respond to the needs of the poor overseas, and TEAR Fund became the fulfilment of that vision. As you will see from reading this special issue, TEAR Fund has achieved a great deal on behalf of the world’s poor. However, none of it would have been possible without the generous and loyal support of individuals and churches over the years and the wonderful partners overseas who are implementing our projects. In 1986, TEAR Fund began its partnership with Compassion International, giving Kiwis the opportunity to sponsor children. Over
the years, many children’s lives have been transformed, not only through child sponsorship support, but through the encouragement they receive via letters. Many of the sponsors have also been touched through this relationship and some have even visited their sponsor child. Through this issue, we are hoping to get 40 children sponsored—one for each year TEAR Fund has been going. If there is room for one more in your family, please consider sponsoring one of these precious children. We are so grateful for your support that has helped build this organisation to where it is today, and we hope that you will continue to enable TEAR Fund to carry on making a difference for those caught in poverty and help release them into the more abundant life Christ promises. SEEDS OF HOPE How is it that we live in a world where so many people go hungry when we produce so much food? In fact, a great deal of what is produced gets wasted.
A combination of a lack of control over market forces, food and trade policies, climate change and disasters continue to deprive those in low-income countries of one of the most fundamental rights— the right to be well fed. Our Seeds of Hope projects are helping to re-address this power imbalance by putting food sovereignty back into the hands of the producers. In Sri Lanka we are helping small-hold farmers to create a living from milk production, and in Mongolia cooperative vegetable growing is feeding families and putting more in the pockets of producers. In Vanuatu and the Philippines, organic production and value-adding to raw commodities is doing the same. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation the only way we can feed the world over the next few decades is through small-hold organic production— you can read more about this on page 9. Organic production is giving farmers in these communities an advantage in the marketplace and lowering their costs as they don’t use expensive and harmful chemicals. With good nutritious food and more income, families are able to achieve the basic things we take for granted such as sending their children to school and being able to afford medical help when they need it. The way we live is also making life more difficult for our neighbours in low-income countries and in this issue of The Correspondent we look at ways we can help minimise its impact. To help, we have free study resources to give away. You can find out more about this on our Advocacy page. We hope you enjoy reading this special edition of The Correspondent.
PRAY • Give thanks for the work done around the world by TEAR Fund and its partners due to God’s inspiration and the faithfulness of those who have invested in the work of justice over the last 40 years—people like you.
INSIDE OUT W
Ian McInnes—CEO.
ith warm fat dripping from my fingers I watched as my Mongolian host tore another section from the goat we were devouring and handed it to me. Fat is prized, ahead of meat, and therefore given preferentially to guests—due to its insulating properties through the severe Mongolian winter. My wife Himali (her article’s on page 1) and I were there to see how nomadic communities are integrating horticultural skills with their herder instincts, offsetting the losses of goats, sheep, horses and camels through frozen winters with potatoes, onions, turnips and a dozen other greens grown in their short summer months. Mongolians are having to adapt and so too is TEAR Fund. We turn 40 this year, and for 40 years we have adapted to the changing needs of our planet’s poorer and more
marginalized people. Forty years ago TEAR Fund was reminding evangelicals, with the provocative poster slogan ‘They can’t eat prayer’ that it would take more than intercession and spiritual goodwill to tackle hunger. This is no less true today but our approach to the problem of hunger and food security is different. Today we tackle the underlying causes of food shortages, wherever we can influence these. But you will read in these pages just how complex those causes are. They range from problems of waste, greed, land grabs in poor countries by rich countries, changing climatic conditions impacting rain fall, temperature, the intensity of disasters and ultimately crop yields and the fractured and unfair global market for food. How do we as Christians remain hopeful of God’s goodness and his grace
Seeds of Hope Prayer Almighty Creator, We praise you as the author and giver of life and all that sustains it. We give thanks for the wonders of life—the air we breathe, the water that acts as the fuel of all living things, the majesty of the natural world in which we roam with rivers, mountains, valleys and fields. We marvel at the open spaces and the wilderness that bursts with life. We thank you that from creation we draw what we need to live and have our being, but we recognise this is not true of all. Forgive us and others when we have not been good caretakers of the earth, ignoring your words that gifted our food and other natural resources to all. Compel us towards being people who strive for the seeds of hope to be present for all in the production of food so that all may have enough. Creation Saving Son, Birth your hope in us and others through the seed of a new vision for how our world could be. Make us into people who recognise, nurture and act towards a more sustainable world for the benefit of all who draw life from this planet. We ask that the work of TEAR Fund and its partners may contribute towards such a vision and inspire others towards it. Life Giving Spirit, Breathe your life into the agricultural programmes undertaken by TEAR Fund’s partners so they can supply the needs of those around them. May they fit into your redemptive plan, fulfilling your gift of Genesis 1:29. Through the production of simple food and milk may there be your redemption in other aspects of life where there is brokenness. May the restoration of the promise of food be a catalyst for restoration in other areas of life. We ask these things in humble submission to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit Amen.
in a world that groans under the strain of these adjustments and suffers as a result of fallen men and women? Steve, (our former Executive Director) writes about the theological conundrum of “Where was God” during the tsunami 10 years ago. In a similar way, how do we reconcile the fact that we routinely say in our Lord’s Prayer, “… give us this day our daily bread” with the fact that 805 million still wake up, and go to bed, hungry every day in a modern world. Jesus understood how important this basic human need was to each of us and the provision of the Father in meeting it—as he proved alone in the wilderness, by the shores of Galilee with the masses and in his prayer with the disciples. TEAR Fund will continue to acknowledge the complex spiritual and physical battles that take place over food and the many other issues we tackle together with our field partners as we strive for solutions. We might be able to insulate ourselves from the winter but we should never insulate ourselves from the heart of God for the poor and the marginalized.
PO Box PO8315, Box 8315, Symonds Symonds St, Auckland St, Auckland 1150, 1150, New Zealand New Zealand • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • 0800 • 0800 800800 777777 • • tearfund.org.nz tearfund.org.nz
3
10 YEARS ON: REFLECTIONS ON THE BOXING DAY TSUNAMI By Steve Tollestrup
A
s I jot down notes to myself this Boxing Day 2014, there is a curious resemblance to the same day 10 years before. Similarly, I had been sitting on my deck in the Waitakere ranges. The morning was warm but not hot, with a soft sun and some scattered clouds and I was reflecting over a good Christmas day with family and friends. It was just after 10.30am and my wife Deirdre came out and said there had been a tsunami in Thailand on a tourist beach and 30 people were missing. Thirty people missing is a tragedy for sure, but as the Executive Director for TEAR Fund, I had in the year before been engaged with the earthquake in Bam, Iran, with more than 26,000 deaths. I continued to read a book. Deidre again came out and announced they now estimated that 600 people were feared lost. The time was now 11.30am. Something you learn in aid work is that initial estimates are usually low and that the scale of an event takes a couple of days to get a clear picture of. The leap from 30 to 600 in an hour seemed ominous. By midday the estimate was 2000 and reports were starting to come from other coasts along the Bay of Bengal and out as far as the Maldives and even the eastern coast of Africa. No question, something big and extraordinary was unfolding. Several years before with my executive team we had made an important and strategic decision; one that I am convinced was prompted by God’s Spirit. It was at a time when there was no current major disaster. We concluded that sooner or later a major humanitarian event was inevitable and that we should be prepared. When an event happens you
have little time to prepare an appeal. So, we contracted a call centre providing them with information on TEAR Fund, created a simple generic 15-second television ad, and established our contacts with them. Finally, we joined with a hroup of Christian International Disaster Response agencies (which later became the Integral Alliance), an international Christian aid and relief cooperating network. We were prepared to move at an instant. On that Boxing Day morning, like most other NGOs, our offices were shut and staff were in different locations for the holidays. I managed to get hold of Esther Ducai our Programmes Manager and we both agreed that this was adding up to something that would require an immediate response. We made the decision to swing into action. By the afternoon we had provided TVNZ with an appeal that would begin to air starting the next morning. I got all the information I could about the escalating events, while Esther contacted our ‘Integral Alliance’ members and another high-effective NGO, MEDAIR out of Switzerland. By late that afternoon with casualties in the thousands the call centre was up and running. Our strategy had worked, and with just two of us, we had been able to initiate a full scale relief appeal and a TEAR Fund aid initiative. Responding to an emergency disaster brings with it an energising level of adrenaline. The Boxing Day Tsunami was charged with it to the extent that none of us on our small but growing initial emergency team seemed to sleep. Phone calls and emails to our partners on the other side of the world arranging funds, supplies and logistic co-ordination continued throughout the night. During
BIBLICAL SNAPSHOT: SEEDS OF HOPE By Frank Ritchie
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hen God said: “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:11–12) The creation story is immense. In it, God takes chaos and shapes it towards his desired order and endows it with purpose. But it’s not the end of a story—instead it’s merely a beginning. The creation story doesn’t stand alone, rather it sets up the story of God and his
creation, so it’s pregnant with dreams, bursting with purpose, and overflowing with hope. The mention in verses 11 and 12 convey all of that hope. The seeds are the beginning of abundant life springing forth in vegetation. That vegetation has a purpose, a hope, to be given in food to humankind as stated in verse 29 at the creation of man and woman. But that purpose and hope were broken, and the creation story passed through the story of the Fall. We live in a time that follows, where not all people find sustenance as they were meant to, and many are denied or cannot get access to their basic nutritional needs, which is one of the fundamental modes of life built into that very beginning of
RESPONSE READY: TEAR Fund was quick to respond to the Tsunami. the day I was busy trying to handle radio and television interviews. Sleeping bags were brought into the office and we slept as much as we could on couches and the floor. On the third day, the appeal response was so overwhelming the call centre data system crashed for a day. A decision was made to send Esther to Sri Lanka on the first plane out. To their credit, Singapore Airlines provided free flights to Colombo for aid workers out of Singapore. Esther hit the ground running, helping our partners with logistical planning, unloading supplies, comforting the bereaved and lost and being a vital link to radio and TV back in New Zealand. The programmes team back in Auckland were working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) writing proposals and winning emergency government grants. The truth is that the high pitch of our response remained for a couple of months as we worked at times to the point of exhaustion. All TEAR Fund staff came back on deck and for that I will always be grateful. Within three months, our appeal income had seen TEAR Fund grow by 50%, a level once achieved, we never fell below. At the end of it all, with our partners Integral Alliance, MEDAIR
the story. The story of the Resurrection of Jesus breaks forth with a hope of redemption though a vision where all will be made right. Through the Resurrection we are told the present brokenness is temporary and God’s desire for his creation will have the final say. Those seeds in the creation story are caught up in that redemption and we get a vision of a redeemed world where people will not go hungry. Caught up between the Resurrection of Jesus—the seed of a renewed creation, and the promised renewal, TEAR Fund is planting new seeds of hope, both literally and metaphorically. Playing our part in giving glimpses of God’s story of renewal, we’re planting seeds of hope but we’re also literally planting seeds with a redeemed vision of Genesis 1 in mind; a vision of a land producing vegetation so that “They will be yours for food”—a promise we share with those who lack access to basic nutrition. The Fall and hunger are not the end of the story.
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and Compassion International, we had provided emergency food, built displacement centres, desalinated thousands of flooded wells, built hundreds of new housing units, helped re-unify families, supported trauma counselling and much more. I think the Boxing Day Tsunami also brought a theological conundrum. Certainly for me, and many others I know, we had to ask the question: “Where was God?” Certainly there were encouraging stories of miraculous rescues and community resilience. But the fact remains hundreds of thousands died and that demanded some honest reflection; not just about that day, but the many human tragedies, great and small. That question remained. This might not satisfy some, but I reached the point where I noted that question was not an exercise in theodicy, nor the doubt of a shaky faith, but rather a question embedded in the creation itself intended to challenge all our superficial, formulaic and sentimental images of God. It is for me a question that drives us deeper into the heart of God—one that, in the end, we come to know God more and the answer to the question less.
Let the land
PRODUCE VEGETATION:
seed-bearing plants
TREES
on the LAND that bear
FRUIT with seed in it according to their various kinds.
And God saw that it was Gen 1 :11–12
PO Box 8315, Symonds St, Auckland 1150, New Zealand ••enquiries@tearfund.org.nz enquiries@tearfund.org.nz• • 0800 0800 800 800 777 777 • tearfund.org.nz • tearfund.org.nz
4 | TEAR CORRESPONDENT
HIGH STEAKS: What we eat can affect others and our environment.
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A MEATY ISSUE: HOW DO MY FOOD CHOICES AFFECT OTHERS? By Madina Turgieva
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re sausages bad? I’m not asking whether they taste bad, because let’s admit it, nothing beats a smoky chorizo squished between bread and smothered in tomato sauce. But I want to raise an unpopular topic: are the taken-for-granted ways we feed ourselves straining our precious environment and harming some of the poorest people in the world? And if so, what can we do about it? Since the beginning of time, humans have indulged in eating animals and it seems as if we haven’t changed much since then. In fact, for most New Zealanders, meat and dairy are firm staples in our daily diet. However, this habit taxes our environment as well as affecting our neighbours in the developing world. There are links
control that it is estimated that by the year 2050, more crops could be fed to animals than to humans. With over 805 million people suffering from chronic undernourishment, this just seems wrong. This trend will see the more affluent enjoying meat, at the expense of the poor who will go hungry. As well as taking up precious agricultural land and consuming crops otherwise suitable for human consumption, cattle need at least twice as much water as grains to produce the same amount of food. This has ripple effects. The downward trend in the number of chronically undernourished may be reversed, as more developing countries become wealthier and adopt a westernised, meat-heavy diet. The high demand for crops to be used as feed for animals contributes to an increase in food prices, meaning
...I want to raise an unpopular topic: are the takenfor-granted ways we feed ourselves straining our precious environment and harming some of the poorest people in the world? And if so, what can we do about it?” between increased meat consumption and continual degradation of the environment and a connection between eating meat and world hunger. Let’s take a closer look. First of all, the production of meat, milk and eggs leads to an enormous loss of calories grown in fields, since cereals and oil seeds have to be cultivated to feed to animals. According to Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) nearly 80 per cent of the world’s agricultural land is used to produce feed for farmed animals. Our love affair with meat has grown so out of
that people living in poorer places who get the majority of their nutrition from crops, can no longer afford the increased prices. The environmental impact is also huge. Roughly a fifth of all the world’s pasture has been degraded through over-grazing Brazil, the second largest beef producer after the US, is an example. Between 1996 and 2004, the total export value of beef increased tenfold from $190 million to $1.9 billion. This has resulted in huge tracts of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest being cleared for grazing. For instance,
since TEAR Fund was established 40 years ago, the Amazon has lost about a fifth of its forests—and this is speeding up. While there are many causes, one of the main causes is beef production. An estimated 70% of deforestation in the Amazon basin can be attributed to cattle ranching. WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE? Of course meat is an excellent and tasty source of protein and the industry is not going away. Reducing the scale of the industry will help, but reforming it is also key. First, meat varies in the inputs needed. Chicken and pig farming convert 2kgs of grain into 1kg of meat. For lamb, it takes about 4kgs of grain. But beef uses at least 10kgs. What’s more, weight for weight of meat produced, the greenhouse gas emissions from beef farming are more than 10 times higher. So moving more towards smaller animals can help. EATING AS SOLIDARITY If you believe in a world where everyone deserves to have food on their plate, one thing you can do is eat less meat. But don’t worry I’m not advocating a switch to a strict vegan diet (if that works for you, by all means go ahead). Instead, I ask that you embrace some small, but powerful lifestyle changes that won’t only help your wallet, but will also benefit the environment and take the pressure off diminishing food resources. I suggest you look at cutting down your meat consumption once or even a couple of times a week. There are many great initiatives that you can get behind. For example, you may have heard of Meat-Free Monday, endorsed by celebrities such as Paul McCartney and Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr Rajendra Pachauri. You can sign up to take the pledge on
meatfreemonday.org.nz. Going meatfree for one a day a week is totally manageable, and will make a small, but significant difference. Taking part in this initiative will mean that you could reduce your meat intake by about 15%. If you have children, live in a big flat or are surrounded by picky eaters, don’t be so quick to dismiss them as potential co-conspirators in changing the world. Involve them in your meal preparations and educate them about what you’re doing. There’s a plethora of delicious vegetarian and low-meat meals you can try, and having one day a week where you cook vegetarian, is a good excuse to explore different recipes, cuisines and expand your palate.
EXTRA STATS • The average person consumes 43kgs of meat per year. • In 2012, around 304 million tonnes of meat were produced worldwide. For 2014, the FAO forecasts an increase to 312 million tonnes. • The calories lost by feeding cereals to animals, instead of using them directly as human food, could theoretically feed an extra 3.5 billion people. • In 2012, the average meat consumption per capita in developing countries was 33kg. In industrialised countries, average meat consumption reached 76kg. • Livestock is the world’s largest user of land resources, with pasture and land dedicated to the production of feed representing almost 80% of the total agricultural land. • The sector uses 3.4 billion hectares for grazing and one-third of global arable land to grow feed crops, accounting for more than 40% of world cereal production. • Source: Food and Agricultural Organisation. http://www. globalagriculture.org/report-topics/ meat-and-animal-feed.html.
PO Box 8315, Symonds St, Auckland 1150, New Zealand • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • 0800 800 777 • tearfund.org.nz
5
Using items found in the developing world countries they were studying, Wadestown School students set up a stall to raise money for TEAR Fund.
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WADESTOWN SCHOOL STUDENTS RAISE $1500 FOR TEAR FUND W adestown School students from Wellington got a small taste of the challenges faced by those living in poverty overseas, when they were tasked with trying to earn money using the resources and foods found in the developing
countries they were studying. On Friday, 28 November, 2014, two classes of Year 7 and 8 students from the school, ran a market day and in the process raised more than $1,500 for TEAR Fund. Their teachers, Nick Julian and Richard Smith, were keen
to ensure that a social studies topic, which explored the societies and economies of developing nations, also provided students with an opportunity to engage in social action. During their studies, Richard, a TEAR Fund advocate delivered a presentation
on the work of TEAR Fund and the impact it had made on the life of a child he had sponsored in India. Children worked in small groups to research the challenges and opportunities experienced by the people of their selected country, Richard explained. Having learned about the resourcefulness and innovation of those living in developing nations they created informative posters and prepared market stalls, using the resources and foods available to the people in the countries they had studied. They marketed their goods and services around the school before setting up stalls for the three-hour event. The children had to trial and develop their processes for producing and selling their wares. Richard says, “we had amazing support from parents and most of the students drew on their own savings and spent many hours of their weekends and evenings creating and preparing their products”. The market sold homemade handicrafts, foods, drinks and offered games, mehndi (henna designs), and hair braiding to other students from the school. TEAR Fund advocate, Kirstie Smith, attended the final school assembly to talk about TEAR Fund’s work and to accept the cheque.
PRAY • Give thanks for the teachers and students of Wadestown School and their generosity. • That the money given would make a significant difference. • Pray that many more schools and young people would be inspired to use their lives to learn and make a difference, positively impacting the global poor.
TOUR OF NEW ZEALAND By Beth Harper
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CYCLE COMBAT: Join the tour to fight human trafficking.
PICTURE / SUPPLIED
mong the many privileges of working at TEAR Fund is helping big-hearted Kiwis maximise the return on their adventurous investment. Springing to mind are those intrepid traversers of the North or South Island on everything from two legs to two wheels. I won’t hide it; I have always admired them and wondered if I had half their pluck to join their ranks. With TEAR Fund’s growing influence in the cycling space through the Poverty Cycle Challenge, we have been invited to be a charity partner of the Tour of New Zealand. This is a bike race that takes Kiwis, as well as a growing international community, on the adventure of a lifetime. It’s the closest we get “downunder” to the Tour de France. The difference is that you get to ride for a
cause—combatting sex trafficking. The tour will steer you through stunning and exhilarating mountain passes and bush-clad valleys. The peloton parties are a wonderful reward after a hard day’s pedal and turn the tour into an international festival of fun. You bet I’ve signed up. I turn 50 this year and have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Our team, the TEAR Fund Freedom Fighters, is set to cycle the North Island. Check out the website tourofnewzealand.co.nz and join me by cycling as an individual or as part of a team. The seven-day tour runs from April 11-18 and covers 700km. You can even ride a day-stage as the tour comes through your region. But remember to cycle it for TEAR Fund and help us raise awareness and support for our anti-trafficking work in Southeast Asia where we’re helping to break the poverty cycle.
PO Box 8315, Symonds St, Auckland 1150, New Zealand • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • 0800 800 777 • tearfund.org.nz
40 children years 40
6 | TEAR CORRESPONDENT
To celebrate 40 years of working together, we’re aiming to see these 40 beautiful children brought together with new sponsors. Join in our celebration, and sponsor one of these children today!
Call Today! 0800 800 777
Aristide
Abdoul
Maria
Angie
Davian
Age 16, from Burkina Faso
Age 8, from Burkina Faso
Age 8, from Bolivia
Age 13, from Colombia
Age 16, from Colombia
DOB 10-May-1998 Aristide lives with his parents. He is responsible for washing clothes, running errands and cleaning. His parents are employed as sellers in the market. For fun, Aristide enjoys soccer, bicycling and listening to music.
Gisell Age 7, from Colombia
DOB 10-Oct-2007 Gisell lives with her parents. She is responsible for carrying water and helping in the kitchen. There are 2 children in the family. Gisell attends primary school, and loves rolling a hoop, ping pong and hideand-seek.
DOB 22-Sep-2006 Abdoul makes his home with his parents. Caring for children and running errands are his household duties. For fun, Abdoul enjoys soccer, bicycling and playing group games. He is in primary school.
DOB 6-Nov-2006 Maria lives with her parents. Her duties at home include running errands and cleaning. There are 5 children in the family. Maria is in primary school. Playing with dolls and playing ball games are her favourite activities.
DOB 17-Mar-2001 In her home, Angie helps by running errands and cleaning. She lives with her father and her grandmother. For fun, Angie enjoys playing ball games, listening to music and playing group games.
DOB 19-Jun-1998 Davian lives with his parents. His father is sometimes employed and his mother maintains the home. Davian helps at home by helping in the kitchen and cleaning. Soccer, basketball and bicycling are his favourite activities.
Martha
Absalon
Karina
Purnima
Age 6, from Colombia
Age 14, from Ecuador
Age 13, from Ecuador
Age 4, from India
DOB 7-Dec-2008 Martha lives with her mother. At home, duties include making beds and running errands. Her mother is sometimes employed. Martha is in kindergarten where her performance is above average.
DOB 1-Mar-2000 Absalon lives with his aunt. His duties at home include making beds and cleaning. For fun, Absalon enjoys playing ball games, bicycling and listening to music. He attends church activities regularly and is in high school.
DOB 25-Jan-2002 Karina makes her home with her parents. Caring for children, caring for animals and making beds are her household duties. Jumping rope, listening to music and playing group games are Karina’s favourite activities.
DOB 24-Aug-2010 Purnima lives with her parents. Her father is sometimes employed as a laborer and her mother maintains the home. Purnima is not presently attending school. She loves playing with dolls and playing house.
Bives
Banraj
Dubro
Keleab
Agnes
Age 16, from India
Age 7, from India
Age 5, from India
Age 16, from Ethiopia
Age 14, from Ghana
DOB 4-Nov-1998 Bives lives with his parents. He is responsible for carrying water, washing clothes and making beds. Playing a musical instrument, and soccer are his favourite activities.
DOB 25-Nov-2007 Banraj lives with his parents. There are 2 children in the family. Banraj participates in church activities. He is also in primary school where his performance is average. Running is his favourite activity.
DOB 5-Nov-2009 Dubro lives with his parents. He is responsible for caring for animals. His father is sometimes employed as a farmer and his mother maintains the home. Soccer, bicycling and hide-andseek are Dubro’s favourite activities.
DOB 12-May-1998 Keleab lives with his mother. His duties at home include helping in the kitchen, running errands and cleaning. His mother is sometimes employed. For fun, Keleab enjoys soccer, running and playing group games.
DOB 27-Apr-2000 At home, Agnes helps by carrying water, and caring for children. She lives with her mother, who is sometimes employed. There are 2 children in the family. Singing, telling stories and art are her favourite activities.
PO Box 8315, Symonds St, Auckland 1150, New Zealand • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • 0800 800 777 • tearfund.org.nz
7
Gabriel
Noe
Teresa
Stephania
Yaritza
Age 16 , from Ghana
Age 12, from Guatemala
Age 13, from Guatemala
Age 14, from Haiti
Age 6, from Honduras
DOB 28-Mar-1998 At home, Gabriel helps by carrying water, washing clothes and helping in the kitchen. He lives with his parents. There are 3 children in the family.
DOB 14-Jun-2002 Noe lives with his parents. He is responsible for making beds and running errands. There are 4 children in the family. Soccer, swimming and playing ball games are Noe’s favourite activities.
DOB 1-Nov-2001 In her home, Teresa helps by making beds, running errands and cleaning. She lives with her parents. There are 3 children in the family. Basketball, art and playing ball games are Teresa’s favourite activities.
DOB 12-Dec-2000 Stephania lives with her grandmother. She helps carry water, wash clothes and helps in the kitchen. Telling stories, playing house and hide-and-seek are Stephania’s favourite activities.
DOB 14-Feb-2009 Yaritza lives with her parents. Her father is sometimes employed as a laborer and her mother maintains the home. There are 3 children in the family.
Viany
Renitha
Jackim
Gabriel
Eddy
Age 15, from Indonesia
Age 4, from India
Age 6, from Kenya
Age 7, from Mexico
Age 10, from Nicaragua
DOB 28-Oct-1999 Viany lives with her parents. She is responsible for caring for children, helping in the kitchen and cleaning. There are 2 children in the family. For fun, Viany enjoys listening to music and reading.
DOB 24-Apr-2010 Renitha lives with her mother. She helps at home by carrying water and buying or selling in the market. Her mother sometimes works as a laborer. There are 3 children in her family.
DOB 5-Mar-2008 Jackim lives with his parents. There are 3 children in the family. His father is sometimes employed as a farmer and his mother maintains the home. Playing ball games is his favourite activity.
DOB 9-Sep-2007 At home, Gabriel helps by caring for animals, running errands and cleaning. He lives with his parents. There are 4 children in the family. Gabriel enjoys soccer, and playing with cars and marbles.
DOB 12-Apr-2004 Eddy lives with his stepdad and his mother. Eddy works at home making beds, running errands and cleaning. Soccer, art and bicycling are his favourite activities.
Katy
Steven
Jeam
John
Angelyn
Age 10, from Nicaragua
Age 13, from Nicaragua
Age 13, from Peru
Age 12, from Philippines
Age 9, from Philippines
DOB 01-Sep-2004 Katy lives with her parents. She is responsible for making beds, running errands and cleaning. Singing, playing house and playing with dolls are Katy’s favourite activities. Katy is currently in primary school.
DOB 10-Oct-2001 Steven lives with his parents. At home, duties include carrying water, gathering firewood and gardening. Steven is currently in high school. Ping pong, soccer and playing with cars are his favourite activities.
DOB 14-Feb-2002 Jeam lives with his father. His duties at home include washing clothes, making beds and cleaning. There are 3 children in the family. For fun, Jeam enjoys soccer, art and listening to music.
DOB 21-Aug-2002 John makes his home with his parents. He helps out by carrying water, buying or selling in the market and caring for children. Playing a musical instrument and basketball are John’s favourite activities.
DOB 14-Mar-2005 In her home, Angelyn helps by carrying water, gathering firewood and teaching others. She lives with her parents. For fun, Angelyn enjoys playing jacks, singing and telling stories. She is currently in primary school.
Jenefher
Laiza
Suzan
Maniraguha
Ntibaziyaremye
Age 13, from Philippines
Age 6, from Philippines
Age 18, from Rwanda
Age 16, from Rwanda
Age 16, from Rwanda
DOB 19-Jul-2001 Jenefher lives with her parents. She is responsible for sewing, caring for children and caring for animals. There are 2 children in the family. Jenefher participates in church activities, Bible class and choir. She is in high school.
DOB 16-Jul-2008 Laiza lives with her parents. Her duties at home include caring for animals and running errands. There are 4 children in the family. Laiza participates in church activities. She is also in kindergarten. Art is her favourite activity.
DOB 20-May-1996 Suzan lives with her foster parents. She is responsible for carrying water, gathering firewood and helping in the kitchen. Jumping rope, playing ball games and running are Suzan’s favourite activities.
DOB 2-May-1998 Maniraguha lives with his parents. His duties at home include carrying water and gathering firewood. There are 3 children in the family. For fun, Maniraguha enjoys soccer, hideand-seek and running.
DOB 15-Mar-1998 At home, Ntibaziyaremye helps carry water and gather firewood. He lives with his mother. His mother is sometimes employed as a farmer. There are 4 children in the family. He loves playing ball games, and running.
Kossiwa
Seraphine
Marut
Chit
Awino
Age 7, from Togo
Age 10, from Togo
Age 10, from Thailand
Age 7, from Thailand
Age 10, from Uganda
DOB 9-Dec-2007 In her home, Kossiwa helps by carrying water, sewing and caring for animals. She lives with her parents. There are 5 children in the family. Kossiwa participates in church activities and Bible class.
DOB 5-Sep-2004 Seraphine lives with her father and her stepmother. She is responsible for helping in the kitchen and running errands. There are 4 children in the family. Playing jacks and playing with dolls are Seraphine’s favourite activities.
DOB 23-Feb-2004 In his home, Marut helps by carrying water, gathering firewood and caring for children. He lives with his parents. There are 2 children in the family. Rolling a hoop, soccer and playing with cars are Marut’s favourite activities.
DOB 13-Oct-2007 Chit lives with his parents. At home, duties include carrying water, gathering firewood and caring for animals. There are 2 children in the family. Rolling a hoop, and playing with cars and marbles are Chit’s favourite activities.
DOB 17-Nov-2004 Awino lives with her parents. At home, duties include carrying water, gathering firewood and gardening. There are 8 children in the family. Playing a musical instrument, singing and telling stories are Awino’s favourite activities.
PO Box 8315, Symonds St, Auckland 1150, New Zealand • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • 0800 800 777 • tearfund.org.nz
8 | TEAR CORRESPONDENT
LEARNING SUPPORT KEEPS JEAN CARLOS OFF THE STREETS LOVING TO LEARN: Jean Carlos is realising his potential with the help of Gladys and the support of Compassion Child Sponsorship.
Story and Photo by Lina Marcela Alarcón
“I
t is so easy. Why do you not do it?” “You are ignorant.” “You do not know anything.” Jean Carlos says, he used to feel so bad about what people said about him, but he has shown those who ridiculed him that he is intelligent. “Now I know that I am not ignorant.” Jean Carlos lives with his family: his mother, six siblings and niece in a poor community in Magdalena, Colombia. His father does not live with the family, so his mother, Margarita, provides for the family. She works at the beach selling handmade bracelets and making braids for the tourists who visit the city. Margarita leaves home at 8am and comes back at night, so she cannot take care of her children during the day. In their community it is common for children to get mixed up with drugs and gangs and become thieves. But being involved with TEAR Fund’s Compassion sponsorship programme has protected Jean from those bad things. Jean Carlos is 14 years old. Margarita describes him as a good boy, obedient, respectful and friendly; he has many friends. He likes to dance in the church dance group and play soccer. He is part of the project soccer team and has played in different tournaments with them. “Jean is not like other teenagers from the community because of the things he learns at the project”, says Margarita. When Jean was seven, Margarita learned about the Compassion project and how it works to release children from poverty. Margarita decided to register her son, because she felt he would spend time learning good things
at the project instead of being on the streets with bad people. Jean attends the project every week. At the project, Jean has learned about God’s love, and he started to attend church even though his family does not. He also invites his friends to go to youth meetings on Saturdays. The project curriculum includes helping children who are having difficulty learning at school. Project tutor, Gladys Cantillo, noticed that Jean was struggling with his school work. Since Jean started school he has always had problems learning. The educational level in their community is low, teachers often miss their classes, there is more vacation time than there should be, and children are not held back even if they have not performed well. That was the
to let him stay at home. In her opinion, her son was not able to study and—like her and her older children—was going to be illiterate. Project Director Fernando Camargo was aware of Jean’s situation and, along with Gladys, decided to do something special with Jean to help him overcome his difficulties at school. It was not easy to convince Jean to take learning support classes, because he believed he was ignorant and could not learn. His friends bullied him and made fun of him because he was not at school. They told him he was ignorant. However, Gladys and Fernando talked to Jean many times, emphasizing the importance of studying, and Jean started to take classes. The project bought notebooks, pencils, and a book for Jean, and he began the classes.
I am so happy to be able to release Jean from educational poverty. I know he will reach big goals, and I am happy to be part of his learning process.” case for Jean Carlos; he had not learned at school, but he still advanced through the first few years. Jean continued having problems learning, and he failed the third grade twice, so his mother decided to withdraw him from school. The next year Jean started to study again, but he was older than his classmates, so instead of teaching him, the teacher put him in charge of taking care of the other children and playing with them. Jean felt bad because of this and stopped attending school again. During this time project staff tried to find a new school for Jean, but no one would take him because of his age. Margarita gave up on him and decided
At the beginning of the year, as Jean did not know even the vowels, he had to start to learn everything. As he told Gladys, he did not want to do easy things; he wanted to learn. Just one year after this process started, Jean knows how to read, write, add, subtract, multiply and divide. He also knows the multiplication tables and how to write in two different styles. Gladys says, “I am so happy to be able to release Jean from educational poverty. I know he will reach big goals, and I am happy to be part of his learning process.” Jean Carlos feels loved at the project. He is happy, because his tutor is teaching him. During a project class
they were making handicrafts using old newspapers, and Jean Carlos concentrated on reading the newspaper. He is working so hard, because he wants to graduate from school. Fernando has been looking for a special school for Jean, and he found a good public school in a nearby neighbourhood with a class for children who are behind in their studies, to prepare them to return to school. Jean is so excited to start school again, and Margarita is excited too. She is so grateful for the project, because they did not give up on Jean and are giving him a new opportunity. “I am happy because at the project Jean is learning. I tell him that he should study to have a better future. If I had studied, I would not be making braids at a beach. I do not have more options, but Jean has,” says Margarita. Jean used to feel bad because he did not know how to read; he felt sad. Now he feels intelligent and wants to teach other children like him to read. Jean knows he can do everything if he is disciplined and if God is with him. “It is so special to see how the seeds we sowed are producing fruits. Jean is producing fruits in his life. We want Jean to continue showing that he is able to learn and accomplish great things,” Fernando says.
PRAY • Thank God for the education that Jean Carlos has received due to child sponsorship. • That other children waiting for sponsors would be sponsored soon. • For the self-confidence of all sponsored children.
PO Box 8315, Symonds St, Auckland 1150, New Zealand • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • 0800 800 777 • tearfund.org.nz
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SMALL-HOLD ORGANICS THE KEY TO FEEDING THE WORLD? ORGANIC MATTER: Organic small-hold farmers could be the answer to world hunger according to some experts.
By Keith Ramsay
T
here are no easy solutions to addressing the many challenges of feeding the world and there is no single solution for achieving this Holy Grail, but there is cause for hope. In 2013, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) published their Trade and Environment Review series—titled Wake up Before it is Too Late: Make Agriculture Truly Sustainable Now for Food Security in a Changing Climate. Its focus was on how more food could be grown to meet the hunger needs of the world’s poorest at less cost to the environment. The more than 60 experts involved saw that a paradigm shift away from the current industrial agriculture and globalized food system was needed. In their view, the most effective solution to addressing the world hunger problem is based on a conglomerate of small, bio-diverse, ecological farms around the world and a localised food system that promotes consumption of local/regional produce. Coupled with this approach, there would have to be regulation of agricultural markets to shield small-hold farmers from competition and dumping of imported food on low-income countries to make this an effective solution. There were many reasons for this
conclusion, and while there is debate around the best farming methodology, this approach offers some compelling advantages. CLIMATE CHANGE REDUCING FOOD SUSTAINABILITY Climate change is going to be one of, if not the biggest challenge, to feeding the world in the future. The large scale industrial farming approach contributes most to climate change and is becoming less sustainable as it impacts our planet. Climate change is also reducing food production in vulnerable countries through climate-related disasters which are becoming more frequent with changes in temperatures and rainfall. This is making it increasingly difficult for low-income countries to feed their populations with locally-produced food. On the other hand, groups of smallhold organic producers will contribute far less to climate change, reducing the challenges of feeding the most vulnerable. THE ADVANTAGES OF LOCAL PRODUCTION There is already enough food produced in the world to feed everyone but world trading systems prevent it from getting to the poorest. Free trade agreements and commodity speculation among other market forces either push up the price of imported foods or see them dumped on low-income countries
PICTURE / SUPPLIED
when prices collapse, impacting local economies. Both can affect agricultural producers and consumers alike. These market mechanisms are robbing small-hold farmers in lowincome countries of their ‘Food Sovereignty’. Food sovereignty, asserts that the people who produce, distribute, and consume food should control the mechanisms and policies of food production and distribution, rather than corporations and market institutions. This is why the report recommends regulatory systems should be changed to protect small-hold producers. There are many reasons for this shift in emphasis from industrial farming to small-hold organic production. Small-hold organic production gives those who grow the food more control over their production whether it is to feed their family or to sell in the local marketplace. It is about putting food sovereignty into the hands of the local producers. It is also about stewardship of land resources, mitigating climate change, and economic viability. TEAR FUND PROGRAMMES AHEAD OF THE TREND While this is news to those trying to figure out the world’s food problems, it is not news to TEAR Fund or our partners. TEAR Fund is working in the Philippines and Vanuatu with partners creating organic community-
based agriculture programmes. These programmes are lifting communities beyond subsistence and giving their produce an advantage in the market through organic certification and by adding value to raw organically-grown commodities. For instance, in both of these countries, communities are producing flavoured organic roasted peanuts for local markets, such as chilli peanuts, garlic and sugar-coated varieties, and the demand is huge. The fact that they are organic and they have high quality standards which the communities monitor themselves, is a big selling point. The money coming back into the community means household incomes rise which enables the community to send their children to school, keeps families local and encourages them to work together, and share in the economic benefits. Another advantage of certified organic products is that only a fraction of food that is produced in the world is organic. For instance, a free trade agreement is about to come into effect this year in the Philippines. This will mean that food produced in the Philippines will face competition from cheap imports. Because the demand for organic food is high, those producing organic foods will largely be unaffected by this as the market is so big. In Vanuatu, as well as peanuts, the communities on Tanna are working towards developing a viable market for their organic coffee. By backing these initiatives, TEAR Fund’s partners are not only ensuring these communities own their food production from field to market, they are ensuring they are all well fed with food that is entirely good and nutritious and that more people are getting access to this food. It is also ensuring the sustainability by protecting the environment. If this small-hold organic revolution is going to take place and ensure we can feed the planet, it will take innovative partners like those that TEAR Fund works with. At TEAR Fund we believe we and our supporters need to maintain the vision that the poorest have the basic human right to have plentiful nutritious food and to earn a reasonable income. At the same time we all need to support sustainable farming practices that are not contributing to climate change.
THE ADVANTAGES OF SMALL-HOLD ORGANIC FARMING • It doesn’t contribute much to climate change. • It doesn’t degrade the land, waterways or soil fertility. • Food is safer to eat (no chemical poisons are applied). • It is cheaper to produce (no expensive inputs). • Farmers are not paying a high price for licensed seeds. • Farmers get a price premium for organically produced food, especially if certified. • Farmers are more insulated from free trade agreements (less competition as only a fraction of world production is organic).
PO Box 8315, Symonds St, Auckland 1150, New Zealand • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • 0800 800 777 • tearfund.org.nz
10 | TEAR CORRESPONDENT
FEEDING EARTH’S BILLIONS IN THE SHADOW OF CLIMATE CHANGE Extreme weather, change in growth patterns, and shrinking production mean building the global food supply is among the greatest challenges to face humanity. By Murray Sheard A CREEPING DISASTER o longer a distant threat, climate change is about people now. The main way many people will experience climate change is through food: what they eat, the price they pay, and the range of foods available. But first the good news! Global hunger has been declining, with 200 million fewer hungry people than in 1992. Can climate change really be threatening such great gains? Studies suggest up to 200 million more people could be food-insecure by 2050 and an additional 24 million children malnourished. Researchers see a collision ahead—between a rising world population that wants to eat more meat and dairy, and a climate system that is diminishing harvests in many areas. The recent crises in the Horn of Africa and Sahel may become the new normal. Economic growth has helped reduce poverty. But the driver of that growth— fossil fuels—is creating a new problem undermining future growth by attacking the life-support systems of the earth.
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2050. PACIFIC countries are already affected, with dramatic revenue loss across agriculture and forestry. The cost of damages in the food sector by 2050 could represent 20% of GDP. Tropical cyclone intensities are expected to increase by 15%. These can kill thousands but also, in one hit, unwind 10 years of food, health, sanitation and education improvements. Disasters destroy the capacity of people to feed themselves for years to come. MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA. Yield loss of up to 30% is expected for rice, about 45% for maize and 20% for wheat, mostly due to droughts. North African countries traditionally import wheat and are therefore highly vulnerable to price shocks and droughts. LATIN AMERICA. Few crops can withstand average temperature rises of more than 2ºC. In Brazil, a significant world food producer, rice, beans, maize and soya are all expected to decline, with coffee especially vulnerable. AFRICA is the most vulnerable continent, already experiencing longer and deeper droughts, floods and cyclones. Most West African countries
The worst of the impacts are felt by those who contributed least to causing the problem.” That strategy is returning to bite us. Climate is a justice issue. As Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland says: “The worst of the impacts are felt by those who contributed least to causing the problem.” It is a creeping disaster. Let’s look at some examples of what could be in store around the world. AROUND THE WORLD—BY 2050 If these trends continue, the picture will look pretty grim based on current predictions. In a few isolated areas, a longer growing season will be good for farming. But overall, negative impacts of climate change on crop yields have been more common than positive impacts— and this is predicted to continue. CHINA’S population is expected to decline, easing demand on resources. But because the Chinese are eating more meat, its challenges will be land and cattle feed. Wheat is becoming harder to grow in some northern areas because it is dryer. Basic food supplies are set to become insufficient by 2030. SOUTHEAST ASIA, which is prone to weather extremes, could also see rainfall increase 20% in some areas, reducing the growth of rice and other staple crops. Many provinces will see food production decline significantly, with the number of malnourished children increasing by 10 million by
could grow more food as temperatures rise and rainfall increases. But demand from growing populations may still double food prices. Crop yields across sub-Saharan Africa may decline 10-20% by 2050. Africa’s staple crops, maize and sorghum, are expected to be hit by severe weather, which has already left millions dependent on food aid. OCEANS. Fisheries, a source of protein for at least half of the world’s population, are already stressed by overexploitation and pollution. Warming waters and melting ice will reduce many fish species. The absorption of CO2 by the oceans has meant seawater is 30% more acidic than just four decades ago, and it’s already causing trouble for plankton. RIPPLES OF CHAOS All this has flow-on effects, including political instability and ‘climate refugees’—events with global reach. Climate change, combined with poverty and economic shocks, could lead to war and drive people from their homes. “We should expect much more political destabilisation of countries as it bites,” says Richard Choularton, of the World Food Programme. About 650 million people now live in arid and semi-arid areas where floods, droughts and price shocks are expected to have the most impact.
GRAPHIC / GIULIO FRIGIERI SOURCES / MET OFFICE, FAO
Violent protests in North Africa and the Middle East in 2011, and riots in 2008, coincided with large peaks in global food prices. Protests may reflect the long-standing political failings of governments, as well as the sudden desperation of vulnerable populations. There’s a lot of complacency in rich countries about climate change, but the influx of refugees is set to change that. BEING CLIMATE SMART How do we meet this challenge, take the pressure off the system, and create sustainable growth in developing countries? There is a new move to target development funding to “climate smart agriculture”. In Mongolia, TEAR Fund’s partner FARM is helping with climate adaptation, now that drought and climate change threaten the sustainability of Mongolian herders’ income. Climatesmart agriculture adjusts farming practices to make them more resilient to environmental pressures, while decreasing farming’s impacts on the environment. Projects like these are
practical ways of helping our partners in the developing world to feed themselves in an increasingly challenging context.
THINGS YOU CAN DO TO HELP INCREASE FOOD SECURITY We can all do our bit here. The pieces are in place, but the pieces won’t move themselves. That’s where you come in. • Deal to food waste. • Support & use cleaner transport. • Plant a garden • Replace some meat meals with veges. Several kgs of grain are needed to grow 1kg of meat. • Advocate for fair pricing of renewable sources of energy. Germany on a sunny day can generate half its power from solar panels. Texas makes a third of its electricity from wind. • Buy NZ produced whenever possible to reduce food miles.
PO Box 8315, Symonds St, Auckland 1150, New Zealand • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • 0800 800 777 • tearfund.org.nz
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TAKE ACTION! Pacific communities are vulnerable to climate change.
It’s not Christmas, but we’ve got presents! We believe people act if they are informed and find pathways to put their values into action—especially if we do it together.
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o we’ve got two FREE BOOKS to help you live in step with hope for the world.
FREE BOOK. L is for Lifestyle LIFESTYLE REVOLUTION FOR GLOBAL CITIZENS
jump in the car to go to work. You’ve done nothing unusual but already your lifestyle choices have made an impact on other people and the world around you. Do you wonder how you can use your everyday choices to live responsibly, abundantly, and to make a difference to those we serve in other parts of the world? We would like to give you a FREE copy of the book L is for Lifestyle, by Ruth Valerio. Ruth shows us how, by making small changes, we can learn the secret of a life that is fair and fulfilling. It’s a sort of lifestyle revolution 101 course for global citizens. You’ll also get a free poster. In simple five to six-page chapters, Ruth unpacks the interconnectedness of our actions and the world. “B” is for Bananas, looks at global trade. “I” is for Investments—here you learn about investing away from warfare, and fossil fuels. “D” is for Driving, “S” is for Simplicity, “V” is for volunteers: in each chapter you are given simple steps to take. Join us and study this book as a group. Call us or email advocacy@ tearfund.org.nz to find out more.
FREE STUDY GUIDE. No Longer Slaves.
You wake up and jump in the shower. The house is nicely warmed. You make coffee, add milk, fry up the bacon and
LEARN ABOUT HUMAN SLAVERY AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT. Ask us for copies of our introductory group study guide on the horrid evil that is human trafficking and slavery. The booklet features five studies that show individuals and groups the facts,
PICTURE / IAN MCINNES
FACEBOOK FUN Join our “TEAR Fund NZ Advocacy” Facebook group. Join discussions and hear about opportunities to partner with us. Send us an email on advocacy@tearfund.org.nz. to speak in schools, churches and to community groups on human trafficking and slavery. Get in touch if this would help you.
history, and the struggle to combat this crime—and ways you can help. Study One is a very brief overview of the history of slavery. Study Two offers an introduction to modern slavery. Study Three tackles the thorny issue of slavery in the Bible and gives a framework for understanding it, then and now. Study Four looks at what the experts are doing and introduces you to two of TEAR Fund’s partner organisations who work on the frontline. Study Five looks at what we can all do about it. For copies, email advocacy@ tearfund.org.nz. It’s for you if you just want to explore the issue, and for your small group who want to dive into the topic and do something about it. Also check out projectact.org/take-action. html for our very accessible primer on trafficking and slavery. It’s free to download and provides a wealth of introductory material. TEAR Fund staff are also available
FOR UPDATES, SEE THE TAKE ACTION PAGE ON TEARFUND.ORG.NZ
Pacific Leaders Climate Change Tour In late April, TEAR Fund will partner with churches and other organisations concerned about climate change and talk about what our response should be. We will bring church leaders, youth leaders and development experts together. The tour will include breakfasts for church leaders in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch and a day-long conversation in Auckland. Get in touch on advocacy@tearfund.org.nz to find out more.
PRAY • That people would be compelled to act with all of what our lives have to offer. • For a deepening awareness of the causes and consequences of poverty and injustice and a desire to do something about them. • For a good uptake of the resources on offer from TEAR Fund.
PO Box 8315, Symonds St, Auckland 1150, New Zealand • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • 0800 800 777 • tearfund.org.nz
12 | TEAR CORRESPONDENT
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GLASS HALF FULL: Women such as Nandini are finding dignity in providing for their families through our Sri Lanka dairy project.
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Selina Prem Kumar heads-up TEAR Fund’s dairy project in Sri Lanka, helping to lift incomes of struggling small-hold dairy farmers—she talks about the challenges and the hope the project is bringing to communities overcoming the trauma of civil war. By Selina Prem Kumar
W
hen implementing a project in a post-war context, almost every aspect is a challenge, big or small. It takes a lot of effort to coordinate and stay strong to get the project off the ground. The biggest challenge we encountered as we commenced the project was bureaucratic. Confusion on the approval process and the lack of communication between the different government departments made progress slow and difficult. Working in communities traumatised by war and loss also presents numerous challenges such as empowering and mobilizing the dairy farmers who have lost their loved ones and belongings in the war. Often they returned to their homes, which had been reduced to a heap of rubble, after being displaced for a long period in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. Some returned to find their land had been allocated to the state for the construction of milk chilling facilities, or they had to deal with corrupt officials who exploited the desperate situation of the dairy farmers to earn money. These are among the many obstacles we had to overcome in the implementation of the project. One of the greatest experiences of the project so far has been the mobilizing and registering of the dairy farmers under cooperatives and to see them work as a group. Another highlight has been
walking beside the poor and vulnerable dairy farmers, listening to their grief and challenges, while establishing the market and milk collection network facilitates for the sale of milk, which has increased their income to provide more for their families. However, the most rewarding experience on the journey has been to watch the women-headed families whose lives were changed forever after the war, gain confidence and provide for their families while upholding their dignity in society. IMPROVING LIVES AND INCOMES Dairying, which was once a flourishing livelihood in Northern Sri Lanka, was destroyed by the long conflict and is now being revived and regenerated by this project. This has given hope to more than 1850 dairy farmers from 30 villages—a hope for a better life and a brighter future for the families especially the children. The animal loan and revolving fund, through the cooperatives, provides the opportunity to improve the quality of the animals, improve feed, including green forage, and receive training on good farming practices and increased milk production. This along with the recent increase in the farm gate price per litre of milk by the Government of Sri Lanka gives us hope of a promising future with a much-deserved return. DAIRY FARMING MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR WIDOW Thiry-nine year-old Nandini has three daughters aged 23, 19 and seven
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The purpose of TEAR Fund is to glorify God by extending His Kingdom in ministry to the poor, oppressed and disadvantaged, and to encourage God’s people in NZ to live out the values and principles of His Kingdom by sharing with those in need. TEAR Correspondent is published three times a year.
Editor: Keith Ramsay. | Contributors: Ian McInnes, Himali McInnes, Keith Ramsay, Murray Sheard, Frank Ritchie, Madina Turgieva, Beth Harper, Steve Tollestrup, Selina Prem Kumar, Lina Marcela Alarcón Art Director: Alex Carter Printing: Guardian Print
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whom she supports solely through dairying. Her husband and her only son were killed in 2009, when they were fleeing from the war zone. Before the war, her husband provided for the family. They had 10 milking cows and her husband worked cultivating the land. He was hard working and they lacked nothing. But with the war, the social structure collapsed and her life changed. Amidst her grief, she was forced to take up the responsibility of providing for her family and had to start with almost nothing. When she came back from the IDP camp she managed to round up three of their cows but they didn’t produce much. She joined the cooperative and started working in the project. She also received a cow through the project and training on feeding, breeding and good farming practices. Nandini sells the surplus milk through the milk collection network for which she receives an average monthly income of about NZ$140. Some of the milk she takes for her family. As a member in the cooperative society Nandini received capital from the revolving fund to expand her livelihood. Nandini says: “Without a male support in the family, being a woman and a widow, I was able to break the cultural barriers and with dignity I am able to support my family and provide for my three daughters. I have the confidence now and will be able to educate my daughters and give them in marriage.” Selina Prem Kumar will be visiting New Zealand in April this year.
PRAY • For the on-going healing of those affected by the civil war. • For Selina’s ability to operate the dairy project despite the obstacles.
Mixed Sources Product group from well-managed forests, and other controlled sources www.fsc.org Cert no. SCS-COC-2324 © 1996 Forest Stewardship Council
PO Box 8315, Symonds St, AKL 1150, NZ • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • 0800 800 777 • tearfund.org.nz