TEAR Correspondent June 2015

TEARFUND.ORG.NZ

ISSUE / JUNE 2015

NEPAL QUAKE BECOME A RESPONSE CATALYST PAGE 6

PAGE 7

WHAT ARE SDGs? PAGE 5

HELPING VANUATU PICK UP THE PIECES AFTER CYCLONE PAM

BLOWN AWAY: Rosaline and her children survived the terror brought by Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu.

Story and picture by Helen Manson

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ne of the most powerful cyclones ever recorded in the Pacific slammed into Vanuatu on March 13 with devastating effect. A few days later, I was on a plane bound for Port Vila. The next day, I boarded a small plane to one of the hardest hit areas, the island of Tanna where TEAR Fund’s partner Nasi Tuan is based.

Flying over the island was a shock for me; almost everything in sight was demolished or heavily damaged

by Cyclone Pam. Schools, churches, buildings, houses, hundred-year-old trees; nothing was left unscathed.

The aerial view pointed to a cyclone that whipped unimaginably powerful winds that left about 90% of the island flattened.

Visiting the people living in temporary structures, schools and

churches, it was obvious that everyone was suffering, but that the future would bring the hope they needed. It was on my second day on the island that I met some people with incredible tales of survival. One such amazing person was 36-year-old Rosaline Samuels. Rosaline takes up her story: “I have given birth to four children but two died when they were young. I am now six-months pregnant. Amelia is 11 and Winnie is seven. Winnie has a heart condition that means she has not grown since she was very young. The night of the cyclone, I was in my house when it completely collapsed. We escaped quickly and moved to another house.

When that house started collapsing I moved to another house. I found it hard to move quickly from place to place with such strong winds and items flying in the air. It was the largest storm I’ve ever seen in my life. Not only was I trying to

protect my two children, but also the baby inside me. I told my husband after we moved to the third house that I would not be moving again. I lost the will to survive at that point; I was just so tired of it all. With help from Nasi Tuan and other NGOs; I have hope that things will get better. My husband and I hope to receive seeds to re-plant our garden from Nasi Tuan, and I know that the field coordinator is coming to our part of the island to teach us about preserving the food in our garden. Without her teaching, our cassava and bananas will go off faster than we can eat them.”

TEAR Fund did indeed help Rosaline as she hoped, and through Nasi Tuan, we are working with more than 5000 families across the island, helping them to get food growing as quickly as possible so that they are not relying on food aid. We are also helping to restore livelihoods by getting cash crops such

as coffee and peanuts re-established, so that families can afford the basic necessities again and send their children to school.

We would like to say a big thank you to all the people who supported Cyclone Pam victims so generously by giving to our appeal. Together, we’ve raised over $600,000. If you would still like to help people like Rosaline in Vanuatu, visit tearfund. org.nz, or call 0800 800 777. To find out more about what we are doing in Vanuatu, see page 3.

PRAY • Homes in Vanuatu will be rebuilt quickly.

• For the Nasi Tuan team as they cope with the needs of others in light of their own losses.

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

2 | TEAR CORRESPONDENT

DON’T GET TIRED OF HELPING

HOMELESS: Masau Kinia sits amidst the rubble of his home on Tanna Island.

By Keith Ramsay — Editor

I

t has been a somewhat disastrous time for us at TEAR Fund over recent months with the on-going conflict in Syria and Iraq, followed

by Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu and the devastating earthquake in Nepal.

It has been encouraging that our supporters have stood with us and the affected communities by continuing to give generously and pray, with many of you giving to all of these disasters. It makes me think of Galatians 6:9, which says: “Don’t get tired of helping others.

You will be rewarded when the time is right, if you don’t give up” (CEV).

In this issue of the Correspondent, you can read updates on all of these disaster responses and I hope you will be encouraged to see what your donations are achieving on behalf of those affected. If you haven’t already given and feel inspired to, there is also the opportunity to do so.

If you want to tackle issues affecting the poor by taking action, there are plenty of ideas and ways you can get involved on our advocacy page. Why not join or form your own TEAR Fund Catalyst Group? Find out more on page seven.

Feeding your family while living on the poverty line is extremely

INSIDE OUT

By Ian McInnes

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ne of the hardest balancing acts we face at TEAR Fund over our 40 years is trying to work out how much attention we give to disasters verses ongoing development needs. Both are important and both are heavily linked. A well-prepared and strengthened community is more resilient in the face of disaster.

Equally, a severe disaster can wipe out decades of development gains and take us back to square one.

And so we work on both issues – often together in the same communities. In Nepal, we have tragically learnt once again that it is not so much earthquakes but shoddy buildings that kill people.

Preparing communities through strengthening homes and building codes is imperative in light of this.

Less obvious, but also important, is the work we do strengthening families livelihoods so they can bounce back from disasters. Also, educating them to safe guard them from exploitation.

Traffickers use the chaos of disasters

and the increased pressure families are under to step up their activities.

Our work to safeguard women and girls in Nepal is as important now as ever – even while we attend to food, shelter, medical and other urgent needs.

Similarly in Vanuatu, you will read about our work in rebuilding food supplies and incomes through vegetable cultivation, and coffee and peanut production. It’s not just a paycheck and food in the pantry that people need after a disaster; it’s also dignity, selfsufficiency and security. We all like to think we can stand on our own two feet through times of disaster but the severity of earthquakes, cyclones and other disasters rocking our planet are testing us to breaking point.

This interplay between disasters and development has led to the exciting field of disaster risk reduction and preparedness. This is now built into our community development projects, which now look at the risks that disasters and climatic conditions can bring and try to minimize the impact. We then work quickly with

PICTURE / HELEN MANSON

challenging and it is one that is faced daily by the majority of the world’s population. TEAR Fund has become the sole partner for Live Below the Line, where individuals living in New Zealand can get a small taste of living on the poverty line, with the money they raise supporting our antitrafficking work. You can read more about Live Below the Line and how you can get involved on page eight. In this issue we also talk to the inspiring Naresh Kumar, who spends most of his life on the run (or cycle); but all for a good cause.

If you are considering sponsoring a child, have you thought about

communities to secure gains made in the face of foreseeable disasters.

Consider the story about Cyclone Pam where our partner was running community workshops immediately following the cyclone, on how to turn root crops into flour, to ensure crops that weren’t destroyed lasted until food aid arrived.

These and many other disaster reducing and mitigation measures put communities in the driving seat of their development, increase their chances of pulling through a disaster, and secure their future. But rather than have me tell you any more about this, hear the words and the passion of Jeffrey Lahva, the Director of our partner Nasi Tuan in Tanna, Vanuatu: “When I see the devastation that Cyclone Pam has left on our island, I am very sad to see that farmers have lost so much. It makes me want to help everyone and not just some. Coffee is the main cash crop on Tanna and it will take one to three years for us to get an income from that now. There is a big task ahead of us, but by working alongside others we can do it. We are proud of what we have achieved over the past five years and I am excited to expand. This desire to see greater economic resilience for my people has been a great motivator throughout my

sponsoring an older child? There are many good reasons that you may not have thought of. Find out more on page 11 or sponsor one of the older children featured on page 12.

We hope you enjoy reading this issue of the Correspondent.

PRAY • For Nepal earthquake victims.

• For our partners responding to the disaster.

• For catalyst groups to spring up in New Zealand.

Ian McInnes—CEO. career. To be able to see the reality of this is something I am looking forward to. Agriculture is our island’s only hope. By working alongside the local government we can now respond to the cyclone and reach many more people.”

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

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HOPE IS GROWING IN VANUATU AFTER CYCLONE PAM GROWING KNOWLEDGE: Workshops are giving people on Tanna Island, Vanuatu, the tools to grow their vegetables faster so they are not reliant on food aid.

Cyclone Pam left a trail of destruction in Vanuatu and one of the hardest hit areas was Tanna Island, where TEAR Fund is working

By Keith Ramsay

T

hanks to our generous supporters and the New Zealand Government, we have raised more than $600,000 for our agricultural recovery project on Tanna.

The focus of TEAR Fund’s response has been around getting food growing again, as virtually all above-ground food crops were destroyed. After the cyclone hit, we could not contact our partner Nasi Tuan on Tanna for several days. But when members of our team arrived, they found Nasi Tuan was in communities helping them to preserve their cassava crops by turning them into flour, so that people had food until food distributions began.

The skills to do this, along with solar dryers to dry crops for flour, had been a disaster risk reduction measure that was part of our on-going programme to prepare communities for emergencies such as this.

DISASTER RECOVERY PROGRAMME TEAR Fund is helping 5000 families on Tanna by giving them vegetable seeds and helping them grow fast with the use of nursery boxes. The families have also been given the tools to tend their gardens. This is phase one of a three-year project which aims to establish a regular supply of nutritious food, expanding this to earning an income from vegetable growing, and reestablishing and expanding cash crops such as peanuts and coffee. Nasi Tuan has a peanut processing facility where it is roasting and selling a variety of flavoured organic peanuts for local and tourist markets. As a result of seed distributions, this fast growing cash

BIBLICAL SNAPSHOT: JAMES 2:17 “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

James 2:17

By Frank Ritchie

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hese are words, along with the rest of what James wrote around them, that have driven many Christians to action towards those in need since the birth of Christianity. They’ve motivated many Christians beyond simply being nice people, to dedicated service towards those around them.

Some see these words as a challenge to the idea that we are saved through faith alone, but rather, I believe

they demonstrate what a gritty, real faith in Christ looks like when it moves beyond being a mere internal experience into a lived reality of Christ’s kingdom breaking forth. It’s the outward demonstration of a life shaped by God’s Spirit.

James offers some strong follow-up words in verse 20 of the same chapter, calling faith without action ‘useless.’

It can sound harsh, but it’s this lived faith that demonstrates the relevance and reality of the big story of God in a broken world.

I’ve often said that if our faith has nothing to say or contribute in response to the grit, rawness, reality, mess, and brokenness of the darkest parts of our world and the dehumanisation many experience, then it has no relevance at all.

Our actions in response to the

injustices of the world and our service alongside those who experience that injustice tell of the relevance of the big story of God that we live out. It tells of a God, embodied in the Church (His people) that is intensely interested in His creation. It tells of a God who has not abandoned that which He lovingly set in place. It gives glimmers of the promised reality of a creation restored, renewed, and reconciled. It embodies the hope glimpsed in the resurrection and the new world that broke forth within that momentous occasion.

With all that in mind, we can say that our actions speak of a lively faith and of life itself. Life itself is spoken of when, if we use the example James uses, someone without clothes or food has their physical needs met. Where death was shutting the door to life as God intends it, our actions swing the

PICTURE / SUPPLIED

crop will create a greater quantity of peanuts to process and will bring an income for growers. The final phase of the project is aimed at disaster risk reduction, making communities more prepared and resilient to disasters.

To give, go to tearfund.org.nz or phone us on 0800 800 777.

PRAY • For favourable growing conditions for food crops.

• Children can return to school soon.

• For the re-establishment of cash crops.

door open to a view of true life.

At TEAR Fund, we place ourselves squarely within this understanding and are thrilled that our work is joined by so many generous people also backing up their faith with action.

These people form the TEAR Fund community; from financial supporters, people speaking up on important issues, staff at TEAR Fund, our partners overseas, and the people they work alongside in communities feeling the brunt of global injustice. It’s all a testament to a lively Christian faith seen in the actions of the people who follow Jesus.

hout t i w H “FAIT is DEAD” works 2:17 James

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

TRAFFICKING UNLOCKED: Live Below the Line and help free victims of human trafficking.

PICTURE / NIKKI DENHOLM

LIVE BELOW THE LINE

By Madina Turgieva

B

orn into a life of poverty and hardship, 14-year-old Kalpana Dimdung was excited at the prospect of getting a well-paying job in a nearby city, but unfortunately, the young teenager never made it that far.

The relative, who told her about the job and accompanied her on the journey, drugged her and sold her to a brothel in Mumbai.

The story of Kalpana Dimdung is common. Sex trafficking makes $US99 billion in profit each year, with an estimated 4.5 million women and girls in slavery. The average age of a girl trafficked into a brothel is 12. TEAR

Fund’s Live Below the Line challenge gives Kiwis a way to do something about these frightful statistics.

Live Below the Line is a yearly challenge which encourages Kiwis to live on NZ $2.25 a day for food and drink, for five days in October, in order to give them a glimpse into the lives of people who are getting by on this much or less. All money raised as you live below the line for TEAR Fund will go towards our anti-trafficking projects in Nepal and Southeast Asia.

You may wonder what Live Below the Line has got to do with trafficking when it is about living on a meagre diet.

When a family is struggling to feed each member they become vulnerable

to traffickers. In desperation they often put their trust in people who will help them escape their desperate situation.

Traffickers and criminal networks know this and use it to their advantage.

They offer false jobs to desperate people who travel to a new destination in hope of a better life, only to have their passports taken and have bogus debts incurred that must be paid before they can be released. They are locked up and are forced into prostitution.

Live Below the Line then becomes a powerful demonstration of the kind of desperate circumstances that allow for the trafficking of people to take place.

By sticking to a simpler menu for a week, you will be eating in solidarity

with women and children who have to do this indefinitely, as well as making a difference to their outcomes through fundraising.

PRAY • For those taking part in Live Below the Line in October.

• That Trafficking victims would find freedom.

• That traffickers and brothel owners would be brought to justice.

• That awareness of the problem would continue to grow.

• That more people would take up the fight against slavery.

HASN’T SLAVERY BEEN ABOLISHED?

By Madina Turgieva

J

ust like the great William Wilberforce before them, a group of university students around the New Zealand are standing up against slavery.

Although Wilberforce’s efforts resulted in the abolition of the transAtlantic slave trade in 1807, slavery did not cease to exist. In fact, it is estimated that right now there are more slaves than at any other time in human history.

Human trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation is one of the fastestgrowing forms of modern-day slavery.

Every year, thousands of men, women and children are taken or lured away from their homes and sold into the sex industry against their will.

Abolitionist Societies are a nationwide movement of tertiary students who are deepening their involvement in the issue of slavery throughout New Zealand.

The Abolitionist Society is harnessing its collective voice to inform, motivate and engage their fellow students about the modern slave trade.

Members of the Abolitionist Society run public awareness activities on human trafficking, social media campaigns, debates and publicity stunts and generally lend their skills towards raising awareness of modern slavery.

This year we’re encouraging more university students to get involved in and lend their voice and talent to the issue of human trafficking.

To find out how you can join the fight, e-mail: advocacy@tearfund. org.nz

TEAR FUND SOLE CHARITY FOR LIVE BELOW THE LINE

By Madina Turgieva

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or those signing up for Live Below the Line this year, we have some exciting news. As our faithful supporters, we thought you should be the first ones to know that this year, TEAR Fund is the sole New Zealand charity bringing you Live Below the Line!

TEAR Fund has been involved in Live Below the Line over the past three years and has raised over $230,000

for victims of human trafficking.

This money has allowed TEAR Fund to partner with another antitrafficking organisation, rescue more victims, hire a lawyer dedicated to seeing through the judicial process of prosecuting the perpetrators, ensure quality aftercare for the rescued girls, open an office in Thailand, and start a new project in Nepal. You can help us do even more.

To sign up for the challenge, go to Livebelowtheline.com/nz

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

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MDGs TO SDGs: DEVELOPMENT IS NOW ABOUT US ALL

By John Watson

I

n September, the agenda of international aid and development for the next 15 years will be confirmed at a UN Conference in New York. With a transition from eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on January 1, 2016, it’s as major as it sounds. The hope is that the SDGs will advance some of the successes of the MDGs, but include more of a focus on sustainability, which was a major lack in its predecessor.

The MDGs were established by the UN to cover years 2000-15, when all 189 United Nations member states, including New Zealand, committed to reduce poverty, child mortality and disease, and improve universal education, gender equality, maternal health and environmental sustainability.

Despite its flaws, there’s little doubt the MDGs have been the most successful global anti-poverty push in history, and one of the greatest expressions of our common humanity. In 1990, almost half of the population in developing regions lived on less than $1.25 a day. This rate had dropped to 22% by 2010, reducing the number of people living in extreme poverty by 700 million.

An estimated 3.3 million deaths from malaria have been averted between 2001 and 2012, the majority of those were children under five in sub-Saharan Africa and between 1995 and 2012, 56 million people were successfully treated for TB in countries that had adopted WHO’s global TB strategy, saving 22 million lives.

Substantial gains have been made towards reaching gender parity in school enrolment at all levels of education in developing regions and by 2012, all developing regions had achieved, or were close to achieving, gender parity in primary education. Furthermore, 46 countries boast having more than 30% female members of parliament in at least one chamber and more women are now holding important ministerial posts.

Governments and aid agencies around the world know that the SDGs will set the funding and priorities for the next 15 years. So it’s not surprising the SDGs have increased both in their optimism and number, growing from eight to 17.

The debate now is over which of the suggested 169 more specific targets will make it through. That will be decided in a UN meeting in September.

As suggested by their title, there’s now more focus on sustainability, recognizing the unsustainability of the MDGs and their cost to the environment.

As highlighted by the damage caused by Cyclone Pam, if you’re pouring aid into a country but not addressing global climate change, or helping to make

the populations disaster resilient, the impact and frequency of disasters will continue to have greater impact. It’s essential that the SDGs reconfirm the commitments of the MDGs focused on human wellbeing, by alleviating poverty, enhancing food and water security, and improving health.

But the SDGs must also address earth-wide issues. This is where we come in. Instead of seeing development as something that happens ‘over there’ in other countries, we are waking up to the interconnectedness and the parts we play. The SDGs seek to address the causal connection between the way we live and the global rules we make on one hand, and the ability of others to make a better future for themselves, on the other. Questions of global policy and the challenge of re-tooling the unsustainable practices of individuals, groups, and whole countries will be highlighted. We can expect some new responsibilities on New Zealand to follow.

KEYS TO MOVING FORWARD: • Participation in the design, implementation and monitoring of the post-2015 agenda, by those most affected by poverty and inequality.

• Factoring in environmental degradation when creating economic growth.

• Ensuring a strong accountability framework.

TEAR Fund NZ will be encouraging the government, businesses, organizations and individuals to act in ways consistent with the SDGs to ensure a better, more sustainable future for all.

Goal images from https:// sustainabledevelopment.un.org/ focussdgs.html

MORE INFO • The SDGs are crucial. Super crucial!

They are being finalised in September this year.

• You can read more about them at https://sustainabledevelopment. un.org/topics/ sustainabledevelopmentgoals • You can also get ideas for prayer and to take action yourself: http://action2015.org/campaign/ toolkit/ and http://www. sustainabledevelopment2015.org/

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

6 | TEAR CORRESPONDENT

NEPAL EARTHQUAKE: SHAKEN TO THE CORE

SHATTERED: Victims of Nepal’s earthquake are mourning their losses after a big quake struck in April.

By Nathalie Fauveau

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EAR Fund’s in-country partners have been meeting the needs of Nepal’s earthquake victims in the District of Sindhupalchowk. They have been distributing emergency shelter kits and other essential lifepreserving aid to the victims of the 7.8 earthquake that happened on Saturday, April 25.

An estimated 90% of the population have lost their houses, which are either completely collapsed, or so damaged that they are no longer safe to go in.

When our partners did their first distribution in Bhotachaur Village Development Community, they met a Dalit family who used to own a tailor shop. The Dalit communities are the poorest among Nepalese society as they are regarded as the untouchable class.

Family member Sapna (15) said that

on the day of the earthquake, she was on the lower level of the two-storey house, resting with other family members.

“Four of my cousins were in the upper level when the ground started shaking.”

Two girls aged nine and 13 and two boys aged six and 13 were playing upstairs.

“Despite our efforts, we could not save them,” says the mother of the two boys.

The house collapsed so fast, only those on the bottom level were able to run out.

When we met them, the Dalit family was sleeping partly outside and partly in a tent too small for all of them.

“We were not able to get any of our mattresses, blankets, and clothes from under the rubble,” said one family member. They were cold and hungry.

Traditionally, the Dalit community, the poorest in Nepal, is landless, and they are not able to cultivate and store stocks of grains and cereal like most people living in Sindhupalchowk.

The sole livelihood of this family was the tailor shop they had in their home.

They earned enough with their two sewing machines to buy adequate food for the 20 people sharing the four houses on the compound. A family member says, “Our two machines are gone. They are broken and buried under the rubble. We tried to dig them out but couldn’t. Now we don’t have food or money. What we need most is shelter from the cold and the rain. We need tarpaulins and tents so we can sleep. And we also need food.”

Sapna has other needs as well: “I’m very sad because I won’t be able to go back to school. I lost all of my books and my school supplies in the earthquake.”

The four households received tarps, ropes, jerry cans, buckets, soap, and water purification solution to help them until they can rebuild their houses.

So far, TEAR Fund’s partners have distributed shelter and hygiene kits to

PICTURE / NATHALIE FAUVEAU MEDAIR

15-year-old Sapna and her family.

1,092 households and they are working hard to bring relief to 3,400 households.

They are also providing emergency health kits to distribute to hospitals and mobile clinics. *TEAR Fund works through the Integral Alliance, a group of 22 Christian relief agencies that work together to provide an effective wellcoordinated response to disasters.

A DEADLY DISASTER

By Keith Ramsay

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n April 25, the earth shook violently bringing tragedy down on Nepal. The death toll from the 7.8 earthquake stands at 8,000 and climbing, 17,000 have been injured and approximately 8 million people (more than one quarter of Nepal’s population) have been affected by this disaster. On May 12, the country was again rocked by an earthquake that brought more destruction and deaths.

This was a one of many disasters this year that TEAR Fund has responded to and it was comforting to know that our supporters were alongside us helping to support the many people affected, even after they had given to previous recent disasters. Some of you may have heard

that the Nepal government was trying to route international funds through its Prime Minister’s fund, but we can assure you that this does not affect TEAR Fund’s donations.

Through your generosity, we have been working through our in-country partners and the Integral Alliance (a group of 22 Christian relief agencies) to provide the following: • Temporary Shelter (many homes are destroyed or people are too scared to return to homes) • Medical assistance • Water and Sanitation • Emergency Food and Relief Aid • Early livelihoods recovery (seeds and poultry) To help us do more for the people of Nepal, go to tearfund.org.nz

PICTURE / NATHALIE FAUVEAU MEDAIR

DESTRUCTIVE FORCE: Many buildings were damaged during Nepal’s 7.8 quake.

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!

By Murray Sheard

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his year we are bringing you lots of new opportunities for living in step with hope for the world. Like to be part of a justice focused smallgroup? Like to lead your small group in that direction but aren’t sure how?

Read on. We’ll also introduce you to Claire, our new Advocacy Coordinator (she’s real nice), and highlight some of our FREE learning and lifestyle resources, including the new Good

Lives Project. And if you are interested in helping to wake the church to lead action on climate change, you’ll find a way to help here too.

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.

PICTURE / FRANK RITCHIE

LIVING WELL: Why not try the Good Lives Project with your family or home group?

WELCOME CLAIRE!

We are delighted to welcome Claire Hart to the team. Claire will be coordinating our work to set advocacy and lifestyle challenges in front of our supporters. She is passionate about enabling others to live justice-focused lives. Claire has experience in volunteer management and mobilising people to be involved in their local communities. Working for TEAR Fund has been a long-term goal for Claire, so she is enthusiastic and excited about her new role.

NEW RESOURCE!

BE PART OF A JUSTICE-FOCUSED SMALL GROUP TEAR Fund is launching a pilot of justice-based small groups called Catalyst Groups. These groups are a place to explore and respond to justice-related issues, resourced by TEAR Fund. Catalyst Groups will learn, take action, advocate, pray, and be a place to examine our lifestyles in the light of global injustice. Groups may choose to focus on a particular issue or subject area (such as human trafficking, climate change, inequality or ethical consumerism) or be across a bunch of issues. The aim is to gain a greater understanding of an issue, investigate what the Bible may have to say about the subject, and then take action.

An existing small group can become a Catalyst Group, or you can form a new Catalyst Group with others from your area. All groups would be supported by TEAR Fund with resources and ideas.

Our first catalyst group is forming on the North Shore and is open to new members joining. If you live in the area and want to join, contact advocacy@tearfund.org.nz

THE GOOD LIVES PROJECT

The Good Lives Project is an experiment in faith in action, based on the premise that Western Christians face an urgent challenge: to reject the destructiveness and soullessness of our consumer culture. In the words of the Apostle Paul, it is an attempt to ‘conform no longer to the present pattern of the world’ (Romans 12:2). The Good Lives Project Bible Study booklet seeks to help us live more responsibly. The seven-week study focuses on household economics — from the realm of personal and family finances to day-to-day practices. The study invites you to think of at least one commitment that you can make in each of the seven areas as a move towards lifestyle change. We suggest undertaking this study with your family or home group. Be prepared to be challenged!

For a copy of this study, please email advocacy@tearfund.org.nz

PACIFIC LEADERS CLIMATE CHANGE TOUR

Cyclone Pam is just the start. Storm intensities in the Pacific are expected to increase by 15% as climate change puts the squeeze on. These can kill thousands but also, in one hit, unwind 10 years of food, health, sanitation, business development, and education improvements. But beyond cyclones, Pacific countries are already affected, with dramatic revenue loss across agriculture and forestry.

In late August we will bring Pacific church leaders to NZ to speak directly from their experience. TEAR Fund is partnering with churches and other organisations concerned about climate change and what our response should be. The tour will include breakfasts for church leaders, and wider evening gatherings in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch and a day-long conversation in Auckland.

Come along, or send your pastor or priest! Find out how you can help by emailing advocacy@tearfund.org.nz

FREEBIES! L IS FOR LIFESTYLE! — Lifestyle revolution

for global citizens. 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. In simple short chapters, Ruth unpacks the interconnectedness of our actions and the world. For example, ‘B is for Bananas’ looks at global trade. In each chapter you are given simple steps to take.

NO LONGER SLAVES. FREE STUDY GUIDE Ask us for one – or 10 – 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 of modern slavery, the history of abolition, and what two of TEAR Fund’s partner organisations who work on the frontline are doing. It’s all wrapped in Biblical principles and a framework for understanding it, and concludes with what we can all do about it.

Call us or email advocacy@tearfund.org.nz to find out more about either of these. Also check out projectact.org/take-action.html for our very accessible primer on trafficking and slavery.

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

8 | TEAR CORRESPONDENT

A LEGISLATIVE APPROACH TO CURBING DEMAND FOR SEX TRAFFICKING IN NZ EXPLOITED: Action needed to stop New Zealand looking like this.

Last year TEAR Fund ran an essay writing competition based on our anti-trafficking work. In particular, students were asked to write about how to curb demand for trafficking for sex in New Zealand. Kendra Titheridge was the winner and below is an abridged version of her essay.

By Kendra Titheridge

I

n 2002, New Zealand ratified the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Supress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, which defines trafficking as “the recruitment, transportation, transfer and harbouring of a person, by means of coercion, threats, deception, abuse of vulnerability or exchange of benefits, for the purpose of exploitation.” Despite growing media awareness and 170 signatory nations, little progress has been made to curb the industry currently exploiting 4.5 million trafficking victims for sexual purposes. Although sex trafficking is a complex and culturally taboo issue, the situation is by no means without hope.

Research suggests demand for victims can be reduced by increasing the risks to those buying and selling victims, creating public support for detection and prosecution of trafficking crimes, and by addressing the core issues sustaining the trade. This essay will focus on the approach to curb demand

and three key factors necessary for its success, namely the opportunity, resources and willingness to effect change.

One approach to curb demand is to reduce the opportunity traffickers and buyers have to exploit victims. New Zealand’s legislation is ill equipped to identify and prosecute those exploiting victims. There have been numerous cases (such as a group of Thai women trafficked in 2001 and Ukrainian girls in 2006) where despite incriminating evidence and witness statements, the traffickers and brothel owners were not prosecuted. The New Zealand Crimes Act lacks basic definitions for slavery and acts of deception (which are necessary for identifying victims and prosecuting exploiters) and despite documented cases, domestic trafficking remains unrecognised. After legislation is strengthened and harsher penalties are adopted, our country will not only be more capable of supporting and protecting victims, but we will have begun creating an environment which is actually hostile to trafficking.

Although the above legislation is vital, the Prostitution Reform Act of 2003 will also need to be re-examined, as it has created both a legal and social stumbling-block for the identification and prosecution of trafficking cases.

Although the act was intended to ensure the safety of sex workers, a 2008 follow-up report demonstrated workers safety had not improved, with 75% insisting the law change had “done little to reduce the violence against them”. Despite the Act’s intention not to “[promote] prostitution as an acceptable career option”, it has made the buying and selling of sex a legally and more socially acceptable practice, which has increased the opportunity for the young and vulnerable to be victimized. Police operations in 2008 and 2012 discovered high numbers of underage prostitutes,

PICTURE / EMMA CONYNGHAM

some as young as 13 within the New Zealand industry.

The second factor needed to curb demand and therefore combat human trafficking is resources. If the New Zealand government is serious about its responsibilities as a liberal and democratic nation, particularly now it has secured a place on the UN Security Council, it will need to step up and defend its reputation as a state which enforces and promotes human rights.

Funding will be needed to ensure the Police Force, Immigration and the Security Intelligence Service can detect, capture and prosecute criminals involved in sustaining the activity. NonGovernment Organisations, charities and other programmes for the economic support, rehabilitation, education and training of all those involved should also be bolstered. Unless a strong support system is established, any attempt to curb demand long-term will eventually falter, as victims and oppressors will neither have the opportunity, or (as we will discuss) the willingness to escape from the cycle they are trapped in.

The third and most important ingredient for success is the actual willingness to combat trafficking.

The government must support the measures taken and be fully committed to enforcing them long-term. Research shows public opinion (though delayed), often sways in support of policy change, such as occurred in Sweden when national support for the Act criminalizing the purchase of sexual services increased from 33% (before enactment) to 71%.

This collective support has increased awareness of trafficking and has resulted in significantly more public tip-offs and prosecutions.

The New Zealand government should consider replicating the Swedish model to realize similar results, though caution will need to be exercised in

framing the issue. New policy will need to be openly explained so all understand what trafficking is, why it is a critical issue, and how New Zealand and its citizens can combat the issue. Clarity of policy and visual support will itself spur change in the public’s perception on trafficking and demand.

In addition to national support, success will depend on the willingness of victims to both escape their circumstances and to provide evidence for their exploiter’s prosecution. Before and during their ordeals, victims are often sexually, psychologically and physically abused to a point where they are unable or unwilling to escape their captors.

There is no one single approach to combatting human trafficking. Instead, progress must be made on as many fronts as possible; by reducing demand, supporting victims, educating the public and addressing the core issues sustaining the trade. Most importantly, the New Zealand government, public and victims themselves will need to be committed to creating an environment and culture hostile to the exploitation of human beings. I believe our country has the opportunity and the resources to combat the issue of sex trafficking, the question is… are we willing to do what it takes?

The full version of Kendra’s essay, including footnotes and bibliography, is available here: http://bit.ly/tf-essay

PRAY • For the strength of those working to improve the situation in New Zealand.

• That New Zealand law would be strengthened to deal with the problem here.

• That good information about the problem here would come to light.

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

9

FREE WHEELING GEARING UP: Tour of New Zealand participants give their all for victims of human trafficking.

By Beth Harper

A

lone cyclist caught in a headwind on a long, as-far-as-youreye-can-see road, is a situation best avoided. I learned this the hard way when I ditched my team to catch a faster group, only to be dropped when the hills divided us. For 30km, I boxed-on alone and felt every up and down of my pedal stroke as I fended off thoughts around the 50kms that separated me from the finish line. Then life-saving words, “hop-on-board!” and seconds later I was swept along by a large peloton moving fast. Soon the head wind was forgotten

as I focussed on the two inches between my tyre and the tyre in front, while enjoying the slip-stream created by 50 bikes. With lightning bolt clarity I saw the metaphor, alone and isolated I was weak but surrounded by the peloton I was strengthened. I was cycling for the freedom of children held captive in brothels. They need a community on the move, fighting for their freedom against the powerful forces of evil.

Seventeen courageous cyclists put home comforts behind them and donned TEAR Fund’s cycling kit, to bike 700km across the North or South Islands in The Tour of New Zealand, for the

PICTURE / SUPPLIED

freedom of girls and women enslaved in the sex industry in Southeast Asia.

We were among five official tour charities encouraging participants to cycle for something greater than themselves. The tour organisers created many opportunities and incentives for fundraising, such as providing sports gear, bikes and even a Honda Jazz.

While many teams enjoyed corporate sponsorship, the TEAR Fund team was generously supported by our community.

Enormous thanks to the following whose support made the tour possible: The Villa Education Trust for their West Auckland Middle School van which

transported our team; Saint Kentigern College for their bike trailer and Bruce and Nicky Edgar for pulling the trailer; the generous private gift which enabled us to have a smart team jersey and 2XU for completing our kit with matching shorts; Panda Visuals, sign writers who designed and wrapped our two support vehicles with our messaging; Ceres Organics for sponsoring our healthy, energy bars; and Whangarei Four Square for donating One Square Meal bars.

Naturally I had a target for our team to maximise the freedom for the girls and I am very proud to say that our group smoked the target. Enormous thanks to our top fundraisers: Jatin Patel who raised over $10,000 and Bruce Edgar whose name was pulled out of the hat winning the Honda Jazz.

Bruce addressed a 600-strong crowd in Wellington at the prize-giving about the cause behind his challenge and why he was giving the Honda to TEAR Fund.

Bruce’s selfless act brought his target to over $23,000 and our team’s total to over $71,000.

Thank you to Ricoh who invited TEAR Fund as their charity, and all the cyclists and support drivers for joining the movement for freedom: Bruce and Nicky Edgar, Clinton and Kerryn Sanford, Karen Lorimer, Josh Aldridge, David and Carmen Tokios, Dave Jamieson, Naresh Kumar, Michael Simpson, Greg Stack, Jatin Patel, Faye Paul, Neil Hamilton and Bella O’Donnell, Murray Sheard, Melissa Diprose, Rose Conway, Simon Gough and Chris Mason-Battley.

On Saturday August 29, TEAR Fund’s Poverty Cycle Challenge is on in Clevedon, Auckland. Join our growing community on bikes. Enter as a six-member team or as an individual. www.povertycycle.co.nz

ON THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION

By John Watson

N

aresh Kumar first started running after he hit and killed a drunken jaywalker in India five years ago.

“I was riding a motorbike and I couldn’t swerve in time. I was left with a broken chin and rib but it wasn’t the physical injuries that hurt me most; you can’t stop the guilt, the self-condemnation.

‘Why did God put me in this position?’ I kept asking myself.”

Facing a relationship breakup at the same time, Naresh took to the mountains with his Bible in an attempt to cope and answer the question beleaguering him: ‘Who are you God?’ Prior to the crash he thought he knew; he had followed God since he converted from Hinduism at 14. Living among the slums of Chennai on one meal a day in a Hindu family, it was a hard decision in an already hard life.

“There’s a price you pay for picking up your cross,” he says. “It’s a tough life, but it’s completely worth it.”

It was on those mountain slopes that Naresh’s question was answered. Except, he didn’t find it in the pages of his Bible but on his journey to read it.

“I discovered my gift of endurance running along those mountain trails.

I would run a hundred kilometres at a time.” It was a gift that God used.

Inspired by the little water his family lived on – 10 litres a week – he ran 500km across Tennessee to raise $10,000 to build a well in Ethiopia. Soon after, he left India to work in Silicon Valley, California, as a project manager for one of the largest cloud computing companies in the world. It was a job and a life many would aspire to. But it wasn’t enough for Naresh.

“I would work 60 to 70 hours a week, finish work at 10pm on a Friday and then go into the mountains and run one hundred miles.”

In a move that would seem ridiculous to most, Naresh left his dream Californian lifestyle to become homeless and jobless, staying with friends and running for causes he believed in. It was a move that brought him to New Zealand.

Inspired by the scenery he saw in the movie Lord of the Rings, Naresh arrived in New Zealand on September 10, 2014, and one day later was running the length of it – the equivalent of 41 marathons in 41 days – raising money for TEAR Fund’s anti-trafficking work.

He wore what he always ran in: bedrock sandals. It was a story that caught the attention of New Zealanders and Naresh was featured in print and on radio and television.

“I’ve done 80-something ultramarathons in them [the sandals]; I carried a second pair but never needed them and didn’t get one blister,” he told reporters.

In April this year, replacing his sandals for a bike, Naresh helped TEAR Fund raise more than $40,000 to combat human trafficking when he rode the length of the North Island in the Tour of New Zealand. As a scuba diver and rock climber as well as a runner, he’s been nominated for New Zealand Adventurer of the Year and Outdoor Hero of the Year.

“I don’t have an address. I don’t have a job. I have mail shipped all over the world. But I’m happy. I have a lot of travel plans, and I have time. TEAR Fund was an obvious organisation for me to help.”

Naresh’s next moves are to take part in the Paris Brest Paris long-distance cycle race and then run 1400kms across Nepal.

In perhaps his biggest accomplishment, Naresh has been able to answer the

PICTURE / SUPPLIED

HARD ROAD: Naresh helped raise $40,000. question he sought in the mountains.

“Sometimes you are the clay in the potter’s hands. You can’t ask why he has made things the way they are. I have come to terms with his sovereignty and his plans; I don’t know why it happened but I know what has happened. I found out about my endurance running and compassion for others. Once that haze went away, it strengthened my relationship with Christ and made me the person I am today. Because ultimately…you need a rock to hold onto.”

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

10 | TEAR CORRESPONDENT

BETWEEN IRAQ AND A HARD PLACE DISPLACED: Men distribute water at a refugee camp established near Peshkhabor, Iraq, for refugees displaced by ISIS.

By Madina Turgieva

I

t’s been described as the worst humanitarian crisis since World War 2. In fact, it’s hard to overstate how desperate the situation has become. Four years on, and the conflict in Syria is still going. In this time, more than 220,000 Syrians have lost their lives in this conflict, many of them civilians. UN Reports indicate 7.6 million Syrians have been internally displaced within the country, bringing the total number forced to flee their homes to more than 11 million—half the country’s pre-crisis population.

Overall, an estimated 12.2 million are in need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria, including 5.6 million children, the UN says. Both sides are accused of committing war crimes on both military personnel and civilians.

Homelessness, violence, hunger, threat of rape, what can only be described as our worst nightmare, is a daily reality for those affected by this

deadly crisis. Government forces and various opposition groups trap innocent people in the middle of their conflict, causing them unimaginable suffering.

Amidst this chaotic environment, a whole generation of children is growing up without any semblance of normality.

Violence and fear is their new normal.

Thankfully, we are working with some incredible organisations who understand what living in a warzone does to a child.

In Lebanon and Jordan, we’re working through the local church to provide education to thousands of displaced Syrian children who are missing out while the war rages on. In addition to overcrowding and under-resourcing of tent schools, barriers to enrolment include tuition and transportation costs, language and discrimination.

Nada, a Syrian refugee in Lebanon says, “In Syria, my child was surrounded by violence and weapons, bombs and air strikes. At first, all I could think about was trying to survive. Back in

Syria my kids would talk to me about wanting something to eat. Just before we left Syria, they talked about being afraid. You just can’t imagine what this does to their psychological well-being.”

She says, “now we’re able to send our children to school and offer some sense of normality once again. The children are at rest at school, they’re comfortable.

We have been here for three years, and I did not feel helped until the day I walked with my children to school.”

IRAQ With the upsurge in activity by ISIS (a group using extreme violence to create an Islamic state), the conflict has spread through Syria and Iraq.

According to the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), between January 2014 and April 2015 almost 13,000 civilians have been killed in Iraq and more than 2m have been displaced. This is estimated to reach 3m before the end of 2015.

In Iraq we’re partnering with an organisation responsible for the

TEAR FUND EVENTS DIARY JULY 16 TO 26 | DAN BREMNES AND STRAHAN COLEMAN

Canadian Dan Bremnes and New Zealand’s own Strahan Coleman are in New Zealand for their Live in Concert tour. These two renowned singer/ songwriters combine their talents to bring an evening of songs and stories to life. Dan Bremnes loves music. He loves hearing it, writing it, performing it, arranging it and recording it. “I couldn’t be happier just to know that I serve such a great God, and that I can trust that He’ll be there every step of the way.”

PICTURE / MACKENZIE KNOWLES-COURSIN IRIN

protection of children in refugee camps.

Here, we’re setting up child friendly spaces to help prevent children from being trafficked or exploited. We’re also providing essential nutrition for families and offering trauma support and counselling to help them through the violence and loss they’ve experienced.

Thank you to those who have given so generously to our work in the Middle East. Together with our partners we are working hard to provide children the food, trauma care and education they so desperately need to recover emotionally and psychologically.

To help us continue doing this vital work, visit tearfund.org.nz or call 0800 800 777 to make a donation.

PRAY • That our partners in the Middle East would be a force for healing and restoration.

See tearfund.org.nz for event details

Danielle was born in Toronto and after a period of juvenile delinquency she became a Christian and got involved in overseas mission. She underwent missionary training then headed up a

rural Salvation Army unit. She then moved to Canada’s poorest postal code and planted several churches, also leading the Salvation Army’s War College and a human trafficking response unit.

Now as social justice director for the Salvation Army’s Southern Territory in Australia, she advocates and sets up provision for marginalised and exploited groups.

Dan Bremnes.

Danielle Strickland.

Strahan Coleman.

AUGUST 24 TO 30 | DANIELLE STRICKLAND Danielle Strickland spends her days in brothels ministering to prostitutes, or trawling the streets praying with drug addicts. Her uncomfortable but challenging message to the church is that it has abandoned the poor. Danielle is recognised internationally as a leader, speaker, writer, justice advocate, mission developer, and church planter.

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

11

MT MOZAIC GETS BEHIND SPONSORSHIP

By Katie Milgate

A

WAITING: Older children such as Karmel, find it harder to get sponsored.

SPONSORING OLDER CHILDREN Story and photo by Tonny Tunya

I

f you are thinking about sponsoring a child with TEAR Fund, why not consider sponsoring an older child?

When most people think of sponsoring, they run down the rows of children needing sponsorship and their eyes are understandably drawn to the younger children. After-all, they seem the most vulnerable and often they can have more of a cuteness factor.

Just like many movies depicting children in orphanages, the older children can be overlooked and TEAR Fund finds it harder to find sponsors for them. There are advantages in sponsoring older children. For instance, if your financial circumstances are likely to change or you sponsor a child through a group, the commitment to an older child is shorter. If you want to form a quicker bond with a child, they are able to write more in-depth and informative letters than younger children.

Sometimes older children need sponsorship due to the changing circumstances of a sponsor who can’t continue with their support. This can have a big impact on them. Karmel Setiawan Telaumbanua (15) from Indonesia remembered the emptiness he felt the moment when he heard the news that he no longer had a sponsor.

He had witnessed some of his peers who experienced cancelation in the past, but now it was his turn to experience the hurt of losing a sponsor. No more writing or receiving letters. The only thing that remains is memories of his sponsor’s name and caring messages in their old letters.

Karmel had learned an important

life lesson through his past experiences: that God will take care of his life as he did before. Karmel says, “After my father’s death, my mother tried her best to keep us together, until we had nothing to sell and became very poor.”

Karmel’s parents were evangelists.

His father’s sudden death while ministering was an extremely challenging time for the whole family.

As they were not linked with any particular churches to support them, Karmel’s mother became responsible to meet the family’s needs. She kept ministering to people and relied on what people could give but eventually she had no choice but to put her sons in the orphanage to keep them alive.

At the age of eight, Karmel and his older brother started their life journeys as part of the orphanage. The orphanage is run by Bethany Church in Kampung Sawah area, Jakarta. The church had just partnered with TEAR Fund’s partner Compassion at the time Karmel arrived. By God’s grace, Karmel was selected for the Child Sponsorship Programme.

Karmel’s mother lives in another city, Yogyakarta, a 12-hour train ride from Jakarta. She is still ministering to people. It was not easy for little Karmel to adjust to the conditions of Kampung Sawah, but his mother’s words helped him gain strength: “Endure all things, because God will take care of his son,” she said. “You no longer have an earthly father but God will always be your father.”

Karmel says, “A sponsor to me is like a parent and yet a friend.” Though Karmel doesn’t have a sponsor at the moment, he still has the privilege of continuing in the sponsorship

programme. Every child has a specific learning and training time before they graduate from the programme and will leave with skills that will enable them to be independent financially and socially in the community.

“I’m taking drum class now,” Karmel says. He feels blessed that he is still able to participate in the programme though he does not have a sponsor. “It may take a longer time to find a sponsor for a bigger child like me—just like in the orphanage. But I never stop praying that God will give me a good sponsor someday.”

REASONS TO SPONSOR AN OLDER CHILD • It takes longer to get older children sponsored.

• If you can’t commit to sponsorship long-term, why not choose an older child?

• Letters from older children are more informative and you can get to know them faster.

PRAY • That Karmel will get a sponsor to help him further develop valuable life skills.

• For more people to be inspired to sponsor older children who have been waiting a while.

• That older children and their families would feel valued, supported, and loved.

• That strong relationships would be built between older children and their sponsors.

s a church in Mount Maunganui, we are blessed with so much.

We are blessed to live in such a beautiful place, in an incredible community with much to offer. Joel and I took a team of our leaders to Hillsong conference last year where they played a promo-video for TEAR Fund about a young girl in Indonesia and her journey to sponsorship. When the lights came back on almost all of us were crying and had felt moved to act. I believe this was the Holy Spirit stirring in us a desire to help the poor.

We all put our hands up to sponsor a child but felt we could do more as a church than we could do as individuals.

We thought about finding a village where we as a church could sponsor all the children. And that would just be the start. I love knowing that as we do life together as a church community in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand, there is another community doing life together in Manado Indonesia. And that we are privileged enough to be the ones in a position to be support to them.

We know that child sponsorship is just the beginning of this journey.

There are six of us flying to Manado to meet the people, listen to them and see if we can help practically in any way.

Our hope is that this trip will start to create a bond and a trust with the people so that we can be a blessing to them with no strings attached. I believe as a church, we should be looking for opportunities to give to those in need, expecting nothing in return.

TEAR Fund has helped make all of this possible and we are so thankful to have partnered with them. By partnering with TEAR Fund, we can use their knowledge, experience, connections and relationships as a platform to do what only we can do; leaving TEAR Fund to do what only they can do. We are excited for our journey ahead!

TEAR FUND REBRAND

By Helen Manson

I

n the last issue of the Correspondent we mentioned that this year we would create a new look for our organisation, and we’ve been making steady progress on this. In November, we hope to launch a new website that will enable us to serve you better, along with a new logo, look and feel.

Of course, we will retain the core of who we are; people passionate about helping to end extreme poverty. We look forward to launching this new look and watching how it brings our work to life like never before. It’s been 40 years of bringing glory to God by extending his ministry to the poor, oppressed and disadvantaged, and we believe the best is yet to come. Watch this space!

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

12 | TEAR CORRESPONDENT

SPONSOR AN OLDER CHILD WITH TEAR FUND

DONATE

C

I’D LIKE TO SUPPORT THE VICTIMS OF SYRIA, VANUATU AND NEPAL, BY DONATING TO THE DISASTER APPEAL FUND.

an you help by sponsoring one of these older children who have been waiting a while for a sponsor? Often older children find it harder to find sponsors. If you want a shorter term commitment, one of these children would benefit from your love and support until they graduate

I’d like to make a one-off donation of: $35

$50

$100

Other $

YOUR DETAILS Fill in this section if you are making a donation, or if you’d like to sponsor a child. We’d love to start journeying with you!

Name:

Title

First

from TEAR Fund’s Compassion child sponsorship programme.

According to an independent peerreviewed study on the effectiveness of our Compassion child sponsorship by a top US economics professor, Bruce Wydick, children sponsored through the programme are more likely to:

• finish secondary school • complete tertiary education • have a white-collar job as an adult • become community leaders.

We believe in the transforming power of child sponsorship. Please pray with us that the older children featured below would find sponsors soon.

AFRICA

Last

Address:

Home phone:

Mintesnot

Joyce

Noelina

Fred

Work phone:

Age 14, from Ethiopia

Age 14, from Kenya

Age 15, from Tanzania

Age 16 from Uganda

Mobile: Email: Tick here and you will receive our monthly e-news, keeping you up-to-date with TEAR Fund’s work.

PAYMENT

2663

DOB 13-Jul-2000 At home, Mintesnot helps by carrying water and running errands. He lives with his parents. Mintesnot participates in church activities. He is also in primary school where his performance is average. Soccer, volleyball and running are his favourite activities.

DOB 2-Feb-2001 At home, Joyce helps in the kitchen and runs errands. She lives with her parents. There are 4 children in the family. At school her performance is average. Singing, running and playing group games are her favourite activities.

DOB 1-Jan-2000 Noelina lives with her mother. She is responsible for carrying water, gathering firewood and sewing.

Singing, and art are Noelina’s favourite activities. In school her performance is average and she also regularly attends church activities, Bible class and choir.

DOB 7-Jun-1998 At home, Fred helps by carrying water, gathering firewood and teaching others.

He lives with his mother.

Singing, telling stories and listening to music are Fred’s favourite activities.

ASIA

Cheque (make payable to TEAR Fund) Visa / Mastercard (please complete below) Card Number:

Expiry date:

/

Cardholder name: Signature: To save posting your credit card details, you can give securely online. Visit tearfund.org.nz and click

‘donate now’.

PLEASE SEND ME INFORMATION ABOUT: Remembering TEAR Fund in my will

Bajinath

Kuza

Erica

Dream

Age 14, from India

Age 17, from India

Age 14, from Philippines

Age 17, from Thailand

DOB 15-Jul2000 Bajinath lives with his father and his mother. He is responsible for gathering firewood, caring for animals and washing clothes.Bajinath lives with his father and his mother. There are 3 children in the family.

DOB 8-Jan-1998 Kuza lives with her father and her mother. Her duties at home include washing clothes and cleaning. She is also in high school where her performance is above average.

Swimming and reading are her favourite activities.

DOB 8-May-2000 Erica lives with her father and her mother. She is responsible for caring for children, washing clothes and making beds. There are 3 children in the family.

Singing, art and walking are Erica’s favourite activities.

Becoming a volunteer Advocate

DOB 21-Dec-1997 Dream lives with her mother.

Her duties at home include carrying water, working in the market and gardening. Dream enjoys music, ping pong and volleyball. She attends church activities and is in vocational training where her performance is above average.

SOUTH AMERICA

Please take me off your mailing list

CHILD SPONSORSHIP $48 per month

If you have chosen a child to sponsor in this issue, please cut out the image and attach it to this form. You can then leave the boxes below blank. Alternately call us on 0800 800 777.

My preference is: From:

Girl

Either

South America

Africa

Asia

Central America

No pref.

Boy

Please add Sponsorship Plus: $10 extra per month to cover additional needs like unexpected medical treatment and help support other children still waiting for sponsors.

Geovana

Huber

Luis

Lisbet

Age 18, from Brazil

Age 17, from Colombia

Age 18, from Peru

Age 18, from Peru

DOB 22-Jun-1996 Geovana lives with her father and her mother. Geovana works at home making beds, helping in the kitchen and running errands. Singing, art and walking are her favourite activities.

There are 2 children in the family.

DOB 1-Nov-1997 In his home, Huber helps in the kitchen and runs errands. He lives with his parents. For fun, Huber enjoys soccer and playing group games. He is in middle school where his performance is above average.

DOB 23-Sep-1996 Luis lives with his mother. There are 2 children in the family. Soccer, singing and walking are Luis’ favourite activities. He is in vocational training and also regularly attends church activities, Bible class and youth group.

OUR PURPOSE:

PUBLICATION DETAILS:

CONTACT

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, Murray Sheard, Frank Ritchie, Madina Turgieva, Beth Harper, Tonny Tunya, Kendra Titheridge, Nathalie Fauveau, Helen Manson, John Watson, Katie Milgate Art Director: Alex Carter | Printing: PMP Print

0800 800 777 | tearfund.org.nz enquiries@tearfund.org.nz

DOB 24-Jan-1997 Lisbet lives with her grandfather and her mother. Her duties at home include washing clothes, making beds and cleaning. For fun, Lisbet enjoys volleyball, art and listening to music.

She is in high school where her performance is average.

Mixed Sources Product group from well-managed forests, and other controlled sources www.fsc.org Cert no. SCS-COC-2324 © 1996 Forest Stewardship Council

TEAR Fund is a registered charity. Charities Act 2005 registration CC21725.

Donations $5Symonds and over are taxSt, deductible.

PO Box 8315, AKL 1150, NZ • enquiries@tearfund.org.nz • 0800 800 777 • tearfund.org.nz