Stephen Watiti is a Ugandan doctor living with HIV.
Stephen Watiti. Photo: Clive Mear/Tearfund
In 2003, Stephen got cancer, meningitis and TB. His body couldn’t fight the infections – he had given up hope, and was dying. But a local church project, supported by Tearfund, stepped in. They showed practical love to Stephen, they prayed for him and they helped him access anti-retroviral medicines (ARVs). Stephen grew strong again, and has devoted the rest of his life to helping others living with HIV.
At Tearfund, we believe the local church is central to overcoming poverty and transforming lives. We’re part of it, along with others – with Stephen and his local church, with others like them around the world and with each and every one of our amazing supporters. Together, we make up the global church.
We have a vision to see 50 million people released from material and spiritual poverty through a worldwide network of 100,000 local churches.
We're making this vision a reality. We come alongside our local partner churches and church-based organisations, supporting them as they seek to lift their own communities out of poverty. We are recognised for our professional expertise in development, disaster response and recovery, and advocacy. This level of professionalism and expertise, matched with the enduring, sustainable effectiveness of the local church, is a powerful force in the face of poverty.
At Tearfund we also strongly believe development work should be answerable to the people it aims to help. Because of this, we’re a member of the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership. You can read more about our professional accreditations here.
Find out more about how our partners are transforming lives throughout this website, and in the following sections:
What we do: Right now, we’re focussing on some of the biggest challenges facing the world today. Find out what we do here.
Where we work: We work particularly in Africa, Asia and South America – and also across Eastern Europe and the UK. Discover where we work here.
Our values: How we uphold our values in our work is a priority for us. Learn about our values and working practices here.
Annual report and accounts: Our look back over the last financial year - Tearfund's official Annual report, and other core documents, can be read here.