Current prayer news from Tearfund

Democratic Republic of Congo

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 08:50:00 GMT

Rape and other forms of brutality against women are common in DRC, with local authorities doing little to stop this or to prosecute those responsible, according to a new UN investigation. The country’s new parliament outlawed sexual violence in July 2006, but the UN report says that little has been done to implement the law. Tearfund's workTearfund partner Heal Africa Goma works with women and girls who have been raped. Women receive medical treatment and trauma counselling. Heal Africa then helps them set up small businesses so these women, who are often stigmatised and isolated from their community, can make a living and rediscover their place in society. Despite democratic elections being held last year, ongoing fighting in the east of DRC continues to force people from their homes. Villages continue to be raided and sometimes burnt. The ongoing violence and displacement also means women are still vulnerable to rape and other crimes. Reaching those in need is made difficult by the insecurity and by ...

Northern Uganda

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 17:25:00 GMT

A year after peace talks began, an estimated 1,500 women and children have yet to be released by the Lords Resistance Army (LRA), says a spokesperson for the UN children’s fund, UNICEF. The LRA has been notorious for abducting women and children to work as soldiers and sex slaves during the region’s 21-year war. Discussions complicatedProgress has been slow and the talks have yet to reach a conclusion. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for LRA leader Joseph Kony, his deputy Vincent Otti and three other commanders for crimes against humanity – specifically, murder, rape, mutilations and mass abductions. The LRA has threatened to pull out of the peace talks unless the ICC withdraws the warrants.Since the talks began, thousands of people who had been forced from their homes by the conflict have returned home. Others have left the camps for displaced people and are now living in halfway camps. This means they can farm their land by day and sleep in the relative safety of a camp ...

United Kingdom

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 10:47:00 GMT

Tearfund partner the National Christian Alliance on Prostitution (NCAP) supports organisations that work with people involved in prostitution. The Bridge Project, an NCAP affiliate working in Ipswich, knows the women who have been murdered in the past weeks. The team is in contact with the police and local authorities and is working with women in the area who are obviously distressed and vulnerable at this time. Please pray NCAP has these prayer requests: ‘Please pray for the team and the people they are in contact with. Lord, we pray for the families of Gemma, Tania, Anneli, Paula and Annette. We pray that you would hold them in the palm of your hand. We pray that they would know your comfort in the midst of their agony and grief. Lord, we pray for the streets of Ipswich, that your peace will surround the women there. We pray for the community that they would know your comfort in the midst of this.’ Visit www.ncapuk.org to learn about the work of NCAP.

Sri Lanka

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 08:30:00 GMT

As Norway says it’s ready to help revive peace talks in Sri Lanka, fighting continues. The military is claiming they can retake the east of the island from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in days. The LTTE still controls a large part of the far north of the island. Complex and long-term crisisAnalysts say that territory historically changes hands often, and they see no clear winner in this war. A breakaway faction of the LTTE, called the Karuna group after its leader, is outpacing the LTTE in terms of recruitment. Aid agencies claim that the Karuna group is able to operate freely in government-held territory. And analysts say Karuna fighters are working with the government in their battle against the LTTE. Both parties deny this. Resuming talks?At the beginning of July, Norway said it would help revive the peace talks if the warring parties asked for its help. The Sri Lankan government has reportedly asked Norway to help resume the peace talks. Norway brokered a ceasefire in 2002. This deal ...

Central African Republic

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 15:05:00 GMT

Fear of returning home Thousands of people displaced by civil war in the Central African Republic (CAR) are reluctant to return to their homes despite improved security in the region. The conflict, which has lasted for 18 months, has been between government forces and the rebel Army for the Restoration of the Republic and Democracy (APRD). The APRD claims the current government toppled a legitimate one in 2003 and is mismanaging public funds. Calmer Since rebels signed a peace agreement the situation is calmer, but many whose homes were burned and possessions stolen are still too frightened to return. They continue to live in makeshift camps but conditions mean there isn’t access to enough food, clean water or medical help. The aftermath of the rainy season in July is also making getting aid to people virtually impossible. History of conflict Landlocked CAR has experienced civil conflicts for over thirty years due to successive misrule by military governments since its independence in 1960. A violen ...

India and Pakistan

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 10:16:00 GMT

Bomb blasts in India, near the Pakistani border, will not undermine the peace process between the two countries, according to President Musharraf.

Bomb blasts

Two bombs exploded on a train on Monday, killing at least 66 passengers. Two unexploded bombs were also found on the train.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri, is in New Delhi this week to meet with Indian leaders. They are discussing the peace process between the two countries.

Please pray

Please pray for comfort for the bereaved families of those who died in the bomb blast. Pray that this incident will not trigger any backlash and will not damage the shaky relationship between India and Pakistan.

Give thanks for the increased stability between the two countries over recent years. Please pray for the peace process – there are people who would like the two countries to remain divided.

Bolivia

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 11:32:00 GMT

Beni province, northern Bolivia, is under water after some three months of heavy rainfall. Crops have been destroyed in Santa Cruz, eastern Bolivia. At least 35 people have been killed and the Red Cross estimates that as many as 350,000 people have been affected by the floods, including many indigenous people living in remote areas of Beni. Changing climate The El Nino phenomenon, in which waters warm in the Pacific Ocean and then cause extreme weather conditions, has been blamed for the rains. President Evo Morales has said that the rains are a result of the failure of wealthy industrialised nations to combat climate change. According to the UN, water supplies have been contaminated and there have been reports of dengue fever outbreaks. Aid has started to arrive but the floods have blocked roads and the rain has caused landslides, making it difficult to reach those in need with vital supplies. Tearfund is monitoring the situation. Our partner the Evangelical Christian Union has links with churches ...

Colombia

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 12:59:00 GMT

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is offering demobilised right-wing paramilitaries the opportunity to run for public office, under a new Bill. This is an attempt to salvage his peace deal. Controversial peace deal The deal initially stated that former paramilitaries would be charged with sedition rather than common crimes. Under the charge of sedition they would not have faced cocaine-smuggling charges and would have been able to run for public office. However, the Supreme Court then ruled that they could not be charged with sedition because they had never tried to overthrow the government. Colombia’s violent conflict has claimed at least 35,000 lives in the past 15 years and nearly 3 million people have been forced from their homes. Many human rights groups have criticised President Uribe for not making sure that criminal networks were properly dismantled and for not offering adequate compensation to those who suffered at the hands of the paramilitaries. Christians assassinatedLast month, two Christian ...

India: Maoist conflcit

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 17:22:00 GMT

Maoist fighters have attacked police and tribal militia members in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh State of Central India, killing some 55 people. The victims are mostly members of a civil militia group called the Salwa Judum, which is supported by the state government to fight the Maoists.

Wide disruption

The Maoists started their rebellion 40 years ago in eastern India. They claim they are fighting a long-running insurgency for the rights of landless farmers and tribes. They now operate in six of India’s 29 states.

Some of the work of our partner organisations has been indirectly affected by the fighting and the ongoing security threat, particularly in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa.

Please pray

Please pray for a peaceful and just outcome to the conflict. Pray too for the safety and security of aid agencies and our partners as they operate in difficult circumstances.

Thailand

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 11:40:00 GMT

Tensions are high between Buddhists and Muslims in Thailand’s restive south. Eight Buddhists were recently killed in an attack on a minibus and a grenade was thrown into a mosque at the beginning of the month. At least 14 people were injured. Separatist revolt Unlike the rest of the country, the three southern provinces are predominantly Islamic, with Malay Muslims making up 80 per cent of the population. A separatist revolt dimmed in the 1980s but was sparked again in January 2004. More than 2,000 people have been killed in the separatist insurgency in the past last three years. Thailand has enjoyed periods of great growth and development which have benefited many, but which have been at great cost to others. Bangkok, Thailand’s capital, in particular saw a huge influx of workers during its boom years. Many social issues have arisen as a result of this growth, such as a large-scale sex industry, which in turn has contributed to HIV infection. Please pray Please pray for political stability and for pe ...

Brazil

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 11:42:00 GMT

Violence has become a normal part of life in Brazil and thousands of people are killed every year. Murder rates in Rio de Janeiro are similar to those of some countries that are at war. Last week the state governor requested government troops be sent to Rio to combat crime. However, the local authorities do not accept the need for this. Inequality There is a huge gap between rich and poor, and police officers are underpaid and often corrupt. Federal police recently staged a 24-hour strike in protest that they had not received a promised pay rise. Most of the violence takes place in Brazil’s shanty towns, or favelas. Shootouts between police and drug gangs add to the numbers of casualties. Vigilante groups, which claim to be protecting the favelas, are also violent. Often there is a lack of basic sanitation and electricity. Tearfund's work Tearfund partners work in shanty towns in different parts of the country. For example Casa Filadelfia in Sao Paulo carries out HIV prevention work and tries to preve ...

Philippines

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 10:04:00 GMT

A rebel base has been captured by soldiers in the Philippines, on the central island of Samar. Maoist insurgency The base belonged to the Maosist group, the New People’s Army, who have been fighting the government in an insurgency that began in 1969 and has killed more than 40,000 people. They have bases in 69 of the Philippines’ 81 provinces. The Maoists want the Philippines to be ruled by a socialist government. But they have not been successful. In a separate conflict on the southern island of Mindanao, rebels have been fighting for a separate Muslim state for decades. This conflict has claimed some 120,000 lives. Please pray Please pray for the forthcoming national election which is tentatively set for 14 May, 2007. Several incidences of election-related violence have already been reported. Pray too for our partners as they plan for the year ahead. They are seen as neutral because they work through churches. Pray also for the Philippine Children Ministry Network as it works to curb the traff ...

Global day of prayer

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 24 May 2007 09:25:00 GMT

Supported by Tearfund, the Global Day of Pray 2007 takes place on Pentecost Sunday, 27 May. It’s an opportunity to be part of an international movement, joining in prayer with Christians from around the world. The main event in the UK takes place at the West Ham football ground on 27 May. The event begins at 2pm and will run until 5.30. Worship will be led by Tim Hughes and Graham Kendrick, among others. With God's eyes Matthew Frost, Tearfund’s Chief Executive says, ‘Tearfund’s vision is to transform the lives of millions of the world’s poorest people, in a positive and sustainable way. 'As we spend time in prayer, we can begin to see the world through God's eyes and understand more fully his heart of compassion. We are pleased to be a partner of the Global Day of Prayer 2007.’ Please pray Please pray for this exciting day which will bring together churches and individuals from across the UK of all ages, cultures, backgrounds and denominations. For more information or to book a place visit http ...

Indonesia

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 11:33:00 GMT

People in Aceh, Indonesia, are still traumatised by a war that ended two years ago. According to a new report by the World Bank, 85 per cent of people interviewed still experience fear and insecurity. An estimated 15,000 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the war between the government and the Free Aceh Movement. A peace deal was signed in August 2005. Limited resources mean that mental health services in the region are inadequate for dealing with the problem. The peace deal came months after the tsunami, which killed some 221,000 people in Indonesia. Most of the aid money flowing into the country is for tsunami reconstruction, rather than for post-conflict recovery. Tearfund has a tsunami relief team based in Aceh. They are focussing on helping communities build up their resilience to any future disasters like earthquakes and floods. There are also plans to develop post-conflict counselling. Please pray for the DMT team as they focus on new projects in four districts in Aceh during 2007. Ask tha ...

Northern Kenya

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 14:21:00 GMT

Farming communities in northern Kenya are once again experiencing the first signs of drought. The main rainy season is meant to last from April until June, but this year the Marsabit area, where Tearfund is working, saw no more than three days of rain. The harvest was due in July but there has been almost total crop failure across the region. Recurring disasterMany cattle died in the drought that hit the region last year. Tearfund partners and other agencies helped to restock herds, but now these animals are having to walk long distances in search of water and grazing land. The UN World Food Programme, in conjunction with the Kenyan Red Cross, will be distributing emergency food aid until the end of September. Food and water shortages are common in northern Kenya, and there is long-term malnutrition. This ongoing crisis requires long-term solutions, as well as distributions of food. Tearfund’s partner the Christian Services of Mount Kenya East (CSMKE) is working with communities in Marsabit, helping them ...

Continuing conflict in Darfur

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 08:40:00 GMT

Further reports of the Sudanese government providing weapons to rebels in Darfur continue to surface. As a result of the conflict and lack of peaceful solution in the region, estimates indicate that over 500,000 people there are still not able to access aid. Strengthened peacekeeping presence In July, the UN Security Council agreed to strengthen the African Union-United Nations (AU-UN) peacekeeping force in Darfur. However they lack the mandate to disarm groups. This month it was agreed that the AU-UN troops be increased from 7,000 to 26,000. It is hoped that this will stabilise conditions enabling aid to reach people caught up in conflict. There are also hopes that it will provide room for discussions for a lasting peaceful solution in the region. Tearfund's work For over three years, Tearfund’s relief teams have been working in refugee camps in Darfur, and through our partner Cord in neighbouring Chad. The relief team also work with surrounding communities providing clean water and sanitation, help ...

UK

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 09:04:00 GMT

Over the past year many young people – including Rhys Jones who was murdered last week in Liverpool – have been shot in the UK.

Our work

Tearfund works with the Diocese of Liverpool encouraging local churches in places of high deprivation to get involved with their communities and enable them to provide for vulnerable young people.

Please pray

Our partner Own It in Newcastle is enabling young people to achieve their dreams through work placements while Exeter-based partner Riverside is providing alternative pastimes to young people in areas of rising crime. Pray that as our partners work with young people the chances of them being drawn into gangs, substance misuse and violence will decrease.

Central Asia

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 16:14:00 GMT

A country in Central Asia has introduced a draft law dramatically restricting religious freedom, including the freedom of Christian communities. Conscious of risks to communities and partners there, Tearfund is not naming the country. The bill demands that only nationals from the country can register and lead religious organisations. It also states that groups must have a minimum number of members to be recognised as a religious group. Members must also disclose identity and income details. More than 85 per cent of the country’s population comprises of Sunni Muslims, five per cent are Shi’a Muslim and ten per cent are from other religions. There are fears that the bill will be used to restrict all religious groups, large and small, from practising freely, if they fail to meet minimum membership requirements. Tearfund has a number of partner organisations in this country working with disadvantaged children, in education and in employment-generating projects. Others also work with communities in starti ...

Impending food shortages in Nicaragua

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 08:55:00 GMT

There are fears that the damage Hurricane Felix caused to much of the infrastructure of Nicaragua will lead to many poor communities becoming unable to access food.Many communities living on the coastal areas that the hurricane hit are already vulnerable to not having enough food. Many survive on fishing but much of the equipment used by these communities has been damaged in the storms. There are also fears that the damage inflicted on houses, schools and water supplies and sanitation systems is leaving many still vulnerable to illness.Tearfund partner AMC (Christian Medical Action) was involved in evacuating communities in Nicaragua and is responding to immediate needs including food provision as well as shelter and house repairs. They will be involved with the rehabilitation process as communities start to recover and repair infrastructure. A national emergency committee has been set up in Nicaragua in response to the hurricane and friends of Tearfund, the Evangelical Alliance of Nicaragua, have been worki ...

Zimbabwe

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 13:49:00 GMT

There are fears of a massive cholera outbreak as rates of dysentery and diarrhoea continue to rise in Zimbabwe's second largest city Bulawayo. Almost three week's ago, Tearfund reported breaking news of communities there having to drink dirty water and use the ground outside their houses as toilets. Tearfund also warned of the disastrous outbreaks of disease amongst people. Severe lack of water in Bulawayo, which has a population of 1.5 million, is already seeing rising cases of people suffering from water-bourne diseases and cholera outbreak is likely as water supplies dwindle and controlling diseases becomes more difficult. Water shortages started in the city almost 5 months ago and communities have to queue for five hours at a time for clean water. But now as water supplies are becoming unbearably limited, the council in Bulawayo is reported to be restricting supplies so that residents only have access to water every 11 days from the beginning of next month. The deepening crisis in the country was fu ...

Ukraine

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:33:00 GMT

The ruling president Viktor Yushchenko called this week for an investigation into delays in vote counting from parliamentary elections that took place last weekend. Initial results showed that Prime Minister Victor Yanukovych has a narrow lead against President Yushchenko. However, the combined number of votes of both the prime minister and Yulia Tymoshenko, the opposition leader, is larger. Both Ms Tymoshenko and Mr Yushchenko have been in coalition power since 2004 after pro-democracy street protests, but coalition infighting between them has meant that this election is the third in the last three years. Please pray as the country elects its leaders. Ask that the process would become smoother and that the government formed would be stable. Ask that the needs of poor communities in the Ukraine would be paramount to those who take on leadership. Pray also for the church in the Ukraine, that its members and leaders would reflect God’s love and compassion, and they would be a blessing to communities around ...

Russia

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 14:11:00 GMT

This week President Putin announced his intentions to enter parliamentary polls in December for the election of the future prime minister. Under constitutional rules Mr Putin cannot continue as president for more than two terms. Reports indicate that his admission shows a desire to continue to retain power within government. During the Putin government poor communities have benefited to some extent as the economy has stabilised and employment rates have increased. However, there are gaps in care and prevention for those vulnerable to HIV and poverty rates are at more than 17 per cent. There are also continuing concerns over human rights and religious freedom in the country. Russia has the largest HIV epidemic in Europe, accounting for two-thirds of the cases in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In 2005, there were an estimated 940,000 people in Russia living with HIV and figures are increasing. Tearfund works with four partners in HIV prevention programmes. Partner Radio TEOS broadcasts across Russia w ...

Climate change

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 11:05:00 GMT

Despite agreement to negotiate a new international deal on climate change by 2009, developed countries failed to agree on including ambitious emissions cuts at the climate change talks held in Bali in December 2007. ‘Getting more than 180 countries to agree was no mean feat,’ says Andy Atkins 'Head of Advocacy at Tearfund. ‘But the fact that there is no agreement about exactly how far to cut emissions means the Bali roadmap is missing a vital signpost,’ he added. Talks did commit however to supporting adaptation to climate change as a key building block of any new climate change treaty that is agreed. Talks in Bali also resulted in agreement on an Adaptation Fund, which should soon start providing funding to help poor communities adapt to climate change. This progress on adaptation is something that Tearfund lobbied hard for at the talks.Give thanks that adaptation has been recognised as an important issue in discussions. Please ask that as the actual negotiations start in 2008, richer countries will be w ...

Bangladesh

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 14:03:00 GMT

When disaster strikes children, are often the people who suffer the most. The devastation caused by Cyclone Sidr shows Bangladesh is no exception. Just over six weeks ago the fiercest cyclone to hit Bangladesh in a decade ripped into the country’s coastline leaving 4,000 people dead or missing and that is a conservative estimate. Gradually a picture is emerging of the legacy left by the storm. UNICEF reckons that the cyclone affected 8.5 million people and half that figure is made up of children, with 500,000 of them under the age of five. Although no exact figures are available yet on the how many youngsters are now orphans, whatever the final number it will be too many for a country where more than a third of the population live on less than a dollar a day. Amid the devastation there are positives. The Bangladeshi authorities had 72 hours to warn people before the storm hit land, time that proved vital. The fact that the cyclone hit the country at low tide also helped to minimise the death toll. Tea ...

Southern African floods latest

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:47:00 GMT

Hardship is nothing new to the long-suffering people of Zimbabwe but flooding is one thing they could do without. Like Mozambique and Zambia, the country is being affected by the rising water levels in the Zambezi and other river systems. Heavy rains have been falling on Zimbabwe for six weeks leaving at least 27 people dead and thousands displaced in Masvingo, Mashonaland and Manicaland provinces. Tearfund partner ZOE (Zimbabwe Orphans through Extended Hands) works in some of the flooded areas, providing church-based care for children orphaned because of AIDS. Strengthening local support networks, tackling malnutrition and advocacy are all part of ZOE’s remit. ZOE’s Jean Webster reports that some bridges have been washed away and in one area where roads are impassable, ZOE’s food aid had to be transported by donkey-drawn carts. Crops are also affected. Jean said: `Certainly in many areas the beneficiaries and their carers are not now able to get into the fields where they have sown and in some places t ...

Kenya leaders start talking

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:54:00 GMT

Kenya's post-election nightmare is nearly a month old but at last there are grounds for optimism. Face-to-face talks have finally been held between President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga, thanks to the intermediary efforts of former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Unfortunately the two leaders failed to reach an agreement and new recriminations have been traded. This week has also seen a spike in violence. But for the 255,000 people who have left their homes in fear, many moving to displacement camps, the nightmare looks set to continue for a long time yet. Gladys Wathanga, Tearfund's Desk Officer for Kenya, said, 'The reality is - even with a best case scenario - we are going to see people in camps for the next three to four months. 'More worryingly, people in the camps are beginning to feel threatened and the government doesn't have the capacity to protect all of them.' Please pray for the displaced people who have been cut off from medicine, particularly for those living with HIV ...

Remembering Darfur

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:57:00 GMT

January is the month of Holocaust Memorial Day when the world remembers the millions of lives lost in the Nazi persecution. It also remembers those who have died in other genocides and this includes the ongoing conflict in Darfur. The World Holocaust Day Trust says Darfur shows `that the international community, and each of us as citizens, has not truly understood the lessons of the Holocaust’. The statistics about Darfur suggest they are right. The United Nations estimates 200,000 people have died in five years of fighting and another 2.2 million have been forced to flee their homes. Peace seems a mirage in the badlands of this Sudanese region as the UN struggles to assemble a force which can bring order and security. Please pray that obstacles to the deployment of the peacekeepers are removed soon. In particular pray that talks taking place this week between the head of the peacekeeping force and Sudanese government officials do make progress. Pray too for the work of Tearfund and our partners in th ...

Hope amid Haiti HIV heartache

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 13:04:00 GMT

Haiti is a mere three hour flight from New York but the difference seems light years when you see how its people have to live. As the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, it is no stranger to heartache. Dictatorship, coups, poverty and plenty of guns combine to produce a cocktail of Caribbean misery and an average life expectancy of 52. Around 80 per cent of the population are Catholics and 16 per cent Protestant. However, most Haitians also practise voodoo, an African spiritual belief which is incompatible with Christianity. The republic also stands out for having one of the highest HIV infection rates in the Americas. Tolerance for people living with HIV is as scarce as bullets are plentiful. And this is where a new Tearfund project comes in, aiming to shake-up attitudes. Our partner World Relief Haiti, based in Port Au Prince, aims to mobilise pastors and their churches to get involved in community-based care of people with HIV. Steve Collins, Tearfund Desk Officer for Haiti, explains, ‘Th ...

Death toll rises in Kenya crisis

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 10:45:00 GMT

It’s become a grim symbol of ethnic conflict and it’s been making its mark to devastating effect in Kenya. The machete has been used widely in a week that has seen a serious surge in post-election violence and killings with the death toll nearing 900. Ethnic conflict is now affecting Eldoret in the northern Rift Valley to Molo in the south. Tearfund partner Lifeskills is working in camps for the displaced in Kenya. Emma Wachira, Executive Director of Lifeskills, says helping children is a priority. ‘They have feelings of confusion and fear and they wonder who will be coming to attack them,’ says Emma. ‘But some also want to open up and talk about what they have seen and what they have heard.’ The lack of security in camps for people sheltering from the violence has been criticised by UNICEF, which estimates up to 100,000 children under the age of five are among the 255,000 people who have been uprooted. On the political front, President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga have met again f ...

Mexico floods leave lasting scars

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 10:48:00 GMT

Three months ago, a state in southern Mexico suffered flooding on a par with New Orleans. But mention the word Tabasco and people are more likely to think of a hot sauce rather than a disaster zone, which says a lot for the coverage of the event compared with its American counterpart. While the immediate relief needs of the people affected have been largely met, signs are emerging of the trauma damage inflicted on the population by probably the worst catastrophe that region of Mexico has ever seen. Tropical storm Noel combined with two cold fronts brought severe floods to the state of Tabasco as 700mm of rain led to levees breaking and rivers overflowing. A million people and more than 1,000 towns were affected, with 90 per cent of cultivated land inundated. `The scale of the problem was huge,’ said Joao Martinez da Cruz, Tearfund’s Desk Officer for Mexico. `You could compare it with the floods in New Orleans in 2005 but Mexico doesn’t have the infrastructure or government determination to help to the ...

Peace for Democratic Republic of Congo

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 10:56:00 GMT

Some 45,000 people are killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) every month, according to a new survey. Over the last decade, 5.4 million Congolese have lost their lives – more than in any other conflict since World War II. The enormity of such statistics is mind-boggling, yet for many, awareness is miniscule as mainstream media coverage is so limited. No wonder then that DRC was recently listed as one of the top ten forgotten humanitarian crises. War, lack of food and disease are all factors behind these statistics. Last week the signing of a new peace agreement promised a new dawn. But within days the ceasefire had been broken as Tutsi rebels and Mai Mai militia clashed. However representatives of the combatants are saying that the peace agreement is still intact. Let’s hope they are right as the conflict has already caused so much suffering. Over the past year, fighting in the east of the country between the government and 25 rebel and militia groups has forced 400,000 people to flee for t ...

Zimbabwe

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:15:00 GMT

Zimbabwe is a country with so many prayer needs. Join us in praying for justice for Zimbabwe. Pray for those infected by cholera and for those mourning loved ones that have died from the disease. Pray for an end to the food crisis and for the millions struggling to survive. Pray for political reconciliation and the formation of a unity government so that the country's many social and economic problems can be addressed. Pray that Tearfund and other agencies can continue to provide help to those in most need. Pray for the work of all Tearfund’s partners and for the safety of their staff and families. Pray for unity, wisdom and strength for the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance as they seek to hear God’s voice for the country and for themselves as an organisation. Pray for the Christians in Zimbabwe to demonstrate the hope they have in Christ by being honest, generous and inclusive. Pray that the international community continues to apply pressure for change from within Zimbabwe.

Restoring hope in Rwanda

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:33:00 GMT

If Kenya’s leaders need reminding that ethnic conflict can lead a country along dangerous paths, a short flight east over Lake Victoria might be the most salutary trip they’ll ever take. A few hours in the air will bring them to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. If you were there in 1994, you would have witnessed a conflict between Tutsis and Hutus that eventually claimed 800,000 lives and led to 2 million people fleeing the country. The genocide undermined the country’s political, judicial, health and education systems and left hundreds of thousands of children orphaned. Restoring lives It is in this context that Tearfund has been funding partners to restore lives and bring hope. Our partner Moucecore is helping Rwandans come together and build their communities in four provinces across the country. Teaching people how to grow enough food not just to survive but actually to thrive is one part of Moucecore’s work. Staff go to local churches to train members of their congregations in straightforward yet ...

Kenya: the desperate need for prayer

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:38:00 GMT

Kenya ‘Prayer is the only thing that can now resolve the Kenyan crisis.’ This is the view of Tearfund’s Peter Gitau, who is based in the country. ‘As long as Kofi Annan is in Kenya, there’s expectation and hope,’ says Peter. ‘But it’s prayer that will bring peace. We need God’s intervention. This is a spiritual issue.’ Violence since the disputed elections on 27 December has so far claimed more than 1,000 lives. And, the Red Cross believes that more than 300,000 people have been displaced by the fighting. Kofi Annan and his negotiating team have been in Kenya for a month. But earlier this week negotiations stalled. Mr Annan, the former UN Secretary-General, described the situation as ‘very dangerous’. Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement threatened to hold national protests yesterday [Thursday] if a deal to end the crisis was not reached. But the protests were called off at the last minute. Fears were expressed that, despite this, further bloodshed is likely. ‘The country is becoming Balka ...

Fears grow for Chad civil conflict

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:47:00 GMT

Tens of thousands of people in Chad are fleeing their communities as fears of a major civil conflict grow. Clashes last weekend between government and rebel forces resulted in tanks on the streets of the former French colony, dozens shot dead and many civilians leaving their homes. The rebels claim that President Idriss Deby, who has been in power for 18 years, is corrupt and dictatorial, but he has the backing of the French government and the UN Security Council has strongly condemned the rebel attacks. The dramatic turn of events has pushed the central African nation into the humanitarian spotlight and prompted calls for both sides to protect those caught in the crossfire. Up to 20,000 refugees from Chad have crossed the Cameroon border since Saturday, when fighting erupted in the Chadian capital of N'Djamena, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Insecurity Our partner CORD, which is working with refugees from the Darfur conflict, is being affected by the insecurity and is movi ...

Pakistan

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 14:53:00 GMT

Pakistan goes to the polls on Monday in the first test of public opinion since the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Her death on 27 December saw the world hold its breath as dozens died in the emotionally charged backlash. Parliamentary elections were rescheduled for 18 February as a result. It was an incendiary incident for a country already feeling the tension of a recent state of emergency. Although Benazir Bhutto’s death hasn’t - as some feared -seen Pakistan implode, the killing has sent shock waves through the country. Fear for the future is a legacy of the Bhutto assassination, with people more anxious about Pakistan’s longer-term prospects. One of Tearfund’s partners in Pakistan, who we cannot name for security reasons, said, `We pray that next week's national elections will be peaceful and for government that is acceptable to most people. `Sporadic suicide bomb attacks aimed at military, police and politicians continue, as do military operations to contain those attacks. `These are uncertai ...

Southern Africa floods

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 15:03:00 GMT

Ten members of a Mozambique church have died in flooding which continues to affect thousands of people across the country. The victims belonged to the Diocese of Niassa, a Tearfund partner. They died when their canoe capsized, according to Bishop Mark Van Koevering from the diocese, who said difficult conditions prevented the recovery of bodies. Across the country the total number of people who have been forced by the floods to leave their homes and move to resettlement camps is 102,019, made up of 21,454 families. The effect of the floods is widespread: An estimated 1,500-2,000 people are refugees in Malawi. In recent days, more than 600 families were inundated in the districts of Pinda, Megaze and Chire. In the city of Marromeu, 9,000 residents have been affected. Flooding has hit 4,000 people in the province of Sofala. Water levels on the Zambezi river in Mozambique have risen three metres above the alert level. Earnest Maswera, Tearfund’s Desk Officer for Mozambique based in Maputo, said, `I ...

UK

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 15:31:00 GMT

February 15th is a red letter day for the West Midlands town of Wednesbury. A deprived community, its biggest claim to fame is probably that its rugby club has the tallest playing posts on the planet. But it also has some massive social issues to contend with. Unemployment and benefit dependency in the area are nearly double the national average. Into this comes Tearfund partner the Lighthouse Project, which has been working in the West Midlands for 11 years. The Lighthouse reaches out to people traditionally seen as hard to reach – those who are socially excluded and disadvantaged. And now it is opening a centre in Wednesbury for the first time, based in a former school building. This centre will add to the four other Lighthouse centres elsewhere in the West Midlands. The project helps people deal with unemployment, poor education, benefit dependency and low self-esteem, through a variety of courses and training opportunities. The staff work with lone parents, teenagers living alone, families on low ...

Russia facing general elections

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:48:00 GMT

Russia goes to the polls on Sunday with an estimated 109 million people eligible to vote. President Vladimir Putin is stepping down after serving the two four-year terms allowed under the Russian constitution. It is thought that he will be replaced by his first deputy prime minister, Dimitry Medvedev (42), a former lawyer. The two men are pictured in Medvedev’s election posters under the slogan, ‘Together we will win.’ Insiders believe that, if elected, Medvedev is unlikely to change the policies and practices of the Putin regime. In the run-up to the elections he continued Russia’s opposition to Kosovan independence, accusing the United States of ‘flagrant cynicism’ in recognising the new country. Tearfund’s partners work extensively across Russia with those living with HIV and in HIV prevention work. It is thought that HIV affects up to 2.5 million Russians. Tearfund’s Mike Buckley says that, since the cooling of relations between the UK and Russia after the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, our par ...

Eritrea: persecuted church

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:55:00 GMT

‘The persecution being faced by the Christian church in Eritrea is due to the nation and the church’s own failure to thank God for end of the war with Ethiopia in 1993.’ That’s the view of a source close to the church in Eritrea. Churches with whom Tearfund worked were closed in 2002 when the government clamped down on religious freedom. At the time, it announced that it would only recognise four religious groups: the Orthodox Church of Eritrea; Sunni Islam; the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran-affiliated Evangelical Church of Eritrea. This left many other evangelical churches out in the cold; services banned and pastors and other church leaders in prison. It is believed that as many as 2,000 Christians are in Eritrea’s jails, where torture is not uncommon. ‘Many people think that this is God’s punishment,’ Tearfund’s source said. ‘God gave us independence and peace, but we didn’t honour the Lord. We relied more on the government than on God. ‘We have to humble ourselves and bow down before h ...

Colombia raid increases regional tensions

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 10:35:00 GMT

Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela are locked in an escalating crisis after Colombia went into Ecuador and killed a Colombian rebel leader last weekend. The conflict was sparked when Colombia bombed and sent troops into neighbouring Ecuador in a raid that killed Raul Reyes, the second-in-command of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The death toll from the action continues to rise. The Ecuadorian authorities claim that 21 people have been killed so far. Venezuela has responded to the incident by closing its embassy in Colombia and mobilising forces onto its border with the country. Fears The tensions create an uneasy situation in the region where Tearfund works with displaced adults and children. Tearfund’s partners in Colombia have expressed concerns about the impact of an escalation of the crisis on their work, and on the wider region. ‘If there is war, you won’t see the usual images of hundreds of thousands trying to escape reaching the opposite borders,’ said one Tearfund partner ...

Clear-up begins after Madagascar cyclone

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 10:43:00 GMT

The people of Madagascar are assessing the scale of the damage after a severe cyclone hit the Indian Ocean island. The Association of Bible Baptist Churches of Madagascar – a Tearfund partner based in Mandritsara – runs a hospital and development programme in an area that was badly affected by 100mph winds and six inches of rain in 24 hours. Roofs were blown off houses and some homes were inundated with up to a metre of water resulting in the loss of many possessions and food. Land slips have hindered communication links, with stretches of the island’s main road impassable. Relief workers visiting 12 villages as part of a vaccination programme report a trail of destruction in each one. Cyclone Ivan has also severely damaged at least eight schools in the community of d’Antsoha. Death toll Madagascar is no stranger to storms, which hit the island regularly between January and May. Last year 150 people died after six storms crashed into the island and since January this year more than 70 others have di ...

Peace deal brings new hope to Kenya

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 10:50:00 GMT

‘I would urge all of you to remain engaged. Each and every one of you has a role to play.’ That was the simple message from Kofi Annan to the people of Kenya after he successfully brokered a political deal to bring peace to the country which has been wracked by two months of civil infighting. After weeks of Herculean diplomatic efforts by the former UN Secretary General, a power-sharing arrangement was finally agreed between the two main protagonists. Opposition leader Raila Odinga will take up a new post of executive prime minister, while Mwai Kibaki will remain as president of the new coalition government. With more than 1,000 people dead since the election-rigging dispute started, this deal represents a major step back from the brink of civil war. But the road to recovery will be a long one as evidenced earlier this week when 12 people died in clashes over land. Apprehensive And with 300,000 people having fled their homes due to fears of ethnic violence, questions remain about whether they will fee ...

Tensions around Colombia row ease

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 08:56:00 GMT

Tensions in South America between Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela are easing following a diplomatic row.

It was sparked when Colombia launched an attack inside Ecuador that killed the second-in-command of the rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Both Ecuador and Venezuela responded to the incursion by sending troops to their borders with Colombia.

A meeting between the presidents of all three countries defused the crisis and Venezuela has now restored diplomatic ties, although Ecuador has yet to follow suit.

Give thanks that talks have calmed tensions but pray for efforts to continue the rapprochement between the countries.

Pray also for our partners in Colombia who have to work in difficult security conditions.

Fears for refugees amid Sri Lanka fighting

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 09:00:00 GMT

Up to half a million people in Sri Lanka could need the help of relief agencies as a result of an escalation in fighting. Following the end of a ceasefire, 2008 has brought an upsurge in clashes between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels in the north of the island. The government has made clear its intention to take on the Tigers, saying it aims to defeat them by the end of the year. In recent days, the military says it has killed 32 rebels, while the Tamil Tigers claim to have killed 60 soldiers. As a result of this security deterioration, the UN and relief agencies are warning of mounting humanitarian needs and predict that half a million people will need assistance. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees is appealing for US $18.6 million to assist displaced people. Tearfund is working with eight partners in Sri Lanka on assisting with the post-tsunami recovery. Please pray for those affected by the fighting and that help may be provided for those forced to escape their homes. Pray for the safety ...

Drought fears for Ethiopia

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 09:05:00 GMT

Tearfund and other agencies are closely monitoring a drought in Ethiopia amid fears it may develop into a major humanitarian crisis. The UN is already looking to help 1 million people in the Somali and Borena regions affected by `critical’ water shortages. Ethiopia’s people are frequently exposed to the hardship of drought as seasonal rains fail from time to time. Indeed the country has been in a cycle of drought for several years and in any single year between 5 and 13 million people may need food aid. In 2007, 8 million required such support. Worryingly there are reports that malnutrition is starting to rise in some areas of Ethiopia. Ethiopia has two rainy periods. The first, called the Belg, runs from mid-February to April and people depend on these rains for production of some crops. Food insecurity Reports say the Belg rain levels are below normal in the south of the country, affecting the sweet potato crop that provides food in the gap between cereal harvests. Keith Etherington, Tearfund’s Des ...

An end in sight to Uganda strife

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:44:00 GMT

It’s one of the world’s longest conflicts and it’s also one of the most forgotten. Northern Uganda has been embroiled in violence for 20 years but at last there are tentative steps towards lasting peace. The fighting has been between the Ugandan government and rebels from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and has claimed tens of thousands of lives and seen two million people flee their homes. Now the two sides, who have been talking for well over a year, have signed a permanent ceasefire that will hopefully lead to a full peace treaty. Uganda’s Sunday Vision newspaper summed up the sense of optimism with its front page splash headline `War is over – envoy.’ But three days later its sister paper The New Vision reported `LRA kills 11, abducts 27’. So what is going on? Murder In a conflict lasting two decades there will be sticking points, and the main one from the rebels’ point of view is whether their leader Joseph Kony will be immune from international prosecution for war crimes. The LRA under his l ...

A deadly serious matter of inconvenience

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:52:00 GMT

If you are eating while reading this and have a stomach with a delicate disposition, now is the time to push the plate away and stop munching. Tomorrow is World Water Day and its focus is sanitation. Yes, we are talking toilets and all things to do with disposing of human waste. Going to the loo is something that most of us take for granted. We all do it but probably don’t give it much thought, let alone talk about it. Not so the United Nations which came up with this annual focus on water and has also designated 2008 as the Year of Sanitation. Tearfund too is campaigning on this vital issue, working with the global church to make a positive difference. Why? Well sanitation, or the lack of it, may have an image problem as an issue but it also has a massive bearing on human health. Disease Diarrhoea is a potent and all too prevalent killer in the developing world, with 1.8 million children dying as a result of diarrhoeal diseases every year. Some 88 per cent of diarrhoeal deaths are attributed to in ...

Tearfund responds to Madagascar cyclone

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:09:00 GMT

Cyclone Ivan came and went inside three terrible days but it’s becoming clear that the trail of destruction left behind across Madagascar will take many months to clear up. The storm lashed the Indian Ocean island last month with 140mph winds which flattened homes, schools, health centres and also destroyed crops. The death toll is nearing 100, with many others missing, and 200,000 people are homeless. ‘Deplorable’ was how one Madagascan government minister described the impact and the UN is asking for US $36 million towards relief aid. Tearfund is responding to the cyclone’s devastating aftermath by supporting and working with the local church in Madagascar. Our partner, the Association of Bible Baptist churches of Madagascar (FFBBM), runs a hospital and a community development programme. The FFBBM is aiming to help severely affected families in 19 rural villages in the Mandritsara area in the north east of the country. The initial priority will be to help families whose houses have been destroyed a ...

Make your voice count on climate change

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:15:00 GMT

Not too long ago, people living in the Indian region of Orissa used to welcome the monsoon floods. The waters would make their lands more fertile and their regularity was such that the locals could even successfully predict them by the movement of air and the flight paths of the birds. But over the last two years, the frequency of flooding has increased. The effect now is that crops get washed away. Less grass means the buffalo and goats produce less milk. Security of food supplies is a real issue and one of the results being reported by villagers is that some families are being forced into debt just to get by. Despite the changing patterns of flooding, the majority of communities were unaware of climate change. Tearfund’s partner working in Orissa, the Discipleship Centre, has been raising awareness and reports an excellent response from communities concerned. Emissions Farmers are being encouraged to diversify into crops that can withstand floods as well as take on new techniques that can reduce th ...

Zimbabwe holds its breath after elections

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:35:00 GMT

These are nervous times for the people of Zimbabwe in the aftermath of their elections. At the time of writing, President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party has lost its majority in parliament but the result of the presidential poll still remains unclear. Many observers believe there is likely to be a run-off between the president and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. This means voters will go back to the polls in a few weeks time. `It’s been really tense and there’s a sense of frustration,’ said Tearfund’s Karyn Beattie, who has been in regular communication with Zimbabwean contacts. Violence `If there’s a run-off, it’ll mean another three weeks of tension because people won’t know what’s happening and there’s increased potential for intimidation and violence.’ Our partner, the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance, deployed staff to monitor the elections and to gather any information about voting irregularities. It’s tiring and potentially risky work and they need your prayers for strength and protection. • Pr ...

Prayer plea for Nepal as polling day looms

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:36:00 GMT

Christians around the world are being asked to pray for Nepal this weekend. It’s a critical time for the Himalayan state as Nepalis go to the polls next Thursday to elect a new Constituent Assembly. The assembly will draft a new constitution for the country, which has emerged from a decade-long civil war that claimed an estimated 13,000 lives until the government and the Maoists signed a peace deal in 2006. But as we have seen elsewhere in the world, elections can bring trouble which makes this Sunday’s Global Day of Prayer for Nepal even more pertinent. Nepal has experienced much political turbulence in recent years and there are fears these elections will bring a renewed bumpy ride. The UN reports a significant number of districts have experienced a surge in clashes between different political party supporters in the run-up to polling day. New chapter Seven people have died in attacks and a bomb at a mosque killed two more. Yet although Nepalese Christians are concerned about next week, they also ha ...

Clean water comes to a corner of Liberia

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 09:09:00 GMT

Drinking clean water remains a pipe dream for millions in Liberia. Tearfund is working with partners and the local church in remote areas of the West African country to make this dream a reality. The Koninga people are the latest to enjoy access to a basic service that most of us take for granted. They live in remote communities deep in the rainforests in Gbarpolu county, an area that has received little humanitarian help since Liberia’s civil war ended four years ago. Working with our partner, the Association of Evangelicals Liberia (AEL) and Samaritan’s Purse, Tearfund has provided bio-sand filters for the Koninga people. They work by filtering water through three different layers of stones and sand with harmless active bacteria to remove diseases. Abu B Barak, town chief of the district capital Henry Town, is delighted with the filters’ arrival. Better hygiene `This will be the first time that some of these very remote towns get clean water, our children will no longer get sick,’ said Abu. `We, ...

Election waiting game goes on in Zimbabwe

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 09:14:00 GMT

Two weeks is proving a very long time in the murky world of Zimbabwean politics. Voters are officially none the wiser who their new president might be as the counting fiasco continues. Tension remains high amid reports of violent attacks on opposition activists by supporters of Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party. The streets of the capital Harare are heavily patrolled by police and the pro-Mugabe war veterans have been adopting some aggressive posturing. An increasingly desperate opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, is trying to get the country’s courts to force election officials finally to publish the presidential poll results. • Please pray that the Zimbabwe government holds back from violence. • Pray that the people continue to show restraint and patience in the face of increasing intimidation and provocation. • Pray for the success of efforts by church leaders to highlight the people’s plight with the influential Southern African Development Community. • Pray that aid work is not disrupted at this t ...

Hunger pains bring rioting to Haiti

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:47:00 GMT

Haitians use the phrase `grangou klowox’ to sum up the effect of hunger on their bodies. It means `eating bleach’ and powerfully conveys the stomach pains that accompany a dearth of food. It’s a phrase that thousands of Haitians are currently relating to as food shortages bite in one of the poorest countries in the northern hemisphere. In common with several other developing countries, Haiti has seen riots as hungry people have taken their frustration and anger at the rising price of basic staples onto the streets. Five people have died in a week of disturbances and the country’s prime minister has resigned amid criticism of his handling of the issue. Jean Claude Cerin, Tearfund’s Country Representative for Haiti, said, `Haiti is facing a difficult situation. The population in many cities has gone to the streets to riot due to the high cost of living. Farmers hit `One of our Tearfund colleagues in Haiti said that our own office building received a few rocks thrown from the street on Tuesday and has a ...

Zimbabwe indepedence day blues

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:54:00 GMT

Tomorrow is Zimbabwe Independence Day. The irony of the occasion will not be lost on most of the 13 million population, as the country remains politically deadlocked following elections on 29 March. The reality is that the hopes of independence 28 years ago have been replaced by a grim struggle for survival. Finding much to eat on Zimbabwe’s supermarket shelves is a forlorn hope. They can only offer food for thought on how the country became like this – unable to nourish a third of its population while stagnating in economic and political crisis. The food emergency has in the past been acute in rural areas but Tearfund partners in Zimbabwe are now reporting it is present in the capital, Harare, where maize is in desperately short supply. And as the post-election uncertainty continues, with still no announcement on who won the presidential poll, evidence is emerging of how the people’s suffering is worsening, especially among the sick as drug costs rocket. Among those living with HIV, many are strugg ...

Bringing hope to Malawi runaway children

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 07:52:00 GMT

Every day new faces arrive to join the forgotten army of Malawi’s street children. Orphans and kids who have run away from home arrive in the southern city of Blantyre with hopes of a new life. For most, the reality is ill-treatment, hunger and exclusion. That’s why the tenth anniversary of the Chisomo Children’s Club is worth celebrating. It was set up to bring care and compassion to these children, which it does by building relationships with them, reuniting them with their families and helping them with education and health. Currently working with 3,000 boys and girls aged up to 14, Chisomo is a Tearfund partner which was set up by the Living Waters Church. The ethos of staff is best summed up by Jeremiah 29.11: `“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ’ Potential Chisomo’s Nelson Mkandawire said, `It doesn’t matter what their situation is, in them is a potential that must be nourished. `That’s our ...

Global day of prayer for Zimbabwe

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:02:00 GMT

Zimbabwe today is a land of electoral confusion, political violence, economic meltdown, ravaged by hunger and HIV. The list of prayer needs is as lengthy as the noughts on the country’s inflation figures. All of which underscores the importance of this Sunday - World Day of Prayer for Zimbabwe. Christians of every denomination in every nation are being called upon to focus their prayers – in churches, halls, homes or elsewhere – on the country’s critical situation. The prayer of the organisers is to rescue Zimbabwe from violence, election fraud, oppression and corruption, and to bring about peace, compassion, honesty, justice, democracy and freedom from fear and want. Bob Stumbles, from the Anglican Diocese of Harare, said, `May a continual strong stream of prayer and supplication flow up to the Lord on behalf of all the people on this day of prayer, exhorting his divine intervention throughout the nation.’ Bob draws on the Bible to encourage the people of Zimbabwe. `Whoever trusts in the Lord is ke ...

UK leaders and politicians need your prayers

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:57:00 GMT

It’s time to enlist - your country needs your prayers. Next week sees the 2008 Week of Prayer for Parliament and Government in the UK. It starts on Tuesday 5 May and ends on Sunday 11 May, which is the Global Day of Prayer, an event Tearfund is supporting. The Week of Prayer for Parliament and Government seeks to get Christians praying for those with responsibility for governing in the UK. The focus will be on praying specifically for our leaders, our government, our parliament, our political system and for God’s will in our politics. At Westminster, it’ll bring together MPs, peers and staff from each of the major political parties, as well as Christian civil servants from across Whitehall. They’ll be taking part in various events such as large and small prayer meetings, worship events and daily prayer walks. Please support this week with your prayers. Pray for our political leaders to show wisdom in their law-making. Thank God for religious freedom to worship, pray and have fellowship together. P ...

Iron fist leaves it mark on Zimbabwe

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:16:00 GMT

Whatever direction the finger of state suspicion points in Zimbabwe, the heavy hand of repression follows soon afterwards. Each day brings new evidence of the iron-fist brutality and intimidation that is stalking the country in the aftermath of the presidential election. Take this chilling message sent to Tearfund about people who have been shot and tortured: `The eight victims had not received medication by yesterday. They were hiding, fearing further torture. We have them now at a private house. Bullets still in. I have seen enough pain. I don’t mind death now. I will fight this system to the end.’ Sanctuary There are fears such reports may get worse after the presidential election result was declared in favour of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. As he didn't win a big enough share of the vote, a run-off poll with Robert Mugabe is now on the cards, with all the risks of further intimidation. The church, which is opening its doors to offer sanctuary to those being persecuted, has not been immune ...

Praying for Burma after the cyclone

website.editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 06 May 2008 10:57:00 GMT

30 April 2009

It's a year since 140,000 people in Myanmar (Burma) were killed or went missing as a result of Cyclone Nargis.

Tearfund is working with church-linked and Christian partners in the country to bring aid to tens of thousands of survivors.

Please pray:

God's comfort for those still recovering from the cyclone, particularly those mourning the loss of loved ones.
for the continuing recovery of those who remain homeless and those whose livelihoods were destroyed.
for the effectiveness of the relief effort and for Tearfund partners working in difficult conditions.
for the local church in Myanmar as it ministers to those suffering as a result of the cyclone.
that people with disabilities receive necessary help to rebuild their lives and homes.
that the next monsoon season won't bring further damage to the country.

Brown backs Tearfund work on poverty

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 08 May 2008 12:22:00 GMT

Tearfund’s work in tackling poverty has been commended by Gordon Brown at a reception to mark this weekend’s Global Day of Prayer. The Prime Minister praised Tearfund and other organisations for their efforts towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, internationally agreed targets to tackle global poverty. He also urged a renewed effort to achieve them through support for a Call to Action declaration, an initiative supported by Tearfund. Mr Brown told guests invited from 80 organisations and churches, `I know that you are passionate about promoting fairness and development in every country of the world. `That is why I’m delighted that we are using this opportunity to join together to tackle global poverty.’ The Global Day of Prayer takes place this Sunday. The biggest UK event, backed by Tearfund, is being staged at Millwall FC’s stadium but there will be events across the country and the globe. Global Day of Prayer London founder, Pastor Jonathan Oloyede, said, `At Millwall this Sunday, we ...

The Global Day of Prayer needs you

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Daniel entered the lions’ den but this Pentecost Sunday thousands of Christians will enter the Millwall Den. The London football stadium is the venue for the biggest UK event in the Global Day of Prayer when millions of Christians worldwide join together in intercession. The event in the capital is being supported by Tearfund and aims to unite Christians to pray for the `healing and blessing of the nations’. Healing, for example, to overcome the ravages of material and spiritual poverty and to bring people hope. Tearfund is working with the church with this mission in mind. HIV It’s work being done on many fronts but one is in the field of stopping the spread and reversing the impact of HIV. It’s estimated there are 32 million people living with HIV globally and 14 million children who have been orphaned by AIDS and live in child-headed households. The childhood of these kids is not one most of us in the West would recognise. Here’s an insight from one girl called Rachel from Uganda who at the age o ...

Church responds to deadly Myanmar cyclone

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:27:00 GMT

It’s early days in the response to Cyclone Nargis but the recovery operation is already looking like one that will last months, if not years. The southern tip of Myanmar took the brunt of 120mph winds and a massive tidal surge leaving a death toll running into tens of thousands. More than 40,000 people are missing and a million are homeless, while the country’s infrastructure has been extensively damaged. Tearfund has released £150,000 immediately to enable our partners in Myanmar - the Myanmar Baptist Convention and World Concern Myanmar - to assess the initial relief needs in the aftermath of the cyclone. Both are long-standing partners. The former has a vast spread with more than 4,000 churches across the country and can therefore mobilise a large number of people. The Baptist Convention also has valuable knowledge of relief work gleaned from previous floods and cyclones. Helping survivors World Concern Myanmar has experience of working with communities in the areas affected by Nargis. It also has ...

Praying for survivors of China earthquake

website.editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:28:00 GMT

Your prayers are needed for the people of China affected by the earthquake in the south west of the country. The official death toll stands at around 50,000 with some 300,000 people injured. Tearfund does not have partners working in Sichuan province, but we pray for those affected by the earthquake which registered 7.8 on the Richter Scale. Please pray for the survivors of the earthquake, that the injured receive medical help quickly and the homeless receive urgent relief supplies. Pray that the Chinese authorities respond effectively in Sichuan, one of the country’s poorest provinces. Pray that God gives Christians in the affected areas a sense of his strength and that they will show unity in responding to this disaster. Tearfund is not currently funding any disaster response work in China as our partners operate outside the earthquake affected region. If you would like to support our Disaster response fund that serves to help people in similar emergency situations around the world please click here.

Hard times for the church in Zimbabwe

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 15 May 2008 16:29:00 GMT

These are dark days for democracy in Zimbabwe. When a public prayer meeting is banned by police on the grounds that it’s subversive, you know something has gone badly awry. The security forces took exception to Christians praying about the post-election political impasse and banned a meeting at the Town Hall in Bulawayo. But the church in Zimbabwe, which Tearfund works closely with in the running of relief and development programmes, has resolved not to be intimidated into inaction. They switched the prayer meeting to a venue where official permission wasn’t needed, illustrating the determination and resilience of these Christian leaders. One pastor summed up the mood by quoting Galatians 6:9: `Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.’ War veterans Violence and intimidation have been going on since the elections at the end of March and show no sign of tailing off. Overwhelming evidence would suggest that they are part of a calculated ...

Htet cyclone story is just one in two million

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 15 May 2008 16:44:00 GMT

Htet Htet was at work when the first warnings about Cyclone Nargis started to come through. Like anyone who has borrowed money to have a roof over their heads, she was worried about what damage the storm might bring as it moved up from the Bay of Bengal. As the rain lashed down and knowing her house was close to the Yangon River, the office cleaner for Tearfund Christian partner World Concern Myanmar decided to head for home to her husband and two children. As the night went on, the winds and rain picked up strength until, in the early hours of Saturday 3 May, her house had its roof blown off. Htet Htet and her family were quickly soaked as blankets and makeshift plastic rain covers did little to protect them. Shivering With the children shivering, Htet Htet and her husband took them through the storm to a neighbour’s house. Shortly after they arrived, Htet Htet’s home collapsed. While exact statistics are impossible to ascertain, it is very apparent that vast numbers of families like Htet Htet’s are ...

Ethiopia hunger crisis worsens

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 22 May 2008 16:33:00 GMT

Please pray for our partners in Ethiopia as they address a growing food shortage.

The UN estimates 3.2 million people need food aid because of drought and that 126,000 children are suffering severe malnutrion.

Tearfund partner, the Wolaitta Kale Heywet Church, is increasing the number of food-for-work projects it is running in Wolaitta in the south of the country.

Other partners are undertaking assessments of the situation in the areas they are working in.

Pray for those in Ethiopia suffering as a result of the food shortages caused by the failure of the early rains.

Pray for the work of the Wolaitta Kale Heywet Church and other partners.

Pray that Tearfund along with other donors are able to provide the resources necessary to relieve the suffering of people.

Rebuilding Bangladesh after Cyclone Sidr

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 22 May 2008 16:37:00 GMT

It’s six months since one of the worst nights in Bangladesh’s recent history. Last November, Cyclone Sidr hit the country from the Bay of Bengal with 140mph winds, heavy rain and tidal surges. The worst cyclone in more than 10 years left nearly 4,000 people dead across 26 districts, with 1.8 million families affected in the most damaged areas. Tearfund launched an appeal that raised £129,000 due to the generosity of our supporters. That money has allowed our partners in Bangladesh to turn Christian compassion into direct action on the ground. Restoring lives Lives are being restored - physically, emotionally, spiritually - and people are being given hope. Together with other international funds, the appeal money enabled our partners to provide emergency food aid in the first desperate weeks after the storm, but also long-term assistance in the months afterwards. For example, our partners HEED (Health, Education & Economic Development) and Koinonia have helped rebuild homes. They’ve also been helpin ...

Help cyclone survivors with your prayers

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 22 May 2008 16:49:00 GMT

Two weeks into the Myanmar cyclone relief effort and the need for your prayers keeps growing. Virtually every day there are upward revisions of the death toll, while the number affected stands at 2.4 million people. Affected doesn’t do justice to the suffering in the wake of the storm - that figure means people who are bereaved, injured, homeless or a combination of all three. Our Christian partners, who are working tirelessly through the local church, continue to hear distressing accounts of how Cyclone Nargis has wrecked lives and ripped families apart. One father, now living in a temporary shelter set up by one of our partners, told workers how he faced an agonising decision when his wife and child were caught in fast-flowing flood waters. Desperate struggle The father had tried desperately to hold on to his wife and his child but the strength of the current meant it was proving impossible. His wife pleaded with her husband to save their child and to let her go. Realising he could not save them b ...

Food price crisis prompts global summit

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:42:00 GMT

World leaders gather in Rome next week to discuss the growing crisis in global food prices. The cost of basic staples has gone up by more than 80 per cent in the past three years, according to the World Bank. For those living in developing countries, where food represents 60-80 per cent of consumer spending, this is proving to be a massive deal. One that is pushing many to breaking point – there have already been riots in Haiti, Egypt and 35 other countries this year. Tearfund is concerned about the impact of rising food prices on poor people who struggle to cope with even small increases. We’re currently supporting communities through existing projects to help them withstand the price rises. Working with the local church and partners, Tearfund is promoting longer-term sustainable farming methods and diversifying livelihoods to help communities feed themselves and be better prepared in the face of climate change. • Please pray for wisdom for world leaders and that they will address the food crisis eff ...

Cyclone survivors facing uncertain future

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:48:00 GMT

Three months ago, Ma Theingi, her husband, their two children and her mother moved to a new house in Myanmar’s East Dagon region. Then Cyclone Nargis hit and their new home is no more. The only sign that it used to exist at all is a red mattress lying in the debris. With nowhere to go, the two children have been sent to live with relatives in another town. Ma Theingi and her husband and mother are now living in a temporary settlement but they can only stay there for a short time. They may have survived the storm but the challenges they face now are incredibly tough. Through our Christian partners, World Concern and the Myanmar Baptist Convention, Tearfund is trying to rebuild the lives of Ma Theingi and thousands like her. As well as providing emergency aid, they are offering emotional and spiritual support as only the church can in such circumstances. • Please continue to pray for the survivors of the cyclone. Pray that our partners can reach them and provide the necessary support. • Pray for a rene ...

Nepal enters unchartered political waters

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:54:00 GMT

Enough is enough. That is the message from the long-suffering people of Nepal after their historic elections. Disillusioned by the status quo and 12 years of civil insurgency, which has left 13,000 dead, voters made it abundantly clear they wanted change. So out goes the monarchy and in come the Maoists. The scale of the Maoists’ victory has surprised almost everyone, especially as they have been responsible for years of insurgency. But by winning so clearly – sweeping aside two of the long-standing parties – the people have removed any Maoist justification for continuing with violence. Going into the election, all parties were committed to turning Nepal into a democratic republic, so King Gyanendra’s grip on power looks set to be permanently loosened. Future of the church But turning revolutionaries into successful rulers will be no mean feat. These are new waters for the state of Nepal, ones that will pose considerable challenges for constitutional navigation. And what about the church? Steve Colli ...

Climate change returns to summit spotlight

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:34:00 GMT

The wheels of change turn slowly when it comes to some of the world’s biggest issues. Climate change is one of them but over the next two weeks there might well be movement, although you might not hear much about it. Countries are meeting in Bonn, organised by the UN, to continue negotiations on the issue. They will be discussing a variety of topics, including the finance and technology required for developing countries to be able to adapt to and cope with the impacts of climate change. The discussions are a step on the way to bigger decisions to be made in December in Poland. • Please pray that the needs of developing countries are prioritised at the Bonn talks. • Pray that Tearfund is successful in influencing negotiators as we want to build on the outcomes of the last big climate negotiations in Bali last year, holding governments to account and lobbying them to act urgently and with ambition. • Pray that everything that needs to be discussed in order to keep the talks on track gets discussed posit ...

A billion children at risk need your prayers

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:37:00 GMT

This weekend you are being invited to spend some time praying for the world’s vulnerable children. It’s a small request for a big problem; there are an estimated 1.2 billion youngsters under the age of 18 at risk due to disease, disaster, trafficking and exploitation. They’re in urgent need of change in their lives - change that will see a physical and emotional transformation to bring them back to childhood. Tearfund partner Viva is organising the World Weekend of Prayer for Children at Risk, and wants the church to unite in intercession. Viva, which works with Tearfund in supporting partners in South America, Uganda and India, believes that even though more children than ever are at risk, the church has the potential to make `a profound difference’. Aneeta Kulasegaran, Tearfund’s Child Development Advisor, said, `It is timely that Tearfund prays for children at risk around the world as many of our partners work with children in very difficult circumstances. `We need to pray believing that tremendous ...

Pray for the healing of cyclone survivors

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:41:00 GMT

Cuts and bruises were the most common physical injuries suffered by Cyclone Nargis survivors. They don’t sound bad until you see pictures of people with bruises so extensive that it looks as if they are wearing a purple shirt. In many cases, they were suffered by people desperately clinging on to coconut trees and anything else they could lay their hands on as the 120mph winds raged and the flood waters rose. In some cases, survivors were left holding on to trees for hours until the storm subsided. `People got cut with the pressure of the wind and water, causing bruising all over,’ said Tearfund’s Davidson Solanki, who has just returned from Myanmar. Tearfund’s Christian partners, the Myanmar Baptist Convention and World Concern Myanmar, are providing medical supplies, as well as other basics, so those injured can be treated. Latest estimates indicate the cyclone killed nearly 80,000 people and 2.4 million were affected, suggesting that helping survivors deal with the emotional side of the cyclone wil ...

Tough times for Tearfund partner in Tajikistan

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:40:00 GMT

Tajikistan is a tough place to live for its 6.5 million people. They’ve just been through one of their severest winters, facing flooding and landslides, prompting the UN to launch an appeal for humanitarian help. Then spring arrived and so did an invasion of locusts. It’s also a tough place to work, as a Tearfund partner will testify. The former republic of the Soviet Union has told one of our partners, which we cannot name for security issues, that it must suspend all operations for three months. This means projects involving people with disabilities and those living with HIV have been halted. The suspension has also put a stop to work on drug addiction rehabilitation and enterprise development. Displeasure The frustrating factor is the partner doesn’t know why it has incurred the displeasure of the authorities and there are fears the suspension could become an outright ban. Tearfund’s Mike Buckley said, `The government seem to be doing this to a number of organisations. They were all forced to re- ...

Poor harvests add to Zimbabwe woes

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:46:00 GMT

Zimbabwe’s farming industry can only find one gear – reverse - and sadly for the people, no one in authority is applying the brake. Food, or the lack of it, has been a serious issue in Zimbabwe for several years, but 2008 could be a crunch point. A new report from US Aid predicts that this year’s maize crop will produce just under half of last year’s, with yields now the lowest on record. Total cereal production will meet only 28 per cent of the country’s needs and the continued deterioration of Zimbabwe’s economy is making it increasingly difficult to respond without `significant international assistance’. From this month onwards there are fears that food shortages will worsen in south and west districts, developing throughout the country in the following months. Rain pain What’s to blame? Too much rain in December and January and too little in February and March. Shortages of fuel, fertiliser and money to support agriculture have also contributed. This makes the work of humanitarian agencies in fee ...

Church acts on looming Africa hunger crisis

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:53:00 GMT

Too little rain and too many worms and locusts add up to a major food crisis brewing in Ethiopia. Vital crops have been severely affected by below average rains and insect infestations. It’s a similar story in neighbouring northern Kenya except here it’s caterpillars instead of locusts that are adding to the harvest failures caused by insufficient rain. Add Somalia, where there is a drought affecting the centre and south of the country, and you have a combined crisis affecting the Horn of Africa. Tearfund is responding by working through church partners to feed thousands of people. Church action Some £100,000 is being spent by the Wolaitta Kale Heywet Church in Ethiopia, a Tearfund partner, to provide food-for-work schemes to help people living in Kindo Koysha district in the south. Another partner, the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church, is responding by distributing nearly 500 tons of food to 8,200 people in Kucha district and carrying out assessments elsewhere. Keith Etherington, Tearfund’s Country Repr ...

Partners put food on plates in Burkina Faso

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:09:00 GMT

Four pigs have transformed the life of Sankara Adama and his young family. Previously the father-of-four from Burkina Faso relied on being a nightwatchman and doing a bit of market gardening to keep the wolf from the door. Like many living in West Africa’s climate-challenged Sahel region, he knew all too well the difficulties of putting food on his family’s plates. But Sankara is one of many who are experiencing food security for the first time with the support of Tearfund partner Christian Relief and Development Organisation (CREDO). CREDO runs various agricultural schemes to help people become food self-sufficient. Livestock loans In the case of 32-year-old Sankara, who lives in Ouahigouya, help came in the form of a quartet of porkers. With a loan from CREDO, he was able to buy the pigs. Three of them ...

Bonn climate talks stay in the slow lane

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:16:00 GMT

Slow progress. That sums up the outcome of climate change talks in Bonn from a developing world perspective. The UN brought countries together for the talks, which were part of ongoing negotiations for a global climate deal, but they resulted in no major outcomes. Some positive ideas emerged during the first week around how to raise money for poor countries to adapt, but there was an overall lack of ambition on the part of the developed nations. Tearfund argues that tougher emissions targets are needed for wealthier nations to tackle climate change and more money is required for developing countries to help them adapt. The next round of talks will be in Ghana in August, another stop on the way to a key summit in 18 months’ time in Copenhagen, where a new global deal must be agreed to follow after the current phase of the Kyoto Protocol finishes in 2012. • Please continue to pray for progress at the international climate change negotiations. • Pray that negotiators take more notice of the needs of the ...

Heat is on as climate bill enters final furlong

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:27:00 GMT

The signs are promising. T-shirts, shorts and sandals are out of hibernation, willow is hitting leather on village greens and the whiff of barbecued food fills the weekend air – it all suggests the Great British Summer has arrived. OK, so there isn’t wall-to-wall sunshine – well Wimbledon is coming – but we all have the fair expectation that the sun will get its hat on at some stage soon and we’ll be able to bask in its rays for a few glorious moments. But for some, British Summer Time brings weather misery. Remember the floods of this time last year? They certainly won’t be forgotten by the families of the 13 people who died as a result or the 55,000 home owners and 7,000 businesses that were deluged. The Environment Agency says May to July 2007 was the wettest since 1766 when reliable records began to be collected. Getting worse Sir Michael Pitt, who led an independent government review into the 2007 floods, said, `The scale of the problem is likely to get worse. `We are not sure whether last sum ...

Healing the wounds of Kenya conflict

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:47:00 GMT

Six months ago this week, the knives came out in Kenya. So too did machetes, swords, clubs and many other makeshift weapons as a low-budget civil conflict gripped the country. The blood-letting followed a disputed general election result and left 1,500 people dead and 600,000 others homeless. Tearfund’s relief response centred on the town of Narok, west of Nairobi, where thousands of families had been forced to flee their homes as conflict erupted on tribal lines. Through our church-linked partner, the Narok Integrated Development Programme (NIDP), Tearfund provided immediate essentials such as blankets, cooking utensils and anti-malaria nets for internally displaced persons (IDPs) seeking sanctuary in specially set-up government camps. Burnt down John Maina Kimemia, 65, is among those who are being helped by NIDP. He’s rebuilding his life after having his house burnt down in the explosion of post-election violence when he lost all his possessions, bar two frying pans. NIDP has given him food, wate ...

Democracy gets a beating in Zimbabwe

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:12:00 GMT

Today voters will return to the polling stations in Zimbabwe to elect a president. Or at least that’s the theory. In the three months since the last election, voters, as well as democracy, have taken a severe beating. Sickened by violence against his supporters which has seen more than 80 people die, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has quit the presidential race. But Robert Mugabe intends to press ahead with the election, ignoring the plea of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who said this week, `There has been too much violence, too much intimidation. A vote held in these conditions would lack all legitimacy.’ One Tearfund partner, which has been encountering increasingly difficult working conditions since the first election on 29 March, describes the situation on the ground as `catastrophic’. Mockery Proceeding with an election `in such a violent environment’ is a `mockery of democracy’, according to the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance. It’s a position based on unwelcome experience of being on the re ...

Climate of change comes to Niger nomads

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:45:00 GMT

The shifting lifestyles of rural people in Niger illustrates why climate change discussions at the G8 summit next week are important. Tearfund partner Jemed works with animal herders who are having to adapt to survive as weather patterns are altered. Years ago, their main food was milk. But no longer. Lack of rain has meant a lack of pasture for their livestock and a major change of lifestyle. For a start, they no longer live a nomadic existence and producing food is much harder work. They’ve had to cut their number of meals each day from three to two and each one is smaller than it used to be. Jemed is working with a women’s group in the town of Abalak. One of its members Fatimatou said, `The climate has changed and this means that we can no longer live off our animals as we once did. We don’t have enough water or pasture and this situation can leave us hopeless.’ Amid major lifestyle changes, Jemed is striving to bring hope in a tough situation by helping them to adapt. Harder life `With all the dro ...

G8 summit in Japan

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:53:00 GMT

Next week sees the start of the G8 summit.

Japan is the venue for the top level talks which will focus on climate change, the world food crisis and development in Africa, among other issues.

The Japanese government claims to understand the urgency of responding to climate change and is anxious to lead the way.

Tearfund will be attending, pressing for greater consideration of the needs of developing countries and for more ambition when it comes to setting targets for cutting greenhouse gases.

• Please pray for bold leadership on climate change from the industrialised nations represented at the G8.

• Pray that the needs of developing countries are not overlooked as they struggle to cope with changing weather patterns and often dire effects on their communities.

• Pray that decisions made at the G8 would not undermine or weaken negotiations taking place on climate change at the UN.

The power of prayer in Kyrgyzstan

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:04:00 GMT

Life in Kyrgyzstan was falling apart for Kulepa Moldabayeva until she encountered the power of prayer. Her husband was gravely ill and Kulepa was spending nearly all her earnings buying him expensive pain killers with the result that there was little money left to feed the family. Her husband’s condition worsened and unable to combine providing the care he needed with earning a living for her family, Kulepa was forced to send him to his parents to be looked after. Life then took another turn down a dark alley for Kulepa. Cash-strapped, she resorted to taking out a loan but soon realised she would struggle to pay it back. `I became depressed,’ said Kulepa. `I wasn’t able to pay for kindergarten for my son and very often we didn’t have anything to eat at home. `I lost the desire to live anymore.’ It was then that she met an old friend who now worked as a social worker for the Children of Tien Shan, a project run by a Tearfund Christian partner in the town of Balykchy. Sanctuary Her friend suggested tha ...

Nepalese church grows but challenges loom

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:04:00 GMT

The people of Nepal are living in extraordinary times. Two months ago they voted for a republic instead of a king and got their wish. These are also important and exciting times for the Nepalese church, which has come a long way since its creation in 1952. Estimates put the number of Christians in Nepal at somewhere between 700,000 and a million out of a total population of 28 million. Church membership among people in their 20s and 30s is expanding, according to Jennie Collins of Tearfund partner United Mission to Nepal (UMN). In the Kathmandu Valley alone there are some 200 churches and the country as a whole has 70 Bible colleges. `Churches are growing quickly particularly in urban areas and among young men,’ said Jennie. Church challenges Jennie believes the church is offering hope for a hard-pressed people who are struggling day-to-day with the scarcity and high price of essential goods. Despite its growth, challenges loom for the church which remains largely isolated from mainstream society. ...

Overcoming the stigma of living with HIV

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:07:00 GMT

Mai is a 39-year-old mother living with HIV. Until recently, she’s also been living with the stigma of the condition. Mai is a teacher and also a deacon at her church in Zimbabwe. But despite these positions of authority and respect in the community, she felt scared. Scared and wary of people knowing that she was living with HIV. But with the help of her pastor, Mai is now living with HIV in an open way, free from the fear of stigma. The pastor, with support from a Tearfund partner, helped her access a drug called Cotrimoxazole, which is a broad-based antibiotic given to people living with HIV before they are given anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs). That practical assistance has given Mai great peace of mind and her pastor’s understanding and compassion have done much to change her outlook. Mai feels revealing her condition has freed her from the fear of prejudice, as people now understand why she behaves in certain ways. Holistic Mai said, `People may fail to understand you as long as you do not disclose ...

Plenty of G8 talk but little in way of action

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:18:00 GMT

So the G8 summit is over for another year. What did it achieve? Talks on climate change made little significant progress. Yes, there was a commitment to a 50 per cent cut in carbon emissions by 2050 but latest scientific research reckons this is the minimum required and a figure of 85 per cent would be a more appropriate target. Worryingly, the summit communiqué talked about stabilising greenhouse gas emissions in a timeframe compatible with `economic growth and energy security’ while making no mention of sustainability. While recognising that climate change will hit poor countries the hardest, the G8 didn’t back this up with a plan to help and there was no acknowledgement of the scale of funding required ($US50 billion a year) to help developing countries adapt. Peter Grant, Tearfund’s International Director, who attended the summit, said it had `failed to demonstrate the leadership that’s required’. `The meagre progress made here simply highlights just how far there is to go if we are to have any ...

East Africa food crisis

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:58:00 GMT

Somalia is one of the countries worst hit by the current food crisis in East Africa. But because of the ongoing conflict there, aid agencies are struggling to reach those who are facing hunger with food. The UN’s World Food Programme claims that attacks on aid workers and threats to ships delivering aid are putting the lives of millions of people in danger. Failed rains Across East Africa, rains have failed twice in a row, leaving millions in need of aid in a region still recovering from previous droughts. The next harvest is not due for another three or four months. And if this current rainy season fails or is erratic, yet another harvest will fail and the region could plunge into a crisis of epic proportions. In Somalia the UN has estimated that more than 2.6 million people are affected. This figure has risen by 40 per cent since January. The country is also coping with conflict and rising food prices. Conflict has forced more than 50,000 people from the capital Mogadishu in the past three months alone ...

Andaman islands

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:03:00 GMT

When your life has been shattered by a natural disaster, the challenges of picking up the pieces can seem insurmountable. In poor communities, a sense of powerlessness can follow when faced with not only the scale of devastation and a lack of capacity to respond, but the inevitable hurdles of bureaucracy and officialdom. Such a situation confronted 50,000 people on the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal following the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004. Close to the epicentre of the earthquake that triggered the tidal surge, the Indian-controlled islands took the brunt of the disaster and 4,000 people lost their lives. Journey back The aftermath saw Tearfund, the local church and partners standing alongside the survivors, together starting the long journey back to recovery. The islands are remote and their distance from the Indian mainland has not always been to their advantage when it comes to development. The tsunami exposed this isolation further, with official responses being slow. Our partner, the Emma ...

Zimbabwe: keep praying

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:50:00 GMT

Life in Zimbabwe sounds more like a crazy film plot than real life. A very tragic film. Political nightmare The presidential run-off election in June was not free or fair. The president’s men are running a campaign of terror and intimidation across the country, rounding up young people and forcing them to join their militia. Families have been traumatised and live in fear. Phones are tapped and people who raise the suspicions of the government are followed, intimidated and beaten, in some cases killed. Failed harvests To compound the tragedy, harvests have failed. The UN is warning that as many as 5 million people could need help by early 2009. But Robert Mugabe has banned foreign aid agencies from working in rural areas. Growing hyperinflation means that the food which is available is too expensive for the average Zimbabwean. ‘Everything is confusing and tragic and unknown’, says the director of one of Tearfund’s partners in Zimbabwe. ‘The final outcome will have to come from a sovereign work of God, ...

India: seeing answers to prayer

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:53:00 GMT

Prayer is at the heart of Tearfund partner Sahaara’s work. Sahaara is the social action wing of the Gateway Ministries International (GMI) churches in Mumbai. When a group of people decided they wanted to work in a local prison, they prayed and fasted for seven days, in a ‘Joshua act’. Joshua act For six days they walked round the prison once, and seven times on the seventh day. On the last day they met a prisoner and a guard. A member of their group, a recovering drug addict, knew the prisoner. They befriended the guard and prayed for his child, who was healed. Now they are allowed to go into the prison. Sahaara also work in the red-light areas of Mumbai, bringing hope to prostitutes and helping them leave the trade. They are working closely with Tearfund partner Oasis India in this work. When Sahaara started their prison work they prayed for soft hearts for the prisoners. They quickly realised this was the wrong prayer, and started praying instead that they would deal with their prejudices and go in ...

Tearfund takes HIV message to Mexico

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:56:00 GMT

An innovative church-based project in southern Africa will be featured at an important international HIV conference underway in Mexico. For the past two years, Tearfund has been running the scheme in Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso, looking at the issue of gender, HIV and the role of the church. Now we have secured a much-coveted place at a church conference in Mexico, which takes place prior to the main UNAIDS biannual conference, to talk about our work. Tearfund’s Mandy Marshall, who has been leading on the project, explains: ‘Our aim is to challenge the church in these countries to live out biblical values in response to gender issues and HIV. It is bearing fruit.’ A woman from a church in Matobo, rural Zimbabwe, told how a man asked her to find him a girlfriend because his wife lived far from where he worked. The woman refused, and took the opportunity to tell him about HIV and risky behaviour. ‘We want to honour and give praise to God for all that he has done over the last two years in this project, a ...

Girmas story highlights Ethiopia hunger pain

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:08:00 GMT

Hoe in hand, Girma Hesebo was busily preparing his land when we met him. Standing next to him was his young son Tariku. But unlike many two-year-olds, he was lethargic and quiet, a bundle of inertia. `Not long ago he was very big in size,’ said 30-year-old Girma, `But after this drought he’s been deteriorating day after day.’ All of Girma’s five children are suffering because of Ethiopia’s drought-induced hunger-disaster. `The children have had diarrhoea and they sometimes have serious stomach ache and vomit. We can’t take them to the hospital because we don’t have the money,’ said Girma. The family live in the village of 1st Angatcha, about three hours’ drive south of the capital Addis Ababa. Church responds Normally they would be eating maize, potatoes and haricot beans at this time of year but poor rains earlier in the year wrecked their harvest and they have no home-grown produce to live off. Tearfund, working with church and international partners, is responding to the needs of people like Girma ...

Sri Lanka

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:43:00 GMT

Leaders from South Asia signed a cooperation pact in Sri Lanka’s capital aimed at combating terrorism, on the same day as the military claimed to have killed 34 members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Nine soldiers also died in the fighting which occurred in the far north of the island. Background The Sri Lankan government is trying to retake the north of the island, most of which has been effectively governed by the LTTE for more than 25 years. Civil war has been raging in Sri Lanka for 25 years, killing some 70,000 people. In January of this year the government withdrew from a ceasefire it had agreed with the LTTE in 2002. This ceasefire had been largely ignored by both sides since 2006, when fighting escalated following the election of a hard-line president. Current issues Since January of this year, the government armed forces have been battling to take land from LTTE control. Slowly their front lines have been moving into LTTE territory but every step forward causes a huge loss of ...

China

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:50:00 GMT

As the 2008 Olympic Games open in Beijing today, please support persecuted Christians in China with your prayers. Only officially registered churches are allowed to operate, and these churches face many restrictions. Underground churches Some Christians in China are risking their lives by belonging to unregistered churches. These underground churches can be raided, Bibles confiscated and the church leader arrested. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports that there has been an alarming increase in the persecution of unregistered churches in the months leading up to the Olympics. They also say that reports in May indicated that the Ministry of Public Security received funding from the Chinese central government to extend its campaign to eradicate house churches throughout China. It is feared that harsher persecution will take place after the Olympics. Freedom to worship In support of Christians in China, CSW is running a campaign called One dream: freedom. The campaign is asking for a nationwid ...

Democratic Republic of Congo

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:54:00 GMT

A peace agreement signed in January 2008 has done little to curb the violence that’s been ravaging eastern DRC for more than 12 years. A report from a new group, the Congo Advocacy Coalition, claims that at least 150,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the past six months. Crimes against women Women and girls are particularly vulnerable. In June, more than 2,200 cases of rape were recorded, and many more will have gone unreported. Impunity is widespread. Only a small number of perpetrators have been arrested for sexual violence crimes since January. Often, women don’t report these crimes for fear that the criminal will seek retribution on release from prison. Previous fighting had already forced 1 million people from their homes in the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu. Aid agencies are struggling to reach those in need. Out of reach There have been more than 30 attacks on aid workers since January. Some areas are still totally inaccessible, such as places near the front line ...

Partner helps secure vital water supplies

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:11:00 GMT

Kaminibasiya in Bangladesh is close to the Bay of Bengal, and two rivers flow nearby. Despite this, one of the biggest problems facing the community is lack of drinking water. Sometimes the villagers end up drinking the salt water, which hinders physical growth and causes waterborne diseases. One of the main sources of water for the village is a freshwater reservoir. But in the dry season, this reservoir dries up. Tearfund partner Heed has been teaching the community how to limit the amount of damage that disasters, such as lack of drinking water in the dry season, can cause. After receiving training, the community realised the importance of excavating their pond so it could hold more water, and decided to do the work themselves, on a voluntary basis. They excavated the pond with help from Heed. This is the first time that the community has identified their own resources and worked together for conservation. And they are determined to work together to reduce their own vulnerability in future. G ...

HIV and the church

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:13:00 GMT

Around the world, the church needs to address the gender inequalities which fuel women’s vulnerability to HIV, believes Tearfund. Gender and gender-based violence were leading themes at the 17th International AIDS conference in Mexico. Lyn Lusi is from Tearfund partner HEAL Africa, which works with women affected by sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). She spoke at several conference sessions. ‘Gender inequalities leave women disempowered and more vulnerable to violence including rape’, said Lyn. ‘There are new laws about sexual violence in DRC, but any law without the collaboration of the community is useless. ‘The church is an influential voice in many affected communities and so is best placed to address these deep-rooted attitudes. It was the church that stood on the front line against slavery, and against apartheid. Now the church must stand up against gender injustice.’ Give thanks that Tearfund partners had opportunities to speak at the AIDS conference in Mexico. Pray ...

Erratic rains fuel East Africa food fears

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:15:00 GMT

Rain is falling in Ethiopia, but it is erratic. The rains are not due in Kenya until November. The current rains in Ethiopia and the upcoming rains in Kenya need to be successful or the region could be plunged into famine conditions. Lack of rain means that harvests fail and pasture land for livestock dwindles. People already urgently need food assistance as they wait for the next harvest. And the latest assessments of drought-affected areas in Ethiopia show that the number of people needing food aid is set to increase. As rainfall becomes less reliable, Tearfund partners are enabling communities to become more resilient to their changing climate. In Kenya we have been working with the Christian Community Services of Mount Kenya East (CCSMKE) for eleven years. They are currently piloting a livestock marketing project to encourage communities to reduce their stock size. The dwindling pasture land cannot support the current number of animals. CCSMKE helps people to transport their animals to market. Th ...

Humanitarian crisis unfolds in Georgia

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:11:00 GMT

Your prayers are needed for the many thousands of people caught up in the conflict between Georgia and Russia. Fighting has left hundreds dead and more than 150,000 people are homeless. Some 12,000 refugees have fled to North Ossetia from South Ossetia and 60,000 have sought safety in Georgia. Although Tearfund doesn’t work in Georgia or South Ossetia and doesn’t have any partners currently working there, the church is playing a key role. The Betheli Humanitarian Association in Georgia, a charity founded a decade ago by the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia, is helping people in need by offering shelter and distributing food, medicine and water. Please pray for those who have been displaced by the fighting and those who have lost loved ones. Pray for international diplomatic efforts to stop the conflict and for those working with refugees. Pray for the church as it seeks to respond. Pray that the crisis does not escalate and for calm leadership on all sides.

Nepal passes another historic milestone

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:28:00 GMT

This week has been another historic one for the people of Nepal. Maoist leader Prachanda has been installed as prime minister following the abolition of the monarchy in May. His appointment is another important step in nation-building, leaving behind the painful legacy of a decade-long civil war which killed 13,000 people. Additionally, it’s been a time of celebration for Tearfund partner ITEEN, which has recently marked 13 years’ work in the country. ITEEN runs courses across 48 districts to develop the leadership of the Nepalese church and provides books and other resources to this end. Each month dozens of new students enrol on ITEEN’s courses and currently there are more than 3,600 engaged in studies. But this new political era also brings challenges and prayer needs for our partners in Nepal. ITEEN is going through the process of registering with the new government in various districts where it works. ITEEN say, ‘We are the first theological college asking for registration, hence it is not an ea ...

Church plays vital role in post war DRC

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:34:00 GMT

Six years ago, Africa witnessed one of its darkest and bloodiest nights. It took place in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and centred on the town of Nyakunde, but the chances are the name won’t have registered in your mind. At the time, the dreadful events there received little international coverage but thousands died in a brutal outpouring of ethnic hatred. It was one of many appalling incidents that happened during DRC’s five-year civil conflict which killed between 2.5 and 4 million people. The death toll has been compared with the equivalent of an Asian tsunami every six months. Nyakunde’s residents were systemically targeted and after just over a week, thousands were dead. Sick The sick and the diseased in the town’s hospital were not spared atrocities by the gun, machete or knife and after the militias had done their deadly work, the hospital was left devastated. Tearfund partner CME (Evangelical Medical Centre) saw its work there torn apart. CME is a very well respected Christian medic ...

Isolated Myanmar villages get cyclone help

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:03:00 GMT

Four months after Cyclone Nargis slammed into Myanmar and work to reach isolated villages for the first time is still going on. Tearfund now has three partners handling relief and recovery projects after the storm left more than 80,000 dead and 50,000 missing. Tearfund’s Rachel Stevens has just returned from Myanmar and reports good progress on work to rebuild lives. `In Yangon, things appear to be back to normal with roads cleared and debris gone,’ said Rachel. Elsewhere, particularly in the badly affected Irrawaddy Delta, Tearfund partners are still helping people rebuild their homes by providing shelter kits. Stronger homes Properties are being rebuilt to traditional designs using thatch and bamboo but improvements are being made to strengthen them for future storms. Places of refuge will also be built to provide communities with a safe, dry, wind and flood-resistant community structure so people can hunker down in the event of another cataclysmic cyclone. But work in the Delta at the moment is b ...

Partner feeds survivors after Nepal deluge

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:08:00 GMT

United Mission to Nepal (UMN) is helping thousands of people who have been left bereft by severe flooding in the Himalayan republic. The Tearfund partner is supplying food to people who have lost their homes and all their possessions after, as reported above, heavy monsoon rains resulted in the Koshi river – the country’s biggest – bursting its banks. Drinking water and electricity supplies have been disrupted in seven regions in the south east, with many people taking shelter, with the help of the Nepalese army, in schools and other public buildings. UMN is a long-established Tearfund partner that has been working in-country for more than 50 years and has experience of responding to natural disasters. Jennie Collins, executive director of UMN, said, `Since the floods hit, together with other groups in the area, we have been able to provide people with dried rice and local communities have also been bringing cooked food in.' The numbers of people affected and killed remain sketchy but up to 50,000 are h ...

Flooding disaster affects two million in India

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:12:00 GMT

More than 2 million people have been severely affected by floods in the Indian state of Bihar. The area’s chief minister has described the deluge, caused by the river Koshi in neighbouring Nepal bursting its banks, as a `catastrophe’. The authorities have been carrying out air-drops of relief aid amid fears that crops across tens of thousands of hectares of land have been damaged. People in the area have taken refuge on embankments, highways and buildings to escape the flood waters. Tearfund’s Country Representative for India, Prince David, said the flooding had affected low-lying areas. Tearfund has partners doing long-term work in the affected areas. The Emanuel Hospital Association (EHA) which has a hospital in the area, has reported that water has entered into its wards and staff accommodation. EHA has sent a disaster response team to review the situation and they are distributing food to severely affected families. Fellow partners EFICOR and Discipleship Centre have projects in the neighbou ...

storms bring chaos and misery to Haiti

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:26:00 GMT

Tearfund staff in Haiti are seeking your prayers, following major destruction and loss of life caused by hurricane Gustav and tropical storm Hanna. The storms have killed at least 70 people and led to thousands of others fleeing their homes. Gustav damaged properties and flattened trees in the south and south-east of the country, while Hanna has hit the northern city of Gonaives. Jean Claude Cerin, Tearfund’s Country Representative for Haiti based in Port-au-Prince, said the hurricane was a disaster for affected areas. Tearfund recently began work with our partner ACLAM/World Concern to prevent future disasters in north-west Haiti. Jean Claude said, `Reducing the risk of disasters is one of our priorities for the coming years and as we make progress, we will certainly see the impact of our work.’ Please pray for the affected families and for God’s protection as Haiti goes through the rest of the hurricane season, normally ending in November. Pray for the families of those killed and those who have l ...

Anti Christian violence erupts in Orissa

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:28:00 GMT

An explosion of anti-Christian violence in India has left several people dead and forced many others from their homes. The incidents have taken place in the state of Orissa, following the killing of a Hindu leader accused of inciting attacks against Christians last Christmas. Maoist insurgents have claimed responsibility for his killing but extreme Hindu groups have responded by attacking the minority Christian community. The Evangelical Fellowship of India, a Tearfund partner involved in campaigns to promote religious liberty, has reported – * a nun being burnt to death in Bargarh district* a villager in Rupa, in Kandhamal district, being burnt to death* c hurches being attacked and systematically destroyed in nine districts* homes and businesses being destroyed* mobs attacking staff of Christian organisations Dr Richard Howell, general secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of India, said, `We are appealing for calm in Orissa and urge the central and state government to protect the Christian minority ...

Aid needs grow as India floods wreak havoc

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:33:00 GMT

One aid worker compared it to the exodus of the Israelites as he looked upon thousands of people on the move across the north India landscape. He was talking from the flood-hit state of Bihar where surging waters have affected millions of people. Around him were a multitude of homeless people, fleeing their home districts by any means of transport they could lay their hands on. Three weeks into the Bihar disaster and the relief needs are still growing. Tearfund is supporting three partners in the humanitarian effort as part of the global church response. They are EFICOR, Discipleship Centre and the Emmanuel Hospital Association (EHA). All are running community kitchens in temporary camps for thousands of people who have been forced to flee their homes. Most of them have arrived with nothing; the floods have destroyed their homes, crops and livestock. Changed course Partners are using boats to get supplies to cut-off villages where there has been no outside assistance. Across the state it is becomin ...

Haiti continues to bear the brunt of storms

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:54:00 GMT

Please continue to pray for Haiti where violent storms have affected 2 million of the population. Three Tearfund partners are doing an assessment of the damage among the communities where they are working. Some 575 people have died in recent weeks as a series of tropical storms have hit the poorest community in the western hemisphere. Hurricane Ike passed near Haiti last weekend but did not hit directly. However, it caused enough flooding to kill 30 people, including 13 children, in the western part of the country, near Port-au-Prince. Ike is the fourth tropical storm to affect Haiti in the last month after Fay, Gustav and Hanna. As a result, several thousand people are now living in temporary shelter. Schools remain closed after many were damaged, while roads and bridges have been destroyed, cutting off several regions. Pray for recovery efforts to aid survivors, Tearfund partners as they try to help, and for international assistance for the government

Prospects of peace diminish in Philippines

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:56:00 GMT

The southern region of Mindanao in the Philippines has been a stranger to peace for nearly four decades. But recently the conflict between government forces and armed Islamic groups hit a new low with a shattering outpouring of violence. That violence has smashed prospects of a peace deal mooted last month – after 11 long years of peace talks – and inevitably civilians have been bearing the brunt of the suffering. The National Disaster Coordinating Council and other government agencies report 70 civilians have been killed and some 360,000 forced to leave their homes. Scores of women and children have been killed in North Cotabato and Lanao del Norte and 129,000 people have been moved to safer areas. Philippine Relief and Development Services (PHILRADS) and the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches are helping civilians caught in the middle of this conflict. They are trying to provide food, sleeping mats, blankets, temporary shelters and toilets to 4,000 families in towns in Cotabato. Bishop Efrai ...

Disease fears rise in flood-hit Indian state

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:59:00 GMT

The numbers behind the story of the flooding in India are mind-boggling. Up to 3 million affected in 2,155 villages; 300,000 homes damaged; and nearly a million people rescued. Fatalities are harder to estimate. The Indian government says 78 people have died; others believe it’s a couple of thousand. But there is little doubt that the flood waters have left a mass of suffering that isn’t going to go away quickly. And there are new problems for survivors – and Tearfund’s three partners working in Bihar – to contend with. Water-borne diseases are increasingly evident as people drink from supplies contaminated by the floods, and sanitation is non-existent. Life threatening Prince David, Tearfund’s Country Representative for India, has just returned from visiting Bihar, where he came across an 11-year-old girl who was extremely ill from drinking dirty water. `She was very ill,’ said Prince. `We took her to the district hospital and the help she received there means she should make a full recovery and be ...

Haiti continues to suffer storm misery

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:04:00 GMT

Dozens die in Bolivian political violence

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:29:00 GMT

More than 30 people have died in Bolivia following politically-motivated violence.

The unrest stems from controversial constitutional changes proposed by the country’s President Evo Morales, who’s also run into opposition over plans to redistribute wealth created by Bolivia’s richness of natural resources.

The result has been many clashes between those for and against the president, which in some areas has seen roads blocked and food supplies cut off.

Tearfund is working with partners across Bolivia addressing the extreme poverty that many of the population are facing. We’re working together to improve nutrition, help street children and improve children’s rights.

Please pray for an end to the violence and for a desire for peace to stimulate meaningful talks between the opposing parties.

Lack of rain poses major problem in Niger

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:34:00 GMT

Water is dominating life in the West African country of Niger. One of our partners is asking for prayer because there is a lack of rain in the north, despite it being the rainy season. In common with some other African countries, drought has taken a grip. Caroline Kassell, Tearfund’s Disaster Management Officer for West Africa, said, `It’s coming towards the end of the rainy season and there has not been enough rain to ensure good water supplies and vegetation. `If there is not more rain within the next ten days then the coming year could be very difficult for pastoralists in the area. `They need good pasture for their animals which are their main livelihood. Without this their animals could die and then the pastoralists will have no resources to pay for food, education and healthcare.’ The director of one of our Niger-based partners said, `We’ve had virtually no rain and it’s getting grim for us. If we get no rain soon then it’s a disaster for the pastoral zone.’ In other parts of Niger the situation ...

India flood survivors need your help now

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:38:00 GMT

The flooding that hit millions in northern India a month ago well deserves the label of extraordinary. It came about because the Koshi river in neighbouring Nepal became so swollen with monsoon rains that it changed course eastwards - by more than 70 miles. According to Tearfund partner, the Emmanuel Hospital Association (EHA), the flooded river rendered useless more than 180 miles of embankments that had been built to control its waters. Amazingly, the river picked up a channel it had abandoned more than 200 years ago. Another extraordinary feature of the flooding in Bihar is that it hardly merits a mention in the mainstream UK media. Media headlines Apart from a few sporadic reports, there’s been little coverage of an event that ought to be grabbing headlines worldwide, having affected more than 3 million souls. Tearfund has committed more than £375,000 to the emergency responses of our Christian partners, EHA, EFICOR and Discipleship Centre but much more money is needed to meet the extraordinary ne ...

International Day of Prayer for Peace

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:39:00 GMT

This Sunday is the International Day of Prayer for Peace which coincides with the UN International Day of Peace.

The aim is to encourage faith communities around the globe to seek peace in the world.

Pray today that God’s church will lead the way in bringing peace to troubled communities, particularly in Afghanistan, Darfur, DR Congo and Uganda, where Tearfund has a long-term presence.

Haiti partners draw up food aid plans

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:41:00 GMT

Three Tearfund partners are drawing up plans to feed 17,000 people who have been affected by tropical storms that have hit Haiti in recent weeks.

Please continue to pray for relief efforts and for rebuilding work.

Pray for the families of the 600 people who died in the storms.

Pray that the weather remains calm for Haiti in the coming weeks.

Civilians pay the price for Sri Lanka conflict

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:04:00 GMT

If the first casualty of war is the truth, then all too often the second is the civilian population. The latest example of this comes from Sri Lanka where the government’s offensive against the separatist Tamil Tigers has left many thousands in the northern Vanni area in peril. Since January, the Sri Lankan government has been using army, navy and air power to seek to take land held by the Tamil Tigers for several decades. As a result there are reckoned to be around 150,000 displaced people gathering in the Kilinochchi area who have become dependent on aid agencies for food and shelter. Last week, the government announced it would no longer guarantee the security of aid agencies working in the Vanni and asked them all to leave. The agencies not only are seen as providers of the basic needs for thousands of people but they also offer some tenuous hope of security and justice. Tearfund’s Clare Crawford said, `With them gone, the local people fear that the war, which has already recorded thousands ...

Haiti faces months of rebuilding after storms

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:07:00 GMT

The winds of 100mph and the lashing rain may have blown through but it’s becoming clear that Haiti’s recovery from being hit by four tropical storms will take many months. As the flood waters recede, Tearfund partners are looking to provide the basics for life to get people who have lost homes and possessions through the next month or so. Food kits with rice, oil, cornmeal and spaghetti are on their way as are cooking utensils, soap, toothpaste and towels. Three Tearfund partners – CEEH (Council of Evangelical Churches of Haiti – an affiliate to the World Evangelical Alliance); ACLAM (Action against Poverty) and FEPH (Federation of Protestant Schools of Haiti) - are looking to supply more than 17,000 people in Gonaives, Cabaret and the north west, south and south east. But the extent of the damage caused by the tropical storms coming in quick succession is very bad news for a country regarded as one of the poorest. The government of Haiti has declared a state of emergency after the hurricanes smashed th ...

Zimbabwe

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:20:00 GMT

The church in Zimbabwe is at a crossroads. As the country’s politicians wrestle over a new power-sharing deal, the church must work out how to respond. That’s the view of a Tearfund analyst from Zimbabwe as the new political landscape takes shape following the agreement between the parties. Church excluded The consensus is that Zimbabwe remains firmly in the hands of the politicians and that non-politicians, such as the church and civil society groups, have been excluded from guiding its future. `Without being over pessimistic, this new deal can lose its way if it is not closely monitored,’ said our analyst. `The church needs to utilise this time to engage with the wider constituency on gathering initial evidence whether this deal works in practice.’ So a key role for the church and Tearfund’s church-based partners will be raising awareness among the general population about this agreement. Please pray Please pray for the wisdom of the leadership of the church in Zimbabwe at this crucial time. Pra ...

Millenium Development Goals (MDGs)

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:32:00 GMT

Tearfund believes that a massive increase of global activity is required to even get close to achieving the MDGs by 2015. At the UN High Level Event in New York last week, world leaders, business people and charities discussed progress towards achieving the goals. Leaders announced commitments to increase spending on aid and many speakers put climate change centre stage, recognising that it could undo all other poverty reduction work. The governments of the UK and the Netherlands announced that they will promote the establishment of a Global Framework for Action on Water and Sanitation. Not enough progress However, overall Tearfund believes that the progress made in New York was inadequate. Many announcements were merely restatements of previous commitments and the outcomes didn’t match up to the scale and speed of action required to meet the goals by 2015. The MDGs include halving poverty, reducing infant mortality, increasing access to clean water and sanitation and combating HIV. ‘Compared to the ...

Transforming lives through prayer in India

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:34:00 GMT

Over 25? Know the power of prayer but want to take that abroad? Now, we’re offering you the opportunity to work and pray with one of our partners in India, next April. Tearfund really values your prayer support. Why not come and see for yourself how we’re making a difference in the lives of poor communities? While prayer is central to all Transform teams, this trip is about offering the gift of prayer and bringing the power of God’s love into the communities you visit and the lives of those you interact with. Health work Working in the region of Uttar Pradesh, you will hosted by the Emmanuel Hospital Association (EHA), a Christian health and development agency in northern India. EHA’s programmes invest in the health of all people, regardless of religion, caste or race. Through 18 hospitals, 25 community health and development programmes and AIDS projects, their particular emphasis is on helping the development of women and children under five. EHA is developing innovative programmes in areas such ...

Time to pray for our MPs over climate Bill

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:43:00 GMT

As politicians return from their summer recess, please pray that the Climate Change Bill will be high up on their agenda. The Bill, introduced as a framework for the UK to cut its emissions, is in its final stages in Parliament and is due to be passed into law in the Queen’s Speech on 3 December. MPs will vote at the end of October on specific amendments to the Bill. Key issues for Tearfund will be whether or not a target to cut emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 is set and whether aviation and shipping emissions are included in reduction targets. Currently the Bill provides measures on cutting emissions by only 60 per cent and does not include aviation, one of the fastest growing forms of emissions. Keeping up pressure Without the above amendments, the UK will not be able to play its part in keeping global temperature rise below two degrees Centigrade. A two degree rise in temperature is recognised as a worldwide danger limit. Anything beyond this and the impact of climate change will be devasta ...

Partners help put food on the table in Nepal

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:03:00 GMT

His fellow villagers call him `Cauliflower Badri’, such is his pioneering work with veg. Badri Dakal is a 30-year-old farmer in Nepal who is earning a good living growing a kitchen garden. No big shakes there you might think. But consider that a kitchen garden is a significant innovation in Badri’s village of Baluwapati Deupur. Significant, because it’s now not only providing him with enough food for his family but an income from the surplus which enables him to send his three daughters to school. Tearfund partner, Share and Care Nepal, came to the village in 2005 to set up a farmers’ group. Pests Badri was a founding member who was taught how to grow a kitchen garden, something unheard of in the area previously. He learnt how to produce potatoes, tomatoes and cucumbers. And cauliflower, lots of it. In an average season he can produce 2,000 kgs of cauli, so you can see why the moniker of Cauliflower Badri is so well deserved. Our partner has trained him to deal with insect pests, which has seen him ...

Sierra Leone church plays vital HIV role

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 07:23:00 GMT

The church in Sierra Leone is playing a leading role in raising awareness and reducing stigma around HIV. The Evangelical Fellowship of Sierra Leone and Scripture Union Sierra Leone are working with local churches to increase their knowledge of HIV which in turn will help them inform their congregations. So successful has been their work that churches who are not members of the Evangelical Fellowship are inviting its representatives to give talks to their congregations. One senior church leader commented after a workshop, `We, the church leaders, are very grateful for this opportunity made available to us. `We’ve been to workshops before but never one that has been as educational and participatory as this one. `We will take into account the serious threat and challenge this virus poses to our congregations and communities and will move from being judgmental to supporting people living with HIV.’ Give thanks for the HIV awareness raising work of the Evangelical Fellowship of Sierra Leone and Scripture ...

Stand up against poverty this Micah Sunday

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 07:29:00 GMT

Fancy making a stand against poverty this weekend? Well you can as part of Micah Sunday. Micah organisers want as many people as possible to literally stand up and pray. Last year an incredible 43 million counted themselves in and stood up and prayed and Micah wants to exceed that figure this time. To find out more click here. Micah Sunday is organised by Micah Challenge which is made up of churches, individuals and charities worldwide united in their desire to end global poverty. Their call to prayer and action is based around Micah 6:8 `He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’ Central to the Micah Challenge vision is a determination to keep governments to the eight internationally agreed poverty-combating targets of the Millennium Development Goals. For example, the target for food provision is to halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. Please pray for ...

Time to make a big deal about clean water

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 07:33:00 GMT

By the time you have finished reading this article, another seven children aged under five will have died from an illness related to diarrhoea. They will have become ill because of dirty water and poor sanitation. Clean water and decent sanitation, something we in the West take for granted, are missing in the lives of almost 900 million people worldwide. Using a toilet is also a feature most of us hardly think about, or even want to, but the privacy of a loo surrounded by four walls is beyond the reach of 2.5 billion people – that represents one in three people on the planet. That’s why clean water and decent sanitation are a big deal to Tearfund and the global church. Without them, vast numbers are dying from preventable illnesses. Millions more are dropping out of school or work because they are unwell. Naturally this has a knock-on impact on economic and social development, hence the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving by 2015 the proportion of the population without access to safe drinking ...

Zimbabwe power-sharing deals shows cracks

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:13:00 GMT

Political wrangling has reared its head in Zimbabwe just weeks after a power-sharing deal was brokered.

President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai haven’t been able to agree on the carving-up of cabinet posts.

Talks stalled so badly that the Southern African Development Community tried to organise a regional summit but Mr Tsvangirai has declined to attend and talks are off until after 27 October. In the meantime, reports of people dying from starvation are on the increase.

Please pray that the deadlock is broken and that cabinet ministries are allocated allowing the country to move forward.
Pray that Tearfund partners in Zimbabwe can access the funding they need to feed the hungry.

Church plays guiding role in Zambian election

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:18:00 GMT

Zambia will reach a crossroads in its post-independence history next week when its people go to the polls to elect a new president. Next Thursday’s vote follows the death of President Levy Mwanawasa in August, who had been in power since 2001. Zambian political analysts are voicing concerns on two fronts. One is that internal wrangling within the ruling party is creating tension in the country at large and secondly, independent election monitors are worried about how the poll results will be transmitted and declared. This all makes the role of the church in Zambia more important and crucially it is making its voice heard. Unity Tearfund partner, the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia, as well as the Zambia Episcopal Conference and the Council of Churches in Zambia are collectively calling for unity and prayer as polling day approaches. Their message is guided by the biblical principle of love for neighbours and respect for human dignity as we are all made in God’s image. Bearing in mind the election tri ...

Hopeful signs amid dark clouds over Ethiopia

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:32:00 GMT

`Visit the gifted land of varieties’ declared an ageing poster on the office wall of Ethiopian administrator Kassa Giemore. When a Tearfund team visited Mr Giemore in July, this encouragement for tourism seemed incongruous in a region badly affected by hunger, where crop failures and high food prices had pushed millions of Ethiopians into a perilous state of food insecurity. But for Mr Giemore, the chief administrator for the southern district of Angatcha, lack of food not lack of tourists was the number one issue for his in-tray. Nothing to eat `People are suffering a lot. Nothing edible is growing,’ he said. Fast forward three months and Mr Giemore is now more positive. Since our first meeting, Tearfund and our partner, the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church, have been responding to the food crisis in Angatcha. Thanks to your support for our ongoing emergency appeal, 1,000 families with severely malnourished children have been receiving food rations of pulses, cereals and oil. Seed banks have been set up ...

Call for church to make a stand on slavery

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 08:32:00 GMT

The issue of slavery hit the international headlines this week following a court case in West Africa. The government of Niger was found guilty of not implementing its anti-slavery laws and protecting Hadijatou Mani, now aged 24, from being sold into work at the age of 12. The government was fined just over £12,000 in a case that’s seen as significant for laying down a legal marker. It also underlines the ongoing importance of slavery as a campaigning issue, one that the UK church is being encouraged to get more involved in. There’s an opportunity to do just that on 8 November at the Birmingham NEC at an event called The Stand. Sobering The Stand aims to educate and involve the church in the fight against slavery in all its modern forms human trafficking, the child sex trade and forced child labour. Here are some sobering statistics from the UN – there are 27 million people in slavery worldwide and 1.2 million children are trafficked annually. Tearfund, along with other Christian organisations, is bac ...

Storms bring chaos to Honduras

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 08:36:00 GMT

Tearfund partners in Honduras are battling with the elements to help tens of thousands of people who have been hit by severe flooding. A series of tropical storms in recent weeks has dumped many inches of rain on the Central American country, with more than 30 Hondurans dead or missing. Tearfund is funding two Christian partners, working through and alongside the local church, to assist some of the 25,000 people who have been left homeless and have seen their lives turned upside down. The local church is reaching out to affected communities, helping to feed families and provide them with water, blankets and health kits. Across the country, 250,000 people have been hit by floods with large tracts of the north coast and the southern Pacific coast left under water. The storms have also hit Guatemala and Nicaragua but Honduras is the worst affected. In one Honduran highland area, a mountain slid down onto several villages, creating a massive dam in a deep hollow which it’s feared will break and inundate fi ...

Rising death toll in Zimbabwe food crisis

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 08:44:00 GMT

Shares tumbling, banks closing, recession looming and panic spreading. The headlines over the past few weeks have taken an apocalyptic turn. For the people of Zimbabwe, economic chaos is nothing new. The country’s recent history has seen the march of progress turn into a shuffle towards stagnation and decline. If you think the trillions of dollars pumped into the world’s banking system is a big number, check out Zimbabwe’s 12 digit inflation rate. Behind the figures is real suffering. For six years, large numbers of Zimbabweans have experienced hunger but the ominous signs are the crisis is getting worse. Much worse. Dire need The World Food Programme reckons 2009 will see 5 million people in dire need of food, that’s up from 3 million now. The predictions underline the importance of Tearfund’s support for the local church and our Christian partners as they try and feed thousands of Zimbabweans and provide pastoral support in an increasingly difficult environment. Their latest reports from inside the ...

Pray for the Democratic Republic of Congo

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:52:00 GMT

War has brought misery to millions of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Attacks have robbed people of loved ones, homes and possessions. Many are traumatised and the task of rebuilding lives will take years. Please pray: for peace to become permanent in eastern DRC for the leaders of DRC, rebel groups and neighbouring countries to show a new heart for restoring this shattered country that the UN peacekeeping force is able to play a more effective role and for a reduction in ethnic tensions for those affected by conflict to be able to rebuild their lives for those who have suffered attacks. Ask for their physical and emotional recovery for the thousands of women who have been raped. Pray for sensitive care to enable their physical and mental rehabilitation for the future of children who have lost parents and family for the safety and effective working of Tearfund partners and staff for the local church as it too rebuilds after conflict

African leaders discuss Zimbabwe crisis

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:15:00 GMT

Please pray for a regional summit this weekend aimed at breaking the deadlock of the political crisis in Zimbabwe.

A power-sharing deal between President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, agreed after the disputed presidential election two months ago, has stalled over the allocation of cabinet posts.

This Sunday, representatives from 15 countries in the Southern Africa Development Community are coming together to try and move the process on.

Please pray for progress to break the stalemate and to bring about a power-sharing government which can start addressing some of the fundamental problems facing Zimbabwe, such as the growing food crisis and economic collapse.

Storms leave Honduras in critical condition

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:21:00 GMT

More than two weeks of rain have turned Honduras into a drenched disaster zone. Through the local church, Tearfund is responding. With your support, we’ve given £45,000 to three Christian partners supporting thousands of people who have lost everything. Food, water and health kits are the priority, particularly for remote communities where other help has been lacking but our partners are also standing alongside people in prayer. A series of tropical storms have dumped incredible amounts of rain on the country, even causing rivers to change their course, leaving destruction on a similar scale to Hurricane Mitch a decade ago. Thankfully this time the number of fatalities has been much reduced. Swift evacuation procedures have meant that the death toll has been limited to 46 people. Tearfund partner OCDIH reports numerous instances of communities being cut off by flood waters and mudslides. Half of Honduras’s road network has been destroyed and many areas are without electricity and telephone links. Long- ...

Fighting leaves DR Congo on a knife edge

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:27:00 GMT

The Democratic Republic of Congo has gone from being the world’s bloodiest forgotten conflict since the Second World War to headline news around the globe in a matter of days. A flare-up in fighting between rebel and government forces has left the east of the country in a calamitous condition. Despite a ceasefire holding, Tearfund partner HEAL Africa describes the situation as a tinderbox. HEAL Africa runs a hospital in Goma, the capital of conflict-hit North Kivu province, and has seen evidence of rapes and torture. Wounds Staff are treating all manner of wounds and injuries inflicted on people from both rebel and government forces as well as bandits. They are showing the compassion of the local church in a situation where many aid agencies have had to halt their work. Dr Jo Lusi, from HEAL Africa, said, `Everybody is confused about the ceasefire; we don't know if it’s long lasting. But at least no bullets have been shot. `We are running out of food because the road is blocked. People are afraid to ...

Time to talk and pray about toilets

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:36:00 GMT

Get your diary out – next Wednesday is World Toilet Day. Not important enough to make a date in your busy schedule? Tell that to 2.5 billion people worldwide who don’t have a toilet. That lack of a basic facility which we all take for granted is taking a heavy toll on communities in developing countries, where every day 5,000 children under five die needlessly from diarrhoeal diseases caused by dirty water. Such figures make it easy to understand why the theme of World Toilet Day is `We deserve better’. As well as making economic sense, providing sanitation also provides something that is priceless – dignity. For millions of women, inadequate access is a source of shame, physical discomfort and insecurity. Many are forced to go defecate at night, often at the edges of their communities, where they are vulnerable to attack and rape. Please take time on World Toilet Day to pray for greater action to tackle inadequate sanitation. (Click here for more information.) Pray particularly that the first annu ...

Story of hope among wreckage of Cyclone Sidr

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:43:00 GMT

Disasters and statistics seem to go hand-in-hand. The number of people killed, the total made homeless, injured or orphaned and the financial cost of the aftermath – numbers are never far away from the headlines. A year ago last November, Cyclone Sidr hit Bangladesh and produced its own lengthy set of figures: winds of 160mph, 4,000 people killed, 39,000 injured, 5 million affected, 500,000 homes damaged. Behind every statistic there is a story and this one is about one of the survivors and how Tearfund’s Christian partners and the local church in Bangladesh got them through the dark days following the disaster physically and emotionally. Nung Na Chi is a 36-year-old widow living in the village of Chatanpara in Barguna district with her son and daughter, who study at a polytechnic. The cyclone flattened the family home and their crops. It also did for a key piece of income-generating equipment – the family handloom. Earning a living Tearfund partner Koinonia recognised that a working handloom was the ...

Crisis in DR Congo hits civilians hard

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:48:00 GMT

The crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo shows little sign of abating. This week has seen renewed clashes between rebel forces and pro-government troops in the troubled province of North Kivu. From the humanitarian perspective, conditions are awful. Cholera and diarrhoea cases are on the rise among people fleeing the fighting. More than 250,000 Congolese are homeless and, due to insecurity, getting aid through is difficult. By supporting the local church, Tearfund is helping. We’re working with our partner HEAL Africa, which runs a hospital in Goma and development programmes elsewhere in North Kivu. HEAL Africa doctors have reported treating dozens of people wounded in the conflict, with staff showing dedication to duty in the face of increasingly testing circumstances and limited supplies. Reprisals Communities outside Goma are said to be in a terrible state. For example Rutshuru and Kiwanja were recently attacked by rebels following an offensive by pro-government militias. Joseph Ciza of HEAL ...

London prayer event for DR Congo

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:21:00 GMT

Tomorrow (Tuesday 18 November) there’s a special prayer event taking place for the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It’s happening in London at the Freedom Ark, 117 Bruce Grove, N17 6UR from 7-9pm.

DR Congo churches urges day of prayer

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:08:00 GMT

Conditions remain grim in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province with more fighting this week. Getting aid through to the 250,000 people displaced by the conflict between government and rebel forces remains a considerable challenge. The local church in the form of Tearfund partners is responding, with one of them – HEAL Africa – near the frontline. HEAL Africa is treating conflict victims at its hospital in Goma and also offering emotional and psychological support. But hopes of peace seem to be dwindling. Tutsi rebels loyal to rebel leader Laurent Nkunda have continued to push north and extend the territory under their control. This comes despite a commitment to a ceasefire and peace talks made by Laurent Nkunda on Sunday to a UN envoy. Clearly prayer remains of paramount importance. Tomorrow the global church is being encouraged to remember the Democratic Republic of Congo in its prayers. A day of prayer and fasting is being promoted by the Congo Church Association, which works with ...

Glimmers of hope amid Afghanistan suffering

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:12:00 GMT

Finding good news in Afghanistan is like panning for gold in a Welsh river – it is there but it’s not easy to find. Most coverage concentrates on the security situation and almost daily it gives the impression that Afghanistan is in terminal decline. One of our partners in Afghanistan begs to differ and believes there is hope for the 30 million population. `I think we can say that there will be some further deterioration of the situation but I don’t think it will last forever,’ said the head of one partner organisation based in Afghanistan, who is retiring from his job after 20 years’ service. `Even now it’s relatively good. I lived here when it was complete anarchy in 1992-93. Failed state `The security situation, the risks of becoming a failed state, a culture of impunity, international engagement and the influence of neighbouring countries – all of this brings complexity to the Afghan situation. `But overall I’m optimistic in the long term and I know that God’s kingdom will in a mysterious way be s ...

Church takes step forward on gender justice

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:18:00 GMT

The Thai city of Pattaya boasts of having five million visitors every year. Many come to enjoy the beach. But take a walk past the bars and it’s clear plenty of men come for sex. ‘Blatant’ is how Tearfund’s Mandy Marshall describes the profile of this exploitative business, one she witnessed first hand while in the city for a conference looking at how the church can address the issue of HIV. There are people helping women leave sex tourism in Thailand such as Christian staff from the Tamar Project who befriend sex workers, euphemistically known as `bar girls’, and offer them an alternative lifestyle, based around income-generation projects that they run. Temptation There are successes but the challenges of enticing people away from the bars and the men are significant. Mandy says, `The torrent of opportunities and temptation, plus family pressures to support and feed extended families, makes leaving bar girl work forever quite difficult. `It’s a clear reminder of the need to have a comprehensive respo ...

World AIDS Day

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 10:40:00 GMT

This weekend many churches will be praying for World AIDS Day, which reaches its 20th anniversary on Monday. Tearfund believes the local church can make a positive difference to the pandemic, where 33 million people globally are living with HIV. And we don’t just mean financially – although that is important - but practically and spiritually, drawing alongside people in need and helping them get access to treatment which can extend and improve lives. For instance, in Mozambique, we’re working with a partner called Kubatsirana to train church volunteers to help those living with HIV. Simple acts such as spending time with people, reminding them to take antiretroviral medicines each day, arranging medical appointments and organising transport to hospital are improving health and wellbeing. The church is well placed to act and to mobilise its congregations because it’s one of the few institutions present in many communities and is often already a local healthcare provider. But in too many places, people s ...

Cholera outbreak adds to Zimbabwe woes

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 10:57:00 GMT

The people of Zimbabwe have long had to contend with the blows of economic decline and hunger. Now disease is putting the boot into their broken land. Cholera is affecting all ten of the country’s districts and the government says 80 people have died. Aid agencies estimate it’s closer to 300. Health clinics don’t measure up to their name because they are so starved of funds that most have no medicines to offer people. Worsening sanitation is behind the outbreak, a testament to the country’s deteriorating infrastructure. The lack of government investment is now coming home to roost as open sewers become increasingly commonplace in high density suburbs. Power cuts Water supplies are fragmented. In some parts of Harare, there’ve been just two times when municipal water has been supplied in the past year. But both times, it was only for a few hours. People are having to purchase water from those who have boreholes. This in turn is now resulting in the water table dropping, prompting fears for future water ...

Poland takes centre stage for climate talks

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 11:02:00 GMT

Monday marks the start of this year’s two weeks of UN climate talks, held in Poznan, Poland. International representatives will descend on this historical city to brave the Polish winter and negotiate towards a global climate change agreement. The talks build on last year’s meetings in Bali, with all roads leading to Copenhagen where a deal must be agreed by December 2009. But before that can happen much must be ironed out and Poland is a crucial place to do that. Big topics include limiting carbon emissions and securing funding for developing countries to adapt to their already changing environments. The UK government will come to the table with the newly approved Climate Change Bill under its belt, proving its commitment to tackling emissions domestically. Raising voices This Bill is a huge encouragement for campaigners and proves that politicians do listen when enough people raise their voices. The hope is for this Bill to set a standard for other rich countries, urging them to also commit to nec ...

Deadly Nigeria clashes put aid work on hold

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:25:00 GMT

At least 400 people have died and 25,000 others have been made homeless in an outbreak of post-election unrest in Nigeria.

Clashes in the town of Jos between Christian and Muslim communities started after a disputed local poll result last week.

Killings and the torching of buildings resulted in a curfew being imposed on Jos, which is the capital of Plateau state and an area of historic tensions between the two faiths.

Tearfund’s Gaston Slanwa, who is based in Nigeria, reports that the work of Tearfund partners in the area has been suspended until trouble subsides.

Please pray for peace in Jos and for tensions to ease. Pray for the safety of Tearfund partner staff and families.

Pray for a beefed up EU climate policy

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:30:00 GMT

With the Poznan climate talks coming to the end of their first week, we also turn our attention to the negotiations taking place in Brussels that will determine the next ten years of the EU's climate and energy policies.

These decisions will have a major impact on the global climate agreement being worked toward in Poland, as they show whether Europe is committed to taking action at home. At the moment proposals for action in Europe are too weak.

Please pray that EU leaders would show leadership and stick to the promises made last year at Bali's UN climate talks.
Pray the EU can agree to tough emission reduction targets in line with keeping global warming below two degrees and agree to help finance developing countries' response to climate change.

Asia migrants plight

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:40:00 GMT

The exploitation of millions of migrant workers is a growing problem in Asia’s Mekong Sub Region but one that Tearfund’s Christian partners are making efforts to tackle. Every year vast numbers of people move between Myanmar, Laos, Northern Thailand and Yunnan province in China (known as the Mekong Sub Region) in the hope of finding better prospects. Many manage to find jobs but they also discover that they are exploited once they cross the border because they lack legal rights due to their status. Such was the case for Maa Aong, 37, from Myanmar, who went to Thailand to earn a better living for her three children. Unsympathetic At the time she crossed the border there was no need for a work permit but a later change in the law required her to obtain one. Her new Thai employers also demanded 2,000 Baht (£38) for `insurance’ in case she damaged any of their property, a sum they promised to repay if she left the job. When family illness led to Maa Aong missing work, her employers’ unsympathetic reaction ...

DR Congo church gives shelter to newborns

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:48:00 GMT

Childbirth is hard at the best of times but imagine bringing a kid into the world with a war raging around you, on the run and without a home. Welcome to North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which as a location to start life must be one of the toughest on the planet. Being born into a war zone is the inescapable reality for four babies, including twins, found with their mothers by a Tearfund team. Their plight sums up the misery of a conflict which has placed civilians in the middle of rebel and government forces intent on slugging it out. Arms of the church The only good news for these children is that they are not only in the arms of their mothers but the arms of the church. The catholic church in Lubero to be precise, which is offering sanctuary and a roof over the heads of 20 families displaced by fighting. The congregation is doing its best to provide food and other essentials but it’s not easy as many of the church members are already hosting other fleeing families in their h ...

Climate change talks

website.editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:25:00 GMT

Pray that EU leaders would show leadership and stick to the promises made last year at Bali's UN climate talks.

Pray the EU can agree to tough emission reduction targets in line with keeping global warming below two degrees and agree to help finance developing countries' response to climate change.”

Somalia

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:34:00 GMT

Somalia has the highest levels of malnutrition in the world. As we are in the grip of a global food crisis, this is clearly a country in deep need. Violence and hunger Drought is killing livestock, so farmers are suffering and there is not enough food. According to UNICEF, more than 70 per cent of the population lack reliable access to safe water. There are already hundreds of thousands of Somali refugees living in terrible conditions in refugee camps in north eastern Kenya. The Kenyan government has now closed the border for security reasons, but this is also hampering the delivery of aid from Kenya into Somalia. Danger to aid workers Violence and political instability hinder Tearfund partners and other agencies from reaching those most in need with basic but vital assistance. Most of the humanitarian needs are in the capital, Mogadishu, and parts of central and southern Somalia. By the end of October, some 30 aid workers in these areas had been killed. A Tearfund partner, who we cannot name for se ...

Malawi

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:38:00 GMT

Malawi’s food production is regularly affected by erratic rainfall, leading to floods in some areas and drought in others. Tearfund’s church partners are finding ways to help people adapt to the changing climate, and produce enough food for their families and communities. Erratic rainfall The rainy season traditionally starts at the end of November and finishes in March. This year the rains have not started well. Some parts of the country have yet to receive any rain and in other places the rain has been accompanied by stormy weather which is damaging houses. Our partner Eagles has appointed a consultant to find long-lasting solutions to the floods which occur every year at this time. Pray that he is successful in his tasks. Please pray Pray for wisdom for all our partner staff as they help their communities care for God’s creation, and as they help people adapt to a changing climate. Pray that we in the UK will take our responsibility to look after God’s creation seriously too, and will do all we ca ...

New birth in DR Congo

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:43:00 GMT

Please keep praying for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), who are still in desperate need of food, shelter and medical attention. More than 250,000 have been forced from their homes in this recent round of fighting, which had been simmering for some time and flared up in October. Assessing the need Tearfund staff members Gary Swart and Alice Fay have spent time in eastern DRC to assess the need and help plan Tearfund’s response to this current crisis. Alice writes, ‘Today was quite a tough one. We went to visit some camps about an hour and a half away from Goma, along the side of the lake. ‘I met a lady, Mbabazi, who had given birth to her first child exactly a week ago, in her small shelter made of leaves and branches. ‘She walked to the camp a month ago and her daughter, called Reponse, which means ‘Answer’, was born on the floor on leaves and a mat. ‘It doesn’t really feel at all like we’re approaching Christmas here, but I felt that Mary and Joseph would have been able to ...

East Africa food crisis

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:28:00 GMT

Tadesse Dadi works for Tearfund in Ethiopia. He writes, ‘This has been a difficult year for many communities in Ethiopia where Tearfund partner churches are working. Hunger 'The early rains expected in February and March failed to materialise and many of the communities relying on root crops and short-season cereal could not grow enough food. As a result there was widespread malnutrition in children. ‘It a well known tradition that farmers never eat the seed they need for the next sowing. But communities in Angacha District, where the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church has a strong presence, were forced to consume their seed. This situation was brought about by the extended dry season that severely reduced their harvest. ‘Despite the desperate situation, the local church leaders and the local government encouraged people to plough and prepare their crop fields anyway, and sell whatever remaining assets they had to buy seed and sow for the next season. Donations from Tearfund supporters meant that we could s ...

Myanmar: after the storm

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:55:00 GMT

Tearfund’s Rachel Stevens writes, ‘It has now been seven months since Cyclone Nargis slammed into Myanmar, destroying lives, homes and communities. This Christmas season will be very difficult for the hundreds of thousands of families who are still struggling to rebuild their lives and livelihoods amidst chaos and destruction. Gift of love ‘Just as God’s gift to us was birthed in a poor remote village, so our Tearfund partners in Myanmar have been taking practical gifts of love into remote villages in the Ayeyarwady Delta in Myanmar. ‘Tearfund partners are now focusing on rebuilding homes and restoring the livelihoods of the fishing and farming communities. They are helping to heal psychological scars, with a special focus on children, and supporting people with disabilities, who are especially vulnerable to disasters. Please pray ‘Continue to pray for those who lost loved ones during the cyclone; pray for a sense of hope for the future. ‘Communities urgently need safe drinking water to see them ...

Zimbabwe

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:59:00 GMT

Zimbabwe’s woes seem unending. Our partners there continue to work long difficult hours to respond to the crisis. Churches in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second largest city, have started an emergency project to clean up the raw sewage that is now a common sight in the western suburbs of the city. Disaster Tearfund’s Karyn Beattie, herself from Zimbabwe, writes, ‘2008 has been a rollercoaster ride for Zimbabweans. Hope and fear rolled successively over a people tired and anxious for change. With shortages of food, medicines and clean water; politically motivated violence; and an outbreak of cholera, it’s hard to understand how ordinary people are coping. The sad reality is that more and more are failing to cope. According to the pastors we work with, funerals are everyday events now. ‘As a child growing up on a farm in Zimbabwe, part of the lead up to Christmas always included a week-long stay with my aunt in Harare. She would take me to see the Christmas lights, we’d go late-night Christmas shopping and to t ...

The Christmas story in DR Congo

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:03:00 GMT

Tearfund’s Gary Swart has just returned from doing a needs assessment in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where some 250,000 people have fled their homes as rebel and pro-government forces clash in North Kivu province. Born into poverty and chaos He writes, ‘In Lubero, (which is in North Kivu and ten miles from the frontline), we met about 120 people, mainly women and children who had fled the fighting and were being hosted by the local Catholic church. They were sleeping on the floor of a school classroom. They shared one toilet and any food they had was provided by local church members. ‘The women showed us four newly born babies. These babies (two of which were twins) had been born in the jungle on the run from the rebels. Their mums had had no clothes for them and no beds for them to sleep on. ‘I thought about the birth of Christ Jesus, who himself was born in poverty, born under a cruel and unjust military regime and subject to corrupt despot leaders. As a baby, Jesus had to flee to Egy ...

Climate change: after Poland

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:34:00 GMT

World leaders, campaigners and lobbyists have returned home after two intense weeks of UN climate talks in Poland. Sadly, the path to a global climate deal in 2009 seems to have stalled. Despite a fortnight of talking, developed countries haven't been able to commit to emissions reduction targets. Now there’s only a year to thrash out agreements before major deals are due to be signed. The one glimmer of hope came with the approval of the Adaptation Fund Board, which should begin distributing money in 2009. This will help poor communities adapt to the changing climate. Pray that the Adaptation Fund will get off the ground quickly and will improve the situation for communities impacted by climate change and that the voice of developing countries will be heard in climate negotiations during 2009. There has been some good news this year. We can give thanks for the success of the world's first Climate Change Law - the culmination of two years of persistent praying and campaigning by many Tearfund suppor ...

Gaza crisis

website.editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:47:00 GMT

20 January 2009

Please give thanks for the ceasefires by Israel and Hamas in Gaza and pray they hold.

Pray for those who are mourning for lost loved ones and for God’s comfort to those who have been injured.

Pray that more humanitarian aid can get through to those who have lost homes and possessions.

Pray for lasting peace in the region.

Get ready for Global Poverty Prayer Week

website.editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:25:00 GMT

‘Nothing seems to be too great, too hard, or too difficult for prayer to do. ‘It has obtained things that seemed impossible and out of reach. It has won victories over fire, air, earth and water. ‘Prayer opened the Red Sea. Prayer brought water from the rock and bread from heaven. Prayer made the sun stand still. Prayer brought fire from the sky on Elijah's sacrifice.’ This eloquent reminder about the power of prayer was written by a wise man with a big beard called JC Ryle, a 19th century Bishop of Liverpool. His belief that nothing is too great or difficult for prayer is shared by Tearfund and we’ve got a big target for the global church to set its sights on – poverty. International week of prayer Our second annual Global Poverty Prayer Week (GPPW), from 23 February to 1 March 2009, aims to do exactly what it says on the tin. We’re giving you and your church the opportunity to join others in praying as one, to become part of a miracle. We’ve got innovative prayer ideas to make it easy and inspir ...

Coup in Guinea

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:37:00 GMT

These are uncertain times for the small West African state of Guinea. A pre-Christmas military coup has brought a new man to power, Capt Moussa Dadis Camara, who replaces the late president, Lansana Conte, who died at the age of 74. Internationally, Capt Camara’s seizure of power has been condemned, but he has committed the country to staging democratic elections within 12 months. Francis Wahome, Tearfund’s Country Representative for the Mano River area that incorporates the countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, said, `The economies and people of these countries are so interdependent that any unease in one of the countries has an immediate effect on all the others. `Our prayer is that there will be a peaceful leadership transition and that Guinea people will start to enjoy real democracy and freedom as soon as is practicable. `We pray that the Junta will honour their word and keep to a timetable of democratic transition before the end of the year. Pray for continued peace in the entire Mano R ...

DR Congo peace talks resume

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:30:00 GMT

As the northern Democratic Republic of Congo endures an incursion of LRA rebels, the crisis in the east of the country remains equally acute. Here months of fighting between Congolese rebels and government forces have created a humanitarian disaster zone. Tearfund is supporting the work of three partners who are bringing aid and basic services to more than 250,000 displaced people. One of these much needed services is counselling for those affected by sexual violence. Partner PPSSP has staff working in communities such as the town of Beni with girls and women of all ages who have been raped and attacked. While your support for the local church is helping more than 75,000 desperate men, women and children, need outstrips supply. A Tearfund assessment team recently went to a camp called Mugunga which is `home’ to 14,000 displaced souls, with 60 per cent of the families there headed by women. The camp offers a semblance of safety but there are few home comforts for people who have had to up-sticks quickl ...

Ugandan rebels launch new year offensive

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 08:36:00 GMT

It’s been a bloody start to the New Year on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). More than 500 people have been killed over the last week or so by the Ugandan rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). The LRA has been involved in a long running civil conflict but since being driven from Uganda, its attacks have moved over the border into the DRC and neighbouring Sudan. The latest attacks in DRC have resulted in the massacre of hundreds of villagers across several communities as well as abductions and the burning of homes. The UN is trying to help 18,000 people who have been forced to flee from the area because of the LRA attacks. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned the `appalling atrocities’ which come in the wake of an offensive against the LRA by Ugandan government troops, backed by soldiers from the DRC and South Sudan. Offensive This offensive took place after a breakdown in lengthy peace talks between the Ugandan government and LRA leader ...

Global Poverty Prayer Week is coming

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:31:00 GMT

Next month Tearfund is looking to mobilise a movement of Christians passionate about tackling poverty. It’s a big subject which requires a big response which is why we are staging Global Poverty Prayer Week (GPPW). Running from 23 February to 1 March, we’ll be helping you, your small group and your church pray for people and places around the world being crushed by poverty. Our first GPPW in 2007 saw tens of thousands of people involved all around the world, praying together as a global church, petitioning God on behalf of the hurting for miracles and answers, great and small. Our ten-year vision is to see 50 million people released from material and spiritual poverty through a worldwide network of 100,000 local churches. A quick look at the news headlines and it’s not difficult to see there is much to pray for. Watch the film The cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe, conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, ongoing tension between Israel and the Palestinians, fighting in Afghanistan, the impact of HIV, ...

Education opens eyes and doors in Nepal

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:34:00 GMT

`Before the reading class I was like the blind man, if I see a book I know nothing. But now since these classes my eyes are open.’ This testament to the transforming power of learning comes from a Nepalese woman called Anarkali Tharu. She’s truly joyful about the knowledge she is soaking up because she knows how it can transform not only her life but those of her children. She told of her delight at being able to study and help her children with their homework and of how she is determined to see them well educated. Anarkali is not the only one in her village of Bardahawa who is a sponge for literacy and learning. Sitting under a tree with her are seven other women facing a blackboard and getting to grips with reading and writing al-fresco style, led by church volunteer Nayam Mali Tharu. This is the local church in action. Transforming lives but in a new and different way from the Nepalese norm. Buzz Traditionally the local church focus has been on spiritual renewal. Now it’s increasingly responding t ...

Sri Lanka war leaves civilians in limbo

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:43:00 GMT

A year since Sri Lankan forces started their offensive against the Tamil Tigers and there’s no sign of a let-up in the fighting. In recent days, government forces have moved further into what was previously regarded as rebel territory in the north of the island. The taking of the strategic Elephant Pass which links the Jaffna Peninsula with the mainland has been heralded as a significant victory by Sri Lanka’s president. This is in addition to government troops taking the rebel HQ town of Kilinochchi. However independent observers are saying it is far too soon to say the Tigers are defeated and that their 30-year campaign for a Tamil homeland is over. Well armed Despite military setbacks, the Tigers are regarded as still being well armed and capable of conducting a guerrilla campaign. And while the opposing sides make claim and counter claim over their military status, civilians remain caught in the middle. Some 250,000 people have been forced from their homes and the UN Refugee Agency says it is con ...

Church proves force for change in Uganda

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:39:00 GMT

A revolution has been taking place in the lives of thousands of people in 20 Ugandan communities – and the church is at the heart of it. It’s not a violent political upheaval but the change it’s bringing is no less dramatic. In fact, it could be argued it’s more dramatic and can be summed up as a revolution of people’s thinking. The church’s role has been to bring the communities together to take part in a Participatory Evaluation Process (PEP), which essentially means getting them to solve their own problems and take control of their future direction. Tearfund partner, the Pentecostal Assemblies of God (PAG), is the driving force, working in the Ugandan district of Soroti. Together church and communities have been looking at their needs and coming up with practical solutions to tackle material poverty, with the resources to make the changes largely coming from within the communities themselves. In most cases improving health, education and household incomes were identified as priorities and a common wa ...

Zimbabwe needs your prayers this Sunday

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:42:00 GMT

Christians worldwide are being urged to join a special day of prayer being held for Zimbabwe this Sunday. The need for intercession remains great after another bad week for the country. On Monday, President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai sat down for talks to resuscitate a power-sharing agreement that has been on its last legs for months. But by the end of the day, the deal was flatlining, with as much life as the proverbial Monty Python parrot as the president declined to concede to opposition demands for key Cabinet posts. All of which means there’s unlikely to be any decisive action to end the suffering of Zimbabweans who are facing a worsening cholera outbreak, a dearth of food and economic ruin. Crumbling infrastructure and health services have resulted in cholera officially killing 2,225 people, according to latest figures from the UN, with more than 40,000 cases recorded. Little wonder that UNICEF said this week that Zimbabwe needs a major reconstruction programme to reviv ...

Peace in Gaza

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:44:00 GMT

Please give thanks for the ceasefires by Israel and Hamas in Gaza and pray they hold.

Pray for those who are mourning for lost loved ones and for God’s comfort to those who have been injured.

Pray that more humanitarian aid can get through to those who have lost homes and possessions.

Democratic Republic of Congo

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:18:00 GMT

The arrest of a key rebel leader in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has raised hopes of an end to the violence that has bedevilled North Kivu province in recent months. General Laurent Nkunda, who launched an offensive against government forces last autumn causing 250,000 people to flee, has been arrested in neighbouring Rwanda. The move comes as Congolese and Rwandan troops joined forces to go after his militiamen. However it is too early to say if lasting peace is on the horizon. Other rebel groups are still operating in the area. Sadiki Byombuka, Tearfund’s Country Representative for the DRC, says the humanitarian situation facing those who have fled the fighting is still serious. `Displaced people are still concerned about security in their home areas, especially with the military operation,’ he said. `Only a small number of people are bold enough to return to their home areas.’ Tearfund partner HEAL Africa is extending its humanitarian reach into an area called Rutshuru. Here it is supplyi ...

Ethiopia

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:19:00 GMT

Giving a voice to the voiceless and representing those in need is a vital part of the DNA of Tearfund and our partners. It’s what the Bible is driving at when it says: `Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.’ (Proverbs 31:8) But it’s work that could become much harder for Tearfund, our partners and other humanitarian agencies in Ethiopia due to the introduction of a new law there, which critics argue has the potential to be used negatively. The Ethiopian government says the new Charities and Societies Proclamation law aims to promote financial transparency and accountability in civil society. It will restrict human rights activities undertaken by Ethiopian organisations that receive more than ten per cent of their funding from abroad. Tearfund supports, and funds, several partners in Ethiopia who, as part of the local church, are engaged in speaking out about water and sanitation, HIV and children’s issues. They are fulfilling the biblical mandate t ...

Global Poverty Prayer Week

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:19:00 GMT

6 February 2009 Join us for Tearfund's Global Poverty Prayer Week from 23 February to 1 March 2009. Our first prayer week in 2007 saw thousands involved: all part of a growing network of local churches that are making poverty personal. This year, the global church body is drawing together in prayer once more. Will you – and your church – pray with us? We know that praying can be tough, particularly about big issues like HIV and clean water. So we’ve put together resources packed with simple ideas that make it easy to get involved in groups, as a church, or individually. There is a short film featuring Lynne Hybels, co-founder of Willow Creek Community Church in the US, praying alongside other Tearfund friends. Please do use the film during the prayer week. (You can view and download the film onto your PC or Mac). You can access everything online where you can also add your prayers onto an interactive world map. Other printer-friendly resources are available such as a guide to the week, a prayer ...

Brazilian church brings hope in HIV

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 09:08:00 GMT

6 February 2009 The local church is playing a key role in helping some of Brazil’s 730,000 people living with HIV. Indeed the role of faith-based organisations in this area is now more widely recognised by the Brazilian government, as it faces a growing epidemic. Our Brazilian partner Diaconia is working to help people living with HIV in the north east, mainly in the cities of Recife, Fortaleza and Natal. In Natal, it’s assisting the PositHIVe Friends Group which provides vital social support for people, for example by visiting patients in hospital and looking after those arriving from rural areas for treatment. The group is made up of church volunteers drawn from several local churches who between them are assisting, spiritually as well as practically, hundreds of people living with HIV. Unwell Group leader Marcos said, `People often come from far away villages, not really knowing why they are unwell. `They often have nowhere to stay when they are receiving treatment in the city or waiting for test ...

Cautious reception for Zimbabwe deal

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 09:15:00 GMT

6 February 2009 The local church is paying close attention to the latest political deal in Zimbabwe. It’s a week since scenes of celebration marked an agreement on power-sharing between President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. The international community remains guarded, wanting to see action to back up the conciliatory words. `The EU, US and UK governments are waiting before lifting targeted sanctions against Zimbabwe,’ said Tearfund’s Karyn Beattie, who is similarly cautious about the prospect of swift change: `I hope I’m wrong but I don’t think we are looking at big changes in the short term.’ The local church in Zimbabwe is cautiously supporting the process of political inclusion and is monitoring the progress of the unity government. This week has seen fresh reminders of why change is so badly needed. Cholera Latest figures show 3,229 people have died from cholera, with 63,000 others infected with the disease. With two months of the rainy season to go, the fear is these f ...

Join us for Global Poverty Prayer Week

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:15:00 GMT

12 February 2009 We would like to invite you to join us in a concentrated period of prayer for people in poverty as we take you around the world in seven days. That’s what Global Poverty Prayer Week (23 Feb-1 March) is about and Tearfund needs you, your small group and congregation to join us and our partners, representing the local church, as we ask God to work miracles in the lives of poor communities. India Among those seeking the prayer support of the global church is Discipleship Centre, one of our partners in India. Discipleship Centre is involved in many activities, including working with people who are visually impaired. Staff are helping people with sight problems to learn new skills and enhance existing ones, such as typing, shorthand in Braille and computing. John Finch, of Discipleship Centre, says, ‘Some of them have been able to get jobs after this training. Pray for the others so that they could also get settled in jobs which would help them to stand on their own two feet.’ In 2007, dur ...

Join the global church in praying for poverty

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 09:08:00 GMT

19 February 2009 We need the global church to join us in praying for miracles to lift poor communities out of material and spiritual poverty. Monday 23 February to Sunday 1 March is Tearfund's Global Poverty Prayer Week. We have prayer requests from our partners across the world to help inform your intercessions during the week. The impact of the world recession is a thread that links many of them. Cambodia In Cambodia our partner, the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) which works with small churches on community development, is urging prayer for the employment situation. There are fears that thousands of female workers, particularly in rural areas, who work in the garment industry, could soon lose their jobs as demand for clothes falls away. CRWRC would also like prayer for the small churches it works alongside, as they expand their skills and ministries. • Please pray for workers facing job losses and that the recession will not push more people into poverty. • Pray for wise leade ...

Church mobilisation in Burkina Faso

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:39:00 GMT

Our partner ACCEDES in Burkina Faso, West Africa, is excited about their new church mobilisation programme for integral development. ‘It is vital that the church gets involved in all we do, including prayer, for that’s the sign that we are supported by the church in our work,” says Robert Sanou, head of ACCEDES. They have a heart for providing love and healthcare to people who are poor. They are building a new hospital and have already chosen the plot and fenced it off. A group of ladies who are living with HIV meet regularly on ACCEDES’ premises. Most of these ladies are widows who are very poor. Give thanks that these women are known to ACCEDES, and pray that their material and spiritual needs will be met. Pray that ACCEDES will easily find all the funding they need to complete the hospital, and that it will be a blessing to all who use it. Pray that ACCEDES new church mobilisation programme will result in material and spiritual transformation in the lives of the poor.

Cholera hits Mozambique

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:42:00 GMT

It is the rainy season just now in Mozambique, and the rains bring with them the threat of cholera. This disease, which can be deadly, has already spread to eight out of ten of Mozambique’s provinces. Our partners and other organizations in Mozambique are joining us in praying during Global Poverty Prayer Week. Earnest Maswera, Tearfund’s country representative, says, ‘We are having exciting prayer times with our Tearfund partners. We have two nucleus groups meeting for prayer the whole week. One in the central province lead by our partner Kubatsirana and one in the capital Maputo.’ A former Tearfund partner Acridec is praying with us. Their big vision is for a harmonious society living out Christian values of love, solidarity and respect. They run educational activities for children and young women. Pray that the cholera outbreak can be contained by simple hygiene practices such as washing hands before and after eating. Please pray for wisdom for Acridec as they work out practical ways to impl ...

Tearfund partner burgled in Malawi

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:45:00 GMT

We have just heard the disturbing news that one of our Malawi partners, Eagles, experienced a burglary at their offices in Blantyre on Monday morning. Victor, who heads up Eagles, writes, ‘It has been a very unnerving, heart-breaking experience where every room, every drawer was ransacked.’ Cashboxes were burst open, laptops were stolen and the thieves even cut the plugs from electric cables. The two guards were left tied up and gagged with hoods over their heads. Two computers and a laptop were thankfully left by the thieves in the backyard. Without the information stored on these computers the work of the finance and food security department and the livelihoods department would have ground to a halt. Pray that the two guards will quickly recover from their ordeal Pray that all the Eagles staff will feel God’s protection and pray that they will be a support for one another Pray that the thieves will be captured and the goods returned to Eagles.

Trauma in Sri Lanka

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:48:00 GMT

The civil war in Sri Lanka has intensified in recent weeks as the army has stepped up its campaign to re-take rebel held areas. Many civilians have been caught in the crossfire, despite the creation of ‘safe zones.’ Tearfund partner World Concern Sri Lanka has already given support to 2,000 wounded people who were evacuated from the conflict zone by boat. Ian McInnes, country director for World Concern says, ‘I sat the other night for four hours and watched a continuous stream of seriously injured and emaciated patients as they were unloaded from ambulances. The small amount of security and dignity that we can offer them is just the beginning of what these people require.’ World Concern is providing food, clothing and other items to one of the hospitals receiving people wounded by the war. The government is directing those displaced by the fighting into camps, where there are few basic facilities and movement is strictly controlled. The UN World Food Programme is providing food but otherwise there i ...

Trauma in Sri Lanka

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:55:00 GMT

Brazil joins in Global Poverty Prayer Week

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:58:00 GMT

Our partner A Rocha Brazil is working in the north and north east of Brazil. They have been joining us in prayer during Global Poverty Prayer Week. They say, ‘Our prayer is that these days will be days of impact and transformation through the Grace of God. In the peace of the Creator.’ A Rocha’s plan for this year is to educate and mobilise the evangelical church in Brazil to help their local communities in practical ways and to take environmental action. They are holding training workshops for churches in five towns in the first half of 2009 to raise awareness about our stewardship responsibility for God’s creation and to help local churches understand the role they can have in protecting the environment. It is expected that the workshops will inspire the participants to think about issues such as deforestation and climate change and set up local initiatives such as tree planting and recycling. In north east Brazil, Tearfund partner ACEV Evangelical Action is encouraging local communities to stop ...

International Women's Day

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:33:00 GMT

6 March 2009 International Women’s Day, which this year falls on 8 March, is a global day to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women. In some countries, such as China, Vietnam and Bulgaria, it is a national holiday. The focus for 2009 is the need for men and women to unite in the fight to end violence against women. According to a 2006 UN study this is the most common but least punished crime in the world. There is an urgent need to end the impunity of those who commit violent crimes against women. In conflict zones such as Darfur, western Sudan and eastern DR Congo violence against women continues to be used as a weapon of war. In Afghanistan, violence, such as acid attacks and sexual assault, is being used to stop girls from receiving an education. Many schoolgirls are too frightened to attend school. Please pray that men and women will work together to end violence against women. Pray for Tearfund partners who are working with local churches around the world to resto ...

Caterpillars in Liberia

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:39:00 GMT

6 March 2009 Liberia is experiencing a caterpillar invasion. Whole fields of crops are being destroyed. Water in wells has been contaminated by caterpillar droppings. There is concern that a second generation of the caterpillar would be even more devastating because of sheer numbers. More than 100 villages across four counties have reportedly already been affected. It is vital that the pests are contained. This can be done through measures such as setting up and deploying spraying crews and enabling communities to monitor and control the caterpillars. Some spraying has already started. Tearfund is urging people to pray for the situation as the UN warns that the plague could spread across West Africa. Please pray that the caterpillars will be killed before they turn into moths and start flying and reproducing. Pray for farmers who have already lost their crops. Pray for Tearfund’s relief teams in Liberia as they complete their handover to local partner organisations.

Mutiny in Bangladesh

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:48:00 GMT

6 March 2009 Democratic rule took a blow in Bangladesh last week when a two-day mutiny by border guards resulted in the deaths of up to 20 civilians and 140 border guards. There are 700 guards now in custody and 1,000 guards and accomplices are being hunted. The capital, Dhaka, saw the worst of the violence and mutineers took to the streets in more than 12 other locations. Need for stability The border guards, called the Bangladesh Rifles, are a paramilitary force and are responsible, among other things, for border security. They want officers to be drawn from their own ranks rather than from the regular army. They also want better pay and better working and living conditions. Bangladesh has had a turbulent political history. The country was under military rule until democratic elections in 1999. Only two months ago Sheikh Hasina was sworn in as Prime Minister following two years of a military-backed interim government. Need for wisdom The Prime Minister has promised the mutineers, via a televised ...

Climate Change: Carbon Fast

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:52:00 GMT

6 March 2009 ‘Love does no harm to its neighbour,’ Romans 13:10. The changing climate is already harming our neighbours in countries such as Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Niger. Poor communities are the most vulnerable to environmental change. Many live where others don’t want to, such as on flood plains and in cheap buildings not built to withstand strong storms or hurricanes. Or they rely heavily on agriculture for food and income and lack savings or insurance to help them recover from a disaster. Making a difference The good news is that if we’re part of the problem, we can also be part of the solution. This Lent, Tearfund is encouraging supporters to take part in a Carbon Fast to reduce our carbon footprints, changing the way our lives impact poor communities. If you haven’t already done so, it’s not too late to sign up. Each day, we’re emailing participants with a simple carbon-reducing action and a prayerful reflection. Act justly The Carbon Fast is the brainchild of the Rt Rev James Jones, Bis ...

Nigerian city tense after attacks

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 09:34:00 GMT

12 March 2009 Conflict erupted in the city of Bauchi, Nigeria, at the end of February. A church and a mosque were burnt and widespread attacks were carried out for two days. Bauchi is about 160kms from the capital Jos. The exact cause of the violence is not known. During the violence, 14 people were killed, 4,500 people were displaced and some 100 were hospitalised, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Many properties and houses were destroyed. The northern Nigerian city is now calm but some of those who fled the violence are still sheltering in schools and army barracks, too afraid to venture home. Soldiers have been patrolling the streets and a dusk-to-dawn curfew is in place in affected areas of the city. Please pray for unity in Nigeria. Pray that Christians in the country will respond to the violence against them in a way that brings glory to God. Pray too for Christians in Nigeria to initiate peacebuilding efforts. And pray for comfort for the families of those k ...

UK church urged to pray for Zimbabwe

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 09:46:00 GMT

12 March 2009 Hope is dying in Zimbabwe. The facts, such as hyperinflation, food shortages, lack of adequate health services and a cholera outbreak don’t even begin to describe the desperate struggle that life has become in Zimbabwe. Christians there are losing optimism. A new coalition of Christian groups, including Tearfund, is urging the UK church to pray for Zimbabwe. Called Love Zim, the coalition aims to increase active support for Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans, especially among UK churches and Christians. The campaign kicked off on Valentine’s Day, with a lively rally in Trafalgar Square. This has been followed with a month of prayer and fasting, and of asking God for a vision of exactly how Love Zim can restore hope to the people of Zimbabwe. Give thanks for Love Zim, and pray it will strengthen Christians in Zimbabwe to know that their brothers and sisters in the UK are praying for them. As the month of prayer and fasting draws to an end, pray that the next steps will become clear for the ...

Zambia church helps people living with HIV

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 09:52:00 GMT

12 March 2009 When the Acts Assemblies of God church in Zambia started working with people affected by HIV, they realised it was important to strengthen communities, so they started support groups. There are groups for people living with AIDS, for young people and for care givers. The groups are self-sufficient and facilitated by the church. Within the groups, people can share stories and advice and offer each other emotional support. Those involved want to get involved in advocacy work. And some of the groups are already setting up income-generation schemes, such as selling handicrafts and starting market gardens, so that they do not need to rely on getting money from donors. ‘The response of the community to the church’s HIV work is overwhelming,’ says Joan Mute, program manager for Tearfund partner the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ). ‘People see the good work the church is doing and come to the church to get help.’ EFZ is moving away from running their own projects and towards facilita ...

No let up in suffering for Sri Lanka civilians

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 09:59:00 GMT

12 March 2009 Heavy fighting in Sri Lanka’s eastern war zone over the weekend forced more families to flee to safety. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) have lost a lot of ground in recent weeks and are currently defending a patch of land that is only 45 square kilometres. An estimated 36,000 people have crossed from LTTE territory to the government-held areas since January. The International Committee of the Red Cross estimates that at least 150,000 people are still trapped in the conflict zone. Many of them are now crammed onto a narrow 12 km long strip of beach. Aid agencies cannot get access to people on the beach, and conditions are grim. There are daily gunfire and mortar attacks and a dire shortage of food and clean water. Wounded Tearfund partner World Concern Sri Lanka is providing food, clothing and other items to one of the hospitals receiving people wounded in the conflict. The team leader says those who come through are so traumatised many will hardly talk and none know wh ...

Praying for G20

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:24:00 GMT

16 March 2009 Our world has been living beyond its means, financially and environmentally, while the most vulnerable suffer the consequences. This financial crisis means radical policy changes are being discussed at the forthcoming G20 summit in London on 2 April. Right now is a unique opportunity to pray for a fairer, more sustainable world. The Put People First march and rally in London on 28 March is about calling for social justice in this atmosphere of change. Tearfund is calling on Christians to put God first and join the movement asking for jobs, justice and a greener economy. Billions of dollars have been made available and 'thrown' at bankers in recent months by Western governments despite their frequent failure in the past to meet aid targets. There is anger about these double standards in developing countries. World leaders have the chance to build economic policies that will sustain the environment and will limit the effects of climate change on the most vulnerable communities. Pr ...

G20 prayer for repentance

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:29:00 GMT

16 March 2009 Abia Saldanha Figueiredo, Principal of SEC Bible college and Brazilian Tearfund partner, writes: ‘Our organisation has survived many difficulties, with or without the current world economic crisis. `But if the world crisis worsens, our situation could become more critical than it is already. `We trust in God and are trying to reduce expenditure and are doing our best to stay as stable as necessary. `However, we are very worried by the growing number of unemployed and the mass redundancies. `We need to unite government, people, the church and schools with the same vision of working together for the general good of the nation. `Let the rich forget all their surplus and return to look at the things which are so necessary: food, health, education and homes.’ Pray: Lord, we are sorry for when we have bought into seeking status and material possessions more than simplicity, quality relationships and unhurried time. Lord, forgive us when we expect things now, rather than being prepa ...

G20 prayer for compassion

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:37:00 GMT

16 March 2009 Victor Mughogho, programme coordinator of Tearfund partner Eagles in Malawi, writes: ‘Our work has already been affected by the global economic crisis. `In particular, food and fuel costs are having an immediate impact for Eagles and our beneficiaries. ‘Fuel prices are up like never before. The government used to subsidise fuel, but it succumbed to market forces and stopped. `Food prices also went out of control. The banks in Malawi are not, as yet, affected. But they say it will come: a wave of impact will come soon. `Rising food and fuel prices were already causing major problems across the globe. Let’s not forget, there was a food crisis before the economic crisis – caused by unfair trade and climate change. ‘Poverty levels in poor communities have escalated as people struggle to manage. In Fombe village where we work, maize is almost unaffordable.’ Pray Lord, we stand together before you. In uncertainty, help us work together, not seeking our own interests first, but committin ...

G20 praying for hope

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:48:00 GMT

16 March 2009 Rev Reuben Byomuhangi, programme coordinator of the Kigezi Diocese water and sanitation programme, Uganda, writes: ’The global financial crisis is a threat to everybody for no one is sure of what course it is going to take. `Uncertainty in planning is a big challenge. People and organizations are not sure of the trend and the time it is going to take to improve. ‘Exchange rates have fallen and so funding from grants will be lower than expected. But at the same time, fuel and building costs have shot up, also causing labour and food to be expensive as well. ‘Fewer resources will really limit our work and result in reducing our workforce. This means that our programmes will not reach out to as many beneficiaries and the impact of our work will be much reduced. ‘We continue to pray that God in His love and mercy will deliver us.’ Pray Lord, you make all things new – you are the God of the exiled – in times of darkness, uncertainty and fear we can only cling to you. Though we may walk t ...

Madagascar clashes

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:14:00 GMT

19 March 2009

Your prayers are needed for troubled Madagascar where more than 100 people have died in a political power struggle which this week saw the country’s president resign.

Weeks of persistent clashes between supporters of the president and opposition leader have brought chaos to the Indian island country and prompted the African Union to stage emergency talks this week.

Madagascar is one of the world’s poorest countries. It’s ranked 143 out of 179 in the UN’s Human Development Index.

• Please pray for a resolution to the breakdown in the political process and for peace to be restored.

• Pray for those mourning loved ones killed in the violence.

• Pray for the safety of Tearfund partners, such as the Association of Bible Baptist churches of Madagascar, and those they are working with.

World Water Day 2009

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:26:00 GMT

19 March 2009 This Sunday is World Water Day which aims to highlight the plight of many in the developing world who don’t have clean water or toilets. On that day, just like every other, another 5,000 children will die as a result of diarrhoeal illnesses linked to poor sanitation and drinking dirty water. To put that death toll into its truly shocking perspective, nearly 3,000 people died when the Twin Towers were attacked in New York. Tearfund has just launched a new campaign called Make life flow to highlight why water and sanitation is such an important issue. We’re urging the global church to pray, give and act on behalf of those whose voice isn’t being heard, notably the 900 million people without access to clean water and the 2.5 billion people without decent sanitation. Missed deadline The evidence that their voice is not being heard comes when you look at the progress of the Millennium Development Goals in this area, which should be fulfilled by 2015. There’s fat chance of that deadline being ...

G20 summit

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:40:00 GMT

Leaders from some of the world’s most powerful countries will meet in London on 2 April to try and draw up a rescue plan for the global economy. Tearfund is joining with a host of other agencies on Saturday 28 March in a mass march called Put People First in London, calling on the G20 to implement policies which bring a fair distribution of wealth, decent jobs for all and low carbon emissions – essentially putting people first. Our world has been living beyond its means, financially and environmentally, while the most vulnerable people suffer the consequences. Victor Mughogho, from Tearfund partner Eagles in Malawi, says, `Our work has already been affected by the global economic crisis. In particular, food and fuel costs are having an immediate impact for Eagles and our beneficiaries. Out of control ‘Fuel prices are up like never before. The government used to subsidise fuel, but they succumbed to the market forces and stopped. Food prices also went out of control. `The banks in Malawi are not, as ye ...

Pray for world leaders and financial crisis

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:48:00 GMT

27 March 2009

Tomorrow (28 March) thousands of Christians will converge on London for the Put People First rally and church service to mark the forthcoming G20 summit about the global financial crisis.

The event, supported by Tearfund and more than 150 other organisations, is calling for sustainable policies focusing on jobs, justice and climate.

If you would like to find out more, click here.

Please pray for the G20 leaders and finance ministers as they focus on how to respond to the financial crisis and formulate new global financial arrangements.

Pray for all Christians to show their concern at this crucial time through prayer, fasting, marching and speaking out.

Water project makes life flow in Pakistan

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:53:00 GMT

26 March 2009 If you are a farmer living in the Lower Sindh Province of south east Pakistan, life is more than likely to be tough and the risk of disease high. The natural conditions of the area play their part. Between 2000 and 2006 the district of Mirpurkhas was subject to continuous droughts. The water table dropped, sea water seeped in and the ground water became brackish. Then floods in 2006 raised the water table, caused more salinity and further reduced the fertility of the soil, killing many trees. All bad news for small farmers, including many tenant ones, whose income is already very low. The country as a whole is in dire economic shape. Tearfund partner, the Society for Safe Environment and Welfare of Agrarians in Pakistan (SSEWA-Pak), reports that landlords often do not give regular incomes to their tenant farmers. Most families can afford only two meals a day and are malnourished as a result. Harsh conditions Lack of access to water and sanitation typifies the harsh plight facing locals. ...

Sri Lankan children in civil war firing line

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:04:00 GMT

26 March 2009 There’s growing evidence that Sri Lanka’s civil war is taking a heavy toll on children. UNICEF says hundreds of youngsters have been killed as fighting between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels continues in the north east of the Indian Ocean island. UNICEF Executive Director, Ann M Veneman, says thousands of children are now at risk because of a critical lack of food, water and medicines. The desperation of the situation is confirmed by reports from four Tearfund partners that are responding to the crisis, including World Concern. They have been providing everyday necessities - such as food, water and clothing - to thousands of people fleeing the fighting, including those arriving from the war zone by boat and those staying in government camps. Severe injuries `World Concern say they are getting more children coming through with severe injuries,’ says Tearfund’s Clare Crawford, who has just returned from Sri Lanka. World Concern is working at hospitals just outside the conflict ...

Special day of prayer for Sri Lanka conflict

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:39:00 GMT

2 April 2009 Tamil churches in the UK will be holding a special day of prayer for the plight of Sri Lanka next week. The conflict between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels has displaced thousands of families as it’s reached a bloody nadir this year, with hundreds of civilian deaths each week. The Tigers are on the verge of losing all the territory they held on the Indian Ocean island after a major air and land offensive by the government. Tearfund partners, such as World Concern, have been offering practical and spiritual support to civilians who have been evacuated from the war zone. Tearfund has committed more than £150,000 to four partners so they can respond. On 11 April, Tamil churches here in the UK will be praying for peace in Sri Lanka. Please join these congregations and the global church in asking God to bring peace and justice to Sri Lanka. Pray for those who are recovering from the physical and psychological effects of conflict. Pray wisdom and strength for the Sri Lan ...

Southern Africa badly hit by flooding

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:43:00 GMT

2 April 2009 Hundreds of thousands of people are suffering after severe flooding hit Angola and Zambia. More than 220,000 people have been affected in Angola and the UN says food and shelter is needed there. Many homes have collapsed as well as schools and bridges. For example, in the south east, in Kwando Kubago, more than 1,000 houses have been destroyed and 23,000 people are in need of relief assistance. In another area, Cunene, many people are now living in camps requiring water, food, tents, medicines and blankets. António Maiandi, from Tearfund partner, the Reformed Church in Angola, said, `The situation is very bad, in some locations the schools have closed. Tents, medicines and food are needed urgently.’ The Angolan government is providing help through its civil protection system but has launched an appeal to the international community for assistance. Church collections The Angolan Meteorological Centre forecasts that rain will be more severe in April and is recommending people in high-risk ...

DR Congo conflict crisis appeal launched

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:50:00 GMT

2 April 2009 Beatrice and Nyiravogo are neighbours in the eastern DRC town of Kiwanja with young families to support. It’s no easy job at the best of times but last autumn life became a whole lot worse for both of them. Their community was attacked by rebel forces and during days of mayhem, both saw their husbands murdered. Beatrice became a widow at the age of 29. Nyiravogo at the age of 40. Between them they have nine children to support and Beatrice has another child on the way. Vulnerable Their husbands died in a conflict that started last August between rebel and government forces that’s caused more than 250,000 people to flee their homes. Other conflicts over the past decade have left many more equally vulnerable. When a Tearfund team visited Beatrice and Nyiravogo’s town, peace had returned but suffering was writ large on the faces of both women. Both have not only lost husbands, but breadwinners. Without income, the kids can’t go to school or have new clothes. Beatrice sums up their collecti ...

Climate change

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 10:11:00 GMT

16 April 2009 This week saw the announcement that the population of the Carteret Islands, near Papua New Guinea, are the first entire people to be evacuated because of man-made changes in the climate. With rising sea levels, their drinking water and crops are now poisoned by salt and one island has been cut in half by the waves. The 1,000 islanders are now being evacuated and their homes abandoned. As the news broke, governments were meeting in Bonn to continue UN negotiations on a new climate treaty, with the aim of reaching agreement at the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen this December. Tearfund plays an important role in the talks – lobbying governments to make sure the voices of the poorest and most vulnerable communities are heard – supported by the prayers and concern of the global church. December talks Sara Shaw, Tearfund’s Climate Change Policy Officer, says, ‘We urgently need a tough and fair deal that drastically cuts the emissions of rich countries and provides adequate finance t ...

G20 summit

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 10:14:00 GMT

16 April 2009 Two weeks ago, the G20 met in London to discuss the global financial crisis. On Saturday 28 March more than 35,000 people took to the streets to call on world leaders to ‘Put People First’ as they gathered in London for the G20 meeting on 2 April. Hundreds of Tearfund supporters were there, lending their voices to the church’s urgent call to put poor people and the environment at the heart of the global economic system. Ben Niblett, Tearfund Campaigns Team Leader, said he was, ‘Thrilled with the turnout at the rally and the diversity of the groups taking part. The deeply moving service combined with such a large demonstration sent a powerful signal. Thank you to everyone who took part and who prayed.’ The G20 made some significant progress on funding for stimulus packages, tackling tax havens and shadow banking. However, Tearfund believes that the reported 1.1 trillion dollar programme of investment pledged to the International Monetary Fund needs to be looked at closely. Unfortunately, muc ...

Children face DR Congo conflict hardship

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 10:20:00 GMT

16 April 2009 As we continue to call on Christians to focus their prayers and generosity on the Democratic Republic of Congo, we look at how the conflict has affected children. At the height of the civil war, between 1998 and 2003, about 1,000 people died every day. Nearly half those who died were children under five. Around 2 million people have been made homeless, forced to live in camps to escape the fighting – including 400,000 children. And Prince is one of them – he’s only 11 but already the past is a very painful place. Last August both his parents were murdered. They died in the latest bout of fighting between Congolese soldiers and rebel troops in the east of the country. Prince recalls, ‘There was much shooting and people were shouting “Let’s go, we can’t stay here”. Everyone was scared. ‘For me it was frightening because all the people started running and I made a decision to start fleeing with them because no one could survive the things happening in the area. Wherever people ran, I ran jus ...

India election

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:18:00 GMT

23 April 2009 The world’s biggest democracy is in the midst of a general election which will last a month. More than 700 million people are eligible to vote in India and such are the logistics of the operation, polling is done in five phases, with the vote counting starting on 16 May. So far the voting has been largely peaceful but the process has been disrupted in some areas by Maoist fighters opposed to the political system. Their attacks against security personnel and civilians have killed at least 17 people and two days ago they briefly took hundreds of train passengers hostage in the state of Jharkhand before releasing them. With the support of many local churches around the world providing support as one global church, Tearfund is working extensively in ten states and three metropolitan cities across India. We have 17 partners addressing issues ranging from malaria control to the prevention of human trafficking. Please pray that the voice of the poor will be heard in the political process. ...

Thailand political violence

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:22:00 GMT

23 April 2009 Street battles and shootings have brought Thailand’s political troubles to the world’s attention in recent weeks. The country of 63 million people has been wracked by instability since a military coup in 2006 ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is now living in exile. Since then his supporters, often identified in protests by their red shirts, and his opponents have been locked in a struggle for power. This has grown in intensity lately and led to a state of emergency being called by the authorities. Mr Shinawatra’s supporters want fresh elections and the resignation of the incumbent prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, claiming he’s a puppet of the military. The result has been violent clashes between police and anti-government protesters which have left two people dead and more than 100 injured. Shooting Last week the leader of the movement which brought down Mr Shinawatra was injured in a hail of bullets. Tearfund is working along the northern border between Thailand, ...

Church helps thousands hit by Sri Lanka war

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:43:00 GMT

23 April 2009 Tens of thousands of civilians have this week been escaping Sri Lanka’s bloody conflict which looks to be entering its final phase. The Sri Lankan army, which has been closing in on a dwindling Tamil Tiger territory of about six square miles, says 80,000 people left the conflict zone in recent days. But it’s feared that more than 50,000 people remain trapped. The UN says last week’s break in fighting was inadequate in easing the plight of civilians and its Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, John Holmes, has warned of a possible `blood bath’ as the Tigers lose ground and increasingly face defeat. There are also fears that conditions in government-managed refugee camps will worsen as numbers living in them increase dramatically. Tearfund is responding to the humanitarian crisis and has given more than £250,000 to our local church partners to help those displaced. Injured Partners World Concern and Leads are supporting people fleeing the fighting with essential household ite ...

Crunch time for church in Nepal

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:23:00 GMT

20 April 2009 A year after the Maoists came to power in Nepal and insecurity remains a significant issue for the former Himalayan kingdom. Violent attacks have been taking place with growing regularity in the low-lying Terai region where ethnic minorities continue to press for increased autonomy. Killings, assaults, abductions, strikes, road blocks and attacks on public transport by various groups are worrying human rights activists. Disenchantment with the Maoist regime is growing and politicians from many political parties have been boycotting the Constituent Assembly in protest at the failure of the government to restore law and order. Civil war The transition to democracy was always going to be difficult after a ten-year civil war which ended in 2006 with the signing of a peace agreement. A month after the Maoists won a general election last April, the monarchy was abolished and the kingdom became a republic. Nepal is now going through a two-year process of rewriting its constitution which pres ...

Tearfund brings hope after Myanmar cyclone

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:32:00 GMT

30 April 2009 A year ago tomorrow is a date mother-of-five Daw Aye Kyi will never forget, the day she ran for her life. As darkness fell on the southern tip of Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady Delta, the wind dramatically picked up. Within a few hours it was touching 120mph and Cyclone Nargis was unleashing its full power and a 12ft high tidal surge on the low-lying land. That surge wiped Daw Aye Kyi’s house off the map: `We managed to escape from our house, which was completely swept away, and take refuge in the chapel,’ remembers the 39-year-old. Cramped and hot `We stayed there for four days sheltering with other families. Then we moved into a tarpaulin and bamboo shelter where we lived for six months. `It was about 9ft by 18ft so very cramped for the seven of us. The tarpaulin also made it very hot during the dry season.’ The scale of the damage inflicted by the storm was immense, with 140,000 people left dead or missing and 2.4 million others affected. Tearfund launched an emergency appeal to respond throu ...

Mexico partner seeks swine flu prayers

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:38:00 GMT

30 April 2009 A Tearfund partner in Mexico is urging the global church to join its prayers about the swine flu outbreak. More than 150 people have died from suspected cases and 2,000 others are reckoned to be infected as the virus has spread across the country. Confirmed cases have also been reported in several other countries including the US, UK, Spain and Canada. Tearfund partner Amextra (Mexican Association for Rural and Urban Transformation) says there have been unconfirmed reports of the flu in poor communities where it is working. Jennifer Allen of Amextra explained how they are looking to help these high-risk communities: `The marginalised families who we work with have low incomes which affect their diet. Schools shut `They need vitamin supplements to strengthen their immune systems as well as hygiene materials, such as soap and bleach.’ Amextra is also looking to provide face masks for areas which have not received enough government supplies. The partner is also taking its own preventative ...

Cambodia and HIV

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:24:00 GMT

7 May 2009 When her husband died from an AIDS-related illness, Som-Rah had not only grief to contend with but exclusion. Having sold all her belongings to pay for the funeral, the 41-year-old Cambodian needed the help of her family. But because she is living with HIV, she encountered stigma rather than support. `I felt so sad and wanted to die so I wouldn’t cause them any problems,’ recalls Som-Rah. One of Tearfund’s local church partners in Cambodia, the Cambodian Hope Organisation (CHO), gave Som-Rah a reason to live. Working with the leaders of her village, staff identified Som-Rah as someone living with HIV needing help and they ensured she got to a local clinic where she was given antiretroviral medicines, which although not a cure improve health and extend lives. Better health CHO is also ensuring Som-Rah receives packs of food and hygiene products every month. Spiritual support is a vital part of the care package from CHO. `Every week, they come to pray for me and to counsel my aunt and me t ...

Copenhagen climate talks

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:29:00 GMT

7 May 2009 World leaders will be sitting down in eight months’ time to discuss a global crisis. For once it’s not the economic meltdown that’ll be on the agenda but climate change. The Danish capital of Copenhagen is the venue for the most important climate negotiations in more than a decade, aimed at agreeing a new worldwide deal on cutting greenhouse gas emissions - a deal which must be stronger and more ambitious than anything we’ve had to date. Tearfund will be at the talks, lobbying governments on behalf of the global church to take note of the needs of poor communities already affected by climate change and calling on decision makers to challenge injustice and act justly. The most recent scientific research reveals that climate change is happening now and its impact on the planet, people and nature are far more severe than projected even two years ago by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Hardest hit Tearfund wants to see a strong and fair international climate change deal agr ...

Nepal political crisis

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:34:00 GMT

7 May 2009 Nepal is facing fresh political turmoil this week with the ruling Maoists storming out of the government. The development has prompted fears that the Himalayan republic could be returning to a period of increasing instability and possibly violence, following a ten-year civil war that ended in 2006. The current crisis came to boiling point when the Maoist prime minister, Prachanda, sacked the head of the army for opposing the incorporation of former Maoist fighters into the armed forces, as per the peace agreement signed at the end of the conflict. Nepal’s president annulled the prime minister’s decision, resulting in Prachanda walking out of the government and soon afterwards riot police marching onto the streets of the country’s capital, Kathmandu. Opposition parties are now in talks to form a new government but questions remain about how Prachanda’s supporters will react. Great expectations Tearfund’s Steve Collins said, `Prachanda still seems committed to peace but it is not yet clear if ...

Peace in Burundi

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:50:00 GMT

14 May 2009 Peace has been a distant stranger to the people of Burundi in recent times but there are encouraging signs that’s changing. African Union troops are disarming the country’s last remaining active rebel group, the Forces for National Liberation (FNL), which recently became a political party. The FNL’s leader says the group is now committed to standing in next year’s elections, a development welcomed by UN Secretary General Bank Ki-moon. It’s a positive sign for the central African state where ethnic conflict over 20 years has killed 300,000 people. But the road to peace has been a long and twisty affair and as a result it’s taken time for trust to arrive on the scene. Tension The Burundian government and the FNL signed a peace deal in 2006 with help from the UN Peacebuilding Commission and the challenge now is for both sides to come up with a mutually accountable roadmap for the finalisation of the peace process. However the disarmament process is not without tension as some ex-combatants h ...

Reconciliation in Zimbabwe

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:55:00 GMT

14 May 2009 Troubled Zimbabwe has seen more than its fair share of political confrontation and violence in recent months. Disputed elections led to many attacks and tit-for-tat retaliations, fostering a climate of suspicion and division which lingers today despite the creation of a unity government. Next week a Tearfund partner in Zimbabwe is staging a workshop to encourage reconciliation and the prayers of the global church are being sought to ensure it’s not only successful but that it’s also the first of many similar events. It’s being led by a reconciliation expert who has experience of bringing warring parties together in Rwanda, where the genocide killed around 800,000 people. Tearfund’s Karyn Beattie, said, `These seminars are highly effective in breaking down divisions, prejudice and misconceptions and bringing about true reconciliation and healing. As a result, they are always met with significant spiritual resistance.’ Please pray for the safety of those travelling to the reconciliation sem ...

Brazil flooding misery

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:57:00 GMT

14 May 2009 Severe flooding has displaced many tens of thousands of people in northern and north eastern Brazil and killed dozens of others. Weeks of torrential rain have affected several Brazilian states, especially the ones in the semi-arid region, leading to at least 200,000 people becoming homeless. Some of the worst affected states were Pará, Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará and Paraíba, which are among the poorest in the country. Tearfund’s Country Representative for Brazil, João Martinez da Cruz, said, `The recent torrential rains were a real surprise to the local people. Temperatures are always high and it normally only rains for a few months during the year.’ Tearfund partner ACEV (Evangelical Action) reports in recent weeks many houses were practically submerged by water in a neighbourhood of Patos, the town where they are based in the state of Paraíba. Sacha Medcraft from ACEV, said, `The rescue services could not cope with the demands and we had to mobilise a large number of volunteers to help out ...

Pakistan conflict emergency

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 14 May 2009 14:03:00 GMT

14 May 2009 There are mounting concerns of a humanitarian disaster unfolding in Pakistan’s Swat Valley as the government goes on the offensive against the Taleban. It’s estimated 800,000 people have fled their homes due to fighting taking place 80 miles north west of Islamabad. This is on top of another 500,000 displaced by earlier conflict. Hundreds of Taleban fighters are reported by the government to have been killed in `search and destroy’ operations by the Pakistani military aimed at stemming their advance. UN Secretary General Bank Ki-moon has expressed concerns for civilian suffering to the Pakistani president Asif Zardari and UN agencies are looking to increase the supply of basic aid, such as food and shelter. Please pray for the 1.3 million people who have been displaced in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province and that aid gets through to help them. Pray for a swift end to the fighting so that people can return to their homes soon. Pray also for Tearfund and our partners in Pakistan as ...

UN urged to do more for DR Congo peace

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 21 May 2009 11:20:00 GMT

21 May 2009 A Tearfund partner in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is among more than 60 organisations calling for greater UN action to bring peace to the country. HEAL Africa, based in the conflict-affected province of North Kivu, is urging the UN Security Council to do more to protect civilians. The call is also extended to the Congolese army. It comes as renewed attacks by Hutu rebels have brought terror to rural communities in the east of the country. One such recent attack in Busurungi is said to have claimed dozens of civilian lives. Retaliation According to the UN peacekeeping force in DRC, several sources and witnesses on the ground are pointing the finger at the ethnic Hutu rebel group known as the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The group has recently been carrying out retaliatory attacks against civilians, after being targeted by a joint Congolese and Rwandan military offensive. DRC has two million people who’ve been affected by various conflicts in recent year ...

Pray for Pakistan in its hour of need

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 21 May 2009 11:26:00 GMT

21 May 2009 Tearfund is appealing for support to help hundreds of thousands of people in Pakistan fleeing fighting between the country’s military and the Taleban. Some 1.5 million people are facing the upheaval of being forced from their homes due to fierce fighting in the North West Frontier Province between government forces and the Taleban. Visiting the region this week, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, said the scale of suffering needed to be recognised by the international community. `Each person has suffered a lot, having to abandon their community, sometimes their families, houses and properties, coming with nothing, and sometimes having to witness family or friends die,’ he said. Disaster experience Tearfund partner SSEWA-Pak (Society for Safe Environment and Welfare of Agrarians in Pakistan), is mobilising staff to respond. They have considerable experience of working in disaster situations, for example during the Pakistan earthquake in 2005. Their workers have begun ...

Sri Lanka conflict latest

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:36:00 GMT

21 May 2009 More than two decades of civil war in Sri Lanka came to a bloody end for the leader of the Tamil Tigers this week when he was shot dead by government forces. But while the death of Velupillai Prabhakaran signals the likely end to the current conflict, the suffering of the civilian population shows no sign of waning. One of Tearfund’s three partners in Sri Lanka came across a woman whose story illustrates why the war will leave a lasting painful legacy and why the prayers of the international global church family are needed so badly. `I am six months pregnant and was trying to escape the bombing with my four-year-old daughter and my two younger sisters,’ she told one of our partners. `I was hit in one of the attacks and lost both my legs.’ She is one of thousands of people who found themselves caught in the indiscriminate slaughter, as the Sri Lankan military and the Tamil Tigers fought it out with all the weapons of modern warfare – aircraft, artillery and heavy machine guns. Vulnerable Al ...

Global Day of Prayer

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:51:00 GMT

28 May 2009 Make a date in your diary - this Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, is the 2009 Global Day of Prayer. It’s a day when the church worldwide is encouraged to intercede on behalf of a hurting world. So far Christians from nearly 300 countries are signed-up to take part and there are dozens of events taking place in the UK. Prayer meetings will be cross-denominational and will reflect local, national and international needs. Organisers want churches and individuals to pray for the healing and blessing of the world’s nations, in particular the current financial crisis. In London, churches across the capital’s 33 boroughs will be participating and there will be prayer events at various points within the M25. The focus will be on young people and the root causes of gun and knife crime in our communities. Please support the Global Day of Prayer and remember some of the following situations in your prayers:• the 2 million people affected by the fighting between the government and Taleban in Pakistan• Sri L ...

Tearfund invests in Inspired Individuals

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:58:00 GMT

28 May 2009 The Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire has given millions an insight into the plight of children living in poverty in India. It’s an insight all too familiar to Naomi Hendricks who is working to help such kids have a hope and a future. Naomi runs the Rachael’s Children’s Trust in the UK to raise money for youngsters in Mumbai, the city of her birth, where 60 per cent of the 15 million population is under the age of 25. Naomi’s working in partnership with the India-based church, New Life Fellowship, to give street children an education and skills to help them into adulthood. The children have a big say in programmes, resulting in the creation of their own savings bank, apprentice schemes and mobile medical help for them. Entrepreneur Naomi is also a Tearfund Inspired Individual. This means she’s a participant in a new programme setting out to support and nurture leaders working to transform the physical and spiritual lives of those in poverty through partnership with the local church. ...

Indonesia after conflict

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:14:00 GMT

29 May 2009 Today is cleaning day for the staff of a Tearfund partner in Indonesia. Every Friday they go to a village in the Panga and Krueng Sabee subdistrict and help locals spruce the place up. Edi, who is one of the partner’s workers, explains why they get involved: `This is such a valuable time when we can get alongside the community and show them that we are willing to be of service to them.’ Edi works for Kotib, a Tearfund partner which saw the need to help villages in the Panga and Krueng Sabee area that had been caught in the middle of a 29-year conflict between the Indonesian army and the Free Aceh Movement. Since 2007, Kotib has been helping residents rebuild their war-torn communities where houses had been burnt down and land had become overgrown. Mistrustful Kotib has assisted locals in restarting their livelihoods but equally importantly it’s helped them find their collective voice because years of conflict had left the communities isolated and mistrustful of outsiders. Kotib ran worksh ...

Water talks in Rome

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 07:37:00 GMT

5 June 2009 Rome is the destination next Thursday for International Development Minister Gareth Thomas when he attends a key two-day meeting of G8 development ministers drawn from the world’s leading economies. Tearfund is hoping it will be a `bog standard’ meeting but not in the conventional meaning of the phrase. We want those attending to get to grips with raising sanitation and water standards in poor communities around the world as a matter of urgency. Toilets and taps need to be high on the agenda. A mind-boggling 2.5 billion people lack access to basic sanitation worldwide and 900 million people worldwide don’t have access to clean water. The British government recognises the importance of the issue. Last September, it announced its support for a global framework for action on water and sanitation, a programme to inject much-needed energy and focus into this area. But this will only happen if the British government starts to push water and sanitation up the agenda and the G8 meeting is a perfect ...

Children at risk

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 07:45:00 GMT

5 June 2009 Like most teenagers, Patrick lives for the here and now. That’s because, unlike many teenagers, the present is such an unremittingly grim fight for survival that it demands all his energy and attention. The 16-year-old is an orphan living in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). His mum died when he was ten and his dad was killed by rebels two years ago. Patrick escaped that attack with his life but it’s a life no one would want. He now lives in a camp for displaced people in North Kivu province along with thousands of others who’ve fled DRC’s bloody conflicts. He resides in a self-made shelter which has banana leaves for a roof and sticks for walls. It’s about as good at keeping the rain out as a broken umbrella. Desolate The camp is a desolate place built on an ancient lava flow where the ground gives new meaning to ‘rock hard’. It also has no soil so people can’t grow crops and most spend their days walking tens of miles to get food. `Life here is very tough,’ says Patrick, who makes ...

Pakistan crisis

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 07:50:00 GMT

5 June 2009 Meena is one of 3 million people caught in the eye of the world’s biggest humanitarian storm. The terror of being stuck in the crossfire of the conflict between the Pakistani army and the Taleban forced her to unceremoniously flee her home early one morning. It was no easy task as Meena is in a wheelchair. After hurriedly gathering a few possessions, her brother pushed her along rough and hilly terrain for five hours until they were picked by a vehicle. They were taken to the refuge of the Christian Vocational Training Centre (CVTC) which is run by the Diocese of Peshawar and is based in the North West Frontier Province city of Mardan. Meena is now safe and staying with 40 displaced families who are getting food, water, medicines and shelter from Tearfund partner SSEWA-Pak. Many of them tell of having to leave their homes in similar circumstances, with the threat of military activity hanging over them. Searing heat One man at CVTC told a Tearfund worker that he and his family had to flee ...

Countdown to Copenhagen is underway

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:25:00 GMT

11 June 2009 Vital climate change talks are just six months away. Tearfund is targeting the UN summit in Copenhagen with prayer and we’re urging individuals and churches to join as one global church in intercession as the countdown begins. The summit aims to agree a new worldwide deal on cutting greenhouse gas emissions - a deal which must be stronger and more ambitious than anything we've had to date. We need developed countries to agree to reduce their emissions by at least 40 per cent by 2020 (from 1990 levels). The vast majority of these cuts must be made in the country where they were emitted rather than by offsetting. Also, developed countries must provide at least US$50 billion a year of finance to help poor people adapt to the changing climate. Please join us on 15 June spending 15 minutes in prayer for the 15th annual climate talks. Pray for world leaders in the run-up to the summit, that they will arrive in Copenhagen with a desire for a far-reaching agreement. Pray for communities suf ...

Pakistan crisis worsens

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:30:00 GMT

11 June 2009 Fears are mounting that Pakistan’s humanitarian crisis will worsen as tens of thousands more people are forced to flee their homes as fighting spreads. Conflict so far has been concentrated in North Western Frontier Province but neighbouring South Waziristan looks set to be the next battleground between the Pakistani army and the Taleban. Some 30,000 people have fled their homes in this tribal area and aid agencies fear this could jump to 300,000 if the offensive goes up a gear. The disaster has seen 3 million people leave their homes as a result of the fighting, with many staying in cramped conditions with extended family or friends. Others have sought the sanctuary of displacement camps where they are receiving basic care. Atrocious With the support of Christians like you and churches like yours, responding as one global church, Tearfund partner SSEWA-Pak (Society for Safe Environment and Welfare of Agrarians in Pakistan) has just opened a new camp for 800 displaced people in North West ...

Zimbabwe cholera cases wane

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:40:00 GMT

11 June 2009 More than 4,000 people have died in Zimbabwe’s recent cholera outbreak but there are welcome signs that it’s now on the wane. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that the number of new cases is down in most provinces. Since the outbreak began last August, 97,400 Zimbabweans have contracted the disease. Tearfund, with the support of local churches across the UK and from further afield, is among many international aid agencies that are responding. We’re funding partners to help stem the tide. In Bulawayo they’ve been deploying staff and helping the financially-stressed city council equip its own workers to mend the crumbling sewerage system. Protective clothing Prior to Tearfund’s intervention, workers were without transport to get to areas needing repairs and even lacked gloves and protective clothing. Funding has enabled staff to get back to work and more than 800 sewer blockages have been cleared. That’s had a major difference on the streets where residen ...

Gracia goes to UN

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:02:00 GMT

18 June 2009 Next week Tearfund HIV ambassador Gracia Violeta Ross Quiroga will be attending an important three-day UN meeting where she’ll speak up for those living with HIV. The Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS will be looking at the issues of migration, human trafficking and HIV when it meets in Geneva. Gracia will be bringing her experience of working with, and speaking up for, people living with HIV in Bolivia to the delegates. The 31-year-old daughter of a pastor will also bring her own personal experience to the summit table: in 2000, Gracia discovered she was living with HIV. Gracia recalls, ‘At the same time I became a leader among people living with HIV in Bolivia and increasingly globally. Speaking as a rape survivor and a woman living with HIV, who came from an evangelical background, was breaking news for many people.’ Gracia leads the Bolivian Network of People Living with HIV which has won important legal victories in its campaign for improved rights for those living with HIV. • Please p ...

More camps needed for Pakistan displaced

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:16:00 GMT

18 June 2009 Pakistan’s humanitarian crisis remains critical as thousands more join the 3 million people made homeless by conflict. The ongoing military action between the Pakistani army and the Taleban in northern Pakistan is set to move into a new phase and aid groups are worried about the effect on the civilian population. The UN is looking to set up more camps for the displaced, reporting increasing numbers seeking shelter. Up to now, many of those who have fled their homes have been taken in and looked after by relatives or friends. However there’s evidence that many extended families are no longer able to cope and more families are turning up seeking shelter at camps. Tearfund partner SSEWA-Pak is caring for 2,500 people living in camps, providing food, water and other basic essentials. Tearfund is appealing to people like you and your churches to act as one global church and financially support displaced families through the summer, as the prospect of a swift end to fighting remains elusive. • ...

Peru killings over land

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:23:00 GMT

18 June 2009 Dark and deadly deeds are going on in Peru’s Amazonian jungle. Earlier this month clashes between the police and indigenous people left dozens dead on both sides and hundreds injured. Hard facts are difficult to come by, amid curfews and restriction on the media, but it’s clear relations between the Peruvian authorities and the indigenous inhabitants are at an all-time low ebb after a frenzy of violence. The causes go back years and have their roots in exclusion and abuse, according to Tearfund partner Paz y Esperanza (Peace and Hope). Since the 1990s, a number of laws have been passed that are restricting the land rights of the local people in both the rainforest and high mountain regions. Land taken These laws have granted mining and oil companies greater powers over indigenous lands. The current Peruvian government has tried to continue this trend and President Alan Garcia has articulated resentment against the indigenous people in articles where he has described them as lazy, uncoope ...

No end in sight for Sri Lanka suffering

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:37:00 GMT

25 June 2009 ‘Work is very challenging. Every day there is a new challenge. The plans you make for three days ahead never work out because there’s always a new issue to deal with.’ The words of a member of staff working for a Tearfund partner in Sri Lanka underline that although the country’s civil war is over, rebuilding the peace is going to be a long and arduous affair. Last month the Tamil Tigers were defeated by the Sri Lankan military, ending a conflict going back decades. But in its wake, the military action left 280,000 people homeless and in desperate straits. Many had escaped with their lives by the skin of their teeth but their minds have been left imprinted with the images of dead family, friends and neighbours. Separation They’ve also had to cope with the trauma of being separated from loved ones. One Tearfund partner came across a mother in tears after her son had been detained at a check point. He had carried her on his back for miles as they fled the fighting, but after his arrest s ...

Update from Peru

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:39:00 GMT

25 June 2009

Last week we reported on killings in Peru following tension between indigenous people and the government over land rights.

Since then the country’s congress has repealed two contentious land laws which the indigenous population felt undermined their rights and way of life.

The move has been welcomed by indigenous leaders, who went to congress to witness the vote, as ‘historic’.

Give thanks for this move and pray that God will continue to heal the wounds and divisions in Peru’s society.

Christians face attack in Nepal

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:42:00 GMT

25 June 2009 Christians in Nepal are facing worrying times amid threats against them by Hindu extremists who recently carried out a bomb attack on a church. Three people died and 13 others were injured when an improvised explosive device detonated at a catholic church in Dhobighat in Lalitpur district. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Nepal Defence Army (NDA), a Hindu fundamentalist group. Worryingly the NDA has issued further threats, saying it’s planning to target the homes of Nepali Christians for further bomb attacks. 'Unholy' In a statement, the group said the action was in response ‘to the open rape of Hindu culture through open religious conversion’. The NDA has pointed the finger at Christian aid groups and has ordered ‘unholy elements’ to leave Nepal. Ominously the statement goes on: ‘If this warning is ignored they will have to bear a punishment beyond human imagination.’ Tearfund is closely monitoring the situation with our nine partners in Nepal who are taking steps to re ...

Brazil churches make life flow

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:52:00 GMT

The sound of postcards dropping through the letterboxes of the powerful is being heard time and time again in northern Brazil. It’s part of a major campaign organised by a Tearfund partner to help residents living in the Amazon city of Maraba. The problem is a lack of sanitation and its impact on the poorest sectors of the 200,000-strong community, notably those of Grota Criminosa who live on the city’s river edge. As well as suffering constant flooding, the area’s inhabitants are often hit by illness related to a lack of sanitation and clean drinking water. Tearfund partner Fale, which means `speak out’ in Portuguese, decided to act as its name suggests. Staff got local churches, particularly young Christians, across the country to fill in postcards entitled `Pray and Send’. The cards have campaign information, a detachable letter and prayer points. The letters were sent to a big steel company based in Maraba, whose activities were seen as contributing to the flooding. The firm was encouraged to ass ...

Afghanistan's poppy farmers

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:53:00 GMT

Many will welcome the news this week of a revised US policy for Afghan poppy farmers. At a G8 meeting in Italy, Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy to Afghanistan, outlined the replacement of the current poppy eradication programme with a new plan to fund Afghan farmers in growing alternative crops. The previous policy had included eradication of poppy crops in an attempt to cut opium trade. However, many Afghan farmers are now suffering extreme poverty without a viable income alternative to poppy growing. In desperation, without food supply or livelihoods, many families have even been forced to send their children over the border into Pakistan, to smuggle in flour for businessmen who ‘rent’ them for the day. Some children are making three or four trips a day to earn enough to feed their families. On each trip, they face being beaten or arrested, and dragging back a 20kg sack of flour earns them the equivalent of a mere 16 US cents. In the light of this hardship, growing other crops and devel ...

Honduras holds it breath

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:55:00 GMT

It was a weekend of turmoil in Honduras, as several days of civil unrest culminated in a violent political coup on Sunday 28 June. Roberto Micheletti was sworn in as ‘interim president’ after the elected leader Manuel Zeleya was ousted by the military, and expelled to Costa Rica. The coup took place hours before polls opened for a referendum, when voters were to have their say on constitutional reforms. Honduras is still under a cloud of unrest. Immediately after being sworn in, Roberto Micheletti imposed a curfew, and clampdowns on local media mean the public are in the dark about new developments. In fact, much of the country has been literally in the dark, owing to widespread power- cuts. Tearfund’s Honduran partners and staff are understandably worried about the knock-on effects of the coup. ‘Reporters and communications have been manipulated and controlled according to the interests of the government coup’, says a Tearfund representative in Honduras. ‘A great part of the country was without ...