Tearfund press releases

Poor countries need climate cash to adapt

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:40:00 GMT

1 June 2009 A new report by aid agency Tearfund says finance for climate adaptation is crucial to the success of a strong and fair Copenhagen climate deal. What the World is Waiting for: Action on Adaptation, warns that rich countries will be responsible for unjustly penalising the world's poorest and most vulnerable people at December’s make or break climate summit, if funding for adaptation remains vague and inadequate. Tearfund’s Director of Advocacy Paul Cook said, `Developing countries have received less than 10 per cent of the money promised by rich countries to help them adapt to climate change. This failure is fostering deep distrust between countries and is seriously undermining the current negotiations on a global climate deal.' The report argues that the immediate needs of developing countries for adaptation funding must be met urgently. Developed countries must send a strong signal to developing countries that finance for adaptation will be additional to Official Development Assistance (ODA ...

Tearfund fears lengthy Pakistan relief crisis

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:29:00 GMT

1 June 2009 The suffering and need of millions of Pakistan’s displaced people has the potential to be protracted, lasting for many months, according to UK relief and development agency Tearfund. According to local sources, as many as 3.4 million people are now reported to be vulnerable after being uprooted from their homes in the Swat Valley and neighbouring areas of northern Pakistan; the majority leaving since the Pakistan Army began its recent offensive last month. Tearfund says that the scale of need should focus international attention and trigger a major humanitarian response to avoid prolonging the suffering. ‘The needs are massively underserved and the world’s media attention is elsewhere,’ says David Bainbridge, Tearfund’s Disaster Management Director. ‘At present our response is a drop in the ocean. The delayed media attention to Sri Lanka hindered the humanitarian response there. `We must avoid the same situation in Pakistan where limited access and media coverage make this another for ...

Japan emissions target condemned

website.editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:35:00 GMT

10 June 2009 Japan’s emissions announcement today reveals their total lack of ambition by unveiling a 2020 emissions reductions target of just 8 per cent on 1990 levels – going a mere 2 per cent further than its 2012 target under the Kyoto Protocol. The news comes towards the end the two week climate conference taking place in Bonn, Germany one of many summits taking place on the road to Copenhagen in December, when an agreement on a new climate deal will be reached. Tearfund’s Director of Advocacy, Paul Cook, said, `This is a disaster. The level of ambition among developed countries is already incredibly weak – way below the 40 per cent emissions reductions needed collectively by 2020, and even outside of the ranges given by the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change of 25-40 per cent cuts. `Japan’s decision risks creating a race to the bottom among other developed countries looking for an excuse to evade tough targets.' The aid agency highlights that Japan’s decision will also make it difficult fo ...

Tearfund response to government’s climate finance announcement

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:36:00 GMT

Reacting to today’s announcement on climate finance as part of the government's Copenhagen manifesto, Tearfund’s Advocacy Director Paul Cook said: “Finally we are seeing a developed country talking about numbers which, if genuinely new money, begin to approach the level of funding developing countries desperately need to respond to climate change. “However, the total number needs to be ramped up further and must be 100% additional to current aid commitments. What’s more delaying on delivery is not an option as poor countries need to see this money now, they can’t wait until 2020. “The principles of equity, additionality, predictability and a stronger role for the UNFCCC in managing the funds are a step in the right direction. However rich countries will need to up their game even more if we are going to get a strong and fair deal in Copenhagen.” For more information or an interview with Tearfund’s Director of Advocacy, Paul Cook call Esther Williams on 0208 943 7779 / 07595 202 438

londoners march for water action

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:15:00 GMT

As the Southbank sizzled some Londoners chose the River Thames over the beach. Today, as temperatures in London soared to the highest levels in years, a group of African and Asian Londoners wearing traditional dress, accompanied by campaigners, carried jerry cans from the River Thames to Downing Street. They handed in 80,000 letters from the British public urging leaders at this year’s G8 summit to address the appalling injustice that leaves billions of people worldwide without clean water or basic sanitation. Their journey took them up over Westminster Bridge, past the House of Commons and Big Ben, finishing at Downing Street in the scorching heat The campaigners recreated the experience that’s a reality for millions of people around the world. As the collectors of water, women spend hours each day walking and queuing to collect water for their families. Often, the water they work so hard to collect is dirty, polluted and unsafe to drink. The walk took place in support of End Water Poverty, a global ca ...

DFID White Paper reaction

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:33:00 GMT

6 July 2009

The doubling of central funding for faith groups is a strong and welcome signal that faith groups and churches are often taking the lead in the development of the world’s poorest countries.

Tearfund welcomes this commitment as outlined in today’s DFID White Paper, and also the Government’s refocused effort to tackle sustainable development and good governance in fragile states.

In conflict and post-conflict situations, it is the church that is so often the only aspect of civil society able to respond, because the church is at the heart of its community and doesn’t get up and leave.

We are encouraged to see the Government taking seriously their responsibilities to help and support the very poorest people around the world, who are acutely affected by both climate change and the global economic crisis.

G8 summit latest

website.editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:38:00 GMT

8 July 2009 G8 leaders are in danger of squandering opportunities and plunging poor people into deeper climate chaos and poverty, as the annual world leaders’ summit gets underway. In what is a crucial year for climate change, where a post 2012 climate deal must be agreed in December, announcements today by the countries responsible for causing the climate crisis fail to match the level of ambition desperately needed. Paul Cook, Advocacy Director for relief and development agency Tearfund, said: 'What part of the word urgency do G8 leaders not understand? 'We sincerely hope that the Major Economies Forum (MEF) will step up to the mark and announce stronger commitments in their response tomorrow. 'Their reference to the need to keep global temperature rises below two degrees is welcome, as is their commitment to cut their own emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 and the recognition of the need to peak and decline emissions. 'However they failed to set an ambitious goal for 2020 emissions targets, and crucially ...

Response to Major Economies Forum

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:35:00 GMT

9 July 2009 ‘Like the G8, the seventeen nations that form the Major Economies Forum (MEF) are adopting a strategy of deferral and delay. ‘The MEF contribute 80 per cent of global emissions. Today they could have called on developed countries to deliver money in the range of $150billion per year to help developing countries respond to climate change. They failed to do this, so the deadlock in negotiations is likely to remain. ‘The communique released today outlines that the MEF will ‘spare no effort’ to reach an agreement in Copenhagen. With no figures on the table from rich nations, once again developing countries are being served up platitudes and rhetoric. ‘This rolling dialogue points in the opposite direction to urgency and must not continue. We now have to wait until the September UN meetings when the heads of state will gather once again. ‘What we are seeing here is very little silver lining on the huge cloud of injustice that will burst with devastating consequences for countries that bear the br ...

Response to Obama G8 statement

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:14:00 GMT

10 July 2009

‘We welcome The Major Economies Forum’s challenge to finance ministers to come back to the G20 negotiating table in September with finance proposals to support developing countries in their response to climate change.

`President Obama’s 11th hour announcement seems to be a glimmer of hope for climate finance, and the climate change agenda.

`Let’s hope that at last we are seeing rich countries delivering the bold and decisive leadership that is required to tackle what Obama quite rightly referred to as the defining challenge of our time.’

Paul Cook
Advocacy Director, Tearfund

G8 leaders fail to deliver

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:49:00 GMT

10 July 2009 The G8 squandered the opportunity this week to put their money where their mouths are and deliver climate finance for poor countries to help in their response to climate change, Tearfund said today. Following yesterday’s announcement, Tearfund now looks towards the G20 talks in September when the heads of state meet again, to see if they will respond to the challenge laid down by The Major Economies Forum to Finance Ministers to return to the G20 with finance proposals to support developing countries in responding to climate change. Paul Cook, Director of Advocacy for Tearfund, said, ‘A massive opportunity to show leadership and ambition has been missed here. Adequate finance is the sticking point currently deadlocking negotiations and this week the group failed to recognize this.’ Christian relief and development agency Tearfund welcomes the commitment to 80 per cent cuts in carbon emissions by 2050 for rich countries, as a welcome indication of what can be achieved when leadership and amb ...

G8 and food security

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:13:00 GMT

10 July 2009 Welcoming the G8’s statement on food security, Tearfund pointed out that it is critical that these actions are coupled with mitigation and adaptation to climate change, and sustainable management of water, land and other natural resources. Tearfund’s Director of Advocacy Paul Cook said, `We are at a critical point in the world’s discussions about climate change, and the impacts of global warming cut across many sectors, including food security. 'We need to remember that for many already poor regions of the world, the warming climate could make agricultural land impossible to farm. 'The knock-on effect is that climate change becomes a new root cause of poverty exacerbating situations like food insecurity, which were already dire to begin with. 'World leaders should particularly invest in and target countries and regions that are off track to meet Millennium Development Goal One, (the eradication of extreme hunger and poverty), repeatedly prone to food crises and will be even more vulnerabl ...

Response to Tory Green Paper

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:52:00 GMT

13 July 2009 Welcoming the publication of One World Conservatism, the Conservative Party’s International Development Green Paper, Tearfund Advocacy Director Paul Cook said: ‘It’s very encouraging to see such a high profile given to debating the importance and effectiveness of international development, and we welcome the Conservative Party’s commitment to retaining current levels of aid. `We are pleased to see that the Conservative Party would want the UK to continue to take a lead on achieving the Millennium Development Goals and addressing global poverty. ‘However, there are some glaring omissions in this Green Paper. While we welcome the opportunity to debate how best to deliver aid, it is astonishing to see a debate on international development without any recognition of the role of faith communities in the field. ‘In Tearfund’s experience of working for more than 40 years through local churches in the poorest parts of the world, it is facile to consider that it is possible to address need at a ...

In the Thick of It

website.editor@tearfund.org — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 23:01:00 GMT

19 July 2009 We've been working with local churches around the world for over 40 years. It's been an adventure, and we've seen some great things happen through local churches as well as helping churches out when they're trying to meet the scale of the need in their communities. We're passionate about the role that local churches play in meeting practical and spiritual needs, and we believe that their role should be recognised and encouraged. That's why we've put together In the Thick of It, which is our position paper on the role of the local church in development. It's full of stories about local churches in tough situations, reaching out to the people around them and offering hope and help in times of need. It also recognises that churches have limitations and weaknesses at the same time as masses of potential, which is why we at Tearfund are uniquely placed to mobilise churches to get even better at working effectively within their own communities. Click here to download the report. (PDF 571KB)

Is the church saving the world

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 07:32:00 GMT

20 July 2009 Local churches are the answer to community needs, according to a report published by Tearfund today (19 July 2009). In the Thick of It, a position paper making the case for Tearfund’s view that local churches are key players in international development, describes the role that local churches are taking around the world in meeting local community needs. Pulling together a substantial body of evidence confirming the value of faith-based organisations in addressing development needs, Tearfund speaks from over 40 years’ experience of working through local churches in the poorest parts of the world. ‘We passionately believe that local churches have something extremely valuable to offer, around the world,’ says Matthew Frost, Chief Executive of Tearfund. 'In our experience, faith and development are inextricably linked in the developing world, and that makes the church an essential partner in delivering sustainable development at the heart of the world’s poorest communities. 'In fact, we would ...

Call to root out bribery by UK firms overseas

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:22:00 GMT

30 July 2009 A new Draft Bill to go before Parliament could significantly enforce wide powers to investigate and prosecute British companies committing bribery overseas. CAFOD welcomes the publication of the Joint Parliamentary Committee report on the Draft Bribery Bill, but calls on the government to strengthen the Bill and enact it into law without delay. Sonya Maldar Policy Analyst with CAFOD said, `For too long our outdated laws have made it virtually impossible to prosecute companies who use bribery to secure business overseas. `We know that it is the poorest and most vulnerable people in developing countries who ultimately suffer most from bribery, which can lead to loss of investment and undermine public services. The Draft Bill is an important step in the right direction.' The World Bank estimates that £1,000 billion ($1 trillion) worth of bribes are paid globally each year. The draft Bribery Bill creates a new offence which would make companies liable for foreign bribery. This will make ...

Hillary Clinton praises work of Tearfund partner in DR Congo

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 07:42:00 GMT

12 August 2009 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has praised a Tearfund partner organisation helping women who have suffered sexual attacks in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mrs Clinton made her comments during a visit to Heal Africa’s hospital and rehabilitation centre in Goma, the provincial capital of conflict-affected North Kivu province, in the east of the country. There she met with hospital workers and patients, including women recovering from the physical and psychological effects of rape. ‘Heal Africa is doing amazing work,’ said the Secretary of State, who is on a seven country tour of Africa. It’s estimated that 200,000 women and girls have suffered sexual violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo since 1996 and 400 new cases are registered every month. Heal Africa’s hospital in Goma runs operating theatres which specifically treat women and girls who have been injured in the course of such attacks. Counselling is provided to assist their emotional and spiritual rec ...

Call to UN over corruption

website.editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:56:00 GMT

25 August 2009 Corruption and poverty mutually reinforce injustice whilst undermining equitable economic growth and sustainable development - according to faith based development agencies and faith leaders who have today written to the Secretary General of the UN. The letter to Ban Ki-moon comes as a working group of signatory countries meets in Vienna ahead of the Conference of State Parties later this year. The following is a statement from Cafod, Christian Aid, Islamic Relief, Tearfund and the Australian Synod of Victoria and Tasmania: 'We are putting pressure on the UN and world leaders to step up the fight against corruption. The diversion of public funds, loss of investment and the reduction in tax revenues hits the poorest and most vulnerable hardest. Put simply, corruption is at the heart of people’s experience of poverty. Corrupt practices constitute an insurmountable barrier to high-quality education, affordable healthcare and decent livelihoods. The opportunity and hope for so many i ...

Stalemate: Tearfund response to G20 Finance Ministers’ Meeting

website.editor@tearfund.org — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:05:00 GMT

5 September 2009

G20 Finance Ministers meeting in London this weekend tackled vital financial issues, but missed a crucial opportunity to make progress on concrete proposals for climate finance.

Laura Webster, Tearfund’s Head of Public Policy says, ‘We’re at a stalemate because we don’t yet have a serious offer of additional public climate finance from rich countries to help developing countries adapt to the effects of climate change, reduce their emissions and protect forests.

‘We should have seen far more progress than this if we’re to get a strong and fair climate deal in Copenhagen this December.’

For more information or an interview with Laura Webster please contact Esther Williams on 07917 638566

Campaigners badger for pressure on Honduras

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:37:00 GMT

7 September 2009 Tearfund’s SuperBadger campaign is lobbying Foreign Secretary David Miliband for greater pressure to be put on Honduras to improve human rights and for a return of democracy to the country, which is one of the poorest in Latin America. SuperBadger enables people to sign up to this call for action. As a social networking site, via Facebook, the badger is proving highly effective in bringing important issues on poverty and injustice to this online audience. Honduras remains under the control of interim president Roberto Micheleltti and a self-imposed regime following the military coup in June. President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales was forcibly removed from his home and flown to neighbouring Costa Rica. Mediated negotiations have since collapsed, failing to bring a political solution and in recent months Honduras has seen increasing violence and repression of human rights. ‘Everyone is affected by the political instability in Honduras but the poorest people in society are really su ...

Procrastination must end

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:43:00 GMT

21 September 2009 Tearfund urges developed countries to demonstrate leadership, urgency, and ambition on mid-term emissions targets and the levels of finance they are willing to commit, ahead of pre-Copenhagen meetings in New York and Pittsburgh. Finance for a new climate deal will be high on the agenda when world leaders meet to take forward discussions on the beleaguered Copenhagen climate negotiations this week. Paul Cook, Director of Advocacy for Christian relief and development agency Tearfund, said, ‘Money for emissions cuts and adaptation measures remains the un-clearable hurdle in the run up to December’s climate summit in Copenhagen. 'To clear this hurdle, world leaders must listen to the poorest countries hit hardest by climate change. Then, they need to respond by providing at least $150billion a year of additional climate funding.' Tearfund says that the UN high level talks are one of the rare meetings on the road to Copenhagen where developing nations are at the table and have an opportun ...

Is this the way to Copenhagen

website.editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:14:00 GMT

23 September 2009 Rich nations have been taken to task by developing countries this week, as world leaders debate climate change at the United Nations in New York. The high-level summit on climate change today heard a statement from China, pledging to reduce carbon emissions - a welcome pledge which builds political momentum towards December's UN climate summit in Copenhagen. Tearfund, who support the world’s poorest communities to respond to climate change, calls for a greater recognition of the requests made by developing countries in recent years for rich countries to tackle climate change. 'We know from working with farmers in Niger, villages in Bangladesh and communities in Brazil that climate change is already happening and is hitting the poorest people first and worst,' says Paul Cook, Tearfund’s Advocacy Director. 'We heard this again on Monday as the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) made the case that their very survival depends on a strong and fair climate deal in Copenhagen. 'Today's ...

G20 a damp squib

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:32:00 GMT

25 September 2009 G20 leaders have missed a crucial opportunity to combat climate change, say Christian relief and development agency Tearfund. Tearfund, who work with the world’s poorest communities to help people adapt to the effects of climate change, say that hopes have been dashed at this week’s meeting of G20 leaders in Pittsburgh. 'Despite President Obama's build up to this event back in the summer at G8, the G20 summit has been a complete damp squib on the critical issue of climate finance for developing countries,’ says Paul Cook, Tearfund's Advocacy Director. 'However difficult the global financial situation, rich countries must break the deadlock in the international climate talks by making an offer of new and additional public finance for poor countries. At least $150billion a year in new public money is needed to help developing countries adapt to the impacts of climate change and reduce their emissions.' 'This is urgent,' says Paul Cook. 'Time is running out, and we're already seeing the ...

Tearfund welcomes government aid commitment

website.editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:04:00 GMT

29 September 2009

Tearfund welcomes the announcement, made by the Prime Minister today, to enshrine the existing 0.7 per cent aid commitment within UK legislation.

This will make the level of the UK’s commitment legally binding by 2013, and for aid investment to stay at least at this level from that point onwards.

Laura Webster, Tearfund’s Head of Policy, listening to Gordon Brown’s speech to the Labour Party Conference in Brighton, said: ‘This is the right decision. With so many priorities competing for government spending and fuelling political scrutiny over the next nine months, it is important that development aid is secured in this way.

'In the poorest countries where Tearfund is working lives will depend on it. We hope that the Government is able to push this through Parliament before next year's General Election. If there is one thing the recession is showing us, it’s that the poorest people in the world are always hit the hardest.’

Tearfund calls for prayers for SE Asia

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:25:00 GMT

2 October 2009 Christians and churches are being called to prayer by Christian relief and development agency Tearfund, as thousands of people face loss and trauma following a week of horrific disasters in South East Asia. A week ago Typhoon Ketsana ripped though Luzon, the northern island of the Philippines, leaving – in Metro Manila alone – well over a million people in need of rescue, relief or support. News reports and YouTube showed people wading waist deep through even the main highways that connect the sprawling cities. Other images showed furniture suspended in overhead cables. The poorest people in the slum areas have been acutely hit, with their fragile homes and their possessions washed away in the flood water. Mudslides in rural provinces have brought further loss of life and logistic chaos. A second storm, being forecast as a ‘super typhoon’ is expected to hit the Philippines this weekend. Days later in the South Pacific, Samoa and Tonga were flattened by a tsunami triggered from an earth ...

Sisters are doing it for each other

website.editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:42:00 GMT

13 October 2009 Women in Christian leadership are being invited by Tearfund to take part in a trip to Malawi next year (February 2010), to spend time with women affected by poverty and HIV. The trip will include visits to local churches which are reaching out to people in their communities who are affected by HIV, as well as opportunities to stay with a family in a community overnight and shadow them during the day. ‘We know that poverty always disproportionately affects women, and that they are very involved in caring for others and in finding practical solutions to issues in their communities,’ says Yioula Taliadorou, Church Relationship Manager at Tearfund. ‘It’s important that, as women with responsibilities to lead and mentor others, we grasp the scale of need around the world and allow ourselves to become passionate about being part of the solution. In so many of the poorest parts of the world, local churches are bringing hope and releasing people from spiritual and material poverty, and we have s ...

The Wave soaks London streets in prayer

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:29:00 GMT

16 October 2009 National church leaders took to the streets this week (14 October), to prayer-walk the route of December’s The Wave march for climate justice. Steve Clifford, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance, joined with Matthew Frost of Tearfund, Roger Forster of Ichthus, Dr Richard Vautrey of the Methodist Church and David Reed of the Salvation Army, to walk part of the route that thousands of campaigners will be marching at The Wave in December. The Wave, which will be the UK’s biggest ever climate change demonstration and is organised by the Stop Climate Chaos coalition, will start with a church service at Westminster Central Hall with the Archbishop of Canterbury after which Christians of all denominations will pour out of the church and join the march and rally to campaign for climate justice. Thousands of people will join together, wearing blue, to demonstrate a wave of support for the UN climate talks due to take place the following week in Copenhagen. ‘We know that climate change is ...

EU told to stop clowning around on climate finance

website.editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:29:00 GMT

28 October 2009 EU ministers must stop clowning around and announce ambitious figures for climate adaptation and mitigation in developing countries this week, says Tearfund. Failure to do this will only prolong the current deadlock in climate negotiations and seriously compromise any chance of agreeing a climate deal at Copenhagen in December. The EU Heads of State summit on 29 - 30 October is the last key EU leaders meeting ahead of Copenhagen. Climate finance is the thorn in the flesh threatening to derail the whole negotiation process, according to Tearfund. Ahead of this meeting, nearly 7,000 messages from Tearfund supporters were delivered to the Prime Minister calling on him to take a lead on climate finance. To hammer the point home, Tearfund clowns illustrated the EU’s cavalier attitude to the planet by fooling around with a giant globe in Parliament Square. EU Ministers have made repeated promises to come up with a position on funding that includes specific figures for the amount of money ...

Tearfund response to EU Summit

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:50:00 GMT

Friday 30th October 2009 EU failure of ambition on climate finance reveals a demoralising lack of leadership. Tearfund has dismissed the latest EU leaders discussions on climate finance as demoralising for poor communities hit hardest by climate change The EU's recognition of total global public financing of 22-50 billion euros per year for developing countries from 2020 falls short of the ambition needed for a strong and fair agreement in Copenhagen. And after two days of talks, leaders of the European Union have failed to clearly outline the amount of public money that the EU will provide for climate adaptation and mitigation in developing countries. Tearfund believes that at least 110 billion euros of new and additional public finance will be needed each year. The EU's fair share of this is at least 35 billion euros. Tearfund’s Head of Policy Laura Webster said: ‘This outcome is demoralising for developing countries, who shouldn't have to pick up the tab for a climate crisis that is not of their m ...

Climate deal possible if leaders step up

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:06:00 GMT

6 November 2009 As a tempestuous week of climate talks in Barcelona draws to a close, while the vast majority of countries are still working towards a fair, ambitious and legally binding treaty in Copenhagen, rich countries are doing their best to dampen hopes of a good deal, says development agency Tearfund. Speaking from Barcelona, Tearfund’s climate policy adviser Sara Shaw said: 'The world's poorest people need a good deal in Copenhagen – rich countries cannot duck the challenge. All the main elements for an ambitious, just and binding agreement are on the table. All we need is political will from world leaders to craft a successful Copenhagen deal. 'The US seems to be slipping back into its old role of being a major blocker of progress. The world cannot be held to ransom by one country and US negotiators must take the message home that all eyes are looking to them to show leadership, and to prioritise the needs of the worlds poorest people,’ continues Shaw. 'Despite having made some steps forwa ...

Anti corruption framework call

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:23:00 GMT

6 November 2009 On the eve of a crucial UN meeting on corruption, faith leaders are calling on both rich and poor countries to take seriously their commitment to tackle corruption. In their letter, religious leaders from around the world state that corruption is a major cause of poverty in developing countries, causing the diversion of public funds, loss of investment and the reduction in tax revenues. Corruption hits the poorest and most vulnerable hardest. The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) is the first ever global treaty to provide a comprehensive framework to prevent and criminalise corruption. This week governments will meet in Doha to decide how to monitor implementation of the convention - essential if the convention is to be effective. To date, negotiations have ended in stalemate. ‘We cannot afford further delays, this is a global opportunity to tackle corruption and help fight poverty,’ says Rabbi Alan Plancey. ‘Without effective monitoring the convention is just empty rh ...

Churches say act now on climate change

website.editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:52:00 GMT

16 November 2009 NEWS RELEASE - ADVANCE NOTICE Churches to join The Wave on Saturday 5 December Heads of Christian Churches in the UK - including Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and Archbishop Vincent Nichols, Catholic Archbishop of Westminster - will lead an ecumenical service on 5 December to urge political leaders meeting in Copenhagen to ‘ACT NOW ON CLIMATE CHANGE’. At least 3,000 Christians are expected to attend, carrying an array of colourful banners and dressed in blue. They will be travelling from their parishes around the country in special trains and coaches. After the service some church leaders and the congregation will join tens of thousands of people marching to form a blue wave around the Houses of Parliament. Churches on the march will be a key part of the growing movement for action on climate change. It is expected to be the UK’s biggest ever demonstration in support of action on climate change, ahead of the crucial UN climate talks in Copenhagen. Time of service : 11a ...

Response to Queen speech

website.editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:03:00 GMT

18 November 2009 Bribery Bill ‘We’re pleased to see that the Bribery Bill is in the Queen’s Speech. It’s long overdue, and we will continue to urge all political parties to support its passing through Parliament. ‘The churches and Christian organisations we work with around the world are telling us that it’s the poorest and most vulnerable people who suffer most from the effects of bribery. We must make sure that the UK Government plays its part in tackling bribery, if we’re to make headway in the fight against global poverty. ‘We need to make sure the Bribery Bill is effective, and this will only happen if it’s clear enough to make prosecutions possible and if the new offences created by the Bill apply to Crown Dependencies, Overseas Territories and to companies operating as UK subsidiaries. Corruption is not just an issue for poor countries – the UK must do all it can to prevent and prosecute bribery at home and abroad.’ International Development Bill ‘All political parties now agree that we should b ...

Essentials defined for agreement to avoid dangerous warming

website.editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:32:00 GMT

24th November 2009 Checklist for Copenhagen Published by Climate Action Network [Washington DC] A global network of over 500 organizations today released a checklist for Copenhagen, enumerating the essential elements required of any complete and robust climate agreement in Copenhagen.* "This checklist defines the actions required to avoid catastrophic climate change, while sustaining the global economy and adapting to the climate change we can't avoid," said David Turnbull, Director of CAN International. "The science is clear. We have the yardstick for measuring what leaders agree to in Copenhagen." The checklist, titled Fair, Ambitious and Binding - Essentials for a Successful Deal in Copenhagen, serves as a scorecard for observers tracking the progress of the Copenhagen climate negotiations and evaluating the outcomes. Highlights from the checklist include: A commitment to keep warming well below 2°C, with emission peaking between 2013 and 2017, and concentrations lowering to 350ppm CO2e. Industri ...

HIV Stigma alive and well

website.editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:08:00 GMT

24th November 2009 1st December: World AIDS Day Almost 30 years since the first person was identified with HIV, ignorance and stigma are alive and well, both in the UK and overseas, according to development agency Tearfund. The United Nations estimates that 73,000 people in the UK are living with HIV – double the number in 2000. One third were unaware they were infected. Britain has almost twice as many new HIV cases diagnosed in a year than any other country in western Europe. Veena O'Sullivan, who manages development agency Tearfund's HIV Unit, says, "It is devastating that almost three decades after HIV was first identified, stigma and ignorance are thriving, both here in the UK and overseas. It remains one of the greatest barriers to successfully changing the story of the AIDS pandemic." Partnering with Christian organisations worldwide to respond to HIV, Tearfund has found that the church can be a very effective way of mobilising communities to end stigma, improve quality of care and improving ...

Climate change driven by bad economic models say Nobels and major international agencies

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:48:00 GMT

Nobel prize winners join top anti-poverty and environment groups in call for new economic approaches to support climate deal Today, Monday, 30th November, leading poverty and environment groups were joined by Nobel prize winners and other international experts in calling for a new economic model to support an urgent tough, new climate deal to be negotiated in Copenhagen in December. In a new report from The Working Group on Climate Change and Development, supported since its formation by Dr Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman of the Nobel prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), leading international development economists and major international agencies call for new economic approaches more in tune with people and the planet. The report Other Worlds are Possible - Human Progress in an Age of Climate Change; is the sixth to be published by the group alerting the world to huge threat from global warming to human progress. With forewords from Dr Pachauri, Chairman of the IPCC, and the wor ...

Richard Rides the Wave

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:48:00 GMT

Tearfund: Climate campaigner cycles from the Wirral to London to join historic march Richard Avery, 48, will this Friday attempt the most ambitious cycling challenge of his life – a 200 mile ride from his Greasby home to London in just 24 hours. His destination is central London, where he will join tens of thousands fellow climate campaigners for a historic climate change march – The Wave - the following day (5 December). Richard will leave his Greasby home at 6am on Friday (4 December) in a bid to arrive in Central London by 10am on Saturday. He says, “I have ridden sponsored rides of over a hundred miles before but I have never done anything quite as ambitious as this. The first major stop is 150 miles in to the ride, in Milton Keynes, so it will be a massive endurance test.” Richard, who attends St Mary’s Church in Upton, has been planning his route for the past six weeks and will be cycling on mostly A roads. He will be dropping in on Tearfund volunteers along the route for cups of tea and brief ...

Church: transform your community

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:17:00 GMT

Churches can change their communities - pass it on! 3 December 2009 Sharing successes and ideas is vital if churches are to bring hope and transformation to our communities, according to hundreds of leading Christian organisations and churches. Integral Mission and the UK Church, an event in London hosted by Community Mission this week (1 December), brought together more than 60 of the UK’s church leaders and leading Christian organisations to discuss how best to meet the material and spiritual needs of local communities. ‘There is widespread and growing interest in ‘integral mission’ across the whole of the Church,’ says David Westlake, Tearfund’s Integral Mission Director. ‘We believe this a move of God calling churches to work together and serve their local communities in the power of the Holy Spirit. ‘We put together this gathering of key organisations that are seeking to serve the UK Church, to wrestle with our common calling and explore opportunities for how we can deepen connection. It’s an ex ...

Church leaders send a message of urgency and hope to the Copenhagen summit

website.editor@tearfund.org — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:24:00 GMT

More from Tearfund's coverage of the Wave: click here More than 20 senior church leaders have gathered for a church service, with more than 3,000 Christians from their congregations, to support the London Wave, urging an ambitious, fair and effective deal at the Copenhagen Summit on climate change. “This weekend’s events should send a clear message of urgency and hope to the Copenhagen Summit,” said Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury at the service on the morning of 5 December at Westminster Central Hall. “This is a very important moment for us all in trying to keep everyone’s eyes open to the serious environmental challenges we face and the world’s leaders need to hear from the world’s people about their desire for a safe, sustainable environment in which God’s care for all he has made is honoured by us.” Archbishop Vincent Nichols, Head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales led prayers at the service, commenting: “Today I hope we can make clear our readiness to live simpler lives, ...

Small islands warning at climate talks

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:10:00 GMT

11 December 2009 Copenhagen: As week one of the UN climate talks draws to a close, the Alliance of Small Island states (AOSIS), demand a two treaty approach to avert dangerous climate change. Tearfund’s Director of Advocacy, Paul Cook said, 'The small island states have every right to throw down the gauntlet by laying out tough proposals. They are some of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and there is a genuine risk that some of them will go underwater if tough targets are not adopted.' The group has outlined a need for 45 per cent cuts on 1990 levels by 2020 .They have also asked that all developed countries should pay between 0.5- 2 per cent of GNP to help poor countries adapt to climate change, additional to current aid commitments. Under a two protocol approach – amending the Kyoto Protocol and creating a new treaty to plug the gaps – these measures would be legally binding in international law. 'Far from cuts of 45 per cent on 1990 levels by 2020, at the moment some calculations ...

EU climate offer branded a betrayal

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:08:00 GMT

14 December 2009 European faith-based development agencies say EU leaders meeting in Brussels for the last time before going to Copenhagen have failed to use this opportunity to show their commitment to a just and effective financing deal for a new global agreement on climate change. The EU is considered a global leader on development co-operation. Their failure to commit at this meeting to the essentials of a climate agreement that will protect development is a betrayal of fundamental equity principles of the Climate Convention. The agencies say that the current impacts of climate change are already too much for many poor countries to bear. It is an additional burden imposed on poor countries by rich countries, requiring additional funding. It is crucial that climate funds are in addition to existing aid commitments, which are needed to tackle issues such as health and education. Nelson Muffuh, Senior Policy Advisor at Christian Aid, an Aprodev member, says: ‘The EU offer to provide €2.4billion near- ...

Tearfund response to UK climate briefing

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:42:00 GMT

14 December 2009

Commenting on the UK government press briefing today, Christian relief and development agency Tearfund said: 'We welcome the fact that the UK government are positioning themselves as leaders in the fight to tackle runaway climate change.

'Ed Miliband is right to say that negotiators need to move away from their entrenched positions in order to secure a deal, and that plan b is not an option.

'However we know that the sticking point in the negotiations is new money. Despite the tough talking, sums are not matching words. We need an additional $200 billion a year in public money by 2020, for developing countries - this is still not on the table.

'Continuing ambiguity in this area, will not only increase the costs but could potentially plunge millions of people deeper into poverty, and we cannot afford to gamble with peoples' lives in this way.'

Reaction to Prince Charles speech

website.editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:06:00 GMT

16 December 2009 Prince Charles spoke passionately about the threat that climate change poses to poor people and the planet today as he opened the ‘high-level segment’ of the climate talks. Describing climate change the heir to the throne said: 'A partial solution to climate change is no solution at all, this is not a problem resolvable in terms of them and us. Just as mankind has the power to push us to the brink so mankind has the power to push us back.' Tearfund's Director of Advocacy, Paul Cook, said: The urgency in HRH Prince Charles' statement is welcome and while he cannot engage in the summit and its complexities himself, the Prime Minister can. Hopefully Gordon Brown's early arrival will put pressure on other world leaders to play their part in ensuring that a strong, fair and binding climate agreement is secured on Friday. Paul Cook added: ‘Low targets and short-term rehashed cash are not an option. The impacts of climate change are already being experienced in the developing world and with ...

Response to Gordon Brown statements

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:12:00 GMT

December 16 2009 Commenting on Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s statement, Christian relief and development agency Tearfund said. ‘We welcome the Prime Minister’s persistence in pushing for developed countries to address the gaping sorrows of the left out millions in Africa, the torment of our island states, the fear gripping the planet’s most vulnerable communities. Not by doing what we can get away with but by demanding the most of ourselves. 'We sincerely hope this high level political will has a domino effect of raised ambition from other developed countries’, said Tearfund's Director of Advocacy Paul Cook. With two full negotiating days left the Tearfund is urging the EU to go further and play a leadership role and drive industrialised nations’ ambition towards reaching agreement on three key areas: tough emissions reduction targets, generous climate finance (additional to current aid commitments) and securing a legally binding deal by Friday. 'The sums of money for climate finance and emissions reduct ...

US climate finance deal 'a welcome shift'

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:24:00 GMT

16 December 2009 Copenhagen climate talks: responding to Hilary Clinton, US Secretary of State’s announcement today, Tearfund’s Advocacy Director Paul Cook said: ‘The proposal for $100 billion per year from developed countries for climate finance from 2020 is a welcome shift in position, potentially the game changing news we are looking for. However, it needs to go still further in scale, less conditionality and clarity on the sources and the US’ contribution. ‘Tearfund believes at least $200 billion per year is needed from 2020, which must be primarily from public sources and genuinely additional to current aid commitments. We therefore welcome this announcement from the US, but urge other parties to engage with it and push for more. With only 48 hours left to seal a strong, fair and binding climate deal we need developed countries like the US to do more by tabling sums of money that reflect their historic and moral responsibility to protect the millions of people in poor countries currently bearing ...

Tearfund comments ahead of crucial EU leaders’ meeting

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 08:48:00 GMT

Ahead of crucial EU leaders meeting Tearfund’s Director of Advocacy Paul Cook said: ‘We are in the final count-down and this is a key opportunity for the EU to lead, as its heads of state gather together in Copenhagen. Tearfund believes that the EU should take a target of at least 40 per cent reductions on 1990 levels by 2020, but a move to 30 per cent now could be a vital move in pushing up ambition among other developed countries.' 'Here in Copenhagen the US has finally upped it’s game by supporting $100 billion a year by 2020 to tackle the climate crisis in developing countries. The EU can regain its leadership by being clear on their fair share of new public climate finance for poor countries. Millions of lives are stake, which means history-making political will is required.' Tearfund believes that developed countries must ramp up their ambition and announce $200 of additional public finance for action on adaptation and mitigation and the EU must provide their fair share of this by 2020.

Tearfund response to Obama speech

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:36:00 GMT

Copenhagen, 18 December, 2009: Commenting on President Barack Obama’s speech at the summit, Tearfund’s Director of Advocacy Paul Cook said: ‘Obama highlighted the need to "act boldly and decisively in the face of a common threat" and that he came to Copenhagen to act not to talk.

'Unfortunately he completely contradicted himself - the US’ actions in terms of figures for action on mitigation and finance, even after yesterday's announcement, just don’t stack up or equal survival for poor people and the planet. There were no new pledges on targets and a complete failure to acknowledge the fact that the richest and most powerful nations must take responsibility for the climate crisis that they have caused.

'For the sake of the poorest and most vulnerable people living on the front line of climate change, we sincerely hope world leaders do not squander this opportunity by providing the most vulnerable with nothing more than empty promises.'

Weak deal leaves poor nations in limbo

website.editor@tearfund.org — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 00:03:00 GMT

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK, December 18, 2009: After two weeks of negotiations United Nations climate talks have failed to reach the ambitious legally binding deal that developing countries desperately need, say Christian relief and development agency Tearfund. It is not yet clear whether a weak US-led compromise text will be accepted by some countries, notably the EU and the world’s poorest countries. ‘A small group of developed countries and advanced developing countries, such as China, India, Brazil and South Africa have cobbled together a weak political declaration on climate change that will fail to cut emissions significantly or provide enough money for developing nations to adapt and develop sustainably. ‘Instead they have cobbled together a flimsy declaration to plaster over the cracks, which is not worth the paper it is written on. This is not a comprehensive deal, and it is not a deal for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries. Many will wonder if they have been sold down the river,’ said Te ...

Haiti quake: Tearfund Director responds

website.editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:15:00 GMT

PRESS STATEMENT: HAITI EARTHQUAKE 'At Tearfund, we're today dispatching emergency funds to help survivors of the devastating earthquake that has hit Haiti, including the densely populated capital Port-Au-Prince and the surrounding area. 'Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and millions of people live in the affected area. Many buildings have been destroyed or badly damaged in the capital Port-au-Prince, including the presidential palace and the five-storey UN offices. The death toll, currently in the hundreds, is expected to rise significantly. Many more people are without shelter and basic facilities. 'Communications have been severely disrupted, making logistics extremely difficult for emergency and relief agencies. 'With so many buildings destroyed and so many people made homeless, the need for shelter and basic essentials such as food and water is extremely urgent. We are sending disaster specialists to help our partners assess immediate needs, including emergency shelter, c ...

Haiti donations update

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:37:00 GMT

15 January 2010 The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) announced today that online donations to the Haiti earthquake appeal hit £2 million in 36 hours. The sums were raised before the first radio and television appeals by the DEC and mark an unprecedented response to DEC online fundraising. The DEC appeal was made public with a message on Twitter that has spread through social networks and been helped by high-profile endorsements including from Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The Queen has also given privately to the DEC appeal. DEC Chief Executive Brendan Gormley said: 'We are delighted at the generosity of the British people even before our major television and radio appeals hit the airwaves. 'Efforts on the ground have been hampered by a lack of power and communications problems after the devastating quake but aid is starting to get through and DEC members are working hard in the field. 'Our message to the public is: thank you for your efforts so far but it is vitally important that people continue t ...

Churches give and pray to DEC appeal

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:44:00 GMT

15 January 2010 Thousands of churches in the UK are set to spend this Sunday (17 January) praying and giving offerings for people affected by the huge earthquake that devastated Haiti this week. Actor John Hurt and presenter Kirsty Young have fronted appeals asking for help for the impoverished nation struck by the quake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale on Tuesday. Christians are responding to the DEC appeal by taking time within their church services to pray and give money. The president of Haiti says he fears that tens of thousands of people have died but the full extent of the suffering remains unclear. Oenone Chadburn, Head of Tearfund’s Disaster Management Unit, said today: ‘My husband is half-Haitian, and we have spent the last few days praying and searching online for news of family and friends. We have lost one person, and we’re grieving that loss. We’re very encouraged that our fellow Christians will be praying and giving to the DEC Appeal this Sunday, as we stand with our brothers and sist ...

DEC appeal for Haiti raises £31 million

website.editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:26:00 GMT

20 January 2010 Exactly one week after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal total has increased to £31.5million counted so far as the public responds to desperate need of Haiti’s survivors. In the middle of an extremely challenging aid operation where many survivors are already terrified of aftershocks the news of today’s tremors are of grave concern. We are assessing the impact of the aftershock with our field staff to see if there has been further large-scale disruption to survivors and aid operations. Since our last update, DEC member agencies work has included: CARE is concentrating on meeting the specific needs of pregnant women, new mothers, and children through the distribution of water purification tablets, emergency food rations, infant kits for mothers with newborns and young babies, and hygiene kits. Yesterday CARE supported 10,800 people at camp sites in Leogane and Petionville, and plan to install water bladders and distribute mattresses and blankets to 500 ...

Weak pledges continue as Copenhagen accord reaches its first milestone

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 11:16:00 GMT

1 February 2010 The ‘soft’ 31 January deadline for countries to associate themselves with the hastily brokered Copenhagen Accord, and propose 2020 mitigation targets has come and gone with no seismic shift in developed country action, says Tearfund. The low level of ambition that embodies the Copenhagen Accord will not keep global warming below 2 degrees. Neither will it prevent some of the most serious impacts of climate change on the world’s poorest people hit hardest by climate change and least responsible for causing it. Disappointingly, most developed countries that have put forward pledges under the Accord by the 31 January deadline have stuck to the low end of their low proposed pledges from last year. Having failed to change the game last year in Copenhagen by raising its target, the EU has put forward its stale offer of 20 per cent cuts on 1990 levels by 2020, rising to 30 per cent in the event of an ambitious deal. Australia stuck to the bottom end of its offer at 5 per cent cuts on 1990 levels ...

Cut carbon emissions during Lent

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:21:00 GMT

15 February Senior Bishops are today (15 February) backing a call to cut carbon emissions during the forty days of Lent, which starts today. Lent is traditionally a time of fasting, and abstaining from chocolate and alcohol are popular choices. The Bishop of London and Joel Edwards, International Director of Micah Challenge, are encouraging the UK to ditch iPods, abstain from meat and eat by candlelight to minimise their carbon footprint instead. The Rt Rev Richard Chartres, Bishop of London, said: "It's the poorest people in developing countries, who have done the least to cause climate change, being hit hardest by its devastating consequences. It is all of our responsibility to help reverse this injustice. The Carbon Fast's simple daily actions are not only fun, but an opportunity to demonstrate the love of God in a practical way while reducing your carbon emissions, and everyone can take part." The Carbon Fast is a 40-day journey towards a lighter carbon footprint, with simple energy saving actions e ...

Church calls for justice with One Voice

website.editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:09:00 GMT

Prayer changes our world, according to the thousands of people who will take part in a global poverty prayer campaign next week (1-7 March 2010). 22 February 2010 One Voice, which is organised by Tearfund, 24-7 Prayer and CompassionArt, calls churches and individual Christians around the world to spend time with God and reflect on and pray about issues of poverty and justice. And, in response to the recent earthquake, the One Voice prayer resources include guidance on how to continue to pray for Haiti, with a special message from singer/songwriter Martin Smith, who is the former frontman of Delirious?. ‘The response to our Haiti appeal has been incredible’, says Matthew Frost, Tearfund’s Chief Executive. ‘All around the UK, churches have been praying for people affected by the earthquake and for the churches on the ground in Haiti who have been responding since day one to the urgent needs of so many people. ‘It has reminded me of the privilege it is to be part of the global church at a time like thi ...

Haiti update

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:15:00 GMT

1 March 2010 UK Christian relief agency Tearfund has extended its emergency response to the rural and remote areas of Léogâne and Gressier. The areas, which are close to the epicentre of the earthquake, include a coastal mountainous region with areas – until a week ago – unreached by relief agencies. A Tearfund team is now working to get temporary shelter materials to more than 1600 families, working against the clock to beat the expected rain. David Bainbridge, Tearfund’s Disaster Management Director who has recently returned from the area said: ‘Our team members were often the first aid workers these communities had received. We found families working incredibly hard to help one another with the few resources they have available, but the needs are enormous. This is a race against time as the impending rainy season will only make the situation worse for so many thousands of people who are already highly vulnerable’. The team found that communities, with their homes made from concrete blocks, had often e ...

New alliance forms to protect women

website.editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:38:00 GMT

16 March 2010 RESTORED A new alliance to bring together Christians from around the world in a common goal to end violence against women is due to launch this summer (June 2010). After five years as International Director of Tearfund, Peter Grant will stand down in September 2010 in order to co-lead Restored, which is a new Christian alliance focused on ending violence against women. He will be a Co-Director of the new organisation, alongside Mandy Marshall, Tearfund’s Gender Adviser. Tearfund will ‘incubate’ Restored over the next three years, and host the new alliance as it builds up its own capacity and identity. Over the last eighteen months, Peter and Mandy believe that God has been calling them increasingly to work on a Christian response to violence against women: ‘We are now in a position to launch Restored – a Christian alliance committed to transforming relationships and ending violence against women,’ Peter said. ‘We hope that many UK organisations and partners around the world will want to ...