Tearfund press releases

Kenya violence hampers humanitarian work (3.01.08)

website.editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 16:43:00 GMT

Kenya’s spiralling descent into violence and chaos is hampering the work of Tearfund staff and partners in the country. In the worst affected areas workers have been confined to their houses due to violent clashes and looting. Nationally hundreds of people are dead and tens of thousands are fleeing for safety. Speaking from Nairobi, Peter Njuguna, Project Manager of St John’s Community Centre, a Tearfund partner working in Nairobi’s slum areas says, “The situation is very volatile here. I can hear gunshots from our office and the roads are blocked.” Many of his staff have been unable to get to work because it is too dangerous and the insecurity is hampering access to vulnerable people in need of St John's help. 'We have 160 people living with Aids under our care but we cannot reach them. Our health clinic and work with vulnerable children was due to restart today but this is not possible because of clashes in the area.” The violence follows the victory of incumbent president Mwai Kibaki and cla ...

Senior bishops call for carbon fast this lent

website.editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 10:18:34 GMT

Two of the Church of England’s most senior Bishops are today (5 February 2008) urging people to cut their carbon rather than give up chocolate this Lent. Bishop of Liverpool and Vice President of Tearfund, James Jones and Bishop of London, Dr Richard Chartres, are joining with development agency Tearfund in calling for a cut in personal carbon use for each of the 40 days of Lent, which begins tomorrow. At the same time a Tearfund survey reveals that three out of five adults in the UK are willing to take an energy saving action this Lent. Tearfund and the Bishops have launched the fast because of the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions, and to protect poor communities around the world who are already suffering from the ravages of climate change. Bishop of Liverpool and Vice President of Tearfund, James Jones said, `Traditionally people have given up things for Lent. This year we are inviting people to join us in a Carbon Fast. `It is the poor who are already suffering the effects of climate change. ...

Kenya's churches driving peaceful resolution to crisis

website.editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 12:07:37 GMT

Church leaders are working alongside the Kofi Annan peace talks playing a leading mediation role at the centre of the current crisis in Kenya, according to Tearfund. The UK Christian relief agency says church leaders are facilitating dialogue between factions within the church and political parties. “Churches in Kenya are playing a crucial and influential role with the country’s political leaders - working tirelessly in this crisis to find common ground that can lead to a peaceful outcome,” says Peter Gitau, Tearfund’s Regional Advisor in Nairobi. “We are facilitating and supporting churches in this role - urging leaders and politicians on all sides to come together and resolve differences peacefully. We have visited affected areas together with the political leaders. We have been calling for peace, facilitating meetings for church leaders from the affected communities (Luos, Kikuyus, Kalenjins and the Luhyas).” So far the church political mediation team has held two meetings with President Kibaki and two ...

Fairtrade Fortnight: Meeting the people behind the products

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:44:03 GMT

With Fairtrade Fortnight fast approaching (25 February – 9 March), Tearfund volunteers are encouraging their local communities to switch to fairtrade products, fresh from a visit to Tearcraft producers in India. Earlier this month development agency Tearfund gave volunteers selling their fairly traded Tearcraft products the chance to see fairtrade in action, by meeting the very people who have created the products. The 16-person team travelled throughout India seeing the products they in the UK sell being made. Jan Wildy, from Glasgow, has been selling Tearcraft products for more than two years and raised over £1,000 from sales. “Fairtrade works because it makes a difference to people's lives, giving them back their self esteem and the chance to build lives free from abject poverty,” says Jan. “Buying fairly traded products means we not only get the benefit of excellent quality goods, but the satisfaction of knowing that we are making a difference.” Saunders, from Loughborough says, ‘We have so much in t ...

Bishops win changes to Climate Change Bill

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:47:19 GMT

The plight of the world’s poor already suffering the impact of global warming has been recognised in the Climate Change Bill going through Parliament thanks to the intervention of the Bishops of Liverpool and London. Following advice from relief and development agencies Tearfund and Christian Aid, the Bishops together with Baroness Northover tabled an amendment to ensure that the Committee on Climate Change, which will advise the government when the bill becomes law, will include an expert on the social impacts of climate change policy at a national and international level. The Bishops were concerned that the committee’s deliberations on measures needed to tackle climate change could focus too exclusively on the costs involved to British society and business without considering the needs of the developing world. The principle behind the amendment has been accepted by the Government and will now be included when a revised version of the bill is published. During a the House of Lords debate on the bill th ...

Tearfund Director to head up Friends of the Earth

website.editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:02:00 GMT

Tearfund’s Policy and Campaigns Director Andy Atkins has been appointed as the new Executive Director of Friends of the Earth. He joins Friends of the Earth in late June, before replacing Tony Juniper as Executive Director later in the summer. Andy has a track record and commitment for finding solutions to environmental and social justice challenges and is an experienced leader, campaigner and communicator. During his 11 years at Tearfund, eight of which as Policy and Campaigns Director, he has overseen many achievements including the establishment of policy and campaigns work as core business for the organisation, initiating its work on climate change and poverty and championing climate change as a poverty issue among UK development NGOs. He was a key organiser of the Make Poverty History campaign, and is a Board member of the Stop Climate Chaos coalition, where he works with Tony Juniper. Andy has also gained considerable experience in his previous roles as Campaigns Coordinator, and General Secretar ...

Positive and purpose driven - UK's biggest church conference on HIV

website.editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:25:00 GMT

More than 300 delegates gathered for the UK’s biggest church conference on HIV. This was a unique assembly of Christians wanting to get informed – to engage with the issues that surround HIV and AIDS. An opportunity to discover not only what is already being achieved by local churches around the world, but also the effect that they as individuals might have with the knowledge and resources to help their own churches to respond in the UK. The Positive Church Conference, produced by Tearfund and hosted by Bracknell Family Church on 15 March, opened with an emotive and captivating address by Kay Warren, Executive Director of the HIV initiative at Saddleback Church, California. She passionately spoke of her brokenness and her initial steps into communities torn by HIV and AIDS. Visiting a slum in Calcutta and how a magazine caught her eye with an article on AIDS in Africa. She struggled to look at pictures of emaciated bodies and babies so weak unable to brush flies from their faces. She would hold her hand ...

World Water Day? Not for the billions without a toilet or safe water

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:35:21 GMT

‘Tearfund is urging the Prime Minister not to let Millennium Development goals on water and sanitation go down the pan.’ Leading Christian relief and development agency Tearfund is urging Prime Minister Gordon Brown to prevent millions of unnecessary deaths by committing to a global action plan to deliver clean water and sanitation. Billions of people around the world lack even the most basic sanitation or clean water; which is why Tearfund is calling on Mr Brown to lead the international community in urgent action. Laura Webster, Tearfund’s Senior Policy Advisor on Water said: “The irony on this years World Water Day and in 2008, the UN’s year of sanitation, is that 2.6 billion people are still without sanitation facilities and 1.1 billion others continue to lack safe water.” Lack of water and sanitation is something that Justice from the Kabale District in south-west Uganda knows all too well – and it has affected his children the most. Justice said “My children have had to spend hours each day fetchi ...

Tearfund encourages supporters to make history through the Climate Change Bill Week of Action

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:03:43 GMT

‘This is a way of getting involved to help those most vulnerable to climate change,’ says Tearfund campaigner. Leading Christian relief and development agency Tearfund is this week urging people to take part in the UK wide I Count Week of Action on climate change. Running from 31 March – 5 April, the Week of Action, led by the Stop Climate Chaos coalition that Tearfund is part of, will see campaigners lobbying their local MPs to make history, by supporting firmer emission targets as the government reviews its Climate Change Bill. After talking with his MP, Tearfund campaigner Phil Bamber from Stourbridge saw success as local politicians added their support for a stronger Climate Change Bill. ‘I have always been absolutely convinced that we need to do more about climate change, particularly for the poorest communities who are feeling the effects now’ says Phil. ‘Initiatives like the Week of Action are vital in applying political pressure and I have been really encouraged by my local MP’s response.’ ‘This ...

Churches work to get out the Zimbabwe vote

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:44:43 GMT

Churches in Zimbabwe are this week working hard at the centre of communities to make sure that voters turn out at the weekend for the election, according to UK relief agency, Tearfund. Many people are fearful of voting following frequent reports of often violent intimidation, but some 900 churches are standing together to build voter confidence through a national support network. The Zimbabwe Christian Alliance (ZCA) has launched a multi-lingual voter campaign. As well as monitoring the ballot across church areas the campaign is aimed at informing, motivating and mobilising the Christian community – which constitutes 75 per cent of the Zimbabwean population - to participate and go out and vote. Useni Sibanda, National Coordinator of the ZCA - a partner organisation of Tearfund, says the organisation has a unique approach to voter awareness which is currently being taken forward by a plethora of civil society organisations. ‘The uniqueness of this programme is not that it is from a religious background ...

Action needed on Zimbabwe elections

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:02:00 GMT

International development agencies, Progressio, Trócaire, Tearfund and FEPA today call for immediate action to stop what appears to impartial observers as government-led election rigging of Zimbabwe’s 29 March polls. All four agencies are concerned about the slow release of election results, which as Noel Kututwa, Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Election Support Network says “is fuelling speculation that there could be something going on”. Marwick Khumalo, head of the Pan-African Parliamentary Observer Mission, has also expressed concern over the delay. Our mutual partner, Pastor Promise of the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance said, `SADC principles and guidelines governing democratic elections stipulate that counting of votes shall be done at the polling stations. This was done and completed yet ZEC is withholding the results which are already public knowledge as they were posted outside each polling station. `With Kenya’s violence so fresh in our minds, it is not acceptable to delay the timely announcement o ...

Growing tensions following Zimbabwe elections

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:57:00 GMT

International development agencies, Progressio, Tearfund, Trócaire, the Foundation for Development and Partnership in Africa (FEPA), and Christian Aid warn that Zimbabwe is becoming increasingly tense as election results continue to hang in the balance. All five agencies are deeply concerned about the counting and tabulation of votes cast in Zimbabwe’s March 29th elections despite the results of the parliamentary elections being declared yesterday. The failure of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to adequately explain the delays in releasing official results and the discrepancies between ZEC tallies of votes cast and those of independent observers are leading to increasing the risk of heightened tension in the country. Noel Kututwa, chairperson of Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) said in a statement: ‘While it is the responsibility of ZEC to announce the official results of the election, it is the legal duty of election observers to provide the people of Zimbabwe with independent non-parti ...

Zimbabwe churches open their buildings

website.editor@tearfund.org — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:44:32 GMT

In the fourth week since Zimbabwe went to the polls a violent crack down is clearly underway. As Zanu PF militias target those suspected of voting for the opposition MDC, Tearfund partner, The Churches in Bulawayo (CIB) today released a statement calling for action in response to confirmed reports of widespread torture, beatings and harassment of community members. CIB confirmed that its member churches would be ‘immediately opening its doors so as to shelter the victims of harassment.’ They are also calling on the government to release the Presidential results immediately and for increased international efforts to resolve the crisis before the situation degenerates into a ‘bloodbath’. Since the elections, property has been destroyed and seized. Communities have been threatened with further violence if they fail to vote for Robert Mugabe should a run off ballot take place. While the South African Development Committee (SADC) leaders have called for release of the presidential results, they consistently ...

Tearfund responds to cyclone in Burma

website.editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:05:00 GMT

Tearfund partner agencies inside Myanmar (Burma) are responding to the thousands of people that were hit by the devastating impact of Cyclone Nargis at the weekend. Tens of thousands are now thought to have died when winds and waves ripped thorough coastal and inland regions. Partners working in the areas devastated by the cyclone are providing food, shelter and clean water through a network of churches in the region. Despite all communication being damaged, Tearfund has contacted partner teams in Thailand who have managed to speak with staff in Myanmar. ‘On top of the tens of thousands that have died we know that many more people have been badly hurt, are without homes, food, clothes or medicine and are badly traumatised by the level of destruction that the cyclone unleashed,’ says Sudarshan Sathianathan from Tearfund. ‘Now, more than ever it is vital that as we start to understand what communities needs are in the immediate term we can provide exactly what will help and support our partner agenc ...

Tearfund aids Myanmar cyclone survivors

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 19 May 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Tearfund partner agencies are working day and night to get relief aid to thousands of the desperate survivors of Cyclone Nargis. More than two weeks after Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Delta was smashed by the cyclone, the stories of those whose lives have been torn apart still surface as relief teams reach communities. ‘The roof was flapping and then it opened up like a tin can,’ one woman told a relief team in the Insein Township. ‘Water was coming in and everything was floating. The nearby stream had risen four feet to reach the house… the water came up to my chest …my neighbour’s house collapsed and was completely destroyed. We have no water as our tank is full of dirty stream water.’ An aid worker spoke of one family who narrowly missed being crushed as their house collapsed. Afraid ‘They had no place to run and they were afraid to go out from their house. The wind blew through their house with great force and dislocated everything.’ While the Myanmar regime says the relief phase is over, Tearfund and ...

Relief and development agency calls for the continued support of cyclone Nargis victims

website.editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 08:03:36 GMT

‘Aid workers are continuing to reach out to the most vulnerable’ says Tearfund Staff from relief and development agency Tearfund, returning from Myanmar (

Burma

) have called for the continued support of those hit by cyclone Nargis and to workers distributing aid as they carry on the massive relief operation to people. Church groups in Myanmar (

Burma

) supported by Tearfund are running camps for those who have been made homeless by the crisis, with one providing help to over 3,000 people. The distribution of aid and medical help also continues despite mass ...

Zimbabwe police arrest Tearfund partners

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:34:00 GMT

This afternoon (Monday 9 June), the Harare offices of the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance (ZCA) were raided and five staff members were taken to the Harare Central Police station for questioning. The raid was carried out by Zimbabwe’s riot police and it is reported that at least one staff member was assaulted in the raid. Useni Sibanda, National Coordinator for the ZCA said, ‘This is pure harassment of church organisations. We are just doing our usual work and we don’t understand why we should be attacked by riot police like this.’ During the raid the police confiscated papers including the March edition of the ZCA newsletter. It is understood that no charges have yet been brought. A lawyer from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights is in Harare to represent those detained. This raid follows the regime’s confrontation with diplomats last week and the increased intimidation of civil society groups. The Zimbabwe Christian Alliance is a partner organisation of UK relief agency Tearfund. Th ...

Carbon cutting scheme launched by Tearfund

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:02:00 GMT

A carbon reduction scheme enabling people to reduce their emissions and help poor communities suffering the worst effects of climate change, has been developed by a former co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Sir John Houghton. The online scheme, My Global Impact, was conceived by Sir John and taken up by Christian development agency Tearfund. It enables people to work out the amount of carbon dioxide they are emitting, pledge to reduce their carbon footprint as far as possible, and then pay money into development projects helping people adapt to the ravages of climate change. The money will also help start new projects to help poor communities develop in a sustainable way; using clean energy sources such as bio energy - (generating local energy through the use of waste like composting), solar and wind power. ‘In the industrialised North we have become wealthy by burning coal, oil, and gas that is causing climate change. By reducing our emissions and sharing this wealth poo ...

Climate-concerned clergy get on their bikes

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:01:00 GMT

Climate-concerned clergy cycled to Downing Street calling on Prime Minister Gordon Brown for a stronger Climate Change Bill this morning and delivered over 10,000 signatures collected by relief and development agency Tearfund. Graham Dodds, Minister of Hare Hills Lane Baptist Church, Leeds, said, `Climate change causes the poorest people to suffer and the longer we wait the more suffering there will be.' The group of Christian leaders from across England delivered the 10,000 signatures by bicycle with Tearfund, as part of the Stop Climate Chaos Campaign. The petitions, sent by Tearfund supporters from across the country, want a Climate Change Bill that is tough enough to deliver for poor people. Ben Niblett, Tearfund’s Campaigns Manager, said, `That means a target of 80 per cent cut in emissions by 2050, including the UK’s share of the international aviation and shipping industries.' With just over a week to go until the G8 Summit in Japan, where climate change and food shortages will be discussed ...

Church calls for action over Zimbabwe at G8 summit

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:05:00 GMT

On the opening day of the G8 Summit in Japan, Zimbabwean church workers at the forefront of aid efforts in the country issued an impassioned call to world leaders for decisive action to stop the violence in the country. Seven African heads of state, including the leaders of South Africa, Tanzania and Ethiopia, will today join the 8 leading industrialised nations for discussions to tackle poverty in Africa. Speaking from Zimbabwe, a spokesman for the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance (ZCA), a partner of British aid agency Tearfund, said, `We call on the G8 leaders to leave no stone unturned in their efforts to address the double disaster of the political and humanitarian crises in the country. `Our people are suffering terribly, but the ongoing violence is preventing us from reaching those who are in desperate need.' Economists estimate Zimbabwe’s inflation to be running at over 9 million per cent, with food in very short supply. The ZCA spokesperson expressed deep concern at talk of forming a Government of ...

Tearfund issues climate change call at G8 summit

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:15:00 GMT

As G8 leaders gather on the Japanese island of Hokkaido for their annual summit (7-9 July), aid agency Tearfund is urging them to take ambitious steps forward in efforts to tackle climate change and not to renege on existing commitments to tackle poverty. The Japanese Prime Minister and chair of this year’s summit, Yasuo Fukuda, has pledged that climate change will be at the heart of the G8 agenda. However, on the eve of the summit, expectations of progress on emissions cuts are being played down and previously-made commitments on aid are thought to be at risk. At last year’s summit in Germany, the EU, Canada and Japan committed to halving emissions by 2050. However, research from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicates this may no longer be sufficient. Global cuts of 50-80 per cent are required to keep global temperature rise below the critical 2 degree tipping point. Tearfund believes that developed nations must take the lead and is looking to G8 leaders to give a boost to UN ...

African leaders in slow lane over Zimbabwe

website.editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:17:00 GMT

On the opening day of the G8 Summit in Japan, African leaders attending the talks appeared to ask for virtually nothing of their G8 counterparts in discussions aimed at easing the crisis in Zimbabwe. Comments made by a Japanese Government spokesperson earlier today, Yazuo Yodama, indicated that the leaders, including Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, failed to call for urgent action from the G8 nations to help bring an end to the crisis. Further, the spokesperson added that, `Some African leaders mentioned that we should bear in mind that Mr Mugabe will retire in a few years. Putting pressure on Zimbabwe, including sanctions, might lead to internal conflict. We should be discreet and careful.' The African leaders pointed to the need for a government of national unity. However, church workers at the forefront of aid effort in the country, criticised this suggestion earlier today, instead calling for a transitional Government. A spokesman from the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance (ZCA), a Tearfund partner in the c ...

G8 climate talks inch forward when leaps and bounds are needed

website.editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:22:00 GMT

As climate change talks take centre stage at the G8 Summit in Japan today, the world’s largest emitters have done little more than restate last year’s G8 commitment to halve emissions by 2050. Speaking from Japan, Peter Grant, Tearfund International Director says, “Concrete commitments on climate change are the acid test of success at this summit. The G8 are crawling forward on emissions cuts at a time when giant leaps and bounds are needed.” “To do little more than restate last year’s G8 commitment to halve emissions by 2050 is a very disappointing outcome, demonstrating a lack of leadership and vision. The science is clearly telling us that merely halving emissions is no longer enough.” Tearfund believes that a commitment to 50-80% global emissions cuts by 2050 is needed as well as a 2020 target for developed countries to cut by emissions by 25-40%. Key to any target is the baseline used. A 1990 baseline is crucial, not current day levels as is feared. “Climate change is not a thing of the future – i ...

Aid agency Tearfund welcomes G8 statement on Zimbabwe

website.editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:01:00 GMT

As the day drew to a close today at the G8 Summit in Japan, aid agency Tearfund welcomed the summit leader’s statement on Zimbabwe. As the crisis in the country escalates, summit leaders have said they will take further steps against those individuals responsible for violence and expressed grave concern about the situation there. ‘This statement comes at a time when the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe is overwhelming,’ said Tearfund’s Karyn Beattie, Disaster Management Officer for Zimbabwe. ‘Five million people are in serious need of food and this figure will increase even further if something is not done to resolve the crisis and restore peace.’ Speaking from inside Zimbabwe, a senior official of Zimbabwe Christian Alliance (ZCA) said: ‘We welcome the statement made by the G8 leaders. What the country has gone through in the build up to the 27 June election; the violence and the terror, means that any solution must attend to this first and foremost. The ZCA also welcomed the leader’s calls for ‘a q ...

G8 summit: leaders urged to turn words into action

website.editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:23:00 GMT

At the second day of the G8 Summit in Japan comes to a close, British development agency Tearfund is calling on the leaders to keep their promises on aid spending and HIV and AIDS. Fears that the G8 would backtrack on their commitment to increase aid by $50 billion by 2010, with $25 billion for Africa, due to the food and fuel crisis, were not realised. Speaking from the Summit, Peter Grant, Tearfund International Director says, “No extra commitments were needed from the G8 on aid. But with only 2 years to meet this target, an extraordinary effort is required to deliver on the existing promises. “High food and fuel prices are crippling for those who already live a hand to mouth existence. This is not the time to fail on hard fought commitments to help the world’s poorest people” On current rates of progress half of the G8 nations will not fulfil their share of the 2010 target, with estimates indicating that they could be some $30 billion short. Tearfund welcomes the small steps made by G8 leaders to p ...

G8 Summit Developing nations upstage G8 on climate change

website.editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:56:50 GMT

Developing nations upstaged G8 leaders on climate change, as talks on the issue continued on Wednesday - the final day of the annual summit in Japan this week. So says the British development agency Tearfund. The G5 - China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico - strongly criticised yesterday’s G8 commitment to halve greenhouse gas emissions, as not going far enough. The outcome of broader discussions this morning has, as expected, proved to be woefully short of substance. Rather than halving global emissions by 2050, the G5 urged developed nations to be more ambitious, making a crucial first step of 25-40% cuts in emissions by 2020, followed by 80-95% cuts by 2050. This is in line with recommendations by the UN Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change. Speaking from the Summit, Peter Grant, Tearfund International Director, said, `The G8 are being upstaged by the developing nations on climate change. The meagre progress made here simply highlights just how far there is to go if we are to have ...

MPs slum it in Westminster

website.editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:43:36 GMT

David Burrowes MP (Conservative) for Enfield Southgate, Tim Farron MP (Liberal Democrat) for Westmorland & Lonsdale and Andy Reed MP (Labour) for Loughborough took part in a cross party ‘Slum Survivor’ challenge with Christian aid agency Tearfund and youth organisation Soul Survivor this week, to highlight the plight of 1 billion slum dwellers around the world. “Living life in a slum is reality for 1 billion people, and by going through the Slum Survivor challenge I’m hoping that the issue of poverty and those communities who have to live without proper shelter, sanitation or clean water is highlighted,” said David Burrowes MP. Andy Reed MP said: “Being part of the Slum Survivor challenge has been about experiencing just a tiny part of what life is like for these communities. It’s important that we keep up pressure on governments and make sure that they progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, one of which focuses on improving the lives of slum dwellers around the world,” he added. “Being p ...

Yes to green energy and no to coal

website.editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:31:00 GMT

Today, the leaders of the UK’s largest coalition dedicated to stopping climate change warned Gordon Brown that a green light for a new unabated coal plant at Kingsnorth will lock Britain into decades of spiralling emissions and severely undermine the government’s ability to meet its climate targets. At the invitation of the local community, leaders from a diverse range of organisations including the Women’s Institute, RSPB, Oxfam and Greenpeace who make up the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition planted flags in the ground at Kingsnorth to show Mr Brown the breadth of opposition he faces if he gives the go ahead to a fleet of new unabated coal plants. Instead, the coalition demands that he invests in renewables and makes massive improvements to energy efficiency. The move comes on the same day as the publication of a new report from an influential parliamentary committee which warns that Government plans to develop new coal-fired power plants are “failing to take adequate account of the environmental impact of c ...

Tearfund launches East Africa food crisis appeal

website.editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:08:00 GMT

Soaring food prices and successive droughts are pushing families in East Africa, already struggling to afford basic foods, deeper into poverty, warns international aid agency Tearfund. A combination of rising food prices and erratic rainfall has exacerbated a situation that was already dire, leaving 15 million people in urgent need of food. Tearfund’s Keith Etherington, who has just returned from Ethiopia said: “Ethiopia’s food security problems are long standing, but at the start of the year poor rains led to a total crop failure in some areas and poor yield in many others. We need to respond now, and we need to respond quickly to bring relief, but we also need to try and prevent this situation from happening again.” There are fears that if the rains fail again, leading to another poor harvest and diminished pasture for livestock, the current disaster could become catastrophic. The global food crisis has compounded food scarcity, as market prices have been much higher than in previous years. Other factors ...

Aid Agency Tearfund says the church must lead the way in addressing gender injustice

website.editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:25:00 GMT

Gender inequalities which fuel women's vulnerability to HIV must be addressed by the church, said Tearfund as the 17th International AIDS conference in Mexico draws to a close today. ‘There is a desperate need for the leadership of the church to smarten up to gender-related issues like violence and issues of power and control,’ said Tearfund’s Chief Executive Matthew Frost. ‘Gender inequality is one of the key drivers of the pandemic. The church is in a key position to transform attitudes within the community. It cannot remain silent.’ Gender and gender-based violence have been leading themes at the conference in Mexico. Lyn Lusi, from Tearfund's partner HEAL Africa, who works with women affected by sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), spoke at several conference sessions. ‘Gender inequalities leave women disempowered and more vulnerable to violence including rape. There are new laws about sexual violence in DRC, but any law without the collaboration of the community is useless. S ...

HIV: Working on the margins

website.editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:25:00 GMT

Tearfund have produced a report on unexpected responses of the local church to HIV, Working on the margins. Read the report here. Aid agency says the church plays a key yet unrecognised role in reaching the most marginalised communities living with HIV Responses to HIV by local churches and faith-based organisations amongst marginalised communities are transforming lives, says relief and development agency Tearfund. As the 2008 International AIDS Conference continues in Mexico, Tearfund is calling on decision makers to reassess the potential that the church has to reach marginalised groups. And it says that it is the churches that are helping to overcome stigma and discrimination amongst communities, enabling access to treatment, care and support for people living with HIV. Tearfund's new case study report, Working on the margins highlights exceptional work by churches with women affected by sexual violence in the DRC, male groups in urban and rural Uganda, and with hijira (transgender) communities i ...

Tearfund partner responds to Nepal floods

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:52:00 GMT

Tearfund partner organisation United Mission to Nepal is providing urgent food aid to the thousands affected by the floods that hit over seven regions in the south east part Nepal. The Koshi River, Nepal’s largest river burst its banks on Monday displacing over 30,000 people from their homes. Many electricity supplies have been affected and drinking water is in scarce supply. ‘Workers at the scene have told me that many people have had to flee their homes after they were washed away and there are huge amounts of mud and water that have affected and contaminated everything,’ said Jennie Collins Executive Director from UMN. Schools in the area about 30km from the flooded areas have opened up to provide shelter and one school with capacity for 2,000 people has nearly 3,000 people encamped there. One UMN worker told of a mother and one month baby recently arriving at the school. The women, who had nothing to cover her or her baby with, had lost everything and not eaten for three days. Many people got ...

Huge river breach floods 15 districts and displaces over 2.5 million in India

website.editor@tearfund.org — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:06:16 GMT

Aid agency Tearfund’s partners distribute food to the homeless (29 August 2008) Tearfund partner organisations Eficor, Discipleship Centre and Emmanuel Hospital Association have been distributing food to relief camps as they respond to the huge floods affecting more than two million people in the Bihar state of India. Over 15 districts in the area have been affected, with three of them – Madhepura, Supaul and Saharsa completely covered by water. ‘The water has inundated the area so much that no land in these places is showing,’ says Prince David, from Tearfund in Delhi. There are also reports that there is no telephone communication in the region, making communication and reaching communities difficult. Prince, who has been in regular contact with workers as they return from the area to bring information and collect resources, says that there are estimates that up to 2,000 people have been killed. ‘Because the river burst its banks with such force and actually changed course, many regions were compl ...

Tutu rallies UK churches to action on poverty

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 10:46:00 GMT

'The Bible has revolutionary power to free the poor', Archbishop Desmond Tutu told a conference of UK Christians and church leaders in London on Saturday (6 September). The Nobel Prize winner was speaking at an event organised by Tearfund and Jesus House for all the Nations, where he challenged churches to be the hands, feet, eyes and ears of Jesus in the fight against local and global poverty. Drawing on his experiences in apartheid-dominated South Africa, the Archbishop told more than 800 delegates, `If you want to keep people subjugated, the last thing you place in their hands is a Bible. `There’s nothing more radical, nothing more revolutionary, nothing more subversive against injustice and oppression than the Bible.' In a rallying call to the Church for more action to help the poor, the Archbishop added, `I want to thank you for caring as you do. Thank you for being a local church that wants to engage with other local churches, for wanting to make the invisible God visible.' Churches were encour ...

UN facing last chance on water targets

website.editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 23:01:00 GMT

New figures released today by the United Nations reveal progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. But with most of the goals currently off track, international development NGOs Tearfund and WaterAid say that political neglect and under-funding of sanitation and water are at the heart of this failure. The MDG target for sanitation is the most off track, undermining all other development efforts. This is causing the deaths of millions of children each year, impeding progress in education and health, and preventing economic growth. There is a danger that in sub-Saharan Africa some goals are so far behind that they will not even be met this century. Appalling In a report launched today by both agencies - ‘Sanitation and Water – why we need a global framework for action' the reasons why sanitation and water are vital to all areas of development are highlighted. The report cites the appalling lack of international leadership in the sector and the shortfall of aid going to sanitation a ...

Celeb chefs cook up a treat for Tearfund

website.editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:46:00 GMT

Celebrity chefs Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Delia Smith and Rick Stein have donated nutritious recipes as part Christian relief and development agency Tearfund’s Step Up to the Plate church resource. As harvest time approaches, the resource, in support of Tearfund’s work to secure good food for families in the poorest communities, looks at how they are coping with long periods of drought, with the increasing impact of climate change on developing countries. This added to food prices rises - maize rose by 150 per cent this year in Ethiopia alone - means many families already struggling are experiencing even further hardship. By working through local churches, Tearfund’s partners are teaching alternative farming and irrigation methods to improve yields and secure sufficient food. Christian Relief and Development Organisation (CREDO) has been working with local pastors and their communities to secure food since the Sahel-wide drought of 2005. Pastor Philippe, a farmer in Burkina Faso, West Africa says, ...

Brown needs to go further on climate change

website.editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:16:00 GMT

Tearfund welcomes Gordon Brown’s hint that the UK is moving closer to 80 per cent cuts in emissions by 2050, however, he has missed an opportunity to show leadership by failing to announce the cuts outright. In an hour long speech, the Prime Minister announced that the climate change committee should report on the case for an 80 per cent reduction in the UK’s emissions by October instead of December. This means there is a chance that the 80 per cent target will be included in the Climate Change Bill at the end of this year. This latest news has now publicly raised the expectations that the target in the Bill will reflect what the scientific consensus has been saying all along. This will allow the government to take a lead on climate change, one of the most important global issues of our time. However, Tearfund are concerned that current plans to develop new coal-fired power plants are incompatible with today’s announcement and any key decisions around the UK’s energy infrastructure should support and ...

Call for greater action over water poverty

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:41:00 GMT

World leaders today gathered alongside UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who called for accelerated action to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets for sanitation and water. End Water Poverty, an international coalition of more than 110 civil society organisations, welcomed announcements from the UK and Netherlands that they would promote a ‘global framework for action’ that includes a high-level summit to be held in 2009 and the development and implementation of plans to meet the MDGs in 20 countries, supported by an extra initial budget of 100 million over five years. While welcoming the news, NGOs warned, however, that much more would need to be done to end the scandal of 40 per cent of the world’s population lacking access to a safe toilet. Steve Cockburn, End Water Poverty Coordinator said: `Increasing support for countries’ own plans to meet the MDGs and establishing a high-level meeting to drive progress are positive steps forward not just in delivering much-needed progress on sanit ...

Indifference the enemy as sanitation crisis on sidelines at UN summit

website.editor@tearfund.org — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:26:00 GMT

Lack of focus on health crisis highlights need for broader support of UK-Dutch framework for action Despite yesterday’s positive announcement from the UK and Dutch Governments of a ‘global framework for action’ to boost efforts to meet the sanitation and water MDG targets, most world leaders today displayed a continued neglect of one of the world’s greatest health and development challenges. With leaders focusing most activity on commitments for health, education and agriculture, the 2.5 billion people worldwide who lack access to a safe toilet were left with much less to cheer. Steve Cockburn, from the End Water Poverty Coalition said: “Too many leaders failed to acknowledge the simple fact that without rapid progress on sanitation and water it will be impossible to meet the Millennium Development Goals. Thousands of children will continue to die each day from preventable diseases, children will remain out of school and the daily lives of women will continue to be blighted. “The indifference towards a ...

Milliband move indicates major push on climate change

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:22:00 GMT

The new Department for Energy and Climate Change, headed up by Ed Miliband, has shuffled the fight against runaway emissions to its rightful place, its very own seat at the cabinet table, says international aid agency Tearfund. The news, which has sparked excitement amongst climate change campaigners, means energy and climate change will sit within the same Whitehall ministry, a move that will hopefully make it much easier to ensure that key decisions made around the UK’s energy infrastructure do not undermine the UK government’s commitments to drastically curb emissions. Tearfund Advocacy Director Paul Cook, said, 'This is great news, it makes much more sense to have both energy and climate policy together. Mr Miliband will certainly be met by an overflowing in-tray. If he could put the cancelling of plans to build new coal-fired power stations at the top of his to-do list that would be great.' To arrange an interview or Climate Change briefing with Tearfund’s Advocacy director Paul Cook please contact ...

Tearfund welcomes new UK emission targets

website.editor@tearfund.org — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:54:00 GMT

Calls by the independent Climate Change Committee for the UK Government to set an 80 per cent reduction target for all greenhouse emissions, including international aviation and shipping by 2050, have been welcomed by international aid agency Tearfund. The long overdue announcement means that the Government can now take decisive action to make the Climate Change Bill strong from the start, signalling it is finally taking the science seriously and reflecting to the world that the UK is leading the way internationally in tackling climate change. Tearfund’s Advocacy Director Paul Cook said, `Firm decisions to reduce emissions now mean that the UK can begin to stem the dangerous levels of runaway emissions that are already having a devastating impact on the world’s poorest countries least responsible for greenhouse gas emissions.' Concerns remain however, that the targets set in the bill could be undermined by decisions around how much of the targets can be achieved by buying in carbon credits from overseas. ...

Climate victory as UK agrees emission cuts

website.editor@tearfund.org — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:39:00 GMT

Actions finally spoke louder than words today, as the government announced the UK will set a 2050 emissions reduction target of 80 per cent. The news is a campaigning victory for international aid agency Tearfund, which as part of the Stop Climate Chaos coalition has been pushing for the 60 per cent target to be increased for the past 18 months. Tearfund Advocacy Director Paul Cook said, `We are pleased the government has announced a target that matches the science and gives the UK integrity on the international stage. `This signals justice for people in the poorest countries who contribute least to carbon emissions, but are bearing the brunt of climate change.' But the failure to include the UK’s share of international aviation and shipping emissions in the Climate Change Bill in today’s announcement, as recommended by the Climate Change Committee, is highly disappointing for campaigners. The burden now rests with MPs to make sure that these highly polluting industries are not let off the hook. Tea ...

MPs to vote on Climate Change Bill

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:30:00 GMT

Last week the government showed international leadership in the fight to tackle climate change by announcing the UK will set a 2050 emissions reduction target of 80 per cent. As the impacts of climate change are felt around the world, drastic action must be taken to protect the world’s poor. The government’s commitment is a major step forward. Tomorrow MPs will be voting on the Climate Change Bill, which will make the 80 per cent target law. Tearfund welcomes the news that the government is likely to include the UK’s share of international aviation and shipping emissions in the Bill, but are worried that the government will undermine the new target by seeking to buy in at least half their emissions from overseas. Tearfund’s Head of Policy Laura Webster said: `Climate change is hitting the poorest now. The UK needs to take urgent steps to develop a low carbon economy rather than buying in cheap carbon credits from overseas. `The majority of emissions cuts must be made at home. Investment is needed in ...

DR Congo conflict hits aid response hard

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:53:00 GMT

Aid agencies are struggling to get access to hundreds of thousands of people displaced in the recent escalation of conflict in Congo’s Democratic Republic (DRC). Many aid workers have had to evacuate with relief operations suspended as fighting between rebels and government forces encroaches on Goma, the provincial capital. It is believed that more than 250,000 people have now been displaced – adding to the 850,000 that have been displaced over the last two years, caught up in one of the world’s forgotten conflicts. Tearfund partner agencies able to remain in the area are drawing up plans to reach people caught up in a new outbreak of violence in the volatile east of the country. What is lacking and is urgently needed is a relief corridor to provide secure access for aid to reach the displaced people. Tearfund works with two partner development agencies in the region. Both have staff currently remaining in Goma scoping a response to urgent needs, however a spokesperson for HEAL Africa said the cont ...

Financial crisis must not slow climate talks

website.editor@tearfund.org — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:30:00 GMT

On the anniversary of Cyclone Sidr, the worst disaster to hit Bangladesh in a decade, aid agency Tearfund is urging governments convening at a United Nations Climate Change Summit in Poznan not to use the financial crisis as a smokescreen but to work to secure a global climate deal that benefits poor communities around the world who are hit hardest by climate change. The conference, which takes place in a fortnight, comes at a time when the global economy is facing meltdown. Tearfund is calling on governments to work together at Poznan in order secure a deal at next year’s climate talks in Copenhagen, that keeps global temperature rise as far below two degrees as possible and helps poor communities adapt to climate change. Paul Cook, Tearfund’s Director of Advocacy said, `The financial crisis must not be used as an excuse for inaction by rich countries. `Climate change is already causing a crisis in many of the poorest countries in the world and has the potential to wreak further havoc on global econo ...

Reading tops UK public habits in the loo

website.editor@tearfund.org — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:45:00 GMT

Great Britain’s top toilet habit is reading, with more than 14 million people choosing to look at books, magazines and newspapers to pass the time while they are on the porcelain throne, according to a survey published to mark World Toilet Day today. The research, commissioned by aid agency Tearfund, reveals that more than eight million people talk while they are on the loo – either on the phone or to their family – and one in five adults send text messages. The `Toilet Habit' survey also shows that more than five million people think about food – with Londoners topping the table – and that men are more likely to look for a distraction when on the toilet than women. Serious message But Tearfund’s research was commissioned with a serious message in mind. While 75 per cent of people questioned complained about toilets being dirty, unflushed, or having loo roll, more than a third of the world’s population today do not have a clean, safe place to go to the toilet and every 20 seconds a child dies from poo ...