Lent Appeal

John and Helen’s story

John and Helen are from Amuria District, Uganda, where the climate crisis has caused extreme weather, including cycles of drought and flooding. They were trapped so firmly in extreme poverty John felt there was ‘no good life ahead of me’.

A series of crises had hit them hard. ‘All my plants were destroyed by hailstones. The water tank fell down. [My son] also got sick. He was admitted to hospital... I couldn’t do anything but pray to God, just as Job did.’

Then John heard about Tearfund’s Transforming Communities training, run at his local church. ‘As I attended those meetings, I started realising if I could take in this information and use it, I might change my situation.’

Your support helps train local churches to identify the resources they have and develop lasting solutions to extreme poverty.

Through the training, John was inspired to draw a vision map of his way out of poverty on sheets of sacking (pictured above). He finally had a way forward.

‘Life was hard,’ says John, ‘but I didn’t want to give up. I kept thinking positively and working hard. Now, things have started to improve.’

Steps out of poverty

Through a loan from our local church partner, John and Helen invested in an irrigation system, which has transformed their harvests, as well as a charcoal-lined cool-house to keep produce fresh. They’ve also bought a small motorcycle to help them get produce to market quicker. Now, they are able to meet their family’s needs.

This Lent, your generous gift can help families turn their lives around, step by step.