Amira is a normal 16 year-old. She’s got the usual interests: pop music, boys and her mobile phone. But, along with 30 million other children and young people around the world she’s a refugee. Amira lives in a camp with her family after fleeing the civil war in Syria.
Our 2017 sponsored walk will support Tearfund's work among refugees in Lebanon - please join us.
Please join us onFriday 20th May at Shanes Castle for our 2016 sponsored walk. We will be there from 11am, the cafe will be open and the barbecue will be on. Please contact us for sponsorship cards.
Growing food in Chad The full details of our 2016 project are below - we plan to make a difference for 3000 people!
Sévérinproudly shows off his market garden
(Source: SCMR)
WHY SHOULD
YOU GET INVOLVED?
The
reason: The people served by this project live in almost constant fear
of not being able to feed their families. In Chad around 87 out of 1,000 babies
die, compared to around 4 in the UK, many due to hunger or indirectly due to
poor nutrition. It is vital that local churches play a central role in training
people to overcome the problems they face so they can be lifted out of material
and spiritual poverty.
The
results: This project will strengthen churches to take the lead in
developing and transforming their communities. Farmers will learn to use their
land more productively and sustainably to feed their families and earn a
profit. Marginalised people living with HIV/AIDS will also be encouraged and
supported to start small businesses to earn a living. Money earned will allow
parents to send their children to school and to grow their businesses. The
project aims to reach over 3,000 people, both directly and indirectly.
This
project needs your support: The project year will cost
£26,744 and runs between July 2015 and June 2016. Among other important
activities, this money will be used to teach communities to farm in keeping
with changing climate conditions, strengthen churches to take the lead in
transforming their communities and support people living with HIV/AIDS.
WHY DOES
THIS PROJECT EXIST?
Tandjilé
in south-west Chad is one of the country’s 22 regions
and is divided into two departments. These departments are split
into 13 subprefectures. For the duration of this project, the Service Chrétien
en Milieu Rural/SCMR (The Christian Service in Rural Areas) will focus on five
of the most needy subprefectures where most people rely on small-scale farming
and many struggle to support their families.
The
success of cereal crops, such as rice, millet and sorghum, is highly dependent
on favourable weather conditions and reliable rainy seasons. But rainfall in
Chad is becoming increasingly erratic. Alternating droughts and floods ravage
the land, hitting agricultural yields very hard and threatening livelihoods,
health and lives. It is a cruel injustice that world’s poorest people are those
most affected by climate change, even though they are the least responsible for
it.
A lack
of knowledge on how to farm successfully in the changing climate is leaving
many families in these Chadian communities desperately poor and hungry. A lack
of surplus produce to sell is keeping incomes low, meaning that children are
deprived of schooling, forced to marry young and robbed of their childhood.
Within
this challenging landscape, local churches are reaching out to bring God’s love
and salvation to people who desperately need Him. SCMR is working to strengthen
these churches to work in their communities, bring spiritual and material
support, and enable people to lift themselves out of poverty.
HOW WILL
THIS PROJECT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Sévérin
is a farmer and a father of ten. He has similar dreams and aspirations for his
children as any good father would. ‘I used to grow rice,’ he told us. ‘After
harvest, I always used to sell a large part of the yield to have enough money
for the children's school fees, clothing, medical care and other family needs.
But we couldn’t always make ends meet before the next harvest. At times, I was
forced into debt, and this took its toll on the family.
But five years ago SCMR gave us training on how to diversify
crops to increase income for our households. I learned to do market gardening
and SCMR helped me with vegetable seeds and agricultural tools for working in
the garden. Since then, a great change has taken place in my family. With
revenues from the garden, I’ve been able to build a house with two bedrooms. I
bought a pair of oxen and a cart. I can now pay for my children’s clothing and
school fees and if anyone in the family falls ill I can pay for treatment. Our
diet has much improved and we are able to store provisions that allow us to
cover the whole year without going hungry.
Our prayer is to increase our productivity, so we can live a
full life and witness more of God's blessings in my family.’
WHAT
WILL THE PROJECT DO IN THE SHORT TERM?
In this project year, SCMR will inspire and equip three local
churches to spread the good news of Jesus in word and deed to even more people.
With SCMR-trained local churches taking the lead, communities will develop
resources and skills they already have to improve their quality of life. This
process will give local people a vision for determining their own future with
their own resources.
An exciting aspect of this project is Hope Farm, a centre for
theoretical and practical training. People will come here to learn about
sustainable agriculture - how to invest in crops that are better suited to the
changing climate and how to restore their soil using organic matter. Seeds,
equipment and sacks of manure will be bought to demonstrate these sustainable
techniques. On the farmer’s own land, SCMR staff will help farmers to implement
the new techniques and monitor their progress. We pray that these farmers will
reap bountiful harvests and be inspired to share what they have been taught
with others, multiplying the impact of the training.
Ignorance and prejudice is marginalising and stigmatising people
living with HIV/AIDS. A number of people with the virus have organised an
association to join hands and tackle the challenges that they face together
with strength and dignity. SCMR is following Jesus’ example by standing with
these ostracised people and offering compassion and practical support. SCMR will
provide this precious group with livestock to give them new opportunities to
earn an income.
WHAT
IMPACT WILL THIS HAVE IN THE FUTURE?
Through providing technical training and support, domestic
vegetable production in the communities will increase. As well as improving
families’ diet and health, proceeds from the sale of surplus produce will
increase their income levels. This money will enable parents to send their
children to school, expand their agricultural activities and increase their
productivity.
Communities will take ownership of the project to make sure the
work continues to develop and is sustainable in the long-term. Initially, SCMR
will regularly monitor the use of new farming techniques so that future work
will yield good results. Once funding has ended, the communities will be
equipped to continue the work without external guidance.
Lessons learned during the outworking of the project will be
shared, and agricultural practice will be improved upon from generation to
generation. The sustainability of this project will be further strengthened
through the establishment of church-led groups with a heart to serve and love
their communities. These groups will share goods and knowledge to equip them to
be more resilient and adaptable to climate change. Most importantly, we pray
that through the work more and more people would come to know Jesus as their
loving saviour.
WHO IS CARRYING THIS OUT ON THE GROUND?
The Service Chrétien en Milieu Rural (SCMR) was formed in 1976.
SCMR supports around 500 churches in the Tandjilé and Logone Occidental
regions of Chad. SCMR was initially set up by the Eglise Evangelique au Tchad
(EET) to improve living conditions in rural areas. Their work includes
improving food security, protecting the environment and preventing and treating
HIV/AIDS.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?
GIVING
This project needs financial support to run. We’re aiming to
raise £26,744* towards the coming project year.
PRAYING
·●Thank God for the good work SCMR have been doing in Chad for so
many years.
·●Please pray that the local churches will be beacons of hope
within their communities. Pray
also
that they would play a growing role in lifting the people of Chad out of
poverty.
·●Please pray that God would change people’s hearts so that those
living with HIV/AIDS would
no
longer be excluded, but be accepted, valued and loved.
The purpose of this year’s sponsored walk is to help combat
child labour in Zambia. Over 600,000 children between the ages of 5 and 14 are
forced to work – about half of them full-time. We want to raise £22,000 - seems like a lot, but last year you raised an amazing £18,800! So it's possible!
In Zambia over 600,000 children between the ages
of 5 and 14 years of age are forced to work – about half of them full-time.Tearfund, together with Jesus Cares Ministries
(JCM), wants your help to combat this.
THE PLAN:
500 vulnerable children currently being exploited
through child labour will be given vocational skills and access to good education.
2000 ‘at risk’ children will be prevented from
entering child labour through Life Skills Training.
400 caregivers will be taught skills to improve
their income.
100 local churches will raise awareness of child
labour and awareness will be raised in 4 local communities, impacting
approximately 150,000 people.
THE COST:The direct costs, for 12 months, come to £22,000
Education support for children (school materials & uniforms)
This
project addresses poverty, lack of education, sensitisation on issues of child
labour, and empowerment of vulnerable households affected by child labour and
HIV & AIDS.
making a difference?
Below is the story of Josephine Phiri, a mother whose life has been transformed by the work of Jesus Cares Ministries.
My name is Mrs
Josephine Phiri. I am 41 years old and married with 7 children. I live in
Chibeteka Village in Chiparamba Community, where we are all peasant farmers.
I sent my
daughter Maureen (12 years old) and Alpha (8 years old) to JCM Transitional
School for early childhood education and now they are at Chiparamba Primary
School. Maureen is in Grade 5 and Alpha is in Grade 2. Their school performance
is very good.
I am so grateful
to God for the empowerment I received through JCM. I was trained in baking to
sustain the livelihood of my family. My husband helped me build a traditional
baking oven, which I use to bake buns that I sell to the community. With this
money I can support my children with their school needs such as uniforms,
books, pencils and school fees.
My baking
business earns me K50 (approx. £5) every day and I am able to make a saving of
K20 (approx. £2) everyday to boost my profits. With the remaining money, I buy
more ingredients for my baking business. With the surplus I have also
diversified into a charcoal business. I do this with my family, which enables
me to meet all of our needs - I never run out of money to meet the needs of my
children and the family.
Last February (2014),
I decided to join a Self Help Group (SHG) called Yamikani SHG in Chibeteka
Village. The 20 of us meet weekly and make a contribution of K5 (approx. 50p)
monthly, which is loaned to the group members who pay back with an interest of 10%. I managed to get a loan of K20 (approx. £2), which I used to buy baking
ingredients (flour, salt and yeast). This
earned me K53 (over £5), which enabled me to paid back my loan with 10%
bringing the total amount to K22 (over £2). I had a balance of K31 (over £3),
which I put back into my business and also used some of the money to meet the
needs of my children.
I thank God that
this has transformed my life and mind set. I am now aware of our locally available
resources, which I can use to help meet the needs of my children, my family and
the community at large. To God be the glory.
What impact will this have?
Since Jesus Cares Ministries began this
project in 2007, they have seen the number of children enrolled in community
schools and formal schools increase. There has been a reduction in cases of
child marriages, child pregnancies and child labour and more of the existing cases
of child labour and abuse are being reported. Children are more aware of their
rights and responsibilities towards education.
Thanks to Church & Community
Mobilisation, the Church have understood their role as the salt and light of
this earth and are addressing the way they meet the spiritual and physical
needs of their communities.
Community participation is key. Communities
work alongside JCM wherever possible and are more aware of their potential and
locally available resources.
As the Self Help Group concept has now been
adopted amongst caregivers, transformation in households and communities is highly
evident, with 90% of children in the target communities now attending school.
Who is doing the work on the ground?
Jesus Cares Ministries (JCM) Zambia was
founded in 1995. Tearfund have been
partnering with JCM since 2007 and supporting them in their work with children
and women through education, health services, social mobilisation, awareness
raising, research and advocacy.
The vision of JCM is a better world for all, where the poor
and less privileged are empowered and their human rights protected and
promoted. JCM is guided by the values of Christ-centeredness, love,
servanthood, teamwork, excellence, hope, faith, transparency, accountability,
integrity, non-partisanship and gender sensitivity.
what can you do to help?
Giving
The project needs financial support to run.
We would like to raise the £22,000 required
to meet the direct costs of the project in Zambia for one year. Last year we
raised £18,800 so our target is achievable.
please continue to Pray
·Thank God for the success of the
project so far – in particular for people like Josephine mentioned above, who
have experienced such positive change in their lives as a result of JCM’s work.
·Please pray that JCM would find the
funds and people resources required to cope with the numbers of children who
are being withdrawn from child labour.
·Please pray for a change in cultural
practises (such as childhood marriage) and statutory laws that are still
governing the land and making it difficult for JCM to intervene.
Thank you for your continued support and prayer concerning
Tearfund’s work
You may recognise these two guys - Richard and Peter Chambers - they won silver medals in the London Olympics. They have visited this year's project - watch their 4 min DVD "One Big Mountain.
Please contact us for sponsorship forms and join us on May 23rd.
Below are full details of where your money will go.
Partner: Kigezi Diocese Water and Sanitation Programme (KDWSP).
Location: Kabale District, Uganda.
Purpose: To provide families with better access to safe water and improved health and sanitation services inKabale District.
Impact: Over three years, 21,302 people will have directly benefited from safer water, better sanitation facilities and improved health. A further 2,000 people will have indirectly benefited from the project too.
At war with the government, rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) used children as soldiers or sex slaves. Before the LRA was driven into the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2008, tens of thousands of civilians had been killed or kidnapped. Some 1.6 million people had fled their homes.
Most Ugandans work as small-scale farmers and struggle to grow enough to feed their households. Cash crops are vulnerable to fluctuating global prices. Up to one in five of Uganda’s children aged six to 17 have lost at least one parent, mostly to HIV and conflict. Meanwhile, increased droughts and flooding have had a knock-on impact on malaria and water-borne diseases.
Currently, over a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line and 35% do not access to a safe water supply.
The Need
Kabale District is in a mountainous part South-West Uganda where access to safe water is uncommon. Many people settle on the hilltops and reserve lower fertile soils in the lower parts of hills for agriculture. Most water sources are found in the valleys and this causes people to haul water up steep slopes to their homes.
Women and children walk long distances, sometimes up to three hours, to fetch small amounts of unsafe water for their families. In some schools, children take alternate mornings off class to collect water for the school. Many also collect water for their households before and after school. Some families survive on just three to four litres per person each day – far below acceptable standards.
Many communities do not understand the connection between dirty water and disease. Much of the population (especially children) suffer from water and hygiene related illnesses such as parasitic worms, diarrhoea, and skin and eye diseases.
Access to safe water is critical for development. Clean, easily accessible water reduces disease, improves household food production and reduces the amount of time women and children spend collecting water.
As well as providing water to communities, KDWSP teaches improved sanitation and hygiene and provides on-going support. Their work addresses wider issues such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, food security, nutrition and the environment.
The Ministry of Water and Environment awarded KDWSP the honour of most outstanding NGO in WATSAN promotion in 2005/2006 and 2010/2011.
The Project
This is the final year of a three year cycle. The project will continue to raise awareness on safe water, sanitation and hygiene, and then carry out appropriate action with communities.
The programme will operate in at least 15 local churches (across four government parishes) per year.
KDWSP will promote self help groups which can be crucial in empowering and increasing community participation in bringing change.
Identified vulnerable and marginalised people will be supported to form self help groups. They will be trained in saving and credit, book keeping, market assessment, WATSAN, skills training, conflict management and gender issues.
Special consideration is given to the poorest members of society by placing water taps closer to disabled and elderly homesteads.
Committees are dissolved every two years. New ones are elected and trained to understand and appreciate their roles and responsibilities for efficient management. Women are encouraged to take up leadership positions and have 50% representation on committees.
Local churches, NGOs, community based organisations (CBOs), other Dioceses, community members and individuals will be equipped with skills, experiences, lessons and best practice in WATSAN.
The project hopes to see: 30% of the 15 target churches actively engaged in WATSAN best practice, 50% of target Dioceses promoting WATSAN projects, 50% of community development teams active and 10% of communities promoting self-supplying their own needs.
·Church leaders will be envisioned to develop and sustain development initiatives. This will be through workshops, training, exposure visits, 'learning conversations' for community leaders and members and a monitoring and review meeting every six months.
·40 artisans will receive extensive residential training in water and sanitation facility construction.
·12 artisans will receive on the job training for rainwater harvesting each year.
·80 CBO members will be trained in ferrocement tank construction each year.
·Technical support will be provided to dioceses, artisans and organisations.
Promoting improved and sustainable water and sanitation services
The project aims to see: a 50% increase in hand-washing practice in the targeted communities, a 30% reduction in distance (maximum of 500m) to water points and improved water quality to less than ten fc/100ml.
·Local churches will play a part in community elections for committees, training committees, data collection, analysis and a baseline report to KDWSP.
·100 beneficiaries will benefit from two days of tailored health education.
·At least ten demonstration homes will be established in each community.
·Equipment and work will include building gravity flow schemes, rainwater harvesting systems, bio-sand filters, san-plats, 420l and 1,500l rainwater jars, ferrocement tanks, institutional tanks, springs and hand-washing facilities.
·Refresher training will be provided for WATSAN committees, church leaders and CBOs.
·30 gravity flow scheme attendants and 30 spring caretakers will receive refresher training.
Environmental sustainability, HIV/ AIDS, family planning and food security
The project aims to see 50% of people living with HIV/AIDS practicing positive living, 30% of communities carrying out improved environmental practices and a 30% increase in family planning.
·20 ferrocement tanks will be built for people living with HIV/AIDS.
·Five communities will be trained on HIV/AIDS and attend two sessions on voluntary counselling and testing.
·100 people will attend training on environmental issues for each community per year.
·100 people will be trained on food security twice a year.
·100 people will be trained in food and nutrition twice a year.
·Each community will be trained on family planning.
Advocating for improved access to safe water and sanitation in Kabale District
The project aims to see: 40% of technical institutions in Kabale District adopting water and sanitation training programs, and 20% of sub-counties in Kabale District adopting WATSAN by-laws which are endorsed and known by the communities.
·30 people from KDWSP staff and other key stakeholders will meet yearly to outline research and advocacy plans.
·Research and a baseline survey will be carried out on the community situation.
·A position paper on advocacy issues will be developed.
·KDWSP will host a meeting with the District Education Office and other bodies each year.
·KDWSP best practice will be documented.
·KDWSP will lobby at regional and district levels for improved WATSAN programmes.
·Four sub-counties will establish new by-laws regarding the making of trenches and contours (for better water access).
·There will be an emphasis on sharing good practice with other sector organisations (UWASNET, URWA) and partners.
·1,000 brochures, 500 t-shirts, 400 newsletters and 300 calendars will be produced.
