http://www.tearfund.ie/get_involved/resources/ The latest news from Tearfund Ireland en enquiries@tearfund.ie Copyright 2010 2010-09-03T15:23:32+00:00 http://www.tearfund.ie/news/pakistani_flood-hit_children_get_medical_aid/ http://www.tearfund.ie/news/pakistani_flood-hit_children_get_medical_aid/#When:15:23:32Z Children in one of the poorest areas affected by the Pakistan floods are to receive free health services from a Tearfund partner. Disruption to clean water supplies and sanitation has led to widespread outbreaks of illness, notably diarrhoea, gastroenteritis and skin conditions. To combat this, transition centres are to be set up in six villages in Punjab by staff from the Adult Basic Education Society (ABES). Helping the most vulnerable These communities are based in the district of Mianwali which has high levels of poverty, unemployment and illiteracy. The Indus river also flows through the area and the floods have caused considerable damage to homes, livelihoods, roads and bridges. The new transition centres will offer free check-ups, medicines, nutritional supplements, psycho-social support and ways of purifying water. Partner staff will work with district health officials on this project, identifying the worst cases of need. Where severely ill people are found, patients will be referred to the district hospital. Health education will be another key part of ABES’ intervention, particularly teaching children who’ve seen their schools destroyed about cleanliness and hygiene. The disaster has left a traumatic imprint on the emotional health of youngsters and so ABES will be using play and learning activities to restore a sense of normality. Support for mums ABES staff are also looking to create Mother Support Groups which will help women as they restore their family life and livelihoods. Up to 20 million people have been affected by the floods, which started at the end of July and have swept from the north to south of the Pakistan, caused by exceptional monsoon rains. With generous support for our floods appeal, fellow Tearfund partner SSEWA-Pak has been providing food and other essential items to thousands of survivors in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa provinces. A team from SSEWA-Pak are working with Unicef to address the needs of children affected by the floods. Click here to Donate now €107 could pay for a food package for four families for 30 days €53 could pay for a health & hygiene kit to protect 10 families from disease €21 could pay for eating utensils for 4 families so they can cook for themselves Pakistan, Emergencies 2010-09-03T15:23:32+00:00 http://www.tearfund.ie/news/pakistan_flood_aid_gets_to_families_in_remote_areas/ http://www.tearfund.ie/news/pakistan_flood_aid_gets_to_families_in_remote_areas/#When:11:40:41Z This week food, plastic sheets for shelter, hygiene kits and cooking utensils were among the items distributed to another 500 families in the Kashmore district of Sindh. It’s nearly a month since the monsoon rains brought devastation to Pakistan, affecting around 20 million people and claiming the lives of 1,600 others. Lost everything As the flood waters have moved from the north to the south, Sindh province has increasingly been deluged. Ashraf Mall, Tearfund’s Country Representative for Pakistan, said, ‘There’s been no let-up in the flooding situation. More and more areas are being flooded.’ So far Tearfund partner SSEWA-Pak has provided aid to more than 8,000 families in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa province and is currently working in Sindh to help people who in many cases have lost everything. In the village of Saiful-Mirani in upper Sindh, a man called Gulab told how his house was virtually destroyed and his family only just managed to escape injury: ‘I have nothing left at all,’ he said, adding that they had received no outside help. Solomon Khurrum from SSEWA-Pak, speaking from what looked like a vast lake, said, ‘There used to be a nice village here where people cultivated their lands but now there’s nothing left; no medical help has been provided to the people who are affected and no food either.’ Illness spreading One elderly villager said, ‘Our crops were destroyed by the floods. We have nothing, we have lost the wheat which we had – what will our children eat now? This is the third day our children are hungry, we don’t have anything to eat or drink.’ Waterborne illnesses are adding to the suffering. Diarrhoea, gastroenteritis, rashes and other skin complaints are increasingly evident as the flooding affects access to clean water and disrupts sanitation. A team from SSEWA-Pak are working with Unicef to address the needs of children affected by the floods. Click here to Donate now €107 could pay for a food package for four families for 30 days €53 could pay for a health & hygiene kit to protect 10 families from disease €21 could pay for eating utensils for 4 families so they can cook for themselves Pakistan, Emergencies 2010-08-27T11:40:41+00:00 http://www.tearfund.ie/news/survivors_tell_of_floods_nightmare_-_pakistan_appeal/ http://www.tearfund.ie/news/survivors_tell_of_floods_nightmare_-_pakistan_appeal/#When:08:43:20Z Survivors of the Pakistan flooding disaster have been telling Tearfund of their terror as rising waters destroyed their homes and forced them to flee for their lives. Vast swathes of the country from the north to the south are under water after heavy monsoon rains, which have affected 14 million people and claimed the lives of 1,600 others. Younas John, 48, was asleep when the deluge struck his village in north west Pakistan. He said, ‘It was midnight and I heard voices outside. I went out and everyone was running to save their lives. I took my family to higher ground.’ Saved ‘Thank God my family is saved but now we have no shelter or food. The water level rose to ten feet and our homes were completely destroyed. We’ve lost all our belongings, including clothes, utensils, everything.’ Staff from Tearfund partner SSEWA-Pak are assisting Younas’ family, who as well as needing food and other essentials have been left traumatised by the flooding. Our partner has supplied 1,100 families in the north west with food, plastic sheeting for shelter, stoves, plates, cups, pots, soap, towels, tooth paste and antiseptics. Staff are also responding to similar needs further south in Sindh province which has been affected by the flood waters moving downstream. The water is passing through Sukhar in Sindh and a barrage there is, like many dams, feeling the stain so the area’s canal system has been opened up to reduce pressure on it. Strain Ashraf Mall, Tearfund’s Country Representative for Pakistan, said, ‘The whole of the upper Sindh and some parts of the lower Sindh are now under water.’ The country’s army moved some people living near the swollen river Indus to higher ground but the district of Kashmore in Sindh has been inundated after an embankment was breached. In some parts, water levels rose 12 feet. Umer Hazrat, an agricultural labourer, is among those affected. He lost his home, his fields and his cattle, but with his family managed to save some domestic utensils. ‘My wife hardly had time to save anything because the water level was rising so fast. I’ve lost everything but I am thankful to God that my family is alive,’ he said. Huge misery Home, for now, for Umer is on the side of a road, its raised position offering the only dry piece of land in the area. SSEWA-Pak is providing him and his family with emergency aid. Solomon Khurrum, from SSEWA-Pak, appealed for more help via Tearfund’s Pakistan floods appeal: ‘I urge you (Tearfund supporters) to come forward and contribute to the aid effort and to help people who are suffering such huge misery,’ he said. Please give what you can today But we must act quickly. Tens of thousands of people are injured and homeless. And floods are an ideal breeding ground for water-borne diseases such as cholera. Donate now €107 could pay for a food package for four families for 30 days €53 could pay for a health & hygiene kit to protect 10 families from disease €21 could pay for eating utensils for 4 families so they can cook for themselves Download a powerpoint prayer presentation here to share with others and to help pray effectively. Pakistan, Emergencies 2010-08-12T08:43:20+00:00 http://www.tearfund.ie/news/pakistan_flood_appeal/ http://www.tearfund.ie/news/pakistan_flood_appeal/#When:16:50:56Z Tearfund’s local partner organisations in Pakistan were in a position to immediately assist those affected by monsoon flooding. Heavy rains in northern Pakistan have caused floods which have killed at least 1,600 people and affected 12 million people, leaving hundreds of thousands injured and homeless. Tearfund’s partner SSEWA-PAK have started to distribute food and essential non-food items to families most urgently affected by the floods. A state of emergency has been declared by the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa (KPK) after days of rain caused widespread devastation, in some places sweeping entire villages away. The flood is now passing through Punjab and moving towards the Sind region, where people have already been asked to evacuate. Roads, bridges, crops and livestock have been destroyed as rivers have burst their banks and inundated vast areas, with Balochistan in the south west and Punjab also affected. Ashraf Mall, Tearfund’s Country Representative for Pakistan, said: ‘It’s one of the biggest floods in the history of Pakistan. People need food immediately as they have lost their homes and possessions. ‘But it is not proving easy to respond to this emergency. Bridges and roads have been destroyed and the disruption of transport and communication links is making assessments difficult, with many survivors effectively cut off from outside help.’ Tearfund have released emergency funds to support local partners to support people affected by the flooding, and particularly to minimise the impact of floods on the areas of southern Punjab and Sind when the water reaches there. Donate now to support those in need in Pakistan. Download a powerpoint prayer presentation here to share with others and to help pray effectively. All photos: Ashraf Mall/Tearfund Pakistan, Emergencies 2010-08-04T16:50:56+00:00 http://www.tearfund.ie/news/irish-funded_health_centre_opened_cambodian_pm_says_thanks/ http://www.tearfund.ie/news/irish-funded_health_centre_opened_cambodian_pm_says_thanks/#When:10:28:47Z A new TB/AIDS respite care centre was built in July in Poipet, Cambodia with funding from employees of ESB in Ireland. At a ceremony to open a new TB/AIDS health centre, Tearfund was presented with a gold medal and certificate of appreciation by the governor of Banteay Meanchey province on behalf of the Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen. The recognition reflects the growing influence of Tearfund partners working in Cambodia to tackle poverty. Poipet City, in north-west Cambodia, is an epicentre for HIV/AIDS due to its thriving sex trade and human trafficking industry. Tearfund’s local partner, Cambodian Hope Organisation has been supporting people living with HIV for many years. However they realized that the local hospital facilities were inadequate for people with HIV and tuberculosis (TB). TB was spreading to immune-compromised patients and causing a high death rate. The new facility allows the isolation and improved care of highly infectious patients. David Crooks, Tearfund’s Country Representative for Cambodia, said the timing of the recognition was important: ‘This growing influence comes at a time when the government is tightening up its control of civil society and will hopefully demonstrate to the government the validity of civil society groups and the church.’ Would you like to see our work in Cambodia in Spring 2011? Deadline for application 30th August. Apply today. Find out more about our work in Cambodia here. Cambodia, HIV 2010-07-23T10:28:47+00:00 http://www.tearfund.ie/news/zimbabwe_appeal_-_we_can_help_bring_lasting_change/ http://www.tearfund.ie/news/zimbabwe_appeal_-_we_can_help_bring_lasting_change/#When:08:47:00Z Shadreck is just 12 years old, but caring for his sister and elderly grandmother. More than 1.8 million children in Zimbabwe are orphaned. We are making sure they are not forgotten. Shadreck, age 12, and his sister Primrose, age 10, live in what seems an idyllic spot for children to grow up in. From their home, there are far-reaching views for miles over the rolling countryside and forested hills. Wild flowers are in bloom, butterflies and birds are in the air and peace pervades this rural part of Zimbabwe. But life for Shadreck and Primrose is anything but idyllic. Both their parents died from AIDS-related illnesses and the children are now among the poorest of the poor, facing a daily struggle for survival. No regular income means a lack of food is their biggest problem. They often go hungry. They live in a small thatched hut which has seen better days as the roof is coming apart and the walls are succumbing to the elements. Inside there is a hole in the ground where they have a fire to cook their food and the only piece of furniture is small table, crowded with plates and pans. The children have a small patch of land where they have planted a maize crop but lack of rain in January means it is likely to fail, leaving them facing greater hunger. Their hardship has been compounded by the theft of the few chickens they had. Only Primrose goes to school. Shadreck had to give up attending in 2008 so he could work to provide for them both. Shadreck said: ‘Yes, we feel hungry but there’s nothing we can do. If we have some mealy meal (a local type of porridge), in order for us to survive, we eat just once or twice a day. We have been living with hunger since our mother died.’ Although Shadreck is two years older than his sister, she is taller than him, evidence of how lack of food and a poor diet is stunting his growth. While Primrose gets lunch at school, Shadreck goes without in the middle of his busy day. The children get up at 6am. Shadreck works either his own or a neighbour’s land until 11am and then spends the rest of the day making two trips to fetch water in a 20kg bucket, walking a kilometre there and back over undulating countryside. After that he might walk up to four kilometres to find firewood. ‘I get very tired,’ he says in a quiet and understated voice. ‘I wish I could go back to school. I also wish I could get enough food and new clothing.’ Primrose rises at 6am too and walks two kilometres to school which starts at 6.45 and finishes at 3pm. ‘I feel pity for my brother. It’s also hard for me to see friends at school who have food when we don’t have enough’ Primrose says quietly. Recently the children’s 85-year-old grandmother Sehli has been staying with them but she is in poor health. Mother-of-four Sehli has only one surviving son, who is blind, but does support her as best he can from his home in Bulawayo. With failing eyesight and the need for a stick to walk, Sehli relies on Shadreck and Primrose. ‘I have hope that God will protect us,’ says Sehli. ‘Yes the children are surviving but they need more food because they are always going short. Life was better when I was a youngster. I cannot work to help the children. Instead they are the ones working to look after me. It’s frustrating for me. I would like to be able to look after them.’ Both children attend the Agape Missions Pentecostal church, which meets at the local school. Despite their trials, their faith remains intact. ‘God is good and is going to bless us. He has been our protector,’ said Shadreck. Tearfund’s local church partner, Zoe gives them porridge, mealy meal, sugar beans, cooking oil and maize supplies once a month. Primrose also gets help to pay her school fees. We have also been able to provide them with some maize seeds. A local church volunteer Sellinah, supported by Tearfund, visits them regularly to offer support and train them in farming. She is teaching them how to dig and plant their own crops. For years Zimbabwe has lived under the cloud of insecurity and political violence. Hyperinflation meant families did not know from one day to the next if they could put food on the table. A deadly cholera epidemic killed thousands and malnutrition became widespread. And at the same time HIV devastated the country. One child in four – over 1.8 million children – has lost one or both parents. For more information visit BBC to see their short film on Zimbabwe’s Forgotten Children. You can help give children a hope and a future In Zimbabwe, Tearfund works through local churches and partners like Zoe. Individual church volunteers mentor individual children and their families, giving them not a ‘hand-out’, but a ‘hand-up’. Your donation will help to fund this work, and provide thousands of vulnerable children and families with the chance of a brighter, self-sufficient future. Give today. €45 will provide agricultural training for five church volunteers. With this training they could then help 120 orphans to farm their own food, giving them the skills and opportunity to build an independent future. €81 will provide orphaned families with seven chickens – providing them with nutritious eggs and food and helping them on the way to self-sufficiency. €119 will provide an entire community of 30 families with seeds from which to plant up to eight different crops, allowing them to diversify their crops so they are less vulnerable if a particular crop fails. €598 will pay to hold workshops to envision and train 60 church leaders – helping them to play a leadership role in their community’s struggles to defeat poverty. To make a gift today, please give online, call Christine at 01 8783200 or post a cheque to Tearfund Ireland, 5-7 Upper O’Connell St, Dublin 1. Fundraising – Make a meal of it Summer, the perfect time for a barbeque – to eat, have fun and raise vital funds for families living in poverty in Zimbabwe. To help you pull together a Make a meal of it event, we have resources for you to download. Praying ‘Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger’ Lamentations 2:19 (NIV) Let the people of Zimbabwe know they haven’t been forgotten and encourage your church to pray today. To help you we have put together a short powerpoint presentation which you can download here. Zimbabwe, Forgotten Children, HIV 2010-07-01T08:47:00+00:00 http://www.tearfund.ie/news/sahel_food_crisis/ http://www.tearfund.ie/news/sahel_food_crisis/#When:13:43:19Z In West Africa, millions are desperate for food. (Picture – Previously malnourished girl receiving nutritional supplement from Tearfund partner CREDO in Burkino Faso) Bad harvests over a number of years mean staple foods like grain have shot up in price by as much as 43 per cent. At the same time, the value of cattle has plummeted. Families would normally trade their cattle for food – but now they’re not worth enough. This means they have no money, and many people are eating just one meal a day. In Niger alone, a massive seven million people – half the country’s population – need urgent help. In Chad, a further two million people need immediate assistance. “The Sahel is one of the most destitute regions in the world and the spectre of hunger is pushing increasing numbers of people from the countryside and into cities where they are searching for food to feed their families,” says Thomas Yanga, World Food Programme’s regional director for West Africa. “People have lost crops, livestock, and the ability to cope on their own, and the levels of malnutrition among women and children have already risen to very high levels,” he added. Millions more across Burkina Faso and Mali, as well as Niger and Chad, are at risk, and will fall into crisis if we don’t act now. Our partners have been working in this region for 20 years. But, to respond to this growing crisis and save lives, they need more resources. We have therefore launched an appeal. You can help support our continuing relief efforts by giving to our Emergency Fund Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger, Emergencies, Prayer 2010-06-09T13:43:19+00:00 http://www.tearfund.ie/news/digital_communications_intern_required/ http://www.tearfund.ie/news/digital_communications_intern_required/#When:11:49:26Z Creative and innovative person needed to develop and implement a digital communication strategy which will generate new supporters, allow deeper engagement with existing supporters and raise funding for projects working with the poor and marginalised people worldwide. The role is will be challenging, varied and exciting. Time Commitment: Minimum of 9 months. Flexible, from 2 days per month to 2 days per week. Depends on candidate’s availability. Benefits: Opportunity to pioneer cutting-edge digital communications and marketing. Opportunity to gain experience with a leading relief and development charity. Opportunity to make contacts in the Development/Non-profit arena. References will be supplied to future employers. Out of pocket expenses will be covered Please apply with CV and cover letter to Christine at enquiries@tearfund.ie or call our office for further details. Closing date for all applications is Fri 10th Sept 5pm. Full details of the job can be found here (job description) Job Vacancies, Volunteering 2010-06-02T11:49:26+00:00 http://www.tearfund.ie/news/how_the_millennium_development_goals_could_halve_world_poverty_-_interview/ http://www.tearfund.ie/news/how_the_millennium_development_goals_could_halve_world_poverty_-_interview/#When:16:58:02Z 2010 is a critical year for the international community’s efforts to make poverty history. In 2000 world leaders from 189 countries agreed eight goals to halve global poverty by 2015. With five years to go until the deadline for the eradication of extreme poverty, this is the year that promises need to be turned into action. Sean Mullan, Director of Evangelical Alliance Ireland, reflects on what our response as Christians should be. Why are the MDGs important? For the first time, entire governments are committed to the achievement of ending global poverty and also to measuring their performance. Achieving these goals is possible. In fact the UN Secretary General said recently that “falling short of the MDGs would be an unacceptable failure, (both) moral and practical”. What is the Irish government doing? Ireland signed up to the MDGs in 2000 and pledged to increase its overseas aid to reach the UN target of spending 0.7% of national income on overseas aid. However, since its original pledge in 2000, the Government has twice shifted the date for achieving this international commitment. As citizens with a Christian commitment we should urge the Irish government to keep to its promise. What is Micah Sunday? On Sunday 10th of October, churches all across Ireland will join churches worldwide to pray that governments keep their commitments to tackle poverty and to create a more just world. It’s called Micah Sunday because the Bible verse which inspired this campaign is Micah 6:8. Here the prophet states that the Lord has shown what He require of us – to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God. This month I am meeting with Irish church leaders across all denominations to reaffirm our commitment to speak out on behalf of the poor. How can I get involved? Encourage your church to partake in Micah Sunday on 10th of October both in prayer and study of the Word around this vital issue. Act Now! Send a message to the Taoiseach and/or your local TDs to encourage Ireland to keep its MDG promise. through a coalition of Irish development agencies. Finally continue to pray with us. Find out the Millennium Development Goals and how you can speak out by visiting www.tearfund.ie/advocacy Ireland, Churches 2010-06-01T16:58:02+00:00 http://www.tearfund.ie/news/setting_the_captive_free_karishmas_story/ http://www.tearfund.ie/news/setting_the_captive_free_karishmas_story/#When:16:20:13Z It’s estimated that 575,000 children are trapped in sex trafficking in India. Tearfund’s local partner Freedom Firm is battling to stamp our sex trafficking. While the laws in India against sex trafficking are strong they are rarely applied. Freedom Firm investigates brothels suspected of soliciting minor girls, works with the police to raid these brothels, prosecutes the brothel keepers and helps to restore the girls. The work is dangerous and often disheartening but they are seeing successes. Without the intervention of Tearfund’s local partner Freedom Firm, Karishma would still be in captivity. A young girl of thirteen was discovered in a brothel by a Freedom Firm undercover investigator. Her name was Karishma and she was ‘for sale’ for 70 rupees (€1.20). Freedom Firm reported it to the police and requested that they intervene. But when they raided the brothel Karishma had been moved. She was no-where to be found. Freedom Firm investigators searched for her over the next five months with no success. Then a local informant gave a tip off that she had been taken to the Sadar Bazaar, a red-light district in the city of Kolhapur. However it’s a massive slum with thousands of people. It seemed she might never be found. Then the miracle happened. After days of searching, equipped with only scant information and an old photograph of Karishma, an informant was found who recognized her from the photo. The investigators were led to a brothel on the edge of town. The building was raided and Karishma was found, traumatized but alive. That was over four years ago. The brothel keeper was arrested but after a long trial was unjustly acquitted despite the overwhelming evidence. It has been discouraging for the team but an appeal has been made. It is hoped that the brothel keeper may still be convicted but bringing justice requires perseverance. Karishma now lives at a Freedom Firm aftercare home. The scars of her past are deep and recovery from her awful experience takes time. With six other rescued girls she is experiencing emotional healing through counselling and prayer. She is learning to look after herself and receiving a basic education and skills training to set up her own small craft business. Finally she is experiencing the goodness of life. She is free at last. Donate to our work with vulnerable women today. India, Vulnerable Women, Prayer 2010-05-20T16:20:13+00:00