Humanitarian Relief

Tearfund Ireland is part of the expression of Christianity on the island of Ireland. We are compelled by the belief that the message of Christianity has a contribution to make to ending poverty and injustice.  Our vision is to see ‘flourishing communities, free from poverty and injustice’ and to achieve this we to stand together with faith based partners in the Global South and Global North to help transform the lives of the most marginalised. We believe that all people are made in the image of God and have the potential to live lives free from poverty.

We believe in partnership and relationship and that the best way to help someone in need is to stand with them in their place of need. We work holistically with local churches and local faith based partners in poor communities to do that. One of the greatest strengths of this grass roots approach is that it leads to trust, community ownership and ultimately sustainability. This faith based approach working through the local church has enormous potential to positively influence attitudes values and behaviours and provide leadership at times of crisis and in the ongoing fight against poverty.

We have seen communities transformed, empowered and changed. Through church and community mobilisation- rates of HIV/AIDS  have been halved in poor communities in Malawi, children living without parents are being fostered and given a new home and a new hope in Zimbabwe, and hundreds of thousands of people are being lifted out of poverty in Uganda.

Transforming Communities

Vulernable Women

Women make up half of the world’s population and yet represent 70% of the world’s poor. Women bear a disproportionate burden of the world’s poverty, marginalisation and injustice. Acts of violence cause more death and disability for women between the ages of 14 and 44 than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war combined (UNIFEM, 2011). Only a little over 20% of poor rural girls in Africa complete primary education; fewer than 10% finish lower secondary school and in many countries women in paid work earn 10–30% less than men. (ONE).

Yet when women have equal access to education, health care, decision making, employment and land they are a key driving force against poverty. Gender equality translates into better prospects for families and greater well-being of children, reducing poverty of future generations. Tearfund Ireland seeks to unlock this potential. Through partnership we aim to restore broken relationships between men and women. We are providing skills training for women to enable them to earn a living and escape poverty. We are providing anti trafficking awareness training, protecting women and children from the lies of traffickers.

Through Tearfund Ireland’s trauma counselling workshops in Jordan, women who have been affected by the war in Syria are coming to terms with the violence they have endured and the heartbreaking loss of their children, husbands and family members as a result of war. They are starting to rebuild their lives and slowly look to the future.

Children at Risk

Tearfund Ireland has a specific concern and heart for vulnerable children. We believe that children should be protected, honoured and enabled to grow and flourish in love and safety. Children have a right to safety, to education, to a home, to a family. Through our programmes and campaigns we work to ensure that children areafforded these rights, that the most vulnerable in this world are protected and empowered.

And children are considered some of the most vulnerable people in our world. One billion children worldwide are living in poverty. It is widely documented that rates of child trafficking increase in the aftermath of disasters, that the majority of children sold into slavery come from impoverished families with no choices. Of the 65 million people living as refugees across the globe half of them are under 182 and living without access to education, to safety, to normal childhood development. 80% of childrenliving in orphanages have at least one living parent, yet grow up without the love and security of a family.

Our projects focus on supporting families to lift themselves out of poverty through ongoing community mobilisation, preventing child trafficking, providing alternatives to growing up in an institution as well as providing education for children caught in conflict. In Ireland and Europe we campaign for the rights of children to be upheld and implemented across all national and international policies.

Woynishet’s story, a member of an Ethiopian Self Help Group, who has changed not only the fate of her family and her marriage but also her community.

Woynishet’s Story

Hunger

Every day 1 in 9 people around the world go to bed hungry, a staggering 800 million people. 1 in 3 lacks the nutritious food needed to lead a healthy life. Millions of parents struggle to feed their families every day and more than 2 million children die of hunger and malnutrition every year.



Eradicating hunger and malnutrition is a key part of our work. Not only do the consequences of not enough – or the wrong – food cause suffering and poor health, they also slow progress in many other areas of development like education and employment.

Church v Hunger

The Story of Stuff Project

Global Justice Mind Map

In Ireland

Tearfund Ireland’s Public Engagement strategy is rooted in our theory of change which is underpinned by the understanding that poverty is rooted in harmful relationships at various levels and related to the misuse of power. Tearfund Ireland’s strategy is to engage its faith based public away from a ‘charity’ mind-set that reinforces a negative understanding and relationship with the South, to one that is motivated by justice and the need for mutual investment in our common future and one world. Tearfund Ireland’s Public Engagement strategy communicates the complexities of social justice and development within the Christian faith frame and works through Christian/church life, beliefs, routines and liturgical calendars that provide opportunities to raise awareness and increase knowledge and understanding.

Practically Tearfund Ireland has strong relationships with many churches in the Republic of Ireland and is a vehicle by which churches and Christians actively engage in responding to extreme poverty and injustice overseas. Through our public engagement strategy and as a leading voice with the church on ‘social justice’ Tearfund Ireland challenges and informs Irish Christians on global mission and ‘whole of life’ Christianity as the outward expression of personal faith.

Through our Development Education programme (funded by Irish Aid) we partnered with the Church of Ireland Youth department and trained youth leaders to integrate global justice themes into their ongoing youth work. Also as part of our Church and Supporters programme we facilitated a visit by a group from Stranolar in Co Donegal to see our Self Help Group work in Ethiopia.

Tamam's Story

Signs of Hope

Ending Orphanage Volunteering

Ending Orphanage Volunteering

Stephen Ucembe's Story

Pioneering Change

SDG Posters

Race to the Bottom

Global Justice Mind Map

A Brief History of Development

Is This It?

Global Bingo

Tearfund Ireland uses its finances effectively and is committed to keeping organisational costs as low as possible. This is made possible through the support of enthusiastic volunteers who raise funds, pray, work in our office and share our vision with others. The Board of Directors is committed to ensuring organisational costs remain within acceptable levels while also investing in the continued development of the organisation.

Listen

• Take actions as a group as you get stuck into RHYTHMS.
• Engage your group throughout the week.
• Nurture lasting change and effective character formation.

Small Ideas for a big Change

Fundraising

AT WORK

Engaging your colleagues and friends at work is a great way of fundraising and building relationships at the same time! Reach out and raise some funds!

• Wages Donation: Contribute one hour or one day’s wages and encourage others in your company to do the same. Some companies run schemes which allow you to donate a set amount, tax free, each month to a selected charity.
• BBQ: Hold a lunchtime or evening barbecue on the company grounds and sell tickets in advance. Ask local suppliers to donate food.
• Car Wash: Organise a car wash in the company car park and wash cars for a fee or donation
• Fast:  Go without food for a day and ask colleagues to sponsor you
• Party Premium:  Add a €5 donation per person to the cost of your office party.

AT HOME

• Cheese and Wine Evening: If possible, get local suppliers to provide some of the cheese and wine. Sell tickets in advance and donate proceeds. If you’re enthusiastic and knowledgeable, each table could have a theme e.g. a particular wine-growing or cheese-producing region.
• Cookery demonstration: Ask a well known chef to put on a demonstration. People will gladly pay for this – it’s always a great fundraiser.
• Food tasting: Ask a restaurant or supermarket to host a food tasting day/night. Charge entry fee to taste any dish or dishes – you promote it and sell tickets. The owner wins by bringing in new customers who may never have tried their particular type of food. Foreign food would be ideal because people may be very keen to try out new dishes without the risk of buying a full meal they may not like.
• Garden Party: Invite friends and colleagues to an afternoon reception with refreshments, asking them to make a donation.
• Coffee Morning: Why not host a coffee morning for your neighbours and friends and have Spirit Radio come along!
  

AT CHURCH/IN YOUR COMMUNITY

• Tearfund Sunday in your local church Organise in conjunction with your leadership a lunch and donate Tearfund.
• Bag Packing in your local Supermarkets is a great way to get involved with the community and meet people.
• BBQ: Hold a lunchtime or evening barbecue and sell tickets in advance. Local suppliers may donate food.
• Coffee Morning: Invite friends and neighbours to a cakes and coffee morning. This can be combined with a book sale or other event.
• Bowling night: Hold a Charity Challenge Night.
• Carol singing: Gather together a reasonably tuneful choir and collect in shopping centres and other public places at Christmas. Please remember this requires permission from local Gardai.
• Celebrity Walks: Persuade a celebrity (a local one is fine) to walk a set distance with a group and get people to sponsor them.
• Fashion Show: Organise a fashion show with clothes donated or loaned by local shops and stores.
• Five-a-side: Charge an entry fee per team and run a tournament or league.
• Flower Arranging: Can be very popular at certain times of the year.
• Goods & Services Auction: Ask local businesses or individuals to donate a service (e.g. a free haircut, piano lessons, etc) or some goods (e.g. gift vouchers, meals, trips, concert or sports tickets, golf green fees, etc). These goods and services can be raffled or auctioned off to the highest bidder at a special evening or combined with any event. The key to a successful live auction is to have a good auctioneer, preferably one willing to donate their services.
• Jumble Sale: Have separate stalls for different types of items such as ladies’ clothing, men’s clothing, toys, books and bric-a brac. Have fixed prices for each type of item or price them individually. Advertise in advance and charge an entrance fee. You may wish to sell drinks and sandwiches as well.
  

Where We Work

Church Community

Our Focus

Our Focus

Where We Work

Where We Work

Where We Work

Church Community

Our Focus

In Ireland