How it all started
1960 was World Refugee Year, and without being asked, members of the Evangelical Alliance started sending money to the Alliance knowing that it had contacts with missionaries that worked with refugees. Over the next few years the money continued to arrive and the file became known as the Evangelical Alliance Refugee Fund (EAR Fund).
In 1968 EAR Fund was developed and made public. The name was changed to The Evangelical Alliance Relief Fund (Tearfund). The first grant was made to a development programme in Argentina. Annual Income in 1968/1969 was £34,000.
In 2005/2006 Tearfund’s income was £52,500,000.
Tearfund Today
Tearfund’s mission is to bring good news to the poor, and especially people who are economically poor and powerless. They achieve this by working through a network of partners around the world. These partners are local churches and para-church organisations who share Tearfund’s evangelical Christian beliefs.
Support may be in the form of a grant to help a project that will tackle poverty in the community, or by sending people with specialist skills and expertise. Currently work is taking place in around 70 of the world’s poorest countries.
You can find out more about the work of Tearfund by visiting their website www.tearfund.org
Prayer Needs –
Pray for wisdom, insight and passion for Tearfund staff lobbying to overcome the injustices of climate change, HIV and AIDS, unfair trade deals and the lack of sanitation and clean water.
Give thanks for Tearfund's partners who are helping farmers adapt to their changing climate through new agricultural techniques, learning new ways to preserve their environment and ideas to diversify their income.
An estimated 3.9 million people died in the Democratic Republic of Congo's five-year civil war. Hundreds of thousands more were forced from their homes in bitter fighting between the Congolese army and Rwandan rebels. Pray for understanding and peace between the two groups.
In Burundi, people are struggling to find enough spare land they can use to grow food. This land pressure will only get worse as an estimated 367,000 refugees who fled Burundi's civil war return. Pray for our Partners supporting people through food shortages which were compounded by flooding last year.
Pray for Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) - a country that has suffered many years of political turmoil and civil war. Due to sensitivities in this region we cannot name our partners who are working hard to strengthen poor communities.
In 2005 there was just one Fairtrade product available. Give thanks that there are now there are more than 2,000 Fairtrade goods for sale in the UK. As a result, 7 million people from poorer countries have the chance of sustainable livelihoods and economic security. Fairtrade sales rose by over 40 per cent in the UK last year. Give thanks and pray that more and more people switch to Fairtrade goods. Ask that governments follow the example of shoppers and bring more fairness in trade.
For up to date prayer news, visit the Tearfund website.
