2019 Mid-Antrim Tearfund walk
Friday 17th May at Shanes Castle, Antrim
from 10am until dusk, refreshments provided
This year's walk will be our 30th! The first walk was in 1990 and over the 30 years you have helped us to raise the staggering total of £449,295 for Tearfund.
Our target for the 2019 walk is to raise £20,000 to help alleviate hunger and poverty in Burundi, Africa.
HUNGER: A SYMPTOM OF SOMETHING DEEPER
Three year old Nyanda was abandoned by his
parents. Suffering and hungry, his father was forced to go to Tanzania in
search of work. Alone and unable to care for herself or her child, Nyanda’s
mother fled to Bujumbura, leaving him to starve.
Nyanda’s family is one of many who have been
driven apart by the emergency situation in Burundi.
One of the poorest countries in the world (ranked
184 of 188), 58 percent of people in Burundi are chronically malnourished.
But the hunger that drove Nyanda and his
family apart is a symptom of a deeper issue. Without fundamental changes,
families will continue to be divided and undermined by extreme poverty.
Tearfund is partnering with local churches
to put an end to this suffering and restore dignity, health and hope - we
believe that local churches are uniquely positioned to address the root causes
of poverty, enabling long-term change and security, so the impact is lasting
and maintained.
Thank you for partnering with us to do this.
WHAT DOES CHANGE LOOK LIKE?
The Tharcisse family were struggling for
food themselves. But when they met little Nyanda (left) and saw his condition,
they opened their home and adopted him into their family, without hesitation.
The local Christians were able to support
the Tharcisse family in this remarkable decision by providing the critical
emergency nutrition that Nyanda needed.
The Church and Community Transformation
process empowers communities to do this. It encourages Self Help Groups which help
people to save and free them from having to take loans from loan sharks at high
rates of interest. SHGs are groups of 15-20 people who come together
voluntarily each week to support each other financially and with mutual
encouragement.
Members begin by saving small amounts, which
are used as loans to start new businesses, as well as funding costs such as
school fees and health bills.
With your help 5,000 people in the Mutaho region
of Burundi will directly benefit from this project.
● 58 church and community leaders and six
health workers will be equipped.
● 10 community facilitators will be trained
and Self Help Groups established to increase household income and community
resilience.
● Health and nutrition will be improved
through training on malnutrition: its causes and effects and the importance of
a balanced diet.
● Food production and environmental
sustainability will be improved through training on modern farming techniques,
environmental care and fuel-saving stoves for beneficiaries, local church leaders,
community leaders and SHG facilitators.
● Seeds will be purchased and distributed to
increase food security through yields.
As the Self Help Groups strengthen and grow,
members will be able to diversify and boost their incomes. Increasing household
incomes and farming yields will improve the living conditions and nutritional
status of beneficiaries. They will be better able to afford healthcare and
education for their families and have more capacity to take of the vulnerable
in their communities.
Sharing resources and investing in each
other’s businesses brings trust and openness, while working together towards
shared goals grows unity. Strong communities are more resilient and can
overcome challenges that individuals can’t tackle on their own.
A breakdown of the costs
involved per year is noted below.
ACTIVITY OR ITEM
|
COST (£)
|
Church and
community envisioning
|
690
|
Training on
health, nutrition and food insecurity
|
2,294
|
Training on
agriculture, environmental care and fuel-saving stoves
|
5,313
|
Purchase and
distribution of seeds
|
12,992
|
Training and
establishing SHGs
|
5,998
|
Monitoring,
evaluation and learning
|
3,846
|
Personnel
|
6,666
|
Equipment (two
computers)
|
631
|
In country
administration (utilities, audits, office supplies)
|
5,127
|
UK support costs**
|
7,091
|
Total costs
|
50,648
|
PLEASE PRAY WITH US
●
Pray
for peace and security in Burundi, for government leaders to act in wisdom and
compassion.
●
Pray
for protection of the Tearfund and local partners as they work to address
critical needs in insecure areas.
●
Please
continue to pray for people across East Africa who are affected by the drought,
famine and loss of livelihoods. Pray for those whose crops have been damaged by
the fall armyworm.
●
Pray
for governments, business leaders and individuals to take more responsibility
for climate change and the impact it is having on others.
