2020 has been a year that has reminded us over and over: in the midst of weariness, hope has the power to transform.
We’ve found hope in the stories of our supporters, who have shared God’s love for our neighbours near and far.
We’ve found hope in the response of our partners, who have faithfully supported their communities, standing alongside many of the world’s most vulnerable people.
We’ve found hope in community: in praying, lamenting, giving thanks, speaking out, and encouraging each other.
The challenges continue to be great - it’s estimated that over 150 million people could be pushed into extreme poverty due to the COVID crisis. There is still much work to be done, and we must keep persevering and working for justice.
But as we come to the end of the year that’s been, let’s reflect on and return to the greatest source of our hope. Let’s give thanks that we have been able to respond in a way that reflects God’s unwavering love, compassion and good news for our weary world.
Through your generosity, we were able to support our partners to faithfully respond to vulnerable communities, helping with both immediate needs and also supporting people to rebuild for the longer term.
#EndCOVIDForAll Campaign
Together with our friends Micah Australia + others, we stood solidarity with our global neighbours and encouraged our government to send vital support to vulnerable nations. Over 25k people (including nearly 1k Tearfund Australia supporters) signed the End Covid for All Pledge. Read more.
In August, around 100 Tearfund community members joined together online to pray in response to the global crisis, to hear partner updates and to renew their hope in God.
With our friends at Common Grace, we launched this campaign in May, to raise a united voice to our political leaders on behalf of those most significantly impacted by climate injustice. 27 leaders are building groups in 25 priority electorates across Australia, with the hope to include a further 11 electorates. Meet three amazing electoral leaders.
In Australia, we built our partnership with Moorditj Keila in WA, supporting their work, including a program to help young Aboriginal people gain their driver’s licence.
We also partnered with Strong Women Talking in Queensland, delivering culturally sensitive domestic violence prevention workshops to First Nations women.
During NAIDOC Week, our Tearfund community deepened their understanding of reconciliation and healing, prayed with the First Peoples of Australia and many of our supporters passed their prayers onto our partners.
The Tearfund Enterprise Program continues to support our Indian partner Saahasee with GladRose, a nursing care services social enterprise that trains and employs women from slum communities. We have also supported partners in India, Nepal and the Philippines in becoming investment ready.
Supporters all around Australia have continued to come up with incredible ways to fundraise for Tearfund, as well as to show love and hope within their local communities!
In South Australia, supporters fundraised through their annual 30Thirty Cricket match. Our Tearfund kids continued to support through school readathons and six-year-old Bibi held her own mini-fundraiser raising $134!
Tearfund supporters were the hands and feet of Jesus in their local communities during lockdown - becoming pen pals with at-risk youth, connecting with their neighbours, writing songs and sharing home grown vegetables.
Recognising that global challenges require a global response, in October we returned to our former name of Tearfund, strengthening our partnership with the worldwide Tearfund family, so together we can grow our impact.
Our Useful Gifts Catalogue has continued to equip Australian Christians to share God’s love with the world at a time when we need it most.
As Tearfund’s partners help create new opportunities for health, education, safe water, food and strengthened communities, God is at work, bringing joy to the world – and each gift in Tearfund’s Useful Gifts Catalogue is an example of this.
When you purchase a Useful Gift, you ‘repeat the sounding joy’, furthering the spread of hope and courage in your own community and around the world.
There’s still time to order your Useful Gift before Christmas - visit: Usefulgifts.org
Thanks for being part of the Tearfund Australia community of hope this year.
