There’s been a lot of talk lately about Christian relief agencies like TEAR Fund throwing money away. “You’ve got to give a hand up not a hand out!” That may sound sensible and impressive but it’s based on a shallow understanding of what Christian relief organizations actually do. When disaster strikes – a cyclone in Myanmar – a war in Sri Lanka – an earthquake in Haiti, whatever it might be – there is an [...]

The following was authored by Sarah Heanaghan – Supporter Relations Co-ordinator at TEAR Fund NZ. Homeless but not Hopeless Susan Koch and Jeff Werner’s documentary, ‘Kicking It’ based on the Homeless World Cup, explores how a ball can change the world. Far from the stereotypical view of homelessness, this documentary seeks to challenge our preconceived ideas. It embraces your heart and views with the lives of six diverse individuals from all corners of the globe. [...]

Integral mission or holistic transformation is the proclamation and demonstration of the gospel. It is not simply that evangelism and social involvement are to be done alongside each other. Rather, in integral mission our proclamation has social consequences as we call people to love and repentance in all areas of life. And our social involvement has evangelistic consequences as we bear witness to the transforming grace of Jesus Christ. If we ignore the world we [...]

OK, so it’s not related to humanitarian work or TEAR Fund all that much, but I reckon Matariki deserves all the support it can get here in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The mayor of Waitekere, Bob Harvey, has come out in favour of creating a public holiday to celebrate Matariki, the time known as the traditional Maori new year. It seems that the Maori Party has been drafting a bill to put forward the same idea. Matariki refers [...]

After missing a week of the Podcast because I made  last minute judgment call and then missing it last week because of a technical hitch, I am more than happy to bring you the latest Podcast… even if a little late. On this episode I discuss Iran and the latest happenings there.

The result of the recent presidential election in Iran that has seen Mahmoud Ahmadinejad returned to the presidency with official results showing a landslide victory, has sparked protests that are being widely reported in the media. The protests are being fueled by claims from Ahmadinejad’s rival, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, that the election results are corrupt and that the whole thing was “rigged” and therefore should be rendered invalid. Some commentators are touting the current Iranian protests [...]

They don’t wear eye-patches or peg legs and you won’t find any parrots perched on their shoulders, but they are no less pirates for that. Twenty-first century piracy Somali style is a far cry from the swashbuckling, sea dogs of old but, in recent months, they have captured both the headlines and the public’s imagination. Their high seas hijackings have also forced the media to focus on Somalia, arguably the globe’s most neglected tragedy. But [...]

Personal Journal #2 of Nancy E. Smith, RN Humedica and Koinonia. Click here to read #1. Nancy Smith shares more of her experiences of helping the people of Bangladesh following cyclone Aila; working alongside TEAR Fund’s partners. Tues June 9 We depart today in early daylight to allow for the two-hour boat ride to reach an area that has been cut off by flood waters. Our view from the boat provides a different perspective…mud and [...]

A friend asked me recently what connection Christian radio can have with development and relief organizations. He was referencing my work at New Zealand’s largest Christian radio broadcaster and my role as TEAR Fund’s Education and Campaign’s manager. He could see a loose connection between Christian radio and our work at TEAR Fund, but was struggling to work out where the value really lay.

The following images from Sri Lanka include a few from within the war zone during the last days of the civil war and the defeat of the Tamil Tigers (they are the images towards the end). We also have images from the war zone that we chose not to include due to their graphic nature – they are heart breaking. The war zone pictures were taken by an unnamed priest. Also included are images from the [...]