1 THE DAD WHO DARED TO BE DIFFERENT Gordien* is easy to spot at the emergency feeding centre, as he s the only man. There are pregnant women, new mums, grandmas, aunts and many, many children and babies and there is Gordien. Sure, there are a couple of men observing from a distance, but Gordien is the only one taking part, with his little daughter, Donate*, in his arms. All of my conversations so far about the current situation in Burundi the deep, deadly hunger, the failing crops and the political turmoil have been with women, so I m keen to meet Gordien. He agrees. As we prepare to sit down and talk, it starts pouring with rain. All of the covered spaces at this small, rural church are being used for the crucial purposes of the feeding centre, run by Tearfund s church partner. So Gordien, Donate, the translator and I clamber into the back of an old 4x4. It s the only dry place to go. Battling giants I ask Gordien why he s here today, and he explains that Donate, the youngest of his four children, is dangerously malnourished. He carried Donate for an hour and a half, trekking along muddy hillsides, to reach the centre. Gordien gestures towards Donate You can see for yourself, my child is sick, he says. And I can. I have a two-year-old at home, and she is nearly twice as big as Donate. My two-yearold is always on the go, whereas Donate lays still on her daddy s lap the whole time we re in the car. Some days, we don t eat at all, says Gordien. When we have no food, we try to be patient, but it s so hard when the children are suffering. I feel deep sorrow. Hunger is a massive problem in Burundi right now, with one in every six children suffering from malnutrition. Tearfund s church partners, FECABU and the Diocese of Matana, are throwing everything into a response, running repeated eight-week feeding programmes in the most vulnerable communities. It feels like a David and Goliath kind of battle, but they re not giving up.
2 Power in weakness I ask Gordien about his family, and he tells me that his pregnant wife, Lydia, is at home sick. Gordien tells me that he came today because Donate needs food, but that it s not the done thing for fathers here. He explains that the feeding of children and everything related to it is seen as a woman s work. This is why you hardly ever see a dad at the feeding centre. It s not that they don t care, they re just taught to step into a different role. Gordien, however, is undeterred by cultural norms, able to see things differently. It takes a strong person to do that. A child is a gift for both parents, he says gently. This is why my wife and I are raising our children together. If one of us is unable, the other must help. I m struck by Gordien s willingness to look weak before the other men, and I m reminded of the verse from 2 Corinthians 12:9: But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. It s all about the love Before we leave the car, I ask Gordien what he enjoys in life, and he tells me it s his church. I feel loved when I m at church, and love is the most important thing, says Gordien, beaming. I want to get to know God more and grow in my relationship with him. The fellowship there is also valuable. This feeding centre is helping many people who are sick or who have sick children, Gordien continues. This reinforces the work of churches here, because it is driven by the love of God. It is his love in action. Gordien is hungry and worn down with hardship, but he practically glows when he talks about love. It s clear that this is his driving force, too, making him bold enough to step out of the role dictated to him by society, and into the feeding centre that day. So let s hear it for the dads this Father s Day especially dads like Gordien, daring to be different for their families. And let s learn from him, putting love first even when it costs. PLEASE PRAY: Pray for Gordien and his family, especially for Donate, that she will become stronger. Pray also that Gordien s example will inspire other families to work together better. Gordien s family is one of too many who are suffering in Burundi. Pray for an end to the current food crisis, and for the lasting peace so desperately needed. Ask God to be close to the staff and volunteers from Tearfund s partners responding to the food crisis and enable them to reach those in most need. *Names have been changed to protect identities A NOTE FROM Tearfund follows Jesus where the need is greatest. And we are putting that into practice here in Burundi, because the need here is vast. Thank you for praying for Gordien and his family, and the many others facing hunger. Your prayers are hugely appreciated. Desire Majambere, head of Tearfund s work in Burundi
3 FIFTY YEARS, FIFTY COUNTRIES: KENYA To mark 50 years of Tearfund, we re sharing about 50 countries where we ve worked, celebrating God s provision and power to transform, and praying for each of these nations. This week we re in Kenya. Kenya is a nation of contrasts. On the one hand there is the country s incredible natural beauty, thriving tourism industry and modern development; on the other hand, there is drought, hunger and poverty. The population, roughly 47 million people, is predominantly rural and relies on farming for daily income despite only 17 per cent of the land being suitable for growing crops. Natural disasters such as droughts and floods can be crippling, not just for food supply, but also income. Unless more action is taken, it is anticipated that poverty will worsen in the coming decades due to climate change, increase in population, rising urban migration, corruption and poor management of public debt. Churches united against poverty Tearfund has been working in Kenya for more than thirty years, and we ve seen the church start to step into the gap between Kenya s great natural wealth and the everyday reality of its people. Central to our work is the use of Bible studies to encourage and equip churches to release the potential within their communities an approach that was pioneered in Kenya in the 1980s and is now a key part of our work worldwide. Working through local churches is incredibly effective as they are already rooted in the community; they normally have a physical space and people-power to put into use; and they are committed to long-term support, both practically and spiritually. Untapped potential The church in Badassa, a small rural community in northern Kenya, has shown the power of this approach. Before the training, we viewed ourselves as a poor church that needed aid to survive, the pastor tells us. We were not able to support the needs of the church or even the community around us. After the Bible studies, our eyes were opened. We realised that the land that the church has is a resource. Before, it was used for grazing cows and nobody bothered about it. We fenced this piece of land and started selling grass and surprisingly we now make Ksh. 20,000 [roughly 150.00] a year from selling grass. We also had three rooms on the land that were not being used. These, we realised, are a resource that we could tap into. We refurbished the rooms and started renting them out giving the church a regular monthly income.
4 Blessed to be a blessing We then realised that we can only fulfil our Biblical mandate if we have good relationships with the community and other denominations, the pastor continued. Before, we were competing with other denominations, but now we have interdenominational fellowships in the community... One of the denominations here, the Glory Outreach Assembly, was worshipping in a tent but we have supported them to build a church. We have bought four bulls used by church and community members to plough their land. We have been lending them to Muslim families, who are the majority here, and this has enhanced our relationship. During [the training], we addressed the issue of peace. We now have peace between the Rendille and the Borana [ethnic groups], which the police and politicians had tried bringing in vain. All of this amazing work, simply because one church was shown that they have the power to change their community. PLEASE PRAY: Pray for more of Kenya s church leaders to be inspired by the vision of holistic mission encouraging the restoration of people s relationships with God, each other and creation. Ask God that this will impact churches, communities and governments. Thank God for the turnaround that the church and community in Badassa has experienced, and pray that God will continue to bless them particularly in the area of reconciliation between religious and ethnic groups. Last month saw severe floods devastate parts of Kenya. Homes and businesses were destroyed, and many people are still displaced. Please pray for God s comfort for those who been affected, and pray for the recovery and rebuilding work. A CALL TO PRAY AS VIOLENCE GROWS IN THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Tearfund s country director in the Central African Republic (CAR) has called for Christians to pray for the nation, following a fresh wave of violence. Fighting has intensified in the last few weeks, with clashes returning to parts of the capital city, Bangui. On 2 May, gunmen with grenades attacked the Notre-Dame de Fatima church, a Roman Catholic church, in Bangui. In total, 26 people were killed and dozens injured. The UN s Humanitarian Coordinator Najat Rochdi has said that CAR is facing a major humanitarian crisis. Six years of conflict A military coup in 2012 sparked the beginnings of the brutal conflict, as an armed group sought to overthrow the government. This led to retaliation attacks from a second group.
5 According to UN estimates, the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) today has reached almost 670,000, while there are over half a million refugees in neighbouring countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon and Chad. In total, over 1.2 million Central Africans more than one in four living in the region is either internally displaced or a refugee. Making a difference Tearfund works alongside partner organisations in CAR tackling sexual and gender-based violence, promoting good hygiene practices, providing alternative livelihood and income generation opportunities, and vocational training in skills such as farming and tailoring. We are also trying to rebuild relationships across the country, which has been badly divided by conflict. This can involve running football tournaments in communities, and staging drama sketches with local community members. Our team in CAR has its HQ in Bangui, although not in the areas of current violence. Our partners are also not located in the troubled areas. Tearfund s Country Director for CAR, Athanase Ndayisaba, told us: Where we are in Bangui it is currently calm, and we pray that this state of affairs continues. Nevertheless, the armed groups operating in the PK5 district have not been fully disarmed. We pray that the Lord will contain these armed groups, stopping their attacks on civilians in their neighborhoods and on humanitarian workers. PRAYER FOCUS: Please pray for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in CAR. Ask God to protect and strengthen the most vulnerable people, in this time of crisis. Pray for protection of our team, partners and all humanitarian workers in CAR. PRAYER POINTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD The battle for Yemen's main port city of Hodeidah began on Wednesday putting hundreds of thousands of lives at risk. The port is a major lifeline for humanitarian aid to enter the country. Please pray for a swift and peaceful resolution, for God s protection over civilians, and for aid to continue to reach those in need. [Please do not share this online] Thank you for your continued prayers for the Rohingya refugees. The monsoon rains have begun to fall, and the camps remain vulnerable. Please pray for families who live in areas at risk of floods and landslides, that they will have access to safe shelter. And pray that teams relocating families will make wise decisions and have all the resources they need. With the start of the football World Cup, concerns are being raised about the trafficking of women and children, which can often increase massively at the time of large sporting events. Please pray for all the authorities and organisations working to prevent this crime, and ask for God's protection over the vulnerable.