PLANTING TREES OF LIFE For Aaden* and his fellow villagers, climate change isn t just a vague concept, it s a harsh reality that impacts their lives in devastating ways. Aaden is a 45-year-old farmer from the Hargeisa region of Somaliland. He is part of a community who are learning that the solutions to environmental problems can come from within themselves. Catastrophic Aaden remembers how, as a child, the climate wasn t a problem: We experienced drought rarely, and my family had a large herd of livestock, he recalls. But now periods of drought are far more frequent, making it almost impossible for him to keep livestock or grow enough food. This dramatic change is due in part to a massive increase in charcoal production, which has had a catastrophic effect on the environment and livelihoods. Many people became involved in charcoal production, Aaden explains. This resulted in increased levels of deforestation, causing land degradation, soil erosion and a reduction in rainfall ultimately leading to severe recurring droughts. However, thanks to Tearfund partner World Relief, the situation is starting to turn around. World Relief have been training the leaders in Aaden s village in community mobilisation, environmental conservation and disaster risk reduction, giving them the knowledge and skills they need to take matters into their own hands. Healing the land Now Aaden s whole village have rallied around the cause, enforcing laws that ban charcoal production and trade. We ensure no tree is felled, and if you have to cut a tree, you plant five first, Aaden says. As a community, it is our responsibility to protect and preserve our environment. Filled with hope as he points to some newly planted trees, Aaden remarks: You can see our environment is slowly healing from the calamity of deforestation. This will help reverse the weather patterns, so that we can again have large herds of livestock and farm to produce enough to eat and sell.
Our village serves as a good example of the success that comes from initiatives that are community led, Aaden says. We just wish to continue working together with Tearfund to restore the environment for our children and grandchildren. *Name changed to protect identity. PLEASE PRAY Praise God for the transformation that has taken place in Aaden s village and pray that it will continue. Pray that more communities in Somaliland will come to develop a positive relationship with the environment. Pray that the damage done to the environment in this part of the world will be reversed and that the increased prevalence of droughts will come to an end. A NOTE FROM 'Communities in Somaliland live on the edge. Poor rainfall every three to five years leads to cyclical droughts. Much of Somaliland is facing drought now and the previous drought was only in 2011. Despite this, it's encouraging to see farmers like Aaden doing what they can to reduce the effect of drought, giving them enough to survive.' Andy Morgan, Deputy Head of East and Southern Africa Team, Tearfund BLESSINGS FOR CURSES Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. 1 Peter 3 v 9 Nigeria has a recent history of violent tensions between its Muslim and Christian populations made worse by the brutal persecution of Boko Haram. Tearfund s CEO Nigel Harris visited some remarkable projects there non-violent responses to the terrible violence. The Biblical injunctions to bless those who curse you is a challenging teaching for all of us. For many of Nigeria s 90 million Christians it s an injunction they have had to wrestle with in their everyday lives. Northern Nigeria especially has been the scene of terrible inter-religious violence between Muslim and Christian communities. Is it really practical to turn the other cheek when Boko Haram are laying waste to whole villages and kidnapping women and children? I have come to Nigeria to see the wide range of Tearfund s work in Nigeria a nation of contrasts.
Blessed are the peacemakers We start in Jos, in Plateau state, scene of horrendous interreligious violence in 2001, 2008 and 2011. One of Tearfund s partner groups has been leading peace-building work in response to the riots. Believing that if we speak of peace, we need to put it into practice, they reached out to the Muslim leaders, visiting the mosque and finding other ways to build bridges between faith communities. In the face of fierce criticism from both Christians and Muslims in the region, they began to build a relationship. And they met with the Christian young people, often the ones most ready to retaliate. They simply asked them the question what would Jesus do? a phrase well loved by makers of Christian merchandise in the West. For these young people it is potentially a life or death question. The same week as that meeting with the young men, a church was bombed. This time there was no violent response. Things have moved on in Jos. There are now multi-faith football matches. Not Christian vs Muslim matches, they informed me with a smile, but mixed teams Christians and Muslim youth on both sides. Razed to the ground The journey to Yola is a gruelling eight-hour road trip. Yola is in the northeast of the country and this is Boko Haram s area of operations. We re here to visit communities just outside the town of Gombi. Chibok, infamous for the kidnapping of 200 girls, is a bit further north. I meet Matthew, a young man with a wife and four children. He tells me how Boko Haram would normally pass his village without attacking them. Then in February 2015, the insurgents entered the village and burnt it to the ground. Everything was destroyed or taken, including crops and food. He and his fellow villagers only escaped with the clothes on their backs. The villagers escaped to a local town and somehow survived for a couple of months there, living as IDPs internally displaced people. When they finally returned they had nothing. Boko Haram even burned their health clinic to the ground why would you burn a health clinic? I got to see the burned-out motorcycle that belonged to the local pastor it s a heartbreaking sight. In response, Tearfund s partner CRUDAN came to Yola. They provided Matthew and the other villagers with roofing to rebuild their homes, with food and, crucially with cash. Tearfund, along with our partners are pioneering what is known as cash transfers in this part of Nigeria. It is an effective response to desperate need allowing villagers to meet their most pressing needs themselves. Matthew explains to me that the money he received helped him to buy food for his family, but also seed, tools and a goat to restart his farm. It gave him a fresh start, but also dignity as he was in charge of the choices he made to restart his life. Hope and fear I asked how he sees the future and you can see he is torn. Yes, he is optimistic that he can now feed and nurture his family, though this year s crop was not a great one. His young daughter wanders by eating groundnut paste from the farm.
However the fear of more violence remains, despite the actions of the Nigerian army to push Boko Haram far back from their community. Matthew s life as a smallholder farmer in a dry, dusty and remote part of the world is tough enough anyway, but the wanton violence and cruelty of Boko Haram have brought a different dimension of fear. And so we pray together for his family and his village, for peace and safety. It s hard to fathom the nihilism and despair that must fuel the sort of violence I have heard about here. The best that Tearfund and our partners can offer is not to curse the darkness of the situation but offer the blessing of lives and communities and even hearts rebuilt. Nigel Harris, CEO PLEASE PRAY Pray for peace-making initiatives between Christians and Muslims throughout Nigeria, that they will raise a generation that doesn t view their neighbours with suspicion. Pray for the work of CRUDAN as they offer hope to communities devastated by violence and destruction. And pray for the work of Tearfund s partners in Nigeria as they help find non-violent solutions to the terrible violence and conflict faced by communities. A TROPICAL STORM HITS MOZAMBIQUE A tropical storm has left homes severely damaged and cut power to parts of Mozambique. It hit the southern coast of the country on Wednesday (15 February), bringing high winds and heavy rainfall. It began as Cyclone Dineo but thankfully as it hit landfall it lost some of its force and was downgraded to a storm. Mozambique is one of the world's poorest countries and is prone to flooding. After a scorching drought, which affected more than 2.3 million people last year, it is particularly vulnerable. In 2015, a total of 370,906 people were affected by floods leaving 164 dead. Much of the soil has degraded or been hardened by dry spells so they do not easily absorb water. Reports coming from the country on Thursday morning reveal the worst affected areas as being Massinga district Maxixe and Inhambane towns but Homoine district is also badly affected. In January 2012 Mozambique was hit by two cyclones, which killed 26 people and displaced more than 125,000 (according to official figures). Since 1987 Tearfund has been working in Mozambique with eight partners including groups of churches and church networks, students. Aims of our partners work include preventing the spread of HIV, breaking down the stigma surrounding HIV, strengthening livelihoods, food security and disaster preparedness and emergency responses. Another focus is providing supporting churches to do holistic development through UMOJA work, and supporting the provision of clean water and sanitation.
Tearfund s Earnest Maswera in Mozambique tells us: We see a God-factor in all this. We re left wondering what level of damage would have been caused had the storm not been scaled down. It would have been a total disaster. The majority of people in this part of Mozambique love to build their houses with palm tree branches and using zinc iron sheets. Our partners are putting their ears on the ground but with much difficulty getting the big picture and the scale of the destruction. It has been difficult for [our partners] the Ecumenical Committee for Social Economic Development (CEDES) and Rede Crista Contra HIV/SIDA (RCHS) to act quickly where the cyclone has hit, fearing the worst may still come especially in areas where they are working. They are based in Maputo and so are depending on links in the communities they serve but there is no communication in the areas affected. They are keeping an eye on Maxixi, Inhambane and Homoine while watching out for Inhassoro, Guvuro and Vilankulos, where Tearfund-supported work is happening. PLEASE PRAY Pray for those whose homes have been damaged, that they would find shelter and support. Pray for the long-term rebuilding efforts and that communities would become more resilient to these types of weather conditions. Ask God to continue to guide and protect Tearfund s staff and partners in Mozambique.
PRAYER POINTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD Lift up Uganda as they currently host 698,000 refugees from South Sudan the most out of all countries. The UNHCR says, 'In less than six months, Uganda has more than tripled its population of South Sudanese refugees, hosting more than half of the 1.1 million people who have fled their homes in the neighbouring country.' Pray for those seeking safety, and that the international community will support Uganda in managing these refugees. Please keep China in your prayers this week. Our main partner, CEDAR Fund, are spending the coming weeks reviewing the last three years of work. Pray for the evaluation team and clear outcomes to guide future plans. The Cambodian political climate has been tense for the past few years as the opposition and ruling party repeatedly clash in quite a bitter relationship. This week's resignation of the main opposition leader adds further complexity and angst for the Cambodian people. Please pray for calm heads, compromise, and a vision for the greater good of the Cambodian people on both sides.