Lesson video

Hi, my Name's Miss Minton, and welcome to this Christianity Practises lesson on the work of Tearfund.

Now, by the end of this lesson, you will be able to describe the work of Tearfund in tackling poverty and how this reflects Christian teachings.

Now you'll be drawing upon knowledge of Jesus's teachings on wealth and poverty, but there'll also be lots of new learning today.

Don't worry though, because I'm here to guide you through each step of our lesson, and I'm confident that by the end, you'll achieve this outcome.

So let's get started by taking a look at our keywords.

We have charity, poverty and Tearfund.

A charity is an organisation that's been set up to provide help and raise money for people in need.

Poverty refers to the state of being without the things needed to have a reasonable quality of life.

And it means that day-to-day living is a struggle.

And Tearfund refers to a Christian relief and development agency that works to tackle poverty and injustice in vulnerable communities around the world.

Now, our lesson today will have two parts.

We'll start by looking at Tearfund and Christian teachings, and we'll then move on to look at the work of Tearfund around the world.

So let's get started and have a look at Tearfund and Christian teachings.

So to start off, I'd like you to consider what do humans need access to in order to live on a day-to-day basis? So pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself.

Off you go.

So you may have said, food, water, shelter, clothing, personal hygiene products, sanitation, heat and electricity, and healthcare.

Now, you might find it shocking that it's estimated that over 10% of the world's population live in extreme poverty.

So this means that they don't have access to the basic necessities that they need to live comfortably on a day-to-day basis.

Now, Tearfund is a Christian charity that aims to relieve and tackle this poverty.

Tearfund began in 1968 when the Evangelical Alliance Relief Fund Committee met to create a vision for a new organisation that would combine Christian compassion with practical action around the world.

Tearfund emphasised the need for a new interpretation of the gospel that focused on Jesus's original message to bring the good news to the poor.

Now, this teaching comes from the gospel of Luke 4:18, which says this, "The spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim the good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free." Now in this passage, Jesus reads a quote from my Isaiah 61 and he announces that he is the fulfilment of the prophecy and he will proclaim the good news to the poor.

So he will proclaim the gospel to the poor.

In this context, poor doesn't just refer to financial poverty, but it also refers to people who are spiritually, socially, or emotionally broken or marginalised, so pushed outta society.

So let's check your understanding.

Which Christian Charity was set up by the Evangelical Alliance and emphasises bringing the good news to those living in poverty? A, CAFOD, B, Christian Aid, C, Salvation Army, or D Tearfund? Fantastic, the correct answer is D, Tearfund is the charity that was set up by the Evangelical Alliance and emphasises bringing the good news to those living in poverty, well done.

Now today, Tearfund is one of the UK's leading relief and development agencies.

And Tearfund remains motivated by Christian beliefs and teachings.

So let's take a look at how Tearfund upholds Christian teachings.

So Tearfund upholds the teaching from Mark 12:31 to "Love your neighbour as your yourself." Because Tearfund responds to global poverty as an expression of Christian love.

Tearfund also upholds the teaching from Micah 6:8, which says, "And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy.

." And this is because Tearfund works to challenge systems that cause poverty and injustice.

Tearfund also upholds this teaching from Genesis 215 which says, "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." And this is because Tearfund includes climate action and environmental sustainability in its development work.

So in this way, it's helping look after and care for the environment.

So let's check your understanding.

True or false? Tearfund only reflects Christian teachings on love.

Fantastic, that statement is false.

But why is that statement false? Well, it's because Tearfund also reflects Christian teachings on justice, compassion, and also care for the environment.

So well done for recognising that the statement is false, and for recognising the reason why.

It's now time for you to have a go at a task.

Alex is writing a paragraph explaining how Tearfund reflects Christian teachings.

Now Alex hasn't quite managed to finish his paragraph, but he has made a start.

So let's take a look at what Alex has said so far.

"Tearfund reflects Christian teachings because.

An example of the work that Tearfund does is.

And this reflects Christian teachings because.

." Now I would like you to complete Alex's paragraph by finishing the sentences, and I would also like you to make sure that you include a source of authority in your response.

So pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your work on that task.

So you were asked to complete Alex's answer by finishing the sentences and you were also asked to include a source of authority in your response.

Your answer might be similar to this, "Tearfund reflects Christian teachings because it's a charity that aims to relieve and tackle poverty around the world.

An example of the work that Tearfund does is challenge systems that cause poverty and injustice.

This reflects Christian teachings because the Bible teaches "Love your neighbour as yourself," Mark 12:31, and responding to poverty is a way of showing love to those most in need." Now what you can see from my response is that I have used the quote, "Love your neighbour as yourself," from Mark 12:31.

You may have chosen to use a different source of authority, and if you have, this is absolutely fine.

So well done again for your work on that task task.

We're now moving on to the second part of our lesson, which is to look at the work of Tearfund around the world.

Now, Tearfund aims to respond to issues surrounding poverty and injustice with practical action.

Now I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me or have a think to yourself, what does this mean? So what does it mean to respond with practical action? Off you go.

So responding with practical action means that Tearfund carry out physical work and interactions to try and improve the lives and situations of the individuals and communities that they work with.

So in other words, Tearfund do things to improve the lives of the people that they're trying to help.

Now today, Tearfund is actually active in over 50 countries and Tearfund strives to end extreme poverty.

Tearfund works across countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

Tearfund aims to tackle issues surrounding poverty injustice in three main ways.

These ways are humanitarian response, community development, and advocacy and influencing.

Let's now check your understanding.

Which of the following is not one of the three main ways that Tearfund aims to tackle poverty and injustice? A, humanitarian response, B, advocacy and influencing, C, community development, and D, sporting events.

Fantastic, the correct answer is D, sporting events is not one of the three main ways that Tearfund aims to tackle poverty and injustice.

Now we're going to look at the three ways that Tearfund aims to tackle poverty and injustice in more detail now.

Starting with humanitarian response.

So Tearfund responds quickly to disasters and conflicts and supports both individuals and communities who are in need throughout the recovery process after an emergency or a disaster.

So for example, Tearfund respond to both small scale disasters such as flooding and landslides and large scale disasters like wars and conflict.

Community development involves Tearfund partnering with local churches and organisations to provide resources and help communities lift themselves out of poverty.

Now an example of this is that Tearfund run self-help groups, cash and voucher assistance schemes, and they also support sustainable farming and provide solar energy for communities in need.

Advocacy and influence means that Tearfund helps individuals and churches to speak out on issues of poverty and injustice.

Now, Tearfund don't just do this locally, they also do this nationally and globally.

And an example of this is in 2021, during the lead up to the UN Climate Conference, COP26, Tearfund asked the government to take action to help end the climate crisis.

So Tearfund approached those in power who could make a difference with their requests.

So now we've looked at some examples of how Tearfund supports those living in poverty.

Let's imagine that I've been asked to give just one way that Tearfund supports those living in poverty.

I've said that they support those living in poverty by challenging injustice.

I'm now going to ask you the same question.

So I would also like you to give one way that Tearfund supports those living in poverty.

So pause the video and have a go.

So you may have said that Tearfund supports those living in poverty by supporting sustainable farming, providing solar energy and responding to disasters.

So well done if you've got one of those answers or something similar.

Now because Tearfund is a charity, this means that it relies on donations and volunteers to support the work that it does.

Individuals and communities can support Tearfund by donating money, volunteering, taking part in fundraising activities, praying with Tearfund, and also joining a community group.

We are now going to hear from Asher, who is a Pentecostal Christian that supports Tearfund.

Asher says, "I support the work of Tearfund because it's a charity that reflects my Christian beliefs.

I support Tearfund by donating money and praying with Tearfund.

This year I plan on attending the Big Quiz Night hosted by my church in London, making my church one of 600 church, taking part in a quiz night to raise money for Tearfund and help beat poverty." So what we can see here is that Tearfund provides opportunities for Christians and their churches to hold fundraisers that are fun activities that can help raise lots of money for the work that Tearfund does.

And we can see that there are over 600 churches that are taking part in the Big Quiz Night to raise money for Tearfund.

So let's now check your understanding.

True or false? Individuals and communities can support Tearfund by donating, praying and fundraising.

Fantastic, this statement is true, but how do we know that this is true? Well, it's because these are always that both individuals and communities can support Tearfund.

And as well as this, Tearfund is also supported by volunteers.

So well done for identifying that the statement is true and for identifying the reason why.

It's now time for you to have a go at a task.

I'd like you to explain two different ways that Tearfund responds to poverty.

Here's some guidance that you might find helpful when responding to the task.

You may like to use the structure of point, develop, point, develop.

So offer a point giving one way that Tearfund responds to poverty, and then develop that by explaining what Tearfund does and how this tackles poverty.

Then offer a second point giving a different way that Tearfund responds to poverty and then develop that point by explaining what Tearfund does and how this tackles poverty.

So pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your work during that task.

So you were asked to explain two different ways that Tearfund responds to poverty.

And your response might be similar to this.

One way that fund responds to poverty is by providing humanitarian aid.

Tearfund responds quickly to disasters and conflicts and supports individuals and communities in need throughout the recovery process.

Tearfund responds to small and large scale disasters, particularly in areas where individuals and communities are living in poverty and will not be able to support themselves.

A different way that Tearfund responds to poverty is through community development.

Tearfund partners with local churches and organisations to provide resources and help communities lift themselves out of poverty.

An example of this is that Tearfund provides support for sustainable farming.

So what you can see here is that I have explained two different ways that Tearfund responds to poverty.

Now, your ways might not be the same as mine, but as long as your ways are different from each other, then that is absolutely fine.

So well done again for your work on that task.

We've now reached the end of our lesson, but before we finish, let's take a look at some of the key things that we've learned today.

So we've learned that Tearfund is a Christian charity that aims to relieve and tackle poverty, and that Tearfund emphasises bringing the good news to the poor.

We've looked at how today Tearfund continues to reflect Christian teachings on love, justice, and the environment.

And that it works in over 50 countries worldwide.

We've also seen that Tearfund provides humanitarian response, community development, and advocacy and influence.

And that Tearfund relies on donations, fundraising events, and volunteers to support the work that it carries out because it's a charity.

So a huge well done for all of your work today.

It's been wonderful learning with you.