History

Tearfund Germany was founded in 1998 as Partner Aid International by Christians determined to make an active contribution to eradicate poverty and need in the countries of Central and South Asia. At that time, the work was exclusively done by volunteers. Friends of the founding members took unpaid leave or time off to support projects in India, the Maldives or Kazakhstan.

Over time, project activities grew and larger projects were planned. Through the contact with local partners, knowledge about foreign cultures, ways of life and religions also grew. This approach became more and more important in the following years. Both, the growing work and the culturally sensitive approach made it necessary for employees to be prepared to commit to a long-term stay abroad.

In 2014, the German association signed a cooperation agreement with World Relief (USA). The organizations have worked together for four years, while both remained independent.

In 2019 the organizations management team decided to become a member of the global Tearfund family. With this step we want to increase the impact and influence of our work and serve the people even better and more comprehensively than before.