How we work at Tearfund

Meet our committed team based in Berlin

We are a praying, faith-based community. Our commitment to leading communities out of poverty and promoting justice, peace and the integrity of creation is in line with Christian values, as well as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Tearfund’s approach to work is “Transforming communities through local churches”. We are convinced that poverty can only be overcome together. For this reason, we empower entire communities, i.e. village communities or small groups, to initiate change processes together and become agents of change. Find out more about our approach here.

Transforming communities through local churches

Local people are at the centre of our work. They are the experts for their situation and have solutions that fit the religious, cultural and social conditions in their area. People in difficult circumstances can plan measures independently and implement them sustainably, in cooperation with local partners and churches.

Our work is not about short-term aid. Instead, we aim to holistically change the living conditions of people enduring poverty. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for this; we only work on concepts developed individually for each situation. Every new project starts by listening to people and developing a vision with them. The focus is on existing resources and opportunities, without neglecting the challenges. Projects are carried out by local stakeholders, therefore ensuring a sustainable future.

What does this cooperation look like in practice?

Local contacts are people, churches or partner organisations who are well connected, interested in working together and want to contribute to change. We call such actors “agents of change”. Wherever there are local church communities, we as Tearfund work together with them. Churches are rooted locally, have been active in the community for a long time and represent Christian values – they are therefore ideal partners as agents of change.

We also refer to the projects in which we work with local churches as “Transforming Communities”. The name explains what we seek to achieve: working closely together –Tearfund, churches and local people – to lead communities out of extreme poverty and into a sustainable future.

The focus is on people’s God-given potential, rather than on what is missing. Where others see hopelessness, we begin to listen to people and strengthen them.