Seed planting

The 2019 Appeal encourages you to discover and support Tearfund's partner, CEDES (Comité  Ecuménico Para O Desenvolvimento Social), in the work being done to address poverty and food insecurity due to natural disasters and problem investment.

A fragile and dangerous place

Mozambique: Prone to natural disasters. 1.5 million people affected by drought. 2.1 million people without sufficient access to food. 27% of the population unemployed. An uneasy peace between government and opposition forces.

Inhassoro district lies within the cyclone region of Mozambique. Even if the cyclones do not come, communities in the area are vulnerable to strong winds and either heavy rains, which can cause flooding, or low rainfall which contributes to drought-like conditions.

Eking out an existence through subsistence farming in this fragile and dangerous place is hard work but through Tearfund’s partner, CEDES (The Ecumenical Committee for Social Development), communities arediscovering within themselves the resources and the capacity to do more than that.

They are, together, learning how to adapt their farming methods so that they can be more resilient in the face of the challenges that come their way. And conservation agriculture techniques
are not only bearing fruit in terms of the harvest that is reaped from the land. They are also bearing fruit in the lives of families, communities and neighbourhoods. For people are being empowered to understand themselves as those with the agency to use the resources they have to shape a more hopeful and sustainable future. A future where one can dream of more than merely ‘existing’.

CEDES 

Through CEDES, and under the aegis of Tearfund, Horácio Valoi was trained as an ‘umoja’ facilitator. ‘Umoja’ is a Swahili word meaning ‘togetherness’ and the ‘umoja’ process sees a trained facilitator lead community groups in Bible studies. Through the studies, members of that community are enabled to focus on identifying and using the resources they have to lead and control their own development. This removes the sense of disempowerment that can accompany being dependent on an external donor.

Tearfund also recognises the potential within local churches to take a lead on development issues within the communities in which they are located. Through the church and community transformation process, ‘umoja’ helps churches to understand integral mission. Local churches come to see how important
it is that they look after the whole of people’s lives, spiritual and physical, in the communities they serve. They even begin to identify and take the lead on sustainable development initiatives.

The World Development Appeal video this year tells the story of how conservation agriculture or ‘farming God’s way’ has been transformative for the community with which Horácio works. Working with family units, households have been trained in sustainable farming techniques which generate a small surplus income. This can then be reinvested through self-help groups which, in turn, generate small businesses in the neighbourhood. Relationships within families are improved. Relationships grow between families and the church as people interact in the Bible studies. And the community is developed from within, becoming an example others can learn from.
 

Please find in the downloads box various resources and background materials that are available for the 2019 World Development Appeal, including a poster, worship materials and PowerPoint information slides.

To donate to the World Development Appeal for 2019 please click here.