Tearfund | Top 10 most read blogs in 2021

Why I decided to break up with fast fashion

It’s not you…it’s me. Well, actually no, it is you. Tearfund's Advocacy Specialist Morgan Theakston takes us on her journey to give up shopping for a year and gives us her tips on reducing clothing consumption, as well as offering an eye-opening look at the damage fast fashion has on our world.

2. The best birth story we’ve ever heard and the ending that’ll make you smile

With a lack of access to ante-natal care, surprising things can happen for women birthing in places like Uganda. Riding a motorbike to the hospital following the birth of her child, Annet arrived to find that she had two more babies to deliver!

3. A Modern Slavery Act for New Zealand could help you to shop guilt-free

As history can attest, Modern Slavery isn’t an injustice that any of us can tackle alone. To end modern slavery, we need a collaborative movement that addresses the issue from multiple angles. This is, in part, already being accomplished through our overseas partners and our research in ethical fashion. But, to further the movement toward Modern Slavery Legislation in New Zealand, Kiwis like you can have a significant role.

4. If Only You Knew: Owen’s story

When Owen found out he was sponsored, his mother spun him around the room, his brothers jumped up and down and their faces lit up with huge grins. Owen knew his life was about to change, but what he didn’t expect was through his sponsor’s letters, he would first hear the words “I love you”. Owen and his sponsor became the best of friends through letter-writing. His sponsor even flew to Kenya to be the best man at his wedding! This year, Owen was invited to write one last letter to his former sponsor. It had been 12 years since they last wrote to one another.

5. New Zealand fails to fully meet minimum standards to eliminate trafficking.

On July 30, it is World Trafficking in Persons Day and we're shedding light on why the recent US TIP Report has downgraded New Zealand to Tier 2. When it comes to government efforts to prosecute and prevent human trafficking, New Zealand is falling behind the UK, US, Australia, France and many other countries.

6. She is not a statistic, she has a story

“It’s very powerful to put a face to human trafficking through photography. An image takes the issue straight into someone’s heart. It invites them to imagine what it would be like if the person in the photo was their daughter, their cousin, their niece or their mother. Something profoundly changes when the broader issue of human trafficking has a face, a story and a name."~ Kiwi photographer Nikki Denholm.

Setimaya* was just 19 when she was trafficked - 30 years later, she is ready to tell her story.

7. This is what happens when you send a letter to a child you sponsor

Your letters make a world of difference in the lives of the children you sponsor and they can’t wait to receive them. Here’s a look at how they get from New Zealand to where your sponsored child lives.

8. Ten powerful photos of children’s rooms that will move you

Whether it’s a corner of a domed traditional home, a simple hammock, or a private space partition by a curtain, each of these children’s rooms offers a precious insight into their daily lives.

9. Kids around the world: My favourite foods

We thought we’d ask some children who attend Compassion child development centres what their favourite foods to eat were. Here’s what they had to share.

10. Time to be kind to Afghans

Council for International Development director Josie Pagani calls the withdrawal from Afghanistan a disaster, and says the New Zealand Government should take in a thousand Afghan refugees in this year’s refugee quota. She also says we need to back the offer Turkey made to the Afghan Government to run chartered evacuation and aid flights through Kabul airport.

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