Tearfund | Why Tearfund's partnership model works

What’s different about Tearfund’s approach to aid and development?

If you have ever travelled to a community where Tearfund works you won’t have seen a Tearfund NZ office. While many aid and development organisations have offices and a visible presence overseas, Tearfund’s approach is to work through trusted faith-based partners who are part of the communities they serve. Because poverty is complex, we believe that local experts are best placed to find local solutions which will bring lasting change. So we come alongside our local partners, joining them in the work they are doing, and supporting them to deliver the best aid and development programmes possible.

How do we choose which projects to support?

Our partnership approach is key to both robust contextual analysis and project design. Frequent liaising with local partners ensures that we work together in the pre-design research process and then are informing the design conceptually, as well as refining draft versions of the final activity design.

Each project proposal we accept goes through a peer-review process to make sure that it is strong and effective . Then we work further with the partner to refine any details.

We usually work through partners we know or that other Tearfund’s or our Integral Alliance partners recommend. The Integral Alliance is a group of Christian aid organisations where members collaborate on disaster responses and disaster recovery projects.

What are the advantages of our partnership model?

Our partners determine the help they need to solve an aspect of poverty or need.
Programmes are delivered in a safe and culturally appropriate way.
Through the Integral Alliance and other Tearfunds, we can sometimes share monitoring and evaluation costs.
The Integral Alliance membership allows Tearfund NZ to contribute to fast efficient responses to disasters through well-organised collaboration and joint funding.

One of the biggest advantages for our generous supporters is knowing that their gifts sent to our partners are being used effectively. They can also be assured that our expert programmes staff are monitoring the effective use of funds. Working in low-income countries can be challenging and complex, so our staff work with the partner to adjust strategies that are not meeting targets to ensure the best possible outcomes.

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Thursday, 22 April 2021 — Kyle Davidson

My life is already so busy with my work and kids that it’s hard to find the time. I need to wait until I have more to say. My letters don’t really matter anyway. I don’t know if you can relate to any of these. If you can, you’re definitely not alone. And you’re not a bad sponsor. That said, writing letters have amazing benefits, not only to your sponsored child but to you! Let’s take a look at three benefits of writing letters to your sponsored child.

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Monday, 12 April 2021 — Tearfund New Zealand

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Thursday, 08 April 2021 — Kevin Riddell

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Wednesday, 31 March 2021 — Compassion International

Gisele's family were not Christians when she was registered into the Child Sponsorship Programme. After she gave her heart to the Lord as a young girl, her greatest prayer was that her parents would share her faith. This is a story of how God turned a trial into a testimony and answered her prayer.

*All names have been changed to protect identities

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Wednesday, 31 March 2021 — Compassion International

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Tuesday, 30 March 2021 — Kelly Burgess

Tearfund’s partner, Compassion, provides sponsorship programmes for vulnerable children in 25 countries. All of these countries have had very different experiences of managing life in a pandemic. It’s in this storm that our Christ-centered, child-focused model has been a safe anchor. Our programmes are facilitated by local church partners. These Christ-centred staff are dedicated to the community they know and love. They are their neighbours. It is this local connection that has been so crucial in enabling them to meet the needs of sponsored children and their families—right where they are.

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