Today I had some great news and it is Tearfund related news so, as regular readers of my blog will know, I am liable to get stupidly excited about it. I am currently working on a project with Tearfund promoting the excellent work that they are doing in the Mekong Sub Region (the border region of China, Thailand and Myanmar – don't worry I didn't know either!!) and the first piece I have written for them has just been published on their website. And here it is!
Hooray!
This comes at a really great time as I was starting to question the wisdom of this crazy new way of life I've taken on and so it was a very welcome boost to see a tweet from Tearfund HQ announcing that my news update is now online. It's so wonderful to see something I have agonized over at my little writing desk getting out there to the masses. I always find any work I do for Tearfund hugely rewarding because every piece of information that comes through to me I find so mind blowingly humbling and inspiring.
This story from one of the partners in Yunnan Province, China, really struck me both because it is so heartbreaking but also so hopeful (like nearly everything I've encountered through Tearfund). This kind of work is exactly what the church needs to be doing and what it is best placed to do in so many countries – the local church is everywhere and in many cases trusted by the community so it is well placed to run education and social programmes, particularly in the area of HIV/AIDS awareness (and it is a fundamental part of being a Christian – believe it or not!). But all this starts with getting the church informed, resourced and inspired. That's why I love Tearfund so much, they are at the grass roots, empowering people with the knowledge and resources they need to tackle the issues that concern them in their own communities.
Anyway enough waxing lyrical about the wonders of Tearfund (what am I saying! I could never say enough!!) lets just say I am grateful to be able to write this today and boosted to keep going, keep writing and putting myself out there. All in all what I can say about this new lifestyle is that there isn't a day when I'm not doing something I really care about and that is pretty wonderful despite the challenges it brings.
This also seems like the perfect opportunity to plug my book which raises money for Tearfund's work around the world. It's a collection of stories, some of which were inspired by a trip I took with Tearfund to Zambia, you can get a copy here for just £5.99 and all profits (at least 65% of the cover price) go to support their amazing work around the world.
This is interesting - sometimes I feel ill equipped to write such pieces as I assume they have to be written by someone with first hand knowledge of the area. How did you get involved in this capacity? I'd love for my writing to make a difference and raise awareness....
ReplyDeleteWell done -praying that your work bears lots of good fruit :)
Hi Lucy,
ReplyDeleteYes, it's great work to do and some of my favourite writing opportunities. Specialist knowledge isn't essential as Tearfund (and I'm sure other organisations like it) have the expertise in house but not necessarily the writing skills. I got into it through doing a Gap year with them a few years ago during which I wrote some articles for youth magazines. Now I'm volunteering with a country team and building up my portfolio that way in the hope that I can then approach other similar organisations for freelance work.
I think the best course of action would be contacting the Creative Team, if you are looking for paid writing work, or the Supporter realtions team, if you would consider voluntary work to get you going.
Hope that helps!
Nicola
Hi Nicola,
ReplyDeleteYes that's extremely helpful!
Thanks.