How does Tearfund Canada interact with local governments?

Using our Church-based Community Transformation model, we’ve seen thousands of people lift themselves out of extreme poverty.

But when we work with the local church, is the local government involved?

When we set up our projects, we also use an established local partner. This means they exist under local government regulations and are recognized in their own country. It means they comply with local guidelines. Everything is transparent under local law and under Canadian law as well.

We also look for gaps where local government structures aren’t able to provide for their own people. For example, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the local church acts as the primary support service for the people. The local government often doesn’t have the capacity to provide social services, so the church steps up to care for the poor and marginalized. This is similar to churches in Canada running programs like food banks, shelters and outreach programs to those living in poverty.

Want to learn more about how we work with the local church? Check out the How We Work page on our website.