Thursday 29 July 2010: TEAR Fund
TEAR Fund was set up 60 years ago to provide long term sustainable relief for the desperately poor.
The tragic Ugandan rebel war spanned over two decades and displaced tens of thousands of families from their rural villages. TEAR Fund took its first step toward recovering and rehabilitating those whose lives had been destroyed by the war when they partnered with a local registered charity, ‘Watoto’. Watoto has been transforming the lives of orphaned and vulnerable children and women with significant progress and momentum, proving that action is indeed the antidote to despair.
TEAR Fund NZ has established the Surgical Intervention Project in Uganda. Its primary purpose is to restore the lives of women, children and former child soldiers who have suffered facial mutilations. Thanks to an international surgical team partnering with Ugandan health professionals, they have been providing sophisticated surgical procedures to dramatically change lives. While many of these doctors donate their services, many fixed costs remain with each procedure averaging around $3,700 USD. The goal over the next two years is 70 restorative surgeries, with a target of 100 by 2012, and its all thanks to generous support via donations.
