Charity Spotlight: Tearfund Ireland
Focused on transforming communities, helping people thrive and humanitarian disasters
We'd like to know about your charity. Tell us who you are and what inspired the creation of your charity.
Tearfund Ireland is an international development and relief organisation committed to the transformation of vulnerable communities in specific regions around the world, including Ethiopia, Cambodia and the Middle East. Our vision is to see flourishing communities free from poverty and injustice. We work in relationship with local partners to assist people in transforming their communities.
Tearfund Ireland emerged from a UK and Ireland–based movement in the late 1960s responding to widespread global poverty, injustice, natural disasters and humanitarian crises. Media coverage of the Biafra famine highlighted the urgent need for international support, prompting churches to come together to establish a Relief Fund in 1968, which later became Tearfund, combining compassion with practical action. In 2000, Tearfund Ireland was established as a separate organisation.
What impact does your work have on the community?
Our impact on communities is both local and global, with a strong focus on long-term, sustainable change.
Here in Ireland, our impact is delivered through advocacy work. We amplify the voices of our overseas partners and the communities they serve, raising awareness of gender inequality, poverty, displacement, climate injustice and humanitarian crises. Through research, education and awareness-raising initiatives, we influence Irish public understanding and behaviour change, helping to build solidarity and support justice for those facing global inequality.
Overseas, our impact is direct and community-focused. Working alongside local partners, we support community-based transformation and humanitarian responses that strengthen resilience and reduce long-term dependency on aid. Our work improves livelihoods, food security and governance structures; promotes gender equality and protection for marginalised women and children; supports refugees and migrants; and strengthens local institutions. In humanitarian settings, we provide locally led emergency and disaster responses and targeted support in long term country crises.
Overall, our work strives to see the transformation of communities, overcoming poverty and withstanding crises.
Would you like to share a success story that really represents what you do?
Ten years ago, in southern Ethiopia, a young woman named Mihret found herself living in profound poverty. In her early twenties, her future seemed bleak, overshadowed by a sense of hopelessness. Opportunities appeared scarce, and she felt isolated, with no one to lean on. Her days ahead seemed to be a cycle of frustration and hardship. But then hope emerged—a Self Help Group (SHG) offered her an opportunity. Joining a circle of 15-20 women facing similar challenges, she was encouraged to save a little each week.
The breakthrough came when she attended a business development course led by our partner. She spotted a gap in the market for turning her stall into a local coffee shop: a place where local people could sit down in comfort, away from the roadside. So she took out a loan from her Self Help Group, rolled up her sleeves, and now, Mihret, has been an active member of a Self Help Group for over nine years and is a well-known and respected businesswoman within her community.
‘It was not always easy. It was mostly a bumpy road… But now people come to me to ask for advice on how to start a business. I even have bank managers wanting me to share my tips with their wives!’
Since November 2024, Mercy Coffee has moved from a modest corridor to a spacious dedicated shop, tripled in size, and employs 15 people. Her upgraded menu now features coffee, crisps, fresh juice, and lattes, serving a continually growing customer base. With doubled revenue and savings, Mihret continues to plan for the future and now guides other entrepreneurs as they take their first courageous steps towards starting their own business.
Mihret represents thousands of women whose lives have been transformed through Tearfund Ireland’s Self Help Group programme. Women who once were marginalised, with no financial security and little hope for change, are now full of confidence and hope. Their self-esteem, their dignity and their self-respect have been restored.
How has being part of the Vhi Women's Mini Marathon supported your charity's mission?
As a small international charity, the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon has been an invaluable platform for Tearfund Ireland to amplify our impact. It enables us to fundraise vital resources while also projecting and highlighting the voices of the women we work alongside, particularly in Ethiopia. Being part of a movement that champions gender equality and collective action aligns well with our values. The sense of shared purpose, visibility and morale created by the Mini Marathon allows us to come together with other women and supporters who are motivated by similar goals, strengthening both our work and our community.
Contact Info:
Telephone: 01 878 3200 | Email: ella.switzer@tearfund.ie | Website: Home - Tearfund Ireland