Guidelines For Development And Relief Assistance

1. Underlying Principles

Motivation

TEAR Australia's motivation for involvement is founded in our understanding of God, the words and actions of Jesus, and the mission that he passed on to the Church. We believe that God loves all people and in Christ offers them the opportunity of new life. We believe that God is just and has particular care for the poor and those who suffer as the victims of injustice.

Partnership

TEAR Australia works in partnership with other Christian groups, including churches, relief and development agencies and community-based organisations, which are working with the poor in their communities. We seek to build effective relationships with these partners, grounded in mutual respect, trust and accountability.

TEAR Australia aspires to partnerships characterised by:

• shared organisational ethos and vision based in the words and actions of Christ;
• common development philosophy;
• mutual willingness to learn and grow in administrative and technical competence;
• mutual transparency and accountability in financial arrangements.

TEAR Australia’s partners work in the hope of God's active presence and seek where possible to strengthen Christian community. TEAR Australia does not, however, directly fund or subsidise evangelism or missionary outreach and can only support projects which benefit groups on the basis of need, not on religious, sectarian or political grounds.

2. Priority Development Themes

Poverty Focus

TEAR Australia only supports projects that have a strong focus on improving the conditions of poor and marginalised communities. Activities that respond to the rights of disadvantaged communities are prioritised.

Sustainability

TEAR Australia will direct the majority of its resources to development projects aiming to achieve lasting improvements in the circumstances and capacities of poor communities. Such projects will incorporate strategies and time-lines for encouraging participating communities towards self-reliance. Graduating communities will be equipped to sustain the benefits they have achieved, access local resources independently and plan and manage their own development process into the future. Project processes that are models and can be readily replicated by other communities and in different locations will be given priority.

Projects supported by TEAR Australia will aim to be sustainable within their physical environment. They will incorporate sound environmental and ecological practices and, where applicable, serve to maintain and/or restore the natural resource base. The technology introduced through projects will complement local skills levels, be adaptable to local conditions, use local materials as far as possible, and be acceptable within the framework of traditional practice. Ongoing operation and maintenance by local people must be ensured.

Participation

TEAR Australia will support projects aiming to draw communities together in cooperative efforts for common benefit. Projects will encourage and facilitate community self-help and self-reliance through local participation in identifying needs, defining goals, formulating development strategies, contributing to costs (including contributions in kind) and in the implementation and management of project activities. Recognising that not all members of a community share the same concerns, projects will also encourage a broad participation of community members, including those who are generally excluded from decision-making processes.

Gender

TEAR Australia will support projects in which the social and economic needs of both men and women are addressed, and where the participation of women as decision-makers in determining development objectives and planning development activities is increased.

Priority consideration will be given to projects that:

• promote women’s involvement at all stages of the project cycle;
• expand women’s economic opportunities and increase their incomes;
• improve women’s health and education, and
• increase women’s roles as decision-makers in community and society.

3. Funding Decisions

An extensive process is undertaken before a project is approved for funding by TEAR Australia. After being reviewed by TEAR’s Project Staff, proposals are submitted to one of the following decision-making groups:

1. The Small Grants Committee (SGC) for projects under AU$15,000.
2. The National Allocations Committee (NAC) for organisations / projects TEAR has partnered with for less than 5 years.
3. The Program Review Committee (PRC) for organisations / projects TEAR has partnered with for more than 5 years.
4. The Disaster Management Committee (DMC) for emergency relief grants.

The NAC and PRC meet on a quarterly basis and allocate funding for one, two or three year terms.

4. Types Of Project Activities

The types of project activities that TEAR Australia supports can broadly be grouped together under the following headings: Community Development, Relief and Rehabilitation and Capacity Building & Advocacy. Activities under one, or all, of these headings may be incorporated into a project proposal.

Community Development

The majority of TEAR Australia’s resources will be directed to projects with a strong community development base. Such projects will:

• promote an environment where people in the community can discuss their hopes for the future, analyse the problems they face and become aware of their rights;
• enable people to express and review their beliefs, knowledge, resources, constraints and costs prior to solutions being planned;
• strengthen communities in their ability to plan appropriate responses, move forward to action and manage and monitor progress;
• facilitate the opportunity for participation from all sections of the community, and
• increase the organisational capacity of communities to effectively manage local development processes.

The community-based projects that TEAR Australia supports will represent feasible, necessary and sufficient responses to basic community needs. They will take up problems and opportunities that are critical to people’s daily existence such as food security and agriculture, water supply, sanitation and health, education and childcare, housing and village infrastructure, security and peace, human rights and meaningful participation in civil society. TEAR Australia is open to consider projects in all these areas, and especially projects that enable an integrated response to a range of interconnected problems.

Community development as a process is often not predictable and involves considerable learning for both the implementing organization and the partner communities. Establishing an environment conducive to genuine participation and interactive learning may take considerable time. TEAR Australia recognises that sustainable change in people’s lives is a long-term process. Projects should therefore set realistic objectives and timeframes.

With its focus on community responses to basic needs, TEAR Australia is not able to support activities involving long-term institutional costs. The construction of buildings and purchase of vehicles will also only be considered for funding if they are essential to the implementation of an approved community-based project.

Relief & Rehabilitation

While TEAR Australia allocates the majority of its resources to long-term development activities, it also seeks to support partner organisations in relief activities responding to humanitarian emergencies. Apart from the immense and immediate suffering they cause, disasters deepen poverty and retard development. Consequently, TEAR Australia will favourably consider projects that prepare partner organizations and communities in disaster–prone regions to respond rapidly and effectively to mitigate the impact of disasters when they occur. TEAR Australia will also consider projects that assist the recovery and rehabilitation of victims following the critical stage of an emergency.

Capacity Building & Advocacy

Inputs such as training, guidance, technology and technical assistance that equip both TEAR Australia and its partners to perform their respective roles in the development process more effectively are of strategic importance. TEAR Australia will support such inputs where these strengthen the capabilities of partner organizations to respond to community needs and implement and manage their projects. Training that enables the staff of partner organizations and community volunteers to work more effectively in project activities will be considered. TEAR Australia will also consider recruiting fieldworkers to be placed with, and provide technical assistance and training to, a partner organisation for a limited period of time. A strong case must be made that no local person is available and that the respective partner organization has the capacity to provide appropriate direction and support.

TEAR Australia will support proposals that incorporate advocacy activities into project design. Projects that seek to address the underlying causes of poverty by influencing the decisions of individuals, groups, companies and governments whose actions affect the poor and marginalised will be considered. TEAR Australia will also consider projects that contribute to public policy debate and assist partners to research, train and promote issues that are of concern to poor and marginalised people.