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| Tearfund Leadership Academy | |
|---|---|
| Name | Tearfund Leadership Academy |
| Formation | 2010s |
| Type | Nonprofit leadership training |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Location | London |
| Leader title | Director |
| Parent organization | Tearfund |
Tearfund Leadership Academy is a leadership development initiative associated with the international Christian relief organization Tearfund. The Academy focuses on strengthening leadership capacities among church leaders, community organizers, and development practitioners across regions including Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It delivers training, coaching, and networks aimed at enhancing organizational resilience, disaster response, and community transformation.
The Academy emerged amid global debates involving United Kingdom faith-based development debates and networks such as Christian Aid, CAFOD, World Vision, Oxfam International, Care International, Save the Children, and Mercy Corps. Its formation followed strategic reviews influenced by actors like Barnabas Fund, International Justice Mission, Compassion International, ACT Alliance, and donors including Department for International Development and European Commission. Early programming drew on pedagogy from institutions like University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, Stanford University, University of Notre Dame, and Boston College. Field pilots were implemented in partnership with national affiliates such as Tearfund Australia, Tearfund Canada, Tearfund New Zealand, Tearfund Netherlands, Tearfund USA, and networks including All Africa Conference of Churches, World Council of Churches, Council on Foreign Relations, and International Rescue Committee. The initiative was shaped by crises like the 2010 Haiti earthquake, 2014–2016 West African Ebola epidemic, 2015 Nepal earthquake, 2019–20 Australian bushfire season, and Cyclone Idai, prompting collaboration with responders including Médecins Sans Frontières, Red Cross, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, World Food Programme, and UNICEF.
The Academy’s mission aligns with faith-based development actors such as Evangelical Alliance, Anglican Communion, Roman Catholic Church, World Evangelical Alliance, and Pentecostal World Fellowship while engaging secular partners like United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, The World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Rockefeller Foundation. Objectives emphasize leadership skills referenced in frameworks from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Sustainable Development Goals, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Paris Agreement, and Addis Ababa Action Agenda. The program aims to equip leaders with capabilities used by practitioners at organizations including Plan International, OXFAM GB, BRAC, Heifer International, and Asia Foundation.
Curriculum components mirror modules seen at INSEAD, Saïd Business School, IESE Business School, Kellogg School of Management, Wharton School, and Columbia University. Courses include leadership theory influenced by scholars associated with Max Weber, John Rawls, Amartya Sen, and Paulo Freire, and practical modules reflecting methods used by Acumen Fund, Skoll Foundation, Ashoka, Clinton Foundation, and Echoing Green. Delivery formats include short courses, fellowships, and mentoring similar to programs at Claremont Graduate University, United States Agency for International Development, Peace Corps, Mercy Ships, and Habitat for Humanity. Sector-specific training covers disaster response, community health, and livelihood resilience informed by partners like IFRC, African Union, Economic Community of West African States, South African Development Community, and Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The Academy receives support from institutional donors and partners such as United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, Global Affairs Canada, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, Danish International Development Agency, GIZ, and Sida. Collaborations include theological colleges and seminaries like Trinity College Dublin, Regent College, Fuller Theological Seminary, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and ecumenical bodies including Lutheran World Federation, World Methodist Council, Confederation of African Football—the latter for community sport initiatives—and education partners such as British Council, Commonwealth of Nations, Open Society Foundations, John Templeton Foundation, and European Investment Bank. Corporate and philanthropic relationships mirror those with Unilever, Microsoft, Google.org, Cisco Foundation, Mastercard Foundation, ExxonMobil Foundation, Chevron Corporation, and BP Foundation.
Impact assessments reference methodologies from Randomized controlled trial, Impact evaluation, Theory of Change, Logical Framework Approach, and monitoring standards used by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee. Evaluations cite case studies linked to responses in Mozambique, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Bangladesh, Philippines, Indonesia, Haiti, and Colombia. Metrics draw on indicators from Demographic and Health Surveys, Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys, Human Development Index, and Global Burden of Disease analyses. Independent reviewers have included auditors from KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, and evaluators associated with Independent Evaluation Group.
Governance structures reflect models used by Charity Commission for England and Wales, Companies House, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and boards composed of leaders from Tearfund, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Open Doors, Barnabas Fund, Micah Challenge, and academics from University of Birmingham, King’s College London, University College London, Durham University, University of Edinburgh, and SOAS University of London. Leadership appointments have paralleled profiles seen at Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Transparency International, Friendship NGO, and Refugees International.
Alumni include church leaders, NGO directors, and civic actors who later engaged with institutions like United Nations, African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, European Commission, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and movements including Extinction Rebellion, Fridays for Future, Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, and Global Citizen. Initiatives spawned by alumni have partnered with projects such as Feed the Future, Safe Motherhood Initiative, Power Africa, WaterAid, Sanitation and Water for All, Global Polio Eradication Initiative, and networks including Youth Business International and Women Deliver.