Many Christians follow the tithe principle and give a portion of their income to God, be this through gifts to their church, donations to charity or mission or to other ways to honour God. But one church has taken an unusually literal interpretation of tithing which will benefit people in one of the poorest countries in the world.

St Mary’s, an Anglican church in Reigate, is currently raising money for renovations and for the building of a new community centre. But what makes St. Mary's unusual is that the congregation have decided that they should tithe ten percent of all moneys raised and put this money in to charitable building works overseas. The bill for building works is likely to reach £2.5million so the tithe represents a significant fund that will have a lasting impact.

The first project to benefit from the fund is the construction of a new health clinic in Gitega, Burundi. Burundi is one of the poorest countries in the world and lacks many basic health services. World Emergency Relief UK (WER) has been working with local NGO African Revival Ministries (ARM) in Burundi since 2003 and the new clinic is an extension of an existing HIV/AIDS centre that has been operating for over 6 years. The expanded clinic will provide maternity services and treat a much broader range of ailments. By treating both HIV/AIDS patients and others side by side, it will also help to break down the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS.

The Burundian government’s ability to invest in healthcare is limited; much of the infrastructure was destroyed in years of civil war which had a detrimental effect on the country’s economy and healthcare. As a result there is a serious lack in trained medical staff. At the last count, Burundi only had 200 doctors or one doctor for every 44,000 people. Reigate has one doctor for every 800 people.

As well as an HIV/AIDS clinic there will be a nutrition centre providing food and nutritional advice to patients. One of the most serious health issues to be faced in Burundi is severe malnutrition. The estimated rate of severe malnutrition among children under 5 in Burundi is 3 per cent, this equates to around 40,000 children. The land surrounding the centre will be used as a demonstration farm to grow food advising people how to diversify their food supply.

The new clinic will not only save lives. A lack of access to basic healthcare is both a result of and a cause of poverty. There is no opportunity for development where children miss school because they are hungry or sick, where families must save for months simply to afford basic medicine and where HIV/AIDS sufferers are excluded from jobs and community life. The new health clinic in Gitega will work to improve both health and life prospects for thousands of people.

To the great surprise of the congregation at St. Mary's they have now discovered that this is not the first time that a church from Reigate has supported those in need in Gitega. While finalising the plans for the new clinic it emerges that Reigate Baptist Church has been providing support to through ARM for many years. The two churches are ideally located to work closely together, a relationship that both hope to develop further.

The generous approach to tithing by the congregation of St. Mary's will mean many thousands of people in Burundi will benefit in the years ahead from improved health at the same time as the congregation and community of St Mary’s benefit from their new facilities. St Mary’s describe this approach as representing a ‘win/win’ situation with local investment and generosity having global effects in the fight against poverty and injustice. It’s an approach they are excited by and would recommend to any individual, church, charity or organisation.