Just One

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." -Archbishop Desmond Tutu

sometimes there is only black and white and no shades of grey. 

I've been thinking about something I posted not too long ago. And through my pondering coupled with some web surfing tonight, I've found something pretty cool to talk about.

“Today it is fashionable to talk about the poor. Unfortunately it is not fashionable to talk with them.”–Mother Teresa 

I just bought a T-Shirt from Just One. Check out this website--One Voice To End Slavery. It's a social network for abolitionists. And that is how I found Just One's sites, like OBWL



And this is what I am going to do (once I can actually ride my bike). I've spent the last few days thinking about one of my favourite spots to go play Ingress, at a park in Costa Mesa. I was actually interviewed by a local news channel there about the "homeless situation". The city of Costa Mesa treated them like a nuisance instead of seeing them as people. They spent $60,000 tearing down a picnic area to try to get the homeless to stop sleeping there. When I go there at night after work to play Ingress, I see no difference in the amount of people there. So instead of spending $60,000 to care for these people, the city just gave them less shelter. 

OBWL seeks to encourage every day citizens to fill their backpacks, riding bags, tubs, etc with new socks, toiletries, dog treats, bus passes, and other simple necessities jump on your bikes and ride, spending time with your neighbors who live under the stars. It is our hope that OBWL Chapters will start in different cities or neighborhoods throughout the US.

Haiti

I've had Haiti on my heart lately. I was talking to my best friend about the extreme poverty there and he asked my why Haiti is so poor. I wasn't exactly sure how to answer. So, I asked my blogger friend Mark to write about this for me. I could have googled it, but I wanted the perspective of an insider. Not some reporter who might have spent a week there, but someone who loves and knows Haiti. 

Why is Haiti so poor?

Historically Haiti has never had a period of sustained growth. It seems that every time Haiti gets to her feet from one natural disaster, ruthless dictator or health epidemic another is waiting to knock her down. Not to mention foreign governments and businesses meddling in Haitian affairs which always ends poorly for Haiti with her landscape ravaged and her people exploited. In the last several decades Haiti has suffered massively from the brain drain that happened during Papa Doc’s regime. The Ton Ton Macoute, Duvalier’s para-military hit squad killed tens of thousands of his political detractors and there was a mass exodus of Haiti’s elite, including her writers, artists, professors etc.. There is also the reality of corruption and gang violence that keeps honest business from thriving and hard working people at the mercy of the greedy and the powermongers. Add to all of this that there are no loans for people in Haiti. Not even micro loans to help start a small business. There is an extreme lack of upward mobility in Haiti keeping her people scrambling at the bottom for limited resources and jobs. All of these factors make Haiti somewhat volatile at times which in turn keeps foreign investors wary of moving industry to Haiti.

What would it take to break the cycle of poverty?

People in Haiti want to work. They want to build very small modest homes for their family. They dream of owning small businesses to insulate themselves from the 75% un-employment rate. I feel like one of the best ways to help Haiti’s people would be to offer micro-loans with extremely low interest rates. I have seen the work ethic of Haiti’s people. I have worked these past 6 months with 140 Haitian men who are tireless, who never complain, who never find a task beneath them. I know that it is a nation of resilient people who can and will thrive if given half a chance. But they remain marginalized by their economic condition, always at the mercy of tomorrow’s tragedy. Education for children that includes sustainable economic and business models would go a long way too, so yeah, micro loans and education for sure.

What is Haiti’s greatest need right now?

I think the greatest need, as far as direct aid relief, is two-fold. There is always the need for medical supplies and medical teams. Each area of Haiti has its own set of particular needs but over all there is a shortage of preventative care and simple medicine/vitamins that could save so many lives and substantially raise the infant mortality rate. The other thing I think would be construction crews to help re-build after the 2010 quake that killed 200,000. There are still close to 400 thousand people in IDP camps. These internally displaced persons are extremely vulnerable to every natural disaster and violence crime and theft. These tent communities, literally tarps over twigs, seldom have working latrines and their over-taxed water supplies are often compromised. These two factors raise very real concerns in light of Haiti’s recent Cholera epidemic. So NGO’s that would use Haitian workforce and Haitian materials to build these families homes would be incredible.

What effects of the earthquake are still felt today?

All over Haiti’s southern region, from the capitol city of Port-au-Prince to Petit Goave buildings remain in heaps of rubble. This past month the presidential palace was finally pushed down to make way for re-building but much of the surrounding areas are still devastated. With no ability to buy materials for construction due again to high unemployment and the inability to take out a loan, Haitian people, especially her poorest, have not been able to rebuild. There have been great strides in trying to get businesses up and running but where there is no money and no NGO support buildings remain shattered just like the lives of too many of their owners.

What about Sandy?

Sandy was tough on Haiti. But only from the rain. At least 50 people died in flash flooding and mud slides. There was also a slight spike in Cholera. Sandy along with Isaac before her showcased the extreme vulnerability of Haiti’s people. When a relatively small and weak storm can do so much damage you realize just how tenuous life in Haiti is.

What would it take to put a stop to the trend of restaveks? (If you've never seen the term before, it refers to a child in forced domestic servitude. More information can be found here)

I am going to defer to my close friend Megan Boudreaux on this one. She has worked extensively with Restaveks through her organization Respire Haiti . She says it is education. Making sure that each child has an education and then in turn educating people that each life is sacred and important. She has enrolled upwards of 300 restaveks in her school in Gressier, Haiti. Personally I feel this to be so true. Obviously greed and lust play a part in every type of exploitation and Governments must make strong anti child slavery laws and enforce them. I would like to see Haiti’s president Martelly make this a top priority of his government and to give local municipalities the resources to identify these children and get them to safety. But this is such a deeply convoluted and engrained part of Haiti’s culture that these children are slaves in plain sight. Church and civic leaders need to raise their voice in an united front against this injustice. It needs to become a source of national shame and the collective conscience of Haiti must turn its will toward eradication of this despicable practice. A quarter of a million children’s lives depend on it.

What issues are there in Haitian orphanages?

Too many of Haiti’s orphanages are run for profit. Spider’s as my friend Morgan Weinberg from Little Footprints, Big Steps calls them, are opportunistic profiteers who prey on the desperation of Haiti’s impoverished families. They will take children who aren’t even orphans and post sad pictures all over the web to tug at international heartstrings attached to firstworld purses. Kids are kept on the edge of starvation in tattered clothing to keep the pictures compelling. They sleep on dirt or in crowded beds, sometimes without basic sanitation or healthcare. Although there are some amazing people who run orphanages and care deeply for these kids far too many of these homes are prisons for innocent kids.

What is being done about it?

There has been a recent effort by Haitian child services to crack down on exploitation in Haiti’s orphanages, and I have seen some good trends in that respect. But at times it seems very disjointed, half-hearted and somewhat arbitrary. And I have also experienced firsthand the corruption that greases palms to turn blind eyes. Some NGO’s on the ground are checking in on these kids too. They are building relationships with honest, kind orphanage directors and fully vetting these homes before placing kids.

What can people in the developed world do to help?

Ultimately Haiti needs resources, needs volunteers. Skilled professionals such as doctors, nurses , dentists, social workers and construction experts can volunteer with NGOs already deeply invested and embedded in communities. These NGOs have already won the trust of their Haitian neighbors and isolated those most at risk and in the most dire need. Also donors should not allow their wariness of corruption to stop their donating. They need only to fully vet organizations. There are so many amazing people on the ground in Haiti doing such incredible things but always in need of more resources to meet the need.

Things I learned. . .

As if there is anyone who does not know, I sponsor a Compassion kid.  His name is Tamirat, and he lives in Ethiopia.  He is about my age (just 3 months younger). The cool thing about Compassion is they do not just ask for your money and leave you in the dark.  They want you to know about their programs, to know about the child you sponsor, and about his/her culture.  I wanted to know about Ethiopian culture and have a reference of things to talk about.  In reading Compassion's info about Ethiopia, and with a quick visit to Wikipedia, I learned some new things about Ethiopia:

• Their new year is September 11, my birthday :)
• Amharic, a semitic language, is the official language
• Addis Ababa is the capital
• Ethiopian cuisine does not have pork because of religious influence 
• Ethiopian cities are largely at high elevations, many higher than Colorado Springs (>6000ft), where Compassion's headquarters are. 
• Ethiopia is one of the oldest countries in the world 

All of these are off the top of my head.  

I learned about Africa in 7th grade--a full 9 years ago.  Of course, I remember very little, even about the Congo, which I wrote a report on.  But Compassion, by way of their blog and other media, has really helped to get me out of my American box.  In 7th grade, Mrs. Whitmire was teaching us geography and history, but a middle school World History class does not teach the true state of the world.  I am so much more educated in reality by Compassion.  I love knowledge; I  love information--I have been called a walking concordance, a walking dictionary, and a walking encyclopedia.  And yet, I do not watch the news (seriously, I do not have TV, and only read news on Facebook). I believe I know more about the state of the world than your average American.  The world is getting smaller, and it would seem we would be more aware of what is going on, yet I am astounded by the level of ignorance my peers have (and that I used to have). 

I would be interested to see what other people learned about their kid's country--comment below if you have anything cool that you learned

How Two People Changed the Future

Two sponsors changed the lives of two children and ended the line of poverty. Wow, that is success. I doubt our welfare program works that well

http://blog.compassion.com/poverty-stops-here/

Bailout Plan by Tim Glenn

“It’s extraordinary to me that the United States can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G8 can’t find $25 billion dollars to save 25,000 children who die every day from preventable diseases.” –Bono.

I don’t mean to make light of the current economic crisis in the United States, but there’s a part of me that wonders if we don’t deserve this.

As a country, we have been getting fat and lazy while two thirds of the world struggles just to stay alive. Not all of us, mind you, but collectively — as a country — we’re complaining not because we can’t survive but because our luxuries cost us more than we want to spend.

We want cheap gas and “affordable” four-bedroom homes. We want 200 channels on television and to be able to go out to eat two or three times a week.

As Americans, many of us believe we deserve those things. There’s a sense of entitlement. Meanwhile, on the other side of this tiny little planet of ours, someone is praying, pleading to God for a slice of bread.

So our government is working on a bailout plan. How can we maintain the “American way of life” without suffering the consequences of our decisions? A loan. We’ll loan ourselves money and turn a blind eye to the root causes of greed and selfishness.

We do that so well, don’t we? We attack problems by trying to change the circumstances, instead of battling the root causes. I know I’ve done it in my own life, so this is as much an indictment on me as it is on anyone else.

Then I start to think about the poor.

What is the bailout plan for that family living on less than $2 a day in a developing country? The family who struggles not with wants for luxury but needs for survival. Who will bail them out?

The answer, oddly enough, is us. Yes, the same “us” that’s struggling in the midst of this economic downturn. When our economy is bad, it trickles down to the poorest of the poor.

Higher food costs and fuel prices mean their $2 a day doesn’t go nearly as far. We have to look beyond ourselves, now more than ever, to be the church God intended us to be.

The Church is God’s bailout plan for the poor.

I’m not saying we should throw money at poverty and turn a blind eye to its root causes. I understand why Bono is frustrated over the lack of funds, I really do. But money alone won’t stop poverty.

It goes deeper than that. Besides, I think the Church can do better than any government. We understand the spiritual implications that despair and hopelessness cause. And no one can meet those needs better than the Church. If we’ll just be the Church.

This is a time to pray. Not just for the economic crisis in our country, but also for the ones hit hardest — the poor. And, there’s something else we can do: give more.

That’s right . . . more. I know it sounds odd, but what if, instead of hording our money during this time of economic struggle, we decided to be more giving? Wouldn’t that be something?

Imagine the headlines: GIVING TO THE POOR IS UP — EVEN AS STOCKS DECLINE. At the very least, we can’t afford to cut back on our giving. The poor simply cannot survive if we do.

I don’t know what giving more means to you. It could be sponsoring a child. It could be giving to a fund that feeds the hungry.

Maybe it means going on a mission trip and getting your hands dirty. But this is the time to do it. Now. Not tomorrow. Not to change circumstances . . . but to attack the roots.


Click the title to see the original post on the Compassion Blog

Why I Support Compassion

Compassion is my charity of choice, here are some reasons why

These are not in any particular order

1) Relationships: with the Child Sponsorship Program, I am not just giving money to an organisation. I sponsor an individual child. I am able to foster a relationship with the child I sponsor. The great thing about this is I can see the results personally. I do not just hear about how over a million children are being sponsored. I can hear about the child I sponsor, Tamirat, and how he is personally affected. I like such relationships.

2) I am commanded to: In at least five places in the Bible (NKJV), it explicitly says to aid the poor. Yes, I am going to list them.

Lev 25:35 If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty
among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that
he may live with you.

Deut 15: 7-8 If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within
any of the gates in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you
shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother,
but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him
sufficient for his need, whatever he needs.

Deut 15:11 For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I
command you, saying, 'You shall open your hand wide to your brother,
to your poor and your needy, in your land.'

Psalm 82: 3-4 Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the
afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the
hand of the wicked.

Proverbs 31:9 Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause
of the poor and needy.

3) method: Compassion works through local churches, that are already established and who demonstrate sound doctrine. They also look for long-term situations. Poverty cannot be fixed overnight. I believe stability is very important for children. Change is good, instability is not. To me, the most important facet of their long-term changes is the fact that they are not just releasing children from poverty, but they are "Releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name." To give a child food to eat and clean water to drink, but to leave their soul hungering for the Word and thirsting for Living Water is to accomplish nothing of great consequence.

4) integrity: Compassion has demonstrated great financial efficiency. Check them out on Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance.

5) the people of Compassion: one thing I can say about Compassion that a lot of sponsors cannot is that I have been to their offices, and I have met many of their employees. I worked full time for two employees and occasionally for another. I even lived with one of the people I worked for. They are different. They are so passionate about children, and it is apparent. Is that not important, considering what Compassion does?

6) the value given to children: I believe investing in people is the best investment one can make. Of everything around us, the only things eternal are people and the word of God. Children are the future, and the effects we have on them now will be present in eternity. Think about it--some of the people that will be in heaven are going to be Compassion kids that would not have heard the gospel if it was not for Compassion.

(I will post sources later-this is being sent from my mobile phone)

I have also worked with Samaritan's Purse and fundraised for World Vision. These are also great charities too, but I have chosen Compassion as the one I regularly give to. Remember that SP and WV work in different ways. Within the church, it is great to have unity in diversity.

AIDS

Click the title