On The Move

The One Campaign has published a book based on Bono's powerful speech at the 2006 National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC. Check out the live preview here (it's really neat).

"Because where you live should no longer determine whether you live." Bono

Famine Again?

Art by Trevor Romaine

The problem lies with those who have not or cannot join the modern economy—those in poverty-stricken urban slums, whose labor will not earn enough money to buy food, or those in remote places pursuing traditional lifestyles that are subject to natural disasters. The number of such traditionalists has grown, even as their ability to feed themselves has declined. Their land has been restricted (by war, land grabs, or borders) or degraded (often by overgrazing or poor farming techniques). Crime and war and bad government have kept them isolated from education and business, forces that could change their lives. They are more vulnerable than ever.

When I talk to people in relief and development organizations, I find them frustrated by these realities. They want to make a lasting difference but, by and large, they cannot. By feeding people, they are putting off problems to another day. Drought will come again. Donors will groan and ante up again—we hope.

Read the rest of this great article about the hidden faces of famine...

Ouch!

While in the throes of a migraine, Lydia "PRUNES" her flowers.

Migraine by Crystal Star &Peggy Hoffman

I've been battling a migraine for over two weeks now, so I haven't had a lot of original thoughts to post here. It's amazing how something so seemingly minor can (temporarily) transform my journey into a holding pattern. I've been thinking about the poor a lot during this time - I know that many of the world's poorest poor have no access to HIV or malaria medication. The sad truth is that something as accessible as aspirin is also hard to come by - a migraine like mine with no treatment could lay someone flat, robbing them of their ability to work. Bono's words really stand out to me right now: "I'm talking about the right to live like a human, the right to live, period. Those are the stakes in Africa right now."

Technorati tags: migraine, poverty, social justice

Bono Teaches Us True Religion

Here are some powerful quotes from Bono's speech:

"I'm talking about the right to live like a human, the right to live, period. Those are the stakes in Africa right now."

"This is not about charity...It's about justice, justice and equality."

"This is true religion. True religion will not let us fall asleep in the comfort of our freedom. Love thy neighbor is not a piece of advice, it's a command. That means, in the global village, we're going to have to start loving a whole lot more people, that's what that means."

"Because where you live should not decide whether you live, or whether you die. And to those in the church who still sit in judgement on the AIDS emergency, let me climb into the pulpit for just one moment. Because whatever thoughts we have about God, who He is, or even if God exists, most will agree that God has a special place for the poor. The poor are where God lives. God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes, where the poor play house. God is where opportunity is lost and lives are shattered. God is with the mother who has infected her child with a virus that will take both their lives. God is under the rubble, the cries we hear during wartime. God, my friends, is with the poor, and God is with us if we are with them. This is not a burden, this is an adventure. Don't let anyone tell you it cannot be done. We can be the generation that ends extreme poverty."

Thank you, Bono, for being a prophet to the western world.

Technorati Tags: Bono, Africa, Make poverty history, poverty, HIV, pure religion, social justice

Gypsy Girl Chronicles

Even men admit that Congo, indeed Africa, is being held up on the backs of women. I have been encouraged by more than one thoughtful, intelligent Congolese man, “If you are going to help Congo – please, please help our women.”

My friend Tonya has been travelling through the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the last several weeks. Read her moving stories on her blog, The Gypsy Girl Chronicles.

Are We Using The Poor?

Morteza Katouzian

"Philanthropy has the potential of immense good and yet it can crush the souls of the recipients when it’s mixed with the ingredients of a new-colonialism or an insistence on superiority of race and pride; the ancient injunction to ‘love our neighbour as ourselves’ will eventually produce the inevitable diabolical result of dehumanizing others."


A perspective on service that encourages us to search ourselves.

Read the full post on SoulGardeners

One by One

This weekend my good friend Ellie hosted a fistula "party". A fistula is condition suffered by women who, because of prolonged and difficult births, develop a permanent leak in their bladders. In the Western world, fistula was eradicated in the mid 1800's. It takes a simple operation to repair the condition. However, in developing countries the problem is rampant, due to a combination of poor nutrition, early motherhood, and lack of basic medical services.

In many developing countries, when a woman develops a fistula, she is often completely rejected by her community because of the odour that accompanies her constant leaking. Sadly, the $300 that a repair operation costs is often beyond the woman's means.

A few years ago in the US, a couple of women learned about this tragic situation and decided to take action. They formed a grassroots organization named One by One and began hosting Giving Circles, groups of 10 women who would give $30 each, in order to pay for these fistula surgeries and free their sisters overseas One by One! So far they have been amazingly successful! Women all over Canada and the US have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars.

At Ellie's place on Saturday, about 15 women attended, and $1280 was raised! That's enough to give four women back their lives! It may be small, but it feels great!!

To find out more, go to http://www.onebyoneproject.net/.