Somalia Refugee Situation Worsens

Somali Children

Recent reports coming from the Voice of America and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are indicating that the loss of life from Somalis fleeing poverty and conflict will increase. A number of factors are influencing people to flee the country. Decades of instability, extreme poverty, and now the armed conflict between al-Shabab and the African Union Peace Keeping forces.

For some the most likely route to a better life entails crossing the Gulf of Aden to Yemen. Already this year 270 people have drowned in the attempt. For others who choose a shelter in place strategy, the results are not much better. A recent LA Times article reports that the hospital in Mogadishu is filled with gunshot and shrapnel victims. Sadly, one third are children.

Even for those removed from the conflict, daily life is at best a struggle. With nearly 50% of the population living on less than $2US a day survival is a long shot.

Ironically this humanitarian catastrophe has only recently received major media attention as Somalia gained notoriety for pirate activities. Despite rumors to the contrary piracy is not a means to finance the conflict or terrorism, according to the NATO maritime wing commander in the country. Instead piracy has become a means for a few to enhance the lives of many in a country with few other options. The RAND Corporation recently stated that as much as 20% of the ransom pirates earn goes into improving infrastructure and increasing employment. The RAND study suggested that piracy could be kept under control by enhancing economic incentives so that local residents would have other means to earn a living.

Somalia is not the only African country to experience economic or political strife. Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi all bare the scars of turmoil, famine, and civil wars. Compassion International has been working in Africa since 1980 helping children cope with famine, drought, epidemics of AIDS, cholera, and the hardships of ongoing local conflicts. Even after nearly 30 years of humanitarian efforts Compassion International still serves over 317,000 children; a testimony to the dire conditions found in most African countries.

Still, Somalia somehow stands out. It is country with economic potential, military significance, and a desire by its people for a stable government. Right now though, it is a country with not much more than hope.

[If you would like to help children in need Compassion International operates in many African countries.  Please sponsor a child. ]

 

Obama LGBT Hat Trick

A Golden Opportunity for Christ Followers

With the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act already passed by the House and working its way through the Senate, the Employment Non Discrimination Act (ENDA) scheduled for a House Education and Labor hearing this month, and the introduction of legislation to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, the Obama administration is quietly waiting in the wings to pull off a hat-trick for lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender (LGBT) activists.

ENDA introduced by Rep. Barney Frank would prohibit an employer from refusing to hire someone on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill (H.R. 3017) specifically exempts religious organizations, and according to a popular LGBT blog  post by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss this extends to religious oriented businesses, schools and camps. It does not extend to secular businesses that are owned by people of religious beliefs that condemn LGBT sexual orientation.

The Respect for Marriage Act introduced by Rep. Gerald Nadler repeals the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and would grant federal recognition to same-sex marriages if the marriage was performed in a state that allows such unions. The repeal would have implications for taxes, social security benefits, and pensions, regardless of where the couple lives. In other words if a same-sex marriage was performed in Connecticut ( a state that recognizes such unions) and then the couple moved to Maryland ( a state that does not recognize same-sex marriage) the couple would have all the rights afforded a man-woman marriage by the federal government.

All three pieces of legislation will be working their way through Congress and the debate over family values and discrimination will begin to perk to the top of the House’s to-do list late this fall. Already conservative organizations have begun campaigns to illuminate the subtleties of the bills. Mean while LGBT groups are turning up the heat fearing that health care reform, climate change, and the appropriations bills will push their agenda to the back burner and away from the President’s desk.

The legislative trio comes at a time when a growing number of Christian churches and organizations are questioning the biblical validity of the venom being spewed by some conservative Christians. In his book unChristian: What a New Generation Thinks About Christianity and Why it Matters, author David Kinnaman devotes an entire chapter to the intolerance, both perceived and real, that has stereotyped the evangelical church. Kinnaman maintains that this is the single biggest issue that prevents younger generations from being open to the truth of the gospel.

As Christ followers we have an opportunity in this debate to erase years of misconceptions and animosity. We can stop the demagoguery and remember that the traditional views (i.e. slavery) of the church have not always been correct. We can debate the issues with tolerance and compassion. We must open the doors of our churches to the LGBT community and say “There is room in here for all”.  Above all else we can remember that we are called to love one another.

Burkina Faso Fights to Stay in Your Undies

As a male I don’t make a habit of keeping tabs on what Victoria’s Secret is doing to enhance their lingerie. However a small line in a D.C. political journal caught my eye.  It reported that organic cotton farmers in Burkina Faso, who are currently contracting with Victoria’s Secret, would face increased competition if a bill introduced by Senator Diane Feinstein passed through Congress.

The bill (S. 1141) known as the Tariff Relief Assistance for Developing Economies (TRADE) Act of 2009 seeks to extend preferential tariffs to a number of Asian countries including Cambodia and Bangladesh. Burkina Faso on the other hand is one of a number of sub-Saharan African countries afforded special tariffs under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) signed by President Clinton in 2000. If Senator Feinstein gets her bill signed into law it will level the playing field for Asian textile and clothing; in effect robbing the AGOA countries of a very tenuous competitive advantage.

Adding to the AGOA countries’ anxiety is a recently released report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office which states that the AGOA countries are facing a Catch-22. The report notes that U.S and U.K. retailers would rather deal with the Asian countries that have better technology and infrastructure which allows them to adapt quicker to changing consumer appetites. The African countries on the other hand have done little to improve their infrastructure making it more difficult and expensive to bring their goods to market and without the incentive of more promising markets, governments are not likely to take on that burden.

The truth is that most of the tariff relief for the AGOA countries goes to oil, platinum, and motor vehicles. Textiles and clothing lag far behind as an export. The organic cotton raised by the women of Burkina Faso constitutes a tiny portion of the exports from the country. Had it not been for the deal Victoria Secret’s signed to use the cotton in a special line of under garments, no one may have even noticed this small niche in the larger cotton market. Still it presents an opportunity to earn money and feed children that otherwise would never have been. 

 The women of Burkina Faso can take some comfort in knowing that identical bills have died from lack of support in the past three Congresses. Also, before the bill can get to the President it will have to pass through the House under the watchful eye of Charles Rangel the current Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and one of the most powerful politicians in the government. As one of the main backers of the original AGOA bill he is not likely to let even Feinstein’s bill pass without a fight.

[If you would like to help the women and children of Burkina Faso, or Bangledesh, please visit Compassion International and sponsor a child]

Blapathy

Blapathy (noun) [blogging apathy] 1. A lack of interest in posting anything to your blog. 2. Feeling that nothing is important enough to write about.

Some of you may be asking where I have been all summer. Some of you may have even noticed that I haven’t posted anything on this blog since Memorial Day. I could say that I have been dealing with family matters. I could tell you that I have been very busy at work. I could explain that I have been traveling. All of that would be true, but the real reason I haven’t posted anything is that I have been suffering from “blapathy”.

Several times I sat down at the keyboard with an idea and then without tapping a key I would just give it up. Nothing seemed important enough to write about. By mid-summer my fellow Compassion Advocates were asking where I had disappeared to. So I tried to muster the strength to scribble something about poverty and children in need, but all I wrote sounded like “blah blah blah” to me so I ditched the draft and abandoned the effort.

If you have ever had the flu you can relate. There comes a time when you know you should eat, and you remember the joy and satisfaction of eating, but somehow you just can’t bring yourself to take that first bite. Often I had my editorial plate loaded with some tasty idea, and then I would completely loose my appetite for writing. And so it went for the entire summer.

As with regular apathy, in order to shake the bonds of blapathy something deeply emotional has to happen. Something that stirs you to action and motivates you to advocate for a cause. For me it was a chance encounter in Mexico.

My wife and I were visiting Mazatlan and had taken a guided tour of the city. We had stopped at a shopping district and as we returned to the bus I passed two small girls and their grandmother. The older of the girls (maybe 6) followed me trying to sell me a little braided bracelet. She wanted $2 for the bracelet. I wanted to help her but I only had $20 bills and 2 one dollar bills in my pocket. I was reserving the $2 as a tip for the bus driver, and I couldn’t justify giving her $20 for a 10 cent bracelet, so I politely declined.

When I got to my seat on the bus my wife asked what had happened and I explained the whole thing. My wife gave me one of those “are you completely brain dead?” looks, which sent me racing off the bus to find the little girl. I bought the bracelet and headed back to the bus, but the younger sister was following me with her tiny little hand stretched out. Having no small money left and my heart aching for her situation, all I could think to do was give her the bracelet; which I tied around her little wrist.

Back on the bus my wife asked to see the bracelet. Fearing I would burst into tears, I simply shook my head. Puzzled by my silence my wife asked what had happened. I couldn’t speak. I wanted to get back off the bus and hand those two darling children all the money I had. I wanted to buy all the bracelets. Would it have hurt me to give up $20?

It was too late. The bus door had closed and we were on our way.

My summer is over, the lazy days are gone, and thanks to two small children in Mexico so is my blapathy.

[If you are looking for a cure for your apathy please visit www.Compassion.com.  ]

[If you are looking for a cure for blapathy please visit CompassionBloggers.com]

Just Doing My Job

The weather in Washington D.C. this Memorial Holiday weekend was a little unusual. We don’t usually get humidity that high until July or August. So I knew cutting the grass was not going to be pleasant.

We don’t have a lot of yard but a good part of it is at a 45 degree angle. I thought it best to take a break to cool down before tackling that part. As I came in the back door to the kitchen, dripping with sweat, there stood my wife with a glass of ice cold tea in front of her. I was thinking how thoughtful she was until she lifted the glass and took a sip out of it. Oh well, caffeine just dehydrates you.

I grabbed a glass and turned to the sink to fill it with water. At the same time I heard my wife getting ice from the ice maker. When I heard her say “here you go sweetie”, I thought the honeymoon is still going strong. But as I turned back toward her with my glass she was feeding the dog an ice cube. I thought the whole thing funny because I know I sometimes expect special recognition for doing ordinary stuff.

To the contrary, I have noticed that people who do heroic things will often say “I was just doing my job”.   I know there are many men and women who serve our country in the armed forces that would say that. They do ordinary things like delivering mail, or servicing vehicles, or ordering office supplies. The difference is that these ordinary things all add up to an extraordinary effort to protect and defend our freedoms.

So I would like to say thank you to all the men and women who serve or have served. Your effort, no matter how mundane, has given us remarkable liberties.

I’m not talking bananas

I love it when I read scripture and the words just seem to jump off the page at me. It is like God is saying “Look right here. This is what I want you to know.” This happened to me recently while I was studying Luke chapter 3.

There was John the Baptist preaching in the desert and crowds were coming out to see him. It had been hundreds of years since a prophet had been recognized in Israel so lots of people from the region went out to see what was up.

John noticed that some in the crowd coming to be baptized were really looking for “fire insurance” and not really interested in living for God. So he warned them that there was no birthright to heaven and that they should change their ways. He told them that the proof of a contrite heart was laudable actions.

“The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire”

Over and over again in the Bible we see fruit being used as a synonym for acts of love, humility, and generosity. However, in Mathew 7:15 – 20 we are told that there are good fruit producers and bad fruit producers. Some who would claim to be followers of Jesus either bear bad fruit or no fruit at all.

We are told that a true follower of Jesus will be known by the fruit they produce (John 15:2). When Jesus told the parable of the Tenants (Mathew 21:33- 43) he made it clear that we are to produce the fruit for him. So I have to ask myself what kind of fruit I am producing. What does good fruit look like? What does fruit worthy of Jesus look like?

Let’s go back to Luke. John likened the crowd to snakes slithering away from fire. They were mostly there for show, but some were truly concerned and asked John what they should do.

This is where the “Ah ha” moment came for me. In verses 10 through 14 John responds to a series of questions that outlines how the people are to live out their repentance. In general he told them to do their work and be satisfied with an honest wage. He warned them to treat everyone fairly and not to oppress others. And the most significant thing to me was that he told the crowd to be generous and share what they had with those that had not.

So a good tree, or vine, or bush, will produce fruit in the form of kindness, love, and generosity. A good disciple will give from the heart, producing joy, peace, and respect. As Paul so powerfully put it in Romans 7:4-6

4So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. 5For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. 6But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

As an Advocate for Compassion International I have seen the good fruit of the Holy Spirit many times. Hundreds of people, young and old, who give devotedly to children in places they may never see simply because they know that Jesus cares about these kids. It breaks their heart because they know it saddens our Lord when one of these little ones suffers. They care as much for a child thousands of miles away, as they do for the one sitting in their lap, because they know that all are children of God and all deserve to be loved, respected, and nurtured.

There is no doubt for me that this is fruit worthy of my Lord and Savior.

I am a hypocrite

My sincere apology if you are a pet owner.

A few weeks ago I posted an article called Diamonds May be Man’s Best Friend in which I suggested that pet owners spend too much money on toys, gifts, and services for their pets. I suggested that half the $39 billion spent annually on such things would be better spent on programs such as Compassion International’s Child Survival Program that helps children and infants affected by poverty. I still believe that, but here is why I need to eat a little crow (sorry if you have a crow as a pet).

Zoey Dog

This is Zoey. She came into our home about a month ago against my better judgment but my wife and kids had other ideas. At first our relationship was that of home owner and unwanted house guest, but now there is no doubt that she has become a beloved member of the family.

Shortly after Zoey arrived I felt the urge to go to the pet store. I didn’t need anything really but it seemed like the thing to do. It was like Christmas shopping for the kids when they were little. I couldn’t help myself. A special doggy ball, a washable pillow, and a rubber bone were just some of the items that caught my eye. The worst part is that all these things were extremely overpriced but I bought them anyway.

I have come to my senses and found that there are low cost alternatives, (i.e. old socks, cheap tennis balls, and rope), but I have felt so guilty that I just had to confess my hypocrisy. 

I feel better now.

[If you really want to change the world please go to Compassion International and sponsor a child]

[If you want to read how people are changing the world one child at a time go to CompassionBloggers.com   There you will find people who write about sheep, and an old dog who writes a great Bible study (just kidding Dave)]

[If you want to know how a dog is teaching me to be a better disciple of Jesus bookmark this blog]

The Party’s Over – What a waste

I don’t want to say where I work because that would take this post in a whole different direction. But where I work we have a lot of catered receptions and my office is just around the corner from one of the busiest banquet rooms. Last night as I left my office I saw one of the wait staff dumping a huge tray of veggies (carrots, asparagus, cucumbers) into a large trash can. Obviously they were not a big hit at the party she was working.

She looked up as I winced thinking what an awful waste. I commented that the veggies might have made a nice soup.  Her reply let me know that  she agreed that in this country, even in tough economic times, we have more than enough. So much more that people can be picky about what they want to eat. While world leaders meet in London to find a way to solve the economic crisis, we can still go to a buffet line and find an assortment of vegetables, meats, and desserts.

As news reports from Haiti, current events in Africa, and even the movie Slum Dog Millionaire have show us this is not true for many people around the world. Compassion International tells us that 27% of the children in developing countries are underweight, and more than six million children die from hunger every year. The World Food Program knows that hunger has hidden effects as well. Malnourished children are more susceptible to infectious diseases and suffer from impaired mental and physical development, which affects their productivity as adults.

A couple of weeks ago the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on the challenges the U.S. faces in alleviating global hunger. In his opening statement Senator John Kerry noted that there are more than 850 million people who go hungry every day. He further detailed the problem by saying, “One in three people are malnourished, and food security today is worse than it was in 1970. Conflict, poor governance and HIV/AIDS have all reduced basic access to food. Now drought, aggravated by climate change, makes the situation even more desperate.”

It is good to know that government leaders have started to take the global food crisis seriously. Some, like Britain’s Prime Minister Brown and Brazil’s President Lula have been leading the effort. But governments are cautious and slow to react. The final communiqué from this week’s London Summit of the G-20 merely reaffirmed their commitment to previous Millennium Development Goals and simply called upon the UN to monitor the impact on the poorest and most vulnerable.

Anyone who has spent time in an emerging nation knows that government promises won’t save the child who is starving today. Long range strategic plans don’t reverse the damage already done to a child’s brain by malnutrition. Reforming financial institutions may provide growth and jobs for the future, but that won’t help the parent who has to decide which child will eat tonight. Governments may be too slow to help those in desperate need now, but you can still make a difference. Right now leave this blog and go to Compassion International to sponsor a child, or make a donation.

Somewhere in this world a child is counting on you.

If you would like to know more about how Compassion works go to CompassionBloggers.com

Yep, He Did It Again

A few weeks ago I witnessed Britain’s PM Gordon Brown deliver a speech. In my post about it I expressed my anticipation that his insight would set the agenda for the coming G-20 Summit in his home country.

This morning Mr. Brown delivered a speech to an audience at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London just prior to the start of the London Summit. In it he echoed many of the sentiments of his U.S. speech, confirming that he is a man of deep faith and conviction to his fellow man. Mr. Brown reiterated his concerns when he said, “And when people ask can there be a shared global ethics that will lie behind global rules, I answer that through each of our heritages, our traditions and faiths, there runs a single powerful moral sense demanding responsibility from all and fairness to all.”

Once again the Prime Minister paraphrased the parable of the Good Samaritan when he told the audience, “Call it as Adam Smith did the moral sentiment, as Lincoln did the better angels of our nature call it, as Winstanley did the light in man, call it duty or simply conscience – it means we cannot and will not pass by on the other side when people are suffering and we have it within our power to help.”

While no major initiative to combat the world economic crisis is likely to come out of the summit it will be interesting to hear how the rhetoric of world leaders’ change in light of Prime Minister Brown’s repeated plea for value based rules to govern a new world economy.

It is imperative that world leaders adopt Mr. Brown’s view and begin to act. However we have already seen a reluctance to fulfill the promises made during the Washington Summit which does not bode well for emerging economies. Both the World Bank and the World Trade Organization have expressed concerns that the major economies are developing protectionist strategies in the absence of any concrete plan. While barriers to free trade may protect homeland employment for major economies it will be devastating to the world’s poorest countries; threatening the lives of millions as emerging economies contract and spending on public programs dry up.

[You don't have to have a seat at the London Summit to make a difference in the world. You can change the world one child at a time. Please visit Compassion International to see how you can begin to make a difference]

[For more on emerging nations and the challenges they face visit CompassionBloggers.com ]

Should I Scream or Cry

Photo by Ruth Fremson/The New York Times

Today I passed by a copy of the New York Times in my office. The front page featured the article As Indian Growth Soars, Child Hunger Persists and shows the picture you see here.

What frustrates me to the point of screaming is that many of the problems the article cites are the kind of things I know Compassion International addresses at its Child Survival Programs.

If India has experienced such enormous economic growth in recent years, why does India have one-quarter of the worlds undernourished? The article points out that India’s main effort amounts to funding soup kitchens in the poor neighborhoods. The feeding centers are poorly run and inadequately supplied. Plus the program has done nothing to teach pregnant women and young mothers about proper nutrition or hygiene.

It is a different story for 100,000 children and their mothers’ in the 400 Child Survival Programs (CSP) that Compassion International runs in countries around the world, including 46 in India which serve over 2000 mothers and babies. Compassion tutors mothers and mothers to-be in growth monitoring, proper nutrition, hygiene, oral dehydration therapy, family planning, immunization, and much, much more.

Why doesn’t India take the $1.3 billion they use on their failed program and use it to deploy a Compassion style Child Survival Program so that every child and every mother could benefit? Perhaps the NY Times article will raise awareness enough so that change will happen. Until then, we can not let these children suffer for their country’s failures.

For $20 a month you can support a Child Survival Program in India or another country. Please visit Compassion International to begin a partnership that will change the lives of children in need.