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. ]

 

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]

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

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.

Fantastic Insight

Aaron Ivey has just returned from Haiti.  Wander on over to his blog and check out The Hills.  This is an outstanding post revealing the conditions in Haiti.  Great Job!!!

But wait…there’s more.  At least I think these guys all went on the same trip because they all relate the same harrowing tale of the flight down.  Check it out.

Queen Anne’s Lace by Keely Scott

Photos from Haiti by Brian Seay

Turkey Sandwich, Chips, & Soda…$51

March 11th is Global Food Crisis Day and many of us have been asked to spread the word and bring focus to this terrible situation.

Much has been written about the causes and depth of this crisis and as an Advocate for Compassion International I have researched all that I can. Just in case you need a quick refresher here is Global Food Crisis 101.

A combination of market forces, including a stumbling US economy, rising oil prices, climate change, and diversion of cereal grains for bio fuel created a perfect storm scenario that caused food prices to skyrocket. While these conditions moderated somewhat by the end of 2008, the destabilizing effects of these forces will be felt for years to come.

While the US witnessed a moderate rise in bread, milk, and egg prices it is nothing compared to people living in developing economies. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) the poor of the world spend up to 70% of their income on food. Compare that to the US where we spend about 6% of our income on food.

To put some real meaning to those figures think about it this way. There is a 64% difference between the US and the majority of the world. That means the poor in the world spend 11.6 times as much of their income on food as we do.

Still not getting it? OK Lets level the playing field to get the real picture. I go to the grocery store and buy a pound of turkey from the deli for $8. Now to feel the pain of the poor I multiply that amount by 11.6. My turkey now costs $92.80 in Poor World Dollars (PWD).  A loaf of bread at about $3 would be $34.80 PWD.  I like lettuce so at $1 it would be $11.60 PWD. That totals out to $139.20 PWD from which I can make about 5 sandwiches. That is $27.84 PWD per sandwich.   Add a bag of chips and a soda and my Poor World lunch comes to just over $51 PWD.

I don’t know about you but it wouldn’t take long at those prices before I would start skipping lunch all together. That’s the way it is for one-third of the world’s population.  One person in seven goes to bed hungry every day.

If the cause of the global food crisis is complex the solution is even more so. I won’t even attempt to explain that in a simple paragraph. Besides I am not sure anyone knows the whole answer. I sure don’t.

I do know that there is a way we can help those in need until things get better.  We can go to www.Compassion.com/Please and donate to the World Food Crisis fund.  If you want to do more, get your church involved in diverting this crisis.  It’s real and real people are hurting; 300 million of them are children.

It’s Just a Game

I have written about this before but it has happened again, so here I go again.

The Washington Redskins signed a seven year contract with Albert Haynsworth. Mr. Haynsworth makes his living as a Defensive Tackle in professional football. I don’t pretend to understand how these contracts are put together, but the Associated Press reports that Haynsworth will earn $32 million dollars in his first year.

Again, let me try to put this into perspective.

$32 million is slightly less than Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia will receive in combined funds from the Obama Recovery Act to modernize the subway system. The very subway system a lot of fans will take to the game.

$32 million is what USAID is going to spend to build and rehabilitate 400 health clinics in Afghanistan over the next three years.

$32 million just happens to be the shortfall experienced by the World Food Program needed to sustain its logistical operations in Myanmar for victims of Cyclone Nargis. It is also the amount needed in Ethiopia for humanitarian efforts.

Let me put it another way. Compassion International tells us that $32 per month provides assistance for a needy child. That’s $384 a year for each child. We can assume that sponsorship of a child would last 12 years. That is $4,608. So the money spent on one guy in just one year could provide lifesaving care for nearly 7,000 children.

I don’t fault Mr. Haynsworth for this lopsided and ludicrous situation. I do have to question the motives of the Redskins organization and sports in general. At what point do they (the owners and players and fans) say enough. When do they start thinking about the suffering in the world around them and not just their own self-centered pleasure? Is drinking beer, eating pizza, and waving a big spongey finger really more important than saving children from starvation, disease, and abuse?

The Redskins are a big deal in my area and I know that lots of folks are going to try to justify this in some way. You can’t. You will never be able to justify paying someone $100 million to play a game. I repeat..,.PLAY a GAME.

[Saving the lives of children is not a game. Please spend your money where it will make a real impact. Go to http://www.Compassion.com Sponsoring a child will warm your heart, and that’s better than warming a stadium seat any day]

[ To read more about the work of Compassion visit blog.Compassion.com ]

A Hot Dog for Jesus?

Mathew 26:10-12
10Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 12When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.

As an advocate for Compassion International I am troubled by Jesus’ statement in Mathew 26:11. I am troubled because many will use it as an excuse to ignore the plight of the poor. Taken at face value this phrase seems to contradict what Jesus’ ministry was about, and stands in direct contradiction to God’s commands in the Old Testament. As we must do with all scripture we have to look at this piece of scripture within context to gain all that we can from this incident in the life of Jesus.

Mathew does not name the woman, but we know from John 12 that it was Mary. She had poured some very expensive perfume on Jesus’ head and the disciples who were eating with Jesus were outraged that Mary had “wasted” the perfume on Jesus. Their argument was that the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Sensing their anger, Jesus rebuked them and defended Mary’s actions.

So was Jesus saying that there will always be poor people, and because he was going to die it was OK to ignore them and lavish him with the costly perfume?  No, because the key word in that question is “ignore”. 

It was obvious to Jesus that Mary understood that he would soon be killed. What Mary was doing was honoring her lord and savior with the best that she had. Think about it. If you were in a room with Jesus right now what would you do? Wouldn’t you offer him anything and everything you had in a feeble attempt to praise and worship him? Or would you sell your finest china, give the money to charity, and then serve the King of Kings a hot dog on a paper plate?

It is amazing to me that Mary got it and the disciples seemed so clueless. She understood that she was in the presence of the son of God and that this might be the only chance that she would ever have to worship him on earth. What were the disciples thinking? “Hey we better go take care of the poor; worshipping Jesus can wait”. They had it upside down to me. Suppose I was to staff a concert for Compassion International, but I found out that Jesus was coming to my house for dinner. Sorry Compassion but I’ll have to give you a rain check. Does this mean that I am not concerned for the poor? Not at all. It does mean that I put worship and praise for God above everything and everyone, and for that I make no apology.

Does this mean I can ignore the homeless guy that crosses my path? Does this give me an excuse to do nothing for suffering children in Haiti, or Africa, or South America? I’ll take a closer look at that in another post, but let me give you a hint. I know someone who is looking for some good fruit, and I don’t think he is shopping at the grocery store.

[ If you want to know more about the ministry of Compassion International please visit www.Compassion.com ]

[For better blogs than this one on poverty, and children in need check out the official Compassion Blog in the blog roll ]