What is "poverty"?

Even the most uninformed person knows that much of the world lives in a state of poverty. But what does that mean exactly? The Oxford Dictionary provides the following two definitions:

pov•er•ty:

• The state of being extremely poor: thousands of families are living in abject poverty.

• The state of being inferior in quality or insufficient in amount: the poverty of her imagination

When talking about the world's poor, I think the definition is a blend of the two. Poverty is not only a lack of basic survival resources like food and clean water, or the unavailability of education and healthcare. More fundamentally, poverty is also a feeling of being inferior, rundown and uncared for.
This is partly why I believe in Compassion International so much. Compassion is a Christian child-sponsorship organization that seeks to save children - and therefore families and entire communities - from poverty.
The monthly sponsorship fee ($32) ensures the educational and healthcare needs of the child are met; children are taught about hygiene and provided with nutritional food - whatever is needed case by case. But their social, emotional and spiritual development and health are taken just as seriously by Compassion.
Sponsored children participate in these Compassion programs where they have safe areas for recreation and receive loving mentorship as they hear the message over and again that God loves them and they are truly, exquisitly valuable in His sight.
Purity Wanjiru is my sponsored child. She lives just north of Nairobi, Kenya and we write letters back and forth throughout the year. Compassion urges sponsors to build a relationship with their child, because the letters, pictures and gifts sent from overseas send a deep, strong message to each child that they are important and loved.
Something else impressive about Compassion is that Compassion projects are run by nationals and carried out through local churches who best know the needs of each child and family in their community.


I will share more about my experiences as a sponsor, but for now, you can follow the link below to learn much more, and to find a child to sponsor today!

Compassion International
Sponsor a child online through
Compassion's Christian child
sponsorship ministry. Search for
a child by age, gender, country,
birthday, special needs and more.

Street children photo project

If you've seen "Born into Brothels" or come across the Shootback book made by children in the Nairobi slums, then this project will sound familiar to you. It shares the same principles and the same goals, but it deals with children living on the streets of Chennai, India.
Nearly 18% of the population of Chennai (Madras) lives on the street, so there's no single prototype street child. Their family histories, work schedules and different personalities make each child totally book-worthy and unique. And it's difficult to find a common thread to bind each child into a single, themed book.
So here's what I'm talking about ... history: I spent three weeks in Chennai, India this summer with a team of Americans from the Bay Area. From our larger team, about six of us took on a very special project for the third week of our stay. We selected thirteen street children from the hundred or so that had participated in our day-camp program the previous two weeks. At the beginning of the week, we taught them how to operate a disposable camera and sent them "home" with the instructions that they were to capture scenes of their daily life.
Upon collecting and developing the rolls of film, the seven of us (along with our amazing, *amazing* translators) interviewed each child, asking them the stories behind the subjects of their pictures. Through this interviewing process, we got to know these kids. As they opened up to us, with details of their hardships, their sorrows, as well as their joys and hopes, we felt drawn into their world...
Now, back in the States, we have pages of notes and tons of photographs, both of the kids and the ones taken by the kids -and we're still trying to put all the pieces together and figure out how we can create something that will both express these children's lives as well as benefit the kids.
If we produce a book that successfully portrays what life is like for the street kids, then how do we funnel the proceeds right back to them? How can they benefit? Ideally, we'd love to see them all attend school, but that is a tricky step to take, especially when their parents rely on their daily income to keep the family fed.
I don't know ... but I'm sure there are ideas out there, ways to make something like this work.

Creative ways to support causes in Africa

Here are some neat opportunities to give that seem especially catchy as the holiday season approaches. It's always cool when you can buy a gift and support worthy causes.
This first one is called Bead for Life. From their website: BeadforLife is working to eradicate poverty in Uganda, and to educate North Americans to participate in fighting extreme poverty worldwide.Through their website you can purchase beaded jewelry made by Ugandan women. You can even host a bead party for a group of friends and over 75% of the proceeds goes towards enhancing the qualty of life in Ugandan villages. Read more about their inspiring work in Uganda.

Africa Hope Apparel
My friend Katie just recently started this line of African-themed t-shirts. They are super stylish *plus* over half the money paid for each shirt go towards a non-profit of your choice that works in Africa. You can choose between: Invisible Children, Blood:Water Mission and Genocide Intervention Network.
So check it out! >> Africa Hope Apparel.

The "Untouchables" of India

India is a fascinating, ancient country, and I love it. I've only spent three weeks of my life there, but something about the vibrancy of the culture, and the open, loving people draws me to it.
However, it is also a country of great need. The caste system has a 3,000 year history in India, and although it is technically banned by modern Indian law, its effects are still felt by the worst victims of the caste system - the untouchables, or the dalits (doll-eets).
The ancient tenants of Hinduism roughly divided Indian society into four groups: the brahmins were the priests, the interpreters of sacred scriptures; the kshatriyas were the warriors and rulers of society; the vaishyas were the merchants, and the sudras were the manual laborers and artisans. Placement in the caste system determined one's worth.
Sometime in the last 2,000 years, yet another category was added to this schema - an entire group of people was considered to be below the lowest tier of the caste system, and these were the dalits (also popularly called "untouchables" because the upper castes believed that even stepping in the shadow of a dalit caused one to become contaminated). Dalits were treated less than human, and this social evil continues today. In many villages, dalits cannot draw water from the well, own farmland or send their children to school where they would intermingle with children from upper castes. They also face violent discrimination at the hands of others. This is a very real problem. In many cases, these people simply do not have rights.
Please try to learn more about the dalits and share what you learn with family and friends.

Numbers: There are approx. 250 million dalits in India today.
That is 25% of India's population.

Learn more: @ DFN.org (Dalit Freedom Network). The DFN works on the ground in India, and their purpose is to provide healthcare and education for dalits, as well as work towards economic development and social justice among this oppressed people.

Sponsor an Indian child: through Compassion International. It's only $32/month, and it will change the child's life! There is definitely no shortage of kids in India that are in need of what sponsorship provides (food, schooling, etc), plus, you get to write letters back and forth and build a relationship with your sponsored child. Hey, it's ending poverty for one child, and that's one step towards ending poverty, period.

Child Soldiers in Northern Uganda

For the past 20+ years, a rebel army known as the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) has terrorized the Acholi tribe in Gulu, northern Uganda. Led by a madman, Joseph Kony, who wants to overthrow the Ugandan government, the LRA fills their soldiering ranks by abducting innocent children from the villages and forcing them to fight. Children as young as 4 or 5 years old are taught how to handle automatic weapons and are forced to kill others or else they are butchered as an example to their peers. Oftentimes, newly abducted children are forced to murder their own relatives. Young girls are also taken in as sex slaves. It is estimated that over 30,000 children have been abducted by the LRA since the guerilla-style war began in the '80s.
The children forced to fight are not the only ones affected by this conflict. Every single night, thousands of children walk several miles from their villages to sleep in the larger towns. They do this in order to escape abduction by the rebels. These children, also called "night commuters," crowd into wherehouses, bus parks and hospitals. They leave at sunrise and walk miles for a full day of work and school, only to return to the town again before dark.
World Vision runs the Gulu Children of War Center in northern Uganda for the rehabilitation of children that have managed to escape from the LRA, but the war rages on. Increased international pressure is needed to bring Kony and his men to justice and secure peace for the Acholi people, so we can all speak out for these kids by sharing news of this crisis with others. The links below have helped me to stay informed about the conflict and provide some great ways to support the war-torn region of Gulu and help bring an end to this horrific crisis.


Learn more: @ World Vision

Read the story of Grace Akallo - a former child soldier

Add your name to the "No Child Soldiers" Declaration

Check out an amazing documentary made about the children caught up in this conflict: Invisible Children