Archive for March, 2009
Finding our voice
Lenten reflection: Week 3
By Rev. Kelly Demo, CFCA preacher
In the Gospel of John, we see Jesus entering the Temple in a fury of righteous anger at the unjust practices of Temple and driving out the money changers and vendors. He knew his fellow Jews had to pay to buy Temple sacrifices. Thus, a system of commerce had been established for Temple worship that would exclude the poor who could not pay to worship. (John 2:13-22)
At CFCA, we do not get involved in the politics of the countries or local areas where we work. However, just as Jesus became a voice for the poor and took on those who would keep them subjugated so, too, when poor find they have a voice (both personally and as a community), they discover the strength to take on the powers that keep them oppressed.
In Hyderabad, India, there is a CFCA community called Church Colony. It is about half a mile from the main road, so everyone walked that unpaved distance to catch a bus or get anywhere. The women in the CFCA mothers groups went to the local officials to demand that the city pave their “road” so vehicles could get to their community and walking would be easier. The local officials agreed. Then, the mothers asked the officials to pay their community members to do the construction, instead of outside laborers. Again, they agreed. So, Church Colony got a road as well as some temporary employment.
After some time, the women returned to the officials to say that the road was great, but they needed it to be well-lit at night for safety reasons. They got their lights.
The women then turned their attention to water. The community only had access to water a few hours a day, but the adjacent neighborhood (which is slightly better off) had water all day, every day. The women realized that, because of the way the local roads were laid out, people from the neighboring community often used the new road the women had petitioned for.
They organized a blockade of the road, aimed at people from the neighboring community and said that they would share the use of the road if the neighboring community would share its water. Now Church Colony has water all day, too.
Sometimes making changes in society requires righteous anger, marching, protesting and turning over tables, like Jesus did in the Temple. But not always. Creative community building, tapping into gifts of the individuals in the group, and a little non-violent opposition can go a long way toward changing opinions.
Reflection questions:
1. When have you ever felt indignation or anger? Looking back, was it warranted or were there other motives?
2. What are the elements in our society that do (or should) make us angry, and what does God require of us at such times?
Watch a video about this community in India >
March 11, 2009 at 9:13 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
Support in a time of need
Dan Pearson of CFCA’s international programs introduces us to Preethi (a fictional name to protect her privacy), mother of a sponsored child and a member of one of India’s mothers groups. The women in her mothers group offered Preethi and her family a loan, protection and support during a time of great need. Now Preethi and her family have stable jobs, steady income and her child is attending school. Part two of four videos
Creating role models close to home (Part 4)
Mothers share their talents to improve their community (Part 3)
Watch an introduction to mothers groups (Part one)
What do we mean by “empowerment?”
March 10, 2009 at 9:32 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 1 comment
Indian women and the Liberian police force
By Janet Tinsley, Africa project director, international programs
As we were driving through Monrovia during a recent project visit to Liberia, a unit of U.N. soldiers caught my attention. United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) troops, or “blue hats” as they are commonly known, are a familiar sight around the city, and they eventually blend into the background after a day or so in the country. But this particular unit captured my attention because they were unique – they were all Indian women.
Immediately, I turned to our project coordinator who was sitting next to me in the taxi and asked her about them. She explained that they were a special unit of Indian police officers who had been sent to Liberia to serve as U.N. police officers. She said they were also meant to be an inspiration to Liberian women to join the Liberian police.
I was intrigued. The notion of an all-female U.N. peace-keeping unit was interesting enough, because I was not aware of any other. But the fact that they were from India, another country where CFCA works and one with its own unique issues around the status of women, was exciting to me.
When I got home, I did some digging, and I learned that the U.N. has so far sent three all-female Indian units since 2007 to serve in Liberia. The most recent unit was deployed in early February of this year. They are known as the Indian Formed Police Unit (FPU), and their official mission is to provide crowd and traffic control, anti-robbery patrols, and protection for UNMIL staff and assets. But the less tangible attributes they bring to the job may even be more important.
Research from around the world shows that women police officers are adept at resolving conflicts through non-violent means. In a war-weary country like Liberia, this is a very valuable skill, and this makes the FPU’s mission very important. The Indian officers also spend time with schoolgirls teaching self-defense techniques, self-esteem and even Indian dance. The presence of the female officers has been an inspiration to young Liberian women and girls, and the nation has seen an increase of women applying to join the Liberian police force.
The Indian women are certainly an inspiration to me, and I hope their presence leaves a lasting impression on the Liberian people, especially the girls, for whom the sky is the limit.
Learn more
Liberia gets all-female peacekeeping force
Indian Women police inspire Liberian women to join Liberia’s police force
Liberian police graduate record number of women
March 9, 2009 at 1:02 pm Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 2 comments
An opportunity for mothers
Dan Pearson, a member of CFCA International Programs, returned from a six-month assignment in India to learn more about CFCA programs, particularly mothers groups. He saw that the mothers will find their own direction when they have the opportunity to take action. Part one of four videos
Creating role models close to home (Part 4)
Mothers share their talents to improve their community (Part 3)
Support in a time of need (Part 2)
What do we mean by “empowerment?”
March 9, 2009 at 10:43 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 2 comments
Strength and Power
On March 8, the world will celebrate International Women’s Day to honor the various achievements of women everywhere. While we still have a long way to go until women are considered full and equal partners, progress is being made, one woman at a time. Next week we will share with you just a few of the inspiring stories of the many women who grace our projects around the world.
By Dan Pearson, international programs
I was in India for six months working with one of CFCA’s projects, and I joined a gym while I was here. It was a small gym, but I really enjoyed going there. One morning at the gym I was silently congratulating myself for increasing the weight on one of my exercises when, precisely at that moment, something outside the window caught my eye. I noticed a small woman, probably weighing about 100 pounds, walking down the street. She was balancing a bundle on her head that was about four feet wide, four feet long, and three feet tall. In her arms she was carrying her child. And there was a plastic chair tied to the top of the bundle on her head. And it was raining outside. Suddenly the incremental weight increase on my exercise didn’t seem so impressive.
Seeing that woman reminded me of a similar experience I had many years ago in Haiti. I was helping build a medical clinic in the mountains, and since I had no real building skills I was given the job of bringing water to mix the concrete. The crew leader handed me a 5-gallon bucket and told me to follow a trail down, down, down the mountain to the river. I filled my bucket in the river and began the long walk up the steep mud trail. It was pretty hard work, but I was in my early 20s and in pretty good shape at the time. I stumbled a few times, and each time I stumbled some water spilled out of the bucket. After several stumbles, the job became more manageable. All in all, I felt like I was doing pretty well until someone passed me on the trail moving very quickly. I barely caught a glimpse of her as she passed by. In just a few seconds she was out of view ahead of me. She was a girl about 11 or 12 years old. She was also carrying a 5-gallon bucket of water. Hers was still full.
The difference between strength and power
CFCA seeks to empower women, particularly the mothers of sponsored children. Sometimes that word ‘empowerment’ is misunderstood, creating the image of weak and helpless women. But there’s a big difference between strength and power. The mothers of sponsored children in India have no shortage of strength. And the same goes for the mothers of sponsored children in the other countries where CFCA works.
The strongest people on Earth
I have visited many places and met a lot of people all around the world, and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the strongest people anywhere on Earth are the mothers who live in the poorest communities in the world. They are mentally strong, emotionally strong, spiritually strong and, yes, physically strong. Tens of millions of mothers who live in the desperate corners of the planet get up each and every day regardless of how they feel and in spite of the overwhelming and unjust obstacles they face, and they do whatever it takes to give their kids life and a little hope for something better. Each of those women has a strength I can’t even understand.
What they often lack is power. Power doesn’t always have a lot to do with how strong you are. Power is about living in a society and an economy that allow you to fully use your strength. If you have power, you can use your strength how you see fit. If you don’t have power, you are only allowed to use your strength to do the things that no one else wants to do (like carrying buckets of water up a mountain).
Empowering mothers
When CFCA talks about empowering the mothers of sponsored children, we do so with deep respect for the strength these women already demonstrate every day. All we’re doing is looking for ways to support their efforts to create for themselves a little more space, a little more power, so they can more fully use their strength. They deserve at least that much.
An opportunity for mothers(Part 1)
Support in a time of need (Part 2)
Mothers share their talents to improve their community (Part 3)
Creating role models close to home (Part 4)
Toilets and clean water
An October 2008 study by the United Nations University reported that “installing toilets and ensuring safe water supplies would do more to end crippling poverty and improve world health than any other measure.” CFCA projects in El Salvador, Kenya, Ecuador and Mexico provided photographs showing sanitation conditions in their communities.
Learn moreHow you can help |
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March 5, 2009 at 11:48 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 2 comments
CFCA’s grassroots approach
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An audio podcast Janet Tinsley and Cephas Miningou, two staff members from CFCA’s international programs department, explain why CFCA’s bottom-up (rather than top down) approach to sponsorship is effective in assisting with needs that go beyond sponsorship benefits. Click the play button below the picture to start the podcast. |
March 5, 2009 at 10:05 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
‘Freedom from thinking about yourself’
Lenten reflection: Week two
By Rev. Kelly Demo, CFCA preacher
“Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts. It means freedom from thinking about yourself at all.” -William Temple
If this is true then what on earth am I supposed to think about? In my little world how can I not think about my next meal, fret about my finances, or worry about my work, my future, my car, my marriage, my, my, my? Even some concerns about my children are really fears about my own parenting.
“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Mk.8:34)
This is a call to deny the self. That is, to recognize our powerlessness. When we take our “self” out of the picture, what is left? God and others. In fact, the practice of giving up something for Lent (chocolate, meat, etc.) or taking on something for Lent (attending Mass everyday, visiting the sick, reading scripture daily) is simply an exercise that helps us in the greater practice of giving up ourselves to God. When we engage in whatever discipline we have taken on for Lent, for that moment our desires are placed to the side and God is at the heart of our decisions and our lives.
When we put God and others first in every decision we make, starting the moment we wake up, our day will begin to look a little different. I can sleep late or get up and pray. I can have a fast-food breakfast or I can eat healthy, locally grown food. I can drive myself to work or I can carpool, walk or take a bus. I can complain about my co-workers or I can compliment them. I can watch TV or play a game with my family, or sit down and write a letter to my sponsored friend.
This is what CFCA is talking about when we use the phrase “walking in daily solidarity with the poor.” When we put God and others – ALL others – first, we have taken up the cross that Christ bears for the world and have begun to walk with Him, for Him and toward Him.
Reflection questions:
1. In what ways do you put yourself before God or others? What can you do to become more other-centered?
2. Where in your life do you find that you do deny yourself and live for God and others? How is that part of your life different?
March 4, 2009 at 9:25 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
Would it help if I wrote my letter using translation software?
Q. I do not speak the same language as my sponsored friend. Would it help if I wrote my letter using translation software?
A. We truly appreciate your desire to communicate with your friend in her or his native language. This language may be Spanish, Swahili, Hindi or one of many hundreds of indigenous languages.
CFCA employs translators to translate your letter into your friend’s language. Although the translations may be less than perfect, the translators try very hard to convey the sentiments of sponsors and sponsored friends.
We prefer that you do not use translation software. Using such software often results in an unintelligible translation because the software is incapable of recognizing context and common phrases and expressions. For example, the word “Mass” can be translated as “lump” in Spanish. That is only one example among many. Sometimes, the translations are so poorly constructed, the letter must be returned to the sponsor.
If you do decide to use translation software, please include the English version of your letter so the translator can use it as a reference.
Thank you for writing to your friend. Letters are an important part of the sponsorship relationship and a sign of your love.
March 3, 2009 at 11:05 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 2 comments
