Month: September 2007

Categories
Poverty

Causes of Poverty

In preparation for my team’s visit to Uganda later this year, I have made a video of an interview with Peter Ayabu, from Uganda. The video, which is hosted at globalchristianadventure.com, gives insight into some of the causes of poverty.

Get the Flash Player to see the wordTube Media Player.

The video shows only a five-minute excerpt from our 30-minute conversation. At least three different primary causes of poverty were identified: pillaging by the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) rebel forces, conflict caused by other rebel activity, and sporadic raiding by Karamojong tribesmen. Insecurity was so great in 2004 that over 80% of the people in the Kaberamaido District of Uganda were living in refugee camps.

The people are still suffering from the traumas of violence, and the poverty caused by cessation of productivity during the times of insecurity. I am planning to take a team to Kaberamaido just after Christmas this year to help build a church building, and to encourage the people. More information at globalchristianadventure.com.

Categories
Future

Fixing the World’s Problems

Riches to burnCanadian futurist Thomas Homer-Dixon was in Melbourne a couple of days ago. He says that the world faces five major stresses: different population growth rates for rich and poor countries; energy scarcity; environmental damage in poor countries; climate change; and the widening gap between rich and poor. These combined stresses result in substantial social turmoil.

According to a newspaper report, Homer-Dixon made an observation which I find very interesting. He said, “The problem is you are getting a huge number of these very smart people who could be helping us solve these problems who have no connection to the rest of humanity because they are so wealthy.” In other words, he seems to be suggesting that increasing wealth actually leads to dislocation from other people. The world’s problems tend to fall off your radar screen when you no longer face the same daily challenges as the vast mass of humanity.

It seems to me that, in an age when the poorest people in Australia and other wealthy nations still have an income five times as high as the median global income, we have become completely blind as to what life is like for the majority of people. If we’re going to address the crises which the world is facing, we have to get out of our cosy couches and start learning more about what is going on in the world.

Categories
Present

World Athletics Championships

RaceSomething extraordinary happened at the World Athletics Championships last week. In these days of professional sports, the prize usually goes to the team which spends the most on its athletes – whether with or without performance enhancing drugs. It was no surprise that the US finished top of the medals table, or that Russia finished third. What was surprising was the identity of the team which finished second.

Kenya is a country which has produced a lot of good runners, but because of limited training facilities and an inability to match the rewards offered by other countries, its top athletes have often been recruited by other, wealthier nations. For example, Bernard Lagat, who won two gold medals for the US out of a team tally of 14, was born in Kenya. Nonetheless the Kenyan team put in an outstanding performance to finish second in the medals tally.

If only the Kenyan business community could emulate the competitiveness of the Kenyan athletes, with victories won through skill and dedication rather than by corruption and cutting corners, the whole country would be wealthier and those who currently live in poverty would have opportunities to work their way up the ladder of success.

Categories
Past

William Ringeltaube

SchoolWilliam Ringeltaube was sent as a missionary to India by the London Missionary Society. He was unsure of where he should go and what he should do until he met an Indian who had recently become a Christian, and who invited him to Travancore. After learning to speak Tamil and Hindi, Ringeltaube travelled from village to village in Travancore, dressed in Indian clothes. He was rejected by the upper castes, but accepted by the lower castes, particularly when he used his own money to help alleviate the effects of famine.

In each village Ringeltaube appointed leaders, and the number of converts grew steadily. In 1810 he baptised 200, in 1811 400 and in 1812 nearly 600. However, in 1813 he wrote: “I how have about 600 Christians… About three or four of them may have a longing for their salvation. The rest have come from all kinds of motives…”

He became ill in 1815 and appointed an Indian convert as his successor. He subsequently disappeared, presumed killed, and after his death the number of Christians in Travancore began to increase rapidly. A school founded by Ringeltaube is still active today, under the name Scott Christian College.

Categories
Faith

Are Missions Trips Worthwhile?

TouristsI visited Africa a few times before it occurred to me that I should try to do something more than just being a spectator. Just going and visiting people who are living in poverty, so that you can tell people about it back home, makes you feel righteous, but are you actually doing anything to make a difference, or are you just an unwanted onlooker deriving entertainment from viewing other people’s tragedy and debasement?

Although there are many good reasons to go on a missions trip, there are also many reasons not to go. The people you are visiting will be taken away from their normal work while you are there. Your lack of local knowledge will probably result in some damage, and there is no guarantee that the good you do will outweigh the damage. Your desire to have a good story to tell when returning home may result in unwarranted claims of successes.

However, I believe that there is a lot to be gained from a well-planned missions trip. Possible favourable outcomes include: leaving the hosts richer rather than poorer for the experience, accomplishing a project which you set out to do, enriching the worldviews and faith experiences of the team members, and establishing lasting cross-cultural friendships and faith partnerships.