Yes we all have a deep desire now to do more, to help meet needs, to find ways to reach people in need.
We are on a journey, not sure where it will lead but we are searching for ways to help people. One step at a time I say, something here, something there until we find out where God is taking us!
I attended a conference this week and heard something really interesting, someone from a third world country saying NO don't send aid. Interesting his take was this hasn't and isn't solving the needs within his country. So what should someone do who wants to help? He says ...........
We passionately believe that TRADE NOT AID is the only viable strategy for Africa’s economic and social development. Handouts create dependency and stifle innovation, whilst Trade provides opportunities for economic empowerment and wealth creation. Trade generates employment and helps to build communities. It has the potential to create equitable partnerships between growers and consumers.
I found this pretty interesting. The more he talked about it the more it really made sense.
I also found through this conference a great way to help through an organization called Kiva.
So, I wanted to let you know about Kiva (www.kiva.org), a non-profit that allows you to lend as little as $25 to a specific low-income entrepreneur across the globe. You choose who to lend to - whether a baker in Afghanistan, a goat herder in Uganda, a farmer in Peru, a restaurateur in Cambodia, or a tailor in Iraq - and as they repay their loan, you get your money back. It's a powerful and sustainable way to empower someone right now to lift themselves out of poverty.
Check it out, it's a really awesome way to lend (not hand out) money to someone to allow them the opportunity to help themselves. To us the amounts are so little, but can you imagine how it feels to them?
