DEVELOPING TIMES: Two Worlds

Welcome

Mission Statement
Rural Empowerment Initiatives (REI) mission is to collaborate in the reduction of poverty through investment in rural areas and training of local people.

Vision Statement
REI's vision is to treat every created being with dignity, respect and love. We strive to work with those most in need by empowering people to recognize their God given talents, enabling them to make the world a better place and providing them hope for the future.

Our Principles
REI believes that all people are created equal.
REI will develop small to medium businesses (SMEs) as one approach to reach those most in need by creating jobs that build the economy in rural areas.
REI's partner businesses will be led, managed and majority owned by local people.
REI will always seek a triple bottom line of economic, spiritual and social transformation.
REI seeks to build sustainable community-oriented business models.
REI's focus of support is to the economically disadvantaged.
REI will seek attractive market and growth opportunities.
REI will incubate pilot projects with capable management.
REI believes in collaboration. We seek partners whose strengths complement our own in an effort to build well-rounded projects of lasting economic value for the communities in which we work.
REI is inspired by the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, and is therefore rooted in the Christian faith.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Two Worlds

While my role as the facilitator of Rural Empowerment Initiative (rei) will have me in two worlds, I can experience certain things in each continent.
For example weather.
Here the news will lead off with the weather. Its going to be in the high 80's today with dew points near 70!
This is news?
While in West Africa in February and March, I experienced their weather. While there isn't much variety in the news broadcasts, especially in Liberia, where basically the whole country remains off the grid from decades of fighting, it sure aint about the weather.
In fact, when you ask people "how hot is it?" Most people have no clue, do not care and just live life as usual.
They do not have ozone alerts or water sprinkling stations.
You know what they do. They don't complain. There are much bigger fish to fry so to speak. Its called survival. You see you have to do what you got to do, or you don't eat that day.
Women continue to carry large loads of material on theirs heads. Men continue to labor in the sweltering heat...if so fortunate, children walk along way to go to a school that is very under qualified.
I never knew how hot it was during my stay, other than it was really hot.
But its amazing when you don't let media tell you how it is, it doesn't seem that bad, or i guess you just put up with it and just do life.
I wish my world here in the US would pay attention to bigger fish and not make the weather headline news.
Believe me, there's much going on that could lead the news.