Women are not the Problem-they are the solution along with men

Saima Muhammad, shown with her daughter Javaria (seated), lives near Lahore, Pakistan. She was routinely beaten by her husband until she started a successful embroidery business.


The Best Way to Fight Poverty and Extremism is to Educate and Empower Women and Girls

• The Best Way to Fight Poverty and Extremism Is to Educate and Empower WomeThn and Girls
  

Half the Sky lays out an agenda for the world's women and three major abuses: sex trafficking and forced prostitution; gender-based violence including honor killings and mass rape; maternal mortality, which needlessly claims one woman a minute. We know there are many worthy causes competing for attention in the world. We focus on this one because this kind of oppression feels transcendent – and so does the opportunity. Outsiders can truly make a difference.

So let us be clear up front: We hope to recruit you to join an incipient movement to emancipate women and fight global poverty by unlocking women's power as economic catalysts. It is a process that transforms bubbly teenage girls from brothel slaves into successful businesswomen. You can help accelerate change if you'll just open your heart and join in.

Learn more about this movement and get the book here

Go To the article in the NY Times -Saving the World's Women here

Blue Fish TV-Business as Mission

Stanford Social Innovation Review : Articles : Just Say “No” (August 5, 2009)

Stanford Social Innovation Review : Articles : Just Say “No” (August 5, 2009)

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Rain In Senegal

While in Senegal in late June, I anticipated see the first rain in Senegal for the season and my first time seeing rain ever in Senegal.
While returning from a village in the bush, we were four Americans and four Africans in a seven seater taxi. As the clouds began to swell on our return, I was very excited to see the first rain drops hit the windshield of our seven seater. However, the next five hours were full of adventure. What should have taken 45 minutes to return to the village, it took five hours to get back.
You see, when it rains there...it rains! Oh my, it came down so fast and furious that while driving on what is essentially a horse path through sandy soil, it became a little nerve racking. The water tends to run all to the low spots. Unfortunately, most low spots are what happens to be the makeshift road.
We were going through two feet of water in a matter of minutes.

I could feel the water hit the floorboards of the seven seater as the driver navigated in which now had become a James Bond type of vehicle....part boat...part seven seater!
The other problem was it was getting dark, and anyone knows that when you are in the bush at night...it is dark. The driver was sweating profusely as he done a wonderful job of navigating these unbelievable disappearing roads. But, the problem was that the seven seater didn't like all this rain. We eventually got stalled in a village. Hmmm...none of us knew what village however. So one of the Africans got out and talked to a few villagers to find out where we were. When we found out, the other trick was to call for help. Thank the Lord for cell phones. We got in touch with someone to come and 'rescue' us. However, the other problem was, "how do you find this village in the dark and rain" You see there are no road signs. Its just a path.
Then our ride got stuck in the mud.
After hours of being stuck in the seven seater, our wait was filled with laughter and story telling. What could have been a long wait, turned into a cross cultural experience my whole family will never forget.
We will never forget our first rain in Senegal!

Grandma

 

Ever since my first visit into the village in 2002, this woman has been so dear to our hearts. She is the glue of the compound. She continues to nurse children. No, I'm not kidding. She is the enforcer too. She has the respect of all the children. 

I'm not sure how old she is and maybe shes not sure either,but with her physical limitations she continues to work hard every day.

She has taught me some language and she is always somebody I look for first on returning, thinking  that one day she won't be there. 

People like this need to hear and see the gospel...clearly...contextually...

Business as Mission (BAM) in the Unreached World

Today there are BAM networks and consultations in Central
Asia, Turkey, several countries in the Middle East, Southern Af-
rica, East Africa, China, Latin America, United Kingdom, USA,
etc. Also several major mission agencies and churches around the
world have incorporated BAM into their mission and strategy.
The Lausanne movement recognizes BAM and so does the World Evangelical Alliance.

Three things correlate and stand out:
1. Most unreached peoples are found in the Muslim, Hindu
and Buddhist world. Most of them live in the so called 10/40-
Window.
2. Here you will also find a large percentage of the world’s
poorest of poor.
3. These areas – where you’ll find most unreached peoples and
many poor – also often have unemployment rates ranging from
30, 50 to 70 percent.
The mission is to take the whole Gospel to all peoples
and nations, preaching and demonstrating God’s Kingdom.
How then can the Kingdom of God be manifested among the
unreached, among the poor, among the jobless—in the 10/40
Window and beyond?
Traditional mission responses will not suffice. We need to be
church and do missions in a renewed way; recognizing the gifts
and callings of entrepreneurs and business peoand deploy them to do Business as Mission.

More Photos...more stories to follow

My wife and her best friend in the village

My daughter and her best friend in the village

My daughter Sadie in the new community garden

My wife with one of our best friends in Senegal- We love you Charles!

A neighboring Fulani village and their prize possessions

Get out of the rain!. It was so cool to see it rain!

Hydro Missions

Mission Statement: The goal of Hydromissions is to further the gospel of Jesus Christ worldwide by providing clean water through low-tech and/or technologically appropriate products and services.

First, we want to be very clear that our primary purpose is "to further the gospel of Jesus Christ." Hydromissions is a Christian, non-denominational organization.

Second, Hydromissions functions "worldwide". We are a global, humanitarian organization, and as such, we service all countries and people groups regardless of their religious affiliation. We work with a wide variety of NGO's, for-profit companies, non-profit organizations, religious groups and government agencies.

Third, we "provide clean water" as our focus of operations. Hydromissions is a great way to share the love of Christ while meeting a desperate physical need. The practical component of water ministry is often the passport for bringing the gospel into countries otherwise closed to traditional missionary activity. We are involved in all aspects of the water cycle, including water acquisition, drilling, filtration, treatment, irrigation, hygiene and sanitation.

Finally, through our profit company (Hydromissions International, LLC), we provide products and services that are "low-tech and/or technologically appropriate." Our products are unique because they are designed to be operated, reproduced, repaired and maintained by the local people in whatever country is served. In addition, our products are designed to be extremely portable, allowing others to expand their water ministries into new areas that would be difficult to reach by other methods. We emphasize non-electric, non-motorized equipment whenever possible, but we will utilize other methods if they are technologically and economically appropriate for the situation.

Hydromissions has always been, and will always be about the "little guy." We are committed to helping missionaries and churches establish or enhance their own water ministries as God leads. Together, we can make a difference!

Go to their website here

back in the US of A

Greetings-
We arrived back in the US a little over a week ago. We had in our opinion a very successful trip.
We can't thank those who prayed for us during this time enough. We felt covered in prayer many times as we faced a number of challenges.
We are still processing our time in Senegal. We were able to spend 7 days and 6 nights in the village and to tell the truth we could have stayed longer. It was some of the hardest good byes we have ever made. We strengthened existing relationships, made new ones and did a whole lot of listening.
When we arrived in the village, they had a HUGE party arranged. They had village chiefs and elders from surrounding villages sitting under a large tarp just set up for this event. And to go further the woman of the village had special outfits made and presented Dawn my wife with one. They also had a number of young girls in special outfits and presented my daughters with the same. Then they presented me with a special out fit. It was pretty cool.
They were all given a chance to speak and we celebrated the fact that this village now has running water for over a year now and the neighboring village as well. The chief was there from that village too. We were so humbled by this afternoon. We could really feel their heartfelt thanks.
The second my wife and children got out of the truck they were mobbed by children awaiting there appearance. It was so neat...it felt like we were home!
The party went on with a big meal...and dancing into the cool Senegal night..in fact it went on till midnight. We were fairly exhausted by this point.
The next day we able to witness eight people get baptized in a local church...what a great day. We met some new friends and of course a large meal followed.
On Sunday we took the horse cart to church and had a wonderful time.
The rest of the week we did life with the village. We witnessed the first rain of the year (also the first time i have ever seen it rain in Senegal) and got to plant some peanuts in the field the following day.
We met with the elders/lead men of the village and listened to their challenges in the village. Likewise with the woman. it was interesting to learn on how each group rated their biggest challenges. For example, the men listed latrines as a pretty big issue. This village has 18 compounds with only one compound having a latrine in it. The woman however didn't even list it. We were shocked!
We just listened and hope in the future to help them discover how to meet their needs on their own. That's our prayer.And then we have the spiritual needs...

Home for a while

On Tuesday we depart for Senegal for two weeks. Great anticipation rules in this house right now.
This will be our home in the village for a week. Years ago, I bought this tent. Bigger is better right?
We only used it a few times and especially now as a lightweight backpacker (my backpacking tent weighs 1.5 lbs.) this tent was put on the shelf for a long time.
We have decided to shake the dust off and bring it to Senegal. We can all fit in here. We will become f-a-m-i-l-y....
We will be in the village starting next Friday and returning the following Thursday.
We are excited to visit them during this time of the year. I have never been there while they prepare their fields and it could possibly rain. It will be the beginning of the rainy season. This also could mean warmer temps and more humidity. But being a northerner and going from winter into this climate in February and going into this climate in June should be easier to take....i hope!
We have many things we are taking with us, including an over flowing abundance of school supplies that Dawn received from her school. The feedback was overwhelming from the faculty and students. We hope to visit the local school that only a handful of kids attend from our village. We hope to tour the school.
We also will be having some 'town hall' meetings with the elders from the village to discuss life in the village. An approach that we want to implement is that we want them to discover how to solve some of their own problems. For example, there is no latrine in this village. I want to understand how this can be. Years ago they did have a 'hole' but that does not exist anymore. Dawn and I have been reading some material that we received from Equip and Hesperian. We hope they can start moving to a solution. In this context, this takes patience and prayers.
We hope to assist them in discovering their own issues and see what we can do in that process.
We hope to help them in the fields and get a better idea of agricultural practices used and how they do things.
I am bringing some irrigation from Chapin Living Waters Foundation and hope to introduce them this simple form of dry season gardening.

We hope to be posting on our trip...be sure to come back a few times or we will give a review of our trip after our return.

Bon Voyage!