All posts tagged poverty

Bono, the Church… Three Years Later

by Tim Schraeder on 08/07/2009 in Leadership Summit 2009, Notes with 1 Comment

Bono is the lead singer of Irish rock band U2, which has sold more than 140 million albums and won numerous awards, including 22 Grammys. A well-known activist in the fight against AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa, he co-founded DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) in 2002, The One Campaign in 2004, and Product (RED) in 2006, and was named TIME’s Person of the Year for 2005. Interviewed for the Summit in 2006, he challenged church leaders to mobilize against the ravages of global AIDS and poverty. Be a part of the continuing story, as Bono talks in an exclusive video about the church’s inspiring response and about his continuing life journey as a “single issue protagonist.”

  • JFK lead and the world followed.
  • Putting the man on the moon proved what American innovation and technology was capable of.
  • The problems we can fix, we should.
  • What is possible when the church unites to solve a global crisis?
  • Only love can leave such a mark.

How is the church doing?

  • Since the last time Bill and Bono met, “the church has done incredible things.”
  • “I thought the church was ‘the sleeping giant’ but I didn’t know it could run that fast!”
  • It’s an offense to Christ or any concept of truth and justice that we aren’t reaching out to help people in need.
  • The church is in the lead, not in the rear.
  • 41 million bed nets were distributed… malaria deaths are down.
  • In some places Rwanda is sending back drugs!
  • Had the church not woken up on the issue of AIDS we would not have 2 million Africans on anti-viral drugs.

Loving our (global) Neighbor

  • The concept of “our neighbor” has changed.
  • It’s not advice, it’s a command.
  • In the global community, Africa is just down the street.
  • Can we enjoy the benefit of globalization without taking some of the responsibility?
  • They are our neighbor.
  • Eaglebook Community Church in Minnesota has woken up to the call to do something globally.
  • A mark of maturity is when people give out of what they have.
  • We’re going to be asked what we did for “the least of these.”

Where the Streets Have No Name

  • Bono wrote the lyrics for the song “Where the Streets Have No Name” in Ethiopia about people in Africa.
  • He says when he sings it, it changes him and he “feels God walk through the room.”
  • Sometimes you don’t know what you’re singing.
  • As smart as somebody can be, intuition is greater than intellect.
  • Our best work is done when we have no idea what we are doing.
  • Whittier Area Community Church got it too, gave $518,000!
  • Jesus has created the church to exist for the world.
  • Why did it take a rock star to tell us that?

On The Economic Situation

  • It’s funny that we can’t find money to save hundreds of thousands of lives in Africa but we can find $700 million to save our economy.
  • That says that in a crisis, we can find the money when we need it…
  • Doing so shows we believe somebody begging for their lives is not in crisis.

On Church

  • On church attendance: I go where the life is.
  • “What I find hard to take is lifeless ceremony… and I see that a lot in churches.”
  • He wants to go where he finds honesty and humanity.
  • A place where everyone is welcome.
  • When you make a sermon, people don’t want things to be too complicated, they want you to be honest. They want a spirit of humility.
  • We need to stand for poverty.
  • It’s not charity… it’s justice and equality.

Grace

  • The church tends to separate itself from people and pick the divisive issues.
  • That’s not grace.
  • We would be much better served if we stood for things instead of against things.
  • Grace is defying the thing that is uncommon.
  • Whenever I see grace, I am moved.
  • When you see the grace of how people behave in dire circumstances you will be moved.

On Giving Up

  • He considered giving up.
  • We should never think things are dependent on us.
  • It’s hard, there will always be resistance.
  • There’s resistance on the journey to equality.
  • Where have you drawn the line?
  • Where does your sphere of empathy end?
  • Everyone is created EQUAL in the eyes of God.
  • Indifference is an enemy to the greatest of possibilities.

Bill Hybels’ Challenge to Leaders

Jesus spoke with blinding clarity about the issue of our relationship with under-resourced people (Matthew 25).

  • He said, “I was hungry… naked… sick… in prison…”
  • Some of the people responded by saying, “we never saw you in those situations.”
  • He replied, “when you did it to the least of these, you did it to me…”
  • Others said, “if we would have seen YOU…”
  • He replied, “you wouldn’t have done it for me.”
  • There’s a lot of things we’ve got to get better at in leadership.
  • If we neglect using our leadership positions to serve the poor in some way, we will stand accountable before Christ some day.
  • “I get no joy out of saying this because I feel the weight of it every day…”

What Bono has done is asked everybody of every faith who leads anything to do something.

  • I have a deep-seated trust in the sovereign wisdom of the Holy Spirit.
  • If people get this on their radar screen, God will show them how to do it and finding out what their part is.

No one is exempt from taking responsibility in this great challenge.

  • What is the right thing to do?
  • If you’re not engaged, get engaged.
  • You will want to stand before the One with nail pierced hands and say, “I made the grace you made available to me available to the poor…”
  • Some of us will be called to life-saving acts of compassion.
  • Others will create jobs and opportunity for long-term solutions.
  • God will guide you.
  • This is something that in our lifetime could be ended.

Thinking Forward: Aid vs Trade

by Tim Schraeder on 08/07/2009 in Leadership Summit 2009, Notes with No comments

Andrew Rugasira is the Founder and CEO of Good African Coffee, an African-based social enterprise that brings quality coffees to the global market. Prior to founding Good African Coffee, Andrew was the CEO of VR Promotions, Ltd., Uganda’s leading promotions and events management company, which was featured in president Bill Clinton’s 1998 tour of Africa. Andrew was nominated the Young Global Leader 2007 by the World Economic Forum and remains an established leader in economic development. He graduated with honors from the University of London, and lives in Kampala, Uganda, with his wife Jacqueline and their children.

  • What comes to mind when you hear the word “Africa”?
  • We often think: poverty, disease, HIV/AIDS, death, conflict, genocide, etc.
  • That’s one perspective that has been influenced by the narrative in the media all around us.
  • To him, he thinks opportunity, entrepreneurs.
  • The perspectives we hold influence the decisions we make and how we relate to people and churches in Africa.
  • We need to deconstruct the narrative going around about Africa and how we perceive it.

Looking Back at History…

  • Nov 15, 1884 – Bismark called The Conference of Berlin.
  • They decided how to regulate colonialism.
  • It was the “scramble” for Africa.
  • Communities were split, families were separated by the borders that we drawn.
  • By 1902, 90% of African was under colonial law.
  • They produced tea, coffee, cocoa… they were not allowed to process, only export which had a dramatic impact on their economy.
  • Africans are the best ones to solve their problems through hard work, production of quality products, etc.
  • The people who were coming to offer help didn’t look like them.

Integrity is being truthful about what you need to do to get out of a difficult situation.

AID vs TRADE

  • There have been well-meaning but misguided advocates for aid.
  • They believed they could bring about change by giving out hand-out’s.
  • Even when you to make your case for your vision, people will always stand in the way.
  • There is no country in the world that has developed through handouts… why is Africa different?
  • We use trade as an engine for growth because it’s part of economic doctrine.
  • Trade creates transformational impact for communities.
  • Trade is the only succcessful way to bring economies out of poverty.
  • Africa today only contributes 2% of the world’s trade goods.
  • We often only see the problem, not the opportunities.
  • We need to look at Africans as partners, trade opportunity, etc.
  • We need to give marketshare, not pity.
  • We need to change the conversation.

1 – Aid is really not aid.

  • Between 1970-2000 Africa has received $400 Billon in aid from Africa
  • Their GDP decreased as aid increased.
  • Aid is not effective.
  • Aid is not really aid.
  • It’s poorly structured.
  • The country prioritizes what it will spend its money on.
  • It’s insincere.
  • It’s conditional – we tell them what to do with it.

2 – Aid undermines accountability.

  • Aid creates chronic dependence.
  • So many countries seek donors for their budgets.
  • It undermines integrity and dignity of recipient countries.
  • We need to get people thinking about the impact of their compassion.
  • How do the people receiving our compassion while maintaining their dignity?
  • We need to look at Africa as a people of consumers, great products, etc.
  • Real partnerships can make sustained community transformation.
  • The greatest help won’t come from the outside, it will come as you empower people on the inside.

The best way to help Africa is with trade, not aid.

Reconstruct the narrative in your mind that kindness is best expressed through a hand out.

The greatest kindness you can give is to help people help themselves.