Join Bread for the World members on June 14-16 in Washington, DC, for Bread for the World’s Gathering 2009. There will be worship, workshops, meals, music, visits to Congress, and of course, a celebration! Learn more about the event by visiting http://www.bread.org/.

Are you in need of financial assistance to attend this gathering? The ELCA Washington Office is offering a limited number of scholarships for this event. Applications are being accepted now until May 29, 2009. Go to www.elca.org/advocacy to download the application.

Scholarships will be awarded immediately until June 8, funds permitting, and be processed as a reimbursement. The amount reimbursed will be for both the “2009 Gathering that includes 35th Anniversary Dinner and Lobby Day” option and three nights housing on the American University campus.

Questions? Contact Jodi Deike, ELCA Director for Grassroots Advocacy and Communication, at jodi.deike@elca.org or 202-626-7947. David Creech

Hunger Rumblings will periodically highlight the work of organizations that received financial support through an ELCA Hunger Education/Advocacy grant in 2008.  We hope you are as inspired by these stories of our faith in action as we have been!

CREA – Center for Reflection, Education and Action (www.crea-inc.org)

2008 ELCA World Hunger Education Grant Recipient

Poverty, and the hunger it causes, is directly related to the ability of workers and their families to achieve sufficient income.  CREA works to bridge the gap between cooperative artisans in countries around the world and consumers in the United States.  We educate U.S. consumers about Fair Trade, expose them to Fair Trade-Peace Trade products made by global artisans, and create a market so that these workers can achieve a sufficient income.  We have named our program “Fair Trade-Peace Trade” to help consumers understand that economic, social and environmental peace are just as important as cessation of fighting with weapons.

Our educational message helps consumers understand that the “lowest” price is not always the “best” price, and that the people who bear the true costs of cheap products are the workers who produced that product.  In our Fair Trade work, we are able to tell that story and challenge those who are buying the craft items, coffee, tea, and chocolate to understand that what we buy and how we buy directly affect the lives of men, women and children around the world.

Our reports on Sustainable Living Wages are available for congregations and schools and directly connect the Fair Trade – Peace Trade products with the goal of sustainable living wages in countries around the globe.

We have also developed a Systemic Analysis program which teaches people how to understand globalization, its inequities and impacts.  It also highlights the economic components of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (www.udhr.org/UDHR/default.htm).  We continually create story boards and educational materials for use by various congregations and groups.

CREA works to ensure that global artisans have the means to feed their children, send them to school, and provide access to better healthcare.  Working with these global artisans reminds us that Fair Trade is a year round commitment, not just during the holiday season. 

To learn more visit the CREA website at: www.crea-inc.org

Ruth Rosenbaum, Executive Director

posted by Erin Cummisford

Women around the world are models of strength and perserverance. In spite of the fact that they along with their children suffer disproportionately the effects of poverty and hunger, women nonetheless

+ produce an estimated half of the world’s food;
+ are responsible for about 60-80% of food crops in the developing world;
+ and are more likely to spend their income on the wellbeing of their children–buying more nutritious food, purchasing school supplies, and paying for healthcare.

For this reason, women are key players in the fight against hunger and poverty. Consider the following facts.

+ Women’s education has the greatest effect on reducing child malnutrition, accounting for 43% of the reduction in malnutrition in the developing world from 1970-1995.
+ In India’s economic transformation, the states with the highest percentage of women in the labor force grew the fastest and had the largest reductions in poverty.
+ The total value of women’s unpaid house and farm work adds one-third to the world’s gross national product.

ELCA World Hunger recognizes the importance of supporting women in our efforts to combat hunger and poverty here and abroad. Your gifts to the World Hunger Appeal can (among other things) finance a micro-credit loan to woman to start a business or buy a machine to spin wool to increase her productivity. As you celebrate your mom this weekend, consider empowering other women around the globe with a Good Gift.

David Creech

All statistics in this post were taken from the Bread for the World Institute’s 2009 Hunger Report, pp. 60-67.

Literally. We have new light from above. Check out the picture of my family room. That bright circle on the ceiling isn’t an electric light. It’s the sun! In the past couple of weeks, we’ve had three solar tubes installed in our house – two in the family room and one in the kitchen.

If you follow this blog, you know we’ve been talking about coal and electricity recently. I’d love to say that my family’s decision to install solar tubes was in response to our desire to use less electricity, less energy, less coal. And that was a consideration. But the bigger reason was more self-serving: I wanted more natural light in some of the darker areas of our house just because I like natural light. The way our house is situated, we don’t get nearly as much of it as I would choose, and I’ve always wished for more. We have considered skylights from time to time, but they always seemed too expensive and work-intensive, what with all the drywalling and painting that’s required with their addition. But then we learned about solar tubes! We could have them less expensively than skylights, and each one took only about an hour to install (done by a professional). That was it! The result is wonderful. Unfortunately, I don’t have before and after pictures, but you can get a sense of the increased light from the shadow cast by the pillow onto the arm of the couch. That most certainly was not there before.

What I love about this little anecdote is that one largely selfish act is so beneficial! By getting something I wanted – more natural light – I’m using less electricity, which reduces my use of coal, lowers the demand on the power grid, and hopefully lowers my electric bill. It also supports jobs in the “green economy,” as we purchased a solar product and paid a professional to install it. And it is another step in our household’s efforts to live more sustainably. I find it all very hopeful. Or maybe I’m just giddy from all that natural light.

As you may already be aware, ELCA World Hunger just released a new curriculum, Taking Root: Hunger Causes, Hunger Hopes. This curriculum is an excellent tool to help raise up the next generation of people who will be passionate about addressing the root causes of hunger and poverty.

To help get the word out about the curriculum and to answer any questions that folks may have about it, I will be hosting three WebEx sessions with the author, ELCA pastor Stacy Johnson. I invite you to join us on Monday, May 11 from 1-2pm CST, Tuesday, May 12 from 7-8pm CST, or Thursday, May 14 from 7-8pm CST. If you are interested, please contact me at david.creech@elca.org and I will give you the details you need to join us for the conversation.

If you know of anyone else who may benefit from this opportunity (such as pastors, Sunday school teachers, Christian education directors, etc.), feel free to forward this post to them.

David Creech

Getting ready to move takes lots of time and work. It also brings you face to face with just how many belongings you have. As a simple living sort of person, I thought I didn’t have many possessions. Was I wrong!

Last weekend I held a freecycle and basement sale to clear out some of the stuff I didn’t know I owned. One side of my basement held stuff with price tags. On the other side, everything was free! People loved helping themselves, and all my free (and most of my priced) treasures found new homes. Very little had to be recycled or discarded, and I felt like Lady Bountiful, telling people, “yes, it’s really free–please take it!”

The Bible invites us to construct an economic system based on God’s principles. A freecycle is a great way to boost the economy of grace. (Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the water!) At www.freecycle.net you can learn more about freecycling and participating in freecycling groups. And it’s something a church can easily do on its own–perhaps at church, after worship.

I’m hooked on freecycling now. I’ve already started a new stack of stuff for my next freecycle, so I can be sure my stuff stays out of the landfill…and so I can watch more people smile.

Anne Basye

As a nation, we love coal. Over 50% of our electricity comes from coal, and it’s a natural resource that we have lots of. It’s an abundant energy source right here in our own country. Each time we flip the light switch, turn on the TV, or warm up dinner in our microwaves, we should be grateful for coal.

But it’s not all happiness and lights. The trouble starts from the very beginning, when you have to get the coal out of the ground. Traditionally, we have engaged in underground coal mining and strip mining. But more recently, we’ve moved to mountaintop removal mining. The name is just as it implies. The top of the mountain – up to about 400 feet of it – is blown off, exposing the seams of coal, which are then extracted and hauled away. The benefit of this method is that it’s cheap. And theoretically, cheaper extraction means cheaper power for us consumers. Compared to digging deeply into the mountain, structurally supporting the tunnels, sending people in to dig out the coal, and then hauling it out of the mountain, it’s pretty easy to blow off the top of the mountain. It also takes many fewer people to accomplish, which is not only cheaper, but puts fewer lives at risk.

But what a toll it takes! The video clip below shows the scope of it – sort of. I filmed it from an intact mountain (hence the trees in the foreground) overlooking an area that has been mined and is no longer active. Note how far there are no trees, and how much lower the ground is in the mined areas. And this mine actually goes quite a bit farther to the right than the video shows. It was sobering to see.

On the flip side, the nation’s demand for electricity continues to grow. As long as we keep asking for power, companies will seek ways to supply it. And we aren’t exactly docile if our lights don’t turn on when we want them to. What’s more, coal is one of two major industries in West Virginia. Mining provides much needed jobs (though not as many as it used to), and a tax base that supports education, hospitals, and infrastructure. We met State Senator John Unger, who explained that without coal mining, there would be a serious shortage of tax funding for necessary services. As a result, the legislature and government give mining companies the benefit of the doubt. Indeed, we heard the ambivalence of citizens, who live with the trade-offs between employment and environment every day. Senator Unger commented that it often feels as though it’s a choice between economic justice and environmental justice. What impossible choices to make.

-Nancy Michaelis

Jennifer Allen works with our Mexican partner, AMEXTRA, and sent me this update on conditions in her adopted country:

First and foremost, we would like to express our gratitude for the concerns, prayers and support of so many people who have shown solidarity with Mexico right now. We are indeed in the middle of a difficult situation due to the swine flu. As of noon on Monday, April 27th, 2000 cases had been confirmed and 150 associated deaths. Although deaths have only been reported in Mexico, the virus is being reported in the USA and is suspected in other parts of the world.
The Mexican government is taking the following measures: cancellation of public events, closing of all schools in the country until May 6th, mass communications of the symptoms and preventative measures (constantly wash hands, do not greet others with a hand shake or kiss on the cheek, disinfect food, dishes and doorknobs), distribution of face masks, quick diagnosis and medical attention for suspected cases and isolation of the sick. Society in general is voluntarily choosing to go outside as little as possible to avoid being infected which most commonly occurs through coughs and sneezes.
In Amextra we have taken the following preventative measures: Reduce schedules to include only indispensable meetings in order to reduce exposure to contagions for program participants and staff. Work to promote preventative measures in the communities where we work. Pray for the situation.
We are already hearing reports of the illness in our communities, although details are yet to be confirmed. The distribution of face masks on behalf of the authorities is not sufficient and does not reach the communities where Amextra works. The marginalized families who we work with have low incomes which affect their diet. They need need vitamin supplements to strengthen their immune systems, as well as hygienic materials (soap and bleach) which for the same economic limitations they cannot purchase.
As a preventative response in our communities which are at high risk, Amextra is beginning initial efforts to distribute face masks which we hope to combine with packages of Vitamin C, soap, and bleach in order to support the recommended hygiene standards for families.
Our goal for this first support phase is to provide 3,000 people with personal sets of: 2 face masks, 1 bar of soap, 1 bottle of bleach and 1 box of vitamin C, each package will cost only $5 USD.

AMEXTRA is an association that works in urban and rural areas to transform life for the poorest of the poor. ELCA World Hunger supports this ministry with an annual grant of $60,000. You can find information about giving to ELCA World Hunger Appeal at http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Responding-to-the-World/ELCA-World-Hunger/Give-Now.aspx

Peace
Pastor Rodger

I was thirsty last night, so I grabbed a cup, went to the sink, and filled it with water. Then I paused. Should I drink it? Was it safe? I wasn’t sure what to do. I was afraid of the water.

I’ve spent the week in West Virginia, where I and my colleagues have been learning about the coal mining industry. It’s a major industry in West Virginia, providing jobs and a tax base, and much of the electricity we all enjoy – and demand. But coal mining has some pretty dark sides. One of the things I learned is that the water near the mines and downstream of them is polluted with heavy metals and chemicals. The processes of displacing earth and cleaning coal produce byproducts that flush into the mountain waterways. Many of the people who drink well water in affected hollows have rotten teeth and tremendous dental bills because the contents of the water eat the enamel on their teeth, leaving them unprotected from the bacterias that cause decay. We met a woman who has $10,000 worth of crowns, and heard about a young man who had full dentures at age 16 because his real teeth had all rotted from the water. Brushing your teeth is perhaps more dangerous than not.

And teeth are just the body’s first point of contact with this polluted water. The metals, minerals, and chemicals cause further havoc once ingested. Apparently, the majority of people in some areas have had their gall bladders removed, and cancers are widespread. We met a woman named Maria who said she had once been asked if she knew anyone who died of cancer. She got some paper and filled 12 pages with names. Maria is also one of the people who has had her gall bladder removed, and she has returned to drinking soft drinks because they are healthier than the water.

As my colleague Aaron Cooper pointed out, we know the statistic that one is six people in the world lack access to safe drinking water. It’s startling to realize how many of them live right here in the USA.