Water project in the Gulin area of the Sichuan Province.

March 22 is the United Nations World Water Day, the theme of which is “International Year of Water Cooperation.” Water cooperation is water management that considers a number of factors (such as food production, environment, and domestic use) in an effort to encourage peace and sustainable development.

In an effort to practice water cooperation ELCA World Hunger has worked for several years with the Luzhou City Parish in Sichuan Province, China, to identify communities in need of better access to water.

Y. Franklin Ishida, ELCA  Global Mission Area Program Director for Asia and the Pacific writes of a project among the Miao ethnic minority people in Luxian:

This is an example of ELCA and government collaboration, where ELCA contributed to a major water works project for a hilltop village in this area. Local farmers relied on the weather for their crops. This past year [2011] was an example where drought caused major problems. An antiquated pump system no longer functioned. With ELCA funding, a new pump system was installed to raise water from the nearby river for then distribution throughout the land to fill paddies. The area covered is huge, and the impact obvious when you see paddies filled with water this year. While the local government officials were eager to show the new pumping station, the holding ponds, and the water outlets at various places; one woman’s smile, as she paused from planting rice, said it all. She compared things to the previous year, when there was no water: Even drinking water had to be trucked in.

Water cooperation is shown here through collaboration between government, faith-based and local actors.  Ishida highlights another example:

In the Maxi area of Gulin, I was invited to dedicate the new water system put in that benefits 83 people in 18 households. According to Yan Yi-you, the village head, “we can drink fresh water, provide for the goats and cows, and plant our crops without worry of droughts,” something that had occurred in 2011. “Before it was a very hard life: now we can easily do things,” he said.

The system is a simple one. A pond was dug at a spring. A pump was installed to pump the water uphill to some holding tanks. From there, gravity takes the water to each home. Easy to install, easy to maintain.

About all this Yan says: “We did the work because you gave for us: you care for us. Though there was water [at the source down the mountain] from the time of our forefathers, this new water system will now help us for generations to come.” And with this, he gave me a huge hug.

Through these projects and ones like them, ELCA World Hunger is able to support water cooperation around the world.  By working together with the communities like those in Luxian and in the Maxi area of Gulin (both in the Sichuan Province) –we are able to support projects that make a difference.  As the UN makes water cooperation work a priority throughout this year, may we – as ELCA World Hunger – continue to realize and support the incredible work that is possible through collaboration between government, faith-based, and local actors.

Henry Martinez serves as an educational associate for ELCA World Hunger.

Google doodle celebrating International Women’s Day

March 8 is celebrated as International Women’s Day (IWD). The two prominent themes for IWD this year include “The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum” (internationalwomensday.com) and “A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women” (UN Women).

This also coincides with President Obama signing the Violence Against Women Act into law today, extending criminal justice protections and provisions for victims of rape and domestic violence (for a brief reference see the Whitehouse factsheet).

Thankfully, much has been gained in the struggle for equality, but a few UN statistics remind us of the incredible amount of work that still needs to be done:

•     Up to 50% of sexual assaults are committed against girls under the age of 16.
•     Globally, 603 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not yet considered a crime.
•     Up to 70% of women in the world report having experienced physical and/or sexual violence at some point in their lifetime.

We are reminded that violence and gender inequality are a threat to sustainability and further perpetuate the reality of poverty and hunger in the world.  Check out ELCA World Hunger’s Gender and Hunger Toolkit, which has downloadable resources desginged for small groups to explore the connections between hunger gender inequality.  A prayer from that toolkit:

Dear God, so often we forget the people of your world who are nameless and unseen to us. Help us to know that in your eyes none of us are faceless people for we are all made in your image. Creator God, help us to recall daily women and girls who become victims of atrocities everywhere. Let each of us in some way be your instruments of healing and empowerment. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen. (Jennie Malewski, adapted from Sing Out New Visions: Prayers, Poems, and Reflections by Women)

Henry Martinez serves as an education associate for ELCA World Hunger

(From left) Bishop Jim Mauney, Virginia Synod; Drew Genszler, Director for Advocacy; Bishop Robert Driesen, Upper Susquehanna Synod; Bishop David Zellmer, South Dakota Synod; Bishop Michael Burk, Southeastern Iowa Synod; Bishop Jon Anderson, Southwestern Minnesota Synod; Rev. Dan Rift, Director of ELCA World Hunger

By Rev. Dan Rift

As our nation faces a “fiscal cliff”,  five Bishops who have made themselves ready to speak with elected representatives on domestic issues, met Monday with staff from the White House, from Speaker Boehner’s staff, and with the Secretary of Agriculture.  Andrew Genzler (Director for Advocacy) and I accompanied them on this visit. 

The main topic of conversation was the impact that any budget compromise would have on those who are most vulnerable among us. We also discussed vision for continuing to strengthen rural community life, impending changes for dairy and other farming support, tax exempt deductions for charities, and protecting the future for our children. In each meeting, those with whom the Bishop’s met, encouraged folks in the church to personally form a working dialogue with their elected officials. They were especially heartened to hear about specific ways that the work of the government and the work of the church have together created opportunity for people to lift themselves out of poverty. Throughout the times, the Bishops prayed for and with those with whom we met, for our elected officials, for a way forward that might bring hope, and especially for those who struggle with hunger and poverty in this nation and around the world. For me it was a great Advent gift, remembering that God works to bring good news to the poor. We follow in that work. Merry Christmas. 

Dan Rift is the Director of ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal

December 1 is World AIDS Day. In many cases people living with HIV/AIDS have a greater chance of being at risk of suffering from hunger and poverty as well. For more information see the ELCA strategy on HIV/AIDS or look for worship resources. 

By Kenneth Callaghan

Attending the International AIDS Conference this past summer helped me realize stigma is something I can help confront.  The truth is, I personally cannot cure those who are infected, but I personally can fight stigma, face my own stigmas, and acknowledge cultural situations that make stigma thrive, within society and the church.

Preparing for IAC I began to consider stigma and what it meant, how do people experience it, what are its effects and implications?  It was easy to think of stories from the Bible of how Jesus took the “stigmas” of his day and called people to wholeness and healing.  Stories like: people with leprosy being banded from mainstream society, the paralytic man forced to become a beggar to survive, blind Bartimaeus, Lazarus, and the woman at the well being condemned because of her past.  These stories are important because they challenge the notions of sickness, sin, outcast and “the other.”  What is interesting is Jesus confronts these themes and asks questions like, “Let you who is without sin cast the first stone.”  Jesus confronts marginalization and stigma reminding us to be careful of judgment and condemnation of others in light of our own shortcomings.

With the world of HIV/AIDS in mind, consider who might be on today’s list.  A newly infected/diagnosed 20 year old gay man in L.A., twin babies born infected in Uganda, the transgender youth forced to become a sex worker in order to eat, the immigrant who works a low paying job without health care, AIDS orphans who grow up without family or who think life is about sickness and devastation, the husband who’s been secretly living with HIV for years and exhausted his finances because he thought he would die, the gay men/women who because of cultural realities fears family abandonment because of his/her sexual orientation, the person who believes intimacy is participating in anonymous sex rather than an open honest relationship, the mother living with AIDS who never tells her children they are HIV+, etc.

Jesus actions in the lives of those who experienced stigma brought healing and newness.  He made an incredible difference as he addressed the ignorance of stigma and discrimination.  People of faith are called to follow Jesus example.  The apostle Paul reminds us “there is nothing that can separate a person from the love of God in Christ Jesus.” Through the risen Christ, we are given the same ability and authority to make a change in the lives of those who suffer.

When we reach out to anyone affected by “stigma” with God’s love and grace there is healing.  We counteract stigma when we remind people they are beautiful creations of a loving God and bring the awareness of God’s love by creating safe, caring environments for people to connect and share with one another to bring hope, and as we really listen to the concerns of others without sharing our opinions or advise we empower them to work through depression, anger, fear and frustration.  Whenever we fight for equal rights for all people we make a change.  As we provide education regarding safe sex practices, the use and availability of condoms, the importance of regular HIV testing, treatment compliance, the need for affordable housing, employment, strive for healthcare reform, provide care for orphans, we make a difference.

Lives are changed when we model acceptance and inclusion – gifts of grace from our loving God.  With God’s help we make a difference in the world for those affected by HIV/AIDS or anyone who suffers the abuse of stigma by bringing acceptance, replacing fear with love and where open arms of welcome bring hope.

Kenneth Callaghan serves at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, North Hollywood, California. 

Is it really Thanksgiving week? I feel like I’ve somehow missed it due the earlier-than-usual influx of holiday ads and decorations. Is anyone else feeling dizzying disorientation? Welcome to the season where shopping ads and holiday decorations bombard our mailboxes, inboxes and all manner of television, mobile and computer screens.

Right behind #TurkeyDay come #BlackFriday and #CyberMonday. According to a Philanthropy Journal article, “Last year, Black Friday brought in over fifty-two billion dollars while Cyber Monday sales topped one and a quarter billion dollars in the United States.” Before we feel too proud that all we’re doing is give, give, giving… I also heard an article on National Public Radio this morning that shoppers in the United States will spend an average of about $140 on “self-gifting,” buying something for ourselves while shopping for others.

Move over, Turkey (or delicious vegetarian Mac-and-Cheese-Style Cauliflower I will be digging into this year)—we need room on the table to plot out the perfect sale shopping route and timetable!

Well, amidst all the hustle and bustle, a beautiful little movement flashed on my screen yesterday—introducing #GivingTuesday. #GivingTuesday is a namely social media driven movement (hence all the #– Twitter hashtags in my post) started by a coalition of nonprofits to highlight charitable giving. Right on the heels of a frenzied shopping weekend, we are invited to give to the organizations that matter most to us. What a great idea!

Thanksgiving is a day dedicated to celebrating and being thankful for the harvest—the harvest of the fields (according to the U.S. Department of Ag lower than normal this year in U.S. staples like corn and soybeans due to earlier drought, though prices are heading up, up, up) and the harvest of the gifts we have been entrusted with. Let’s re-orient ourselves around what matters, what we are called to as people of faith.

So, bring it on holiday season. We are ready. We heed the challenge to be faithful stewards; we strive to work for justice so those without plentiful harvest can know wholeness; we give thanks for the call to serve; and we give thanks especially for all of our wonderful ELCA World Hunger leaders, friends and donors who join us in this call!

Mikka serves as program director for constituent engagement and interpretation with ELCA World Hunger. To join the network and for more information on how you can get involved, write hunger@elca.org. 

World Food Day celebrates the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. This year’s World Food Day theme is “Agricultural Cooperatives- key to feeding the world.” One particular strength of the cooperative lies in connecting farmers and members to one another and to the market. Connections allow farmers to benefit from greater access to goods and pooled resources.  Cooperative members are more likely to be invested community members and seek sustainability in their work.

 The FAO has a few examples of how agricultural cooperatives work: (A great line around 4:00 the woman talks about the forest as “the children’s heritage”).

httpv://youtu.be/W_ne6hi4uPo

The ELCA engages in global mission through accompaniment, a way which sees us (the ELCA) and our partners as mutual participants in the body of Christ. Working through partner church bodies, provides a way for our work to be deeply effective. The connections with church bodies in other countries mean that we are well positioned to support local and sustainable work.

The Lingson Family story illustrates a commitment to the local cooperative approach and reminds us that this approach to fighting hunger and poverty works in transformative ways.

httpv://youtu.be/LHNfSVI4iwM  

Best of all, this is work we can all be involved in. On this World Food Day, think of how you can best respond to ending hunger in the world.

Henry Martinez, ELCA World Hunger Education

Today, September 25 is the first National Voter Registration Day. This is a one day blitz for volunteers, celebrities and organizations from all over the country to hit the streets to raise awareness of voter registration opportunities. According to the site, in 2008, the year of the last presidential voting cycle, 6 million Americans did not vote because they did not know how to register or they missed their state’s voter registration deadline (based on U.S. Census data).

Just this week, I received the October edition of The Lutheran magazine. “2 kingdoms: Taking your faith to the election” reads the cover. Professor and Pastor Darrell A. Jodock, faculty member at my aluma mater Gustavus Adolphus College, writes an interesting article on Lutherans and politics. Jodock draws in his own farming roots, Luther scholarship and posits that the Lutheran tradition does not prescribe how to construct society, but rather invites us to start with and be guided by the orientation toward service to and with the neighbor and community.

I say it every post—my area of study is political science—so I am already on this bandwagon, but I must just say it again. Okay, Hunger Leaders, what is ELCA World Hunger’s comprehensive approach to ending poverty and hunger? Relief, Education, Advocacy and Development—right on! Advocacy is really so integral to ending the cycle of poverty and hunger, because it grows out of our valuable relationships and experiences. *If we are able to, we are compelled to participate in the process that can address root causes of poverty and hunger, at all levels, local, state, federal and international levels.

Participating in the political process does not always feel like the most rewarding activity, but it is a gift, perhaps even a right to do so. Which “side of the aisle” is not the central question to me; rather, will you be actively participating in this process that shapes our communities?

Today’s the day to get registered, and I’ll see you at the polls!

Mikka serves as program director for constituent engagement and interpretation with ELCA World Hunger. To join the network and for more information on how you can get involved, write hunger@elca.org. 

—–

*This presents another set of interesting questions around who has access and “ability” to vote, but we will save that for another thread and another day.

The Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage report released on September 12, 2012 by the U.S. Census Bureau, states that among the 46.2 million in poverty in the United States in 2011, 16.1 million are children (page 16 of the report). Just considering the 16.1 million children and according to 2011 population numbers, this is slightly more than the combined population of Illinois (12.9 million) and Iowa (3.1 million).

The image of children in poverty inhabiting only two states is of course not helpful, but ironically (and entirely unconnected) this population of children is similar to the current population of two very agriculturally productive states, in one of the most agriculturally productive nations. Though we often think of small communities and local perspective, it helps to take in a bigger view; there is hunger in a land of plenty, the poor live among the rich.

On Sunday, Sept. 23, Mark 9:30-37 comes up as the gospel reading in the lectionary, where Jesus says to the disciples:

 ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’ Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes on such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’ (New Revised Standard Version)

I don’t know what the welcoming will look like, but I know that God calls us to do it and will help us along the way. On with the welcome!

Henry Martinez, ELCA World Hunger- Education

plumb line noun

1 : a line (as of cord) that has at one end a weight (as a plumb bob) and is used especially to determine verticality

2: a line directed to the center of gravity of the earth: a vertical line

Today is September 11. It’s been 11 years since the event that is one horror among the many (think of Hurricane Katrina and the Columbine High School shooting, to name just two) that have been said to shape my generation, the Millennials.

What shape is that?

USA Today says that Millennials have been shaped by the traumas of our formative years, but have not been broken. Millennials are resilient and are a seemingly irrepressibly optimistic bunch. Yet, even with our positive attitudes, Millennials are almost constantly stressed out about life. Those formative national tragedies we grew up with apparently bring Millennials together in our shock and fear, thinking — Are we next? Millennials are united in a sense of overwhelming urgency.

So, is the shape an optimistic smiley face getting the squeeze like this emoticon?

No, we all know about the great parts about being a Millennial, but what about the parts that make other generations cringe? Millennials are also known as the most narcissistic generation—I mean look at me, writing this whole blog post about my generation! In a New York Times opinion piece, Ross Douthat ponders, “how can the same generation be more solipsistic and more interested in human betterment and ambitious social activism? But maybe they actually go hand in hand.”

So, the shape is like a yin-yang, two seemingly opposing pieces coming together in harmony?    

At this moment, I find that the shape is not a shape (a space that is enclosed), but rather a line. A plumb line, perhaps, as defined by Merriam Webster: “a line directed to the center of gravity of the earth.” When I feel adrift, that is when I seek to return to the center— the center of who I am and who I am called to be—the plumb line.

Today, my plumb line is participation. I feel a sense of urgency in the work we are called to do toward justice and through ELCA World Hunger. I really do believe that all people deserve access to health and wholeness, even and especially in the midst of dismal circumstances. Even when I feel stressed out, I believe there is so much potential in what is to come.

So, friends, in one word, what is your plumb line? From the experiences you have had growing up and in life, to what do you return when you feel downcast? What cord ties together your life’s calling? What keeps you grounded?

I can’t wait to read your responses…join the journey.

Mikka serves as program director for constituent engagement and interpretation with ELCA World Hunger. To join the network and for more information on how you can get involved, write hunger@elca.org. 

“For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?” Isaiah 43:19a

My name is Justin Rabbach and I am the (very) new Youth Group Organizer for ELCA World Hunger. Though I have found myself dealing with an information overload during my first week on staff, I have also stayed grounded by relecting on the verse above from Isaiah.

I moved to Chicago from Madison, Wisconsin, where I graduated in May from the University of Wisconsin with my Master’s in International Public Affairs, focusing on International Development. In the course of a week I have found myself in a new city, in a new apartment, working a new job. That’s a lot of new things…. While all of those changes were a bit daunting, leaving behind a lot of familiar things (family, friends, favorite restaurants and sports teams), it is also a very exciting time! I am aware that while I am experiencing new things, I am also at point where I am trying hard to focus on the “new thing” that God is looking to do through me and the rest of the staff here at ELCA World Hunger.

I grew up in the Moravian Church, and got involved in missions following a trip to Nicaragua in 2007 that really opened my eyes to the possibilities of building relationships and serving God abroad.  Five years later, God has taken me time and again through “new” experiences, I have found myself serving Him for varying lengths of time in Wisconsin, California, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Alberta, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Israel/Palestine.

Everytime I allow myself to be taken out of my comfort zone, God places amazing “new” things in my path. I am excited to get started here on staff at ELCA World Hunger, and while I take time to learn a lot of things that are “new” to me here before I really begin to work, it is awesome to know that God has already begun!