Helping the poor "There’s something that grinds hope out of people when they’ve tightened their belts as much as they can, but there’s still not enough income to put food on the table, or to buy new clothes or textbooks for the children, or eat fresh fruit in winter, or heat their homes. This is life for so many people around the world, and the needs are overwhelming. My income-generation project doesn’t just give people a job and a reliable, steady income, it gives them hope. And what better reason is there to go to work every morning? " - Gabriel, 35
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The poor on my doorstep
The doorbell rang. I answered it to find a young woman, eyes downcast, stringy blond hair tucked behind her ears, holding a child in her arms. “Will you please help me,” she whispered.
“What kind of help do you need?” I asked. She replied, “Any kind of help you can give me.”
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 Water for the thirsty
Sitting under a walnut tree in the afternoon sun doing research with a local farmer, I was shocked to hear he keeps a cow not for meat or milk but for the dung it will produce for next winter's heating.
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 Grace in an earthquake
Mr Grace was the director of a school for handicapped children in Central Asia. A few years ago, an earthquake struck his town. His house collapsed, injuring his back. In an instant, Mr Grace became handicapped, just like his students.
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Teaching the basics makes a huge difference
The infant mortality rate in Afghanistan is very high. One in four Afghan children dies before their fifth birthday and one in six babies dies at birth. Through simple teaching we are trying to change these statistics. Health professionals and a small team of trained Afghan staff are offering simple lessons to the traditional birth attendants in the villages. Most of these women have never received any education and know little about hygiene and safe childbirth practice.
Karin, a nurse, shares her satisfaction with the project, "We had completed a course of training in a village and I returned for a visit. To my great joy, the birth attendant had abandoned the tradition of plunging newborns into a pot of hot rice to 'encourage' them to breathe.
Following our advice she had cleaned the babies' airways then gently breathed into their little mouths and noses. There, for all to witness, was living proof of the effectiveness of our teaching: healthy twins in their mother's arms." |
 Forgotten kids learn to read
There are few lovelier sounds than the dull din of children reading aloud to themselves. Some read quickly whilst others painfully sound aloud every syllable. I knew we were successful when I called a close to the lesson and was met with a chorus of “but I just want to finish the sentence/paragraph/chapter”. Then I knew that the love of books had been firmly implanted in the hearts of these kids.
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 A transformed life
Sveta lay in front of her house in a back street of the city—bruised, bleeding and covered in dirt. A Central Asian worker prayed with her and promised to return the next morning with help. When the worker returned, she found Sveta sitting on a bucket, her matted hair framing her battered face.
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