(KENYA) If you were given the option, would you ask to be born into the same family, community, country, faith, or race? In the past 24 hours, have you gone without food? Not because you are trying to shave off the extra pounds piled on over the Christmas season, but because you just could not afford to eat? In the past week, did you worry that your household would not have enough food? Do you have health insurance? If not, do you have the resources to afford health care? Do members of your community or family see you as a burden?

In the past 24 hours, have you gone without food? Not because you are trying to shave off the extra pounds piled on over the Christmas season, but because you just could not afford to eat? In the past week, did you worry that your household would not have enough food? Do you have health insurance? If not, do you have the resources to afford health care? Do members of your community or family see you as a burden?

The question of whether marginalized Africans should be born poor, live poor, and die poor is an ongoing discussion among Christian development workers. A visit into a community or a slum area opens your heart and mind to the realities of poverty within our midst. When faced with this reality, do you hold back your money when poverty is in your face? When a woman requires fistula surgery? When a child needs school fees? If the truth is told, the likelihood that the 50% of Kenyans and other Africans who live below the poverty line will die poor is quite high based on the current socioeconomic, religious, and political trends in our region. As far as maternal and child health are concerned, there is a resounding call, “No woman should die giving birth!” Whether African governments in this region are putting their money where the need is remains unknown. The region continues to experience ill health resulting in poor maternal health outcomes. Who cares, right? Who cares that half of the Kenyan population struggles to find food, shelter and health? Who cares that unemployment is rampant and that women die while giving birth? World Renew and like-minded organizations care! Why? It is our Christian calling to reach out and minister to the “least of these.” (Matthew 25:40) Furthermore, we acknowledge that, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:35)

Reversing the trends of poor community development and health indicators is an uphill task.

Reversing the trends of poor community development and health indicators is an uphill task. It calls for renewed zeal and a paradigm shift in programming. It cannot be business as usual as women struggle with obstetric fistula due to lack of access to health care and strikes by nursing and clinical staff. In Kenya, it is estimated that ten percent of all women are living with this devastating condition, and 3,000 new cases occur each year. It is an uphill task since community transformation is a process—not instantaneous. We cannot just throw money at poverty and wish it away. The “poor” themselves must own the process towards community transformation and towards an empowered and resilient household. If they are not fully engaged, there is no ownership of the interventions. As the proverb goes, “He who wears the shoes knows best where they pinch!” the poor know best where poverty hits hard.

So, should people continue living in desperate conditions? The answer is a resounding NO! We know from ongoing community projects in our regions that the poor development and health outcomes can be reversed through community livelihood enhancement and biblically-sound development interventions that bring diverse households into one unit through Christ. (Romans 12:5) This has been evidenced through World Renew’s Embrace AIDS programs that are helping widows and orphans work towards the common good regardless of their denomination or religious affiliation.

As World Renew staff, we hear testimonies from community members about the ways they are breaking the chains of poverty, stigma, and discrimination as a result of interventions they design and name themselves. World Renew has testimonies from community members on how they are breaking the chains of poverty, stigma, and discrimination as a result of interventions designed by widows themselves. These interventions resonate strongly with the slogan “nothing for us without us!” Here’s one of those amazing testimonies:

I am living with HIV, and at first my friends could not stay with me. The stigma was high. But when I received a heifer from World Renew and it gave birth, I shared milk with them and they now are my friends again. When someone is HIV-positive and owns nothing, people stay away from you. But when you own a heifer, people see that you still have hope and good health, and they’ll stay in contact with you. I appreciate that God gave me the heifer, so I also give milk to others.

Not only has the Amuria heifer project improved the women’s self-esteem, the milk from the cows has also improved the nutrition status of the women and their children. The heifers have helped the widows gain respect from the larger community and their extended family members since they now own an asset—the heifer! They are no longer seen as a burden to the community but as equal players in community matters and the decision-making processes.
Should people be born poor, live poor, and die poor? The evidence from World Renew’s interventions in this region of Uganda point to the contrary: people can be empowered to live life in abundance as Christ intended for them regardless of their health status and social class.

What can you do?

“For all things in heaven and on earth come from you, and of your own do we give you!”

I tend to ask myself the same question. What can I do? What can I do differently, guided by the love of God, to help people born into poverty? Should I sell my home and give everything to the poor? Well, I could do that, but what are the implications of my action? My children will have no shelter! Alas! My action could result into yet another statistic on the poverty index. So, here is what I do. This is not a prescription for what you should do– But you may decide to adopt some of my ideas to help break the chain of poverty in our midst.

I tend to read widely about the challenges communities are faced with. My passion area is health, so I read about health issues in sub-Saharan Africa such as the current health trends and their implications for community development. What is the impact of poor health outcomes on food security or governance? I read about religion and health. How does religion impact health outcomes? I also review some of the interventions and reasoning that other servant leaders have tried and tested. For instance, read the book, When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor…and Yourself. I interact with communities with a specific focus on the people who are ‘wearing the shoes,” that is, community leaders and the community’s own resource people. I get their views on issues through participatory processes like the “Stepping Stones methodology” to help communities assess their vulnerabilities to HIV and AIDS, address gender-based violence, and confront communication challenges within families for improved health. I engage church leaders in discussions that some may shy away from, questioning the role of condoms in HIV prevention and in preserving life! I also work at creating an enabling environment for in-depth, open dialogue about sex and sexuality from a biblical perspective in order to face the reality of HIV. I ask thought-provoking questions of others. I also question God! I find myself writing questions to God in my journal. I may not get all of the answers, but so far a good percentage of my questions have been answered. I pray, pray, pray! I dig into my pockets and give based on my abilities. I give to leave a mark on the war on poverty, and I expect nothing more than a good report of what God has done in the peo
ple’s lives through my gift. “For all things in heaven and on earth come from you, and of your own do we give you!”
 

In Him, 

Nema Aluku

Program Manager
World Renew Eastern & Southern Africa and Kenya