Share Well With Others » poor

Poverty’s many faces – Haiti Day 5

Chad Houck — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 12:57:07 +0000

Poverty: (n) – deficiency of necessary or desirable ingredients, qualities. Scantiness; insufficiency.

Amy Todd, the 410 Bridge staff member that has traveled with us and served alongside of us here in Haiti, made an great observation last night as we shared our stories with one another about the day. I’ve asked her if I can share it here.

In the morning, we went back up the mountain and joined with a group of children and adults about half way up. Some of them we had seen in Chadirack, and some were new. As we began to gather, the sound of drums and singing poured out of the small concrete block church on the hillside. Inside, women, children, and a few of the local men were singing praises and dancing with pure joy. While most would see the obvious material and economic poverty that deprives this community of clean water, and while this issue is probably the most significant factor in the many diseases that affect the people here, and while the lack of medical attention makes simple conditions like diarrhea and infections potentially deadly, the people of Chadirack are rich in family, community, and many other things. They are deftly skilled farmers. They have an abundance of natural beauty. Smiles abound. So are they the face of poverty?

In the afternoon, we came down the hill and visited an orphanage about 30 minutes south of Le Xaragua where we stayed in Montrouis. The 78 children in this orphanage are cared for by Dr. Francisco Noel and his beautiful wife. She considers herself a “mother” to these 78 children, all of whom receive full medical attention, 3 meals a day, 2 snacks, and their own beds. Their clothes are meticulously washed by a staff of women who also help care for them, educate them, and see that their physical needs are taken care of. Here, however, as we walked through the double doors in the outside wall that secure these young ones from the harsh realities outside of it, we ran face to face, or rather hand to hand, into a mob of young faces that just wanted to be held. One of our team members literally had three different children fall asleep in her lap at three different times over the two hours that we were there. These children were faced with a different challenge. Dr. Noel and his wife have met every need they can physically, yet much love as a person can give doesn’t make up for the lack of a true mother or father whose lap you can crawl up into and simply fall asleep, one on one. Are they the face of poverty?

Some of the children we met today lacked basic provisions. Some lacked a mother or father. We, as Americans, have become impoverished as a nation in the understanding of how critical some of these things like family, love and community really are. Today, as we awoke, many of us realized that as some of the richest people in the world, we could also be the most impoverished. How about yourself?

Loans that Change Lives – Kiva.org

Chad Houck — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:42:50 +0000

Continuing in our series of entries on Microfinance and Microcredit, I would like to introduce you to an organization that makes doing one of the things we like doing best, lending money to the working poor in third world countries, possible. Introducing Kiva.org

Without Kiva, it would be impossible for a small organization like ourselves to identify, qualify, facilitate, and fund loans to eager third world entreprenuers in some of the poorest of the poor countries in the world. With Kiva, however, that seemingly impossible dream is a reality. Kiva has developed a network of already practicing MicroFinance Institutions (MFI's) throughout the world and given them the technology and the partnerships (joint effort with PayPal, Cisco, and a ton of Silicon Valley companies) to bring together their borrows/businesses with the funds of lenders large and small worldwide! We have pre-screened a handful of these lenders, specifically two that are affiliates of HOPE International, that are Christian MFI's, meaning that they see sharing the Gospel as part and parcel of the loan process. Here is how it works… Share5 style.

1. You make one of two types of fully tax deductible contributions to Share5:
        a. Contribute $5 or more a month into our Microfinance Specific fund
        b. Make a general contribution in any amount, or monthly support Share5,
                and 10% is automatically earmarked for microfinance!
2. We take those funds, and monthly deposit them, via PayPal, to our Kiva Lender Account. (As part of their partnership with KIVA, PayPal charges nothing for this service!)
3. We watch for loan requests to be loaded from one of our pre-screened MFI's, and then we fund those respective loans from our lender account.
4. Once again, PayPal transfers the funds, free of charge, to the third-world offices of the MFI, facilitating the International exchange. (yes, that IS awesome!)
5. The MFI makes the loan and oversees the repayment process with the local entreprenuer, transfering the funds back to Kiva via paypal as they are repaid. Funds are then redeposited into the lender's (our) account.

Here is where this gets amazing…
1. The repayment rate on Kiva, and with Hope, is upwards of 98% on average, meaning losses are extremely minimal.

2. We are currently funding 4 loans on Kiva. As an example of how efficient the system is, the first repayments from loans one and two, only a total of around $8, are currently in use, recycled and reloaned in loan four!

3. Lenders are collected in groups called "Trust Groups". These co-ops are similar to our small groups concept in US Churches in that they meet weekly or bi-weekly to make their loan payments and also for education, fellowship, and in the case of our Christian MFI partners, sharing of the Word of God. They also have cross guaranteed one another's loans, which is why the repayment rate is so high. If one person can't make their payment, the other 5-10 make up the difference.

We could not do this without your support. your funds are the funds that are making a difference. Would you please consider making a standing monthly commitment to fund microfinance work and the spreading of the Gospel through this project? You can start with as little as $5 per month!

Teamwork and Teen-work

Chad Houck — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 17:28:46 +0000

This past week, Amy, the kids, and I were allowed to be spectators of and participants in the working of a miracle. On Sunday, March 8th, we loaded the RV and two vans with High School youth, adult leaders, and a few younger family members. We were 19 in total, and we had a mission in mind. We headed to Mexico to redirect the future of a family; to set them on a path out of poverty. We were going to build them a house.

What ensued was a modern day miracle. 19 people who were not professional builders in any aspect of the phrase put together their willingness to sacrifice a couple of days with their confidence that in God all things are possible, and when the "dust" cleared, not only did we provide a safe, locking, dry, and comforting home for a family of five, but we were actually able to go beyond and begin a second build, leaving a project at about 60% complete (habitable but not finished yet) for another team. Imagine that. God allowed us to go beyond what we had imagined. He proved once again what it means to have more than enough; more than enough time, labor, energy, enthusiasm, and love to go around.

So here we are. 6 days from our departure we have returned again to Tempe, AZ. Our plans were to go on to the other corner of the valley for the week, but as you know, plans change. We have decided to return to Mexico this week with the second team heading down this Sunday and finish what we started. We will build another house for Anna and her 4 children, and we will finish the second house that team one started for Renaldo and his family of 9. One and a half houses is the target. It will be a new team of 20 or so, and a whole new dynamic. Different but none the less capable. Once again, I am expecting that God will work a miracle through the hands and feet of the young people and willing adults that will place themselves as available vessels through which He can be glorified. We will go down to Mexico, we will offer ourselves as a gift, and we will come home humbled.

How can I say that so confidantly? I know the God I serve, and I have confidence in His miracle working power. May the same be said of you today as you go about bringing forth the miracle he has called you to deliver. May you be His hands and feet.

See our Flickr album of the Week 1 Mexico Build 2009 – Irma's House and for Week 1- Renaldo's Addition!

Prepping for Mexico Build Week!

Chad Houck — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:51:04 +0000

Today is the last day of "school" for the kids here in Tempe, AZ at Bethany Community Church as we prepare for departure for Rocky Point, Mexico on Sunday morning. Emily and Dillon have been graciously enrolled for free all week at Bethany Learning Center during their "Wild West Week". They have had a bicycle rodeo, ridden ponies, and had a great time. Thank you to all the teachers and staff at BLC for making this week so special for them.

Sunday we depart with Bethany High School Ministries for build week 1 of 2 in Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) MX. We will be assisting with the build/completion of 3 homes over 2 weeks for a couple of homeless families. The home design (originally created by Amor Ministries) is a very simple 20' x10' wood framed structure covered in stucco. Our version has 3 windows and a locking door, offering these families a security they have never known before in their cardboard and pallet constructed home. The homes are constructed solely by hand, using no power tools or air tools. Just hammers, hand saws, hand trowels, and sweat of a team of roughly 15 teens and adults. (see photo courtesy of Amor of a prior group's build) The idea is that if the tools are left behind, you have given the family (who will work with us) the ability to replicate the home for others. Its the classic adage of teaching a man to fish…

We'll take lots of photos and videos this week, so watch for the uploads after we return. In the meantime, please be praying for these families and for our team that this experience will deepen not only our compassion for others that have needs we can scarcely imagine, but that it will strengthen our passion to make a difference with our lives. (see the "Passion" challenge!)