I would like to open this question up for discussion, prayer, brainstorming, and thoughts:
How do you help people in severe poverty without creating a welfare-state similar to what we have in the US?
The Kamkunji slum, and all the others, are forgotten people. They don't even exist, as far as the city is concerned. So these people eat from what they can scrounge in the garbage, they look for jobs all day, and if they can find glue they sniff it to stop the hunger pains. The people are industrious and are very hard workers. They won't do anything to lose their job if they have one, so they work for pennies. They have all kinds of roadside individual small businesses - anything they can figure out to be able to make a few shillings. They are not lazy at all; there are just no jobs, and there is no government programs. If you want to eat, you have to work.
If the church were to step in and provide everything, does that solve the problem? It will be a long time before the government does anything about these, because most government agencies here are corrupt and take the biggest bribes. Plus you have the tribal rivalry and struggle for power.
If the American church provides the financing, does that solve the problem?
I'm just throwing out ideas, but it would be neat if there was some skill that each person had that they could do for the church over there or in the states that we could pay for. That way it's not welfare. They're working for their pay. I guess that would be outsourcing :-). Or if they had some goods or crafts that they could sell. People in the states love stuff from other countries. Like I said, I'm just throwing out ideas.
ReplyDeleteHow about something along the same lines of Heifer International? Would that work over there?
ReplyDeletePaying for a skill might be an excellent idea, especially if there is a high level of accountability through relationship.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that the cost of exporting and shipping usually makes crafts prohibitive, and you have to understand these people have no raw materials. Even if they were to use hemp or fiber, most would be stealing it off of someone else's land. It's a real problem!
Heifer International might be a good option to look into, and we would have to know more information about care and feeding of the animal once they have it.