World Renew trys to work respectfully across cultures, races, and religious ways of life—because of the image of God in all humanity. One of the ways this respect becomes visible is when we work with partnering organizations in communities around the world and create a shared vision and set of values with them.
At the community level, respect manifests itself in requiring self-reliance and in the amazing multiplication effect that self-reliance produces. This is Biblical: Elisha’s question to the poor widow facing starvation was “What do you have in your house?” Jesus’ question to his disciples facing a crowd of hungry people was, “What do you have to give them?”
A couple of recent examples from Asia illustrate the ways that respect in relationships results in transformative self-reliance.
Cambodia
World Renew trained Socheat, a youg man who in turn became the community organizer at New Hope Church. Socheat overcame his fear of government officials and ended up helping them set up a youth program. Later, 12 girls and a boy from this youth program were accepted to university, but the boy had no money. The girls pooled their own money to help the boy pay his school fees, and he is now attending university!
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh World Renew works with a community organization named Prottasha (“Hope”). Prottasha works with a man named Nurul Islam–neighbors called him “Sholo Kamla”, meaning “sixteen different jobs”. Nurul had only a little land and worked many jobs to survive. His wife Momena joined a women’s saving group with Protasha. Nurul applied for training in growing rice, composting, and cultivating vegetables, and then joined a men’s saving group. Now Nurul is a full-time farmer, has enough food, and nobody calls him “Sholo Kamla” anymore!
As we build the respect into our systems that results in growing self-reliance among our program participants, we can also address the underlying causes of poverty, as demonstrated by the next few stories.
Laos
In Laos World Renew works with some of the most remote communities in all of Asia. The lack of access to education, lack of roads, and language barriers have kept people both isolated and in poverty. When we work with communities to build water systems, roads, schools, and curricula in their languages, the transformation is wonderful!
Locher, a young Rshi boy, is a math whiz because of an opportunity that has opened up to him through World Renew.
And three village leaders—Sanlong, Sianghung and Siangyan—appreciatively talk about what the new roads and a motorcycle trail mean for their villages. Now, the nurse can reach the sick, the sick can be transported to the hospital, more people can remain in the village because they can market their produce, and villagers can join together to build and maintain the roads!
India
Patarkhama is in northeast India. Here the Eight Sisters Farming Club–31 women from the Garo people group–has overcome one of the root causes of the poverty they endured in the past. Their mountainous land was worn out from repeated burning and erosion. They have restored their part of God’s creation by planting erosion-control hedges, a concept that is part of the SALT techniques (Sloping Agricultural Lands Technology), taught to them by World Renew’s partner, the Northeast India Commission on Relief and Development. The work was supported by the Foods Resource Bank and World Renew. The Garo women learned System of Rice Intensification (SRI), a technique to improve rice production on the small parcels of flat land that they farm. Between farming the sloping land and the flat land parcels, these women have now secured a full year’s supply of food for their families!
To access the full detail behind these stories, click here!
