IJM: “CHILD SEX TRAFFICKERS SENTENCED TO 20 YEARS IMPRISONMENT”~ “PARAÑAQUE CITY, THE PHILIPPINES – At the conclusion of a year-long trial, two perpetrators were pronounced guilty of trafficking minors for sexual exploitation at the conclusion of a year-long trial. Both were sentenced to serve 20 years in prison, as well as pay a fine of P1 million (approximately $20,600 USD). The conviction is only the twelfth in the Philippines for this crime, and the second this year…This is a great example of how collaboration among the Department of Justice, law enforcement and the non-government organization sector can bring great results in the fight against trafficking,” explained Andal-Castro….’Let this be a warning also against human traffickers that their glory days are over, and that they must immediately stop. Whether here or abroad, the IACAT will not leave any stone unturned in its efforts to fight the crime of human trafficking,” Blancaflor said.”
Unicef:~ “Global measles deaths drop by 74 per cent”~ “Measles deaths worldwide fell by 74 per cent between 2000 and 2007, from an estimated 750 000 to 197 000. In addition, the Eastern Mediterranean region* which includes countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, and the Sudan has cut measles deaths by a remarkable 90 per cent — from an estimated 96 000 to 10 000 — during the same period, thus achieving the United Nations goal to reduce measles deaths by 90 per cent by 2010, three years early….This achievement is a tribute to the hard work and commitment of countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region to combat measles,” said Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General. “With only two years until the 2010 target date, I urge all countries affected by measles to intensify their efforts to immunize all children against the disease.”
The significant decline in measles deaths in the Eastern Mediterranean region was the result of intensified vaccination campaigns including several countries with hard-to-reach areas. In 2007, more than twice the number of children were immunized in the region through such campaigns as compared to 2006.
“There are thousands of health workers and volunteers from our Red Cross and Red Crescent family who deserve much of the credit for this success. They give their time to literally go door-to-door informing, educating and motivating mothers and caregivers about the critical need to vaccinate their children,” said Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, Chairman of the Board of the American Red Cross. “This mobilization helps us to consistently reach more than 90 per cent of the vulnerable population and save countless lives.”….The world’s success in reaching the 2010 measles goal depends on ensuring that all children receive two doses of measles vaccine including one dose by their first birthday, strengthening disease surveillance systems, and providing effective treatment for measles.”
Unicef:~ “More than 500 cholera deaths after water and health sector collapse in Zimbabwe.”~ “Zimbabwe is experiencing its worst cholera outbreak in recent years. More than 12,000 cases of cholera have been reported around the country. Thus far, approximately 565 people have died. UNICEF is providing emergency cholera kits to affected communities, as well as emergency water supplies, support to cholera treatment centres and petrol for Ministry of Water vehicles.”
Good morning and welcome to the second First Monday Fast here at Inspired to Action. Please consider giving a part of your day today to fasting and prayer for how God wants to to act in the world around you.
For the month of December we will be focusing on how we can make an impact in our local communities and how we can make a difference in how we live our own lives. In a world that has too often become more concerned with themselves and their own wants, sometimes with tragic results, it is good to to take time to refocus and refresh ourselves to see things better through God’s eyes.
Today I want us to talk about some local groups who are working to brings God’s hope to people in our own back yards. Feel free to leave a comment talking about something or someone in your community that is doing something to make a difference for the better. Below is a local group that my family and I have supported in recent years here in the north Houston area.
NAM (Northwest Assistance Ministries) is a local community service organization, and I am sure you have something like it in your area. It is a collaborative effort between some thirty churches in this part of Houston, along with various businesses supporters, which provides just about anything you can name to people who need it. Their programs include
- monetary assistance (to meet rent, etc.),
- a food pantry,
- a resale shop for low-cost clothing,
- meals on wheels,
- a children’s health clinic that charges on a sliding scale,
- shelter for the homeless,
- education and help in finding jobs,
- counseling, and
- a shelter for victims of family violence.
They, quite literally, do it all. NAM helped more than 100,000 area residents in need during its last fiscal year, with approximately $.87 of every dollar donated going toward helping people in need. Of the people NAM assisted, 51 percent were children and senior citizens.
NAM is a great organization, that helps so many people in our own back yard. They accept donations in just about any form, and need volunteers about as much as they need money. Look for someone like this in your neck of the woods, and help them help the people around you in need. But don’t stop with indirect help; reach out your own hand to the man on the corner and lift him up.
First, let me say please pardon the dust around here as we remodel I2A a little bit. Kat has been doing a great job with the upkeep of the site, and the change is going to be great. Thanks, Kat, for your work on this massive task.
Next, I want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving this week (for those reading in the U.S.) and a happy week for everyone not celebrating Thanksgiving this week. Enjoy the turkey and football!
Finally, next Monday is the first Monday of the month, which means it is time for the First Monday Fast again. Tune in and join us in spending some time in prayer and fasting next Monday, December 1st. This past month we’ve been focusing on some very global issues; for December, and next Monday, we’ll be focusing on issues a little closer to home. We’ll be talking about how we can have an impact in our local communities through the holiday season - maybe have a guest blogger or two to give us some ideas.
So come back next Monday and join us again for the First Monday Fast!
The picture that inspired The 40 Day Fast has inspired Super Bowl winning NFL player to raffle off his Championship ring to help children.
Je’Rod Cherry, former defensive back, New England. Cherry, who played for New England, Philadelphia and New Orleans in a nine-year NFL career, is raffling his 2001 Patriots Super Bowl ring on Nov. 27 to raise money for children’s charities around the world. “I was moved by some pictures I saw of a child in Africa on his deathbed, and in the background waiting was a vulture, in essence, to consume him,’’ said Cherry, who lives in Ohio now. “What I saw there moved me to say, ‘What can I do to make a difference?’ What can I give sacrificially from myself to show I do have care and concern about this child’s predicament as well as other organizations that help people across the world?’’
Click here to read the original article.
Click here to learn more about the raffle.
~So. CAL Fires: “Collectively, the three wildfires have destroyed nearly 1,000 homes and burned more than 17,000 hectares of land.” ~ VOA News
“the wildfire, started Thursday, hours after 10 young adults left a private Santa Barbara County estate where they had gathered around a bonfire, Sheriff Bill Brown said.
The 10 apparently thought they had extinguished the bonfire Thursday morning, Brown said.
Brown said it doesn’t appear to be a malicious act, but that the case has been turned over to prosecutors to see whether criminal charges should be filed.”
~“Stepping Up to Help Montecito Fire Victims”; “Coping with the city’s most destructive fire in nearly 20 years, Santa Barbara organizations have stepped forward to help in some distinctive ways. Santa Barbara Bank & Trust Co. has announced that it will pay hotel bills tonight through Sunday night for people displaced by the blaze.. By midday, the bank had booked 130 rooms, many at the waterfront Hotel Mar Monte, and planned to issue dinner vouchers at Los Arroyos restaurants… “Some of our customers have lost their homes. Some of our employees have lost their homes,” said Leis, who added that the bank would offer its customers emergency lines of credit and cash advances. Direct Relief International, a locally based aid group that works abroad in 59 countries, was handing out face masks from a table shaded by sycamore trees in a Santa Barbara park… As ash wafted through the air, Stevens said she was grateful to live in a place where neighborly gestures during hard times are commonplace..”
Ways You Can Help:
~ Donate clothing to Good Will.
~ Donate money to the Red Cross of LA.
~ Donate your Time.
~ Most of all Pray!
Two weeks ago, in the interview here with Sara Groves and Charlie Peacock, Charlie brought up a topic in response to my questioning how he/we can continue to press on without despair in the face of such overwhelming need. In his answer, Charlie talked about the idea of “proximate justice” - you can read a little more about proximate justice in a short article by Steven Garber here.
I want to take a little time to explore this idea of proximate justice more. We so often see things in black and white - they either are or are not. Either I serve God or I serve man/myself/Satan. Either I choose to do something or I don’t. Either . . . or . . . To be honest, my first inclination is to address everything in this way. The problem is, when it comes to the real world with real problems that are bigger than anyone one of us, absolutes are often not readily achievable.
We want to end hunger in the world; yet, no matter how much effort we make there always seem to be those who are out of our reach and continue to suffer. We want to bring justice to the world, the justice and peace of our Lord and Saviour; but we live in a fallen world where evil exists, where powers and principalities work to overthrow the will of Jehovah. In the face of such truth, of such seemingly insurmountable difficulties, how can we continue? How can we keep doing what seems to barely make a dent in the evil we oppose? How can we abide in God’s will without being destroyed by cynicism? These are some of the types of questions which Garber and others have tried to address by talking about proximate justice. It’s not about compromise, not about giving up the quest for God’s kingdom to be known on earth - rather, this is the idea that we will never know the fullness of God’s justice while living in a fallen world and learning to work as best we can within that framework.
In the article, Garber traces the idea of proximate justice all the way back to Augustine, and tries to bring relevance to our lives today. Here are a few excerpts from the article - what are some of your thoughts on this? How does the idea of proximate justice lie in your life?
This weeks News Wrap Up is focusing on some of the organizations fighting for human rights, and the recent news stories surrounding their work.
~ International Justice Mission: “14 freed from slavery in Indian Rock Quarry”- “BANGALORE, INDIA – Today, a young father and thirteen other former slaves live in freedom after an IJM Bangalore operation in collaboration with local authorities. The slaves were trapped in a rock quarry, where they were held against their wills and disconnected even from the other laborers in the facility because they did not speak the local language. Using threats and physical intimidation to isolate and control the victims, the owners beat, threatened and verbally abused them. “
~UNICEF-
First Emergency Supplies Airlifted Into Goma. “GOMA, 11 November 2008 - The first four planes carrying supplies to curb cholera and respiratory infections have arrived in Goma.” More supplies including, “One million water purification tablets and thousands of buckets and plastic tarpaulin sheets are now being packaged for distribution.”
~Supporting Families of Victims of the Collapsed School in Haiti. “PORT-AU-PRINCE, 8 November 2008 – While search and rescue operations continue to extricate students and teachers from the rubbles of La Promesse school in Pétion-Ville (Port-au-Prince), UNICEF expresses sympathies and solidarity with the families of the victims.
An estimated 700 students were registered in the private school for children of lower-income families. A number of them were in the classrooms when the walls and the roof collapsed.
In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, UNICEF and its partners dispatched social workers and psychologists to hospitals to provide psychosocial support for those affected by the tragedy. Although no final count for the number of victims is yet available, search and rescue teams fear a heavy death toll.”
~Compassion:
Religious Conflict in India: “The violence between Hindus and Christians is subsiding.
Six child development centers have reopened and are currently operating normally.
One center plans to reopen on November 20, 2008.
Two centers remain closed.
Although the government will soon close the relief camps, many people are still afraid to return home.
With the coming winter season, the big concerns now are shelter and clothing.
Praise God that the situation seems to be stabilizing and for His faithful protection of our children and staff.”
~Blood Water Mission:
* Illinois Teen Raises $10,000 For Clean Water: “By the end of the day, over $10,000 was raised for Blood:Water Mission. Additionally, hundreds of students have taken the two week challenge to make water their only beverage for two weeks. They are saving the money they would have spent on non-water drinks and sending it in to provide the essential beverage for Africans, water.”
~The Movie “CALL+RESPONSE,” is now in theaters. CALL+RESPONSE goes deep undercover where slavery is thriving from the child brothels of Cambodia to the slave brick kilns of rural India to reveal that in 2007, Slave Traders made more money than Google, Nike and Starbucks combined.
*Luminaries on the issue such as Cornel West, Madeleine Albright, Daryl Hannah, Julia Ormond, Ashley Judd, Nicholas Kristof, and many other prominent political and cultural figures offer first hand account of this 21st century trade. Performances from Grammy-winning and critically acclaimed artists including Moby, Natasha Bedingfield, Cold War Kids, Matisyahu, Imogen Heap, Talib Kweli, Five For Fighting, Switchfoot, members of Nickel Creek and Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, Rocco Deluca move this chilling information into inspiration for stopping it.” (Click to view cities and ticket info)
*We need to continue to pray for and support these great organizations who are on the front lines, fighting against injustices, and for human rights.
Reknowned singer/songwriter Cindy Morgan has released a new song (for free) on her website.
Cindy talks about the song, “This song was written by myself and my good friend Ty smith…. our inspiration were the stories of the kids in sex slave and the very sad story they live through….”
This is a beautiful song of hope.
Download it here.
We’ve been writing a lot about the worsening crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo lately. As of tonight, 250,000 displaced people sit in makeshift camps in the area, most of them with very limited access to food, water, or shelter. It’s the rainy season and cholera is starting to spread. The humanitarian situation there is dire.
How can we help? One thing you can do is donate to Heal Africa, a hospital run by Congolese Christians in the city of Goma. The staff at Heal Africa purchase anti-cholera medications locally in order to fight the epidemic, and provide a number of other services to victims of the conflict. Click here to donate to Heal Africa.
Another step you can take is more personal. The conflict in the DRC is driven in part by conflicts over resources, including a mineral called coltan. Coltan is a superconductor and is an essential component of cell phone batteries, LCD screens in laptops, Sony PlayStations, and many other items. Since 80% of the world’s coltan reserves are found in the eastern Congo, it is very likely that each of us owns electronic products that contain the mineral. And given that most of the coltan coming out of the Congo is “conflict coltan” - meaning that the proceeds from the sale of the commodity finance rebel groups who commit human rights abuses - each of us has a connection to the war.
You can make it harder for these groups to continue fighting. Write a letter to the makers of your electronics, and ask them how they can ensure that their coltan sources are conflict-free. A sample letter that you can copy and paste, along with email addresses for several electronics corporation CEO’s, is available after the jump.
“The Democratic Republic of Congo, equal in size to the United States east of the Mississippi, is home to vast expanses of pristine rain forest, rare animal species and a large potential for wealth in the form of highly valuable minerals and natural resources. Yet Congo is also one of the poorest, most chaotic nations on the planet, ruined by unrest that is estimated to have claimed millions of lives in the past 10 years. In many corners of the country, law, order, electricity and medicine are virtually nonexistent.”
~New York Times
~Attacks Resume: About 100 LRA combatants infiltrated Dungu town on 1 November through Lina Kofo zone, 12km north, after crossing River Dungu by boat.
“They began by entering the houses [to pillage] … the people called FARDC [the DRC army] and fighting started,” said Jean Marie Mbikaba, an adviser with the peace and justice commission in Dungu.
According to local authorities, about 50 people were kidnapped by the LRA rebels during the attack, among them 30 children, mainly girls. “The women and children fled with no clothes and spent the night in the cold,” said Mbikaba.
“What is happening in Dungu is painful … a humanitarian tragedy is unfolding,” said Gabriel Mapendo, a local resident.
Besides insecurity, poor roads have also contributed to preventing humanitarian access in Dungu. OCHA estimated at least 50,000 people have been displaced.”
(image)
North Kivu: “Earlier in the week, Fontanini said, UNHCR had helped to improve shelter and sanitation facilities at the crowded Kibati IDP camp, which is close to Goma and whose population grew from 15,000 to some 65,000 people in the space of a few days.
The biggest obstacle for humanitarian workers in North Kivu, she said, was the reduced or non-existent access to the most vulnerable civilians.”
~Below are a variety of links to up close and personal stories of people that are working to help the Congolese, and also organizations that are doing what they can to help.
* Heal Africa
* Voices From the Field
* ICRC
* Doctors Without Borders
* Congocast
* Human Rights First
* Global News Blog- What can the world do to help Congo?
~What are some other organizations, resources or blogs that you know of, speaking of Congo?