Africa

Leaving for Africa

We leave in the morning for 15 days of traveling. you can read all about it at www.ubwaco.org/africa.html

I will hopefully be blogging on the trip some.

cheers, ben

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Invisible Children

So if you have never seen Invisible Children you have to see it. This movie is just heart wrenching and tells the story of 3 young guys who go to uganda and stumble onto a crazy world. The world of civil war and child soldiering. I had the pleasure last year to be able to get to visit with Laren, one of the filmakers, and he was back in town for our big concert/film viewing we had thursday. There are monumental moments in all of our lives, moments where we can look back and remember a conversation or event that help shape who we are or what we do with our lives. Last year i had one of those moments with Laren, We were standing upstairs in the church balcony starting the film. I started to share about how I was struggling because i really wanted to go to Africa and "do something" to help. I told him that my struggle was weather or not it was worth the money for me to go or not. Laren looked at me and didn't even pause before saying, "i understand your struggle however i want you to know that it is worth your time and your money for you to go." "once you go to africa a piece of your heart stays in africa" "Every person that goes will come back and spend the rest of their life trying to help this country"

So we are getting close to going for the first time. I have mixed emotions about the trip. I couldn't be more excited and it seriously is about 75% of what i think about during the day. I must confess it is a nice escape from having to think about UBC construction/pastor searches etc. I just wanted to start writing everything down before I go. i wanted to have a space to share why i want to go to africa. Why i feel like it is something I HAVE to do. The people who have been influentual in shaping my desires to go to africa. I know that many of you may not care and may get sick of hearing about africa or think, "ben this is a 2 week trip, you act like this is going to change your life" I honestly do believe it is going to change my life, so i am preparing myself for a major life change...if it doesn't happen then no problem...but if it does i want to be ready.

WHY

So Politics are a crazy thing, but after reading Singletons post about Rwanda and then thinking about Darfur, i can't help but think "WHY"??? For the best of me I can't imagine why we as a nation have just sat back and allowed such a horrible thing to happen. I fear that I am getting bitter towards the 'system' that is set-up to protect the innocent, to provide justice where there is none. I don't want to be bitter, I want to remain hopeful that things can change for the better.

Hope

I am very excited because this Thursday we are having a huge benefit concert for Africa and the Invisible Children folks are going to be in town. It makes me excited because it give me hope. The situation in Uganda is beyond words but the fact that three 20somethings can go to Africa with a video camera and come back to the states and do what they have done...give me hope. I must confess that I have fallen victum to the "let government sort it all out" mindset and so i have focused 100% of my energy into lobbying politicians to use their power to protect and serve those in need. While I still believe this is a very important part of the story, i have since realized that it isn't the only part of the story. The bigger, more important part of the story is what WE, you and me, UBC, the baylor community, the waco community do for those in need. Not just in Africa but also in Waco. It really is up to us to stand in the gaps for those in need. If it means writing letters to Dubya, then we should write letters. If it means cooking a meal for someone in need, we should cook the meal. If it means giving some dude a 10 spot because he has, "run out of gas" then we give it away. Who are we to stand in judge those in need? We are all in need of something bigger to rescue us. We need to be rescued.

IMF Announces 100% Debt Cancellation for 19 Countries!

Here is some encouraging words from the DATA.org website. This is a few weeks old and some of you may have been keeping up with this stuff better than I have lately. If not, please do read this and be excited. I believe that Debt cancellation is a huge start to helping end extreme poverty. I am not an economist and don't understand too much about economics but I try.


I have been reading "The End of Poverty" by Jeffery Sachs and I would highly reccommend it to anyone wanting to better understand how we can help the poorest of the poor. Anyways, here is the article...enjoy and feel free to debate the topic in the comment section.
cheers, ben

12.21.05

IMF ANNOUNCES 100% DEBT CANCELLATION FOR 19 COUNTRIES

IMF Announces 100% Debt Cancellation for 19 Countries

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today (21 December 2005) announced the first group of countries eligible for 100% debt cancellation relief following this summer’s G8 Africa Summit in Gleneagles.

The 19 countries that qualify as a result of today’s announcement are: Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guyana, Honduras, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

REACTION FROM JAMIE DRUMMOND, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF DATA (debt AIDS trade Africa):

“We are relieved that debt relief has finally turned into debt cancellation, and that justice has prevailed for this first phase of cancellation of repressive multilateral debts. This is but a modest down payment on what needs to come, but we are now one step closer to realizing the promises of the world’s richest countries at the G8 Africa Summit this summer. In 2006, many more of the 2005 promises must be kept.

Much has been made of Bono’s role in debt cancellation this year, but the true heroes are the millions of campaigners around the world who demanded more for those with less from their leaders, including the hundreds of artists who took part in the Live 8 concerts around the globe.

Let us not, however, rest here. The road to justice will be a long one. The G8 also promised additional $25 billion in aid for Africa from the G8 nations, education for all and AIDS drugs for nearly all, targeted efforts to beat back malaria, as well as a major overhaul of our trade system to level the playing field and allow the poorest to earn their way out of extreme poverty with dignity.”

On IMF conditionality: “Our assistance must always be delivered in a way that best helps people on the ground beat poverty. We cannot attach strings to it which are really about opening their markets to our products or micromanaging their economies to suit our narrowly defined ends. Those approaches are outdated, they don’t work, and we must together move on from paternalism to partnership with African and other developing nations. Beating back on IMF austerity measures is a key part of this new emerging paradigm of partnership."

U.N. warning over Darfur violence

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) -- The U.N. envoy for prevention of genocide has warned that violence is increasing in the war-torn region of Darfur and criticized the Sudanese national courts for doing little to try suspects accused of atrocities.

"The situation in Darfur now is disturbing, violence is spreading, and the displaced don't trust the Sudanese police or the Sudanese judiciary system," Juan Mendez told reporters Monday after his second assessment visit to Darfur. His first visit was a year ago.

Mendez also lashed out at the Sudanese national courts for not doing enough to punish those suspected of involvement in the violence in Darfur. He urged Sudan to cooperate with the international court.

"It's in the interest of the Sudanese government to cooperate with the International Criminal Court, by allowing its international interrogators to have access to the country and to have access to documents," he said.

Sudan has refused to turn over any Darfur suspects to the ICC despite U.N. demands.

Darfur's crisis erupted when rebels took up arms against what they saw as years of state neglect and discrimination against Sudanese of African origin. The government is accused of responding with a counterinsurgency campaign in which the ethnic Arab militia, known as Janjaweed, committed wide-scale abuses against ethnic Africans.

Government troops and some rebels have also committed abuses, according to rights groups.