(MDG8) Develop a Global Partnership for Development

Target #5 of Millennium Development Goal #8 is “Make available benefits of new technologies.”

Only 1 in 6 people in the developing world has access to the Internet.

In my term of office as national coordinator of the Western Section of the United States for American Baptist Women’s Ministries my main focus was promoting better communication across all levels of the ministry. In order to do that in the most cost-effective way I encouraged the increased use of technology by our members, from the local groups to the national level. By gradually overcoming the reluctance to learning new tools of communication our relationships were strengthened and our ministry benefited.

It is through relationships that we make a difference in our world and it takes communication to grow relationships.

Providing our sisters in developing countries with access to the Internet can bring them into our world and us into theirs. Relationships will form and people’s lives will be changed.

A few of the Millennium Development Goals are considered controversial in certain conservative Christian circles, but this target of making new communication technologies available has very few detractors. All Christians recognize that our responsibility for the welfare of our neighbors extends to individuals all around the planet.

We know that getting to know the folks next door and across the street makes our local neighborhoods safer, friendlier places to live.

Individuals communicating with individuals and forming relationships that uplift each other and their communities blesses us all, and that includes our world-wide neighborhoods, as well.

And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ He said unto him, “What is written in the law? How readest thou?” ²⁷ And he answering said, “‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself.’” ²⁸ And He said unto him, “Thou hast answered right; this do, and thou shalt live.” ²⁹ But he, wanting to justify himself, said unto Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ³⁷ And he said, “He that showed mercy on him.” Then said Jesus unto him, “Go and do thou likewise.” – Luke 10-25-29,37

This blog post ends our series on the Millennium Development Goals adopted by the United Nations as part of the End Poverty 2015 Millennium Campaign. Millennium Development Goal #8 is “Develop a Global Partnership for Development.” Please visit www.endpoverty2015.org for more information on the MDGs, including fact sheets and updates on advances on this goal.

This blog post is contributed by Jonna Hawker Turek, a past coordinator of the Western Section on the American Baptist Women’s Ministries national board. Jonna is a businesswoman, writer and motivational speaker, and lives in Northern California. You may read more of Jonna’s writings on her blog, “Power Walking with Jonna,” at 
http://jonnaturek.wordpress.com/.

Violence Prevention on College Campuses

As a student at Elon University, I can honestly say that I am in a safe learning and living environment. I am 4’11’’ and pretty petite, so of course my parents’ first concern was that I would be able to walk around alone without any threats of harm of any sort. Going into college I was just excited to experience living on my own and all of the freedom and responsibility that came with having to manage my time and life efficiently; I never put too many thoughts into the importance of being in a safe environment.

One thing that I am passionate about is women’s rights as well as fair treatment of women and girls. I am fortunate that my university has most recently begun working hard to have programs that educate students, faculty, and staff on the importance of equality, as well as how to respond to situation of violence or abuse. College so far has been the best time of my life, but I am fully aware that there are precautions I must take as a young woman, and resources that I should be aware of that could be beneficial for myself or others. I was excited when I first heard Becca Bishophric speak at a session about how to deal with issues of sexual violence and abuse during my training as a Resident Assistant. I knew she would be the perfect person to learn more from!

Becca Bishophric began working at Elon in August 2012, and is the Coordinator for Health Promotion and Violence Prevention and Response, and has a contagious passion for education in the areas of violence. I got the chance to sit down with Becca for a few minutes to talk about her position and what it entails, as well as why Elon University found it important to have her position in place.

As a student and young woman, Becca’s passion is inspiring, and I feel valued to know there are people like Becca who work everyday to ensure my safety and emotional as well physical security. I truly enjoyed sitting down and talking with her, and I hope you all enjoy her what she had to share!

Blessings!

(Listen to the podcast episode featuring Jasmine’s conversation with Becca here.)

This blog post is contributed by Jasmine Turner, who is serving as an intern for AB Women’s Ministries “In Their Shoes” podcast and this blog during the 2012-2013 program year. Jasmine is a former convenor of the national leadership team of AB GIRLS, and is currently a sophomore at Elon University in Elon, North Carolina. 

Celebrate International Women’s Day

Today is International Women’s Day. Woot woot! I celebrated International Women’s Day a day early by going to the movies, and I strongly recommend you do the same thing!

Last night I gathered some of my girlfriends around me and we went to see a new documentary that’s just been released, “Girl Rising.” The film is by 10×10 Productions for the purpose of advocating for increased access to education for girls globally. It’s an extremely well done film. Nine girls from nine countries were paired with nine writers, each from her own country, to help her tell her story. The stories are then narrated by well-known actresses (such as Meryl Streep and Selma Hayek). There are some facts and figures around the issues of girls’ education interspersed amongst the stories, depicted very creatively and effectively.

Each girl shares her story in a unique way–it’s not fiction, but it’s not straight, traditional, documentary-style movie-making either. I found myself getting lost in the beauty of the telling and having a different type of emotional reaction than I have had to other traditional documentaries on similar topics I’ve watched in the past. And although each of these nine girls comes out of circumstances that are heart-breaking, the film doesn’t dwell there: Instead, the stories they tell are of hope and courage. The girls talk about how they overcame their circumstances through personal strength and through education. As my friends and I talked about it while we were walking out of the theater, different girls or different parts of their stories had struck home with each of us in some way or another. I’m still finding myself dwelling on the girl from Peru. But no spoilers here.

As I looked around the theater prior to the film starting, I was gladdened to see the number of girls who were attending–some with their mothers, others in groups by themselves. There were girls there that looked to be as young as maybe 9 or 10 years old, through high school and perhaps early college. The audience was easily half under 21. More than the film, that observation gave me hope for the future. Two of our group had younger children who had been asking them about this film before they went–one a daughter, one a son–and both mothers are thinking about bringing their children to another screening in our area happening next week. What a wonderful opportunity to have some family discussion around these topics.

You can view a trailer at the “Girl Rising” website, www.girlrising.com, as well as find a wealth of other resources there, including fact sheets on girls’ education, a screening guide with discussion questions you could use in a group, downloadable flyers and other promotional materials, and a page of “where are they now” updates on the girls featured in the film–although I’d highly recommend you don’t read those until after you’ve seen the documentary!

How does “Girl Rising” end up in a movie theater?

“Girl Rising” is being screened in theaters through grassroots movement. People request it to be shown at their theaters, and then spread the word. Theaters are booked through Gathr.us, where anyone can sign up to book a theater and then get the required number of people to reserve tickets. Once the number is achieved, the screening is “green lighted,” and you’re good to go. I first got an email from Sandra Uwiringiy’imana. (If you listen to our podcast, you might remember her from episode 38.) Sandra was hard at work to bring a screening of “Girl Rising” to our city. I immediately went onto Gathr.us to reserve my own ticket–I believe I was reservation number 4 or 5 at that point; I then forwarded the information to everyone in my email list that I knew had an interest in the topic, encouraging them to reserve tickets for themselves, or bring youth groups, bring women’s ministry groups–anyone they could find. I then, in faith, began to make plans to attend with my friends. Earlier this week we got word that the project had been greenlighted. We were thrilled!

You can check the Gathr.us website for screenings that have already been greenlighted near you, or for those that are in process–perhaps your reservation might put it over the tipping point! If there are none near you, why don’t you start the ball rolling yourself?

Is it a fundraiser?

Yes, it is, but the fundraising aspect happens at the very end and is very “soft sell.” 10×10 Productions partners with organizations at work in this field and the funding raised through “Girl Rising” and other donations goes to those organizations. You’d probably recognize some of the partner organization names: CARE USA, UN Foundation/GirlUp, World Vision, and others. They’ve posted on their website charts and graphs showing the breakdown of funding from ticket sales and donations. Although they hope to raise funds through the film, they are primarily working towards raising awareness.

I do highly recommend “Girl Rising,” and I found it meaningful that I got to see it in close proximity to International Women’s Day. I hope you’ll have the opportunity to see it…or make the opportunity for you and others to see it in a theater near you.

How are you celebrating International Women’s Day? If you’re hosting an event or attending one, please be sure to post it on our Facebook page.

(MDG6–Post 2) The Perfect Gift

(Because HIV/AIDS is a topic of such great concern and involvement with our American Baptist missionaries around the world, we are presenting a second blog entry on Millennium Development Goal #6. For the first blog entry on this topic posted two weeks ago, click here.)

The wrappings of Christmas have been put away for several weeks now, but as I review the UN’s Millennium Development Goal for HIV/AIDS, of virtual elimination of maternal-child transmission as well as achieving universal access to treatment, I am poignantly reminded of a Christmas gift story. In 1994, I met Naka and her infant daughter Da on the doorstep of my office, the Health Project for Tribal People (HPTP) in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Naka was from the Lahu ethnic minority group. She had come to the HPTP looking for help after she was forced to leave the brothel where she had been working. Naka was HIV-positive, and ill with AIDS-related symptoms, and her 11-month old daughter was sickly as well. Sold into prostitution as a young girl in Burma, Naka had no idea where her home or family might be. Now, kicked out of the brothel, the only place she knew as home, Naka was desperate for shelter and food, which she found at the HPTP’s House of Love. Besides having her physical needs met, Naka also had the care and emotional support from a loving Christian staff, and soon both she and her daughter were thriving. As Christmas approached, the House of Love family began talking about a gift exchange. As she listened, Naka was full of questions, because she had never given a gift nor received a gift in her life. With her new-found understanding of the gift-giving custom, Naka decided she wanted to give her daughter the perfect gift. This mother spent hours looking for just the right present for her daughter, one that would communicate Naka’s love for Da. That same Christmas, with joy, Naka also learned of God’s gift to her, Jesus, and Naka accepted this gift of God’s love.

Without access to AIDS medications, within two short years Naka died, and Da was left parentless at the House of Love. After her mother’s death, Da sat on my lap and asked me, “Why does God want all the mothers in heaven?” Not only had Da lost her own mother, but she had seen each of the HIV-positive mothers at the House of Love die, leaving behind children who were facing their own disease course. I had no answer for this toddler, because in the late 1990’s in northern Thailand, without access to medications for treatment death was the simple reality for the ethnic minority women who were HIV-positive.

Thankfully, today the access to medication is vastly different than fifteen years ago. Da is a healthy, thriving young woman who will finish high school in another month, and then start to pursue a degree in Theology at college. Although HIV-positive herself, she has hope that she can live an abundant life and pursue her dream to become a Bible teacher. And she has seen that mothers can stay healthy too, thanks to the treatments now available for all people in Thailand.

This blog post is part of our series on the Millennium Development Goals adopted by the United Nations as part of the End Poverty 2015 Millennium Campaign. Millennium Development Goal #6 is “Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Other Diseases.” Please visit www.endpoverty2015.org for more information on the MDGs, including fact sheets and updates on advances on this goal.

This blog post is contributed by Kim Brown, missionary with American Baptist Churches USA, serving as the director of the Integrated Ministries for Ethnic Minorities Foundation (IMEMF) in Chiang Mai, Thailand. For more information about Kim Brown and her ministry in Thailand, visit www.internationalministries.org.

(MDG6) HIV/AIDS–A Shared Burden

Reduction of the disease burden of HIV AIDS in developing countries is one of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set by 189 countries in 2000 to achieve by 2015.

Reducing the burden of AIDS in developing countries where Ann and I have served for the past twenty years is a noble and reachable task. Countries such as Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan (our current assignment) suffer greatly from HIV/AIDS. Reducing the burden of AIDS means not only providing relief and care for those afflicted with the disease but breaching cultural and even religious barriers to prevent the occurrence and spread of this highly endemic and still deadly disease.

Doctors and health workers across the world are typically more adept and comfortable at treatment than prevention. We are ingrained in science and are creatures of habit in our approach to sickness: we make a diagnosis, we confirm it by laboratory testing, we prescribe a treatment and administer a cure. Such a “cookbook” approach serves us well in relieving the suffering of prevalent diseases such as malaria and pneumonia and can save thousands of lives for children afflicted with fever, dehydration, and the like, but no such cure exists for AIDS.

The AIDS disease presents particular challenges: (1) We have drugs to diminish the symptoms but none that will rid the body of the virus; (2) We want to identify people who have the virus and prevent its spread, but many do not want to be tested due to the stigma of the disease and the risk of expulsion from relationships, communities, and even households; (3) The most vulnerable victims are women and children, often the innocent victims of this disease that is most commonly transmitted heterosexually or during birth.

We will continue to provide medicine for those afflicted with HIV/AIDS (when we can find it) and provide care with dignity for those dying from HIV/AIDS. However, to meet the MDG and to make a true impact on the spread of this disease we must focus heavily on prevention.

Medicine and faith are natural allies when it comes to relieving the burden of AIDS. God does not shun the victims of this disease and relieving the guilt and stigma are first steps in whole person care. The church has a role in disseminating messages related to the spread of AIDS and dispelling many of the myths as to how one comes down with the virus. The church can advocate the virtue of remaining true to one’s partner, the importance of volunteer testing and counseling, and even promote screening of pregnant women for whom medicines exist that can prevent the spread of the virus to their unborn children. Most important is the element of touch for those who are afflicted, care for those who are suffering, and hope for those who have given up. The burden of HIV/AIDS is not only placed on those afflicted with the disease, but on those of us who are disease-free and have the means and capacity to love and serve those in need.

This blog post is part of our series on the Millennium Development Goals adopted by the United Nations as part of the End Poverty 2015 Millennium Campaign. Millennium Development Goal #6 is “Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Other Diseases.” Please visit www.endpoverty2015.org for more information on the MDGs, including fact sheets and updates on advances on this goal.

This blog post is contributed by Bill and Ann Clemmer, missionaries with American Baptist Churches USA, serving in South Sudan. For more information about the Clemmers and their ministries, visit www.internationalministries.org.

The Beauty of Scars

Hello, everyone! I am so excited to be blogging for American Baptist Women’s Ministries, which gives me a chance to share some of my thoughts with you. I hope something I say will inspire you in some way!

During our observance of Domestic Violence last October, my pastor at church preached a sermon entitled “The Beauty of the Scars.” During that Sunday we were focusing on domestic violence, making those in my church aware of the issues and what to do if they are faced with it in any way. I want to focus on those who have been involved with domestic violence in the past or those who are currently facing a situation of that nature now.

Many times those who have been a victim of domestic violence and abuse are ashamed of their scars, both mental and physically. Often times, women are quick to hide their scars in an effort to forget the past or in thinking that the scars take away from their beauty.

I want each of you to know that your scars make you beautiful. There is beauty in your mental, emotional, and physical scars. Literally, scars indicate that you once were wounded. Eventually the wound healed and closed, leaving behind remnants in the form of a scar. Even though you may not think so, scars are important reminders of the healing that has since occurred.

Jesus Christ and his scars were important, not only in that he died, but that he died for us and our salvation. Without those scars left by the nails in his hands and feet, the crown of thorns on his head, and the piercing of his side, we would not have the opportunity of everlasting life and salvation. Those scars represent the covenant Jesus made with God to save the world–they remind us of the healing that God gives to us through Christ–and they are most certainly beautiful.

To those of you who have been abused and were left with scars in various forms, know that these scars are beautiful. They represent strength, and they represent God’s blessing for helping you to overcome that situation and continuing to live life. So please, I’m asking you: Don’t be ashamed of your scars, for they are a testimony and tell a story that just might help someone along the way.

Peace, Love, and Joy.

Christina

This blog post is contributed by Christina Turner, who is serving as an intern for AB Women’s Ministries “In Their Shoes” podcast and this blog during the 2012-2013 program year. Christina is a 22 year-old recent graduate of Washington State University with a B.A. in Communication. She first got involved with American Baptist Women’s Ministries and AB GIRLS in high school and went on to serve on the AB GIRLS National Leadership Team. Christina attends People’s Institutional Baptist Church in Seattle, Washington. She has dreams of one day hosting her own talk show or serving as Lifestyle Host such as those on The View or The Today Show. Christina enjoys shopping, sports, being a Super WSU Cougar fan/enthusiast, and spending time with her family and friends.

(MDG5) They Turned Mary Away, Will You?

We have just observed Advent and celebrated Christmas, and yesterday was Epiphany Sunday. These are all familiar stories to us as Christian women–but one thing struck me especially this year as I’ve been immersed in the issues around the Millenium Development Goals. We listen to the story over and over again. Jesus was born in a manager in a barn among all the animals because there was no room for Mary at the Inn. Can you imagine having your child in a barn?

Today, many of us are so fortunate because we have health insurance and access to prenatal medical care, and we give birth in a hospital with all the medical technology at our finger tips in case of an emergency. We also have access to good nutrition during pregnancy and after the birth of our child, which means our child will receive good nutrition.

According to statistics from 2010 from the World Health Organization, “Every day 800 women died due to complications of pregnancy and child birth, including severe bleeding after child birth, infections, hypertensive disorders, and unsafe abortions.” “The risk of a woman in a developing country dying from a pregnancy-related cause during her lifetime is about 25 times higher compared to a woman living in a developed country. Maternal mortality is a health indicator that shows very wide gaps between rich and poor, both between countries and within them.”

In low income countries, less than 50% of baby deliveries were attended by a skilled attendant. As women of faith, what can we do to change the statistics and find better healthful alternatives for women who are pregnant? How can we assist them in gaining access to healthy food and vitamins to increase their chances of a healthy delivery and a healthy baby?

Maternal health is not just an issue in developing countries, it is also an issue in the United States when women do not have access to affordable health insurance, medical care, and proper nutrition. As women, we need to educate ourselves about the issue of maternal health in our communities and around the world. We need to work together to come up with solutions for all women to have access to proper nutrition and good medical care to ensure healthy babies around the world.

Back in Bethlehem, the innkeeper turned Mary away. Will you open the door for women locally and globally to have a safe and healthy birth? Women helping women can change the world – one woman at a time.

Blessings,

Barbara

This blog post is part of our series on the Millennium Development Goals adopted by the United Nations as part of the End Poverty 2015 Millennium Campaign. Millennium Development Goal #5 is “Improve Maternal Health.” Please visit www.endpoverty2015.org for more information on the MDGs, including fact sheets and updates on advances on this goal.

This blog post is contributed by Barbara Anderson, director of “All Hands In,” a ministry organization sponsored by Trinity Baptist Church of East Arlington, MA, addressing the issue of human trafficking.