One of the best parts of my job is getting to hear from people who are putting change into action through their ideas, leadership skills, and open attitude.

And often the skills and ideas they have can also be useful for someone else who is working to improve things in another community. Making connections and matchings people’s questions and answers – fostering dynamic networks – is a vibrant part of the SIA model for change.

Recently I wrote a blog post for Amazon Partnerships, a blog collecting stories and new perspectives on community development, about two such Spirit in Action connections. I invite you to read the full post here.

Bringing together SIA Small Business Fund Coordinators from Malawi, Nigeria, Kenya, & Uganda in 2011 resulted in a lot of new connections, and some constructive dialog about how to make our programs better.

Our partners are cooking up big change in their communities and there are so many inspiring stories, photos, and quotes to share! I couldn’t fit them all in the Spring & Summer 2013 Newsletter, so today’s blog is a bit of newsletter leftover stew…

(The newsletter went off to the presses yesterday but you can download a PDF COLOR copy here today.)

1. Women Starting Businesses in Kenya

SIA Small Business Fund local coordinator in Kenya, Dennis Kiprop, is excited about the new cohort of 5 women-led business groups:

“I thank God for such an opportunity to serve and train these small business groups. The greatest joy is to see them grow in God and be able to support their families in the long run with the businesses they are doing. Most of them are the key providers in their own families. Thank you for the great support, prayers, and love.”

Rose and Salina fill out their business plan after attending a training session led by local SIA Coordinator Dennis Kiprop.

Goats are kept in elevated pens in Malawi.

2. Forestry Project in Malawi

The front page of the newsletter has a story about 5 Small Business Fund groups in Malawi that are collaborating to start a forestry project.

The tree-planting business will not only help reforest the area and help the soil retain more water, the trees are also important for infrastructure in the rural Manyamula village. Tree poles are used for building houses and also for penning goats.

This photo shows the elevated goat pen which keeps the animals safe and allows the owners to collect manure for their gardens!

3. Short (and important) Supporter Survey

We want to hear your preferences! We have a short 9-question survey for our supporters. Will you tell us how you want to hear from us and what you like about SIA? Take the survey here. Thank you!

4. Memories of Del’s Encouragement

I asked Camily Wedende, a solar cooker entrepreneur in Kenya, about what words of inspiration from Del still stuck with him. (See the newsletter of how Camily is helping others promote solar cooking in Kenya.)

“Del used to write about letting go. To let go is not to regret the past, but to grow and live for the future.

To let go is not to adjust everything to my desires but to take each day as it comes and to cherish the moment.

To let go is not to deny, but to accept.

To let go is not to fix, but to be supportive.”

5. Giant Cucumber!

I LOVE this photo of SIA local coordinator Canaan Gondwe (Malawi) with the giant cucumber that grew in his community with seeds sent by our dedicated volunteer, Aileen Gillem.

Seeds were given to needy families in the community for them to use in their kitchen gardens (small garden plots with many types of vegetables growing). Cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions all thrived, supplementing the staple food, maize (corn).

Seven years after a Spirit in Action Small Business Fund grant, Paulos and Skekiwe Lungu are thankful for the Luso Shoe Repair business and for their new home.

Paulos discusses his business with us during our visit to Malawi in 2011.

Paulos and Skekiwe have a story to share with you today. Before learning about Spirit in Action the couple and their two sons were living in very poor conditions. Without a home, the family had to stay at other people’s homes, moving from house to house, and they often only had enough food for meal each day. The parents could not begin to think of sending their sons to school because, although the elementary education is free, uniforms and other school supplies were too expensive for their budget.

When Canaan Gondwe, Spirit in Action Small Business Fund Coordinator in Malawi, first visited the family in 2006, he sat a long time listening to Paulos and Skekiwe and discussing an opportunity for the family to change their situation with a little help from SIA and a lot of work on their part.

In considering the family for a $150 grant, Canaan recalls, “The family had a land for cultivation and the husband had a skill of repairing worn out shoes. I began to explain about God and his purpose for giving us life. I talked at length about the potential held by all created beings. I listened to Paulos and helped him to remove all misdirected attitudes and begin to reorganize himself. I invited Paulos and Skekiwe to the Small Business Fund training that was coming forth.”

Things Start to Change

Paulos shoes at the market.

During the first training, Canaan discussed with the ten gathered families about forming business groups, communication, listening prayer and consensus agreements, and attitude change. “The training had impacted Paulos with knowledge on how to get established. His attitude changed and began to see himself as someone that had the power to change his situation,” remembers Canaan.

Business was good! Paulos devoted a lot of time to repairing shoes in the market, and selling rubber souls to people whose shoes needed reinforcing.

In 2008 Paulos bought a female pig, which soon gave birth to four piglets. The piglets act as an investment – one that keep growing with each new litter. For now, the piglets help pay for the books and uniforms needed to keep the two boys in school!

Also, the Lungus have been able to build their very own home. In 2011, they bought the 8,000 bricks (fired, for longevity) necessary to build a permanent place to live. The home was finally finished last year, topped with a thatched roof.

The Lungu Family in front of their new home!

Life continues to be a challenge though and recently both Paulos and Skekiwe fell sick and they were diagnosed with HIV.

Paulos and Skekiwe in front of their bumper maize crop.

The silver lining? Canaan reports, “The good news is that they can afford to go to private clinics and get treatment, and as I write they are both on antiretroviral therapy treatment.”

I admit that this last part of the family story really let the wind out of my sails. But Canaan finished his letter with an enthusiastic “WHAT A TURN AROUND OF THINGS ON A FAMILY!” referring to the home, the boys’ education, and the thriving maize field.

Following their lead, today I am celebrating with the Lungu family as they live with their newfound success, achieved with a small $150 grant and seven years of dedication.

Building community is central to Spirit in Action’s vision of empowerment and change. Our grants are about bringing people together – to plant a community garden, start a micro-savings group, educate girls – encouraging people to learn, work, and live together to improve a community.

Two weeks ago, I wrote about how the Small Business Fund grants spark families to work and achieve together. Similarly, and not surprisingly, at the core of our Community Grants program is a desire to bring people together in larger communities.

I Was a Stranger

CIFORD Kenya engages support from the whole community to support education for girls.

For the last 40 days, Sojourners Magazine’s devotional emails have followed the “I Was a Stranger” Challenge, which used Bible verses about welcoming the stranger to highlight the need for just immigration reform in the U.S.

It surprised me just how much is in the Bible about the stranger. For example, “When immigrants live in your land with you, you must not cheat them. Any immigrant who lives with you must be treated as if they were one of your citizens. You must love them as yourself, because you were immigrants in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 19:33-34). Over and over again, the Bible makes it pretty clear: treat people fairly, no matter where they come from; welcome them, because you never know when you might find yourself in need of hospitality.

Hospitality builds community, in part, because it is a gift to both the giver and receiver. “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrews 13:2). Both the host and the hosted have the opportunity to meet angels.

Eight months ago I came to Canada – an immigrant – and I’ve received so much of the generous hospitality to newcomers. But just last week I was able to help a woman in the grocery store find what she needed, “I’m new in town,” she said by way of explanation. And so, I helped her, because I once was the newest newcomer. Plus, who knows, she might be an angel.

A very full community hall in Manyamula -
all are gathered for a presentation about financial literacy.

It’s Good For You

Welcoming all people as citizens is community-building. In our culture, we are used to focusing on the individual and we can forget the fact that most people are seeking connections and appreciate invitations to join community. Also, research shows that people in spiritual communities live longer and be in better health. This is not only because people are encouraged by their faith, but also because people in community – churches, meditation groups, prayer groups – are taken care of; people in community look after each other.

Spirit in Action grants are ways to build this community. The Manyamula Village Savings and Loans group established a social fund, along with their other business and lending activities. The cooperative, which now has 150 members, waives the initial fee for a number of widows and other poor in their community, so that they can join the group. This small act of generosity brings in the outsider, widens the community, and increases diversity all of which are crucial steps towards our goal of community and empowerment.

Related Posts:

• Who’s Afraid of Diversity?
• Family Matters – At Home and in Malawi
• There is Power in Community

Stories about Africa aren’t always in our mainstream news. Yet, I still like to keep informed about where we are working, so today I share some of the great alternative news sources with stories from Africa.

1. Kenyan Elections

Important Kenyan elections are coming up on March 4th! Since the violent response to the last presidential elections, many organizations have been working to ensure a peaceful process this time.

You can read helpful updates about the coming election here: http://kenyanelections2013.org.

The website is an initiative of the African Great Lakes Initiative, which “promotes peace activities at the grassroots level in the Great Lakes region of Africa (Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda).” Let’s keep praying for a peaceful election on March 4th.

Post-election violence and reconciliation workshop in Eldoret, 2010.

2. Food Shortage in Malawi

The United Nations Department of Public Information recently published an informative article about the current food crisis in Malawi.

I asked Canaan Gondwe, our partner in Malawi, for his view of the situation: “Yes, there is hunger in the southern regions of Malawi and the president is everyday on the roads distributing maize to thousands of people. Subsidy program seem to have flopped. Farmers can get coupons to buy fertilizer but you can sometimes hardly find the fertilizer on the market.

My visit to Kubadwa Tembo’s farm in Manyamula in July 2011.

“The past 3-4 years we had our food basket full but in the last year it has been empty. WHY? Lack of political will to agriculture programs and a “top down” approach to agriculture production. There is a need to involve and hear from people at grassroots level.

3. Africa Today

For people who like to listen to their news instead of read it, there is the short and eclectic Africa Today podcast from the BBC. (You can listen to the news stories on your computer, or transfer it to a iPod/iPad.)

Yesterday’s episode had a news update about the clashes in Mali, opposition in Egypt, and a beautiful story about Malian musicians singing for peace. It’s a good mix of culture, continental politics, and local stories from many countries across Africa – all with a African perspective.

**And after you’ve read the news, I invite you to experience a moment of prayer, with this, from Del, about how we can influence the world:

We can, in balance, rhythm, and alignment with God, and in working with others, open ourselves as instruments for God’s symphony, prayer-soaked members with hearts open wide to be used by God, instruments of love and caring.