A Hand Up?
Gary Dilley
Director of Global Ministries
Great economic difficulties confront many of the UB countries in which we work. Global Ministries is wrestling with ways to give poor, hard-working individuals a "hand up rather than a hand out," as the relief agency World Relief puts it.
A hand up provides people with the tools, skills, and resources needed to begin the challenge of becoming self-sustaining. A hand up encourages dignity and the hope that their future can change.
Because these are difficult issues, Global Ministries is working with agencies like World Relief to give us counsel and assistance as we seek to be a blessing in the lives of UB brothers and sisters in Christ. We fully realize our limitations and are looking at ways we can work together with various groups to make a difference.
Here are three examples of UB people looking at ways they can provide a "hand up."
Women's Missionary Fellowship
The 2004 WMF special project involves partnering with the Sierra Leone WMF to establish four regional training centers where women can be taught such skills as sewing, needlework, cooking skills, and secretarial skills. This will enable women to run their own cottage industry, or to find employment so they can sustain their families.
Many Sierra Leonean women lost their husbands during the long civil war. This left them without a source of household income. These women also frequently become primary caregivers for people in their communities, in addition to members of their own families, taking in the elderly, orphans, and/or other ailing persons.
The WMF will be collecting funds for this project throughout 2004.
Global Ministries Office
We are investigating the concept of micro-enterprise development in conjunction with UB conferences. The basic idea involves micro-loans to UB pastors to help them establish a small cottage business (that fits them or the area). This would provide supplemental family income (beyond the limited church offerings). Central America would be our pilot project.
A God Sighting
Cindy Kane participated with the King Street UB church (Chambersburg, Pa.) in a work trip to the Mt. Hebron community in Honduras. She wrote a fascinating account of how they became involved with a sewing school and in sponsoring women to attend. You can read the story here, and download a PDF specially-formatted copy for bulletins.
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