Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Protein and Surgery




My first day back in Arua, and it’s good to be back!

 Many things are exactly the same: The friendly welcome, Blasio (our man in Arua) taking pictures on our arrival as he has done every time we arrive (he has quite a time series of me aging now!), the broken down roads, the hustle and bustle of people everywhere and Room 102 at Slumberland Guest House (“A Great Place for Resting” according to their marketing!).

But there are also changes to be seen. There were 7 planes and 2 helicopters at the airstrip (Arua International Airport!!) this morning while we were there. What caused this parking lot of aviation equipment, no-one was quite sure, but a lot of people had landed! I have never seen more than 2 planes before and one was being “fixed”, a process that lasted for several months. Arua is on the map? The second and serious advance is 24/7 power!! I can’t describe the joy for the people of Arua to have access to a steady source of power. The dam in Nebbi Town is working! What this means for the economic development of West Nile I can’t predict, but I know that without good power you can only go so far.

We had a good day on the business development front too. We agreed to make new investments in two enterprises, both of which are looking to continue expanding in the egg producing business. One will start with 500 layers and the other 300. They have similar production techniques, but different marketing approaches. It will be interesting to see which does better. The vast majority of eggs come from Kampala on the buses. Local eggs would not only be fresher, but also reduce the imports of one more product into Arua. Mostly, they would add to the total amount of protein available for consumption in Arua.  It’s funny to think of an enjoyable food as a protein source, as a statistic, but in a world of scarcity and regular food shortages, these equations are important.  These investments will not only allow for the creation of profitable businesses, but there will be health benefits for the community as a result. That’s why I keep coming back!

Talking about health, we then met with Ronald, our old friend and business partner for Arua Radiology and Medical Center. ARMC is now one of the biggest clinics in town, having begun working with us three years ago with a small office and an old X-Ray machine and an ultrasound. Today ARMC offers a wide range of services and tests and is opening an “in-patient” facility a few km’s south of Arua for surgery and other more complicated diagnoses. The only serious surgery in town today is the Hospital and there is a long waiting list for elective, but necessary, surgeries such as hernias. The new facility will have an operating room, a lab and 12 beds. The facility will be open in January, so if you need surgery and are in West Nile, I have a place for you!! We are looking to lend Ronald the final loan amount to furnish the Operating Room. This too is the fun part of the job.

So a great first day with Ted Pantone and Blasio Leeti. More to come tomorrow. I’m going to call it an early night to catch up on my sleep and to try to get on the right time zone.

Feel free to write a comment. I love getting them. It makes you all seem so much closer.
Blessings
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The Genesis of the 5810 Project

Vision

When Jesus was asked what was the most important command he answered: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your heart and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments”

As a follower of Jesus, it is challenging to obey these commands, particularly with regard to my neighbors.
How can I love my neighbors? How can I love my neighbors in a global context? How can I love my neighbors who are struggling to thrive in developing countries?

The classic response of western Christians has been to “send”. Whether we send those that have been called to vocational ministry, or send money and resources to “give to the poor”, or occasionally send ourselves on short-term missions trips. Each of these has value, but is this enough? Is it effective? Is it all that God calls us to?

The questions become more complex when you consider that no matter how much money we have spent on the “war on poverty” over decades, the problem remains as acute as ever. We are not winning the war, even here in the US. Are there other approaches?

As I struggled with these ideas, I was led to consider Isaiah Chapter 58. Here God tells us what true fasting is – to loose the chains of injustice; to set the oppressed free; to share food with the hungry; and to provide the poor with shelter. Then verse 10 says “…if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become like the noonday.”

“If you spend yourselves in behalf of others …….”

While we should send, we need to spend too.

What does it look like to spend ourselves?
For me I have been led to spend myself as follows:
• To go to a developing country, and to go repeatedly.
• To develop personal relationships with innovative leaders
• To use my own specific gifting and experience in business
• To find ways to move people out of the poverty cycle on a sustainable basis
• To invest money in parallel with my activities
• To share the love of Christ with my neighbor and to spend myself on their behalf.

5810 Project

The 5810 Project is predicated on the belief that while “teaching a man to fish” will provide him with a fish diet for a lifetime, it will not lead him out of poverty. To escape poverty people need to develop sustainable business activities. The 5810 Project’s vision is to provide an opportunity for business people from developed countries to share the love of Christ with their neighbor by “spending” themselves on behalf of others who are trying to build businesses and break the poverty cycle.

The 5810 Project is currently focused on two principal activities in Uganda.

Arua
Arua is a significant market town in the NW of Uganda, with Sudan to the north and Congo to the West. It is an agricultural market town that has grown because of government and NGO activity primarily in S. Sudan, but now increasingly in E. Congo. While the town has prospered and grown, the native Aruans have not enjoyed this economic boon.

Our efforts in Arua are centered on helping the church and Christian business people develop sustainable businesses.
We work with businesspeople to analyze the market situation in Arua, to offer training sessions, to encourage and mentor entrpreneurs and to invest in their businesses.

Kampala
Jesus Commissioned Ministries (“JCM”) is a church founded in 2000 serving three poor communities on the outskirts of Kampala. The leadership of JCM has a heart to reach the many underprivileged children in the communities it serves. Without education, there is little hope for these children to thrive. While education is available, the costs are prohibitive for most families. JCM has established Mercy Junior School (elementary) for these children. In addition to education, the children receive uniforms, food and school materials. The school currently has over 50 pupils in two Pre-K classes and Primary 1 (P1)and Primary 2 (p2) and is building classrooms for P3,4 & 5 for completion in the spring of 2011.

The 5810 Project has helped Mercy Junior School develop its rudimentary facilities and to buy a neighboring plot of land for expansion. We also advise the administrators of the school on business and education practices and have steered them through a process of becoming a fee-baseda significant drive to parent involvement and elevated educational standards and outcomes.

Opportunity
We believe that the 5810 Project offers a significant opportunity for the body of Christ:
• Grass roots opportunity to create sustainable businesses and deliver families and communities out of the oppression of poverty.
• Many business opportunities are apparent with relatively small investment levels necessary.
• Opportunities for talented business people to connect personally with emerging entrepreneurs and spend themselves on them.
• Opportunity for the body of Christ in the developed world to share the love of Christ with our neighbors in developing countries.
• Transformational impact on the “spender” and recipient alike!

If you would like to discuss this further, please contact me Andy Mills at amills@tkc.edu