Join the Fight Against Poverty on Five Talents Sunday – Nov. 16

Lift villages out of crushing poverty, create jobs and transform lives in the world’s poorest regions – by helping your church participate in “Five Talents Sunday” on Nov. 16.

Nov. 16 is the date that churches around the world preach on Christ’s “Parable of the Five Talents” (Matthew 25:14-30). Join the nationwide discussion on how we can all fight poverty. Experts on microfinance are available to speak to your church or organization.

Sadly, almost half of the world now struggles for survival on less than $2 a day. And, many of us despair at the enormity of this challenge.

The poor have gifts and talents, and Christian microlending is proving to be a very effective way to lift one village at a time out of poverty.

With small loans of just $50, we’re helping villagers with small businesses – like purchasing chickens to sell eggs. Our donations help, help and help again as these small investments are repaid and loaned out again to others. See how your church can provide a lasting hand up, instead of just a hand out.

For more information or to schedule a Five Talents speaker, call (800) 670-6355, email Joann Barron at joannbarron@fivetalents.org or visit www.FiveTalents.org.

Established in 1999, Five Talents International has provided funding for business training and thousands of loans, ranging from $50 to $300, in 14 countries across Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. Each loan finances a microbusiness that, in turn, supports up to six other people. A majority of the loan recipients are women.

Five Talents’ ongoing work is supported by a staff based in Vienna, Va., an office in London, England, and a program office in Kampala, Uganda. Hundreds of volunteers across the United States and United Kingdom participate in the ministry. For more information and to donate, visit www.fivetalents.org.

Five Talents Plants ‘Seeds of Blessings’ in Bolivia

Four years ago, two sisters caught a vision of how savings and credit groups could transform the lives of the poor in their community after participating in a series of Five Talents training workshops in Tarija, Bolivia.

“They were two of the most enthusiastic participants in the training workshop,” said Five Talents Latin America Coordinator Tom Waddell, who led the workshops, pictured center. “I was excited and enthusiastic about the possible partnership with two gifted women, who work as trainers, knowing they could be a blessing to many poor people in Tarija.”

Upon their return to Bolivia, Sara and Eva Mamani began to promote – on a volunteer basis – the formation of rotating savings groups in local churches and communities. Now four years later, Five Talents will build on the foundation the sisters have laid by funding a new microcredit and savings program called “Semillas de Bendición,” which means “Seeds of Blessings.”

“It is rare to discover people with such a passion to help others and who serve with such a sense of calling without expectation of material compensation,” Waddell said.

Five Talents has approved a partnership with the Tarija Community Bank, based in south central Bolivia, and will begin funding the project this fall. It will focus initially on 10 women’s groups in the city of Tarija and 13 groups in rural communities, including El Puente, Entre Rios, Calamuchita and Valle Concepción. These groups target those who are not able to access services from the limited microfinance industry in Tarija due to geographic or economic barriers.

“This is important work in Bolivia – reaching those who are left out and marginalized,” said Five Talents Executive Director Craig Cole. “We are looking forward to seeing many lives transformed in Tarija in the coming months.”

Five Talents will also partner with the Anglican Diocese of Bolivia and the Association of Evangelical Churches of Tarija to establish and implement this program.

Through this program, Five Talents expects clients to gain business skills as well as the habits of saving and borrowing, which will enable them to participate in enterprise development. It is estimated that 40 groups will be formed by the end of 2008 with an estimated 500 members. As many as 50 new small businesses will be created along with up to 25 new jobs in existing businesses, increasing incomes for more than 400 adults and children.

Join Five Talents For a Film Screening of "Born into Brothels" on Oct. 17

Come see the Academy Award-wining documentary film, Born into Brothels, and participate in a discussion to learn how you can help transform the lives of women and children.

When: 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 17
Where: Chapel of Church of the Holy Comforter, 543 Beulah Rd., Vienna, VA
Who: Co-presented by the Peace & Justice Ministry at Church of the Holy Comforter and Five Talents International.

Born into Brothels is a tribute to the resiliency of childhood and the restorative power of art. The film is a portrait of several unforgettable children who live in the red light district of Calcutta, India. Zana Briski, a New York-based photographer, gives each of the children a camera and teaches them to look at the world with new eyes, igniting latent sparks of artistic genius that reside in these children who live in the most sordid and seemingly hopeless world.

Caution: Movie contains a few instances of profane language.

For more information and to RSVP by Wednesday, Oct. 15, contact Joann Barron at joannbarron@fivetalents.org or (703) 242-6016.