Fight Poverty, Create Jobs, Transform Lives

We've Moved!

2010-12-14T16:48:00.003-05:00

This month, Five Talents launched a redesigned and much improved www.FiveTalents.org. In addition to the new features and navigation on the website, we've also move our blog.

We'd love for you to continue walking alongside us and those that we serve! Be sure to stay up-to-date by visiting: http://www.fivetalents.org/media-center/blog.

Kelli Ross
Director of Communications
kelliross@fivetalents.org

Week 2 Wrap-Up: Training of Trainers in Sudan

2010-09-09T10:14:00.001-04:00

We’ve just heard from Suzanne, who shared a recap of her second week in Sudan. Week 2's agenda introduced training for the financial education component of our Literacy and Financial Education Program with the Mothers’ Union and World Concern. (This training is being conducted in Juba.)

At the beginning of Week 2, 18 women (who are Mothers’ Union trainers in six dioceses in Sudan – Juba, Renk, Khartoum, Wau, Lainya and Malakal) were split up into two groups. One group received business skills training and the other half received Savings and Loan Association training.

These sessions were led by two trainers, Salome Leipa and Sarah Kasule – one from Uganda and one from Kenya – who came to Juba to teach the business skills and Savings and Loan Association curriculum. During the course of the week, these two lead trainers had the unique opportunity to encourage the Sudanese Mothers’ Union trainers as each of the trainers performs very similar roles in their home regions.

Suzanne shared this example: Two women in the business skills class had operated businesses in their village. But, due to discouragement and various circumstances, they closed their shops and gave up the idea of being businesswomen. Now, by learning a new set of skills from women who have faced similar struggles, they feel confident to start again!

During the five days of training, role plays were incorporated so that the business skills and Savings and Loan Associations groups could practice by presenting the knowledge they had gained as well as have the chance to see what the other group had been learning throughout the week.

The business skills class role play was based on a marketplace created by the women participants. They had props for goods and demonstrated the skills they learned during the training – it resulted in lots of laughter!

The Savings and Loan Association class conducted a mock meeting, giving the women in this class the opportunity to practice the proper methods of holding a savings and loan association meeting. All participants in the mock meeting saved money and some served as leaders of the group. They did a wonderful job acting out their parts and stating the objectives and values of their group.

This week (Sept. 6), marks Week 3 – Monitoring and Evaluation. During this time, trainers will receive monitoring and evaluation training and will learn more about how the program will work as a whole. The closing ceremony of this three-week training will be Friday, Sept. 10, which will be attended by the Archbishop of Sudan, the Most Rev. Dr. Daniel Deng Bul. Those who completed the training will be presented with certificates.

Suzanne noted that one of the most inspiring and encouraging aspects of this training has been that there are very young women, who are participating as Mothers’ Union trainers. This takes great bravery as it is a great challenge to gain respect as a young female. However, there are several older women who are also in the training and serving as amazing mentors and examples for the younger women!

Prayer Requests
As the Five Talents/Mothers’ Union/World Concern team (Naomi, Harun, Peter and Suzanne) is in their final days of the training, please continue to pray for them. Pray that they would have energy and the ability to clearly present all of the appropriate materials and resources for the local Mothers’ Union trainers. Also, please pray for the Mothers’ Union trainers, that they would be blessed by this training, learn skills that they didn’t possess before, and share those with community facilitators who will in turn form literacy and savings and loan association groups within the various dioceses.

Update on Sudan Training

2010-08-27T16:57:00.002-04:00

Suzanne Schultz, our director of program, has just completed her first of three weeks in Sudan as part of the Five Talents/Mothers' Union/World Concern literacy and financial education training that is currently taking place.

McKenzie Butler, our program assistant, just spoke to Suzanne, and here's her recap:

I just wanted to give you a brief update on the literacy training taking place in Sudan this past week. I got the chance to chat with Suzanne for a few moments today, and she is doing very well. They have just finished their 1st of 3 weeks of training. This past week, Suzanne had the opportunity to sit in on the literacy training, and she is very encouraged by all that is taking place. With this Sudan program, the Mothers’ Union and Five Talents will be providing literacy training as well as business skills and savings and loan association training to community members within 6 different dioceses in Sudan.

Suzanne shared something interesting that I thought I’d pass along to you to hopefully make the training become more real, even though we are miles away.

This week, the literacy trainer was explaining to the training participants the importance of literacy in the context of savings groups. He asked the question, “How would a group member know when to attend group meetings (in order to pay interest back on their loan) if they could not read a calendar?” His point was that being given the chance to become literate opens up so many doors including the ability to join a savings group and even the ability to read expiration dates on food items to ensure that the food does not go bad before you sell it to your clients!

It is really exciting to think about this synergy of literacy and financial education training. Many, many people will be empowered and will be given the skills to read and write and to save money and receive loans for their businesses.

I hope this is an encouragement to you. Please continue to keep everyone in your prayers. Harun Matuma, who will be the National Program Director for this program will be arriving in Juba on Sunday, and Peter Macharia, our program partner at World Concern, is currently in Wau and hopes to attend some of the training as well. Please continue to pray for all of them and together let us thank the Lord for the people Five Talents has the opportunity to partner with and the work that we have ahead of us!

Reflections on Sudan by Craig Cole

2010-07-21T12:14:00.004-04:00

Recently, I traveled to Sudan with a Five Talents board member, Mr. Jim Oakes, to look at several microcredit and savings programs that Five Talents is funding and to lead a seminar on business planning and leadership principles.

The theme that best summarizes the trip and our message to the people we encountered was simply, “Don’t Ever Give In.” Jim, who preached at a Sunday service at the church in Wau, used the story of Winston Churchill giving this famous speech during World War II in which he exhorted a group of students to “Never Ever Give In.” He then used it again during our business planning and leadership principles seminar.

The testimony of the people we met in South Sudan is just that, a people who have not bowed to the horrors of almost 40 years of civil war since Sudan gained independence in 1956. And now that there has been a peace accord for four and a half years, they are hungry to learn how to become leaders and how to make their communities prosper. The church leaders and those working in the market place know they face enormous obstacles but their faith sustains them as they march toward a future they hope will bring peace and prosperity.

Overall the trip could be described as amazing and inspirational, and we clearly witnessed that the Sudanese have a desire to make a better life for themselves. They don’t seem to have the same type of entitlement mentality we sometimes see in our type of work. They understand the need for training, and they are eager to learn. There is this hopeful optimism for the future that definitely surfaces when engaged in conversation with the church and community leaders.

Yet, it is a complicated society that is still literally shell-shocked from war, and the learning curve is steep in a country that has few paved roads and a population with illiteracy rates of 85 to 90 percent in some regions. There is also an underlying tension in which violence might erupt without warning. The clan-fighting over cattle and property continues to plague the smaller towns and villages and keeps life unsettled and progress slow.

Biblically-Based Business Planning
While in Wau, we spent three days teaching basic business planning, alternating with leadership skills training. The group of 40 men and women meeting in the church were comprised of leaders in the local savings groups in Wau as well as the church leaders.

The purpose of the business planning sessions was to provide them with a learning environment where they would create an actual business plan that would include choosing a business, developing a marketing strategy and learning about record-keeping – all with a foundation in biblical values. We split the attendees into groups of six. At the end of the training, each group presented a viable business plan for the type of business they might want to start. One group wanted to start a guesthouse, another wanted to buy a tractor and then rent it out to local farmers, while others wanted to start a brick-making business and operate a rice farm.

Every time we conduct these trainings, I’m always struck by the intelligent questions and how committed the people are to learning. I shouldn’t be so surprised but that is the bias I carry with me into developing countries – that people can’t do things on their own. But, time and again, I’m proven wrong.

Leadership Training – Start Small Groups and Grow from There
One of the key points we made during the leadership training was the concept of the leader training a small group first and then spreading the word from there. We used Jesus as an example of how to lead effectively. He spent most of his time with a group of 12 men – his disciples. He trained them as a group, so they in turn could train others. The local Episcopal priest in Wau was really inspired by that idea and could envision his church becoming a training hub for the diocese by inviting a one or two priests from each region instead of all of them at once, and then training them to teach the others in Bible, evangelism and other topics.

The closing ceremony of our training was also memorable as the 40 or so participants each received a certificate and many of them gave a yell and held it up above their heads as they took it from our hands. At the end, two of the leaders in the church said a prayer for us and gave us a small gift.

Lietnhom – Transformation and Reconciliation
In December 2007, Jim visited the Lietnhom village bank site as they were just digging the foundation for the concrete bank structure. He admits that the hot, humid weather and rugged conditions made for his most difficult overseas trip.

In May 2008, the village of Lietnhom was burned to the ground by a rival ethnic group and tragically many villagers were killed and their homes destroyed. However, in the midst of the destruction, the village bank was spared because both groups had money in the bank. The local church and other leaders intervened and within one year, the savings groups were reconciled and the village bank became a focal point of community building. In 2009, the bank was dedicated as the Amat Wuot Community Bank, which in Dinka, the local language, means, “a union of communities.” Now, several different ethnic groups have members on the governing board.

The burned-out huts have been rebuilt, the marketplace has been revitalized, and the village leaders are proud of what they have accomplished. This is not just a story of individual transformation but one of an entire community that has been transformed and empowered.

“I was amazed by what has happened,” Jim remarked upon this most recent visit.

The Blacksmiths
I have one final story that I want to share with you. We met a group of blacksmiths, who were part of a savings group in Wau. As they were talking about their work, they told us they acquired their metal from burned out planes and tanks that were used in the most recent 22-year civil war. From these machines of war, they were making farm implements – literally taking swords and turning them into plowshares!

Nearing Our Departure

2010-06-05T03:07:00.003-04:00

Saturday, June 5
Heathrow Airport, London

Jim Oakes and I are in Heathrow Airport a day earlier then expected. We had planned to leave Saturday night arriving on Sunday but because of the British Airways strike, we were to be diverted to Philadelphia and take the train to D.C. Instead, we were able to book a flight Friday evening that will get us in to Dulles at about 6 p.m. EST.

Yesterday, at this time, we were in Wau having final meetings with our partners before heading off to the airport. Since then, we have taken three planes, stopped in four cities and seemed to have cleared some sort of security or immigration a dozen times. In Wau, the airport has one room to check-in and then another room to sit to wait. The landing strip is packed dirt and is used primarily by small prop planes. We first flew to Aweil to pick up passengers and then flew to Juba, the capital of South Sudan, arriving around 3:15 p.m. We met Erin Bricker from World Concern, who gave us a briefing on how to go through customs, which was helpful. It isn’t a complicated process but one needs to know that the guy stamping passports is also collecting the exit tax and then you have to go the person who makes copies of all your documents for 10 Sudanese pounds.

At 4:30, we left for Nairobi. We arrived about 6:30 p.m. cleared customs on a transit visa…checked in very early for the 11:50 p.m. flight to London and had dinner before once again going through security at our gate. I happened to sit on the plane with a man from St. James in Richmond, who had been with a team near Rumbek. Small world.

Overall the trip has been amazing and inspirational, and we clearly see that the Sudanese have a desire to make a better life for themselves. They don’t seem to have the same type of entitlement mentality we sometimes see in our type of work. They understand the need for training and they are eager to learn so there is this hopeful optimism for the future that definitely surfaces when engaged in conversation with the leaders in the church and the communities.

Yet, it is a complicated society that is still literally shell-shocked from the war, and the learning curve is steep in a country that has few roads and with illiteracy rates in some places are 85 to 90 percent. There is a tension underneath the surface in which violence might erupt without warning. The clan-fighting over cattle and property continues to plague the smaller towns and villages and keeps life unsettled and slows progress.

There is a need for people to go over and train in business planning, leadership development and especially in managing accounts. The church is in desperate need of help in training their staff in accounting, basic management and organization not to mention building the theological foundations of the clergy and congregations.

Craig Cole

Empowering the Young and Old

2010-06-02T09:39:00.004-04:00

Wednesday, June 2
Wau, Sudan

We are currently in Wau having finished the training! One of the key findings during the leadership training was the idea of having the leader train a small group first. We used Jesus as an example. He taught his 12 disciples and spent a lot of time with them so they in turn could train others, etc. The local priest was really inspired by that idea and sees Wau becoming a training hub for the diocese. We take these ideas for granted but not here, not after so many years of war.

Also, we we able to visit a first grade class at the church school with Rev. Thomas Anei. During Thomas' visit to the U.S., he vistied my daughter's first grade class. During his visit, the class read these wonderful prayers for Thomas and for Sudan. So, at the class we visited in Wau, we had the children and the teacher read the same prayers in their class. We also gave them soccer balls that were donated. This was really memorable.

The closing ceremony of our training was also memorable as the 40 or so participants each received a certificate and many of them gave a yell and held it up above their heads as they took it from our hands. At the end, two of the leaders in the church said a prayer for us and gave us a small gift. Jim’s words from earlier in the week, “Never Give Up” were our rallying cry!

We are now at lunch and in a few minutes we will be leaving for two other villages and back Thursday night. Then, on Friday, off to Juba to Nairobi. Saturday night we will head home.

Craig Cole

Men, Women Gaining Business and Leadership Skills in Wau, Sudan

2010-06-01T11:24:00.002-04:00

Tuesday, June 1
Wau, Sudan

We have spent the last two days teaching basic business planning alternating with leadership skills training. The group of 40 men and women who meeting in the church are comprised of women leaders in the local savings groups in Wau and also the church leaders. So, we were asked to do some leadership training as well.

The idea behind the business planning is to have them come up with an actual business plan that covers choosing a business, marketing and record-keeping using biblical values. We split them into groups of six, and tomorrow they will present the finished plan.

As far as leadership skills, we have talked about the traits of a good leader and again had them come up with leaders within the country of Sudan and the world they think met those characteristics. Today, we talked about how leaders mobilize followers. We used the example of Jesus spending most of his time preparing the 12 disciples to be leaders who in turn would train more leaders.

Everytime we do these trainings, I’m always struck by the intelligent questions and how committed the people are to learning. I shouldn’t be so surprised but that is the bias we carry with us into developing countries that people can’t do things on their own. But, time and again, we are proven wrong.

Pray for safe travel tomorrow as we leave in the afternoon to visit Kuadjok and Lietnhom returning Thursday night and then taking a plane to Juba then to Nairobi on Friday before leaving on Saturday for home. Thanks for the prayers!

Craig Cole

President and CEO travels to Sudan

2010-05-30T17:30:00.002-04:00

Five Talents President and CEO Craig Cole, along with Board Member Jim Oakes, are visiting the Five Talents program in Sudan from May 29 to June 5. While there is limited internet accesss, I'll (Kelli) be posting updates from Craig as they are available.

Sunday, May 30
Wau, Sudan
Jim and I just finished two services. A Morning Prayer service in English that started at 8 and ended a little after 9 a.m. At about 10 a.m., the Dinka service started. It was Holy Communion.

Jim preached about leadership at the English service using Joshua and the battle of Jericho as his example. He also used Winston Churchill and his speech about never giving up as his ending.

I preached about the story of the Five Talents at the Dinka service. The Rev. Thomas Anei, who visited with us in the U.S. last November, was my interpreter.

One of the highlights from the Dinka service was the children’s choir. Beautiful smiles combined with beautiful voices made for a wonderful interlude between the readings and the sermon. An interlude that lasted 20 minutes or more with drums keeping it lively as well. What was fascinating was that several of the people in the congregation pulled out their digital cameras and their cell phones to take photos of their children singing. One person even recorded the entire performance using a camera installed on his laptop. It was as if I had never left home! There is a dichotomy here that is now happening all over the world. Technology is helping countries develop. However, at the same time, cell phones and internet access (as there is in this hotel) is becoming more integrated into society, there are still people driving donkey-driven carts and people living in mud huts with straw roofs. In fact, we saw one woman in Juba, who had a business that had a simple piece of wood with about 16 holes in it that had electric outlets. The outlets were then connected to a car battery. Half of the electric outlets were occupied by cell phone batteries being charged! This was her business!

I do have to admit that as I reflect on the smiles of the children, I wonder are their smiles a sign of normality returning to a war-torn land? Is it a sign of hope that their lives will be better than the horror their parents went through?

The future of South Sudan is still uncertain and there is a referendum in November in which the country can vote to become separate: two Sudans: One in the North and One in the South. There are rumors of war coming if the South votes to separate. But, for now, at this very moment, the conflict and uneasiness that is a shadow across this land, is forgotten. The children are dancing and smiling!

Tomorrow we will start our business planning class in the morning and leadership class in the afternoon.

Craig Cole

BBC Lifeline Appeal for Five Talents - BBC One

2010-05-24T17:00:00.000-04:00

Five Talents Program Launched in Burundi to Impact 10,000 People

2010-03-31T10:54:00.000-04:00

Five Talents is now working in the small Central African country of Burundi, in partnership with the Mothers' Union UK and Mothers' Union Burundi. And, within three years, 10,000 people will be beneficiaries of this project!

Since 2000, the Mothers' Union Literacy and Development Program has been successfully training Burundians in literacy and numeracy. Five Talents is now partnering with the Mothers' Union in order to provide business skills training as well as savings and microcredit group formation to the literacy program participants.

At the end of February, 16 Mothers' Union trainers from six different dioceses in Burundi gathered in the capital city of Bujumbura to receive this savings group and business skills training from Five Talents. These trainers will now share their knowledge through the Mothers' Union network in Burundi.

During the project's first year, the trainers will train 110 facilitators, who will help start savings groups throughout Burundi. Over a three-year period, 340 savings groups will be started and 10,000 people will be beneficiaries of this project, which will focus on the most vulnerable communities and at least 70 percent of participants will be women.

Uniting Communities: Lietnhom, Sudan

2009-12-10T10:56:00.003-05:00

Hope for Sudan To Be Shared Through The Eyes Of Rev. Thomas Anei

2009-10-16T12:20:00.003-04:00

LIETNHOM, SUDAN — As the sun beats down on the dusty Lietnhom market, men and women wonder when the rainy season will begin. It’s late this year. As talk of rains, friendly chatter and music from a nearby boom box fill the air of the bustling market, Rev. Thomas Anei strolls by the shops greeting those he knows from the business and discipleship classes he leads each week.

Lietnhom is a small village situated on the River Jur in southern Sudan that is made up of members of the Dinka tribe. Just 18 months ago, the village was filled with the charred remains of market stalls rather than market goods after a clash between clans devastated the town and displaced residents.

Five Talents is working in Lietnhom with a consortium of partners, including the Episcopal Church of Sudan, to establish a village bank and provide business skills training to beginning entrepreneurs. Thomas is a project officer, and through the trainings he leads, entrepreneurs are learning how to save and use money and how to start and manage a small business. On Nov. 7, he’ll be sharing this story at the Five Talents 10th Anniversary Celebration Dinner in Arlington, Va.

In May of this year, Five Talents joined the celebration held in the village of Lietnhom to dedicate the Amat Wuot Community Bank, the first village bank in southern Sudan. “Amat wuot” literally means “a union of communities” in Dinka, the local language.

“My hope for southern Sudan is to see sustainable development and lasting peace,” said Thomas. “I have a heart for the people of southern Sudan. I want them to be really transformed, to come out of poverty. We have been in war for all these years, and this is our chance to rebuild our own lives.”

Due to decades of war, entire generations did not have the opportunity to attend school. It is estimated that 80 percent of south Sudanese cannot read or write. Therefore, this multi-layered program has introduced literacy, business planning, savings and credit training and small business development into the Lietnhom community.

“The local church is working in a practical way to help its people and its communities come out of a desperate situation,” Cole said. “The church is carrying out its mission of reconciliation in a profound way.”

Thomas, who is leading these entrepreneurs, can fully relate to the struggles they have survived. He has experienced – first-hand and on more than one occasion – the ravages of war and conflict in his home country.

His Early Life

Thomas was born in 1980 in Aweil, Sudan, and is the fourth born of nine brothers and sisters. In 1983, Sudan’s president, Gaafar Muhammad Nimeiri, declared that Sudan would become a Muslim state and that sharia law would be the law of the land. In response John Garang, a Dinka from Southern Sudan, formed the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) to resist the government. In 1986, when Thomas was 6, this conflict reached his village.

Thomas and one of his brothers fled their home and walked across Sudan to Ethiopia as a part of a group that became known as “The Lost Boys of Sudan.” In the height of Sudan’s 21-year civil war, more than 27,000 boys were separated from their families as they escaped a deliberate campaign of annihilation and ethnic cleansing by successive regimes in Khartoum, which, if successful would prevent these young boys from growing up and joining the SPLA. Boys as young as 5 trekked across the Sudan’s vast tropical and desert lands to Ethiopia in order to find safety and basic survival in a refugee camp. During the trek, children were forced to swim across a branch of the Nile River, and each night they faced attacks by lions, hyenas and other wild animals. Thomas was one of these boys.

“I believe in this world some people pass through water and some people pass through fire. Me, I grew up in a very tough place,” Thomas said.

Tragically, Thomas’ brother died in Ethiopia, and when Thomas eventually made it back to Aweil, he found that his parents as well as an older brother had been killed in the civil war. This war, which lasted from 1983 until 2005, ultimately claimed the lives of 1.9 million civilians and displaced another 4 million.

With the hope of revenge for the killing of family members, Thomas joined the SPLA as a soldier. But, God had different plans for him. In 1989, Thomas began reading the Bible.

“It really changed my life,” he said. “In Matthew 5:44-45 Jesus says, ‘Love your enemies! And pray for those who persecute you that you will be acting as true children of your father in heaven.’” It was through this study that he says, “Jesus showed me a different way.”

Arriving in Kenya

In 1994, Thomas was able to leave the army. He then traveled with an orphan he brought from Aweil to the Kakuma Refugee Camp in northwestern Kenya. He attended school while in Kakuma and was part of a church opening in 1997. (Kakuma is the Swahili word for nowhere, epitomizing the seclusion of the area.)

During his time at the Kakuma Refugee Camp, Thomas came across four more children who were from his home area, but who were without their parents. “I found myself in the middle of nowhere with them, and I said just come and stay with me, whatever I have to eat we will eat together.” And, with that, Thomas took these children in as his own.

He eventually moved to Nakuru, Kenya, where he gained formalized Bible training and began working with Bishop Henry Riak who was stationed in Nakuru because of the insecurity of his home area – the Diocese of Wau. In 2001, Thomas was ordained as a deacon in the Episcopal Church of Sudan by Bishop Riak, and in 2006, he was ordained as a priest. Over these years, Thomas has had the opportunity to return to Aweil to open churches in Aweil West County.

It was January 2005 when the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between north and south Sudan marked the end of the Second Sudanese Civil War, which had lasted more than 20 years. An estimated two million people were killed and four million displaced during this civil war. In comparison, an estimated 300,000 people have been killed in Darfur and another 2.7 million forced from their homes since violence erupted in 2003, according to the United Nations.

With the renewed hope for peace in his country, he recalls thinking, “What can I do in Kenya if I can’t help my people in southern Sudan? I am doing nothing.”

Returning to Sudan
This journey to once again return to his home country and to help his people began in May 2007. It was then that Thomas was selected by Bishop Riak to represent the Diocese of Wau at a Christian Economic Development Institute in Nakuru, Kenya – a 10-day training course organized and sponsored by Five Talents.

“I said what can I do to make sure we implement this program in Sudan?” Thomas asked after attending the training.

In December 2007, the Bishop asked Thomas to travel with Five Talents to Lietnhom, which is in the same region as his home area of Aweil. His visit to the program was a turning point for Five Talents and Thomas. The keen understanding of the community and communication skills that Thomas displayed during this trip earned him an invitation to begin a fellowship with Five Talents.

In early 2008, Thomas began working alongside a project manager to develop his skills in project management, development and training.

“I believe that God has given everyone talents,” Thomas said. “I encourage the groups, and we share the word of God together.”

In the spring of 2008, conflict once again broke out in Lietnhom when rival clans clashed violently over disputes about cattle. However, members of both clans had accounts at the village bank, a concrete structure with a safe that held $4,000 of members’ savings. The bank was untouched. Resilient residents returned and were able to rebuild businesses with loans from the village bank.

“The idea that a bank could bring together a community is a compelling story,” said Craig Cole, Five Talents President and CEO. “To think that economic development is happening in an isolated village is awe inspiring.”

Now, there are more than 460 members and savings of $12,000 in the village bank. Thomas is witnessing how this village bank is bringing hope and opportunity to Lietnhom, a village now rising from the ashes of regional conflicts that occurred just 18 months ago.

“We are making disciples along with microcredit,” Thomas said.

In early 2009, Thomas took over the Lietnhom project area as a project officer, where he provides business and discipleship training for the village savings and loans project.

“I have a great hope for the Lietnhom people,” he said. “They are talking of concrete buildings. They want to change the system. Many people are now asking to borrow these ideas,” he said. In an area that suffered the uncertainty of civil war for 20 years, this type of thinking and hope is a big change.

And the five small children that Thomas cared for in Kakuma? They are still his children, and he is their single father. They are now teenagers and live in Nakuru, Kenya, where they can attend a secondary school. During his absences, they are cared for by the wife of a cousin. With the income Thomas earns, he pays for their school fees and visits whenever he has leave from his work in Sudan.

“There has been a long time of suffering, but what can we do now to change?” he asks. “We need to be transformed; we need to move to next level. There is a big, bright future for tomorrow and for the generations coming. We are now in peace and with Five Talents, together, we are trying to create a better world.” “I believe with God all things are possible,” Thomas said.

Established in 1999, Five Talents provides funding for business training and thousands of loans, ranging from $50 to $300, across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Each loan finances a microbusiness that, in turn, supports up to nine other people. A majority of the loan recipients are women. Five Talents is based in Vienna, Va., with an office in London, England. For more information, visit http://www.fivetalents.org/.

Sudanese Priest to Share Story of Transformation in Southern Sudan

2009-10-14T16:04:00.003-04:00

Smaller, riskier, poorer. For 10 years, Five Talents International has been working in regions around the world that could be described by these three words. On Saturday, Nov. 7, Five Talents will commemorate a decade of fighting poverty, creating jobs and transforming lives with a Uniting Communities: 10th Anniversary Celebration Dinner at the Westin Arlington Gateway in Arlington, Va. The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with cocktails, followed by dinner and a keynote presentation by Rev. Thomas Anei, who currently works as a project officer for Five Talents in Lietnhom, Sudan.

No place is riskier or poorer than southern Sudan where Five Talents is supporting a village bank in Lietnhom named “Amat Wuot,” which literally means “a union of communities” in Dinka, the local language. Rev. Anei, who took over this program in 2009 as a project officer, will share about his work providing business and discipleship training for the village savings and loans project and his hopes for his country.

One year ago, the village of Lietnhom was filled with the charred remains of market stalls rather than market goods after a clash between clans devastated the town and displaced residents. However, the village bank, a concrete structure that held a safe and $4,000 of members’ savings, was untouched. Resilient residents returned and were still able to get a small loan from the village bank.

“The idea that a bank could bring together a community is a compelling story,” said Craig Cole, Five Talents President and CEO. “To think that economic development is happening in an isolated village is awe inspiring.”

There are now more than 460 members and savings of $12,000 in the village bank. Rev. Anei is witnessing how this village bank is bringing hope and opportunity to Lietnhom, a village now rising from the ashes of regional conflicts that occurred just 18 months ago.

“My hope for southern Sudan is to see sustainable development and lasting peace,” said Rev. Anei. “I have a heart for the people of southern Sudan. I want them to be really transformed, to come out of poverty. We have been in war for all these years, and this is our chance to rebuild our own lives.”

Tickets are $125 per person. Table sponsorships start at $1,500. To purchase tickets, call (703) 242-6016, email FiveTalentsEvents@FiveTalents.org or visit http://www.fivetalents.org/. The Westin Arlington Gateway is located at 801 N. Glebe Rd., Arlington, Va.

Related events will be:

Tuesday, Nov. 10: Westin Richmond in Richmond, Va., Noon. Cost: $25

Friday, Nov. 13: Highland Park Country Club in Highland Park, Illinois, 7:30 p.m. Cost: $25

Friday, Nov. 20: Lakeway Inn - Mt. Baker Room, Bellingham, Washington, 6:30 p.m. Cost: $25

Established in 1999, Five Talents provides funding for business training and thousands of loans, ranging from $50 to $300, across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Each loan finances a microbusiness that, in turn, supports up to nine other people. A majority of the loan recipients are women. Five Talents is based in Vienna, Va., with an office in London, England. For more information, visit http://www.fivetalents.org/.

How To Join the Five Talents Family

2009-06-12T14:32:00.004-04:00

It's a sunny Friday afternoon here in Vienna, Va. And, as I sit at my desk and chip away at my "to do" list, which somehow expanded while I was traveling, I felt compelled to invite you into what we call the "Five Talents Family."

When playing back the video that I took while in Sudan, I was reminded of the requests our partners made, and I want to pass along that message. I asked Thomas Anei, Harun Matuma and Peter Macharia what they would like me to share with our friends in the U.S. While their responses were varied, they each mentioned two things: prayer and financial resources.

1. Prayer
Thomas and Harun work in incredibly extreme conditions, as I've mentioned in earlier posts. I'd ask that you pray for their safety, health, the work the Lord has called them to and for the details of life.

South Sudan is entering into its rainy season, meaning transportation will become even more difficult.

For lasting peace in Sudan.

For growth of the village bank in Lietnhom and growth of savings groups in Wau. For the literacy and business-skills training that is taking place and for the discipleship classes and spiritual growth of those living in this region.

If you are interested in being a Five Talents prayer partner, please email Sue Blood at sueblood@fivetalents.org.

2. Financial Resources
This consortium that Five Talents is a part of is receiving many requests from across South Sudan ... requests for literacy training, business-skills training ... But in order to expand the program in Wau and into other areas, financial resources are needed. Without this, we will not be able to assist those who are asking for training. If you are interested in supporting the work of Five Talents in this or other parts of the world, please click here.

I'll add one more way you can be involved. Five Talents sends out a monthly e-newsletter, which provides updates on our programs, stories from entrepreneurs as well as upcoming event information. If you would like to receive this, please click here to sign up.

We'd love for you to join "our family" and for you to be abel to share your gifts and talents with others. If you have any questions about the work of Five Talents or other ways you like to be involved, please don't hestitate to ask!

Enjoy your weekend!

Kelli

P.S. If you scroll to the bottom of this letter, you'll see where Harun mentions the Five Talents family. :)

Email: kelliross@fivetalents.org
Web site: http://www.fivetalents.org/

A Day in the Life of Lilian Mwikali: Technical Development Officer for the Thika Community Develoment Trust

2009-06-11T12:37:00.002-04:00

A Glimpse into the Thika Community

2009-06-11T12:29:00.001-04:00

The Faces of Trust Group Members in Thika, Kenya

2009-06-11T12:19:00.002-04:00

Images From In and Around Juba, Sudan

2009-06-10T10:46:00.001-04:00

A Walk Through Wau, Sudan

2009-06-10T10:38:00.001-04:00

An Arm Full of Books

2009-06-06T15:58:00.002-04:00

I've just returned from a walk to the library. I received notification this morning that the books I put on hold Thursday afternoon were ready for pick-up.

As I continue to reflect upon my time in Sudan, I just keep adding to the list of questions in my head ... So, I've decided to give myself some homework, i.e. reading assignments.

Here's my current list:

Emma's War (Book on CD. I'll be listening to this on my commute.)
Short History of Sudan
Alek
They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan
War Child: A Child Soldier's Story

I'm also currently reading Bombs, Ruins and Honey: Journeys of the Spirit with Sudanese Christians, which I bought in Nairobi.

My hope is that as I learn more about this region of the world, the culture of its people and its history that I will be able to better tell the story. The stories of the entrepreneurs I met, the story of Ahok, who is chairlady of the village bank in Lietnohm, the stories of our partners who are working in the field. I want to be able to share well-rounded, contextualized stories. To describe how and why lives are being transformed in South Sudan.

So, if you have any suggestions/additions to my reading list (or know of other resources I should check out), please post a comment. I'd love the input!

Now... off to do some reading!

Kelli

A Glimpse into Luanyeker, Sudan

2009-06-05T16:24:00.002-04:00

Images from Lietnhom

2009-06-05T10:43:00.002-04:00

Some of the Faces of Lietnhom

2009-06-04T14:29:00.009-04:00

At Work in Sudan

2009-06-04T13:12:00.009-04:00

Our Welcome into Lietnhom, Sudan

2009-06-04T13:06:00.001-04:00

Back Home

2009-06-03T19:48:00.003-04:00

We made it! Suzanne and I arrived at Dulles just after 1:30 p.m. today and were very surprised by a warm welcome at the airport from Hannah Coyne and Stan Kriz as we came out of customs ... it was so nice to see friendly faces waiting for our return. :) And, then, Stan even gave me a ride home. Incredible! My plan had been to take the bus, which would definitely have been more difficult with all my bags.

I am currently in the process of forcing myself to stay awake in order to beat jet lag. My goal is to last at least another hour to hour and a half. Maybe go to sleep around 9 at the earliest ... I think I can make it. Internet access helps. ;)

Watch for more tomorrow, and I'll also be posting more photos...

Kelli

Encouraged

2009-06-02T02:43:00.004-04:00

Today is our last day in Nairobi. We'll be flying out in about 14 hours.

It's absolutely crazy to me that three weeks have already come and gone, and yet I feel like I haven't been home in forever. I have one last appointment scheduled for today. I'll be meeting with the Rt. Rev. Gideon Githega, Bishop of Thika, to listen to his perspective and reflections on our program in Thika. After that, it will be stopping by the Word Concern office to say goodbyes and then packing.

Yesterday, I was able to watch the final three hours of video I had taken. (I've been watching the video and then taking notes since I didn't have two extra hands to take notes while shooting the video!) And, I was just once again so encouraged by the work that is happening in both Sudan and Kenya. I know we (Five Talents) says it often, but it's SO true ... lives are literally being transformed! I watched as Peter Macharia encouraged a group of women in Juba. They felt discouraged and said they had nothing, but he did not allow them to look at themselves that way. He explained and pointed out how blessed they are, that they do have resources and that they now have something when they did start with nothing.

"Your group is here," he said gesturing toward a small tree. "But, it is growing, and you will be sisters to the other groups in Sudan and help them grow."

I personally have been rejuvinated and encouraged during this trip and am so excited to share the stories and experiences I've had during these past three weeks.

Now, off to my last appointment...

Kelli

Has Anything Surprised You on This Trip?

2009-05-30T03:57:00.004-04:00

Last night over dinner, Suzanne asked me if there was anything thing that had surprised me during this trip. There have been some things that have surprised me or, maybe more accurately phrased, I now have a better reality of after seeing and experiencing first hand.

Here are some of the things I mentioned:
1. Arabic is one of the predominant languages in Sudan. I just hadn't thought about this, but particularly in Juba, almost everyone spoke Arabic.

2. That being said, I then made the assumption that there would be a larger Muslim population and that I would here a call to prayer from a local mosque. My reality is that I don't even remember seeing a mosque during my time in Sudan.

3. The long drops (pit toilets) were not as bad as I had imagined in Lietnhom. I will normally set my expectations pretty low, which likely helps when facing the long drop. ;)

4. Harun Matuma and Thomas Anei work under incredibly difficult/extreme conditions in South Sudan. And, yet, they are amazingly committed to their work, the communities they work in and the calling God has placed on their lives.

5. The reality of how difficult transport is and the constant challenge it creates. I was told that Harun, although advised not to, walked for 10 hours in chest-deep water holding his laptop on his head in order to get back to Wau from Lietnhom. It was during the rainy season and there was no other way to get to the village. Roads were not accessible. Airplanes could not land. I also learned that during a one-week visit to Lietnhom, Peter Macharia ended up staying three weeks because of no transport. The roads were not passable and flights into Lietnohm were cancelled twice due to the rainy season weather and inability to land a plane. During this trip, which was just before the rainy season started, we drove from Lietnhom to Luanyker to Wau. During the dry season, the roads are not good (this is an understatement) but during the rainy season, they are under water. But besides the roads, there is a general lack of transport vehicles to even use or access when the roads are passable.

Back in Nairobi

2009-05-29T10:21:00.004-04:00

We safely arrived in Nairobi on Wednesday afternoon, but I've been delayed in posting here as Internet has been difficult to access (right now, I've got a pretty slow connection at a cyber cafe).

I have to say I think I had a little bit of culture shock upon returning to Kenya... so many concrete structures, so many food choices, in general, so much everywhere!

Yesterday, I visited our program, the Thika Development Community Trust, in Thika, which is about 45 minutes (without jams) outside Nairobi. I had such a great day! Lillian, one of the field officers, acted as hostess taking me around the Thika community to visit clients. I'll post more stories later (hopefully this weekend).

I was able to meet Monica, an incredibly talented seamstress, Jane and baby Joanne (who were featured on our Mother's Day cards this year) and many others.

I could especially relate to a lady named Magdaline. She and her husband are both school teachers but have joined the trust group and taken out a loan to buy chickens and cows. They sell the milk and eggs to help supplement their income and to help pay for school fees. Their oldest son (they have 5 children) is currently attending university to become an accountant. So, how could I relate when I have no children? Both of my parents are teachers, and when I was little, my mom took a side job to also help supplement our family's income while my dad went back to school. Magdaline was such a reminder to me that families are alike, even on the other side of the world.

Our ride back to the guesthouse from Thika last night was interesting to say the least... We hit massive traffic jams and at one point were just sitting in the car for 45 minutes. That's right. No movement. Just sitting. Today when we went back to Thika, we advised the driver NOT to take that same route on our return. He kindly obliged.

I was also able in interview Peter Macharia, Sudan Country Director for World Concern, today in his Nairobi office. We traveled with him across Sudan, but it was today that I finally got my interview. ;)

From the ACK Guesthouse in Nairobi...

Kelli

Our Final Night in Sudan

2009-05-26T12:39:00.006-04:00

It's hard to believe that this is Day 9 of our visit to Sudan. Tomorrow afternoon we fly back to Nairobi. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around everything I've seen and heard during these past days.

As we've been traveling across Sudan from Lietnhom to Luanyker to Wau and now to Juba, I've been interviewing a variety of people. Today, I had the chance to talk with Harun Matuma, program manager for World Concern Southern Sudan (one of our consortium partners).

Here's a snapshot of that interview:

It was 2006 when Harun began working in Lietnhom with World Concern after feeling called to work in a conflict zone.

"I have seen great changes in Lietnhom," he said. "I have seen the market grow. We are now giving business loans and providing training on business skills."

There are currently 460 members of the village bank in Lietnhom, and the opening of the bank, a concrete structure in a village consisting of tukals, was celebrated last week.

But, because South Sudan was in the midst of a civil war for more than 20 years, there is a huge need for literacy across the country.

"More than 80 percent can't read or write," Harun said. "And there is a certain level that you can't grow beyond if you can't read or write."

So his hope is to provide the necessary training and develop as many entrepreneurs in South Sudan as possible. Prior to receiving business skills training, many entrepreneurs told Harun that they kept their business records in their hearts, but now they are keeping records in notebooks, he said.

"Entrepreneurship brings new ideas, innovations and creativity," he said. "Where there are entrepreneurs, you can be sure there will be peace. When the community is stable that is when they can do business."

Harun has most recently started working in Wau, also in partnership with the Episcopal Church of Sudan, in order to expand the work that has been happening in Lietnhom. Groups were officially started on Feb. 15. By March 20, there were 10 groups with 15-25 members each. In just two months, $1,500 had been saved by those groups.

"I am happy to be seeing so many lives transformed," he said. "And, we want to expand this program to other states because it has been a success."

So Much To Learn

2009-05-25T14:42:00.002-04:00

So here's another understatement of the week... I seriously have so much to learn about South Sudan.

We are still in Juba and today we met with representatives from the Diocese of Juba and then visited two literacy groups that the Mothers' Union trainers have been working with for some time.

During the Diocese meeting, we had the opportunity to talk with Micah Lesowa, who is the Diocesan development coordinator. He recounted the impact of years of civil war in South Sudan and how it had influenced the country's education level. He said women had suffered most with a lack of education but that now is the time to educate as the country is in relative peace.

In describing Sudan's need for education as a bird, he said, "If you only develop one side (men), it's like a bird with only one wing. It cannot fly. We must develop both sides (both men and women)."

In our meetings with the literacy groups, we met women who were going through the Mothers' Union program to learn to read and write and who now have hopes of saving money and receiving small loans. Again, these women were not able to gain an education as children because of war, displacement and instability. And yet, they are now working to gain this knowledge, even as adults.

"It's enough for us to read the Bible," Lesowa said recounting what many of the elderly literacy students say.

Fun Facts from Our Travels in Sudan

2009-05-24T08:54:00.013-04:00

1. Slept in a tukal (see photo on right).

2. Got to plant a tree at the bank opening ceremony.

3. Charged the video camera in a tukal.

4. Watched a monkey jump into a man's room at our hotel in Juba. Note to self: Do not leave your room door open!

5. On East African Air, they gave each passenger at no charge two packs of cookies, peanuts and a drink. Yes! On our 2-hour flight from Juba to Nairobi, we were served a box lunch and offered drink refills. Amazing!

6. Walked under the stars in Lietnhom.

7. Was part of a discussion on dowries/cows. (If a man tried to give my parents some cows, I have no idea how they would react!)

8. Gave a photo lesson to Thomas Anei in Wau. Gave a photo lesson to Harun Matuma in Juba.

9. Have met men and women with incredible resilience.

10. Transportation in Juba is amazingly expensive.

11. Spoke briefly at All Saints Cathedral in Juba Sunday morning.

12. Clementina, a Mothers' Union trainer, asked if I was married. I said no. She said she would find me a man to marry, and then I could invite her to the wedding.

13. Have a daily afternoon hydration party, which consists of drinking liquids in hopes of rehydrating myself. This task is more difficult than it may sound!

14. "It Must Have Been Love" by Roxette was a popular tune at the River Lodge in Wau. They seriously played it all the time in the dining room.

15. I definitely heard "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" by Will Smith from my room in Juba. Nanananananana.

16. Temporarily blinded myself with my own sweat several times in Lietnhom. It was that hot!

17. Juba is crazy expensive.

Photos From Bank Opening Ceremony

2009-05-23T12:08:00.005-04:00

Village Bank = Reconciliation + Stability

2009-05-23T11:27:00.006-04:00

It's 6:28 p.m. here in Juba, and I've spent this afternoon going through video I took while in Lietnhom just four and five days ago. While listening to the voices of entrepreneurs who have small shops in the market, local government leaders, a local leader of the Mothers' Union, the chairlady of the village bank and others I come away with two recurring themes: reconciliation and stability.

Just one year ago, there was a tribal clash in Lietnhom and the village was burned. Almost completely. But, because the bank is both a concrete structure and has members of both tribes as investors of the bank, it was left untouched. This truth was retold many times during my stay.

One businessman, Deng, had a small shop in the market prior to the clash. When the market burned so did his shop leaving him with virtually nothing. Both his inventory and his monetary savings were in the grass-roofed shop. He estimates his losses were about $2,500. But, he decided to rebuild and start again. Deng said he was only able to do this by selling a goat and taking out a small loan ($75). Now, one year later, he says his business has grown larger than what it was prior to burning.

Because almost the entire village is made of grass-roofed, mud huts, it is an easy target for destruction. For so many their hope is to have a concrete building -- a structure that will withstand clashes, which sadly seem to happen on a somewhat frequent basis. Now, with a new concrete building bank, men and women from Lietnhom and the surrounding areas have a safe place to save their money. If there home/business is burned, they won't lose paper money that was saved under a mattress.

The bank is named "Amat Wuot Community Bank" which means "a union of communities." As Lueth Maluac, senior inspector and county planning officer stated, "It's a bank for all. It has no borders."

At Work in Africa

2009-05-21T12:09:00.003-04:00

By Jim Oakes
Five Talents International Board Member
and Business As Mission team leader

I've been in Thika, Kenya, for this past week, training entrepreneurs for Five Talents International. Thanks to the wonders of modern communication, I'm writing this introduction on a borrowed laptop while sitting in the restaurant of the Blue Post Hotel in Thika. Along with John Hutchins from Truro and two other Christian men, we are teaching business basics to about 200 men and women who are hoping to start or improve their businesses by learning basic business skills. As always, I have been struck by the eagerness of these students to learn what we have to teach, and their appreciation for the effort we have taken to be here with them. I confess, however, that I frequently wonder who is teaching whom, as they bring so much to the table.

The Anglican Diocese of Thika is a diocese on the move. Under the leadership of Bishop Gideon, the diocese has quadrupled in size in the ten years since its formation, and is still growing exponentially. The bishop told me this evening that 60% of his clergy are under 40 years of age, and that youthful enthusiasm seems to infect everything they do. The clergy I have met have been energetic, sharp men on fire for God's church, and seem eager to face the challenges ahead of them, numerous though they may be. Five Talents operates here as a partner with the Thika Community Development Trust, and the partnership seems to be working beautifully. Peterson Karanja, the Trust director, is a real visionary who has put together a first class team to manage the growth of the program. In just four years, the program (which operates under a savings and credit model) has gained over 1,400 clients, with more joining all the time.

I asked one of my fellow travelers tonight, a first-timer to Africa, what his dominant impression was of the trip so far. His answer was that he had never before seen the sheer intensity of the students who came to our training classes. They come with significant business skills already, but are eager to polish them, and to pick up additional tips we can offer. It is almost scary how much they soak in what we have to say, and sobering to realize that these are people who will go out and make major decisions about their business operations based in part on what they learn in our classes. Fortunately, we know we have a solid curriculum, and we have ample evidence from past visits that the material we use really does make a difference.

We're off to Uganda next week, and I'm looking forward to meeting old friends there and to repeating our business teaching in Kasese in western Uganda. However, I will carry fond memories (and a few hundred photographs) of the new friends we have made in Thika, and I hope that God will bring us together again in the future. I remind myself constantly that we are small links in a great chain that God is using to help His people, and that many others have gone before us to prepare the soil that is now reaping such a wonderful harvest. I am just thankful that I have been able to witness the incredible difference that microfinance in general, and Five Talents in particular, have made in the lives of so many people around the world, and I am grateful to God for letting me see the miracle at work.

Heat, baby bats and more heat

2009-05-20T15:40:00.002-04:00

I'm not gonna lie. Southern Sudan is hot. What is so entertaining to me is that those who live here will very plainly state, "It's hot." My thought ... "That is the understatement of the year."

Today in Wau, it was 105.8. It cools down to around 90 at night, so with no A/C and no fan you just somewhat bake.

I also was able to enjoy the presence of a baby bat in my room last night. At first, I saw what I thought was a mutated frog on the wall. But, then I realized it was making a high pitched chirping sound and the "mutated legs" were actually wings. Nice. And, I had just tried to jimmy-rig my mosquito netting, so my confidence in its ability to protect me was lacking. I woke up at some point in the early morning to someTHING banging on my door. I'm not sure what it was but I'm thinking it may have been the momma bat. Perfect. Especially since I opted against the rabies vaccine.

Tonight, I'm off to bed in my tent complete with electricity, a fan and a flushing toilet. Ah, for the small pleasures in life! ;)

Kelli

First Village Bank in South Sudan Opens

2009-05-20T14:59:00.004-04:00

So much has happened during the past two days... And, what is most exciting, is that yesterday, Lietnhom became home to the first village bank in South Sudan. What a celebration! Schools were closed, a bull and two goats were butchered so that everyone could eat, Sunday school classes performed a song and dance, local and county officials as well as the Bishop, trees were planted and a ribbon was cut!

It was without a doubt an honor to be there.

I was also able to meet several Five Talents entrepreneurs prior to the event. One young man has witnessed the impact of a loan his brother took out. He's hoping to one day take out a loan as well.

One mother of five boys, Ahok, has already taken out two loans. She'd like to take out a larger loan ($300) in order to grow her business and to continue to educate her sons. She is not able to read or write and wants a better life for her children. She is just one example of the bank's 460 members.

Well, I've been attempting to post photos, but am having slow connectivity problems... hopefully I can get them up tomorrow.

Time for me to get to bed!

Kelli

Livin' at The Hotel California ... Such a Lovely Place, Such a Lovely Place

2009-05-17T10:33:00.004-04:00

Jambo!

Greetings from Kenya and specifically from ... you guessed it ... The Hotel California in Lokichoggio (also known as Loki), Kenya. Who would have thought?!

After a safe flight from London, we arrived into Nairobi last night, along with the Five Talents Business As Mission team. This afternoon, Suzanne and I met up with our Sudan consortium partners (two from World Concern and two from Integra) and flew to Loki, which I am told is very close to the Sudan border.

Tomorrow morning, we will board a plane again to fly into Lietnhom, Sudan. In about 15 minutes, the six of us will meet to talk about the upcoming days. I am so excited and am anticipating great things!

Oh, as a quick follow-up, I am carrying 18.5 kilos on this 10-day journey ... barely but safely under the 20 kilo limited! ;)

Almost to Sudan...

Kelli

Off to a Great Start With More to Come

2009-05-15T18:51:00.001-04:00

We have had a very busy two days in London. Yesterday was filled with various meetings. Suzanne spent a majority of her afternoon meeting with the Mothers' Union representaives while I met with Vanessa Anderson from the Five Talents UK office to discuss communications strategies as well as how to better share information between our offices. Last night, I attended as an art auction event at the Colomb Art Gallery to benefit Five Talents. The exhibit by artist Pip McGarry will be up until Saturday, May 23.

Today, we had the first-ever true Five Talents International board meeting at Lambeth Palace. I always find it so encouraging to meet with our "Five Talents Family" members that reside outside the US. At tonight's dinner table there were all sorts of interesting conversations taking place about past travels, living abroad, development work and a variety of other life experiences. I sat between Rachel Millward the UK Developement Director (who I've met on multiple occassions and always look forward to seeing) and Anne Figge, a Five Talents Fellow who will be heading to Tanzania at the end of of the summer (who I only briefly met a couple of weeks ago when she stopped by the US office when she was stateside).

I am now back at the guesthouse trying to get everything together before heading to the airport in the morning.

In about 11 hours, Suzanne and I will board a British Airways plane and continue onto the next leg of our journey. On to Nairobi!

Joining us on this flight will be a Five Talents Business as Mission team that will be working in Kenya and Uganda for the next two weeks. If you're interested in following their trip, Dan King (aka BibleDude) will also be blogging.

We all arrive in Nairobi on Saturday evening (Kenya time, which is 8 hours ahead of EST) and then on Sunday, Suzanne and I catch a flight to Northern Kenya before flying into Sudan on Monday.

But, before arriving in Sudan, I wanted to make a brief introduction of one of the partners we'll be spending time with while in Leitnhom. (While I have not yet met Thomas Anei, I have only heard wonderful things, and I'm definitely looking forward to an in-person meeting!)

Being born into a country that was in the midst of a 20-year civil war and being forced into the army as a child soldier has only strengthened Thomas Anei’s desire to bring healing and restoration to his homeland.

While working as a child soldier, Thomas, a native of southern Sudan, had a dramatic conversion experience. It was after this conversion that he sought refuge in Kenya and ultimately completed his studies and graduated from seminary.

In May 2007, Thomas attended a Five Talents-sponsored Christian Economic Development Institute in Nakuru, Kenya. As a result of the training, Thomas became a strong advocate for economic development as the mechanism needed for effective Christian witness in order to create a more stable Sudan.

Thomas, an ordained priest in the Episcopal church of South Sudan in the Diocese of Wau, serves as a Five Talents Fellow in Lietnhom. During 2008, he learned how to replicate the community bank model used in Lietnhom in order to start community banks in other parts of the Diocese of Wau.

Time for me to get some sleep. Looks like I might get about 6 hours before my alarm goes off...

Cheers!

Kelli

It's almost here...

2009-05-13T15:54:00.002-04:00

In about one hour, I've got a cab coming to my house to pick me up and take me to Rosslyn, where I'll be catching the bus to Dulles.

I actually think I'm pretty much done packing, which has been pretty interesting. For our flight into Sudan, Suzanne and I are each allowed to take 30 pounds. That includes cameras, computers ... everything. I'm estimating I've got about 20 pounds of personal space for 10 days worth of clothes, toiletries, powerbars, etc., and I think I've come up with a solution: rotate the outer layer, have a clean inner layer. So, I've packed two pairs of pants, one skirt and five shirts for my Sudanese outer layer wardrobe. :)

I'm finally feeling the excitement and anticipation again. Up until last night, I've been so focused on other details that I hadn't actually slowed down enough to realize that "I'm leaving today!" Now, as I finish all the last minute details before hopping on the plane, I can't help but have that good, nervous feeling in my gut.

A Glimpse Into Where I Am Going...

2009-05-12T17:19:00.004-04:00

Before leaving the office this evening, I wanted to upload some photos from our program in Lietnhom, Sudan, to give you a feel for where I am headed. Enjoy!

Time

2009-05-12T14:48:00.004-04:00

At this moment, I am working on three computers. Typing this blog on my desktop PC, listening to Pandora and updating Five Talents golf materials on my desktop Mac, and loading software onto the laptop Mac that I'll be taking into the field. In the midst of this I'm fielding questions from co-workers, responding to emails and updating our Web site. I have also just created a "Do Not Disturb" sign for my desk in hopes of increasing my ability to multi-task.

Time. Right now, I'm not sure I have enough of it. And yet, regardless of what I do or do not get accomplished before I leave, I'll be on a British Air flight to London at 8:55 tomorrow evening. (That thought, I have to admit, provides both relief and panic! :)

One of our incredibly dedicated volunteers was just in the office. He prayed that Suzanne and I would be open to God's timing on this trip. To know that the Lord may have plans for us that are different than what we have organized or imagined and that we would be open to His leading.

There is definite reality in that volunteer's prayer. Yesterday, we received an email from Peter Macharia, who is the Sudan Country Director for World Concern and one of our consortium partners:

This is to let you know that the flight that was carrying Harun from [Kenya] was unable to land in [Sudan] today due to a very strong dust storm covering the area. They were forced to be brought back to [Kenya]. They will be leaving on Wednesday for [Sudan] and we hope the storm will have cleared. Kindly pray that we will not be affected and our trip will be as planned. Dust storms are common occurrences at this time of the year in Sudan.

This email was just a reminder that even with the best made plans there is always the possibility of change and alternate routes.

As Suzanne and I enter into our final 24 hours of preparation, I'd ask for your prayers that we be good stewards of our time before and during the trip and that would we would be open to the Lord's leading and His use of our time during the next three weeks.

OK, time for me to share my attention with the Macs sitting to my left... :)

Kelli

Six Days

2009-05-07T17:22:00.004-04:00

Six Days. A little more than 144 hours. That's how much time I have before boarding a plane and heading east.

I'm not sure I can begin to explain how excited I am... It's been almost three years since I visited East Africa and almost a year and a half since I visited the Five Talents program in Chennai, India, and I cannot wait to get back in the field! Although, at the moment, I must admit that I'm feeling overwhelmed and tired with everything I need to finish in the next 100 or so hours (that is, if I'm taking time out to sleep and eat ;).

Anyway, I'll be traveling with Suzanne Schultz, our director of program, to Sudan and Kenya to visit our programs in both countries. We leave next Wednesday night (May 13) with a couple day layover in London for the Five Talents International board meeting prior to flying into Nairobi and then on into Southern Sudan. We'll get back into the states on June 3.

I'll be blogging my travels here as much as Internet access is available (and hopefully posting photos as well!). I'll provide more travel details in the days to come before my departure.

here we go...

Kelli Ross
Five Talents International, Director of Communications

Photos from Hannah's Time in Bolivia

2009-04-22T15:48:00.003-04:00

Adiós, Bolivia

2009-04-09T09:56:00.001-04:00

Did you know that 'adiós' means 'to God' (a Dios)? Those are fitting words for our departure from Tarija today. We had our final meetings with Sara and Eva yesterday and are confident in their abilities and this project. It will be exciting to see where things go from here!

Today is Maundy Thursday, and we remember Christ's mandate (which is where we get the word 'maundy' from) to us to seek his kingdom and righteousness and to take the posture of a servant as he did -- washing his friends' feet on the night before he died. The following collect on mission is appropriate for today and to reflect on in the work of Five Talents:

O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thanks for keeping updated. I hope that you may be brought more meaningfully into His fold this Holy Week... adiós!

~ Hannah

Blessings Upon Blessings!

2009-04-07T11:22:00.003-04:00

The days are flying by here in Bolivia!

Yesterday, the 'equipo misionero de Five Talents' (mission team from Five Talents) was the guest of honor at the monthly meeting on the Evangelical Pastors' Association of Tarija. I did a brief intro on the mission of Five Talents and where we operate; Tom presented on poverty and holistic development; and Sara and Eva did a fabulous job presenting Semillas de Bendición and the different models for savings and loans groups. There was a lot of audience participation and laughter!

We were also treated to a professional guitarist as a musical interlude during a break. The exciting thing was that we were expecting about 40 pastors and leaders to come and 85 showed up!!! Clearly, there is a big interest and need for Christian microenterprise development here in Tarija!

During our snack break, we munched on salteñas, which are a typical food here -- like an empanada (meat pie) but with more hot liquid inside. Definitely burned my chin on spurting salteña juice the other night...

~ Hannah

Sponge Bob, Channel 40 & Palm Sunday

2009-04-06T09:58:00.002-04:00

This weekend was a smorgasbord of the sights and smells of Tarija. On Saturday, we went to the Mercado del Campesino and Mercado Bolívar, two markets absolutely full of busy merchants hawking their wares and determined shoppers. We met up with Victoria, the group member we prayed for on Friday night. She was selling a wide range of kitchen dish rags and wash cloths (I spotted Sponge Bob in the pile!), which she says she's found to be much more successful than the scrub brushes she also has for sale. Renting a permanent spot in the market costs about 300 bolivianos ($43) a month, which is quite expensive, so she is a comerciante ambulante (mobile merchant).

I was delighted to find a jewelry stand where I could make my requisite touristy purchases... there were semiprecious stones such as agate, amethyst, lapiz lazuli, freshwater pearls and quartz, which the owner said he purchased in Santa Cruz. Great stuff. I also observed a yellow-orange flower which Sara said is always sold at this time of year called 'flor de Pascua' (Easter flower); I think this is a marigold in English? Along the way, we ran into four other Five Talents group members!

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, and we went to our first service at Jesús, El Buen Pastor (Jesus, the Good Shepherd) Anglican Church, led by Rev. Dr. Walter Barrientos. This is the fastest growing church in Tarija! In fact, the woman who I sat next to on the flight to Tarija knew about the church. I then went to the Channel 40 local TV station where I appeared live (gulp) on a show to talk about Five Talents. Sara and Eva's father, Santiago, runs the program. I think it went alright!

In the afternoon, we met up with Padre Walter and a small team from the church to go up to the Anglican mission area of La Santa Cruz, in the neighborhood of Pampagalana, to celebrate Palm Sunday there. This is the poorest area I have ever seen. The folks who live in the neighborhood have homes that are about 8 feet by 8 feet, made of tarp and wood. The Eucharist was celebrated after a procession up the hill, where the children scattered marigold petals and huge palm branches had been planted in the ground. La Santa Cruz seemed enthusiastic about beginning a savings group together!

~Hannah

Seek the Welfare of the City Where I Have Sent You

2009-04-04T11:34:00.003-04:00

This morning I was reading Jeremiah 29 in the Daily Office and was struck by these words of God to the people who were taken from Jerusalem to exile in Babylon:

"But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare." (v. 7)

There are two things that jump out to me:

1. God sent people into exile? I always thought it was the evil Nebuchadnezzar. God has his redemptive hand on things we don't like and that in fact seem pretty terrible.

2. In that, God cares about the particular... the particularities of our life. He told his people to "plant gardens and eat what they produce." A God who cares that much about settling into a local place must really care about our individual lives.

And so tonight when Tom and I got to meet the savings and loan group Las Bendecidas ("The Blessed") in a particular brick and blue tarp church, in a particular neighborhood, in a particular valley, with Quechua women who speak a particular language and were learning how to cook a typical food here in Bolivia (empanadas! so tasty!!), I felt like God must be pleased. These women are not in exile, of course, but they are seeking the welfare of their communities and families by taking the chance to save together and trust one another as each person takes the pot of money collected each week.

Each of the eight women in the group is saving 10 bolivianos ($1.43) per week, giving one woman the chance to take home $11.44 to invest. As a group, we prayed for Victoria, who was receiving her $11.43, for wisdom in how to use her talents to glorify God and help her family.

How have you invested your dollars today? Have you used your talents to seek the welfare of your city and cities like Tarija? Are you praying on anyone else's behalf?

A good Lenten question as we move into Holy Week.

~ Hannah

On the ground in Tarija, Bolivia

2009-04-03T10:57:00.003-04:00

Tarija is a small city, with a population of about 194,000. Because it's transitioning to winter here in South America, the climate is temperate, beautiful and a little breezy. The city to me has retained a somewhat colonial feel. It was established as a Spanish city in 1574, and it's still got some of that vibe. Folks sit in the squares in the evening, chatting and enjoying the ambiance, and it's quiet... much different than some of the other Latin America cities I've been in where there is a constant stream of motorcycles and salsa music blaring into the wee hours of the morning. There is a lot of green space.

Today, we met with Sara and Eva to hear about the program's progress. Most of the members of the 13 groups mobilized so far are women. As Eva explained, the women are much more likely to actively implement the knowledge that they learn in group meetings and educate their other family members. (In the microfinance world, women are also more likely to repay their loans!) They also mentioned how women who suffered from low self-esteem, lack of confidence and timidity are now learning how to speak up for themselves, express their ideas and make changes at home. It is exciting to hear about transformation in action. Five Talents truly is fighting poverty, creating jobs and transforming lives here in Tarija.

Of the more than 140 members of this program to date, there have been no drop outs! There is only woman that is no longer able to attend the group's weekly meeting because she had to move to Argentina (we're pretty close to the border, here), but she sends her money via her daughter, who is also part of the group. Amazing!

Another thing I love about Tarija: a total lack of gringos.

~Hannah

Transform a Life This Mother's Day!

2009-04-02T11:19:00.004-04:00

Looking for a Mother's Day gift that will last longer than flowers?
This Mother's Day, Five Talents is honoring the special women in the lives of our supporters, like you!

As a tribute to the mothers, grandmothers, daughters, sisters, aunts and friends, who have played a significant role in your life, your gift to Five Talents will provide small loans to deserving entrepreneurs in developing countries.

That special woman you are honoring will then receive a specially-made card featuring a Five Talents entrepreneur and be acknowledged on our Web site!

Click here for more information. Or call (800) 670-6355 or email info@FiveTalents.org.

Imaynalla, sutiyqa Hannah**

2009-04-01T13:36:00.004-04:00

I write to you from the airport in Santa Cruz, Bolivia! Only two more flights until we reach our final destination. As I was brushing up my knowledge of Bolivia on the flights today, I came up with 10 things about Bolivia I bet you didn't know:

1. Outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, fleeing the Pinkerton Detective Agency (later the FBI) met their demise here.

2. Bolivia is the poorest country in South America and also has the greatest degree of economic inequality.

3. God got pretty creative when it came to wildlife here... jaguars, flamingos, pink river dolphins, piranhas, alpacas...

4. 2/3 of the population are from the Quechua and Aymara ethnic groups, which are descendants from the Incas

**This means, "Hello, my name is Hannah" in Quechua

5. Che Guevara also met his demise here.

6. 200 coup d'états in 180 years of independence. Whoa.

7. Tarija, located in a valley, boasts a microclimate that gives it the name "the Andalucía of Bolivia"

8. Tarija is also the epicenter of Bolivia's fledgling wine industry, where grapes have been growing since Jesuit missionaries brought them 400 years ago. The high altitude vineyards increase solar radiation and oxidants, intensifying the wine's aroma. I feel a marketing strategy coming on. Hoping to visit a vineyard (maybe this one called 'La Concepción') with Sara and Eva to see if the entrepreneurs might have opportunities to get involved in the industry.

9. There are dinosaur fossils out here!!! Read Job 40:15-18 and get excited!!

10. I'm officially fascinated by Jesuit missions that were established outside of Santa Cruz in 1587. These frontier towns built massive churches in the colonial style, learned orchestral instruments such as the violin and harp, composed music, etc. The Jesuits were then expelled by royal and papal decree in 1767. Tom and his wife visited them and said it was awesome.

That's all for now... qhipurkama ("See you soon" in Aymara!)

~Hannah

Program Assistant Heads to Bolivia

2009-03-31T11:01:00.005-04:00

This evening, Five Talents Program Assistant Hannah Coyne will leave for Bolivia. During her visit, she'll be sending blogs to share her experience and to provide insight on this new Five Talents program.

I’m heading out to visit our program in Bolivia today, until Good Friday [April 10]. I’m really excited to meet Sara and Eva, the two sisters who run Semillas de Bendicion. If you don’t speak Spanish, that means "Seeds of Blessing." Sara and Eva came up with the name because they want to plant seeds of hope, courage, and joy through passing on their knowledge and mobilizing Bolivians into savings and loans groups. Like me, they are PKs (Priest’s Kids!), which should be fun. Five Talents Latin America Coordinator Tom Waddell, who spent three years as a missionary in Bolivia, will also be going with me.

Photo: Sara and Eva with Tom Waddell.

Destination: Tarija, Bolivia. True to Five Talents form of seeking out "poorer, riskier, and smaller" locations (to serve the truly poor), the plane to take us to Tarija only flies out twice a week, so the itinerary took some maneuvering!

Say a prayer for us as we leave Miami tonight at 11:10 p.m.!

~Hannah

Dominican Republic Reflections by Tracy Denny

2009-03-19T16:18:00.003-04:00

My participation in the Five Talents Vision Trip to the Dominican Republic was an eye-opening experience. I was able to see the transforming impact that a small loan can make to help improve the financial condition and spirits of persons living in poverty.

It was a privilege for me to participate as a member of the visioning trip as a guest of Five Talents, made possible because my team won the “Church Challenge” competition at the 2008 Five Talents X-OUT Poverty Golf Classic. Although I have made financial contributions to Five Talents and other charitable mission organizations, this was the first time I had participated on any type of mission trip or traveled to a developing country. I didn’t know what to expect.

The preparatory calls with other persons who were participating on the trip and some online research about the history of the Dominican Republic created an initial sense of anticipation. But the trip became real when the alarm clock sounded at 3:30 a.m. on the day of departure — rousting me out of bed for an early morning trip to the airport.

After meeting up with other team members in Washington, D.C., and Miami, we arrived in Santo Domingo early Saturday afternoon and headed toward the main part of the city along a parkway bounded by the beautiful blue Caribbean waters on both sides. As we got closer to the city, we transitioned into a bustling maze of traffic that could make even the most experienced New York cabbie nervous. Along the way, we caught our first glimpses of the dense, interconnected mazes of shanties in the neighborhoods, or barrios, built within a few feet of a large river running through the city. We were here to visit the Five Talents loan program operating in a similar barrio named La Barquita.

On the afternoon we arrived, our group took a walking tour of Santo Domingo’s colonial district where we saw the first Catholic cathedral in the Americas and learned about the rich and troubled history of the Dominican Republic. Since the country’s discovery by Christopher Columbus in the 1492, the country has suffered various invasions by neighboring countries and oppression under numerous fascist dictators. I especially enjoyed learning about the country’s Christian foundation that is symbolized with a cross and Bible at the center of the national flag.

On Sunday night we had dinner at our hotel with the leaders of Esperanza, a micro-loan banking organization, and the local Episcopal Church who are partnering with Five Talents to provide loans to entrepreneurs in La Barquita. I was impressed by the talent and professionalism of the local Dominican staff involved in the program and their personal passion for the neighborhoods and individuals they were serving. I was especially moved by one member of the local team who had grown up in the barrio we were going to visit. He had left the barrio to attend college and had become an attorney. When he learned about the opportunity to work as a loan officer with Esperanza in his boyhood neighborhood, he left his job as an attorney in Santo Domingo and returned home to serve his neighbors.

As we learned about the elements of the program, I was extremely surprised at its initial results. In its first year of operation, the Five Talents program has loaned approximately $15,000 in small loans ranging in size from $175 to $250. Amazingly, not a single recipient has defaulted on their loan during the first year. Several aspects of the program seem to contribute to its success.

First, persons who wish to participate in the program must identify four other persons who will join them in applying for individual loans. Members of the group commit to repaying the loans of all individuals in the group — establishing a covenant of accountability between the group members.

Second, persons who receive a loan must repay the loan in weekly increments over a six month period. Members of the group meet weekly to make loan payments, receive business training and support from Esperanza staff members, and to study the Bible together.

Third, persons receiving loans are required to save the equivalent of five percent of their loan amount from their business profits over the six month repayment period. It appears that this combination of group accountability, business training, and solid financial disciplines delivers impacts far beyond merely loaning money.

On Monday morning, the group traveled by vans to La Barquita, the barrio where the Five Talent’s microloan program is operating. As we turned off a main street and onto a narrow dirt roadway barely wide enough for us to squeeze between the parked cars I sensed that we were entering a different world. La Barquita is located right beside the river and is home to approximately 3,000 families. Although the barrio is served by makeshift electricity lines that provide power to most homes, I was amazed to learn that the barrio has no running water. Residents buy water from trucks that come into the neighborhood or collect rainwater for drinking and cooking. Every two to three years, many of the homes in the barrio are damaged or destroyed as the river overflows its banks because of hurricanes or tropical storms. As we would later learn, many of the residents have spent their entire lives in La Barquita.

We met up with Father Milton from the local Episcopal church and Pedro Lacen, the Esperanza program manager working in La Barquita, at the small one room church in the neighborhood and began our walking tour to meet persons receiving loans from the program.

Rosario was the first person we met. She is an entrepreneur whose business is selling used clothing from her home and at an on-street market in the neighborhood. Rosario lives with her husband and two grandchildren in a small cinderblock home at the end of a narrow alleyway about 50 yards from one of the main streets. She enthusiastically welcomed us into her home and proudly explained her business. She travels by bus into the central area of San Domingo to purchase bundles of used clothing and then sells them to her neighbors. The loan from Five Talents has allowed her to expand her inventory and increase her profits so she can better provide for her family. Her radiant smile and bright eyes conveyed a sense of joy in what she had been able to accomplish with the aid of Five Talents. As we departed, she shared a request that we pray that her husband and children have a stronger relationship with Jesus.

As we walked along the muddy dirt roadways that wove through the barrio we spoke with several other women who had received loans through the Five Talents program. Their various businesses included selling shoes and perfume, operating street-side markets for food and household items, selling cleaning supplies, and making handmade quilts, curtains and other home furnishing. In every situation we visited, the women displayed an entrepreneurial spirit and tremendous confidence in running their businesses. In addition, each of them communicated a sincere, heartfelt gratitude toward Five Talents. Several of the women had successfully repaid their initial loans and had received additional loans to expand their businesses. These women did not let the difficulty of their circumstances hinder their will to succeed. It is easy for me to imagine that these talented women would be successful in most any environment or circumstance.

For me, seeing the microloan program in action in the Dominican Republic provided a very tangible connection to the mission of the Five Talents organization. Looking into the faces of the women whose lives have been impacted both financially and spiritually provided a three-dimensional perspective on how my contributions can help those in need. I would encourage others to go and see.

Tracy Denny was captain of the winning Church Challenge team from The Falls Church (Falls Church, Va.) during the 2008 Five Talents X-OUT Poverty Golf Classic.

Woodbridge Church to Host Bolivian Dinner, Discussion Featuring Five Talents Program

2009-03-04T13:33:00.000-05:00

St. Margaret’s Anglican Church in Woodbridge will host a Bolivian dinner and discussion at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11. The evening will feature guest speaker Rev. Walter Barrientos of Tarija, Bolivia. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer session.

Father Barrientos is a member of the oversight committee for Semillas de Bendición, the Five Talents microenterprise development project that was launched in Tarija, Bolivia, in 2008.

Barrientos is an Anglican priest who started a mission church, La Santa Cruz (Holy Cross), in Tarija. This church has grown more than any other in the diocese and now has 150 members – half of those are children. The Barrientos are currently hoping to construct a building that can serve initially as a church and later take on the additional function of a school.

RSVP by calling (703) 494-7621. Space is limited. The church is located at 13900 Church Hill Road, Woodbridge, Va.

For those living near Bloomington, Indiana ... support local artists and Five Talents!

2009-02-25T09:59:00.000-05:00

Textile and quilt artists, Daren Redman, Sandee Winrow Milhouse, and Jacquelyn Chiddister take the floor for their "First Dance" as the latest addition to Bloomington's art community.

Specializing in Shibori textiles, applique, and quilts, the artists have created a "beauty with a statement" exhibit.

Exhibit Dates: Saturday, Feb. 28 to Friday, March 27
Opening Reception: Meet and Greet the Artists, First Friday, March 6, 5 to 7 p.m.
Location: Gallery North, 116 West 6th Street (same building cluster on the square as Gratzi)

Offered in conjunction with the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show, a trolley will be shuttling between art and quilt exhibits in downtown B'ton March 5-7 with a stop at Gallery North.

A portion of certain sales will be donated to Five Talents International: Fight Poverty, Create Jobs and Transform Lives.

For more information, contact Daren Redman at darenredman@gmail.com.

Five Talents wins City of London Award

2009-02-20T09:50:00.002-05:00

Five Talents was awarded the Overall Winner at the City of London Sustainable City Awards at a ceremony in the Mansion House on Feb. 19. Five Talents also won their category “Sustainable and Responsible Finance.”

Zac Goldsmith handed out ‘green gongs’ at the City of London Corporation’s 8th annual Sustainable City Awards. Five Talents was saluted at the prestigious event alongside an outstanding selection of global and local organizations.

The 10 judges, including Samantha Heath CEO of London Sustainability Exchange, were impressed with the high calibre and volume of entrants, which have been backed for eight years by the City of London Corporation which looks after the square mile business district, signalling a continued commitment to green ethics in business.

Emma Bara, Sustainability Coordinator, City of London Corporation said: “The nine winning organizations, which include global businesses, local firms and social enterprises were singled out for their sustainable excellence. The awards given out this year prove that all organizations, whether large or small, can make important changes which are beneficial for the environment while also making business savings.”

Five Talents was congratulated on its work in 10 developing countries, helping more than
20,000 people to escape poverty by providing business training and small loans using the microfinance method.

Tom Sanderson, UK Director of Five Talents said “I am thrilled that Five Talents’ work has been endorsed in this way, and the true honor goes to our project staff in each country who work directly with the clients to help them to grow their businesses and to climb out of poverty.”

Zac Goldsmith, who presented the awards to the winners at the Mansion House awards ceremony last night, said: “Despite the immensity of the environmental challenge, the truth is, almost everything that needs doing is already being done, somewhere. If ‘best practice’ today became the norm tomorrow, we’d be half way there already. The Sustainable City Awards proves not only that solutions exist, but that where they are adopted, companies invariably flourish as a result.”

Businesswoman Wins National Microentrepreneur Award in India

2009-02-18T09:46:00.000-05:00

Vasanti Uikey struggled against extreme poverty to become a successful microentrepreneur. Now, this 45-year-old mother of two has been named the 2008 National Runner-up and the Social Responsibility Category Winner (West and Central) by the Citi Micro Entrepreneur Awards program. She was chosen out of 2,500 nominees for this prestigious award.

This program was founded in 2004 to recognize individual micro entrepreneurs from across India who have risen from poverty to self-sufficiency.

Thanks to a $62 loan from Five Talents partner, Community Development Society (CDS) in India, Vasanti now owns a milk distribution center and a grocery store in the Pandhrabodi slum of Nagpur.

Ten years ago, Vasanti worked as a nurse and her husband drove a rented auto rickshaw but their income was meager. To increase their family income, Vasanti decided to start a dairy business because there was no milk shop in her community. In 2002, she applied for government assistance and gave up her job in order to sell milk from a roadside table. Encouraged by her customers’ response, Vansanti began diversifying into other groceries.

Later that year, she learned about CDS and a women’s Self-Help Group they had recently formed in her neighborhood. Vansanti joined the SHG and in 2005 took her first loan to set up a grocery shop which she operated out of her home.

Today, Vasanti overcomes competition by offering credit to customers and keeping her store open 17 hours a day.

Vasanti is also a community organizer and helps others in her neighborhood improve their quality of life. Her initiatives include forming women’s SHGs, assisting unemployed youth find part time jobs, running a subsidized playschool in her neighborhood and helping needy students gain access to scholarships from CDS.

“We thank you Five Talents for your participation in developing many clients like Mrs. Vasanti through your funds,” said CDS Executive Director Rev. P.Y. Singh.

Sponsorships Now Available for X-OUT Poverty Golf Classic

2009-02-12T13:48:00.002-05:00

Drive Out Poverty! Come join us for a day of golf as we seek to fight poverty, create jobs and transform lives. Five Talents International will host its sixth annual X-OUT Poverty Golf Classic on Tuesday, June 9, at Westfields Golf Club in Clifton, Va. This event will feature an 18-hole Captain's Choice and a 7:30 a.m. shotgun start.

Five Talents empowers the poor in developing countries by promoting innovative savings and micro-credit programs along with business training. Every year a dedicated team of volunteers and corporate sponsors host this golf tournament to raise awareness and funds for hopeful entrepreneurs in some of the poorest countries on earth.

Sponsorships are available for this year's event, including co-presenting sponsors, raffle, hole-in-one, reception, team, advertising and hole sponsors. Team and co-presenting sponsorships include four playing spots. All sponsors receive advertisements in the game day booklet and acknowledgement on Five Talents' Web site and day-of-event signage.

All golfers will receive a round of golf with cart, range balls, special gift package, breakfast, lunch and awards reception. Skill contests will feature a win-a-car hole-in-one prize, winning team prizes, long drive (men and women) and closest to the pin.

In a world where almost half the population lives on less than $2 a day, Five Talents is finding ways to help people help themselves. In 2008, Five Talents invested in more than 18,000 entrepreneurs at the bottom of the economic ladder. Each loan financed a business that in turn helped at least five other people. A majority of the loan recipients are women.

For more information about sponsorships, contact Joann Barron, director of development, at joannbarron@fivetalents.org or (703) 242-6016.

Join Five Talents at re:mix March 27-29!

2009-01-22T14:07:00.001-05:00

If you’re looking for something to do in late March, I have a suggestion…

The re:mix young adult conference will be March 27-29, in Asheville, NC. This conference is for anyone age 14-30 and is offered by Rock the World, an evangelical ministry that focuses on multiplying young Christian leaders.

re:mix 2009 will be led by worship band and national recording artists Shane & Shane, and the keynote speaker will be Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil, who was considered one of the "Best Speakers” at Urbana 2006. These are leaders who will inspire and shepherd young adults to consider following Jesus with total abandon: whatever the cost, wherever the place, whenever He calls.

As an added bonus, you can opt to come to my workshop, “Christian Microenterprise Development: Small loans. Big impact.” during two afternoon sessions. ;) For more information and to register online, visit www.rocktheworld.org/remix .

Hope to see you there!
Kelli

Inauguration Day

2009-01-20T14:14:00.001-05:00

Sunday night I was driving back fromour church home group on Interstate 66 headed east from Haymarket to Fairfax, VA. The big neon traffic signs reminded all drivers that there would be delays on Tuesday because of the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States, Barak Obama. On Tuesday all the bridges from Northern Virginia into the District will be closed and security will be tight. There is an exciting buzz of anticipation for change.

Living near Washington, D.C., there is this ever present aura of self-importance and power. In the end this can be a self-fulfilling delusion or illusion that keeps real change from happening. As individuals we become our own personal saviors. We believe we can make things happen on our own power. We make decisions based on measurable goals and become blind with ambition as we network with other high-powered people convincing them our plan is the best one. In this area of the world, we sometimes look at the government as an entity that bestows salvation. The government will fix the economic crisis, health care and education. With a few consultants and a lot of money, we start to believe the federal government will save us. Technology becomes another savior. A faster computer, a more energy efficient car, robots to clean the house and all will be well with the world.

As Christians we can’t replace God with these false idols. Only God can save us. And it is through individuals that God performs this miracle using flawed sinners like Moses, King David, and in our time, Martin Luther King, Jr. In Acts 4, the Apostles are called uneducated and ordinary. Yet they changed the world!

The theme of Episcopalians for Reconciliation is What Can One Person Do? The reason I serve on the EGR board is that question is powerfully liberating. The follow up question is, “What is God Calling me to do?” It is a question we must ask ourselves this inauguration day.

Are you being called to be the next Moses, the next Martin Luther King, Jr.? Or are you called to be the person who makes sure the elderly neighbors have enough to eat and heat in their homes on a cold wintry day.

This inauguration day is about change and a new future. Use this day to inaugurate change in your own life. Ask God through prayer and reading the scriptures to set a call on your life. So you may find out what you can do to further God’s mission and to change lives for the better.

Craig Cole is the president and CEO of Five Talents International, a member of Diocese of Virginia's Mission Commission and an EGR board member.

Your Life is Busy. Let Five Talents Make it Simpler.

2009-01-14T16:49:00.003-05:00

This year, you can make a life-changing impact on poor entrepreneurs, like Salome from Tanzania, and their families through the gift of a small loan.

By becoming a Five Talents Faithful Servant Giving Partner, your monthly donation is automatically deducted from your bank account or charged to your credit card for as long as you desire. You don't need to make a phone call or mail a check to contribute to Five Talents.

These recurring gifts will provide Five Talents with the funds necessary to respond to the ravages of poverty on the world's poor by providing deserving entrepreneurs with small loans to start a business. As these loans are repaid, your contribution will be reinvested and given to other poor entrepreneurs!

What are the Benefits of Becoming a Faithful Servant Giving Partner?
* Saves You Time and Trouble. Your gift arrives at Five Talents monthly, even if you are on vacation or busy.

* Offers You Options. You can be a Faithful Servant Giving Partner either through your checking account or with your credit card.

* Keeps You in Control. Simply by sending a written notice to Five Talents, you can change the amount of your gift, change which bank, bank account or credit card is being charged, or cancel your monthly gift.

* Gives You Joy. You know you are providing immediate help through small loans and business training to deserving entrepreneurs ... every month of the year.

What is the Annual Impact of Your Monthly Gift?

$5/month: Help a poor man start a shoe repair business.

$10/month: Give a working mom the hope of educating her children.

$15/month: Provide business training for six people through a community loan program.

$25/month: Give life-transforming loans to two people in a developing country.

$50/month: Help a poor woman purchase a cow and become self-sufficient.

$100/month: Create jobs that will transform the lives of 200 people.

YOU can Fight Poverty by empowering the poor, Create Jobs through small loans and business training and Transform Lives by giving hard-working entrepreneurs the dignity of supporting their families and providing economic opportunities for their communities.

Become a Faithful Servant Giving Partner today!
Click here to make a monthly gift through your credit card.
Click here to make a monthly gift through your bank account.

Got Talents? Five Talents Launches Fellows Program

2009-01-06T11:15:00.000-05:00

Business professionals, graduate students, seminarians and clergy can now lend their talents in a unique way to Five Talents International as a Five Talents Fellow.

Dedicated individuals with an interest in serving the poor through Christian microenterprise development can now apply to work as a volunteer fellow with a Five Talents partner in Africa, Asia or Latin America for six months to one year. Fellowships will start during Summer 2009. Applications are due Monday, March 2, 2009.

The Five Talents Fellows program was created as a response to the demand from both partners asking for assistance with specific projects and from volunteers desiring to lend their talents to serve the poor through microfinance. The program is designed to strengthen the work and mission of Five Talents to fight poverty, create jobs and transform lives by advancing the goals of its local partner institutions with meaningful projects or research.

Given the high demand for involvement in the rapidly growing field of microfinance, this program offers significant benefits for interested candidates, including substantial exposure to the unique mission of Five Talents.

For more information or to apply, 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 15 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin 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.

A Bolivian Family’s Future Changed Forever With a $14 Loan

2008-12-29T16:21:00.001-05:00

Fernando is proud to walk to school in his brand new shirt and shoes. “My teacher said that I look really handsome — I love her a lot!”

María, Fernando’s mom, started a knitting business in Tarija, Bolivia, with the help of a Five Talents’ partner, Semillas de Bendición (Seeds of Blessing), in order to provide her four children with nutritious food and clothing. The first loan she received was for $14.

“She had great talent in knitting, but her self-esteem was very low, so we encouraged her to start a business,” said Sara and Eva Mamani, Semillas de Bendición program managers. “She was quite fearful, but she decided to take a risk because the poverty in her family was very great. Now, she sells beautiful wool ponchos, and her husband is pleased because their sons are the ones who benefit the most.”

Before starting her business, María consistently reminded her sons that she couldn’t afford to buy them clothes, school supplies and sometimes even food. Fernando was wearing shoes and a shirt he had outgrown. “My feet were hurting a lot because my shoes were very old, and my shirt for school was very small — it looked like my younger brother’s shirt,” he said.

Now, María is using her business profits to better provide for her children – one son at a time.

“My mom told me that next time she’s not going to buy anything for me since it will be my younger brothers’ turn,” Fernando said. “She will keep working, and she will buy other things for my brothers with what she earns, and they will be happy.”

Through her savings group, María has also learned about health and nutrition. “Our mom surprises us with all the yummy things that she cooks; my favorite food is a vegetable cake that she makes,” Fernando said.

Now, when 9-year-old Fernando grows up, he wants to be a teacher and a church pastor so that he can help people too.

Established in 1999, Five Talents International has provided funding for business training and thousands of loans, ranging from $50 to $300, in 15 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin 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 http://www.fivetalents.org/.

Kenyan Mother Sets Example, Fills Role of Encourager for Daughter

2008-12-17T17:26:00.001-05:00

Irene is one of the top students in her 4th grade class, and her mother is very proud of her achievements.

Without the help of the Thika Community Development Trust, Irene may not have been able to attend – or have had such success – in school. Jane, Irene’s mom, has been part of the Trust in Kenya since 2004. She’s invested her loans from the Trust in her vegetable garden and rabbit business. She has used the profits to pay for her children’s school fees and clothing and to buy nutritious food.

“I also really hope that with the next loan she gets she will build us a nice home,” Irene said. The family is currently living in a two-room house with iron sheets for a roof and mud walls.

Irene attends Giachuki Primary School in the Thika District in the Central Province of Kenya. Her favorite subjects are Christian Religious Education (CRE) and social studies.

“I particularly love CRE for the very reason that most of the issues taught in class are also covered in Sunday school,” she said. “I particularly love the fact that Jesus was born on Christmas Day, which is just around the corner! It was the same loving Jesus who also rode on a donkey!”

Irene dreams of one day becoming an environment professor, where she can teach others what she knows about trees, animals, flowers and food crops.

“For example, last term we learned about maize and tea and also about rabbits, and we have rabbits at home too!” she said.

Established in 1999, Five Talents International has provided funding for business training and thousands of loans, ranging from $50 to $300, in 15 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin 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 http://www.fivetalents.org/.

This story is the fifth story in a five-week series – Five Weeks with Five Talents: Children of Microfinance.

Income from Jewelry Business Provides Healthy Meals for Peruvian Family

2008-12-12T11:11:00.002-05:00

Before Five Talents helped, Rosita and her family suffered from severe malnutrition.

Six-year-old Rosita Elizabeth and her family had moved from a small Peruvian city in the Amazon jungle. And her parents searched in vain for odd jobs – just to survive in Lima.

Rosita’s mother (Maria) tells the story of the family going to bed many nights with empty stomachs. “We would get meals at a community food kitchen but suffered from food poisoning several times,” Maria said.

This forced Rosita’s parents to risk sickness or choose hunger for their family.

In June, Rosita’s stepfather, Roberto, received his first loan of $170 from ECLOF-Peru. He invested the money in the family’s handicraft business – making necklaces, bracelets and earrings from beads made from seeds from the Amazon. Roberto and Maria are using the skills they brought with them to Lima!

The business is generating a monthly income of $195, and with this money, they have purchased two machines in order to meet increased demand for their Amazon bead jewelry.

Now, Rosita smiles as she talks about some of her favorite things: mathematics, playing with dolls, eating arroz con pollo (chicken with rice) and her mom and stepdad’s handicraft business!

“Thanks to God, we have improved our business, we do not beg for food anymore, and my mother can now buy food to cook in our house,” Rosita said.

At age 2, Rosita was battling malnutrition and sickness. Four years later, she dreams of becoming an accountant and working in the family business.

This story is the fourth story in a five-week series – Five Weeks with Five Talents: Children of Microfinance.

Reflection of an Image

2008-12-10T13:47:00.002-05:00

It is Advent and we await the coming of Jesus as a child born into a dirty, smelly manger. It is hard to grasp what that might have been like. I sometimes wonder as a parent of two small children what it might have been like to be Joseph. Would he have been scared about Mary actually delivering the baby without her life being threatened?

Even to this day, mothers in many countries die from complications associated with childbirth. Years ago, I walked into a maternity ward in Haiti and I noticed a few flies hovering above a mother in the corner. As I approached I realized she had recently died. I called the doctor over and he quickly checked her pulse, and then had the nurse cover her face with the sheet and he moved on. I was stunned by his nonchalant attitude. In the states we would have done everything possible to save the mother using the latest in technology. When questioned, the doctor told me that postoperative death is common and he had to tend to the living. Moments later, still in the maternity ward, a nurse in our group came running out with a baby who was turning blue. She raced toward another room where the only available oxygen tank in the whole building could be found. It was 1960s vintage but it worked and the baby lived.

That very night at the hotel, I watched an episode of ER, the television show that depicts an emergency room at a hospital in Chicago. The tragic irony was not lost on me as the doctors raced from room to room trying to save lives.

Childbirth was far from easy in the time of Jesus. And in some places it still is and that’s why to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health are the fourth and fifth Millennium Development Goals. I can imagine Joseph breathing a sigh of relief as the baby Jesus cried out for the first time and Mary had not suffered any ill effects. Even with all the medical facilities we had available at the hospital, I know I breathed easier when the doctors gave the thumbs up!

I wrote these few words soon after my daughter was born almost six years ago. I found them while writing this essay, and I thought they might be appropriate at this time of the year:

“I looked into the mirror and it was you who smiled back at me – a smile so wide I almost cried.

The father finds a reflection of himself as he holds his first-born daughter. Only, instead of a tired, unshaven face at 4 a.m., she has wide, innocent eyes that sparkle happiness and joy. What will she become? I ask under the glow of the bathroom light.

It won’t be long until she is standing and looking into the mirror with no one to hold her. Will she see my reflection in herself just like I sometimes see my parents reflected in me?

More importantly, will she know that she is made in God’s image and the beauty she radiates comes from Him?”

Have a blessed Advent and Christmas!

Craig Cole
Five Talents President and CEO

Women in Technology Honors Five Talents Volunteers with Lifetime Achievement Awards

2008-12-09T16:38:00.001-05:00

For three consecutive years, a Five Talents International volunteer has been awarded the Women in Technology Lifetime Achievement Award. The most recent recipient is Elizabeth Lewis, partner with Cooley Godward Kronish LLP in Reston, Va. She was presented the award on Nov. 14. Lewis provides volunteer legal advice and has hosted receptions for Five Talents.

“It is a privilege to support Five Talents because it is truly the gift that keeps on giving,” Lewis said. “Donations are used to provide loans to entrepreneurs in developing countries to start businesses with an opportunity to create an ongoing income stream which supports the entrepreneur, family members and employees. Then, the loan is paid back and the money can be loaned again.”

The Women in Technology event recognizes and honors women in the technology field who exemplify volunteer service in the community.

In 2007, the recipient was Lauren Kirby, president of TurnAround LLC. Kirby has provided Five Talents with capacity-building including implementation of a corporate policies and procedures manual.

In 2006, the recipient was Dr. April Young, senior vice president and managing director–US for MMVFinancial. She was honored for her work with Five Talents, where she has served on the board of directors and participated in trips to East Africa to teach basic business planning.

Women in Technology was founded in 1994 and represents professionals who work for technology companies or those that support technology companies in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., region. Its mission is to provide women in the technology community a networking and professional growth environment to develop relationships and create new opportunities.

“We are blessed to have such accomplished professional women supporting our work with their passion and expertise,” said Craig Cole, Five Talents president and CEO.

One Year Later, Microloans Continue to Provide Hope in Southern Sudan Village

2008-12-08T15:28:00.001-05:00

Thanks to the income from her small food business, Ahok, who is a single mother living in Lietnhom, Sudan, is now able to send all five of her children to school. Akot, her 10-year-old son, has begun first grade – one step toward his dream of becoming a doctor.

“I love my mother,” Akot said. “She gives me milk and biscuits every day. I also love my school uniform; I look smart in school."

Ahok started her business with a $75 loan. She has now received a second loan of $150 from the village bank in Lietnhom, which was established by a consortium of organizations, including Five Talents, World Concern and the Episcopal Church of Sudan.

December marks Five Talents’ one-year anniversary of supporting this innovative microcredit program, but it hasn’t been without tragedy.

In May, Lietnhom was raided and burned to the ground by a rival ethnic clan. One of the few buildings remaining was the village bank and, remarkably, the $10,000 in members’ savings was still secure.

“Even though the conflict affected most of the people in the community, there is still hope,” said Harun Mutuma, World Concern program manager. “Many people are struggling to start life all over again. Let’s all pray for Christ’s witness in Sudan because this is the only way to ensure that lasting peace prevails.”

The nearly 400 members of the village bank have started rebuilding their shops and are repaying the loans they received in March. At the moment, they don’t have many wares to sell, but they are slowly restocking their shops by traveling the difficult and dangerous 112 miles by bicycle to the major town of Wau.

Despite the hardships of the past few months, the program has already replicated itself with the start of two new village and savings loan associations in the nearby town of Luanyeker. Each has 20 women.

Ahok challenges other women to start businesses so they too can provide for their families. And, she has set an example worth following – single-handedly, she has sent her oldest son to secondary school in Kampala, Uganda, since there are no high schools in Lietnhom.

“I do not know what would have happened to my family and children if Five Talents had not come to our town,” Ahok said. “Before they came, I was not able to buy enough food, school books or uniforms for my children. Now, I am able to support my children with all they need.”

Five Talents is based in Vienna, Va., with an office in London, England. For more information, visit http://www.fivetalents.org/.

Akot Takes First Step Toward Becoming a Doctor

2008-12-03T17:57:00.001-05:00

Thanks to the income his mother now earns from her small food business, 10-year-old Akot has begun first grade, the first step toward his dream of becoming a doctor. Ahok, Akot’s mother, used small loans to begin selling prepared food items, like vegetable dishes and sandwiches, in Lietnhom, Sudan. With the income from her business, this single mother has been able to send all five of her children to school.

“When I finish school, I would like to be a doctor,” Akot said. “I will also start a business like my mother and when I get money I will build a house for my mom.”

“I love my mother,” he said. “She bought me a school uniform, and she gives me milk and biscuits every day to eat and drink. I also love my school uniform; I look smart in school, unlike many of my friends who do not have school uniforms and even books.”

Ahok started her business with a $75 loan. She has now received a second loan of $150 from the village bank in Lietnhom, which was established by a consortium of organizations, including Five Talents, World Concern and the Episcopal Church of Sudan.

“My children rely on my business, because I receive little or no support from my husband,” she said. “I am determined to make sure that all my children get good education, because I feel this is what will help them in future.”

She challenges other women in her town to start businesses so that they too can provide their families with basic needs. And, she has set an example worth following – single-handedly, she has been able to send her oldest son to secondary school in Kampala, Uganda, since there are no high schools in Lietnhom.

Ahok is one of the most respected women in her village because of the way she is caring for her children.

“I do not know what would have happened to my family and children if Five Talents had not come to our town,” Ahok said. “Before they came, I was not able to buy enough food, school books or uniforms for my children. Now, I am able to support my children with all they need.”

Established in 1999, Five Talents International has provided funding for business training and thousands of loans, ranging from $50 to $300, in 15 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin 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 http://www.fivetalents.org/.

This story is the third story in a five-week series – Five Weeks with Five Talents: Children of Microfinance.

Visit Five Talents This Weekend at Two Alternative Gift Fairs in Northern Virginia

2008-12-03T16:59:00.000-05:00

This weekend, Five Talents will have representatives at two alternative gift fairs in Northern Virginia.

Church of the Holy Comforter
543 Beulah Rd., Vienna, VA
Saturday, Dec. 6: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 7: 9 a.m. to noon (event may last until 4 p.m.)
www.holycomforter.com

Truro Church
10520 Main St., Fairfax, VA
Saturday, Dec. 6: 1:30 to 5 p.m.
www.trurochurch.org

At both locations, you can meet members of our staff, learn more about the work of Five Talents and purchase Create a Job cards, featuring the children of microentrepreneurs, for Christmas gifts!

Hope to see you this weekend!

New Videos are Here!

2008-12-01T11:56:00.003-05:00

Check out Five Talents' newest videos:

Five Talents in India - Chennai
Five Talents in East Africa

One $75 Loan Provides Hope for a Family, Self-Confidence to a Fifth Grader in Tanzania

2008-11-25T15:21:00.002-05:00

Twelve-year-old Atupenda hopes to become a teacher one day. This fifth grader attends school in Kilolo, Tanzania. Her favorite subject is English, and she plays netball after school with her friends.

Her mother, Atuitie, recently paid back her first loan of $75 to the Mama Bahati Foundation, a Five Talents microfinance partner based in Iringa, Tanzania. She used the loan to increase the inventory of her small vegetable store, which resulted in new customers and increased sales. The additional income for the family has given Atupenda a new sense of self-confidence.

“The loan has enabled our family to have better clothes to wear,” Atupenda said.

The Mama Bahati Foundation (MBF) currently has 740 clients. The average initial loan size is $54, and the average repayment rate is 99 percent. MBF was registered as a Tanzanian non-governmental organization (NGO) in February 2006, in order to provide microfinance services to women in, and around, Iringa. The project is named after a poor Tanzanian woman called Mama Bahati or “Mother of Chance,” who used a loan of $8 to break out of the cycle of poverty. The project is the idea of the former Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Tanzania Donald Mtetemela.

Because of the foundation’s work and her mother’s success, Atupenda is excited about the new possibilities open to her. Being able to pay for the education necessary to become a teacher is now more than a wish, it is a reality.

Established in 1999, Five Talents International has provided funding for business training and thousands of loans, ranging from $50 to $300, in 15 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin 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 http://www.fivetalents.org/.

This story is the second story in a five-week series – Five Weeks with Five Talents: Children of Microfinance.

Bill Eggbeer Joins Five Talents Board of Directors

2008-11-24T16:03:00.001-05:00

Five Talents International announces Bill Eggbeer has been named to the board of directors. Eggbeer is a Director with BDC Advisors LLC in Washington, D.C., where he leads the firm’s physician engagement practice and provides consulting services to healthcare providers and health plans in strategy, business development and facilitating complex business relationships.

Eggbeer has most recently volunteered with Five Talents to help develop a three-year strategy, which will be launched in 2009.

“Bill brings a wealth of strategic planning knowledge and expertise,” said Fred Kalema-Musoke, Five Talents chairman of the board. “We are grateful for his passion for our mission, and we are excited to welcome him to the board. Five Talents is looking forward to benefitting from his insights, wisdom and counsel as we celebrate 10 years of service and plan for the future growth of our Christian microenterprise ministry to the poor.”

Eggbeer began his career in Booz Allen’s healthcare practice. He has also worked as a senior executive at Marriott and at Manor Care.

Eggbeer holds a Master of Management (MBA) degree in Marketing and Health Services Management from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, where he was named a Distinguished Scholar and the Outstanding Graduate in Health Services Management. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Studies with honors from Lawrence University.

Eggbeer is married and has three sons. He is active in his community and his church, St. Dunstan’s Episcopal in Bethesda, Md.

Established in 1999, Five Talents International has provided funding for business training and thousands of loans, ranging from $50 to $300, in 15 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Each loan finances a microbusiness that in turn employs at least 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 http://www.fivetalents.org/.

Ministry Wraps Five Talents with Prayer Shawls

2008-11-20T10:38:00.005-05:00

Three years ago, it was an answer to prayer that led Ginna Vickory to the St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church Prayer Shawl Guild in Portland, Ore. Now, it’s the gift of prayer that has led her to merge this ministry with the work of Five Talents.

A prayer shawl is hand-crocheted using a pattern of three to symbolize the Holy Trinity. As members crochet the shawls, they pray for the recipients with the desire that each shawl is a blend of prayers, talents, gifts and grace. It is a tangible way for them to show God’s love to all of his people.

Vickory has been a Five Talents prayer partner for about six months. During that time, she received many prayer requests and noted several individuals that she thought should receive shawls. This summer, she connected with Five Talents’ prayer coordinator to make the match – sending one of the prayer shawls to East Africa for Esther Nakamatte, the new manager of Five Talents Uganda, and in September, she sent one to Mei Cen, the executive director of GERHATI in Indonesia. The prayer shawl guild hopes to share their gifts with others in the Five Talents family in the future.

“I was interested in the prayers that were being sent out and thought that my interest in Five Talents was a good match,” she said. “Five Talents allows people to maintain their dignity and to take care of themselves. No one likes hand outs. And, the money continues to be given out as loans are paid back.”

Vickory is all too familiar with the desire to be productive in a dignified manner. In 2001, she suffered a severe head injury after falling from a horse. For her, this accident has resulted in difficulty processing large amounts of stimulation, focusing her eyes, reading and coping with noise. But, because crocheting is a neutral activity, it doesn't require Vickory to focus her eyes – she only has to use the muscle memory in her fingers.

Vickory recalls her first prayer shawl meeting at St. Gabriel's: “A dear woman was trying to teach me to knit, she said. I heard her words, I saw her hands, I saw my hands, but my fingers refused to move. I cried in the car after the meeting. Then, I went to the local yarn shop, bought a crocheting book and slowly trained my hands to follow the directions.”

To date, the St. Gabriel’s prayer shawl guild, which has 30 members, has given out more than 200 shawls. Recipients have been individuals who are ill, have recently lost a loved one, or are heading into war. The guild has also given shawls to celebrate graduations and to honor new mothers.

“Often, I produce the most shawls on the weeks when I am unable to ‘be productive’ doing ordinary things,” Vickory said. “I think God has a great sense of humor. Before my accident, I doubt if I would have taken the time to learn how to knit and crochet. Now, it is all an adventure combining textures, colors and patterns.”

Vickory estimates that she personally makes two to four prayer shawls a month, investing about 15 hours of her time in each one.

“I see prayer shawls as an opportunity to give someone a hug,” Vickory said. “The person doesn't need to talk, or explain anything. It is just there, warm and soft, whenever he or she needs it.”

Established in 1999, Five Talents International has provided funding for business training and thousands of loans, ranging from $50 to $300, in 15 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin 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 http://www.fivetalents.org/.

Jobs for Indonesian Adults Bring Hope to Children

2008-11-19T16:33:00.002-05:00

Five-year-old Esther is thankful for milk. Since her mother, Phiong, joined GERHATI in Jakarta, Indonesia, and expanded her cake business, her family of six can now afford to buy nutritious food and to pay for Esther’s school fees – she’s in kindergarten this year!

Phiong owed a loan shark $820. Without the means to pay it back, she became desperate and contemplated committing suicide.

That’s when members of the Anggrek Ciracas loan group stepped in to help. They encouraged her and prayed for her, asking God to strengthen her and to help her overcome her family’s problems and improve their finances. Phiong received a $43 loan to purchase the supplies she needed to continue operating her small business — selling traditional cakes at a school in East Jakarta.

Five Talents partner GERHATI, a microenterprise development program based in Jakarta, also helped by securing weekly cake orders for her business. Phiong has gradually been able to pay off her debt and has now started attending services at Ciracas Church.

Her daughter Esther looks forward to the GERHATI project officer’s visits to their home. She calls him Uncle Yuven.

“I’m always excited when Uncle Yuven comes because he is nice, and he loves me and my mom just like the Lord Jesus does. One day Uncle came, and I shouted, ‘Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Lord Jesus is coming, Mommy!’”

With the support of GERHATI, Phiong no longer has debt and can pay for her children’s education.

“Now, I can drink milk and pay my school tuition fees,” Esther said. “Mom said she will start selling noodles so that my brother, Yohanes, and I can continue to go to school. I pray that the Lord Jesus continues to help us.”

This story is the first in a series – Five Weeks with Five Talents: Children of Microfinance.

In 2002, GERHATI (which is an acronym in the local language for “Gateway of Hope for Human Transformation”) was conceived and developed by Five Talents in partnership with the Anglican Diocese of Singapore and All Saints Church in Jakarta. GERHATI is working in two communities in Jakarta: Bekasi and Cipayung.

Established in 1999, Five Talents International has provided funding for business training and thousands of loans, ranging from $50 to $300, in 15 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin 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 http://www.fivetalents.org/.

Nov. 9 Sermon by Father Jeff MacKnight

2008-11-17T11:43:00.002-05:00

Father Jeff MacKnight
St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church
Bethesda, Maryland

Today’s scriptures are full of doom, gloom, and judgment – not our favorite topics in Holy Scripture. The prophet Zephaniah warns:

“Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s wrath.”

If we change “silver” and “gold” to “stocks” and “bonds,” we have a stunningly prescient view of our own economic mess today! It never ceases to amaze me how these scriptures, written 3,000 to 4,000 years ago, continue to be relevant today.

But today I wish to focus on the Parable of the Talents, and on our new outreach partner, Five Talents International. This well-known parable is a practical guide to God’s will for us, especially when it comes to how we use our money and other resources God has given us.

It’s like Jesus’ advice against hiding your light under a bushel – God clearly doesn’t want us to hoard our wealth for ourselves and our own security. If this economic crisis is teaching us anything, it is that our hordes of wealth are not as safe, not as secure as we thought. They will never be the source of true security and peace. God does not approve when the “haves” of this world hoard, while the “have-nots” starve.

The Parable of the Talents reminds us not to hoard and bury what God has entrusted to us, but to use it, invest it, and yes, take some risks with it, so the wealth can grow and all can benefit. Even putting the talent in the bank to collect interest is better than burying it in the ground, we are told (especially if the bank deposit is FDIC insured). Throughout the Bible, “spreading the wealth around” is not a bad thing; it’s a good thing.

Today we focus on Five Talents International, and St. Dunstan’s new investment in it. St. Dunstan’s has committed $8,000 per year for three years, for a micro-lending program in a Dominican Republic village called La Barquita.

Thursday night I attended a meeting to learn more about Five Talents – a nine-year-old organization of which the Archbishop of Canterbury is patron. It is run by a small professional staff in Vienna, Virginia, and London, England. Five Talents is currently helping 20,000 of the poorest people around the world to achieve economic self-sufficiency. We were told how one woman got a $60 loan for her waffle-cone business. She bought a stove and several waffle irons, increased her production dramatically, hired several new workers, and now makes 46,000 waffle-cones per month. That’s a lot of ice cream cones.

Bill Eggbeer, now a board member of Five Talents – will tell us more after church about this phenomenal program, and what our investment – our talents – will do in La Barquita to fufill the Five Talents mission: “Fighting Poverty, Creating Jobs, Transforming Lives.” It’s amazing what a small loan, often just $142, can do in poor countries: actually start a business, support a family, get children in school, create new jobs, and perhaps most importantly, restore dignity to human beings – each one a child of God.

Thinking about these small, important loans, I remembered something I haven’t thought about in years. When I was starting college 30 years ago, I needed to make money to get myself through. I could play the piano and sing, so I thought of working in a piano bar. But I needed some sound equipment. So I went to my old accordion teacher, who owned a small music store. He lent me a couple of hundred dollars to buy a used sound system and microphone. I started working weekends, and soon was able to pay off my loan, and get the rest of what I needed. I played and sang a lot of Friday and Saturday nights to get myself through college.

I was blessed when someone took a chance and invested in me, so I could start a little business and put myself through school.

Would that all God’s children around the world could be given that chance, to become self-supporting and live a life of dignity. AMEN.

Five Weeks with Five Talents: Children of Microfinance

2008-11-11T15:49:00.003-05:00

During the next five weeks, we’ll be sharing stories from the children of Five Talents’ entrepreneurs.

You’ll meet Akot from Sudan – a 10-year-old boy who is now attending school, thanks to the income from his mom’s food business in Lietnhom. Esther, who lives in Jakarta, Indonesia, is all smiles as she talks about her mom’s business. Why? Because now she gets to drink milk everyday! And, Maria from Kasubi, Uganda, now attends school with confidence – dressed in her school uniform – because of the income from her mom’s vegetable stand.

That’s what makes Five Talents unique. Person by person, loan by loan, we help liberate the God-given talents of poor individuals and families and give them a chance to make something better of their lives. And, it’s the children of these microentrepreneurs who will feel the difference for a lifetime.

By providing parents with small loans, they are able to send their children to school, provide them with healthy meals and offer a safe living environment.

I hope you’ll be encouraged by the impact small loans are making on the lives of the entrepreneurs as well as their children!

And, this Christmas, we’re making it easy for you to join the effort. Instead of giving another sweater, you can provide a hand up to a family with the gift of a microloan. Making a difference, one mom at a time.

* Give a small loan in honor of a friend or family member.
* In appreciation, we’ll send you a holiday card featuring the child of a Five Talents’ entrepreneur to give as a gift.
* Visit http://www.fivetalents.org/content.asp?contentid=585 to view recognition of your gift. (And if you let us know who the recipient is, we'll post their name as well!)
* Know that in six months, your loan will be given out again to another deserving entrepreneur!

For more information, visit www.FiveTalents.org, email kelliross@fivetalents.org or call (703) 242-6016 or (800) 670-6355.

This Sunday (Nov. 16) is Five Talents Sunday!

2008-11-10T13:46:00.002-05:00

Just a reminder that this Sunday -- yes, in just six days -- is Five Talents Sunday!

Join Five Talents to help lift villages out of crushing poverty, create jobs and transform lives in the world’s poorest regions.

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

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.

Dignity

2008-11-03T14:48:00.002-05:00

Dignity.

This is the one word I want people to remember when they think about the plight of the poorest in our neighborhood, in our country and in our world.

It is a shame that we continue to overlook the gifts and talents of those who are poor. We still see them as lazy, uneducated, always making bad choices, needing our help to survive. This view of the poor is simply wrong. The description of the poor I have just given describes me and many of my friends and colleagues on occasion.

So, why is it that as Christians we sometimes see the poor as a group of people that need us to solve their problems? In graduate school, we called this the “Messiah” complex. It’s like taking an old saying and putting a twist to it, “We are from an affluent church and we are here to help.”

Does help mean giving out plastic sunglasses to children in a village in Sudan when they have little to eat? Is throwing candy to a group of children from a bus that is leaving a village really a smart idea. Some think it’s cute to watch these children scramble and then devour the treats. I think it’s demeaning. And, quite frankly, I am tired of seeing these kinds of things over and over again.

What about a development project that doesn’t involve any of the people in the community only those coming from the outside? How about building a school and never involving the local labor who are desperate for work and actually have the right knowledge?

During the summer, a rival clan, who had some disagreements over cattle, burned down a village in the Wau district of Sudan. Five Talents International along with the Episcopal Diocese of Wau and several other international organizations, including World Relief and World Concern, had established a microcredit and savings program in this village. More than 350 members had saved about 10,000 US dollars over about 18 months in their village bank. When the clan burned down the village, one of the buildings left standing was the bank and the money was safe. Why?

The primary reason was because it was their money and it was their bank. We didn’t put any outside loan capital into the bank; they owned it all. The consortium of organizations only assisted with training to start the group savings project and mentor them as it grew.

I believe, as does everyone else associated with the program, that if the outsiders had controlled the program, dictated the design of the program and put all the money into it without involving the community - the money and the bank would have disappeared when the village was raided.

Santino, the chairman of the village bank, said this. “If you grow your own grain, you will be careful how you use it. If the grain is given to you, you can finish it in a few days.”

Independence creates dignity not dependency. Ownership creates opportunity for the poor to develop their own skills and talents.

On Nov. 16, many congregations in most of the mainline denominations will read the parable of the talent (Matthew 25:14-30). The second verse in that parable is, “And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability.”

This is a very powerful statement, “each according to his own ability.” I am convinced that this passage says that God gives us all abilities and that we are to use them to help ourselves, our families and our communities. This is a very liberating message for the destitute and really for all of us.

When we give away things to the poor, when we run the project for them instead of with them, I believe we are crushing this important message of empowerment. We leave instead the poor dependent and feeling unworthy and demeaned.

I hope you will think and reflect upon this parable Nov. 16, which we have called Five Talents Sunday. We have developed curriculum for Sunday Schools and other materials for those interested in finding ways to serve with the poor instead of doing everything for the poor.

Craig Cole is the Executive Director of Five Talents International, a member of the Diocese of Virginia's Mission Commission and an EGR board member.

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

2008-10-30T13:21:00.001-04:00

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

2008-10-08T14:08:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-07T10:18:00.001-04:00

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.

Five Talents to be GoodSearch.com Charity of the Day on Oct. 8

2008-09-30T11:14:00.001-04:00

We just received this exciting news...

Five Talents International will be featured as the Charity of the Day on GoodSearch.com on Wednesday, Oct. 8!

Please remember to use GoodSearch.com, the Yahoo-powered search engine, for all of your web searches as we receive a penny every time you do a search!

And, please do all of your online shopping through GoodSearch.com, the online shopping mall which donates a percentage of each purchase to us! (Just select Five Talents as your preferred charity.) Hundreds of great stores including Target, Gap, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, Macy's and ebay have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you'll be supporting us!

You can use GoodSearch and GoodShop every day, but be sure to check us out on the GoodSearch homepage on Wednesday, Oct. 8!! And, remember to tell your friends!

What is a Christian organization anyway?

2008-09-25T10:28:00.001-04:00

I usually sign my thank you letters to Five Talents supporters with the words, “Yours in Christ.” Several times, I have had phone calls asking me not to send letters with those words as they found it offensive. The ending, “God Bless” was OK as that was more neutral. So, admittedly, I have gotten a little skittish and diluted it even further. I now sometimes sign letters with “Warm Regards” depending on the audience.

This little battle within me may seem trivial but it reflects a larger issue about how to maintain and grow a Christian microenterprise development organization.

There is a fundamental question that is sometimes asked of me during presentations or in private conversations afterward: “What is the difference between a Christian organization and a secular organization?

It is an easy answer if the question is about motivation. Christian organizations are motivated by God’s love to help the least of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

It’s a more difficult answer if the question is about how Christianity is practiced within the context of projects in the field.

I would suggest that being a Christian organization goes beyond just motivation and a scriptural reference. It means that at the very heart of a Christian organization beats a desire to see lives transformed by the love of Jesus Christ and His saving grace.

Spiritual transformation means there is intent to work and partner with the local church, which is God’s institution to carry out His mission. There is also the intent to incorporate holistic activities like Bible studies on stewardship, trainings on life skills and discussions on faith issues.

For example in Peru, Sister Patrician of the Anglican Church of Peru carried out a pastoral reflection on the family with some of the loan beneficiaries of one of our microcredit programs near Lima. The beneficiaries had the opportunity to ask question about how to improve the quality of family life and how to encourage their children to read the Bible. At the end, they shared a snack and had the opportunity to get to know other beneficiaries of other Village Banks and Solidarity Groups.

In Indonesia it’s not culturally sensitive to have overt spiritual development programs for the beneficiaries, 95 percent of whom are Muslim. It is possible, however, to encourage the Christian staff of GERHATI (an acronym in the local language for ‘Gateway of Hope for Human Transformation’). The local Anglican pastors and board members of GERHATI come to speak to build character and nurture the spiritual development of the microfinance staff. One such talk was on God being the owner of GERHATI and that being an employee is a service to God. The intent is for the staff to overflow with the love of God and be a blessing to those they meet regardless of faith. They base this concept on the apostle Paul who wrote that he was “being poured out like a drink offering” (Phil. 2:17).

For some reading this, these activities may seem beyond what a Christian microenterprise development organization should be doing. It should stick to finances and actions not words will be enough. But, I have found it is the indigenous church that asks for the intentional and practical ways to share the Gospel and be involved in the faith lives of their community members.

In the end, there will always be somewhat of a “dance” or balance when we try to maintain a Christian ethos to our work. And, that balance is especially difficult when money matters. Will corporations, government or individuals give if the organization is Christian, or possibly “too” Christian. What happens when someone wants to give a million dollars but any Christian witness is out of the question? Or, will we offend a potential large donor by signing a letter “Yours in Christ?”

Those are tough questions to answer as it could mean mission drift or possibly morphing into a secular organization that is no longer motivated by Christ, nor intentional about sharing the Good News. All too often in the non-profit world, the heart of the Christian organization will stop beating for Christ. The organization that was making a difference for Christ is now no different in its delivery of services than any other humanitarian organization. That is a tragedy. “For I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

Yours in Christ,

Craig Cole

Craig is the executive director of Five Talents International, a member of Diocese of Virginia's Mission Commission and an EGR board member.

Youth Fight Poverty, Start Businesses Through Five Talents Market Day Event

2008-09-24T14:14:00.002-04:00

Adopt a pet rock today! That was just one of the businesses featured at last year’s Five Talents Market Day at Church of the Holy Comforter in Vienna, Va. And, it’s possible, that these inanimate “pets” will be available again this year as the church prepares to participate in Five Talents Sunday on Nov. 16.

Last year, Katie Puschel of Vienna, Va., pictured left, was one of the students who was given $5, asked to come up with a business plan and then sell her wares at the Market Day event. At Holy Comforter, students in grades four through six are offered the opportunity to participate using the Five Talents-produced Sunday School curriculum and over the course of three years approximately 50 have showcased their businesses.

“The goal is to provide a framework with which teachers can expose children to poverty and what the Bible says about the poor,” said Five Talents Executive Director Craig Cole. “The parable of the talents contains a powerful and liberating message that everyone, even the poor living on $1 a day, has God-given talents and skills that can help them break out of poverty.”

Each year after the Market Day, the students at Holy Comforter then decide which Five Talents program to support with the money they made from their businesses. Since 2005, they have sent money to Africa, Peru and the Philippines.

Holy Comforter initially held the Market Day event because the church’s mission committee wanted to find a way to engage students with international missions, said Market Day Coordinator Leslie Barnhart.

“I think the students have learned that there are people in other countries that need mosquito nets or that need a cow for their business,” Barnhart said. “They are learning about other parts of the world and are learning a little bit about business.”

Sadly, almost half of the world now struggles for survival on less than $2 a day. However, 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, poor entrepreneurs can start small businesses – like purchasing chickens to sell eggs. Gifts to Five Talents help, help and help again as these small investments are repaid and the funds loaned out again to others.

In many denominations, the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) is the reading for Sunday, Nov. 16.

“It is our hope that using the Five Talents Sunday School curriculum will encourage the church to more fully engage its own talents, to empower the children in the church and to provoke thought and discussion about God’s view on poverty,” Cole said.

For more information or to receive a Five Talents Sunday Kit, call (800) 670-6355, email Helga Buck at helgabuck@fivetalents.org or visit http://www.fivetalents.org/.

Five Talents Fall Reading Picks Are Here!

2008-09-23T09:48:00.007-04:00

Since today marks the first full day of fall (it officially started late yesterday morning), it's time for us to announce our picks for your fall reading list.

(Remember by purchasing these books through GoodShop and selecting Five Talents as your preferred charity, a percentage of your purchase price will be donated to the work of Five Talents!)

So, grab a cup of hot cider, throw on a sweatshirt, enjoy the crisp air and crack open a book ... Happy reading!

A Billion Bootstraps: Microcredit, Barefoot Banking, and the Business Solution for Ending Poverty
By Phil Smith and Eric Thurman

A bold manifesto by two business leaders, A Billion Bootstraps shows why microcredit is the world's most powerful poverty-fighting movement-and an unbeatable investment for your charitable donations.

A Billion Bootstraps unearths the roots of the microcredit revolution, revealing how the pioneering work of people such as Dr. Muhammad Yunus-winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize-is giving hope to billions. Philanthropist and self-made millionaire Phil Smith and microcredit expert and consultant Eric Thurman provide a riveting narrative that explores how these small loans, arranged by “barefoot bankers,” enable impoverished people to start small businesses, support their families, and improve local economies. By paying back their loans instead of simply accepting handouts, men and women around the world are continually giving others the same opportunity to change their futures.

Smith and Thurman also examine why traditional charity programs, while providing short-term relief, often perpetuate the problems they are trying to alleviate, and how applying investment principles to philanthropy is the key to reversing poverty permanently.

A Billion Bootstraps explains how ordinary people can accelerate the microcredit movement by investing charitable donations in specific programs and then leveraging those contributions so the net cost to lift one person out of poverty is remarkably low. You'll discover how to get more for your money by donating with the mind-set of an investor and calculating measurable returns-returns that will change lives and societies forever.

Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving from Affluence to Generosity By Ronald J. Sider

Do you want to make a true difference in the world? Dr. Ron Sider does. He has, since before he first published Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger in 1978. Despite a dramatic reduction in world hunger since then, 34,000 children still die daily of starvation and preventable disease, and 1.3 billion people, worldwide, remain in abject poverty. So, the professor of theology went back to re-examine the issues by twenty-first century standards. Finding that Conservatives blame morally reprehensible individual choices, and Liberals blame constrictive social and economic policy, Dr. Sider finds himself agreeing with both sides.

In this new look at an age-old problem, he offers not only a detailed explanation of the causes, but also a comprehensive series of practical solutions, in the hopes that Christians like him will choose to make a difference. Christianity Today calls it “One of the Top 100 Religious Books of the Century.”

Walking With the Poor: Principles and Practices of Transformational Development
By Bryant L. Myers

Theology, spirituality, and social science are synthesized in the definitive book on how Christian mission can contribute to overcoming poverty and dismantling systematic social evil. Myers explores Christian views of poverty, its causes, and how it is experienced differently in different cultures. Especially designed for use in classes or in field education, Walking with the Poor contains a unique series of charts that can be made into overheads as well as a bibliography and a scriptural index.

Five Talents Director of Development Honored by President Bush

2008-09-18T15:42:00.001-04:00

Five Talents Director of Development Joann Barron was honored by President George W. Bush as a member of America’s Army of Compassion at a special ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on Sept. 8.

“I appreciate the fact that those here represent the hundreds of thousands of our citizens who answered the call to love a neighbor like we'd like to be loved ourselves,” President Bush said during his address honoring volunteerism. “I appreciate the fact that you and others lift up souls, one person at a time. You strengthen the foundation of our democracy, which is the engagement of our people. I want to thank you for what you do.”

Barron, pictured on left, has been a volunteer through the Voluntary Action Center of the Greater Prince William (Va.) Area for more than 17 years. During this time, she also served on the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) board of directors, which is administered through the Voluntary Action Center, and was deputy director of Action in the Community Through Service of Prince William County for 15 years.

“This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she said. “I felt very privileged and honored to be invited as a member of America’s Army of Compassion.”

Barron has worked at Five Talents since September 2007.

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 http://www.fivetalents.org/.

To read the full transcript of President Bush’s remarks, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/09/20080908-6.html.

Help Us Impact Twice as Many Lives by Sept. 30

2008-09-18T12:42:00.000-04:00

Through your generosity, we are now funding 12 programs in 9 countries, including new projects in the Dominican Republic, Tanzania and Southern Sudan. There is exciting work ahead, and your support is greatly needed to help thousands more break out of the cycle of poverty.

A generous family has graciously given $100,000 to Five Talents as a Challenge Grant. As a result, your gifts of $1,000 and above will be matched - dollar for dollar - now through Sept. 30! I invite you to prayerfully consider helping us meet this $100,000 goal in order to reach those living in desperate situations making $1 or $2 a day.

As an added benefit, renowned Christian artist Sandra Bowden has created 42 mixed media gold leaf cross drawings especially for this Five Talents Challenge Grant. Donors giving gifts of $1,000 and above will not only have their gift matched but will also receive one of these extraordinary pieces of art, which is ready for framing. (Click here to view this art.)

Please know the demand for our services is high and would-be entrepreneurs around the world are waiting. It is only with your continued prayers and support that we will fulfill God's mission for Five Talents. Click here to participate in the Challenge Grant!

Five Talents celebrates 10 years at Lambeth Conference: July 21-27, 2008

2008-08-20T11:30:00.005-04:00

It was a great privilege to celebrate 10 years of Five Talents by attending the first week of the Lambeth Conference in late July. In 1998, Five Talents was commended by resolution to begin work in the field of microcredit. I am told that during that Lambeth more than 200 bishops and their wives gathered at a reception to launch Five Talents. As the story goes, one bishop’s wife challenged the organizers by saying, “We are tired of talk. This better be about action.”

It is safe to say we have responded to the challenge of the bishop’s wife. We are now helping 20,000 clients through 14 programs in 10 countries.

At this year’s Lambeth, we did our best to communicate this message through workshops, receptions and conversations. In the end, we talked to more than 100 bishops and their spouses about the work of Five Talents – and our mission to fight poverty, create jobs and transform lives – as they stopped by our exhibit in the conference’s marketplace.

One of the highlights for me came on Tuesday when, along with Five Talents UK Director Tom Sanderson, I gave a workshop on the practices and principles of church-based microenterprise development. The first session was attended by 25 of the bishops’ spouses. Rebecca Scruton, the wife of Bishop Gordon Scruton of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts and a Five Talents International board member, gave a wonderful introduction to the session. Dr. Maria Akrofi, the wife of Archbishop of West Africa Justice Akrofi, gave the closing remarks. We also were blessed to have Jane Williams, wife of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, attend the session. BBC Radio also covered the workshop as part of a story on the bishop’s spouses. (Photo above, left to right: Tom Sanderson, Dr. Maria Akrofi, Jane Williams and Craig Cole. Photo by Scott Gunn/ACNS)

Following the spouses workshop, 15 bishops, including one from Zambia, several from Sudan and others from Tanzania, came for a second session. Bishop Scruton gave the opening remarks commenting on the need for the church to remain focused on the poor.

On Thursday, I participated in the Walk of Witness Against Global Poverty with hundreds of bishops, faith leaders and executives from non-governmental organizations. The walk started at Whitehall, went past Parliament and finished at Lambeth Palace. It was an extraordinary event that ended with speeches by Archbishop of Canterbury Williams and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Later in the day – in an entirely different setting – I had tea with the Queen of England at Buckingham Palace along with more than 650 Anglican bishops and other dignitaries. Although I was not chosen to meet her personally, it was an incredible experience to stroll through the magnificent gardens behind the palace out of view from the busy Victoria section of London.

Throughout the week, we handed out invitations to a reception we were hosting on Saturday evening. We were thrilled to have 50 bishops and their spouses attend. (I was told by the event organizers that this was one of the better crowds for this type of event.) Bishop Simon Chiwanga, pictured left, one of the driving forces behind Five Talents and its first international chairman, gave an eloquent speech about the origins of Five Talents and why the church must be involved in alleviating poverty in a dignified way. His words were a resounding amen to all of our activities, which culminated in having the Five Talents display at the entrance of Canterbury Cathedral during the Sunday services.

Lambeth 2008 marks a milestone in the history of Five Talents, but it is just that – a marker along the road. As we look to the future, we continue to hear and to heed the same call – to stop talking and take action.

Reflections by Craig Cole, Five Talents International Executive Director

Thanks for Making Our First-Ever After Hours Event a Success!

2008-08-18T16:10:00.002-04:00

We hosted our first-ever Five Talents After Hours event last Friday. Despite a little rain, which brought everyone inside, we had a great time! We had nearly 60 in attendance, fantastic food provided by Aditi Bistro in Vienna and the chance to share about our work in India. Below are a few photos from the event ...

Walk for Witness

2008-08-14T11:26:00.003-04:00

Ten years ago at the 1998 Lambeth Conference, about 200 Bishops and their spouses came to a reception to launch Five Talents as a concrete answer to the ravages of grassroots poverty. I’m told by those who were in attendance that a bishop’s wife challenged the organizers by saying, “This better not be just talk. We want action.”

The challenge of the bishop’s wife has rung in my ears since I became the executive director of Five Talents International in September 1999. We did act and at this moment are helping 20,000 poor entrepreneurs in 14 projects located in 10 countries. On November 16, the parable of the talents is the Gospel reading. We will be asking churches to remember on “Five Talents Sunday,” that even those who suffer the indignity of being poor have God-given abilities that when used lead to empowerment and hope.

It was a privilege for me to attend the first week of the 2008 Lambeth Conference. Besides being in exhibit hall, we held two workshops for the bishops and their spouses and sponsored a social event to celebrate 10 years.

I also was honored to participate in the Walk for Witness on Global Poverty on July 24th. It was the first time ever that I have walked, run or carried a sign advocating for a cause. For those who know me, it’s just not something I do. But walking by Whitehall and Parliament on a clear sunny day was an amazing experience. More importantly, for the hour or so that it lasted, there was a feeling of unity and camaraderie especially among the bishops. At least from my vantage point this was true. I saw bishops from all different perspectives come together to witness on behalf of the poor who have no voice and live in desperate conditions. In fact, so many of the bishops on the walk experience this truth daily in their diocese whether in Sudan, Congo or Peru.

The focus on grassroots poverty and the churches’ important role in meeting the challenge of more than a billion people living on $1 or $2 a day is one point of agreement that binds the Anglican Communion together. In the end, though talking and walking doesn’t provide justice. Justice will roll down only when Christians act out the holistic gospel of Jesus Christ. Achieving the Millennium Development Goals will mean very little for the church unless we also share the love of Jesus Christ and His message of transformation and reconciliation while simultaneously serving the poor through water projects, HIV/AIDS treatment and even business development.

By Craig Cole, executive director of Five Talents International and an EGR board member.

Join Us For Five Talents After Hours: India on Aug. 15

2008-07-31T10:37:00.001-04:00

Date: Friday, August 15
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Five Talents Office
543 Beulah Rd., Vienna, VA 22180

Learn about Five Talents' work in India, enjoy Indian food (provided by Aditi Bistro in Vienna) and hear the stories of our entrepreneurs and of the impact small loans are having on their lives.
The evening will be filled with food, door prizes, conversation and, hopefully, you'll walk away with a better understanding of Five Talents' impact in India.

Please RSVP by Wednesday, August 13, so that we can have an accurate count for food, by calling (703) 242-6016 or emailing Kelli Ross at kelliross@fivetalents.org. Feel free to forward this invitation to your friends and family! (The Five Talents office is located in a brick house next to Church of the Holy Comforter.)

Click here to view the Evite.

Suggested donation: $10. (For a tax-deductible contribution, checks should be made out to Five Talents International.)

Join the Fight Against Poverty on Five Talents Sunday!

2008-07-23T10:42:00.004-04:00

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 (or any Sunday of your choosing!).

Call us at (800) 670-6355 to see how your church can make a lasting difference in the lives of the poor – as 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.

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. Receive the Five Talents Sunday Kit, which includes:

Sermon Resource Notes
Poster
Bulletin inserts
Bulletin cover
Children’s activities (Hard copies are available by contacting our office.)
Sunday School lessons
Background information on Five Talents’ spiritual and monetary investments
Creative suggestions on how all churches can participate including an International Dinner Cookbook
A list of Immediate Needs

Click on the links above to download electronic versions of the Five Talents Sunday Kit.To receive your FREE Five Talents Sunday Kit, please call (800) 670-6355 or email Laura Boafo at lauraboafo@fivetalents.org.

Virtual March for the MDGs on July 24

2008-07-08T13:12:00.000-04:00

On Thursday, July 24, more than 600 Anglican bishops, their spouses and other faith leaders from around the United Kingdom will march through central London on a Walk of Witness -- a symbolic moment of solidarity and coming together for the fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals to reflect to the world God's desire for justice and concern for the poor.
Now every Episcopalian can "march" with them.

The Episcopal Public Policy Network and Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation are sponsoring a "Virtual March for the MDGs" to coincide with the Lambeth Conference walk. The aim is the same. Only instead of marching through the streets of London, they're urging people to march virtually by filling Congressional inboxes in Washington, D.C., with emails demanding our leaders to share our commitment to achieving the MDGs and making poverty history.

Joining up is easy -- for individuals and congregations.
1) Between now and July 24, individuals can go to episcopal.grassroots.com/virtualmarch and sign up. On July 24, they'll get an email with a link to click and take an MDG-related advocacy action (the precise action will be decided in the coming weeks. EPPN will choose the most effective action based on the status of various pieces of anti-poverty legislation before Congress). The whole process will take no more than 3 minutes each time.

2) After July 1, congregations can go to www.e4gr.org/virtualmarch.html to download a brief liturgy that can be inserted in their Sunday Eucharist on July 20 and/or July 27 as well as special service leaflets for each Sunday so they can stand in solidarity with the Lambeth Conference's commitment to the MDGs and ending extreme poverty. Bulletin inserts for that Sunday will also be available at that time.

"This is an opportunity for the American Church to show we stand with our bishops at Lambeth in two tangible, active ways," said the Rev. Mike Kinman, executive director of Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation. "Through our prayer and advocacy, we will show that we speak with one voice in our commitment to seek and serve Christ in the poorest of God's children."

"Standing together with the Bishops at Lambeth we are saying with ONE voice -- now is the time -- today is the day to take one more step on the path to eradicating global poverty," said Mary Getz, grassroots coordinator for the Episcopal Office of Government Relations. "Just past the halfway point for the MDGs, it is more important than ever for us to speak with one voice to our governments' leaders."

Five Talents' Top Summer Reading Picks

2008-07-01T16:04:00.001-04:00

Summer is upon us, and now's the perfect time to crack open a book. To help guide your selections, I'm suggesting my Five Talents' Top Summer Reading Picks:

(If you are looking for a great summer read and you buy books online, please consider using Good Shop. By purchasing these books through Good Shop, you'll also be financially supporting Five Talents. Just enter "Five Talents International" as your preferred charity, and click on the Barnes & Noble link. When you make your book purchase, 2.5% of your purchase price will be donated to Five Talents!)

What Can One Person Do?: Faith to Heal a Broken World
By Sabina Alkire and Edmund Newell

What Can One Person Do? confronts a poverty-stricken world, and with clarity of purpose, offers practical steps to create lasting change. Global poverty can be reduced through a series of achievable objectives: the eight Millennium Developemnt goals agreed to by the international community at the Millennium Summit in 2000. World leaders and faith communities have adopted the MDGs, as well as the ideas found within this book -- for the authors demonstrate that as shared vision grows and as these goals are accomplished, human communities shall indeed flourish.

The Price of a Dream: the Story of the Grameen Bank
By David Bornstein

This book is the compelling story of the Grameen Bank. Founded by Muhammad Yunus in Bangladesh in 1976, the Grameen Bank has extended small loans for self-employment to more than two million women villagers and has helped lift hundreds of thousands out of poverty. The Grameen Bank's "trickle up" approach has inspired the creation of hundreds of microcredit programs around the world and helped to reshape international development policy.

Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust
By Immaculee Ilibagiza

In 1994, Immaculee Ilibagiza's idyllic world was ripped apart as Rwanda descended into a bloody genocide. Immaculee's family was brutally murdered during a killing spree that lasted three months and claimed the lives of nearly a million Rwandans.

Incredibly, Immaculee survived the slaughter. For 91 days, she and seven other women huddled silently together in the cramped bathroom of a local pastor while hundreds of machete-wielding killers hunted for them.

It was during those endless hours of unspeakable terror that Immaculee discovered the power of prayer, eventually shedding her fear of death and forging a profound and lasting relationship with God. She emerged from her bathroom hideout having discovered the meaning of truly unconditional love -- a love so strong she was able seek out and forgive her family's killers. The triumphant story of this remarkable young woman's journey through the darkness of genocide will inspire anyone whose life has been touched by fear, suffering and loss.

We've made it!

2008-06-17T17:21:00.002-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted here ... but that only means that things have been super busy in the office!

Throughout the month of May we were getting ready for two big events. Our board meeting and board reception, which were the first week of June, and our 5th annual X-OUT Poverty Golf Classic, which was last Thursday. It was a fantastic event, and I'm so thankful to all the sponsors, volunteers, donors, participants and committee members who made it happen! Well done and a huge thanks from the Five Talents office!

We are now heading into the summer season and getting ready for GAFCON and Lambeth, we'll be launching our Five Talents Sunday event in a few weeks (more about this later), and we're working on the finishing touches for our 2007 annual report.

More later...

The Inspiration

2008-06-09T15:30:00.002-04:00

There is a picture on the bookshelf overlooking my desk of a Haitian man standing on the crest of a mountain with a bright blue sky as the backdrop. His hands are on his hips in a determined stance as he looks across the peaks and valleys of his beloved country.

Fr. Andre Lozama, the Haitian in the picture, had reason to look determined. There was work to be done, a lot of work. He was in charge of pastoring five Episcopal missions in the rural southern region of Haiti near the town of Les Cayes. Each mission had a school, food program and church building with operating costs that well exceeded each congregation’s meager resources.

Despite this, he was never deterred. He was an energetic visionary with a practical side that knew how to put those visions into actions. He was always thinking of new ways to do things. On one of his rare trips to the United States, he once asked his host to stop the car so he could talk to a farmer who was out plowing the fields. Fr. Andre and the slightly surprised farmer chatted for an hour or so about agricultural techniques he might be able to apply in Haiti. Fr. Lozama didn’t know much about farming, but he knew that many of his congregation were subsistence farmers. He told his host that any bit of information that could help those farmers feed their families was worth asking about.

He preached the gospel on Sundays and lived it the other six days, rarely taking a rest.

And that’s how he died - working.

He was making the rounds of his missions before finally taking a much-needed vacation. He had diabetes and high blood pressure, and he had battled cancer into submission several years before. His doctor had told him he needed to take a rest.

When I gaze at the photo, I imagine him traveling up into the mountains to the remote villages to make sure everybody and everything was taken care of before he left for vacation. I am sure he was looking forward to spending time with his wife, Edith, and his children, who lived in Port-au-Prince most of the year.

But one night, a blood clot unexpectedly formed in his leg. One of his friends put him in his truck and sped into the darkness of the night over the unpaved and bumpy road to Port-au-Prince. I imagine, too, Fr. Andre’s pain. It must have been excruciating and having to be a passenger in a truck that was careening over rocks and skidding around large potholes must have made the pain almost intolerable.

Fr. Andre never saw his family again. He died before his friend reached Port-au-Prince. An unceremonious death for someone I consider a living saint. I think all saints should die performing God’s work. Fr. Andre had that privilege.

His example made me determined that one day I would find a way to ensure those pastors and priests on the frontlines on the war against injustice and poverty were not fighting a lonely battle.

By Craig Cole, the executive director of Five Talents International, an Anglican microfinance nonprofit, a member of Diocese of Virginia's Mission Commission and an EGR board member.

My War

2008-05-07T13:33:00.000-04:00

Memorial Day is approaching and I am starting to feel guilty. Well, my emotions are more complex than just mere guilt. I feel the sadness and loss of a missed opportunity to serve my country in the military. During the first Gulf War, many of my high school friends were part of Desert Storm. As an editorial assistant for a Chicago area newspaper at the time, I collected and published stories and photographs from families of those serving “over there”. One of them was killed. I sat behind a desk.

I am now over 40 and I am too old to join this fight, but I still feel a pull to go because despite the cliché, there is no shame in the sacrifice of serving our country. I should be there in Afghanistan or Iraq.

There is a desperate desire for shared sacrifice at the very soul of our country. Yet as individuals we have not been given a concrete opportunity to do so by our government and thus we are disengaged from a struggle that has historic implications for the future of our country and for the world.

To quell my guilt and disengagement, I sometimes refer to the work of poverty alleviation as “My War.” I have seen children die of malaria, mothers who die at childbirth and the awful stench of life in a slum. Poverty ravages and kills innocent children each day and creates such despair that those who survive choose terrorism and suicide bombings as their one path to riches.

What’s more patriotic, and in the best interests of the United States, than stabilizing societies and countries through economic development? A secure household with parents who have jobs even in a slum like Kibera in Kenya or in Lahore, Pakistan can translate into security here at home.

My heroes are not only those who serve in the armed forces, but those in the relief and development agencies and churches at the frontlines who help rebuild and love their neighbor in the pits of hell. My friend Brian is finishing a tour with USAID in Iraq while his wife and three children wait for his return. And, I think of Anna, who about a month ago died in Afghanistan while working with a non-governmental organization. Although her death was an accident and not related to the conflict, she still leaves six siblings and two parents grieving the loss of a young, vibrant life. This too is her Memorial Day.

There are many opportunities at home and abroad to transform lives and assist those who live on the very margins of society. We must act now not just militarily, not just diplomatically but at the very grassroots achieving what is unthinkable but is more urgent than ever – creating employment, stabilizing communities and ending radical poverty before the next car bomb goes off somewhere _ maybe even here in the United States.

As Christians, it is imperative that we engage in this world, not just by voting on the best American Idol, but through service and sacrifice. There is a war out there on poverty and misery that we can all agree needs to be fought. Let’s not miss this opportunity. We may regret it later in life.

By Craig Cole is the executive director of Five Talents International, an Anglican microfinance nonprofit, a member of Diocese of Virginia's Mission Commission and an EGR board member.

Become a Faithful Servant Giving Partner Today!

2008-04-30T17:34:00.002-04:00

By the end of this summer, you can change the life of a deserving entrepreneur with a monthly gift of only $20.

For less than $1 a day, you could provide a man or woman in Latin America, Africa or Asia with a small business loan in just three months!

With your recurring monthly gift, you will be partnering with Five Talents to fight poverty, create jobs and transform lives. Your investment in the future of a poor entrepreneur will help them start a small business.

It's easy to join Five Talents as a Faithful Servant Giving Partner. Just decide whether your monthly gift comes from your credit card or from your bank, and then sign up by visiting www.fivetalents.org .

These recurring gifts will provide Five Talents with the funds necessary to respond to the ravages of poverty on the world's poor by providing deserving entrepreneurs with small loans to start a business. As these loans are repaid, your contribution will be reinvested and given to other poor entrepreneurs.

Help us Fight Poverty by empowering the poor and breaking the cycle of destitution, Create Jobs through small loans and business training and Transform Lives by giving hard-working entrepreneurs the dignity of supporting their families and providing economic opportunities for their communities.

Watch our New Video Featuring Five Talents' Project in Tanzania

2008-04-23T11:40:00.002-04:00

Check out this video and learn more about Five Talents' partnership with the Mama Bahati Foundation in Tanzania!