My War

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!

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

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

Craig Cole to speak at Purdue University

Tomorrow, our executive director Craig Cole will be speaking on the campus of Purdue University. He'll be part of a panel discussion, Fighting Poverty with Microcredit: Small loans, big impact. I have to admit, I'm pretty excited that Five Talents will be featured at this Big Ten school. I grew up in Indiana (my hometown is an hour and half south of the university) and have spent significant time at Purdue. So, if you're in the West Lafayette area tomorrow evening (April 23), head over to RAWLS 3082 at 6 p.m. for this microcredit event. Go Boilers!

Change a Life This Mother's Day

This Mother's Day, Five Talents International is honoring the special women in the lives of our supporters. And, with less than a month, we've got an easy way for your to honor these mothers now and on May 11.

Five Talents will list the names of the extraordinary women being honored or remembered, as well as the names of their loved ones who have given a gift, on its Web site. These gifts will support the mission of Five Talents as a tribute to the mothers, grandmothers, daughters, sisters, aunts and friends, who have played a significant role in the lives of our supporters.

Five Talents' mission is to fight poverty, create jobs and transform lives by empowering the poor in developing countries using innovative savings and microcredit programs, business training and spiritual development.

Each woman honored will receive a Five Talents Mother's Day card, like the one pictured above.

For more information about giving a gift this Mother's Day in honor or in memory of a special woman, please email Kelli Ross at kelliross@fivetalents.org or call (703) 242-6016. (Suggested donation of $25 per card.)