Second Annual uRUN for Nuru 5K in Kingwood WV August 22 2015

Saturday August 22, 2015 at 10AM, runners and walkers from around the region will gather in Kingwood WV for the Second Annual uRUN for Nuru 5K and will run 3.1 miles along a mostly flat course near the home town of Nuru International's founder, Jake Harriman. Will you be among the runners and walkers?

Last year, Jamie and I were incredibly thrilled to be able to participate in the inaugural version of this 5K race. The race was started when a a fellow West Virginian and Preston County native, Katie Plum, heard about Nuru's work, that someone from her local community had started Nuru, and was trying to think of a way to help support Nuru's mission of ending extreme poverty in remote, rural areas.

Katie decided to organize a 5K race near where she grew up. She enlisted the help of others who had more experience coordinating the details of the race and place the race on the site of active.com where you can register in advance for the race. The race last year was a huge success, and enabled Katie to raise more than $2,000 to further Nuru's work. That money helps Nuru enable families to lift themselves out of extreme poverty in Kenya and Ethiopia and begin to live their lives with choices and opportunities.

This year, Katie has been working to expand the race, get more runners and walkers involved, and build from the solid base created in 2014. The race starts a little later in the day than most 5K races, so that means that if you like to sleep in on the weekends, you can still do so, and make the race.

As the final few days before the race are upon us, I wanted to ask for your help. Will you join us in running or walking the race? You can register through active or show up and pay at the event. Kingwood is an absolutely beautiful little town, and if you have never visited, Saturday is a perfect time. Also, will you help spread the word about the race? You can share this blog, or simply share the website so people can get the event details.

One last thing, maybe you or someone you know would be interested in organizing a uRUN for Nuru 5K in your town and among your running and walking community. Interested? Let me know, and I can place you in contact with Katie. Or, you can show up and run this race, and meet her in person. Regardless, let's all keep taking ground and doing our part to see the end of extreme poverty in our lifetime!

Being Nuru: A Visit To "The Well" at Ashland University

It was about this time last September that I received the call. Zach Hefner, a student at Ashland University called me to see about how his campus, and more specifically, his church could get involved with Nuru. He told me about how active students were on his campus, and how he had been following Nuru’s work more or less since we started in 2008. He was interested in seeing his campus have the ability to drill a well, or buy some goats, or something of the sort.

I let him know that Nuru doesn’t do any of those things. We don’t drill wells (although we have in the past), and we don’t do anything that could resemble a handout. I also let him know that I was incredibly excited to talk to him, and I was even more excited about the fact that he and his friends had decided to take action toward ending global extreme poverty. I could guarantee to Zach that whatever funds he was able to raise on campus, Nuru would do its best to leverage them for the greatest impact in ending extreme poverty for the people of Kuria West, Kenya.

So many people have the greatest of intentions, but they stop short of taking action, and what the world needs is people who take action, folks who choose to make a difference with their limited time and resources on this earth. Zach is one of those types of people, and thankfully there are more people like him.  I am filled with joy that every day, I have the opportunity to meet and interact with passionate difference makers like Zach.

After my own life was awakened to the issue of global extreme poverty in an English class in 2005, my life has been on a different trajectory. I believe that global extreme poverty is the greatest humanitarian crisis of our generation, and I believe further that future generations of humanity will judge us based on what we did or did not do to bring an end to global extreme poverty. As a result, I am passionate about seeing others get involved, and taking action, people like Zach.

A few months after my initial call with Zach, I made my way to Ashland University, and met one of Zach’s campus leaders, a guy named NateBebout. Nate and I were able to have lunch together, and we talked at length about seeing people get connected with issues and even discovering their own callings as a result. Nate is a solid leader, and honestly, he is a true gift to the students at Ashland.

At Ashland Uniersity, students had raised over $2000 for Nuru through giving a little bit each week. As I shared with members of their campus ministry in April, I couldn’t help but think about the future. You see, the students here had taken a big step from good intentions to action, and had started down a path of being engaged in ending global extreme poverty together with Nuru.

I’m excited for the future because of leaders like Nate who will be able to work with even more students in the future, and provide them opportunities to care and take action to end extreme poverty in our lifetime.

If you are reading this blog, maybe it can be an encouragement to you to take action as well. When Zach started talking about Nuru on his campus, he was the only person there who knew about Nuru. Maybe you can lead the charge in your workplace, on your campus, or in your faith community to be Nuru, and invite others to join us in this work.

May today be a day for you to be Nuru, and to move good intentions into conversation and action toward making a difference in this world.

Will You Help Make My Birthday Extra Special This Year?

This time last year, I was able to meet face-to-face for the first time with the Chairman of Nuru Kenya, Mr. Philip Mohochi. To learn more about his story, click here. 

This time last year, I was on the ground in Kuria, Kenya witnessing first-hand the impact Nuru has had on the ground since 2008. I said goodbye to my dad, and my then fiancée Jamie at the Pittsburgh airport, and then flew to Detroit, Amsterdam, and finally landed in Nairobi late Saturday night. It was there that I first met one of Nuru Kenya’s staff and now a great friend, Julius Nyamohanga. Julius and I sat in Jomo Kenyatta airport sharing stories and waiting for a few others to arrive before leaving for a quick night of sleep in a small simple apartment in Nairobi before awaking at 400AM to prepare for a long bus ride to Isibania.

It would take a lot to capture all that I experienced during that week, but I tried to capture some of it in my blog last year while I was there. Here’s a few links to posts that I wrote during my stay. Among other things, for the first time, I celebrated my birthday in another country. It was absolutely amazing. Let me tell you about what happened on my birthday last year.  I witnessed 165 people make commitments to join savings clubs with Nuru’s CED program (similar meetings were held in other communities, and over 465 people joined savings clubs in one day).

One of the things that struck me about the meeting—which was a 45 minute drive from the nearest town of any size, was that 165 people were gathered and ready for the meeting 10 minutes before it started. They had walked 45 minutes to an hour to gather for this meeting which told me that they believed it was worth the time commitment it took them to be there. It is absolutely mind-blowing when I step back to think about the step I watched people take that day.

And since that time, Nuru has continued to grow. There are now roughly 15,000 people who are benefitting from Nuru’s programs in Kuria, Kenya. And all of that has been made possible because of passionate people like you and me who are willing to support these programs.

That’s why this year on my birthday, I’m proud to be the among the first to use a brand new tool Nuru is introducing. The tool allows people to raise funds and awareness for Nuru’s work by creating their own fundraising campaign online. For my birthday this year, I want to ask you to check out the page, give me your feedback about what you like/dislike about the tool, and consider making a donation. On the occasion of my birthday, I’m trying to raise $1000 to support Nuru’s work, and thanks to the generosity of others, I’m already halfway there. Will you check out my page and make a donation?

Thanks for taking time to give your feedback, and if you like the tool, consider using it as create your own unique way to spread the word about all the good Nuru is doing. Thanks for reading, and thanks for being Nuru!

Nuru International and One Days Wages Work Together To Empower Farmers Out of Extreme Poverty

What started last spring with conversations between staff of Nuru International and One Day’s Wages while attending the !deation Conference in Long Beach, has culminated in $15,000 being raised through the grassroots efforts of ODW to help 70 families take the first step to lift themselves out of extreme poverty through a loan of high quality agricultural inputs from Nuru.  This loan of agricultural inputs, along with training in proper planting and harvesting techniques will allow these families to produce a harvest large enough to feed their families, to pay back their loan, and to sell their surplus for a profit.  They will no longer go hungry during the hunger season, and they will be able to grow in financial freedom as well.

We are excited about the people that ODW has given an opportunity to join Nuru in the fight to end extreme poverty through their movement of people, stories, and actions to alleviate extreme global poverty.

You see, every single one of us have a contribution to make toward the goal of ending extreme poverty. Maybe you will be like Naomi and her family, and donate your birthday for a cause.  This little girl and her family had a goal of raising $500 for Nuru’s work, but ended up raising $1500. Or maybe you can be like Esther, who raised over $2000 for Nuru as she ran a marathon.

 

At Nuru most of our videos end with a simple statement. Be hope. Be light. Be Nuru. Nuru is a Kiswahili word that means light and has a connotation of hope. We love seeing people take steps to tangibly be Nuru in this world that needs more hope. We applaud the efforts of ODW as they provide individuals with great tools to be Nuru. We need more Esther’s and Naomi’s in this world.

Our recent grant with ODW has been fulfilled, but there is still a great need to be met in Kuria, Kenya. This winter, we are expanding our programs to over six hundred new families. Will you join us in this effort?  Here’s a few ideas to help get you started. Together, we are ending extreme poverty, one community at a time!

Being Nuru at South Ridge Church

Last Sunday, I made the drive down the highway to Fairmont, WV where I was invited to speak at South Ridge Church, where my good friend Seth Broadhurst serves as the senior pastor. Seth and I have been friends for a long time, and I can remember him coming into a pretty awesome community at Chestnut Ridge Church in the year 2000. Seth and I became friends and running buddies almost immediately, and although I don't believe either of us run as much anymore, the friendship is still incredibly strong.

Earlier this summer, Seth told me about an idea he had for his church's Mission Sunday in which I might be able to share and encourage his congregation to "Be Nuru" or "Be Light" in their daily lives. Seth told me that he likes to have people come in who are working in their lives to serve others, and that he rally enjoys the fresh perspective of having someone else share with the faith community of South Ridge Church.

So I shared a passage from the gospel of John about the state of our world. Sometimes we want to try to come up with a quick quote that mitigates our responsibility in the middle of a broken world. We say things like, "It's probably becaues of that person's sin, or their parent's sin that their life is so messed up." To say something like this is callous and unloving, to say the least. But people said similar things in Jesus' day as well. Jesus responds to these ideas with this, "It is neither that this person has sinned or his parents that he suffers, but rather that the works of God might be displayed in him." He continues to say, "We must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work."

Now what does this mean? It means that perhaps the real answer to some of the problems in our world lies with our God given gifts and talents. Jesus says in another passage that we are "The light of the world, and then warns us not to hide this light.

When I think about the hurts of our world, I feel like there are people who can fall into three camps. Those who passively accept the world as it is, those who complain but do nothing, and those who take decisive action and work toward improving the world. It is my hope that I fall into the last category, but very often I probably fall into the other two. It's my hope that YOU fall into the last category as well, but it is so easy to get drawn into the other two for all of us.

But there is a changing tide. There is a trend in our world where more and more people are saying "Enough is enough" and they are beginning to use their time, talents, and resources to benefit others. Multi-billionaire Warren Buffett has recently pledged to give away 99% of his wealth toward serving the public good by the time of his death. Nearly one million high school and college students lobbied congress to bring about the end of what has been called "Africa's longest running civil war."

With a willingness to stand up and make a difference, it is amazing what one can accomplish. Less than two years ago, the organization I work for started it's first project in Kuria, Kenya. In less than two years, 75% of the initial community has bought in to Nuru's programs and many Kurians are now living with choices and opportunities they have never known or experienced before. All because of a growing number of people here in the United States who are saying, "I Am Nuru," and taking action in the fight to end extreme poverty.

There are others working tirelessly to end similar injustices globally and locally. The point of my message, and the point of this blog isn't to say that you should support Nuru's efforts. Rather, it's to say that you should begin to light your world, your neighborhood, your home, by doing something with the time, talents, and resources with which you have been equipped. There is soooo much that can be done just by choosing to be present at home and at work. Be the best spouse or child that you can be. Be active in care for your neighbors both locally and globally. Seek not your own self-interests, but rather care for your fellow human being.

It was an honor to share with the folks at South Ridge Church this weekend, and it's an honor to share with you today. May you be hope and light in your interactions today and every day.

Mrs. Stewart & Her Amazing Sixth Grade Class of World Changers

San Antonio School Teacher Being Nuru from billy williams on Vimeo.

For those of you who read my recent post, you know that Nuru had a nationwide awareness campaign that had 1500 hundred people participate at 26 sites. But what you didn’t know was that there were others who were inspired to take part in their own “Be Hope To Her” events.
In fact, just a few days ago, Mrs. Stewart, a sixth grade teacher at Nimitz Middle School in San Antonio, Texas helped her students organize their own “Be Hope To Her” Event. Collectively, starting at 830AM and ending with the last bell at 330PM these sixth grade students logged over 100 miles carrying buckets of water. They all wanted to be able to say that for one day they “walked a mile in someone else’s shoes.”

These students not only walked through the day, but they have been learning about the issue of extreme poverty throughout the school year. In fact, these students read Greg Mortensen’s Three Cups of Tea as part of their studies this year.
Mrs. Stewart first discovered Nuru through an article that made it on the apple website in November about how Nuru uses Macs in our efforts to end extreme poverty. When she read the article, she was personally motivated to do something, and she got her students involved in Nuru’s work.
These students have been scouring the Nuru website and reading staff blogs to become better educated activists. I am thoroughly impressed with Mrs. Stewart and her students because they are educating themselves on the issue of extreme poverty, and they are taking action.
On June 3rd, I was able to talk with her class through skype. It was amazing to be able to applaud this incredible woman and her world changing students through video technology. We spent about a half hour sharing with each other, and the students had some really great questions to ask. They are serious about ending extreme poverty, and they know that their involvement in this issue matters.
Some would possibly tell these boys and girls that they are too small, or that their efforts don’t matter, but I told them, and I will tell you as well, that everybody has a contribution to make toward the end of extreme poverty.

The goal is huge, but it is achievable. Because Mrs. Stewart took the time to educate them, and encouraged them to get involved, they are joining a generation of world changers, and I sincerely believe that together with your help, all of us can see the end of extreme poverty.
I hope you will follow the lead of these students and get involved in the issue. Together, we CAN end extreme poverty. Together, we can be part of a generation that sees the end of the greatest humanitarian crisis of the contemporary era.

Reflecting on Nuru's BH2O 2010 & New Video Release

BH2O+ 2010 Highlights from Nuru International on Vimeo.

Earlier this spring, 1500 college students and young professionals on 23 college campuses, 3 city centers, and one international site, decided to take a walk. This wasn’t a protest march, but rather a solidarity experience that allowed men and women in the western world to grow in better empathy and understanding of part of the daily life of one in eight people on our planet.
The event was called “Be Hope To Her” or “BH2O+” and was organized by Nuru International in an effort to inspire people to confront the crisis of extreme poverty.
The participants in the event placed a yellow five gallon bucket on their head and carried the bucket through their town or campus to a water source. At the water source, they filled their buckets with water, and began a journey through the area with about forty pounds of water on their heads.
Each step these men and women took made statistics a reality. No longer were they hearing about the reality of women and girls spending several hours each day gathering water for their families. No longer were they considering the opportunities that these girls and women would not experience because of the consuming need to gather water for their families. No longer was the problem of extreme poverty a far-away issue that affects people “over there.” When these men and women walked in mid-April, they were awakened to the issue of extreme poverty in a way that a statistic or a story of another could never do.
The story of nearly a billion people living in extreme poverty became the story of these men and women who gave up time and other choices for one day so that the people of Kuria, Kenya and beyond might experience a life filled with choices and opportunity. Now there are 1500 new storytellers who can tell about their experience of one day, and the daily experience of millions.
And as you watch this video, these young men and women invite YOU to join us in the fight. Make a donation, or just tell a friend, but get involved. These men and women invite YOU to be part of the solution, to be part of the END of extreme poverty. Will you join them in the fight?

Ending Terrorism and Extreme Poverty? Jake's Story

The End (Jake's Story) from Nuru Media on Vimeo.


Today is Veteran's Day, it's a day when we honor those who have fought in the past, and we look toward a time when war will end. Veteran's day actually started as Armistice day and commemorates the end of fighting in World War I on November 11, 1918 at 11 a.m., known as the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

Today is also the day that Nuru chose to launch our latest video. The video tells the story of one veteran, Jake Harriman, and how he was forever changed by the link he saw between terrorism and extreme poverty. This video is being featured on a number of websites today (most of them much more well known than this blog), and many others are coming to similar conclusions to Jake. The end of terrorism is intrinsically linked to the end of extreme poverty.

Here's an ugly truth. If we don't do something about the issue of extreme poverty that makes a sustainable difference, not only are we choosing to ignore our neighbor instead of love them, but we are setting ourselves up to reap consequences through providing breeding grounds for terrorist organizations. We really need to stand up and do something about this issue.

And that's really the good news. We can actually do something about this issue. On this Veteran's day, will you join Nuru's efforts and get in the fight to end extreme poverty? What if we were able to say that our generation was the one that brought an end to extreme poverty?

One of the biggest ways you can help right now is by getting Jake's story out there. Will you take just a moment, and share a link to the video on your wall on facebook. Tell a friend about Jake's story. Blog about it. Write about it. Tweet about it. And then encourage your friends to get more involved as well. Will you join with Jake and others around the world who are fighting this fight to end extreme poverty?

I'll end this blog with a few words from Jake that he shared on the One Campaign's website.

"There is hope for those without choices. We can end extreme poverty in our lifetimes, and in so doing, answer the cry of the desperate, give a voice to the voiceless, and provide choices to impoverished men and women who have been struggling for so long.
A revolution has begun…a revolution to wake up and mobilize a generation to end this fight once and for all. There is no room in this fight for egos, partisan politics, or ideological differences. One sixth of humanity cries out to us today – asking you and me to simply put our differences aside and use our talent, skills and resources to empower them with choices. This Veteran’s Day, I ask you to step forward and get in the fight with us. In so doing, you will ensure that thousands of brave veterans and countless global citizens have not sacrificed their lives in this war in vain. Join the revolution. Be hope. Be light. Be Nuru"--Jake Harriman

I AM NURU

I Am Nuru from Nuru International on Vimeo.


I am completely blown away from the latest video installment coming from Nuru's media team. They connected with people all over the United States as well as people in Kenya and recorded folks saying "I am nuru" . . . along with reason's why. It's hard for me to watch this video with tears welling in my eyes. It thrills me to see people take a stand and work together toward solutions to problems, and this video is utterly inspiring to me.

What I love most about this video is that it features people from all walks of life. It features people in Kenya who are being empowered and trained to lift themselves out of extreme poverty--for good! It also features people from all walks of life who are being Nuru in their respective fields. Doctors, school children, pastors, college students, business executives and politically minded individuals are all being Nuru in their respective areas. Also, there are a few celebrities who have gotten involved with Nuru too. Prominent author and leadership guru Nancy Ortberg shares some of what she loves about Nuru too. It's also thrilling to have the members of the up and coming band, Green River Ordinance making a cameo. Not only that, but the original score for this video was composed by Kendall Combes of the Charlie Hall Band.

It's so exciting to see just a few of the names and faces who are getting involved in this work to end extreme poverty by empowering communites to lift themselves out of extreme poverty. Personally, the reason why I'm so involved in this issue is because I believe that this is the biggest humanitarian crisis of our generation. I also believe that the collaborative and empowering model that Nuru is using to engage in this work is absolutely incredible. Extreme poverty leads to other problems like terrorism, human trafficking, and slavery, and it doesn't have to be this way. I believe future generations will judge ours by what we did or did not do to end extreme poverty when we have the potential to eradicate it, one community at a time, together.

Will you join the people who have linked together in this endeavor? You can help today by joining the IAMNURU campaign on Nuru's website.

Thanks for taking the time to read, and I hope you will join me, and many others in confronting the crisis of extreme poverty.

Be Hope. Be Light. Be Nuru.

Birthday Wishes

That photo is of my good friend Meghan Baird. Not sure if you know her or not, so I'm going to give a brief introduction. Meghan received her undergraduate degree in Art from Shepherd University. She then proceeded to come to WVU and added a degree in International Studies with a specialization in Africa and International Development. While here, we became friends through the college ministry of Chestnut Ridge Church. It's called 17three and if you are ever in Morgantown, you should check it out.

Anyway, Meghan went on to spend a year teaching in Sudan after graduating. While she was in Sudan, some other friends were starting Nuru, and so I told her about the organization. She applied for a posiition working with Nuru when she came back from Sudan, and was hired as the first education program manager for Nuru's project in Kuria, Kenya. Now part of Nuru's model is that anyone serving on the ground in the developing world will do so for a period of six months, and then will return to the USA for a period of about 10 months and work in one of three areas. Meghan is working with me in Morgantown on our grassroots team.

So why all of that introduction? Meghan's Birthday is in a couple of days. And she, along with a couple of other friends, Tara Rickard and Stuart Godwin, have decided to use their birthdays (all are happening this month) as an excuse to fight extreme poverty (which, if you didn't know, is exactly what Nuru does!). So they joined Nuru's cause page on facebook. This cause page has a cool feature. It allows you to "make a birthday wish" and invite people to give to your favorite cause instead of giving you a bunch of presents.

So if you want to join in celebrating Meghan's, Tara's or Stu's birthday, here's an opportunity to give. Here are the links to follow. For Meghan's wish click that link. If you want to help Tara's birthday wish come true, then click this link. And if you want to pass on birthday wishes to Stu, well, you know what to do.

Or, maybe you have a birthday coming up pretty soon. Ever thought about using the day you were born to bring hope to the lives of others? Now is your opportunity. If you are on facebook, join Nuru's cause and invite others to contribute. If you aren't on facebook, you could still do something creative like this with your birthday or another holiday. Think about it.

Chasing Rainbows

Last week, I was traveling through the Canaan Valley/Dolly Sods region of West Virginia when we saw this beautiful image show up in the eastern sky. It was a vivid rainbow, and as we pulled our car over to capture a photo of this natural beauty, we noticed three cars behind us do the same thing. For folks on facebook, I realize that many of my imported blog entries don't show images, but feel free to visit my blog here.

There's something wonderful about rainbows, and to see one like this that filled the sky, well it was more than a little bit captivating.

As i stopped to consider the rainbow, and our journey along the road, I thought about the old saying "chasing rainbows." The saying is used to describe a situation where a person is pursuing a goal that can never be accomplished--like finding the end of the rainbow and getting a pot of gold. Sometimes I think the same phrase is used to describe someone who is a dreamer or who fails to accept the status quo and the "way the world is."

People probably thought Mother Theresa was chasing rainbows when she started to serve lepers in Calcutta, India at the age of 40. Some people probably thought she flipped her lid. While they were accusing her of chasing rainbows, she was out changing the world.

I bet people said that about Martin Luther King, Jr. when he shared his dream. And now, look at the accomplishments that have been made for civil rights because of that man's dream.

And then I think about my buddies Jake Harriman and John Hancox. They started a non-profit called Nuru International. It has the goal of ending extreme poverty. It seems like a ridiculous and insurmountable goal. But already, a community of 5000 people in southwestern kenya are beginning to lift themselves out of extreme poverty for good. Thousands more are beginning to engage this issue back here in the states. I wonder what will be said of my friends in forty years.

I encourage you today to chase rainbows. Dream big, but as you do, take action steps to make that dream a reality. This world needs more people with vision, more dreamers of dreams, more people who can imagine a different way of living and life. There are some massive problems like extreme poverty, slavery, human trafficking, disease, the environment, genocide, and more. And there are solutions out there. The world is waiting for some people who are daring enough to dream big and who will put their dreams into action.

May you pause to ponder the possibilities that present themselves to us every day, even on the road in rural West Virginia on a rainy sunny day.

Advocacy

Recently, I had the privilege of visiting the Capitol building in Washington DC. I literally stood in the center of DC as my friend JR gave me a tour of the place where the legislative branch of our government does it's work.

It's pretty wild when you think about it. I was walking around this building at the same time that elected representatives from all 50 states were making decisions based on what they believed YOU as their constituents wanted. Of course sometimes, it's easy to get jaded and feel like folks don't really have a voice, but our government was founded on the principle that the people have a voice.

We vote for representatives, but then we also have an opportunity to be advocates for legislation we believe in. Over the last few years, I've been provoked to take a more active role in participating in this kind of advocacy. My involvement within my tribe along with many non-profits including International Justice Mission, Invisible Children, and Nuru International have led me to not just talk about change but literally do my part as an instrument of change.

There are so many great needs in our world, and so much hurt. Every day I hear about yet another form of injustice, and I'm stirred once again to enter the fight. Earlier this year, I posted a video that told a horrible story of human trafficking and child prostitution. If you click that link and watch the video please take a minute to read the blog entry associated with it before watching the video. The sad part is that it doesn't have to be this way. We can step up and make a move toward positive change.

Change doesn't happen with passivity. Change happens with pro-active steps. One pro-active step is to write your congressional representative. There is a piece of legislation seeking support right now that would make a major stride in reducing this injustice. Want to join me and write? Here's a a template IJM offers for anyone interested in writing for congressional support.

If you are feeling apathetic, maybe writing a similar letter could be your first action step. The problems of this world are HUGE, and maybe the Creator of the universe placed YOU in this world for such a time as this.

Growth!

Last week, before I left our strategic planning time to be with my dad, I was able to get a sneak preview of the latest video Nuru released. I'm thoroughly impressed with the quality of these videos. Especially when I consider that each one of them was produced in Kuria on a laptop by our communications director, Doug Scott. Doug used to lead a production team and at Willow Creek Community Church. For the last ten months, he has been a full time volunteer serving on the ground in Kuria, Kenya. Can you believe the quality of these videos? If I didn't know better, I would think he had a whole crew of videographers and editors working with him, but the truth is, he's got a digital video camera that fits in his hand, and an apple laptop computer. (Of course I needed to get my little "mac" plug into a blog).

As you can see from the video, the community is really progressing in amazing ways. In fact, Jake was telling me that the farmers who took a loan for seed and fertilizer have corn that is over six feet tall right now. That may not seem all that impressive--in fact it might seem quite normal--for us. But the farmers in Kuria who didn't participate in the farm loan program have corn that is barely knee high right now. Nuru is making a difference, and the farmers lives are going to be changed forever. Can you imagine what it would mean to a family to know that

they had produced enough corn that their family wouldn't go hungry.
they would have a surplus to sell

Which means . . .

they can pay off the nuru loan
they can invest in seed and fertilizer for the next growing season.

And that means that they will have made a HUGE step in lifting themselves out of poverty FOR GOOD.

Nuru doesn't offer handouts. It offers people an opportunity to reach the bottom rung of the ladder and begin to lift themselves out of extreme poverty. That's what everybody needs. Everyone needs an opportunity to be empowered to live up to their potential. Nuru's project in Kuria will eventually begin to spread across the region, and then across the nation of Kenya. Can you imagine the impact this could mean for the people of Kenya, as well as for other parts of the world as Nuru starts projects in New locations? (Be on the lookout for a new seed project in Malawi in 2010).

Will you take a moment to consider contibuting to this great work? For all of you facebook users, you can donate on facebook too and watch your donation of as little as $5 add up with other people's gifts to make a LASTING difference in the fight against extreme poverty.

Thanks for taking the time to read, and be the change you want to see in the world.

Be hope. Be light.

Be Nuru.

Be Hope To Her Retrospective

BH2O+ Day of Recap Video from Nuru International on Vimeo.

Yesterday, Nuruuploaded a video celebrating itsBe Hope To Herevent. This nationwide event was the first event of it's kind Nuru hosted, and after you see the video, I think you will agree with me that it was a HUGE success.

Here's what happened. Women on eleven college campuses walked through the center of their campuses with yellow five gallon buckets and went to a water source to fill them. Then they walked through their campus carrying these buckets on their heads to a final destination where there was a rally, clean water, food, music and a wide variety of fun.

At the same time these women walked, men on these campuses held posters or helped educate folks in other ways.

For over one billion people, this kind of walk is a part of daily life. You can scroll back through my blog entries to see a video that explains this a little bit better too.

Part of the reason why Nuru did this is because it is raising funds for FOUR deep water wells for the people of Kuria, Kenya. Want to help? These wells will cost several thousand to get drilled, but if you want to give and support this endeavor, visit the Nuru website and donate.

Oh, and if you watch the video closely, you just might see a familiar face in it. ;)

Teamwork

Teamwork, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

I had to write this. Simply because I’m astounded at what teams of people can do when they are united with one mind toward a cause that’s bigger than themselves.

First, I want to brag on the team that put on the 58 conference. None of us had any idea what a HUGE success the conference was going to be when we started planning it this summer. I’m in awe of what God did this past weekend through the efforts of so many of my friends. Lives were CHANGED. I entered into the work I’m doing because I wanted to change lives. I had no idea how much more powerfully that work is accomplished by working together with others. My friends at Chestnut Ridge Church put on one of the most phenomenal conferences I’ve ever been part of. I’m excited for our future teamwork on many more endeavors.

Second, I want to talk about the grassroots team that I’ve been able to work with to get the word out about Nuru. These men and women have helped mobilize thousands of people through facebook and other media. They’ve raised several thousand dollars to bring an end to extreme poverty one community at a time. And they constantly fill in the gaps amid my many flaws. There is simply no way Nuru would be in the place where it is without the men and women who make up our grassroots team.

Finally, I want to mention the kind of teamwork that happens when organizations work together. I’ve already mentioned my new friends Kyle and Conner with Dry Tears, but I loved the fact that this weekend we were able to talk about a few ways we might be able to work together to multiply the effectiveness of both of our organizations when it comes to mobilizing others to make change in the world.

Teamwork makes a huge difference, and there’s a synergy that’s created when we bring our gifts to bear together. Maybe that’s what Paul was getting at when he talked using our gifts. We were meant to work together. We need each other to accomplish anything of lasting significance. No one is an island.

Whatever you are looking to accomplish, we need each other. We need to be on a team. I think Jesus knew that, and that’s why he longs for us to be of one mind, but to each bring our unique strengths to bear for the ultimate goal—our lives completely used to be a sign of the Shalom of God in His world.

NURU BLOGS!!!

Nuru International, the organization my friends Jake Harriman and John Hancox co-founded to work toward ending extreme poverty one community at a time has commenced it's first project in Kuria, Kenya. The team left the United States on Monday September 22, and have been in Kenya for the last three weeks.

Three of the team members have started blogs to give people back here a little insight into their daily lives. (The fourth is working on content for a soon to be launched website for Nuru.) It has been more than a little eye-opening to read. The team's work is just beginning, and it is really wonderful to get stories of what life is like for them on the ground. I'm setting up a new category on the left so you can easily click to read their blogs.

Janine is nuru's health care specialist and started her blog by sharing a snapshot of one day in her life. One of the most eye opening portions deals with her work in the health care clinic. There are amenities and standards that we really take for granted here in the West among them being the quality of health care that is available here in the states. I recently made a doctor's visit, and there were four people (including the doctor) who offered varied assistance during my visit as I had a mole removed--the whole thing took about 20 minutes. One machine made an incision as another cauterized blood vessels to minimize bleeding. Such a fast procedure would be unheard of in much of the world. In Nyametaburu, there is simply a nurse who does EVERYTHING. No receptionists and no computers and all the records are handwritten by the nurse. No privacy either, patients just stroll in while the nurse is meeting and treating others. But you can read more about it allhere.

Nicole left Chicago to begin working to improve the water and sanitation in Nyametaburu. In one of her blog entries, she shares a very detailed picture of what water and sanitation is like for the people she is serving. As I started reading her accounts, I've had my eyes opened even more to what is the norm for over one billion people. For instance, she shared in one entry what it was like to get clean drinking water. First you have to travel to get to a water source--no plumbing. And then, the water must be boiled once you get back to the house. So then you've got a bunch of really hot water, and then there's still some stuff floating in it--dirt, etc so it has to be filtered through a clean cloth (you've gotta clean the cloth again once you go through this process once). And THEN, you have some clean hot water, so you have to let it sit, and cool down a bit. No refrigerators. No Brita filters. No ice either, so you never really have a COLD glass of water. So after you go through all of that process of acquiring and purifying the water, you wait for it to cool to whatever the temperature is that day, just so you can have a drink. We really do take A LOT for granted here! Wanna read more? Check out Nicole's blog.

Jake started his blog with a Bible story. It's a story of a young man standing up to insurmountable odds, and in the end triumphing over a monstrous evil. He ended that entry with a challenge, and it's a challenge I will echo and leave you with. You see, there's no reason why anybody needs to live this way. The technology and the resources are available--what the world needs is people who are willing to say "Enough!" and begin to DO something! It's time for our generation to STAND UP and GET IN THE FIGHT!

Will you join us in the fight?

You only live once…be the change you wish to see. Be hope…be light…be nuru.

Why Nuru?

On monday, four of my friends left for Southwestern Kenya to begin a project that has been years in development.  It all started my freshman year in Arnold Hall when a group of people from all over the region became really great friends.  And then we stayed friends.  And then we dreamed together.  We dreamed of what might be possible one day if we all worked together toward some goal.  We dreamed about the possibility of something that would require great faith, and would tap into ALL of the skills and talents that we developed during our college years, and in the professional world beyond.

Enter Nuru.  It's a Kiswahili word that means light.  In many parts of East Africa it has connotations of hope.  Lasting hope.  Light that is all encompassing.  Pretty amazing stuff.

A couple of my friends, John and Jake started Nuru with a vision of bringing lasting hope and sustainable solutions to poverty.  And then as they started putting the plan together, many more of us joined them in the fight.  It's been like watching a dream come true.  We are all  embarking on a journey that really started at WVU during our freshman year--yet we had no idea.

Because of our faith, we have been stirred in our spirit to DO something about the over one billion people in our world who live on less than one dollar a day.  God has called us to care for the poor--it's irrefutable.  Any doubts, check out Isaiah 58, or Matthew 25.  Nuru's dream is becoming reality in southwestern Kenya.  A community of 8,000 people are being given an opportunity to lift themselves out of extreme poverty in a period of five years.  Five years, and 8,000 peoples lives will be changed.

And YOU can be part of it too!  YOU can be Nuru for this little group of people.  YOU can join in the fight.

I know that we are bombarded with invitations to support various causes.  I also know that in a situation like this small gestures of support can make a significant impact.  A small gift of $10 can go a long way.  I also know about a God who takes our few loaves and fishes, and does amazing things with them.  That's why I want to challenge you to make at least a $10 contribution to Nuru International.  There's two ways you can do it.  1) Join facebook, and read more about the cause on there and find out what your simple gesture can do.  2) Send a check made out to Nuru International to 189 Highland Ave, Morgantown, WV 26505.

So why nuru? Nuru is already doing great things, and I want YOU to be part of it all!  Do YOU want to CHANGE the world?  It starts with small, yet significant gestures.  It starts with a decision to contribute to making the world a better place.  Be the change you want to see.  Be hope.  Be light.  Be Nuru!!!