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?

Obama Signs Historic Legislation with Invisible Children!

Now of course, everyone has an opinion on the President, and no one person is perfect, but what happened yesterday for the organization Invisible Children was quite remarkable. I'm really proud of our President for taking action and recognizing the hardwork and grassroots efforts of a generation of activists.

If you've been reading my blog posts for a while, then you probably already know about the organization Invisible Children and the mission they have been on for the last five years to see the government intervene in a horrible situation in Northern Uganda. Literally thousands and thousands of people have been moved from their homes into Internal Displacement Person Camps (IDP). They are over-crowded, and undernourished. They don't have access to adequate sanitation. They are suffering because of a warlord named Joseph Kony and his "Lords Resistance Army" (LRA).

Sure, our world has some bad people in it, but Kony is among the worst. He has been stealing children for decades from the villages and IDP camps of Northern Uganda. He goes after children between the ages of 5 and 12 because they are big enough to carry a gun, and small enough to sneak into communities to steal more children. Generations of children have lived in fear of the LRA. Literally thousands of children have been abducted each year to resource Kony's militia group. They are KIDS! They should be going to school, playing sports, laughing, and having fun. Instead they are being forced to kill other people. They are being forced to lose their youth and innocence out of fear for the death of themselves or the ones that they love.

As Invisible Children has lobbied over the last several years for the abduction of Kony and for intervention in Northern Uganda, they have been met with a groundswell of support. The organization was started by some recent college grads when they came face to face with children who made commutes each night from their villages into cities where there was additional protection for them. These kids slept in bus depots and hospital basements out of fear of being abducted.

Literally millions of american young people between 15 and 35 have gotten involved in this organization's work. They have believed in the ability of the people to be involved in government. People hosted video watching parties and learned more about the organization. They wore T-shirts, and donated money. They wrote letters and visited their congressional representatives. All because of a desire to see justice done in Northern Uganda. All because folks said enough is enough.

I'm writing this post today in celebration of what Invisible Children, Enough, and Resolve Uganda have been able to do through hard work and intense commitment to seeing change happen. Many of us gripe about politics but avoid getting involved in the process. We gripe about problems in the world, but aren't willing to get our hands dirty. We complain about injustice but then act like we are helpless to do anything.

I'm really proud of the folks at Invisible Children. I'm really proud of the activists who were catalyzed by this organization. I'm really proud to see a generation stand up for something wrong in the world, and see results. It's never easy to stand up for the right things, and it's always easy to just give up, but these folks persevered. They persevered and saw a bill go before congress, get passed, and then watched President Obama sign that bill into law. They saw what happens when people get engaged and stay engaged in the political process.

I hope you will take time to celebrate with them and their hard work. Many of my friends have worked, volunteered, and/or financially contributed to seeing this become a reality. I hope it increases your confidence that we can REALLY make a difference in the world. It takes hard work, but more than that, it takes many people making their small contribution to get in the fight.

As you go about your day, I encourage you to consider what you can do to continue to make a difference in this world as well.

Congratulations again Invisible Children!

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.