Some of you may recall that last year in preparation for one of my trips to Africa I offered you the opportunity to participate. When I go I like to be able to put some cash right into the hands of people who can make the most of it. No "middle man", no "overhead" or "administration", just resources delivered right to those who are facing the needs directly and making a difference. Think of it as grassroots philanthropy.
On August 17, Pete (the other Delta House guy) and Daniel (Pete's 14 year old son) and I leave for Burundi and Kenya. Why are we going? Several reasons, really. First and foremost we want to introduce Daniel to Africa. This is a continent that means a lot to us at Delta House, and it's time to introduce Daniel to some of our friends there, and also expose him to some of the realities of our world. Hopefully this will give him cause to think about our life here, just as he's at that point in his own life where some of this stuff is starting to gel. In Burundi we'll be hanging out with our friends Claude Nikondeha and Kelley Johnstone (blog), the masterminds behind Amahoro. This will be a return trip for me to a country that I fell in love with last year. Such incredible beauty, such wonderful people, and such deep needs. In particular Amahoro is currently facilitating many relationships on behalf of the Batwa people in Burundi, which you can read about here. The Batwa people are also close to Brian McLaren's heart, and you can read a reflection Brian wrote following a visit to a 'Twa village.
In Kenya we'll be spending time with my friend Edward Simiyu who pastors City Harvest Church in Nairobi. If you're a Christian you'll be glad to know this is a church. And if you're not, then you'll be glad to know this church understands the critical importance of transformational development, and they are doing some very exciting work in various parts of the country. In particular they are very active in Kibera, where up to one million people live. There they operate the Kibera Transformation and Development Program, and I suspect this is where we'll be spending most of our time.
So in Burundi we're talking about the Batwa, and in Kenya it's Kibera, although we're always flexible and will look to see what pops up in our path. And as always, we're not talking about expenses. Our trip is paid for; this is simply extra money to bring along and give away. And finally, same as last year, we're committing to letting you know where your money ended up.
If you have a few dollars you'd like to throw into the hat, or some spare change clanging around the bottom of your PayPal account, we would be grateful for your participation, and would consider it a privilege to act as your agents on the ground. Please spread the word!
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