This is the first post in an ongoing, monthly series called “News that matters.” The purpose is to highlight coverage in news articles and blog posts about important, current issues that affect those living in poverty around the world. You’ll find that I’ve selected three issues I think are worth paying attention to, and some recent news coverage that addresses those issues. While these selections are based on my personal judgment calls, I’m hopeful that these stories inspire you to learn more, challenge you to think about your own views of the world, and encourage you to join the conversations going on this blog and among your own circle of friends. I’m curious to know what you think about this...
Recent Posts
When commerce and charity share a mission
Whoever said that fashion can’t make a difference in our world? Surely, if people can wear their hearts on their sleeve, they can definitely wear their cause. I recently chatted with Kevin Murray, CEO of Jedidiah, who talked about the company’s unique ability to artistically connect fashion to social causes so everyone can make a measurable difference in the world. Their collections are available online and in select retailers. *World Vision is the beneficiary of Jedidiah’s Spring and Summer 2011 collections. Tell me about the humanitarian mission behind Jedidiah… Jedidiah’s mission is “to use apparel sales as a vehicle to provide care, support and financial resources to those in need.” We do this by partnering with amazing NGO’s each season....
Federal budget: broad, long-term thinking is needed
I had a fascinating discussion this week in New York. I was with my CEO counterparts from leading humanitarian aid organizations such as Save the Children, Mercy Corps, and Oxfam. We meet twice a year to discuss various issues related to aid. The topic of greatest concern to us this week is the cuts to the State Department and USAID budgets. This is an important issue because it directly affects the amount of funding available to help children and families in the poorest and, often, most unstable regions of the world. But, as I’ll argue in a moment, this is about more than saving innocent lives—it’s also about preventing political unrest and violence. First, a summary of what is being...
A long road ahead for Japan
Some humanitarian disasters occupy a few days worth of headlines — if that — and then quickly become a distant memory, if they’re remembered at all. The Japan quake and tsunami, in my opinion, has been the opposite. On March 11, we were instantly exposed to a flood of media coverage on the devastation in northeast Japan and the gravity of the nuclear crisis created by the crippled power plant. That coverage didn’t subside much in the weeks to follow. On some level, the headlines and news clips about this historic natural disaster seem to have rendered the crisis more of an ongoing suspense film than a real-life story about human suffering. One month after the disaster, I must remember...
My story: a hope-filled Sunday
“What if they reject me?” Swallowing my fear and pride, I stood up and began to speak. I quietly prayed to myself for God to allow the words to flow out. Then as I spoke from my heart, I knew exactly what to say.
I had a few reservations when I learned that I could share about World Vision’s child sponsorship program at my church.......