Abstract:
Poverty is an issue that should interest all Christians especially physicians working in mission settings in charity hospitals and also physicians working in public health doing development work. Poverty is often understood in monetary terms. The Millennium Development Goal team has defined it as less than 2$ a day. This presentation seeks to understand poverty in “wholistic” terms. Poverty cannot be eradicated merely by economic empowerment unless other factors are also looked at such as:
• Social exclusion or stigmatization,
• Lack of access to decision making,
• Fatalism or paralysis of the “status quo”,
• Gender discrimination and
• Dependencies (caused by excessive funding) are other important factors that aggravate poverty.
Scriptural support for a broader understanding of the poor will be presented from both the “Nazareth Manifesto” in Luke chapter 4 and also from all the engagements Jesus had with different kinds of “poor” individuals.
Finally evidence will be presented about how broad based approaches to poverty have impacted development positively.
In management, there is a saying, "you get what you inspect, not what you expect". However, how do we know exactly what to inspect in the transformational development process? for example, if we looked only at the instruments showing the vial signs of a patient in a coma but kept alive on life support systems, the instruments would show that vital signs are within the ideal range. However , the doctor treating this patient would be most concerned about when the patient's CNS would take over responsibility for all the vital organs to function normally. We understand this well in Medical science, but somehow forget all about it when it comes to community development. Empowerment takes a back seat, and other indicators take on prominence, despite the fact that we know that things like vaccination levels, disease incidence etcetera can be made to "look impressive" by directing inputs in a particular way. We are often content to become service providers for health care and management, and take on the responsibility for 'ensuring that the community is healthy'. We are even happy with the community being a passive recipient of our services, because the outcome is good - immunization levels are up, people are healthy. But what happens when the program is over? Do things just revert back to where they were before we started? does anyone go back to check? A good friend of mine , Dr. Stanley Foster (who spent over 50 years in Public Health in CDC and Emory University) is a strong advocate for evaluation of intensive massive health care projects two years after the projects are over!!!
One can say without a doubt that if the community was not engaged from the beginning in the planning and empowered as a part of the project design to take responsibility for their health ; the outcome would be pretty embarrassing. This session focusses on identifying what matters in the development process (Empowerment, progress towards the MDGs, etcetera) & finding ways to measure them.
"Justice" has multiple meanings in the Bible. When the psalmist declared that "righteousness and justice are the foundation" of the Messiah's throne (Psalm 89:14), he was speaking of an equity and fairness that goes beyond punishment for bad people. God's zeal for justice is found throughout the Old and New Testaments. This breakout session will define biblical justice, describe present day healthcare injustices, and demonstrate that working for healthcare justice is a powerful means of glorifying God and expanding the Kingdom of Jesus.
Ministry that originates from a community, rather than from outside, has heightened power to transform individuals (including those delivering services) and neighborhoods. Using examples from inner-city Memphis, TN, we'll demonstrate that powerful things happen when disciples of Jesus live as the Church-- cross-culturally and in community.
Are you and your family planning to be missionaries in the US or overseas and wondering the impact on your family life? This session will provide advice from a couple who served 8 years in Asia, where 3 of their 4 daughters were born. They'll give suggestions, some of it learned the hard way, for how you and your family can thrive on the mission field. Included will be strategies and insights for successful family preparation beforehand and healthy family life after your begin serving. Time will also be available during the session for asking your questions.
