News
Ask me where I was (poem)
Published:
5/12/2008
The following poem by Kristin Jack is taken from the forthcoming Servants book "The Sound of World's Colliding". It concludes a chapter written by Servants elder Dave Andrews about the agony of Sudan, and the sense of moral impotence he felt while visiting that devastated nation.
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IHT: Thousands Dead in Myanmar Cyclone
Published:
5/5/2008
Nearly 4,000 people have been killed by a devastating cyclone that struck Myanmar two days ago, the government said Monday, while the foreign minister told diplomats and UN officers that the figure could rise to 10,000.
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Eco-Justice and the food crisis in Calcutta slums
Published:
5/1/2008
Subha Nava Varha! Today is the Bengali New Year. I remember this time last year. My neighbors celebrated by decorating the entry ways to their homes with the traditional green coconuts and palm branches on top of brightly colored clay pots. They prepared special meals to celebrate with their families and friends. It was a very joyous day as everyone was hopeful that better things would come in the next year.
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If They Have No Rice, Let Them Eat French Fries!
Published:
4/28/2008
Before losing her head entirely, Marie Antoinette is credited with making the statement, “If they have no bread, let them eat cake.” The context was late 18th century France at a time when the over-indulgence of the French royalty and nobility led to a state of famine and extreme poverty for most of the population. From her pampered life Marie saw none of this and was a little surprised by the anger she noticed in the city one day as she was couriered between palaces. “Why are they so angry?” She asked her attendant. “They have no bread,” he replied. “If they have no bread, let them have cake.”
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Cambodian Kids Get No Free Breakfast as Rice Aid Cut
Published:
4/24/2008
April 23 (Bloomberg) -- Thirteen-year-old Pin Oudam gets a free breakfast of rice, fish and yellow split peas every morning at his school in Kampong Speu, Cambodia's poorest province. Next week he won't.
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Slum Tourism = Voyeurism?
Published:
4/15/2008
We had just run across a busy road at the end of our regular Saturday morning run when we heard the ominous screech, scream and crunch of two motorbikes colliding behind us. Rushing over into the rapidly developing crowd of on-lookers we quickly assessed nothing more serious than bruised bodies and egos so we disentangled ourselves and went on our way. From experience we know the vehicles and victims will remain where they land until police arrive to work out who was at greatest fault and mediate some sort of compensation.
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Lessons from 13 years living in Manila's slums (Part 1)
Published:
4/7/2008
Christian Schneider is a nurse from Switzerland. He arrived in Manila in the late 1980’s, living in its slum communities for a further 13 years. Here he tells of his battle to try and mobilize middle-class churches to get involved with the lives of the very poor, and of how God worked through him to raise-up a new ministry to Manila’s street youth, called ‘Onesimo’....
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Lessons from 13 years living in Manila's slums (Part 2)
Published:
4/7/2008
Christian Schneider is a nurse from Switzerland. He arrived in Manila in the late 1980’s, living in its slum communities for a further 13 years. Here he tells of his battle to try and mobilize middle-class churches to get involved with the lives of the very poor, and of how God worked through him to raise-up a new ministry to Manila’s street youth, called ‘Onesimo’...
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BBC: Mumbai's slum life poses world problem
Published:
3/26/2008
This year, for the first time in human history, there will be more people living in towns and cities than in the countryside. That is the conclusion of a new study from the Population Division of the United Nations.
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Finding God in the Colour Brown
Published:
3/17/2008
We attach a lot of meaning to colours. Colours can symbolize feelings – red for anger, green for envy, black for despair. Colours can tell us something about people. One of those irritating icebreaker questions asks people to share their favourite colour. Wendy is an artist. Ask her what her favourite colour is and she replies, “All of them!” with the same degree of enthusiasm I use to describe my favourite chocolate (Cadbury’s Black Forest, hmmmm!)
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