![]() ![]() ![]() We found that our partners were looking for accompaniment beyond just grants. In 1997 PHP began conversations with and a methodical study of partners in Africa, Asia and Latin America. In numerous countries, PHP had a wide variety of partners from churches to grassroots organizations, both Christian and those of other faiths. It was clear that it was an advantage to have a network such as this.įirst, we needed to understand how our current partners viewed PHP and what they expected from us beyond funding. People started discussing the intersection of theology and politics and their impact on their work.Įvery time I met with these local groups, I came away rejuvenated, excited and enriched. This allowed for the cross-fertilization of ideas, experiences and best practices. Local groups were excited to come together and discuss their projects and approaches. It quickly became clear that we were on to something. Lionel meets with partners in India in 1999 discussing how to partner in a new way. The relationship helped us to verify the legitimacy of requests and the effectiveness of methodologies used. Thomas John and some of his colleagues helped PHP to begin a relationship with some partners in South India, both to process the numerous funding requests we were receiving from the region and to coordinate what was happening locally. Abraham, a theologian from India, and Thomas John challenged the PHP advisory committee, and me (formerly the associate for international hunger concerns for PHP) to consider whether we were satisfied giving small gifts here and there, or whether developing deeper relationships with local partners would lead to a more impactful partnership. Thomas John, while serving as missionary-in-residence with the Presbyterian Church (USA), invited PHP to look beyond the small grants that we were giving to churches and grassroots groups around the world. Dozens of applications were submitted twice a year from countries like India, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, the Philippines, and many others.Īt this time, the Rev. We were receiving hundreds of requests from groups unknown to us. In 1993-94, the Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP) was drowning in international funding requests. Photo by Amanda Craft.Lionel Derenoncourt with Chenoa Stock and the Rev. ![]() Photo: Thabang Letela and Nora Goetz look at teddy bears that will be delivered to a number of HIV/AIDS projects. Representatives of each of the JHAH networks, including Thabang and Cindy, will participate in the 2008 Peacemaking Conference – July 15-19 at Chapman University in Orange, CA. Thabang Letela, KKM director, and Cindy Easterday, Companionship Facilitator, joined the seminar participants for our time in Johannesburg. KKM also supports efforts of several organizations addressing human rights abuses recently described by a regional lawyer’s association as reflecting a “breakdown in the rule of law in the country.” One response is directed at organic farming methods and the use of indigenous seeds and advocating against Genetically Modified Organisms and chemically based fertilizers and sprays. The Lesotho network’s foci for 2008 are food sovereignty and HIV/AIDS as they are closely linked, key issues in the country. ![]() This is done by uniting a network in a country and a PC(USA) presbytery around a partnership based on mutual education, exchange, campaigns for peaceful social change, advocacy, accompaniment, and mutual transformation. JHAH is unique in its approach of defining systems, or root causes, of poverty and hunger and strategizing responses to local hunger and poverty issues. Initiated in 2002 through the Presbyterian Hunger Program, KKM is one of nine countries currently involved in JHAH. Kopano ke Matla Toant’song ea Bofuma Lesotho (Unity Is Strength in the Fight against Poverty) is the Joining Hands against Hunger network in Lesotho.
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