WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

A QUESTION FROM CONGO

Psalm 146Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul.

I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men who cannot save.

When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God,

The maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them – the Lord, who remains faithful forever.

He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets prisoners free; the Lord gives sight to the blind; the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.

The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the way of the wicked.

The Lord reigns forever, your God O Zion, for all generations.

(All)

Praise the Lord!

TIME DELAY SATELLITE PHOTO OF EARTH AT NIGHT

World Poverty Map(World Bank 2004)

- Darkest colors most developed nations - Lightest colors least developed (less than $1.50/day per capita) - Light blue, no data

LEVELS OF POVERTY

• EXTREME: Basic needs for survival not met

• MODERATE: Basic needs barely met, no safety net

• RELATIVE: Lack of access to resources for upward social mobility

LEVELS OF POVERTY

• EXTREME: Concern is for physical survival

• MODERATE: Concern is survival (sometimes), but primarily with security (no safety net)

• RELATIVE: Concern is survival (seldom), security (sometimes), but primarily with the struggle with inability to improve one’s lot in life

Democratic Republic of Congo

Community in Crisis

GRIM RECENT HISTORY

• Regional Hostilities spawned bitter conflict

• 5,000,000+ dead since 1998 (IRC mortality study)

• 1,200+ still die each day (above “normal” death rate for sub-Saharan Africa)

• 1,200,000+ IDP’s• 300,000 Refugees

(BPRM April 2008)

• 30,000 child soldiers (MONUC 2009)

• Ongoing Conflict in eastern Congo between Congolese Army and CNDP, FDLR, Mai Mai

Laurent NkundaCommander, Congres National pour la Defense du

Peuple (CNDP)

CHALLENGES FACING DRC

• Destroyed

Infrastructure• Mobutu Legacy• Corrupt Government• 200+Tribes/400

dialects, languages• Per Capita Income <

$100 per year

• Natural Resources• Enormous Border• 9 “Neighbors”• Governance• Ongoing violence• International

Commitment• Food Security

FOOD SECURITY CHALLENGE

• Availability

• Access

• Utilization

• Risk

Food for the Hungry Democratic Republic of Congo

2005, 2006

• Served 400,000 “poorest of the poor”

• Food Aid, Agricultural Training

• Small Livestock, Seeds and Tools

• Introduction of New Crop Varieties

• Roads, bridges, fish pond rehab

• Water, Sanitation

Food for the Hungry

Democratic Republic of Congo

KAMITUGA

Seed fair in North Katanga

Women receiving tools in Kabare, South Kivu

The inaugural train in Kindu, Maniema

Home in Moba, Katanga

REALMS OF REALITY

Individual Interior (Character) Individual Exterior (Behavior)

Collective Interior (Culture) Collective Exterior (Society)

Faith Works

Religion: Institutions Religion: Beliefs

Ethics Morals

Laws or CodesValues

Mind Brain

TechnologyWorldview

“I” “It”

“We” “They” (impersonal)

Psychology Physiology

SociologyTheology/Cosmology/ Cultural Anthropology

Major Categories: K. Wilber; Title, Sub-categories: Maurice Martin 2009

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, The maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them – the Lord, who remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free; the Lord gives sight to the blind; the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the way of the wicked.