40 Day Fast: The Trendy Poverty

First of all, it would be a bit presumptuous of me to assume that most readers of this post today have visited this blog before. In that case, I must begin with proper etiquette: Greetings, and welcome to my small corner of the internet. It is a modest corner, I am aware, but I like it, and I hope you enjoy your stay as well.

Today is my turn in the 40 Day Fast. For those that know me, I am sure they are expecting some post about Invisible Children and the ways to get involved. And while I do love the spirit of that organization and must admit they are up to some pretty neat stuff lately, I decided to spread my wings a wee bit and learn about something else, something that I think fewer people know about but that more people should.

But to get there, I will start with a friend I have who works at Invisible Children. He was staying at my house in Franklin, TN, one day because he was in town doing some promoting for one of their events, the Global Night Commute, in 2006. When he came downstairs for breakfast, I was a little taken back by the words that were written across the shirt he was wearing:

"Africa is the new pink."

It really made me stop and think. Poverty and suffering are not new phenomena. They have been around for thousands of years. One only needs elementary sunday school and a few Old Testament stories to know this. I saw this poverty and suffering first hand when I visited Kosovo a few years ago and saw the devastation left behind from the Balkan genocidal conflict in 1999. I worked with Invisible Children and understood the barbarity of children much younger than I was (at the time 17) being forced into the violence of terrorist rebel groups. And perhaps what had the most profound and sobering effect on me was a course at Belmont I took in the fall called "Confronting Genocide." What an introduction to the real world. Despite my previous experiences with the issue of genocide and suffering, I think I am still just recovering from the shattering effect that had on my perspective of the world.

But if poverty and suffering are so ancient themes, then why is it now, just now, that they are getting so much attention? Why has the picture of Africa become so... so trendy lately?

As I sat at that kitchen table, I had to quickly examine my heart. Why was I focusing my energy on this activist cause in Africa? Was it because I genuinely cared? Was it because I wanted to take care of the least of these? Or was it because an Irish rock star told me to and I wanted to look cool, hip, and "trendy"?

There are a lot of debates right now about this whole topic, but my opinion is, even if the Africa and poverty are the cool wave right now, let's ride that wave and get as much as we can out of it while we can. If "Africa is the new pink," let's take advantage of it! We can argue that the RED campaign is misguided because it is using consumerism to fight the nasty effects of... consumerism, but the fact is that in its very first year, it contributed five times more money to the Global Fund as the private sector had in the previous four years. And that will make a difference to poverty. And perhaps, after some initial "trendy" exposure, the whole Africa theme might just transform hearts as well, as I believe it did for me.

As a business student in college, that gives me hope. I believe it is the redemption of capitalism. I can be a business owner and make a difference in the world in which I live. That is why the organization I wish to highlight today is TOMS Shoes. It's a business founded by Blake Mycoskie with a simple, yet revolutionary idea. For every pair of shoes purchased, Blake will personally donate a pair to a child in need. It's that simple. Buy one pair, another gets donated. The shoes are stylish, the website is glossy, and the cause is legit. For only $40, you can be incredibly cool AND provide a kid in need with a new pair of shoes (not to mention you are already cool for helping out a kid in need). I bought the olive pair, why don't you consider buying your own? If you don't feel like you need another pair of shoes, if nothing else, they are a great conversation starter and a way to spread the word to others about this great company.

Here's a clip that showcases what they call "Shoe Drop '06." It is definitely worth a watch:



Click on the banner below to bring up the designer's/Chief Shoe Giver's blog. It's got a lot more info on TOMS Shoes that I left out, as well as some of his really interesting thoughts.



I pray today for those in need, yet I also pray for those who are able to empower. I pray that we will be courageous enough to make a difference, even when it may seem foolish, and have the perseverance to keep with it. I thank God for people like Blake, who creatively find a way to bring the Kingdom to earth in the context of the world they find themselves in. I pray that we all may find a way to do this with our lives.