Anne Brown reveals the invisible causes of poverty: ideas. Examples from Guatemala, Zimbabwe, and India show the transformational effects that biblical ideas can have on impoverished communities—and the tragic consequences of destructive ideas.

Anne Brown is Regional Manager of Global Engagement at Food for the Hungry. If you enjoyed this episode, listen to Anne share the benefits of having personal relationships with the poor.

Also mentioned in this episode! Audio from Summit 2010: The Truth about Poverty is now online. Check out the workshops below.

The Truth about Child Sponsorship with Jewel Anita Hendrix
The Truth about Physical Poverty with Victor Cortez
The Truth about the Human Soul with Paul Wilson
The Truth about Serving with Steve Corbett
The Truth about Prayer with Darryl Delhousaye
International Staff Panel with FH field staff

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World AIDS Day is December 1, 2009. In this interview, Carolyn Wetzel shares the story of 36 African women who turned away from prostitution when they were shown a way out.

Carolyn Wetzel is Health Programs Coordinator for Food for the Hungry. She lives in Washington, D.C.

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Change for Life is a new way to bring hope to those suffering from the AIDS crisis, one of the most severe health problems the world has ever faced.

When you get involved with Change for Life, Food for the Hungry will provide your church, Sunday School class, workplace or other group with small containers to collect spare coins for six weeks. As the containers fill up, the accumulation of pocket change will fund programs like the one Carolyn discussed on today’s episode. Get started here.

HIV/AIDS is not only a subject of global concern–it’s an issue embodied by real people every day. In this interview, Kim Buttonow tells the story of a teenager named Claire and the courageous woman who saved her life.

Kim Buttonow is HIV/AIDS Programs Coordinator for Food for the Hungry. Based in Washington, D.C., Kim has worked with Food for the Hungry in countries around the world since 2001.

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Change for Life is a new way to bring hope to those suffering from the AIDS crisis, one of the most severe health problems the world has ever faced.

When you get involved with Change for Life, Food for the Hungry will provide your church, Sunday School class, workplace or other group with small containers to collect spare coins for six weeks. As the containers fill up, the accumulation of pocket change will fund the programs that Kim discussed on today’s episode. Get started here.

There are 132 million orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America. In some parts of Sub-Saharan Africa,  one of every ten children is an orphan. The need for orphan care is staggering. In this interview, Chad Mower shares about a unforgettable 13-year-old he met in Ethiopia while on an open team. It’s a story of finding hope in a tragic situation.

Chad Mower volunteers as an Advocate with Food for the Hungry. He lives in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

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Alisa Schmitz answers questions about church partnerships. When a church in the U.S. partners with a community in the developing world, life change occurs on both sides of the relationship. The overseas community can be released from poverty, and the U.S. church can also learn and grow. Ultimately, church partnerships exist to bring about the Kingdom of God.

In this episode…

1. The goal of long-term church partnerships
2. Preparation for short-term mission trips and ongoing relationships (Matthew 10:9-10)
3. Honoring the people we are serving (Ruth 2:15-16)
4. Keys to ongoing, vibrant relationships

Learn more about Community-2-Community partnerships – long-term relationships between American churches and communities in the developing world.

Alisa Schmitz is Senior Director of Advocates and Short-term Teams Ministry at Food for the Hungry.

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Questions and answers about gifts in kind. Are handouts ever appropriate in community development?

Andrew Crawford and Cameron Calabrese work for Gifts in Kind Resources at Food for the Hungry, a department that handles non-cash items going to other countries. In this interview we discuss if and when “handouts” are appropriate, a case study in charging a small amount rather than offering a handout, and Watoto Children’s Choir from Uganda. Andrew and Cameron ask, “When was the last time you thought about Bangladesh?”

E-mail Cameron to learn more about shipping costs.

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People who live in poverty are experts on how to get through tough economic times. Here are some tips learned from people who live on less than two dollars a day.

Mentioned in this episode: Rooftop and Urban Gardening, a resource from ECHO

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Three brothers – Jeremy, Justin and Jordan Willet – make up the band Willet. In this interview, Jeremy Willet shares the heart of the band, his experiences in Ethiopia, and how Christians can make a difference in the fight against poverty–no matter what their profession. Jeremy invites you to e-mail him with your comments.

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Democratic Republic of Congo has experienced a 20-year civil war, with millions of deaths and internally displaced people. Chris Sheach shares the reality from his experiences on the ground in Congo.

Chris Sheach worked in the hotel and security industries, as well as two years in provincial government, before starting his relief and development career. He has worked in Vietnam, Indonesia, Mozambique, Burma and the DR Congo, and studied seven languages. Currently completing his Master of Arts in Disaster and Emergency Management at York University, Toronto, he consults for Food for the Hungry Relief Unit as an Emergency Response Coordinator.

Read about Food for the Hungry’s response in Congo or the Food for the Hungry Relief Unit.

Prayer requests mentioned by Chris in this episode:

Pray for an end to the conflict in Congo
Pray for strength and support for church leaders
Pray for a spirit of reconciliation in Congo

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We often hear talk about how medications and education can fight HIV/AIDS, but how much do we hear about counseling as a cure? Mitzi Hanold shares a counseling technique that is preventing HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Learn more about Motivational Interviewing.

Mitzi Hanold is HIV Training and Curricula Specialist for Food for the Hungry. She is involved with government-funded HIV prevention programs in Haiti, Nigeria, Mozambique and Ethiopia.

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