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From the Field2 min read

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Unlocking Opportunity in Africa

Vernon Brewer
Jan 16, 2013

Right now, I’m on my way to Africa—a continent that is no stranger to tragedy and one of the most difficult places in the world to live.

The AIDS epidemic has devastated millions, leaving behind generations of orphans and child-led households. Poverty, economic collapse, and violence combined with a history of continual civil war, displacement, and genocide taint the landscape.

I’ve witnessed hundreds of children fleeing for their lives from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). I have spoken with child mothers and former child soldiers. I have met children who have lost both parents to HIV/AIDS . . . struggling just to survive another day. I’ve been in refugee camps where people haven’t eaten for weeks because of famine. The list of tragedies goes on and on.

But today, as I arrive on the continent that so many have labeled a “lost cause,” I remember these words found in the book of Psalms:

But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. PSALM 10:14 (NIV)

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So many people have told me that the hopelessness in this place cannot be overcome . . . The circumstances are too complicated or the system too broken for us to intervene. But they’re wrong.

God has not forgotten the people of Africa—the children who are facing these unimaginable hardships alone—and neither can we. We can always do something to help, to serve, and to give hope to others.

These people are more than just projects or causes—they are future leaders, parents, entrepreneurs, students, and families. With a little help from us, followed by strategies for long-term development, there’s more potential here than we ever thought possible.

That’s why I’m excited to be in Africa.

I know there’s so much opportunity to bring help and hope to the people of these developing communities. But, there’s still a lot of work to be done.

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Over the next several days, I’ll be traveling from Zimbabwe to Uganda sharing updates with you about the remarkable progress our World Help teams are making through your support. We’ll be visiting completed wells, thriving children’s homes, sustainable community projects, the transformational classrooms of our vocational schools, and so much more.

I want to show you a different Africa. I want to show you what’s possible beyond the slums, the desperation, and the violence. I want to show you how you can be a part of investing in some of the most remarkable, innovative people I’ve ever met. I want to show you how you can participate in something of eternal significance and lasting transformation.

I want to show you hope.

Join me by following my on-the-ground updates via Twitter @vernonbrewer as I make my way through Africa. I’ll also be posting regular updates on my blog that you won’t want to miss.

Stay tuned for the journey ahead . . . it’s going to be incredible.

 


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