Bread Blog

Lobby Day and Why Our Voices Matter

There have been many great posts written about the content of the Bread National Gathering and 35th Anniversary Celebration in the last week, so, rather than adding my small voice to the multitude, I would like to speak more about Lobby Day itself and in particular my experiences.

Going in to Lobby Day I had already visited two congressional offices here in California, though they prepared me for the experience it is still a rather intimidating thought to be entering the office of a person who speaks for approximately 20 million people (for each of the two Senators) or approximately 700,000 (in the case of the Congressman). For the Senate meetings I was joined by a contingent of Californians, all of whom were full of purpose and well prepared for the task at hand. In fact the presentation given was so good, and the aides seemingly so receptive, that I must admit I was rather disappointed. My task in the meetings was to handle push back, so I was prepared, with arguments ready, to counter any doubts that the aides might express. Therefore, when both Senate offices offered little push back, but rather agreed wholeheartedly with our goals, I was left without a job! A bittersweet moment for a cocky college kid to be sure, but a fantastic situation for Bread for the World.

The meeting that I had with the aide for Congressman David Dreier was also an excellent one, for she was also extremely receptive and supportive of the goals that we were there to promote. In fact, the meeting almost felt like a living-room chat (though the living room was a rather large and ornate office).

As I left that last meeting, I was struck with an interesting thought: it is so easy to forget that the people in Washington are people like us. We try to either deify or demonize them, all the while forgetting that they are, in reality, just people trying to do what they believe to be the best thing for America and the people they represent. This is important to realize, especially when advocating for a cause like ours at Bread for the World, because it allows us to see the similarities between us all. That they are touched by the suffering of the hungry as we are, they want to see the poor of the world rise up to improve their lives, and they desire to see the world become a better place. Many times it is not a lack of good-will which creates inaction, but rather an uncertainty of the direction towards which to take action. It is our job, the job of the constituents to give them the will and the incentive to create policies which will change the world.

Kaj Pedersen is a student at Claremont McKenna College.  He is serving as a summer intern with Bread for the World's California Regional Office.

Bread's Lobby Day

The ONE Campaign Blog has a great post from Jennifer Coulter Stapleton from Bread's communication department about our lobby day. You can read the original post here or below:

Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA-28), lead sponsor (along with Rep. Mark Kirk, R-IL-10, not pictured) of HR 2139 addresses Bread for the World members at a morning briefing.

“Law doesn’t happen by accident.” These were the words of Diana Ohlbaum, Senior Staff of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs as she addressed participants at Bread for the World’s Gathering 2009. To make laws fair and compassionate for hungry people, we have to make our voices heard in congress.

So, Bread for the World members from across the country spoke out powerfully on Capitol Hill Tuesday as a part of our annual Lobby Day. Bread members from 38 states held meetings with more than 181 Congressional offices.

Our message: it is time to reform U.S. foreign assistance to make it more effective in reducing hunger and poverty. Specifically, we asked our house members to co-sponsor HR 2139, the “Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009.”

Even if you weren’t able to make it to DC to advocate with us, you can be a part of the action too by calling your House member and urging their co-sponsorship. You can use Bread’s special number to be connected directly to the Capitol switchboard at (800)826-3688.

Bread also honored five Members of Congress for their consistent leadership on issues that affect hungry and poor people. Lobby Day Awards went to Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC-6), Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY-18), and Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA-10).

But remember, fair laws don’t happen by accident. Speak out today to make foreign aid more effective.

-Jennifer Coulter Stapleton, Bread for the World Communications

Photo by Bread for the World/Rick Reinhard

Presidential Efforts to Reduce Hunger

Tony Hall introduced our next speaker, Dr. Kathleen Merrigan, the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, USDA.  She started her comments by complimenting Bread's work on the 2007 farm bill and the legacy of our organization.  Dr. Merrigan reminded us of President Obama's words at the Inauguration:

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

Dr. Merrigan walked us through the various ways the administration is responding to hunger here and abroad. She outlined the importance of key programs like food aid, school lunch and effective foreign assistance programs like local and regional purchase of food in famine situations. 

President Obama has requested that Congress double agricultural development funding for FY 2010.  Dr. Merrigan referred to this funding as a "long-term solution" to hunger.  Kathleen stated, "We need distribution networks, improve irrigation, provide access to rural credit.  We need to summon the political will to end hunger in our world.  This is a goal that is rapidly slipping from our grasp.  We will call on your partnership and your commitment in this worthy goal."   

Dr. Merrigan closed her comments by reiterating the importance of Bread for the World's work.  She ended by saying, "For 35 years, Bread for the World has used its profound gifts of advocacy for profound good.  I look forward to working with you.  Thank you for all you do."

Follow the Gathering on Twitter: Tweet #breadgather

You can read live updates on Twitter from the Gathering. A sampling from Twitter below.

• cropwalkboulder: Use chololate or bread during offering of letters, some give free bread to community as a symbol #breadgather
  2 minutes ago from TwitterFon · Reply · View Tweet
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  cropwalkboulder: Chocolate is an organizing tool, no really people are suckers for it amen. (David) also freshly baked bread too #breadgather
  4 minutes ago from TwitterFon · Reply · View Tweet
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  jamesefrank: If ministry to hungry is service to God, blindness to the hungry is disservice to God. #breadgather
  7 minutes ago from web · Reply · View Tweet
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  jamesefrank: What do you do in a system that benefits from exploiting the less fortunate? It horrifies us, but we still take part. Ideas? #breadgather
  9 minutes ago from web · Reply · View Tweet
• 
  JimRenor: #breadgather Just met a woman that found bread thrugh psycology and has gone to africa and has wittnesed hunger and poverty personally.
  12 minutes ago from TwitterFon · Reply · View Tweet

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Reaching the Tipping Point: Organizing Strategies that Make a Difference

David Gist, the California Regional Organizer and Matt Newell-Ching, the Western Regional Organizer facilitated a workshop about organizing strategies that make a difference.  They started the workshop with a great scene from Three Amigos.  They showed the scene when the community decides to take on El Guapo.  They ask each other, "What can we do well?"  The community responds, "We can sew!"  The organizing lesson from the movie was: What do you do better than anyone else?  What is your El Guapo?

Starting Fresh
Matt said one of the first lessons of community organizing is learning to tell your story.  We need to be comfortable with telling your story.  All of our speakers this weekend are excellent story tellers.  "Our hearts and minds are moved by storytelling," said Matt Newell-Ching.  When you identify with someone's story, it evokes a powerful emotional response and it connects you with people. 

The group spent a few minutes sharing in groups of two their stories.  How did you become involved with justice for people who are poor and hungry?  Tell your story.  If you have a story to share with us, please comment below!

Matt asked, "How did you get to advocacy?  What is the common thread?" People responded by saying they didn't see charity working, so they wanted to be an advocate.  Another shared about the influence of their family.  Matt shared that he met people who got "screwed" by the system.  By meeting this people, he became an advocate. 

The principles from this part of the session were:

1) Share stories

2) Be authentic

3) Build a sense of ownership

4) Develop a basis for relational organizing and relational advocacy

All significant social justice movements for change emerged out of people's living rooms and church basements.  When people share their stories, lives are changed. 

Addressing malnutrition in Nicaragua

Our second panel speaker was Dr. Francisco Gutierrez from Accion Medica Cristana, Nicaragua.  Dr. Gutierrez provided an overview of the country demographics and current challenges.  45% of Nicaraguans live on less than $1 a day.  The country has a history of war, natural disasters and currently experiences high levels of unemployment and food insecurity.  The poverty in Nicaragua stems from challenges to address injustice and a history of conflict in the region. 

Dr. Gutierrez displayed two maps showing the 117 provinces in Nicaragua.  The maps displayed food insecurity and chronic malnutrition in the country.  25% of children are at extreme health risk due to malnutrition.  Accion Medica Cristana seeks to respond to this and many other health concerns.

AMC is ecumenical, working with health professionals, experts and marginalized communities.  They started working in the country in 1984.  AMC's approach thinks critically about nutrition, public health and access to health care.  They believe in a holistic approach that looks at the physical, mental, spiritual aspects of human development.  They work with a vision of community participation, so people can participate as agents of change.  They target high risk, vulnerable communities where they identify the risks and create a plan for development. 

In response to malnutrition, AMC organizes mothers to help them respond to their children's malnutrition.  He displayed a cycle of development slide that showed the entire process of addressing malnutrition.  They educate people on how to farm the land.

AMC's work was featured in Bread's 2009 Offering of Letters video and handbook.  Be sure to watch the video here.  You can also read blog posts about Bread's visit to Nicaragua here.

Global Development Assistance: What can we accomplish when we get it right?

Our second plenary discussion focused on foreign aid effectiveness.  The panel participants included H.E. Cyrille S. Oguin, the Ambassador of Benin, Cheryl Morden of International Fund for Agricultural Development and Dr. Francisco Gutierrez of Accion Medica Cristiana, Nicaragua.

Ambassador Oguin of Benin started our conversation by discussing the impact of the Millennium Challenge Account funding in his country.  He stated, "Foreign aid is crucially needed, but it really works.  It brings wonderful results."

Benin became eligible for MCC funding in 2004. Over the course of two years, Benin went through a long consultative process to create a development plan. The compact was signed in February 2006 for $307 million.  The compact addresses the problems of the development chain in a coherent way.  The Ambassador offered an example of land tenure issues.  The program offers titles for owners to show that they own the land.  It empowers people to claim their land and show proof of their ownership.  The program is estimated to touch 5 million people in their country.  If the program succeeds, it will lift 250,000 people out of poverty.  

The compact involves civil society, the media, local government, universities - everyone is involved with this project.  Over one hundred NGOs were involved with creating the compact and they are still engaged with implementing the funding.  It allowed Benin to take the lead and set the agenda for the implementation. 

MCA-Benin was formed as the management agency in Benin to oversee the project funding.  It has a board of 11 people and program management staff.  The program includes reporting and feedback to ensure its effectiveness.  As a sign of their own commitment to the MCA programs, Benin committed $10 million of their own funding to the program.  

The United States is one of the largest bilateral donors to Benin.  Ambassador Oguin said, "The MCC is a good model when it comes to ownership."  The Ambassador is not claiming the program is perfect - there is always room for improvement.  He feels there are  ways to increase coherency and coordination among other development programs.

"We need the church to stand up." - Dr. Samuel Rodriguez

Dr. Samuel Rodriguez preached a powerful message at our opening worship.  Dr. Rodriguez is the President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.  He poetically spoke about God's annoiting on us to preach the good news - "The good news will come when all Christians make eradicating poverty a central part of their faith." 

We need a prophetic and incarnational firewall that will stand against poverty.  We need a fresh move of God's Holy Spirit.  We need to eradicate hunger by the power of God. 

Amen.

We are agents. Let's not waste this crisis.

Lisa Sharon Harper, Executive Director of NY Faith and Justice and author of Evangelical Does Not Equal Republican or Democrat, offered our evening plenary talk about responding to the crisis of our time.  She asked us to frame the crisis of hunger in the concept of shalom as explored in Scripture - Genesis 1 and 2.  

Lisa walked us through the Scripture by talking about how God responded to creation when God created the world.  Lisa made a compelling link between shalom, food, and God's desire for love among all creation.  She said, "It's our responsibility to make sure these relationships are all in working order.  God gave us agency here on earth.  Agency is characterized by love and servanthood of the other."  It is our responsibility to respond when people are hungry, suffering, dying, struggling in war without peace.

Lisa went on to speak about God's only commandment in the Garden.  "God only gave one command in Genesis 2 and it's connected to food.  You can eat from any tree in the garden, but don't eat from the tree in the middle - you will die....The evil is the experience of not trusting God's word.  Not chosing God's way."

We can't waste this crisis of hunger in our time, because God is calling us to act.  God is calling us to reflect God's desire for shalom in the world.  We are agents of shalom.  Praise be to God. 

Thank you Lisa for your witness and powerful words.

The Rising of Bread for the World - Panel Discussion

Micheal Gerson, David Beckmann and Art Simon spoke on a panel about the beginnings and challenges of Bread for the World.  Michael started the discussion by asking Art, Bread's founder, about how Bread emerged from his direct service church ministry in New York City.  Art commented, "My father used to say that it's better to build a fence at the end of the road rather than send an ambulance.  Bread for the World emerged as a way of building a fence." Art recently published a book called "The Rising of Bread for the World," which recounts 35 years of history of Bread for the World.  You can purchase your copy on our website.

When asked what he's learned about working to end hunger over the past 35 years, Art said, "We've got an opportunity with the new administration and the new Congress.  Don't kid yourself.  It's not going to be easy.  We're only going to make things happen unless we get out there and show our elected officials that we want them to take action.  No matter how promising an administration may be - we cannot take that for granted.  We've got to get out there and seize this opportunity."

Michael raised the challenge of the current economic crisis and the temptation to look inward.  David Beckmann made an argument for the importance of increased foreign assistance funding in the midst of an economic crisis.

Art closed the panel discussion with a powerful call to advoacy:

Our own integrity as Christians is at stake.  If our faith in Jesus is real, Jesus calls us to take action.  Action can come in many different ways and forms.  A  key part of it is what Bread for the World is urging people to do - the advocacy side of things.  If we really want hunger to end, it's not enough that we just upgrade our direct assistance.  We have to get the nation as a whole to take action. If we believe in a God who has created us for the purpose of serving others, who has redeemed us in Christ, we are to reflect that love to others with our whole being.  Bread for the World can play a significant role in that.