FOOTSTEPSNo.31 JUNE 1997 READERS’ FEEDBACK ISSUE

Even when these theories are shared andguided by community participation, wemay still find our work style is ‘topdown’. Ideas come from outside the

a group of lay readers, pastors andcommunity workers which helped me torealise that if we do not carefully thinkthrough our role as ‘agents for change’, werisk taking away people’s roles in theirown community. Clearly our motivation isour Christian love and desire to help solvethe problems of those who suffer.However, we have to draw the linebetween Christian commitment andpaternalism.

Failing to record our own experiences andhow our thinking develops can often provea weakness. Here I will try to share some ofmy thoughts and conclusions about an areamany of us may be involved with –Christian community development. Ofcourse, these thoughts will not necessarilycoincide with your own ideas andexperiences, but they may help to challengeyou to spend some time recording yourown experiences and thoughts.

Let’s consider what factors should be takeninto account to avoid turning our role ascommunity facilitators into that of‘development’ organisers.

Church-basedcommunity development

IN THIS ISSUE

community and there is little room forthe community to generate its own ideas.

In passing on these beliefs, each of us hasbeen influenced by situations, modelsand processes which have helped us tothink and behave in a certain way. In myown case, it was the experience shared by

• PLA in action• Making the most

of meetings• Letters• Breast is still best• Passion fruit• The fire of AIDS• Natural family spacing• Drama for communication• Street children• Resources• Bible study:

The Principle of Jubilee• Jubilee 2000

by Alexis Andino

FOR A LONG TIME development workers have learnt and put intopractice the principle that ‘development’ comes from agencies and isaimed at communities. We take for granted that we are the bearers of awealth of ‘new ideas’ which we are eager to share with people, to ‘takedevelopment to the community’.

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DEVELOPMENT

2 FOOTSTEPS NO.31

FOOTSTEPSISSN 0962-2861

Footsteps is a quarterly paper, linking healthand development workers worldwide. TearFund, publisher of Footsteps, hopes that it willprovide the stimulus of new ideas and enthusi-asm. It is a way of encouraging Christians of allnations as they work together towards creatingwholeness in our communities.Footsteps is free of charge to individualsworking to promote health and development.It is available in English, French, Portugueseand Spanish. Donations are welcomed.Readers are invited to contribute views,articles, letters and photos.

Editor: Isabel Carter83 Market Place, South Cave, Brough,East Yorkshire, HU15 2AS, UK.Tel/Fax: (0)1430 422065E-mail: imc@tearfund.dircon.co.ukLanguage Editor: Sheila MelotEditorial Committee: Jerry Adams, Dr AnnAshworth, Simon Batchelor, Mike Carter,Jennie Collins, Bill Crooks, Paul Dean, RichardFranceys, Dr Ted Lankester, Sandra Michie,Nigel Poole, Louise Pott, José Smith, MikeWebbIllustrator: Rod MillDesign: Wingfinger Graphics, LeedsTranslation: L Bustamante, R Cawston, Dr J Cruz, S Dale-Pimentil, S Davies, T Dew, N Edwards, J Hermon, J Martinez da Cruz,R Head, M Leake, M Machado, O Martin,N Mauriange, J PerryMailing List: Write, giving brief details of yourwork and stating preferred language, to:Footsteps Mailing List, Tear Fund, 100 ChurchRoad, Teddington, Middlesex, TW11 8QE, UK.(Tel: (0)181 977 9144.)Change of address: Please give us thereference number from your address labelwhen informing us of a change of address.Articles and illustrations from Footsteps maybe adapted for use in training materialsencouraging health and rural developmentprovided the materials are distributed free ofcharge and that credit is given to Footsteps, TearFund. Permission should be obtained beforereprinting Footsteps material.Opinions and views expressed in the lettersand articles do not necessarily reflect the viewsof the Editor or Tear Fund. Technicalinformation supplied in Footsteps is checked asthoroughly as possible, but we cannot acceptresponsibility should any problems occur.Published by Tear Fund. A company limitedby guarantee. Regd in England No 994339.Regd Charity No 265464.

Understanding ouridentityIf we come from outside the community,we must be aware that we are strangersand may not know or understand manyof the elements and situations which takeplace there. We may come from verydifferent situations.

Identifying our roleAs strangers who have come to serve thecommunity, we must give up any ideasof self importance and authority. Weneed to adopt a permanent learningattitude. All comments and suggestionsshould be seen as new assets we can addto our own experience as servants of Godfor his glory.

Consideration andrespectWe often tend to talk too much and listentoo little. We like to hold on to our ownstandards and expectations withouttaking into consideration the experiencesof community members. A good way toearn friendship and respect is to respect

others, especially their priorities,hierarchy and sometimes old-fashionedattitudes.

We must learn to accept that the historicroots of most churches in Latin America(and elsewhere) had few social concerns.We need wisdom to learn andunderstand more about those historicroots and their impact on the everydayreality of our churches. Local pastorsneed friends who can encourage andsupport them in their ministry, not so-called ‘friends’ who come trying to pullapart the structure and concerns of thechurch.

Sharing communityexperiencesDevelopment agents need to becomeinvolved in community activities such asworship, playing sport and taking time tojoin in conversations during rest timesand evenings. All these are vital parts ofcommunity life and facilitators shouldnot keep to one side. Church leaders,members and the general communitywill all take pleasure in developmentagents who try to build up relationshipswith the community. This helps usdevelop our own understanding of thecommunity and builds trust withcommunity members. (Read2 Corinthians 1:7.)

Alexis Andino wrote this thought-provoking articlebefore we had published Issue 29 on ParticipatoryLearning and Action. However, he raises many ofthe crucial issues that participatory discussion and

exercises try to encourage. How can we act asfacilitators to ensure that communities are able todecide their own priorities, rather than ‘helpingthem to develop’?

How do we avoid turning our role as community facilitators into that of ‘development’ organisers?

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FOOTSTEPS NO.31

Brian: Thank you for another stimulatingedition of Footsteps, although theDecember issue on PLA raised morequestions for me than it answered. Myexperience tells me that ‘bottom-up’development is as powerless as ‘top-down’ development is elitist. As anordained minister with training inagriculture, I have worked withTanzanian development issues for over14 years and recently handed over a mostchallenging reforestation project to thepeople I trained. In the editorial, yourfirst sentence is about the real value ofeach and every individual having theopportunity to share their views. Myexperience is that it is most difficult forwomen to share meaningfully, or to gettheir views heard.

Simon: It is precisely the aim of a trueparticipatory approach to help themarginalised make their views known. Ifwomen cannot speak publicly in society, thennew and imaginative approaches must befound to find out their point of view.Previously, so-called experts have spoken onbehalf of women, but often with values thatare completely different from those found inthe village. Actions have been mis-understoodcausing more harm than good and sometimeseven conflict. We are called to be peacemakers. In the past ‘development experts’have thought of solutions before the peoplehave recognised the root causes of theirproblems, so when outside interventionleaves, the village returns to its old waysbecause they did not own the changes.

Brian: The villages that I know well arefull of personal rivalry and conflicts,traditional power structures and socialclass systems that severely limit thepotential of real participation.

Simon: We must acknowledge that mankindis fallen, and selfishness can be found in anysociety. Participatory approaches ofteninvolve public accountability, and in animperfect society, public accountability is oneof the few ways to reduce corruption andconflict.

Brian: I fully agree that sustainabledevelopment can only come fromcommunity action – but I’m not so surethat the action must always and only be

PLAin action

Brian Polkinghorne wrote with an interest-ing response to Issue 29. Here are someof the points he made, together with com-ments from Simon Batchelor (who wrotethe opening article in Issue 29).

FriendshipsAll of us need to be accepted by otherswith both our strengths andweaknesses. It is easier to developfriendships with people we easilyidentify with. However, we also need todevelop friendships with people wefind harder to like so that we will beaccepted by the whole community.

We must also be careful to find outabout sensitive aspects of communitylife such as family squabbles, domesticviolence, alcoholic husbands,unmarried mothers etc. We are workingtowards encouraging unity andcooperation and must use great wisdomin developing relationships and trustand showing tact in difficult situations.

Sharing innovationsOnce we have earned the community’strust we may be able to begin a step-by-step process of sharing some ideas andexperiences which may be relevant tothe community. We must rememberthat we are not just earning thecommunity’s trust in order to pass onknowledge. Our role as facilitators is tohelp people find their own answers totheir problems, through encouragingnew ideas and community action – notby manipulating the process.

Let us look critically at our role inserving communities. Do we need toreadjust our work patterns with localchurches and communities?

Alexis Andino is an agricultural expertwho has worked for some years as a church-based community project facilitator forChristian Service Organisations inHonduras, Central America. He isExecutive Director of the HonduranEvangelical Development OrganisationsCouncil (CONSEDE).

CONSEDEApDo Postal 4339TegucigalpaHondurasCentral America

It is often difficult for womento get their views heard. Photo: Richard Hanson, Tear Fund

DEVELOPMENT

4 FOOTSTEPS NO.31

‘begun’ by the community itself. Forexample, when you have a village withinhabitants who have only ever travelledone or two days’ bicycle ride from wherethey were born, have no newspapers, fewradios, a very low level of education andan even lower level of environmentalawareness and a government that hasalways told them what to think and to do– how are they supposed to get ideas andstimulation to see the way out of theirpredicament?

I believe that there needs to be an inputfrom the outside. Then maybe you canstart to see some signs of sustainabledevelopment taking place.

Simon: The process begins with the peopleseeing a need or feeling that something iswrong. It is correct for you to say that theymay not have the life experience to know theroot cause of that problem, or to know of areasonable solution. But that does not stop usbeginning with their own analysis of theirproblems. PLA then animates the society tosearch for the root cause and the solution.

Brian: If each society is so different in itssociological, economic, political andspiritual value systems, how can any oneapproach like PLA push the right buttonsin more than a few societies to helppeople take the next step in their

themselves have created new games tocommunicate principles to each other. Theyhave created new tools to ensure that everyoneparticipates and understands. We should notconfuse the tools with the principles ofparticipation. We work towards people growingin their understanding of life and of the truenature of the universe, and in their creativeskills. What better mechanism is there toencourage diversity than being involved in theprocess of identifying a problem and workingtogether to find the solution?

Questions for discussion These three men – Alexis, Simon and Brian – have raised a number of really vital issuesconcerning development that you may like to discuss:

■ How can we enable women or other marginalised groups to express their thoughts andpriorities?

■ Are outside agents always needed to encourage the process of development?

■ Can outside agents ever simply act as facilitators without putting over their opinions andknowledge?

■ How do community members ‘own’ their own development?

Alongside this there are church leaders and development projects all trying to justify their workwith communities and needing ‘quick results’ to prove their usefulness so they will be able toget next year’s budget…

Let’s continue raising these vital issues. Please (women especially) share some more of yourthoughts.

development agendas? For example, forthe vast majority of rural Africans I’llguarantee that PLA based on mappingand transects will be unhelpful becausepeople don’t use maps here. Let’sencourage more experimentation anddiversity. Why did God fill the worldwith so many varied forms and styles oflife? Surely he too is in favour ofdiversity!

Simon: I agree that not all tools are applicableto all societies. In Cambodia, villagers

How can weensure thatcommunity

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ADMINISTRATION

5FOOTSTEPS NO.31

beginning, allow any changes oramendments to be made and then signthem as a true record.

The Secretary takes a record of thoseattending. This person needs to takenotes of everything discussed anddecided, in order to write up the minuteslater in greater detail. The Secretary alsoneeds to collect all necessary letters andwritten information before the meetingand may need to check facts and figuresfrom the Chairperson’s notes. Like theChairperson, the Secretary should bedemocratically elected.

The value of meetingsMeetings can provide a way for poorerand less powerful members of society toshare their ideas. Information can begathered and shared at meetings withlittle or no cost. They are an open way ofcarrying out business, making corruptionmore difficult. They encourageparticipation in decision-making.They can encourage people to co-operate and work together. They

I AM ALWAYS VERY ENCOURAGED when Footsteps readers send me articlesto include in Footsteps. Sometimes I manage to fit them quickly into issues andsometimes they may not be suitable to publish. However, I always have anumber of good articles and no space to fit them in. This issue, therefore, hasno main theme. Instead, we cover a number of different subjects, often fromprevious issues which readers have responded to. A number of articles raisecrucial questions about what is at the heart of participatory development andempowerment. The source of the ‘parable’ on AIDS is unknown so we cannotcredit the writer. Passion fruit is a fairly new crop for many farmers andthough it grows easily, few people know the best ways of increasing pro-duction and avoiding disease. Jubilee 2000 is a campaign which I have beenpersonally involved with and believe will become an important – and indeedprophetic – way of marking the new millennium.

I’d appreciate your comments on this issue of Footsteps. Would you like us torepeat this regularly – or do you prefer each issue to follow one subject, even ifit makes it difficult to fit in other useful articles?

Future issues will look at food storage and security, infectious diseases –particularly malaria – and then ideas for small-scale enterprises.

FROM THE EDITOR

Making themost ofmeetingsby Gideon Njini

GROUP MEETINGS influence theactivities and future direction ofgroups. There are two main kindsof meeting: private and public.Public meetings discuss matterswhich may be of interest to alllocal people. Private meetings areopen only to members or thosewith a direct interest in thesubject. All meetings should giveproper notice to those open toattend and should be runaccording to the rules of theconstitution.

The language of meetingsThe constitution is the set of guidelines andrules by which a society or group runtheir affairs.

The Chairperson should be democraticallyelected, allowing every member an equalopportunity to decide who is the rightperson for this role. This person isresponsible for producing the agendawhich members should have theopportunity to change.

The agenda sets out the business to bediscussed in a good order.

Members must address remarks either tothe Chairperson or to the meeting andnot discuss issues between themselves.The Chairperson needs to keep themeeting lively and interesting as well asensuring that the more silent membersare encouraged to participate.

The minutes provide a permanent recordof the matters discussed which can befiled and kept safely for future reference.The Chairperson should read out theminutes of the previous meeting at the

encourage careful and reasoned decision-making.

Gideon Njini is a consultant with ResourcesManagement Consultants. His address is: POBox 5011, Nkwen Bamenda, NWP, Cameroon.

EDITOR:

Be aware that sometimes meetingsmay be used by powerful communitymembers to get their own way.Following these recommendationsmay help to prevent this happening.

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LETTERS

6 FOOTSTEPS NO.31

THE EDITORFOOTSTEPS83 MARKET PLACE

SOUTH CAVE

BROUGHEAST YORKSHIRE

HU15 2ASUK

Tools for woolcraftIN RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTSin Ethiopia and Kenya, we have oftenseen people trying to card, spin, felt orweave their wool using unsuitable tools.Sometimes more appropriate solutionsmay exist just a couple of hundred milesaway in the same country. Sometimes theanswers may be known in anothercontinent.

Does any reader know of papers, booksor magazines showing how to maketextile equipment using local skills andeasily obtainable materials? Or wouldany other project like to share theirsolutions with us?

For example, in the treeless highlands ofEthiopia, farmers do not have either thewood or the tools to make spinningwheels, or the cash to buy them. Bicycles,which in many countries are used asparts for spinning wheels, are unknown.So we are experimenting making wheelsfrom grass, using traditional basketryskills and taking the necessary metalparts from broken umbrellas. PerhapsFootsteps could have an issue on thetheme of locally sustainable craftdevelopment?

Alan WallerSkolg 2C-4S-450 46 HunnebostrandSweden

Workshop on family counsellingand pastoral work I WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATEyou on the content of Paso a Paso. Recentissues have covered a number of mattersrelating to the family, such as drug abuse,street children and population issues. Asan institute, EIRENE is concerned withthe spiritual and emotional health of thefamily, so we have been very pleasedwith this coverage.

EIRENE is holding a Regional Congress inCuzco, Peru from 21 to 26 July this yearon the theme of The Family in the 21stCentury, with a full programme and somevery well-known Christian speakers. Wewould welcome enquiries from interestedreaders.

Carlos PintoEIRENE InternationalCasilla 17-08-8572QuitoEcuadorS America

The effect of IUDsIN FOOTSTEPS 29 I noted a letter fromBert Oubre complaining that Footsteps hadincluded IUDs as contraceptive methods.He believed that IUDs prevent theimplantation of a fertilised egg. Since Ifind that many people share his view, Ienclose some articles giving details ofhow IUDs work. They primarily preventeggs being fertilised, mainly by alteringthe movement of the sperm.

There seems to be no reason to believethat IUDs cause early abortions unlessthey are fitted after an egg has beenfertilised.

Barbara KinziePO Box 2168SanaaRepublic of Yemen

EDITOR:

Copies of these articles from medical journals areavailable.

Drought-resistant cropsFOR SIX YEARS I worked in BingaDistrict as manager of a nutrition andhealth programme. During this time wehad two serious droughts. But even in thegood years, harvests were not sufficient tofeed the people adequately. There are fewopportunities for paid employment somost people have relied on food aid forseveral months a year. This made merealise it would be worth trying differentand more drought-resistant crops.

Last year I started focusing on the small-scale planting of drought-resistant multi-purpose trees and met with much

support. With four other people we havenow formed a small organisation topromote the growing of Jatropha curcas andMoringa oleifera trees in this district. Otherfruit and local trees are also encouraged.So far we have planted over a millionJatropha seeds.

Moringa has grown here since the 1950s.People use the leaves as relish to eat withsadza (stiff porridge) but people rarelyhave more than one tree and because theleaves are picked regularly few seeds areever produced. We plan to produce largequantities of moringa seed and to usecuttings to propagate it as well.

We hope that oil and nuts can be marketedto industries in the cities and also usedlocally as cooking oil and for fuel.Nutritious weaning foods can also beprepared.

Thank you for the interesting articles onmoringa which have been a great help toour programme.

Titia WarndorffBinga TreesPrivate Bag 5715BingaZimbabwe

Networking of experienceI AM DELIGHTED BY THE IDEA ofnetworking similar organisations aroundthe world that you have tried to begindeveloping through Footsteps. Thougheverything is difficult at the beginning, wehave to make a start because people’sappetites will grow as they eat!

Through using my name in Footsteps, Ihave had useful contacts from similargroups in other countries. Is there anygroup who could contribute financially tothis international networking ofexperience? Projects able to share theirplans and methods of working may findall kinds of benefits in discussing themwith others around the world – throughletters or, even better, seminars.Sometimes a member could spend timewith another organisation. What kind ofrole do you see Footsteps having indeveloping such networking?

I see four very positive aspects to Footsteps:

• It includes sections on appropriatetechnology.

• It shares practical experiences indevelopment.

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FOOTSTEPS NO.31

• It invites its partners to write in-deptharticles on their work.

• You announce the themes of futureissues so readers know Footsteps is theirmagazine and it will only be what wemake it.

Nohoune LèyeProject ManagerPO Box 10KhomboleSenegal

EDITOR

In 1997 there will be an important meetingdiscussing future planning for Footsteps.Developing networking and sharing information will be two key items to be discussed.

Health education offerTHE CHRISTIAN IN HEALTHEDUCATION FELLOWSHIP has aresource centre and publishes a numberof health learning materials on various

different topics, such as primary healthcare, drugs, hygiene, AIDS andsanitation. They will send informationfree of charge in exchange for 20envelopes (of any size).

Christian in Health Education FellowshipPO Box 401NnewiAnambraNigeria

Correspondence farming coursesDOES ANY READER know of centreswho run affordable correspondencecourses in sustainable agriculture inEnglish? Several staff members inEthiopia would like to develop theirknowledge further – but have verylimited funds.

Alan Wallerc/o Footsteps Editor(address as at top of page 6)

Book-keeping for mobile clinicsI ENJOY THE ARTICLES in Footsteps.They are practical and obviously field-tested. The one on book-keeping in Issue26 has been very useful. I am now usingthis layout everyday in my work as theadministrator of a small health clinic. Weprovide health care for the Quechuapopulation, often travelling out to remotemountain villages with mobile clinics.

Dr Lawrence TanCasilla 575SucreBolivia

Breast is still bestA RECENT REPORT confirms that worryingpressures are put on mothers with new babiesby companies keen to improve sales of babymilk. The Interagency Group on Breast-feedingMonitoring (IGBM) recently published a reportshowing that many companies – includingNestlé, Gerber, Milco, Nutricia and Wyeth –were promoting bottle-feeding among pregnantand new mothers, breaking an InternationalCode agreed in 1981. The group found thathealth workers were also breaking the Code –for example, by passing on samples they hadreceived from companies to mothers, or byusing posters and leaflets that displayed thename or product of a company.

Baby milk is expensive, a poor substitute forbreast milk and, worse still, if formula milk isnot prepared in sterile conditions or is tooweak, it can lead to infection, malnutrition anddeath in many babies.

Colostrum is the thick yellowish breast milkproduced in the first few days after birth. Sometraditions believe it should be thrown away, butit gives vital protection from disease.

Colostrum and breast milk contain specialingredients that give natural protection againstdisease. These protective ingredients areabsent in formula milk. Breast-feeding protectsbabies against diarrhoea, infectious diseasesand some forms of allergy. It is likely thatbreast-feeding improves intellectualdevelopment.

Breast-feeding can also be of benefit tomothers. It lowers the risk of ovarian andbreast cancer. Exclusive breast-feeding alsohelps to prevent pregnancy, helping to spacebirths.

What can health workers do?

If you are aware of companies promoting bottlefeeding in your area, make a complaint to thecompany and do all you can to convincemothers that BREAST IS BEST. Encouragemothers to…

■ begin breast-feeding within half an hour ofbirth

■ breastfeed exclusively for the first 4–6months – no water, food or other drink isneeded

■ give the breast whenever the baby wants,day or night

■ avoid using a bottle or pacifier(dummy/soother).

If a baby becomes ill, it is even more importantto continue breast-feeding. For a very small

baby who may be too weak to breast-feed, themother can express milk into a clean cup andfeed it from a spoon until the baby getsstronger. Surprisingly, even mothers eatingpoor diets have good breast milk.

In some countries groups have formed tomake it easier for working mothers to continuebreast-feeding. BUNSO in the Philippines havecampaigned for hospitals to promote andencourage breast-feeding, for working mothersto have two months paid leave after birth andfor factories and workplaces to become ‘babyfriendly’ and support breast-feeding mothers.

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AGRICULTURE

Raising seedlingsSeedlings can be grown in open beds but grow much better insmall containers – usually plastic tubes, though tins, milk cartonsand banana leaves can also make good containers. Containersshould be 10cm in diameter and 20cm long. Fill them with goodsoil and plant several fresh seeds in each. Water regularly andcover with mulch until germination. Allow two or three seedlings togrow in each container. Plant out when 8–10 weeks old.

GRAFTING uses strong seedlings of granadillawhich are 20–30cm tall. Cut off the seedling,leaving a stump about 10cm high and makea 3cm cut into the top. Place into this awedge-shaped shoot from a good quality,high-yielding variety. Cover the graft withplastic tape (cut up an old plastic bag) andkeep the seedling under shade and wellwatered for one month. Remove shade and allow togrow for another one or two months before planting out.

8 FOOTSTEPS NO.31

IN RECENT YEARS passion fruit has become a popular new fruit formany farmers around the world. They grow well and the fruit is tasty andrefreshing. Unlike some fruit, passion fruit travel well to market. They canalso be processed to make juice. There is increasing interest in exportingthem to Europe where they are becoming a popular luxury fruit. Passionfruit will often grow well up trees but few people know much about thebest methods of growing them to produce large quantities of fruit.

Training youngplantsPassion fruit grow best on trellises wherethey are well supported and planted 3mapart with 2m between the rows. At first theplants are trained up on stakes to producewhat are called leaders. Allow two strongshoots to grow and remove all other shootsregularly. While the plants are growing,build the trellis system (see below).

Cut off shoots before theyreach the ground to preventdiseases. Never throw shootswhich have trailed along theground back over the wire.Over the seasons, regularlycut out weaker or diseasedsecondary shoots – but neverthe leader shoots. Cut backshoots which have finishedproducing fruit.

Passion fruit

VarietiesThe name comes from the flower whichlooks like Christ’s crown of thorns andthe nails on the cross. The purple passionfruit grows well in higher altitudes. Theyellow fruit is more commonly known asthe granadilla. This has larger fruit andhigher yields but a more acid taste. Itgrows best in hot, low-lying areas.

Grafting purple passion fruit ontogranadilla stock can prove verysuccessful.

Plant breeders continue to produce newhybrids, though as yet these will notgrow true to the parent plant, so can onlybe reproduced through grafting. Thehybrid plants also sometimes need helpwith pollination of the flowers.

CUTTINGS from healthy shoots of particularly good plantscan be made with a sharp blade. Cuttings should beabout 15cm long with two or three leaf nodes. Cut off thelower leaf at the node. Plant cuttings firmly (about 5cmdeep) into containers under shade and keep wellwatered for a month. Shading can then be removed.

by Isabel Carter

Tangling like thisencourages disease.

Grafting ashoot ontogranadillastock.

9FOOTSTEPS NO.31

DiseasesMost diseases result from wounddamage. Sometimes diseases can becontrolled by cutting away the infectedparts.

Build a reputation!Passion fruit is a cheap and easy crop togrow. Building the trellis system is themajor effort or cost, but if done well willlast many years. If you are wanting to trypassion fruit, it is worth asking aroundfor advice on the very best variety andpaying a lot of money to buy one or two

excellent plants. Within a year or two youcan have hundreds of young plants fromthe seeds of your first plants. Of course,you can also visit a market and selectgood fruit from which to plant seeds.

Why stop there? Continue to experimentwith different varieties and try outgrafting on a small scale. If you aresuccessful, you may be able to sell graftedplants and build up a reputation.Consider forming a co-operative andtrying to find a regular market to sellyour crops – maybe to a local factoryproducing juice.

HarvestingThe plants will begin to produce fruit 8–20 months after planting out. Fruitis produced throughout the year, but there are usually peak times forharvesting. Plants will produce for 3–6 years. Often the highestyielding plants will die back first. When ripe, the fruit will fall tothe ground where they can be picked up. The ground shouldbe kept clear of weeds, though some low groundcover can help to avoid damaging the fruit.The roots of passion fruit cover a verylarge area – up to 6m in diameter – andare often very near the surface of thesoil. Even slight digging may causedamage. Planting low cover crops, suchas cow peas, grass or lablab may be thebest answer.

It is always best to let ripe fruit fall off.Picking the fruit means the juice is less sweet, thequality is reduced and wounds may be caused on theplant, leading to disease.

Buildingthe trellisIt is common to see trellises which collapse due to termite damage after a year or two. Use good,strong timber which is either termite-resistant ortreated with preservative.

Ideally, use stakes which are 20cm in diameterand 2.6–2.8m in length. Drive them 60cm into theground and fasten fencing wire to them. Thereare various ways of anchoring the wire and rowsor posts to keep them upright. Space the polesevery 6m with two leader shoots between them.

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Once the leader shootsreach the wires theyare allowed to growalong them. Secondaryshoots will form andhang down, formingcurtains of shoots. Tryto keep thesesecondary shoots frombecoming too tangled.Tight knots encouragediseases.

2m

0.6m 3m

6m

HEALTH EDUCATION

10 FOOTSTEPS NO.31

AN OLD MAN was speaking tothe village elders about AIDS andtold them a story…One day a young mother, Philomena, wastalking to other ladies in the village while theyweaved baskets. She told them how her newbaby was fascinated by the fire that burnt dayand night in the middle of the floor in herhome. He loved to see the sparks fly into theair and would try to crawl towards thedancing flames. Only that morning he hadtried to pick up a glowing ember and criedwhen she pulled him away.

‘We have to have the fire in our houses,’ shesaid, ‘but how did you teach your children toavoid getting burnt and to use it safely?’

One lady said, ‘Children have to learn byexperience. I let my son find out by himself.He soon found out that fire burns – and henever went near the fire again.’

‘Yes,’ thought Philomena, ‘your boy’shands are so deformed he cannot hold aspade or a pencil. I don’t want my son tobe like that.’

Then a second lady said, ‘No – childrenmust be taught to fear the fire. I drew acircle round the fire in the dust and toldmy children I would beat them if they puta hand over the line.’

‘But your daughters are quite big nowand cannot cook the porridge,’ thoughtPhilomena. ‘I don’t want my childrento be like that.’

A third lady said, ‘No – children haveto learn to use the fire safely andexperience its blessings. I, too,

made certain rules and told them if theydisobeyed them I would punish themseverely.’

‘Yes,’ thought Philomena, ‘it was your sonwho made one little mistake and was burnt inthe house because he was afraid of beingpunished if he called for help. I do not wantmy child to be like that.’

Then the wife of the chief spoke and said,‘Yes – fire is a very wonderful thing and wecannot live without it. It cooks our food, itscares wild animals and warms our bodies.But it is also hungry for fuel and burnsanything it can. It will harm us if we do notuse it properly. It can be a gentle friend, or adestroying giant when out of control. So Itaught my children how to make fires, how touse them and what to do if they mademistakes and something caught alight. I alsotold them never to be afraid of asking for

help if they made a mistake, because thoughI might be angry, I would not beat them anddid not want them to get hurt.’

‘Yes,’ said Philomena, ‘it was your childrenwho pulled a baby out of a fire one day. Thatis what I shall do. I shall teach my childrenthat fire is wonderful, but also dangerous. Iwill help them understand and slowly teachthem how to use it safely.’

‘Ah,‘ said the chief, who had been listeningall the time, ‘that is very sensible. I have liveda long time and know that young people willexperiment and play. But if we teach ourchildren properly, the whole community willbenefit and not be at risk.’

When the story was over, thepeople discussed it for a time andthen asked the teacher to explainwhat the story meant, and this iswhat he said…The sexual urge is like a fire – given by Godfor our pleasure and for our use. Because ofthis urge, men and women join together tohave children. The urge is very strong and,like fire, can be both a wonderful comfort or adestroying force that can tear a family apartor cause men and women to kill one anotherin jealousy. It can hold men and womentogether or bring disease and death. That iswhy every society has rules about how to useit – tribal rules, Moslem rules, Hindu rules,Buddhist rules and Christian rules – all tryingto help us use this gift from God well.

The fire of

AIDS

11FOOTSTEPS NO.31

HEALTH EDUCATION

Nearly all of them say that the gift of sexshould only be used after some sort of legalagreement between families. There shouldbe a public declaration so that everyone inthe society knows that this man and womanbelong to one another. Most societies expectthe girl to be a virgin, and are much quickerto condemn the girl who makes a mistakethan a boy who ‘gets experience’.

Our Christian way is very clear. We believeGod teaches that the gift of sex should onlybe enjoyed within a marriage relationship. Itshould not be used before marriage or withother partners outside it. This is the ideal waybecause young people cannot bring diseaseinto the marriage. However, we know that wedo make mistakes and there is always a wayof forgiveness.

Now AIDS has come among us and is likethe wind suddenly blowing the fire andturning a small mistake into a killing blaze.We pass it from one person to another bymis-using God’s gift. We go with just oneperson and find that we have condemnedourselves to death.

We cannot be like the first lady and just allowour young people to learn from experience.They will pay for that experience with theirlives. If we are like the second lady and donot explain things or discuss the problem,they will not understand and take needlessrisks. Even the third lady, who tried to explaina little, relied on threats and fear.

Like the chief and his wife, we must explainthe dangers and allow our people to maketheir own decisions and to use the gift of sex

AIDS Resource Materials

STEPPING STONESThis is an exciting new training packagewith 240 page manual and video developedby Action Aid. It is very helpful in encourag-ing people of all ages to express theirfeelings and learn about AIDS throughdiscussion and role-play (though it does nothave a Christian perspective). The video isavailable in English, French, Luganda andKiswahili and the manual only in Englishand French. The full package is approx-imately $150, but could be shared widely inchurches and organisations. For moreinformation contact one of the following…

TALC, PO Box 49, St Albans, AL1 4AX, UK

Stepping Stones, PO Box 676, Kampala,Uganda

STRATEGIES FOR HOPEThe Strategies for Hope series now has 11booklets in the series with most titles avail-able in French and English. These bookletsare free to groups working in sub-saharanAfrica. Details from TALC (above).

Other useful contacts for training materialsand the Strategies for Hope booklets:

AMREF, PO Box 30125, Nairobi

AMREF Uganda, PO Box 51, Entebbe,Uganda

AMREF Tanzania, PO Box 2773, Dar esSalaam, Tanzania

‘The night is nearly over;the day is almost here. Solet us put aside the deedsof darkness and put onthe armour of light.’ROMANS 13:12

wisely. A fire can be started by anyone andlead to many innocent people burning. This iswhy we Christians have the responsibility ofteaching things like ‘safer sex’ which we mightnot agree with ourselves but can help thoseoutside the church to avoid infection.

Jesus moved with prostitutes and sinners andalways responded to both sin and disease withlove and compassion – so must we!

Discussion Questions

■ What traditional customs can affect the transmission of HIV infection? Are there any ways inwhich these customs can be changed?

(Answers might include polygamy, polyandry and matrimonial inheritance and prostitution.)

■ What are the two main ways in which AIDS is transmitted?

(Sexual intercourse accounts for nearly all cases of HIV infection in Africa, with transmission through blood – circumcision, tattoos, blood pacts and cuts – responsible for about5%.)

■ Is it best for parents, teachers or church leaders to teach young people about sex?

■ What kind of preparation or training might be available?

(If there is none, would it help for people to join together and discuss the issues before talkingwith their children?)

With thanks to Dr Alexandre Saúl of AEA, Angola, for initiating these discussion questions.

We cannot just allow our young people tolearn from experience. They will pay for thatexperience with their lives.

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HEALTH EDUCATION

Many associations in developingcountries are working effectively topromote these methods which haveproved well accepted by thousands ofcouples. One of the advantages of naturalmethods is that helping women tounderstand what is happening in theirbodies gives them more confidence inthemselves. It allows parents either tochoose the timing of a baby or to delaythe arrival of a wanted child. Couplesbecome more responsible andindependent in managing their fertility.

Life, fertility and maternity are some ofthe highest values in the Africantraditional world view. By valuing theseaspects and using their knowledge ofnatural body processes, this can linkscientific knowledge with Africantraditional knowledge. By trainingcouples to talk together about theseissues, to respect each other and to be incontrol of themselves, we encouragethem to understand their bodies. Theseare steps which help couples to respectand wonder at God’s creation and one ofhis greatest gifts – the gift of life.

This method has shown itself to bereliable when correctly taught to manycouples and practised with care. Full

understanding of a woman’s fertilityrequires careful training. In this article wecan only give an idea of what is involved.We do recommend that readers requestfull training before using this method.

A time for everythingIf we observe nature we see that there is atime to sow the fields. It would notusually be during the dry season. For awoman, there is also a time during hercycle to give life. This could be comparedto the rainy season. A woman who isaware of what happens in her body, willnotice different signs. There will be timeswhen she feels ‘dry’ (at the vulva) andtimes when she feels ‘wet’ with secretionscoming from the vulva. This is her fertileperiod when she can give life. The cycle ofa woman alternates fertile and infertiletimes, each with specific signs that can beobserved. (BE CAREFUL: this method is nota matter of using calculations but of day-to-day observations.)

A normal cycle…Menstruation is the time when the woman’sbody loses the lining of the womb. Thefeminine cycle begins on Day 1 with theloss of this lining or blood (which tells awoman she is not pregnant). This bleedingusually lasts for 4–6 days.

Possible Infertile Time For some womenthere is a time just after menstruation when‘nothing happens’. An egg is not yetmaturing in the ovary – it is a period ofrest. The neck of the womb is closed, sealedby a mucus plug which makes it hard forsperm to enter. The sign of this time is thefeeling of dryness. The length of this time isvery variable.

Fertile Time During this time an eggmatures in the ovary until it is released onthe day of ovulation. The neck of the womb

NaturalFamilySpacing

Issue 27 on population prompted several reponses,especially from people who felt Footsteps had not givenenough encouragement to natural family spacing methods.From a medical point of view these methods have a higherrisk of pregnancy and involve great commitment on thepart of both husband and wife. However, with propertraining and commitment they can prove satisfactory inmany situations, especially for spacing births. Here is auseful and practical contribution from Evelyne Maire.

‘I will praise you for I amfearfully and wonderfullymade.’ PSALM 139:14

I AM PARTICULARLY INTERESTED in the topic of family spacingand would like to make some observations about Issue 27 whichtackles these issues. Though you mention natural methods of spacingbirths, you say little about them and mention them as unreliable.

MENSTRUATION XINFERTILE TIMEX(if no mucus)

XFERTILE TIMEX(mucus present)

XPOST-OVULATION INFERTILE TIMEX

Example chart: one woman’s cycle NOTE: Every woman willhave a different cycle

remains open and the mucus secretions aremoist, stretchy and helpful to sperm,allowing them to live for several days (untilovulation day).

Post-ovulation Infertile Time Once the egg isreleased the body waits for about 2 weeksfor a signal to show whether or not the egghas been fertilised. The neck of the wombwill be closed, become hard and changeposition. The mucus will form like a plug.The body’s usual temperature rises slightly.The sign of the time is a feeling of dryness,no mucus and the difference in temperaturewhich will remain high and stable. Once thebeginning of this time is clearly identified,this is a much ‘safer’ time for parents whodefinitely want to delay a pregnancy, thanthe earlier possible infertile time.

If an egg is not fertilised, the bodytemperature will go down after 12–14 days,menstruation will occur and the cyclebegins again. If an egg is fertilised thenmenstruation will not happen as the egg

13FOOTSTEPS NO.31

HEALTH EDUCATION

Drama for communicationby B Mounkoro

DRAMA CAN BE A VERY VALUABLE TOOL to encourage participatory learning. When usedwith a community in Mali, through a development programme, it was found the villagers’ sketchesexpressed certain problems which stopped people participating in development work.

In one drama the actors showed forestry workers setting the jungle on fire and then accusing thevillagers of this act and fining them. But they are caught in the act, reported and dismissed. Sucha suggestion would be very hard to make in a meeting, but was much easier to share as a storyin drama. Discussions after the drama showed that it had not been based on fact, but onrumours. As a result, the forestry service took the matter seriously and after useful discussions,new written agreements were made between themselves and local villages.

People meeting with a development service often hold back from saying things, for fear of losingfavour or looking bad. In drama, actors can share messages without having to go into all thedetails. This process is particularly useful if there are discussions afterwards. In one village,women said that drama had helped them to have open discussions with men.

A drama was developed to explore why participation in anti-erosion work had reduced. Inmeetings, villagers seemed in favour of the work. However, through drama it became clear thatthey felt they did not really ‘own’ the work. They had joined in, expecting rewards from a tree-planting competition. When this did not happen people began to lose interest and changed theiractivities to earn a little money instead. This was a complete surprise to the developmentorganisation.

Another important point that emerged from watching many such dramas, was that peoplepreferred to choose themes dealing with social issues such as family security, village harmony,rural exodus, polygamy and care of orphans. Organisations, on the other hand, see their work asproviding a path for communities to improve their situation through adopting better technologiessuch as tree nurseries, protecting drinking water, more soil erosion control and more income-generating activities.

Drama can provide a situation where ordinary people can feel at ease in sharing their truefeelings, laying a basis for understanding their motivation and concerns by developmentorganisations.

Adapted from an article by B Mounkoro in Echos du COTA, June 1996.

has implanted in the womb. A new life hasstarted. The temperature remains ‘high’.

Waiting Time For the first 3 ‘dry’ days afterthe fertile time, it is still possible for the eggto survive and be fertilised.

Recognising the signsIn order to recognise the fertile and infertiletimes of the cycle, the couple have to lookout for three main signs:

1Mucus secretions Just as wet weather isneeded for planting seeds in the fields,

so secretion of mucus (which is a specialkind of secretion, very easily recognisablefrom other kinds of secretions) show awoman she is at her fertile time.

2 Changes in temperature The small changein temperature indicates the beginning

of the infertile period. These changes are sosmall they can only be measured with athermometer.

3 Variations in the position of the neck of thewomb If the neck of the womb is hard

and low and there is no secretion, thisindicates an infertile period. If the neck ofthe womb is soft and high and there aresecretions, this indicates a fertile period.

It takes training, time and experience tocorrectly ‘read’ all the signs of a woman’sbody. After several months of recordingdetails of the cycle, couples should feelmore confident of understanding the fertileand infertile periods. If a couple do notwant a child, they should refraincompletely from intercourse from thebeginning of the fertile period to three daysafter the end of the fertile period.

These methods will only work once coupleshave reached an understanding and are incomplete agreement.

Below are some useful contact addressesfor further information and how to obtainfull training in these methods.

Evelyne MaireChardon26160 Le Poët-LavalFrance

E Family Life CounsellingAssociationPO Box 18077Nairobi

E Family Life Movement PO Box 50796LusakaZambia

E F Action FamilialeRoyal RoadRose HillMauritius

F Pastorale Familiale01 BP 149Bobo DioulassoBurkina Faso

F Association Education à laMaîtrise de la FéconditéBP 335BanguiRépublique Centrafricaine

F PROVIFABP 525Abidjan 12Ivory Coast

P CENPLAFAMAve Bernadino deCampos 11004004 n São-PauloBrazil

S CENPAVAAvenue 2837-21 BogotáColombia

CONTACTADDRESSES

FORINFORMATIONAND TRAINING

E: English

F: French

S: Spanish

P: Portuguese

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E-mail: cdmaire%siam@cal.fr

14 FOOTSTEPS NO.31

STREET CHILDREN

Community valuesIN MANY CITIES AND TOWNS streetsare increasingly becoming homes forcountless children.

Insecurity, AIDS, poverty and otherfactors push many African children ontothe streets, but the breakdown of theextended family structure and the relateddecline in religious and cultural moralsmake the situation much worse.

Traditional African education gaveyoung people values of respect, hardwork and good behaviour. Religiouseducation used to be a must at home andschool for every child. The traditions andreligious beliefs that guaranteed faithfulmarriages are steadily disappearing.

Awareness-raisingTHERE IS A HUGE NEED to raiseawareness of the needs of street children.I offer the following suggestions…

Governments should:

• make sound policies to reduce the gapbetween rich and poor

Non-Government Organisations should:

• enable children to participate indetermining their own goals andgrassroots development

• become involved in practical ways ofproblem-solving with street children.

Film makers and artists can do a great deal toraise people’s awareness.

Parents can try to solve problems beforethey become serious:

• make home life interesting and havefun with their children

Children are a gift from God and tomorrow’s leaders.

Life on the streets Amaranth to Zai Holes: Ideas for growing food underdifficult conditionsby Laura Meitzner and Martin Price

This 400 page book is a compilation ofall the information from ECHODevelopment Notes over 15 years.Material has been re-ordered andexpanded. It provides an excellentsource of information on all kinds ofsubjects, including staple crops,agroforestry, pest control, seeds,animals and food science.

For readers in developing countries itcosts US $25 surface post and US $35airmail. For readers in developedcountries it costs US $35 surface postand US $51 airmail.

Please order from ECHO17430 Durrance RoadNorth Fort MyersFL 33917-2200USA

Where There is no ArtistDevelopment drawings and how touse themby Petra Röhr-Rouendaal

Visual aids can help provideinformation, encourage discussion anddiscovery and make difficult ideaseasier to understand. Pictures helpmake books and posters moreaccessible, simply by making themlook more interesting.

This new book contains more than 500drawings on a wide range ofeducational and health issues all ofwhich are copyright free. There is anintroduction which gives goodpractical advice on how to usepictures, how to enlarge them, changethem and how to use them in all kindsof different ways – posters, comicstrips, games, flannel boards, etc.Another chapter gives help, adviceand tips to the many who say, ‘but Ican’t draw…’

A very useful book for all who usevisual aids in their work. Highlyrecommended. It can be ordered fromIT Publications and costs £16.00

W O R K I N G W I T H S T R E E T C H I L D R E N

Bringing up a child used to be a collectiveresponsibility for the whole community.Anyone would discipline a naughtychild. Today the responsibility todiscipline a neighbour’s child has gone.

The extended family used to be morallyobliged to care for orphans. Today,however, economic pressures, selfishnessand individual rights have robbedAfrican society of much of the hospitalityand sympathy that Africans held so dear.

Children are a gift from God. They arethe leaders of tomorrow. If they are onthe streets today, tomorrow our leadersmay hold street values and morals.

Sent in by Jjuko D Robert, AEC, Box 2056,Jinja, Uganda.

• talk with children about their interests

• be tolerant of harmless hang-ups

• build up their children’s selfconfidence and assure them of theirpotential in life

• encourage them to join in church oryouth camps.

Bomnsa Thaddeus JiniResource Management ConsultantsPO Box 2185BamendaCameroon

Talented Tigers

In Kampala, Uganda, over 100 street boysmeet to play football each week on a make-shift pitch. They call themselves the Tigers’Club. Amazingly, they have organisedthemselves and entered national youthcompetitions and won!

Their success has not gone unnoticed. Alocal church is now helping them with mealsand a nurse is providing medical care.

A small success story to bring encourage-ment to those working with street children.

Source: Jubilee Action

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15FOOTSTEPS NO.31

RESOURCES

BIBLE STUDY

The Principle of Jubileeby Isabel Carter

Read Leviticus 25:8-31Leviticus is the third book of the Old Testa-ment and it provides guidelines for ourrelationship with God and our neighbours.Chapter 25 talks of two major festivals – theSabbath year when land was left fallow torest every seventh year, and the Jubilee year,every fiftieth year.

The Jubilee was God’s answer to long-termpoverty. People become poor for all kinds ofreasons; they struggle to improve theirsituation. However, the Jubilee allowed fora new beginning in every generation. Forpeople caught in the poverty trap, it gavehope and new opportunities as land wasrestored to its original owners, debts werecancelled and slaves set free. Land, slaves

and loans were all to be valued-based ontheir nearness to the Jubilee year.

No-one is sure if the radical principle of theJubilee year was ever carried out. Todaymany people want the new millennium, theyear 2000, to be celebrated as a Jubilee year(see p 16).

• What are the differences between God’sanswer to poverty and the world’s answer?

• What do you see as the main benefits of aJubilee year?

• What would be the main difficulties inactually carrying out the Jubilee principle?

• Read page 16, pray for the Jubilee 2000 move-ment and consider your involvement.

People Give To People:Guides to successful fundraising

The Developing Countries Farm RadioNetwork (DCFRN) has obtained supportto produce a series of six booklets foragencies in Eastern Europe, Asia, LatinAmerica, Africa, and the Caribbean whowant to begin or improve their fundraisingprogrammes. The booklets will be flexible,easy to use and revise, and economical.They will be available in English, Spanish,and French at very low cost.

Elizabeth Wilson is looking for casestudies of fundraising successes andfailures, anecdotes, good quotes aboutfundraising, and organizations who areinterested in increasing fundingworldwide. There will be a small paymentin US dollars for any original case study oranecdote that appears in the booklets. Ifyou can help please contact:

Elizabeth Wilson31 Baldwin StreetPort HopeOntarioCanadaL1A 1S3

E-mail: ewilson@eagle.ca

Oasis Counselling CentreOasis Counselling Centre run a number ofuseful seminars. Subjects to be coveredinclude Trauma Counselling, LeadershipTraining, Gender in Development andYouth Counselling. Courses are held inNairobi, Kenya and Kigali, Rwanda andare open to all. Please write for moredetails to:

Oasis Counselling CentrePO Box 76117NairobiKenya

Natural Resources InstituteA number of useful materials are printedby this institute, some shown below.Many are aimed at researchers, but someare of particular interest to grassrootsdevelopment workers. Educationalgroups, research institutions and non-profit-making organisations in countriesreceiving British aid can apply for a freesingle copy. Write, using your offical title(not name), to:

NRICentral AvenueChatham MaritimeKentME4 4TBUK

Crop Production Workbook forArid and Semi-Arid Landsby V Gibberd

This book is designed for easy use in thefield by extension workers, teachers anddevelopment workers. It looks at thework of one of the first farmer-participatory applied research projectsbased in a semi-arid area of Kenya.

It looks at time of planting, soil fertilityand moisture, pests, soil conservationand useful tools, comparing farmers’findings with official recommendations.

It has useful practical tips on how to runtrials and how to set up an adaptiveresearch programme.

Available from NRI at £10 each (unlessyou qualify for a free copy – see above).

Use of Trees by LivestockA series of six booklets, looking at theimportance of trees and shrubs forfeeding livestock in the tropics, especiallyin drier areas. Each booklet looks indetail at the characteristics of one genus,with recommendations on their growth,use and management. The seriesincludes:

1 Prosopis 4 Anti-nutritive factors2 Acacia 5 Quercus3 Gliricidia 6 Cassia

Available from NRI at £2 each (unlessyou qualify for a free copy – see above).

including air-speeded postage, (£15.55 inEurope).

IT Bookshop103–105 Southampton RowLondonWC1B 4HHUK

16

DEBT

Published by

100 Church Road, Teddington, TW11 8QE, UK

Editor: Isabel Carter, 83 Market Place, SouthCave, Brough, East Yorkshire, HU15 2AS, UK

How it beganIn the late 1970s and early 1980s, whenricher nations were keen to lend money atgood interest rates, the governments ofmany Third World countries took outloans. The money was used to build roads,hospitals, government buildings, damsand – all too often – weapons.

For a few years everyone was happy. Thentwo things happened which sent the debtcrisis spiralling out of control. Prices formany of the goods exported by ThirdWorld countries, such as cotton, coffee,copper, rubber and tea dropped sharply.Interest rates soared all around the world.Loans which had been reasonably easy torepay suddenly became huge burdens togovernments now lacking foreignexchange. Repayments could not be met infull and the debt burdens began to build…

Debt in the 1990sToday the situation has become worse.Many governments are forced to spend farmore on debt repayments than onproviding health care and education fortheir people. For example, Africa nowspends four times more on interest on itsloans than on health care.

Governments don’t like to talk much aboutthe issue either in the lending or borrow-ing countries – for both it has become anembarrassment. Ordinary people find thesituation quite complicated to understand– debts have been sold on to all kinds ofbanks and companies. But the simple truthis that Third World debt has become akind of slavery, depriving millions of theirrights to health care and education.

What can be done?One group – of which the Editor ofFootsteps is a founder member – believes it

has a solution. Jubilee 2000 is asking for the beginning of the new millenniumto be a time when the backlog of theunpayable Third World debt is cancelled.They have a detailed charter withconditions for all kinds of situations.

Many economists and business peoplebelieve this is a business-like approach tosolving an awkward situation. Caringpeople believe this is a moral solution toan impossible situation. Many Christiansbelieve this to be prophetic and in linewith God’s purpose to celebrate the newmillennium as a year of Jubilee.

This campaign will only achieve its aimsthrough massive public awareness andaction. Already, many groups in Europeare taking action. Tear Fund and CAFODare among the first to launch awarenesscampaigns with their supporters. Thiswill be a theme of next year’s AnglicanLambeth Conference and the WorldCouncil of Churches 200th celebrations.

What can you do?■ Talk about these issues with friends.Raise them with church leaders.

■ Study the biblical teaching on Jubilee inLeviticus 25 and pray for the campaign.

■ Write to your governmentrepresentative, asking them to requestdebt cancellation in the year 2000.

■ Find out more about the situation inyour own country.

Jubilee 2000 is launching a worldwidepetition asking for the cancellation of debtsand for a fresh start to celebrate the newmillennium. A copy is enclosed for you toask friends to sign. Ask for more, whenyou post back the completed petition.Jubilee 2000 would like to see a network ofaction groups in every country. If youcould help, please write to:

Jubilee 2000PO Box 100LondonSE1 7RT

E-mail: j2000@gn.apc.org

A fresh start for anew millenniumMENTION THIRD WORLD DEBT to most people and a puzzled lookappears. Mention lack of funding for health clinics and schools andmost people would agree and want to add their own experiences.However, in most Third World countries the two are closely linked. Growing debt repayments mean that many Third World

governments now have far less to spend on education.

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