Story of Hope: Transforming Lives Through Assistance
Amidst the devastation caused by natural disasters, organizations like OfERR provide relief and assistance to those in need. Haji Muhammad's family in Sri Lanka found hope and support through OfERR's initiatives, leading to a transformation in their lives post-tsunami. The story reflects the impact of poverty alleviation efforts and showcases how receiving assistance can bring new opportunities and a brighter future for affected families.
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Presentation Transcript
Third Mark of Mission To respond to human need by loving service 2
What is ? http://www.oferr.org/images/new_images/logo-new.jpg The Organisation for Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation (OfERR) was founded in 1984 to assist and render relief to Tamil refugees from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) who had taken refuge in India. There are presently more than a hundred thousand such refugees in the State of Tamil Nadu and 78,500 of them are sheltered in the 119 refugee camps run by the government spread throughout the state. The more than 19,080 new arrivals since 2006 have been accommodated in existing camps as well as new camps set up for that purpose. OfERR is a non-profit, non-political, service oriented organization. The Committee of Management of OfERR consists of Indian and Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) professionals, education specialists and social workers. 5
Haji Muhammad is a 57-year old man with heart trouble. His family of six lives in one of 14 permanent houses built by PWRDF in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami. Before the tsunami, I bought and sold fish. My house was close to the beach. It was flooded by the tsunami, so we sheltered in the mosque for two months, he recalled as we sat together in his yard. The Muhammad family was chosen to receive funding from the Organisation for Eelam Refugee Rehabilitation (OfERR), a PWRDF partner working in Sri Lanka. OfERR chose families who had many members and who were most affected by the tsunami. Haji Muhammad sitting outside his home, built with PWRDF funds after the tsunami. Photo: Simon Chambers The Muhammads have built their home on land that the family already owned, with support from OfERR s field staff. OfERR stayed in our community when the other NGOs left. OfERR is the best, Mr. Muhammad enthused as our conversation continued. Because of the new house provided by PWRDF funds, he has been able to focus his attention on generating income for his family. Muhammad has not returned to his job as a fish merchant but has focused on raising goats and creating a home garden. He is able to grow enough brinjal (eggplant), beans, maize and cabbage to feed his family and to provide about 150-200 rupees (about $2 Canadian) per day in extra income. With this money, he is able to send his daughter to school. After showing me around his garden, we sat again under the porch of his home drinking orange soda. I asked him one final question- what message do you have for people in Canada? His eyes lit up with his smile as he said, I am happy you came to visit. Thank you for helping the very poor people! A New Home, A New Hope 7
What were you feeling as you read this story? Have you ever questioned God when natural disasters occur? From this story, what are some examples of ways that poverty can be alleviated? What is life like for Haji Muhammad and his family since receiving assistance from OfERR? 8
Make Poverty History (Video) 9
Is this commercial effective? Why? Were you surprised by the statistics? What is the point of celebrities being in this commercial? What might be the problem with using celebrities in a commercial like this? 10
What was your first reaction upon reading these newspaper headlines? Has your parish/community participated in similar activities? If so, what were they? Using these headlines for inspiration, what can you or your parish do in your local community? 12
Bono at the Pulpit 13
Theological Reflection 14
Lazarus and the Rich Man Luke 16:19-25* 19-21"There once was a rich man, expensively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption. A poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, had been dumped on his doorstep. All he lived for was to get a meal from scraps off the rich man's table. His best friends were the dogs who came and licked his sores. 22-24"Then he died, this poor man, and was taken up by the angels to the lap of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell and in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham in the distance and Lazarus in his lap. He called out, 'Father Abraham, mercy! Have mercy! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool my tongue. I'm in agony in this fire.' 25-26"But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that in your lifetime you got the good things and Lazarus the bad things. It's not like that here. Here he's consoled and you're tormented. Besides, in all these matters there is a huge chasm set between us so that no one can go from us to you even if he wanted to, nor can anyone cross over from you to us. 15
27-28"The rich man said, 'Then let me ask you, Father: Send him to the house of my father where I have five brothers, so he can tell them the score and warn them so they won't end up here in this place of torment.' 29"Abraham answered, 'They have Moses and the Prophets to tell them the score. Let them listen to them.' 30"'I know, Father Abraham,' he said, 'but they're not listening. If someone came back to them from the dead, they would change their ways.' 31"Abraham replied, 'If they won't listen to Moses and the Prophets, they're not going to be convinced by someone who rises from the dead.'" *from The Message: The New Testament in Contemporary English, Eugene H. Peterson 16
