Trauma has the potential to cripple individuals that have experienced adversity, poverty and exclusion. There isn't an area where this is more clear than in global orphan care and there isn't a better person to walk us through what building resilience looks like than our guest today. Dr. Nicole Wilke is the Director at the CAFO Research Center where she leads a team focused on making research applicable to everyday practitioners in global child welfare. On the show, Nicole talks with Brandon Stiver and Phil Darke about what she's learned both from living in Peru as well as through the research that she has conducted in promoting better practice for orphaned and vulnerable children. We close our conversation with diving into the new book that she co-wrote with Dr. Amanda Howard called Overcoming which is out now. There's something in this conversation for everyone, so jump in with us!

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Resources and Links from the show

Caleb Koala's Comeback Ride

Overcoming: What Scripture and Science Say About Resilience (CAFO Site)

Overcoming Book on Amazon

CAFO's Core Elements

Transitioning to Family Care Resources

Conversation Notes

• The needed mutuality between Global North and Global South within the family of God
• The difference between endogenous and exogenous empowerment in cross-cultural missional work
• Christians in orphan care had become known with leading with their hearts rather than their heads
• Addressing the distrust between research and Christian orphan care practice
• The products and resources at the CAFO Research Center that turns research into applicable practice
• How scripture and science align to bolster understandings of resilience
• Trauma is real and at the same time use of the word 'trauma' is often watered down in the West
• Adversity that turns into trauma happens at an instantaneous and subconscious level and will affect people differently
• The keys to building resilience that can happen at any time for anyone
• Data-informed practices and frameworks that will promote resilience in children

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

The problems surrounding poverty are wicked and complicated. Pat answers and short term solutions are never going to get us where God is calling us to be. The challenge is that nonprofits often experience constraints (either real or perceived) that keep them from innovating better approaches to meeting peoples needs. We're joined today by Abe Wright and Greg Bixler who are the co-founders of Design Outreach. As an organization that not only values innovation but actively invests and rallies donors towards research and development, they've been able to provide significant upgrades to common problems in WASH and medical care. The communities that we partner with deserve better and Abe and Greg provide us with helpful insight and direction as we iterate and innovate.

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Resources and Links from the show

Design Outreach Online

When Global Ministries Merge on Think Global, Do Justice (A Conversation with the Leadership from Water For Good)

Conversation Notes

• The necessity of transforming what it means to be a humanitarian organization and the ways in which we operate
• 40% of water pumps are no longer in function and we need to improve that
• The need for collaboration and working with government partners
• Understanding research and development as practical problem solving
• Comparing the efficacy of LifePump with other water pumps or water solutions. The importance of both access to water and the durability of water pumps.
• Wrapping your donors into the work of innovation even as some solutions don’t pan out
• Additional innovations in hygiene and medical care

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

Recorded live from the CCDA Conference in Portland, Oregon, we are joined by three educators equipping students globally to think biblically and pursue justice. On the show today we have Dr. Karen Fancher and Dr. Greg Burch from the Multnomah Campus of William Jessup University alongside Ernesto Duke who is the President at Eternity Bible College. They join Brandon Stiver for a conversation around the trajectory of Christian higher education, balancing ethics and philosophy with skill set development and what it looks like to prioritize spiritual formation as we develop theory and practice.

Resources and Links from the show

Click here to learn more and enroll in the Protective Behaviours Course

Camino Quest Online

Global Development and Justice Master's Program (Jessup University)

Eternity Bible College Online

Blessed Are The Peacemakers with Dr. Karen Fancher

Conversation Notes

• 3:40 - The things that have been most remarkable about being at CCDA
• 9:20 - The complexity of teaching history where victors tell the stories
• 13:40 - Updates from OneAccord and the Lausanne Congress
• 17:20 - The model of making a biblically focused education available and affordable internationally
• 24:40 - The trajectory of higher education for global studies
• 30:00 - Balancing the development of skill sets with understanding the philosophy, ethic and theology underneath what we do
• 37:10 - The priority of slowing down and connecting with God before “doing” the work
• 40:40 - Pilgrimage as a spiritual practice to experience God

There is no lack of complex challenges when delivering health care in the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS crisis. On the show today, we have Echo VanderWal who is the Co-Founder and Executive Director at The Luke Commission in Eswatini. Echo joins Brandon Stiver and Phil Darke for a conversation about calling, the pain and loss created by the AIDS Crisis, the irreplaceable impact of PEPFAR and what it looks like to provide holistic care in rural communities. With over 20 years in the country, Echo points us to what excellence looks like as follow Christ's example of humble service.

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Resources and Links from the show

The Global HIV/AIDS Conversation

The Luke Commission Online

Conversation Notes

• 4:00 - What do Jesus, Conor McGregor and Osama Bin Laden all have in common?
• 5:35 - The importance of having the support of your family when being called to serve God overseas
• 6:55 - Following Christ’s example of service in loving our global neighbors
• 7:50 - The reality of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa during the early 2000s inc consideration of the cost of transport, lack of medicine and poor treatment
• 11:35 - Pursuing professional investment in the national team that is delivering life-saving support in their own country
• 17:00 - The reality of inner pain and the orphaned spirit when family is lost
• 21:30 - Seeking care at scale within rural areas of Eswatini
• 23:35 - Eswatini has the rate of HIV/AIDS in the world - a resounding 26% and why we don’t want that number to go down
• 25:45 - The importance of international partners that provide anti-retrovirals
• 26:45 - How PEPFAR has positively impacted Eswatini, the work of the Luke Commission and what it looks like on the ground. 
• 29:10 - The dire reality of potential extinction when HIV/AIDS first expanded in Eswatini
• 31:35 - The erosion of bipartisan support in US politics and how it is now undermining the delivery of life-saving HIV/AIDS support for millions of people
• 35:00 - The risks that face people if PEPFAR pulls out
• 38:30 - The importance of comprehensive healthcare and tracking trends to help an array of health issues that arise across a population
• 47:00 - Don't wait to take the first step when it comes to engaging or even moving overseas to pursue God's heart for justice in the nations

All is futility! Even in Christian nonprofits? We're changing it up a little for episode 265 as Brandon does a solo dive into the book of Ecclesiastes to gather wisdom from Solomon that can inform what we do and more importantly how we do the work of global justice. In an age of Big Impact, this is a word for the nonprofit leader that cares about the ethic of our approach and the opportunity for a compounding influence in a world where it seems that nothing ever changes.

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Resources and Links from the show

Scriptures shared:

• Ecclesiastes 1: 1-4; 8-11
• Ecclesiastes 5: 8-10; 18
• Ecclesiastes 9: 7-10

Andy Crouch Tweet 1; Tweet 2

Conversation Notes

• "All is futility!" - Solomon
• The work of oppressors and corrupt politicians ends in futility, but what about our work that counters their work?
• Brandon shares some of his own global nonprofit futility
• The grace of recognizing how the world works even in it's vanity
• "Eat, drink and experience good"
• Andy Crouch throws shade and "impact" and Brandon says "Amen"
• Does our work matter?
• Getting our priority (singular) in order

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

The number of forcibly displaced people in the world are at an all-time high. On every populated continent, we are seeing conflicts and climates that lead to people fleeing their homes. Our guest today is Myal Greene, who is the CEO of World Relief and he says that the global displacement crisis is the most significant issue that we face in the world today. We look at the last eighty years of how God has used World Relief to meet needs of people from war-torn areas and look at some of the most gripping conflicts today (Ukraine, Sudan and others). Myal has worked with World Relief for nearly two decades both within the US and in Africa. He walks us through what Christians should be aware of when it comes to displacement and how we can be instruments of welcome and support to global neighbors next door and abroad.

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Resources and Links from the show

Good News About Injustice by Gary A. Haugen

Welcoming the Stranger by Matthew Soerens and Jenny Yang

Walking with the Poor by Bryant Myers

Rich Christians Christians in an Age of Hunger by Ronald Sider

Refuge by Alexander Betts and Paul Collier

Refugee Stats from the UNHCR

The Evangelical Immigration Table

World Relief Online

Conversation Notes

• 9:40 - In the west, we don’t have a full conception of the level wealth and privilege that we have 
• 12:20 - Remembering the last eighty years of what God has done through World Relief
• 15:25 - Finding ways to work with the church and give sacrificially to help the hurting
• 16:45 - A story about the need for both eternal salvation and the restoration of the present
• 24:40 - The impact of the 2021 Haitian earthquake and the fall of Kabul as Myal stepped into his role of CEO at World Relief 
• 31:35 - The current displacement crisis is the greatest issue of our time
• 34:15 - “A smaller set of nations in the world are experiencing far greater suffering while the rest of the world is making continued and sustained progress in poverty alleviation”
• 36:55 - Contrasting the Ukraine case study with most other areas of poverty and ensuing conflict
• 38:45 - "Vulnerability is the likeliness that you will experience suffering as a result of shock"
• 40:50 - World Relief sets their focus on the global displacement crisis
• 43:00 - The church can be God’s instrument of welcome to those that have been forcibly displaced
• 46:12 - The importance of understanding underlying issues when discussing the arrival of refugees in a host country
• 52:40 - Working with the church under a biblical vision of community engagement
• 56:00 - Being inspired by God’s Word as a starting point for a life of justice 

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

The Great Commission and making disciples is for all Christians, but do we really live that way? We've had a classic understanding of what missionaries ought to be doing, but is that exclusionary? In episode 263, we have Luke Perkins from Crossworld to help us sort it out. Luke served as a missionary professor in Haiti for several years and today is the President at Crossworld where they emphasize that all professions have a role in the work of the Great Commission and the imperative of making disciples throughout the globe.

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No matter your role in caring for vulnerable children and families, you’ll find wisdom, grace, encouragement and community for the road ahead at CAFO2024 in Nashville. It's the go-to spot for those working in Christian orphan care and global child welfare.

Learn More and Register for CAFO 2024

Resources and Links from the show

Crossworld Website

African Friends and Money Matters by David Maranz

Conversation Notes

• 5:25 - What would good helping even look like
• 8:10 - Starting from the beauty and goodness of God in pursuing mission
• 10:00 - Emphasizing all professions beyond the classic missions archetypes
• 17:11 - Defining what disciple-making is all about
• 18:20 - Understanding business as mission with the quadruple bottom line
• 29:35 - Distinguishing between disciple-making and church planting
• 32:20 - The North American church is not designed to make disciples
• 36:00 - The essence and the rhythms of making disciples
• 38:00 - Key questions to ask yourself for disciple making
• 41:00 - Discussing the current state of Haiti

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

We're heading to Kenya for episode 262 as we connect with Steve Kariithi who is the Kenya Program Director at Hope's Promise. Steve talks with Brandon Stiver about what it looks like to do kinship based family care in Kenyan communities. We cover the effects of changing child welfare policy on families and juxtapose that with actions of the government that adversely affect families living in informal settlements. If you've ever wondered what it looks like to work in a slum, this is a good conversation to jump into.

Podcast Sponsor

No matter your role in caring for vulnerable children and families, you’ll find wisdom, grace, encouragement and community for the road ahead at CAFO2024 in Nashville. It's the go-to spot for those working in Christian orphan care and global child welfare.

Learn More and Register for CAFO 2024

Resources and Links from the show

What can we do about injustice? : Blog by Colleen Briggs

The Star Kenya : Families in pain as houses demolished in Mathare

YouTube : Residents of Mathare Lament

YouTube : Over 6,000 households forcefully evicted along Mathare River

Conversation Notes

• Understanding what life is like for families living in slum areas and what causes slums to form on the margins of urban areas
• Bridging impact expectations of western donors when working in severely impoverished areas
• Meaningful interventions that support children to grow up in families
• The effects of 2022 legislation in Kenya that promoted child care reform and changes for organizations serving children
• The Kenyan government is destroying homes and displacing families in the Mathare informal settlement of Nairobi

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

For our July news and recommendation episode, we're joined by orphan care leader Kristen Lowry of Shelter Yetu to dive into a range of topics including the recent anti-virus update that sent the Blue Screen of Death around the world, the unintended results of making education free in Zambia, the legal trials of the Nobel Laureate father of micro-finance and dive into a book on being a whistleblower amidst corruption. There's a lot going on in the world, it's not only the American election we should care about, so jump into these other stories with us!

Podcast Sponsor

No matter your role in caring for vulnerable children and families, you’ll find wisdom, grace, encouragement and community for the road ahead at CAFO2024 in Nashville. It's the go-to spot for those working in Christian orphan care and global child welfare.

Learn More and Register for CAFO 2024

Resources and Links from the show

BBC : How a single IT update caused global havoc

BBC : Zambia made education free, now classrooms are crammed

The Guardian : Under threat of jail, microfinance pioneer vows to keep lending to poorest Bangladeshis

It's Our Turn to Eat: The Story of a Kenyan Whistleblower by Michaela Wrong

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

Joining the podcast for episode 260 are global child welfare leaders Christopher Muwanguzi from child’s I Foundation, Elli Oswald from Faith to Action Initiative and Jared Scheppmann from Ekisa Ministries. Our guests speak with Brandon Stiver and Phil Darke about the status of moving people’s mindsets in the west to focus on the need for children to be in families, as opposed to orphanages. We zero in specifically on the country of Uganda and juxtapose the good work being done by organizations like child’s I and Ekisa with the common practice of needlessly placing kids in residential care. With the backdrop of larger cultural narratives and specific stories about orphanhood that are promoted in media.

Podcast Sponsor

No matter your role in caring for vulnerable children and families, you’ll find wisdom, grace, encouragement and community for the road ahead at CAFO2024 in Nashville. It’s the go-to spot for those working in Christian orphan care and global child welfare.

Learn More and Register for CAFO 2024

Resources and Links from the show

The World : American Missionary Accused of Abuse At His Organization, AidChild (First Article)

Barna and Faith to Action : Study on Christian Giving to Orphanages

Faith to Action : Family Care in the News

Conversation Notes

• The deliberate work of Faith to Action and partner organizations to change the western media narrative around orphan care
• The environment within the UK in regards to Global South orphanages
• The country of Uganda has been up and down in supporting care reform, is it currently progressing or regressing
• The setbacks in promoting better care in the Global South when stories like Ghetto Kidz comes out on Britain’s Got Talent
• Comparing the perceived realities for children in orphanages versus the actual realities for such children
• The reality of abuse and corruption within orphanages covered in the media in Uganda
• The role of local governments to meet the needs of the community – capacity and enforcement
• Continuing gaps in coverage even in media that promotes care reform

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

There is no escaping the reality that much of what we're familiar with in global missions and development has some roots in colonialism. There is no better person to help us disentangle God's work from worldly power structures than Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst. Dr. Padilla DeBorst is the Richard C. Oudersluys Associate Professor of World Christianity at Western Seminary. She describes how integral mission addresses gaps in many traditional approaches to missions and what it looks like to live out a contextualized gospel in Latin America.

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Resources and Links from the show

Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst's Work Online

Good News From Latin America Book

Conversation Notes

• An introduction to integral mission and what deficiencies it was addressing in world missions
• Disentangling God's work in Latin America from European colonization
• How neocolonialism continues to affect Christian missions and development work
• Ethical practices in global partnerships for missions and development organizations
• Contrasting Jesus' proclamation of the Gospel against the backdrop of Roman imperial rule
• Exiting our echo chambers to hear from Christian leaders in other global contexts

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License