Yearly Archives: 2011

Get More Connected in a (dis)Connected World

My uncle told me that I should pack a suitcase half-full when I left for Latin America for the first time. “It’s not for the souvenirs,” he said, “it’s so that you’re ready to receive something that you want to carry with you where you continue traveling.” That piece of advice has stuck with me for quite some time, and indeed I think I’ve found something I want to continue traveling with.

I think I’ve distilled it down into a simple word, “connection” and I know it’s something that I felt in Richmond from time to time, but now I’ve realized that it is a mainstay of the Latin American culture. I’ll speak about it as it relates to the basics of human relationships and in contrast to what that I had experienced back in America.

I believe that we were all designed to be connected to one another, and indeed, we’re built with a desire to spend time with each other on a regular basis, even if you’re not an introvert. But what has happened in the Western world, at least from my perspective, is that we’ve found so many ways to mediate our “connection” to one another that we’ve lost the fundamental touch points. Or in other words, “we’re not getting any closer to what we really wanted to get close to.”

We’ve got facebook, twitter, gchat, and an ever increasing technological platform for profiles and user accounts for instant messaging. It could seem like with more routes to a relationship, we’d have a stronger one. But for most of us, we’re so ultra-connected that we’ve become disconnected.

You could even say that with the increase of tactile technology for smart-phone applications, there is a proportional decrease in the actual touching between individuals. Take for example, an average dinner or coffee break with your average 20 and 30 somethings, and you’ll see most everyone seated about 2-3 feet apart, at an arm’s length, staring at the small digital screen in their hands, scrolling, tapping, sliding, typing  – but rarely hugging, jokingly punching, consoling, or any form of amiable touch outside of formal introductions or goodbyes.

Maybe it’s the limitation of technology or lack of personal finances to buy the things that divert attention from relationships that enables a lot of Latin America to really spend time with each other, and know one another deeply without the use of technology. Or maybe, it’s that there’s less space in the living areas, or the need to economically rely on one another until the individual is married, but I’d like to think it’s something more. I’d like to think that they “are getting closer to what they really want to be close to.”

I’d like to think it’s a belief that you don’t need to call to stop by and see someone, you don’t need a profile to know what activities someone’s involved with, you should touch someone to let them know you care, (for guys this means a lot more wrestling, poking, and punching) and fundamentally, that food is always a group activity.

I love technology and shiny screens, but to me, the fundamental question becomes “Will this really help me get connected to the people, places or things I really want to be connected with?”

[All these pictures are from a birthday party for Railyn, mi hermano Dominicano. Gracias a ML por las fotos 😉 ]

A Vision for What Can Be (July Newsletter)

 

Aaron Roth – HOPE International – July 2011

 

“What are you looking at?” is a far different question than “What do you see?” One implies a line of sight, and the other implies a vision. A lot of times, when I’m out in the communities talking with a HOPE client or a local pastor, they will explain the plans of a dream or an idea to me, and point off into the distance. I try to look and see what they are pointing at, and I say to myself, “I really don’t see anything” and I feel kind of lost. I know that I need to remind myself that I must try to put myself into the vision of the leader. They are not speaking about what currently exists, but rather the kinds of things that can be. Hearing the way that they tell the story with such enthusiasm and confidence, I start to believe these plans could be made real, and amazingly, I start to see it.

What Do You See?

Pastor Domingo is building a commercial grade water filtration project in his church that resides in the middle of a ghetto called “Barrio Blanco” in San Pedro de Macoris. Locally, they call this kind of place “caliente” which means “hot” in Spanish and is used to signify a place that has a lot of crime, violence, and prostitution. The consistent lack of running water and electricity also means that this place gets to be almost unbearable in the heat of the summer. Talking with Pastor Domingo, I was getting a little lost with all of his descriptions about the upcoming plans for the water filtration system, the classrooms, and the programs for youth and adults. I said to myself, “All I see is broken down walls and floors that need repair.”

July-News-02

He continued and said, “When we get the water project in place, we’ll be able to provide 5 gallons of water for 15 pesos (45 cents), that’s 10 pesos cheaper than a local store. But I really view it as a way for us to connect ourselves to the community, to provide clean water and start programs that will help to build up and strengthen this community . . . do you see it now?”

I felt like he was saying, “Do you see how a church in the middle of one of the toughest places of the city is providing refuge in the chaos? Do you see how a church invites people to drink the kind of water that will satisfy a greater thirst?” Talking with a man like Pastor Domingo, you really get a taste for the vision of the work he’s planning for the next few years, and if you talk to his local neighbors, you’ll learn that he has a track record of making things a reality in Barrio Blanco. I asked a fellow loan officer, “So what else do you look for besides the financial history of a church like this one.” “Well, maybe more importantly, we look for the strength of the character in the leader of the program. A man like Pastor Domingo is a man that does what he says and people put their confidence in him.” It’s clear that so many neighbors and loan officers in Esperanza see the vision of the church with the same eyes as Pastor Domingo.

Connecting a Community from Home and Abroad

One of my greatest joys during my time of service down in the Dominican Republic was when my church, West End Presbyterian in Richmond, VA came to see a vision for the work that HOPE International is doing. Pastor Kevin Greene, Doug, Jay, Ed, Gary, and Chris from WEPC and Pastor Clint Dowda and Ted from Grace Community Presbyterian Church spent about a week visiting the community projects of HOPE International, Esperanza Internacional, and a partner organization “Network of the Way.July-News-04

We had the opportunity to visit two community banks in the rural community of Hato Mayor, and later on we visited a school project with HOPE’s partner organization, Esperanza Internacional. I’ve talked a bit about this school program where Esperanza lends money to private Christian schools to help build more classrooms or computer/science labs in previous newsletters. Every time I meet a school director, I am so inspired by their vision and their leadership of the school in the community where they reside. Teresa from “Escalerita ABC” greeted us warmly as we walked through the gate of her school. With a loan from Esperanza, she is building three classrooms and fixing two classrooms to add another 50 students to her school of 200. About seven years ago, her neighbors encouraged her to tutor their children in an after school program. The program became so popular she was convinced to start her own school.

July-News-03Teresa walked us over to the old school building and said that she started the school in one room with about 15 children. In those days, she didn’t know how she would be able to continue the school. She didn’t have money for desks or blackboards and had to keep the finances tightly under control to make sure the teachers got paid. When they didn’t have enough desks, she said that she had to seat children on a small bench. “Oh wait, I can show you this bench! We still use it!” She briskly walked over to a newer building and pulled out this bench. It’s like she kept a reminder of what things were like seven years ago with one building, and held onto it as a reminder of a vision come to reality. But for her, the school still runs on a tight budget so they still use it for current students! (You know, in the states we sometimes keep things for posterity sake, but in this case, she still uses it for posterior sake.)

By the Tree Where God Meets MeJuly-News-05

As I stood back and reflected on this moment, it was amazing to me to be standing there with a client of HOPE learning about her story with the church community I had worshiped with over the past four years. It felt to me like we were sharing in the same joys of the Christian walk. God’s promises made real, of answered prayers, and the places where God meets us. Teresa said that the past seven years have not always been easy. She started to choke up when she told us. “It has been so difficult sometimes, and I don’t always know what is going to happen. I know that God has called me to teach these kids and to care for them in this community. So what I do is I sit by this tree, and I pray . . . this is where I come to meet with God.” She continued and said that every time she has prayed here the Lord has answered her. It is in the stillness under the shade of this tree that she feels his presence.

July-News-06I think all of us took a moment to take in what she was saying. It’s as if she was reminding us that there are places where God calls us to sit with us, to be still and to show us, “what can be.” I think there are so many times when we are so worried about what we see or what we don’t see in front of us. Sometimes we don’t think that any of “this” can be redeemed or changed. It’s like we cannot see when our eyes open, but when we close them and seek God, He can show us a vision of what can be. He can show us the blueprints of a future community center in the midst of a struggling ghetto or a large school that teaches the poorest students of a community. It’s interesting to me that when I have these conversations with these leaders in the country, I can usually hear a local corner store play the typical Carribean Merengue, but strangely, I still find myself thinking about an Irish hymn:

“Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
be all else but naught to me, save that thou art;
be thou my best thought in the day and the night,
both waking and sleeping, thy presence my light.”

I pray that you have a place where God meets you, where God can show you what is and what can be.

Blessings,
-Aaron
aroth@hopeinternational.org
www.AaronRoth.net
Skype: aprothwm05

 

The Sound of an Epiphany

When you slam the door of the carro publico and you speed away down Independencia and understand every word the driver says. When you hear him call your name from the other side of the street, and see that he waited for you. When, after the argument, you understand that they just wanted to see you; it has been two weeks hasn’t it? When he has to say goodbye, he doesn’t say anything because he’s working on it, and he says, “I’m proud of you.” When you’re laughing with a group of friends and you look at their faces and realize that this is the last night you’ll be together. When you understand the one word the changes the entire significance, and you have to apologize. When you and your friend drop your sister off at 2:30am at the airport and she walks through the final security gate.

An epiphany is (1) : a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something (2) : an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking (3) : an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure.

In the past twelve months, I have had moments that can only be described as epiphanies. Where time slows down, and the moment is allowed to linger longer than the others that surround it, and I am enabled to see the situation with a perspective that is greater and clearer than what I had before. Maybe there should be a limit to how we can define an epiphany so that the word does not it lose its special significance, but to me, I have had so many “a-ha” moments, so many experiences that felt like the shifting of the transmission into a new gear, I’m starting to feel like I’m driving a different car. This vehicle, I’ve realized, has plenty of room for a lot of friendships, words, songs, places, and just simply, room for more.

This post is not about a specific epiphany, or a group of travel epiphanies, nor about a more fuller linguistic definition, but rather to understand yet another facet of how we make sense of the things that are important to us in this life. An epiphany can help us understand an important, meaningful experience in our life, that enables us to better explain and better live in the specific place of life that we find ourselves. Maybe this most often happens in an image, a snapshot of a reality where all makes sense, but recently I heard it in a sound.

I had such an epiphany about epiphanies, when I was listening to this song presented in the youtube video presented below and I realized that the note that comes at exactly 2:01 is a note of an epiphany. To me, it is the sonic encapsulation of an epiphany, or easier said, “The sound of a meaningful experience.”

See, to understand the beauty of this note you must understand what comes before it, and what comes after it. And really, when you think about it, a single note is not beautiful in and of itself, it is the sequence of notes, the context in which the note sits, that gives it its color, its fullness and weight, its shade of meaning, its brilliance in its phrasing that we savor in the time that it is exists. So it is with image, with memories, and the lessons we carry with us.

This note is a moment of an epiphany, a metaphor in sound.

Maybe to you, it doesn’t sound like an epiphany, but it does to me. And if you haven’t had such an experience, an image, a memory, or a sound, just keep listening . . .

Rains and the Harvest (June Newsletter)

 

Aaron Roth – HOPE International – June 2011

 

June-News-02Everything is sweeter during harvest time. I had mangoes for lunch today, and they came from a tree just a few minutes away. Might be the best I’ve ever eaten, and it’s true what they say, you have to savor the fruit when its in season. Here in the Dominican Republic, everything grows, and everything has its harvest time. The way the Dominicans say “zafra” (harvest) around here makes the word sound like it describes a festival where the whole town celebrates with music, dancing, and delicious food. But for the majority of Dominicans, “zafra” really just means “employment.” When food is ripe, it can be gathered and sold, and there is income. Certainly, this is something to celebrate.

I’ve been celebrating the rains that have come. Sure, it brings an extra bump in humidity amidst the temperatures of the high 90’s, but wow, when the rain comes, the wind sweeps through the house where I’m staying and it’s more refreshing than air conditioning. I’ve always loved the rain, and this is just another reason to add to the list.

June-News-01I’ve realized though, that not everyone shares my affinity for it. Rain, in a developing country can make it impossible to do business or travel anywhere. Traffic jams are horrendous, and for some of our branch offices, our community bank meetings are unreachable because of the damage done to roads. (Check the picture to the left to see a road that’s covered in 3 feet of water. We had to drive into the brush to make it to the bank meeting.) Coincidentally, in the sugar cane communities, the rain marks the change from “la zafra” to “el tiempo muerto” (dead time) when harvesting is finished until November.

What the Rain Can Mean

I think this is a lesson in perspective for me. While I can experience the joy of cooler winds, others know that great rains bring great pains. I live on the second floor of an apartment in the capital city. There’s no dirt floor for the rain to mix with mud, and my windows are made of glass instead of sheet metal with ropes of twine as hinges. When I hear the rain it helps me sleep, but when I’ve talked to clients of ours, they talk about the pounding of the rain on their metal roof homes. For a family sharing one bed in a one room house, the children cry and the parents try to console them back to bed as the thunder and monstrous rain destroy a peaceful night’s sleep.

June-News-03The arrival of the rain brings many lessons and new perspectives about the nature of overseas missions work and the kind of perspective I bring to it as a Westerner, or more aptly named, an Outsider. I’ve realized that as I make my way through these communities doing the work of HOPE, I enjoy everything I learn about the culture. But, I am an observer, I am not a participant. As a volunteer with HOPE, I am not a client of HOPE. I am independent of the local economy; the rise and fall of gasoline prices and their effect on local prices have no consequence to me. How much food I can buy to eat does not depend on the amount of money I make from customers that stop by my stand in the market. Here, on rainy days, people don’t go, or wait to go to the market later in the week. These small changes in consumer behavior can be crippling to the people at the bottom of the economic chain.

So when I speak of rain, I speak about it cooling down the humid nights, I don’t speak about it delaying a delivery of goods to my business, or preventing customers from buying my goods which helps to feed my family. I guess I’m learning more to listen, not just to differences in our cultures, but more to the reality of daily living for the clients we serve. Even in the sense of trying to practice sympathy with a client’s plight, they want you to know that even though the rains come and business is slow, the Lord is still faithful, and He will provide. Taking into consideration some of the stories I’ve heard, I could conclude that rain’s destruction is overpowering, but I am reminded daily by our clients, that even the rain has a Master to answer to. Every time I think about the benefit or a problem of something like the rain, I find that there is a greater meaning to it and a breadth of topics that follow. It is becoming clearer to me that we can all approach experiences in dramatically different ways.

June-News-04

Everything Has its Season

Which brings me back to mangoes. Mangoes are the sweetest right now. You can’t argue with that. You can find them just about everywhere in the markets. But if I were you, I’d ask a Dominican to buy the mangoes for you. You may think that the grocery store has the best mangoes, but honestly, the locals know who’s got the best deal in town and where you can find the freshest delivery. You may think mangoes arrive in cardboard boxes and get stacked in nice neat piles in the fruit aisles, but you might not realize that there’s a mango tree near your residence. You may think that you’ll need a ladder and gloves to get the mangoes, but they can show you how to knock them down with a well-thrown stick.

So when you talk to people about the rain or mangoes or sugar cane, be sure to mention that you are keenly aware of the importance of perspective, or better said, “that everything has its season.” And say it in the way that you understand that in the sweetness of mangoes and in the destruction of rain, “everything has its season.” You’ll probably get a response like I get, “Si, si. Dios sabe lo que pasa. Todo lo que pasa, el sabe y nos da la esperanza por cada dia. Ya, debemos confiar en el.” (Yes, yes, the Lord knows what happens. He knows everything that happens, and he gives us hope every day. We should just put our trust in him.)

June-News-05Ecclesiastes 3:1 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens . . .” . . . “(v. 11) He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. “

Blessings,

-Aaron Roth
aroth@hopeinternational.org
www.AaronRoth.net
Skype: aprothwm05

Are They Really Going to Use It? (May Newsletter)

 

 

Aaron Roth – HOPE International – May 2011

 

May-News-01

Back in December, I stopped by a friend’s house before going into the office of Esperanza (HOPE International’s partner organization here in the DR). I looked over to the corner and spotted something that was strangely familiar to me. There stood a 5-year old Konica Bizhub c250 commercial printing machine. But “why” was it doing here?

I asked my friend and he said that a church had donated it to his church about two years ago. I could tell he sensed that I knew something about the complicated machinery covered with dust next to the window. He asked me, “Do you know how to fix it? It doesn’t work.” I laughed and kind of groaned. When I worked in a marketing department back in Richmond, VA, I spent hundreds of hours with our lovely 4-color, 30 pages per minute, automatic duplexing and collating wonder of modern technology. (I remember celebrating the 500,000th copy that we made.) I also knew that even the smallest bump or mishap could mean a call to the specialists and 3-5 hour downtime. There are about eight  replaceable parts that need maintenance every six months, and the four toner drums for color last about 2-3 months. In short, running a Bizhub c250 is expensive and requires a trained specialist.

I apologize if it was your church that sent that copier down here, and now I’m using it as an example of overseas charity and development. I will say that it was a nice gift made with the best of intentions, but donating a commercial grade printing machine that needs constant upkeep can be troublesome, not to mention thinking about what might have befallen the temperamental and delicate printing princess during shipment. Again, I’m not really sure what the Dominican Churches needs were over two years ago, and maybe someone did ask the question stateside, “But are they really going to use a Bizhub c250?”

What Do Poor Communities Really Need?

May-News-02“But are they really going to use the water?” Maybe that’s what went through his head when an American thought about donating a cistern to a poor Haitian community on the outskirts of La Romana, Dominican Republic three years ago. No, wait. He probably didn’t. I think he had the same feeling that I did when he walked past the barbed wire fence and entered through the sheet metal door to the Bethel Church and Primary School: “There is a real need here and we can help.”

I’ve been thinking a lot more about the nature of overseas aid, development and missions work. I’ve seen so many examples of compassion and charity at work here that make me happy. And, I’ve seen a lot of examples where compassion and charity almost worked. As you spend more time in poor communities around here in the Dominican Republic, you see a lot of “projects” that either almost made it to completion or almost made it past their first year of use. Sometimes these projects failed because of lack of knowledge, lack of interest, or often just a mismatch of an understanding of the real needs in an area. I think a lot of gifts were given with good intention, but the real question is always: “Are they really going to use . . .”

On a tour of the small campus of the Bethel Primary School, Reuben shows me the water spigots and the bathrooms that he recently built. The cistern supplies the water to the bathrooms and to the water access points on their school campus. He said that people come to the church and send their kids to school here because they know they have water. People come daily to get water, bringing buckets, bottles or whatever container they can find to transport water. I look around and think that just three years ago, this community did not even have a basic necessity we take for granted: WATER. Reuben shows me the bathrooms they built a few months ago. They have running water and are the only sanitary restrooms in the area.

This makes me think about that original question of usefulness, “But will kids really need to use the bathroom during a school day?” And of course, I laugh because I think we all know the answer to that.May-News-05

So, as I was talking to Pastor Reuben of the Bethel Church and Primary School about the cistern he said, “This was a gift from the Good Lord, from a man like you.” “A man like me?” I questioned. “Yes,” he said, “An American gave us this water.” Previously, this community did not have running water. So when that American asked three years ago, “Would you use a cistern?” I’m sure Reuben responded with an emphatic “Absolutely we will!”

When They Own It, They Use it

We came to visit Reuben and his daughter Claire because they are applying to be a part of our Edify.org school program. Schools in these programs get access to a low interest rate loan to build more classrooms, science labs, or computer labs. Most of these schools in the areas we work in have concrete floors, usually an old, broken blackboard, barely anything else on the walls, and student desks that are falling apart. When we talk about science labs or computer labs, were talking about four of five pieces of equipment for about a hundred kids. The Edify program is a new initiative with HOPE International and Esperanza that seeks to reach over 50,000 Dominican children with high-quality, low-cost education in the next five years. I’ve already had the opportunity to visit about 25 schools in our branch areas and have met passionate school directors with visions of impacting their local community. When we ask them, “What do you really need?” They usually answer, “More classrooms.”

Reuben knows that to build more classrooms he has to find a way to finance the project. Money does not come easily so he is careful about what financial arrangements he gets involved in. He knows that he will have to own the responsibility of this loan, and whatever he builds, he has to use it. We met Reuben in his office, which doubles as the kindergarten classroom, and we were open and honest with him. When we talk to someone about what we do at HOPE, we start with our vision to carry out May-News-04God’s work in the places He has told us to go. We describe our passion for being involved in the community, to connect with the local churches, and our desire to help people accomplish their goals and satisfy their most pressing needs.

Reuben takes this financial loan meeting seriously, but smiles and interjects to let us know that, “God helped us build this church and helped us build this school. I trust him with these finances. We have 103 students right now, and I have parents asking me to teach their kids, but I have nowhere to put the students. With this money I will build three more classrooms, and I can add 60 more children.”

Lending money for income-generating activities is what HOPE International does around the world, and in this case, Reuben will be able to recoup the money for the loan with the tuition that the parents pay him per month. It’s only a $5 monthly payment to send a kid to school (which is a lot of money here), but it’s the only good school in the area, and it’s got running water and a sanitary bathroom, and it soon will have almost 170 students.

Again, that original question of “Will they use it?” surfaces in my mind, “But do you really think the local parents want to send their kids to a good school?”

I think we know the answer. We all try to make the best decisions based on what is available to us, and in this community where Bethel Primary School operates, this school is the number one choice.

Thank you for reading and staying in touch. I hope you and your families are doing well.

Blessings,

-Aaron Roth

aroth@hopeinternational.org

www.AaronRoth.net

Skype: aprothwm05

Retracing my First Steps with Kiva.org

Sometimes it takes a long way to get where you intended on going. Today, I arrived to work in the San Pedro de Macoris office. It’s about an hour from Santo Domingo, but the journey took a lot longer for me to get here. San Pedro is where Microfinance began for this organization. It was the first office of Esperanza and it’s still the biggest. The city is baseball crazy (like most in the DR) and for that, I wore my green polo to pretend like I fit into the fan base. (Still, no one has picked up this “coincidence” nor commented on my cultural assimilation skills.)

As I made my rounds getting to know the office, I sat down next to Norberto, the person in charge of the Kiva program for Esperanza. He’s been with Esperanza for quite some time and that’s probably why they let him run such an important program. Kiva.org is a web site that collects donations for microfinance programs world-wide. They have raised over $100+ million for 300,000+ entrepreneurs in 50+ countries and they’ve helped to fund a significant portion for Esperanza to lend out to their clients.

Kiva.org is where I found out about Microfinance. It was actually from a blog post from Seth Godin back in 2006, and from that link I signed up to make my first loan with Kiva. That loan went to Elodia Ruiz Gonzalez in Monterrey, Mexico. My initial four loans have since been recycled 10 times as the amounts have been paid back so my loan count is up to about 40. It’s amazing to see the investment of time in a project.

Elodia Ruiz Gonzalez in Monterrey, MexicoSo as I sit here in the first office of Esperanza, and Norberto and I are talking about how the Kiva.org program works, I can’t help but think that this moment, strangely, has been almost 5 years in the making. It was one of things that when I first heard about Kiva.org I thought to myself, “Wow, it’d be cool to travel to see what this is really like.”

Of course, I don’t think I could have predicted my journey of the past five years in Richmond, the 10 months away from an actual stable and routine living environment, nor the travel through five different Spanish speaking countries, countless flights, plenty of strange nights in hostels, buses, taxis, motorcycles, boats, walking miles on foot, not to mention the paperwork and logistics it took to be a volunteer to work here.

Sometimes people ask, “If you really knew what it took to get there, would you still want to start out on the journey?”

Maybe it’s a good thing that we don’t know that full journey, or all the steps it takes to get there, because we might not actually make the first step.

When it comes down to it, sometimes to get to where you intended on going, you can just catch a bus in Parque Enriquillo, ride for an hour, and when the bus stops, walk two blocks to the office.

(Join the Kiva.org DR and Haiti Lending Team!)

Sign Your Name (April Newsletter)

 

Aaron Roth – HOPE International – April 2011

 

April-News-01“I used to think sugar came from a box in the supermarket.” I’ve gotten a lot of laughs with that kind of small talk around the topic of sugar, and in particular with that statement. Usually, the Haitians who have emigrated here for employment and work with the sugar cane everyday laugh when they hear it, and ask what else Americans really think. Here in the Dominican Republic, sugar production is still a major export, and if you explore a little bit beyond the major cities you’ll find enormous sugar cane fields, and the sugar cane communities (“bateys”) of people who work in those fields.

The sky is big and the air is clean. Life is quiet, and a soft breeze sweeps through the fields. There isn’t usually electricity in the communities, and consequently there aren’t any TV’s or radios to create noise. My first experience entering the rural area (campo) was on the back of a motorcycle of a loan officer with HOPE. I felt like I had returned back to Iowa where I was a kid. Next to our house in Iowa there was a dirt road where my brother and I used to ride our bikes. We usually stopped at the cemetery because our mother didn’t want us to go riding off into the sunset. So I never traveled beyond the cemetery to explore the dirt road that kept going on in the distance.

With Francisco, the loan officer of our La Romana office, I felt like I got the chance to see what lay beyond the cemetery. Now I know, and I can tell you, there’s a grove of mangoes (almost ripe for picking), corridors of sugarcane fields separated by tiny dirt roads where men lead their oxen and carts to carry the cut sugar cane to be weighed, and a community of pleasant and amiable Haitians. I thought of the famous quote from Field of Dreams: “Is this Heaven, no it’s Iowa” and I’ll say that the beauty of the sugar cane fields felt a lot like Heaven, and yes, Iowa as well because the 12ft high sugar cane looked a lot like corn to me.

What Does “Tuah Cuah” Mean?

April-News-02Back in February, I know I made the joke that if the “Lord wants me to learn Creole then I’ll do it.” Now it’s looking like I might actually head down that path. The women of the Bank of Esperanza “Fe y Amor” (Faith and Love) of Batey Community #62 graciously accepted the task of teaching a “gringo” his first few words and phrases in Creole.

I’m thinking I may continue the education more seriously, as the feeling of joy I get increases with each smile I see on the faces of our clients. When you know someone’s native language, you can connect with them on a deeper, more personal level and I want to continue that. For now, the conversations are in Spanish, and when someone said the phrase “Tuah Cuah,” I had to ask, “What does that Spanish phrase mean?”

“It’s actually Creole, and it’s, ‘tres cruces’ in Spanish,” Franklin explained to me, “because the client writes three crosses on the loan application form when they don’t know how to write.”

“They don’t know how to write?” I asked. “Yes, we find that a lot here in these batey communities. The women don’t know how to write, yet.” I then watched as three different women signed their loan application forms with their signature: “tuah cuah.”

None of the women make jokes about illiteracy, but add that when someone will be able to write, they can write notes to their children like “Where did you put the dishes when I wasn’t here . . .” I love that. I love the sense of comradery and solidarity between these women. They are accepting and edifying to each other in the process of development of their small businesses, their community, and their families. Still, it’s shocking to me to meet these women who are 30 or 40 years old and don’t know how to write, and their kids do. It’s usually because they missed the education opportunities when they were children that are now available to the young generation. Generally, it’s a little more common to meet an older woman that doesn’t know how to write, and very often it’s difficult to know just how old these women are.

“. . . and How Old Are You?”

April-News-04That afternoon Franklin and I went to visit a group of associates’ homes to verify their places of residence and their businesses. We stopped by the house of one woman in the community, Rosemena, to do the survey of poverty. We usually ask for the national identification card or their passport. Rosemena had neither.

We asked Rosemena, “When were you born?”

She answered, “I don’t know.”

“Do you know how old you are?”

“I think I’m 30.”

“When did you celebrate your birthday?”

“I wanted it to be in early March so I chose, March 6th.”

“Ok, we’ll put your birthday as 3/06/80. Can you sign this form?”

“I don’t know how to write.”

“That’s ok, you can just write ‘tuah cuah’ here.” (Rosemena smiles and signs the form with three crosses.)

Rosemena has three children and she will be using her six-month loan of $75 of HOPE to buy food and drinks to sell in the community. We told her that now since she is a HOPE client, she can come to the literacy classes for free – “You can learn to write your name.” (HOPE, in addition to being a microfinance organization, offers free business, educational, medical and dental services to their clients.) “Yes, that sounds good to me. I want to do that.” she politely smiled as she responded.

Do You Know How to Write Your Name?

April-News-03On our way back to the office, we made a quick stop to visit a group of clients. Francisco likes to check in with his HOPE clients to see how their family and business are doing. We pulled up to a house and a young woman came out, holding her child. “Hi Franklin, how are you!” – she yells. Franklin greeted her and introduces me, “This is my American friend who wants to learn Creole.”

“Oh he does?” (She’s smiling now.)

“Yes, I’d like to learn some Creole.” I say.

“Sit down, I will teach you some.” She goes inside and brings out a wooden chair for me to sit on, and then one for her as well.

“What is your name?” I ask.

“It’s Francisca.” She responds.

April-News-05(I pull out my pad of paper to write her name down so I can remember.)

“Oh, you know how to write!!!” She exclaims.

“Yes, I can write in English, and a little bit in Spanish.”

“Oh, I can speak Spanish well, because with my business I sell in these 3 communities, and I am very good at selling, and making money for my family, but I want to learn to write. I am going to take the writing and reading class that HOPE has.”

I stop for a minute and think that I am going to write about this conversation with Francisca, and that this ability, the ability to convey my thoughts, ideas, and hopes with pen and paper is a rarity and a gift for many people in developing countries like this one. Whenever I want, I can communicate to my friends and family – and she cannot, yet, and marvels at the possibility of this coming soon.

How blessed are we, that we can write our own names. That we can write letters or emails to the people we care about. I never thought that reading and writing were a privilege, but they are. To be able to write to you is a privilege. To receive emails from my family and friends in Broadway, my friends in Richmond, my fellow members at WEPC, and well, anybody from the States, is truly a joy and a blessing. The ability to write is something that Rosemena and Francisca are looking forward to learning, much like the arrival of a birthday and the gifts and celebration it will bring.

Remember when you used to write messages to your parents, and they would put them up on the refrigerator? Or when you’re parents would write you notes in your lunchbox? Imagine the day when these women will be able to write notes to their children, and be able to read what their children write back to them, and you know what – you can smile, because:

that day is coming soon . . .

Blessings to you and your family, in His name,

-Aaron Roth

aroth@hopeinternational.org

www.AaronRoth.net

Skype: aprothwm05

————————————————————————————————

While I’m volunteering down here in the Dominican Republic, I am still finishing the final part of my fundraising through the remainder of the year. Do pray for the work of HOPE and if you feel led to support me financially, you can find that information here.

Online Contributions:

  • Go to www.HopeInternational.org and select the “Donate Now” green tab on the right-hand side of the screen (or click this link: “HOPE International – Donate Now”)
  • Under “Allocate your Gift,” find the “Contribution Preference Amount” drop down box
  • Select “Other (please specify below)”
  • *In the box beside “Other Gift Designation”, write “Fellow: Aaron Roth”

Contributions by Mail (send a check):

HOPE International

Joan Bauman, Donor Care Administrator

227 Granite Run Dr. – Suite 250

Lancaster, PA 17601

Please make all checks payable to:

HOPE International and put “Fellow – Donation: Aaron Roth” in the memo line.

According to IRS regulations, all contributions are treated as donations and are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

Microfinance Presentations in Richmond, VA

Hi friends, I wanted to invite you to one of three HOPE events in Richmond, VA coming up in two weeks. Katie Nienow who spent 3 years working for HOPE in Africa will be the lead speaker and will be sharing how the work of HOPE’s microfinance programs has helped thousands of families out of poverty in the 14 countries that we serve.

We’re planning on doing two businesses lunches for working professionals on April 19th and 20th. These are from 12:00 – 1:00pm and allow someone who has family or personal commitments in the evening to attend an information session from HOPE during the lunch hour. Lunch is complimentary, but you’ll need to sign up using the links listed below. Please attend one of these events during the day, if you know you will not be able to make it on Tuesday night.

Register for a Spot Using the Links Provided:

Sam Millers – Shockhoe Bottom (Business Lunch) http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1420680293
April 19th – 12:00 – 1:00pm

Capital Ale House – Innsbrook (Business Lunch)http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1521606165
April 20th – 12:00 – 1:00pm

Tuesday Evening Presentation:

A group of friends has set up an event on Tuesday evening from 6:00 – 7:30pm at the Current Restaurant (@ the Hat Factory) and has invited a few representatives from HOPE to speak. So if you can make it to the event after work, please plan to come! And come early because we’re expecting a lot of people. You can hang out by the patio next to the canal. It’s a happy hour format with a short presentation and a time for questions.

Hat Factory – Downtown (Happy Hour)

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1521618201

April 19th – 6:00 – 7:30

About the Presentation:
Before she lived in Africa, Katie Nienow grew up in Richmond, VA and since I’ve been living in Richmond for the past five years, HOPE wanted to do a series of HOPE events with both of us. So I’ll be flying in from the Dominican Republic to give you all an update on the work I’ve been involved in here in the ghettos of Santo Domingo, the city schools of La Romana, and in the sugar cane batey communities in rural Domincan Republic.

I promise that these events will be highly entertaining (in the seven months I’ve lived abroad, I’ve accumulated quite a few stories). But primarily, you’ll get to learn about how investing in microfinance is helping thousands and thousands of families out of poverty. Money invested in Microfinance goes toward making small business loans to people, providing training and building financial skills in the process. The businesses that they create, help provide enough food for the family and help send their kids to school.

Bring yourself and bring a friend!

Contact me with any questions, hope you’re doing well,

-Aaron Roth
aroth@hopeinternational.org


Elena Runs for HOPE (March Newsletter)


Aaron Roth – HOPE International – March 2011

 


March-News-01Nearing the completion of two months in the Dominican Republic, I’m feeling like this place is becoming a second home, and while I’m getting used to what life is like here, there are some things about working with the poor that I don’t feel like I’ll get used to. Sure, I’ve been to over 50 of HOPE’s microfinance meetings in the communities, and I’m helping to rewrite and update the training and operations manual. I could walk you through the loan process, how to structure a bank meeting, and how to deliver the Biblical devotionals and business training materials we use. I’m getting used to all that. However, I don’t think I’ll get used to experiencing the look of fear and insecurity I see in the eyes of a new client when I ask them about how much money they have in their savings.

Part of the HOPE process is sitting down with each new client and interviewing them about their family and work situation, and we use a specific form to measure their level of poverty. HOPE deliberately tries to reach the poorest of the poor, so when we know that people have a stable job, we make sure they are receiving the services of standard Dominican banks, and focus on people who don’t have a job or access to any banking services whatsoever. Recently, I was working with a loan officer doing these interviews and when we asked the Haitian woman: “Denise, how much money do you have in your savings?” she froze up and got scared to tell us her answer.

I think she was afraid to tell us that if she only had about $5 in cash that she hid in her home it meant that we wouldn’t let her get a loan. For us, it is a process of understanding the client’s financial situation to make sure we are assisting the poor, for her, she’s worried that she doesn’t have enough money to join HOPE. In this particular case, Denise is 35 years old, has 3 children, no husband, and her family lives in a one room rented house with no electricity, no water, and she has no cell phone. (Pre-paid phones are very cheap in the DR – $3-$8, so to not have a phone means that someone is very poor).

On our survey, our measurement of poverty ranges from 0 – 20. A score of 12 – 20 is average poor, 7 – 12 is very poor, and 0 – 7 is extremely poor. After collecting the data, Denise scored a 2.5. It has been the lowest score that I’ve seen, and when I think about it what it means to her, when she considers the future of her children, I feel the gravity of her worries and concerns . . . I don’t think I will get used to these feelings.

Bringing HOPE to These Communities

March-News-03To become a client of HOPE, we require that you attend five business training sessions where a loan officer teaches you about the mission and vision of HOPE, basic business strategies, the structure and the commitment of the loan, and most importantly, and I’ll quote the loan officer, “Even though you may think that God is distant from you, I want to tell you that He has not forgotten about you or your family, He is here in this community.”

For these women, this is the first time they will join a bank, and for a lot of them this is the first time they hear the good news of Jesus: that he is real, that he cares, that he hasn’t forgotten, and that he came to save all that seems hopeless. I’ve seen women argue with a HOPE loan officer, saying that “The Bible isn’t relevant, isn’t true, and that all they’ve ever heard from preachers is judgment and hate.” In turn, the loan officer has responded, “That may have been what someone told you, but that’s not true, that’s not what the Lord says, let me read to you what He says in His Word . . .”

HOPE is interested in the whole person and believes that “faith and action” are the ways to carry out the message of Jesus, to preach good news of salvation, and to provide tangible ways to help the poor. So in the example of Denise, we know that she has been making a living selling food on the street. With her small business, she makes only enough money to feed her children and buy enough food to sell the next day. When she joins HOPE, she’ll get a loan that will allow her to buy food in bulk (which lowers her overall cost), help her buy cooking equipment (to help her prepare more food), and offer her clients a bigger, better variety (helping her make 3-4x as much in a given work day). Elevating someone’s economic situation ensures that there will be enough food for the family, enough for money for medicine, and enough money for the future of the children.

Denise and a group of women in her community had finished four of the five training meetings and were ready to join HOPE. Together, the group will have their own name, and will be referred to as “A bank of HOPE”. At the final training meeting for Denise’s bank of HOPE we asked the question, “Where did you hear about HOPE?”

“God Showed Me Something Good and I Wanted to Tell My Neighbors About It”

Each one of the 15 women in the community bank meeting of HOPE pointed to a woman standing at the door. She smiled and bowed her head away in humility. I realized, that I had seen this woman many times in the community so I asked the loan officer, Ramona, “Who’s that woman? Is this her community? Doesn’t she have a community bank on the other side of town?”

She replied, “Why don’t you ask her?” So, I went up to this woman and politely asked her why I had seen her almost everyday at most of the bank meetings I’d attended.

March-News-04Elena chuckled and said, “I only have one community bank meeting, the rest are the meetings of my friends.”

“You invited your friends to join Esperanza?” I asked.

“Yes, I’ve invited a lot of my friends, my neighbors.” she responded.

“How many community banks of HOPE have you helped to set up? Like 2 or 3?”

“Hmm, probably like 7 or 8, I’m not sure exactly.” (she was humble in her response)

[I did the math in my head, that’s over 100 women that she personally invited that joined HOPE.]

“So how did you invite over 100 women to join HOPE, you have a business, don’t you?” I wanted to clarify.

“I have a business, but while I work I tell people about HOPE. My pastor says that each one of us can tell people about Jesus. And I feel like I can tell people about Jesus while I’m working. HOPE has been good for me, for my business, and for my family. I feel like God showed me something good, and I wanted to tell my neighbors about it.”

I learned later that the place we had the meeting was about 30 minutes from the market where Elena sells food and natural juices. She walked here to make sure that these women attended the meeting. The next day, I attended another training meeting for a new community bank of HOPE. I saw Elena again and I asked her, “So you are starting this one too?” smiling because I knew the answer. She responded, “Oh, this one is much closer to my house.” (Her house? That means that she’s about an hour’s walk from the market where she has her business. I know she walks everywhere, I’ve seen her in transit.)

We were waiting for more of the members to arrive, and the meeting was already starting late. Ramona knew she had another meeting she had to attend and was talking to Elena about the tardiness of the other members. Elena gently touched her arm and said, “I will go get them” and started running up the road.

March-News-02The women who were sitting there with us chuckled as Elena ran toward the other houses. I asked them why they were chuckling, one said, “That’s Elena. She’s always running for something.”

So while I’m getting used to living here, I don’t want to get used to the great economic and spiritual needs of women like Denise, nor to the hope that Elena carries with her as she runs to the homes of her neighbors to tell them the Good News.

I’m seeing that hope is renewed in each morning that comes. It is the answer that eases the worries of a mother like Denise, it is the strength for Ramona as she visits almost 400 HOPE clients every two weeks, and it is the motivation that encourages Elena to walk in her daily journey through the community. Hope is renewed each day here. I pray that it is for you as well.

Blessings to you and your families, in His name,
-Aaron Roth
aroth@hopeinternational.org
www.AaronRoth.net
Skype: aprothwm05


————————————————————————————————

While I’m volunteering down here in the Dominican Republic, I am still finishing the final part of my fundraising through the remainder of the year. Do pray for the work of HOPE and if you feel led to support me financially, you can find that information here.

Online Contributions:

  • Go to www.HopeInternational.org and select the “Donate Now” green tab on the right-hand side of the screen (or click this link: “HOPE International – Donate Now”)
  • Under “Allocate your Gift,” find the “Contribution Preference Amount” drop down box
  • Select “Other (please specify below)”
  • *In the box beside “Other Gift Designation”, write “Fellow: Aaron Roth”

Contributions by Mail (send a check):

HOPE International
Joan Bauman, Donor Care Administrator
227 Granite Run Dr. – Suite 250
Lancaster, PA 17601

Please make all checks payable to:

HOPE International and put “Fellow – Donation: Aaron Roth” in the memo line.

According to IRS regulations, all contributions are treated as donations and are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

 



Dominican Republic Arrival – (Jan/Feb Newsletter)

(Download this support letter here: “February 2011 Update.pdf“)

Aaron Roth – Prayer & Support for HOPE International 2011

A week before I came home for Christmas I attended a Haitian church in the Dominican Republic (DR), and had to introduce myself in Spanish to a community that, for the most part, spoke Creole. I announced, “You all are my brothers and sisters in Christ, and today I am glad that I have the opportunity to worship the Lord with you.” The congregation responded “Amen!” A church member came up to me later and said, “You speak Spanish well, and I think God wants you to learn Creole.” After I chuckled a bit, I said to him, “Well, if that’s what the Lord wants . . .”

I suppose if you would have told me a year ago that I’d quit my job in July, work at an orphanage in Nicaragua, spend three months learning Spanish with a local Mayan family in Guatemala, and get ready to spend a year serving a Christian Microfinance organization in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, I would not have believed you. After spending six months in Central America, I am truly convinced that listening to the Lord’s voice, and being obedient to Him is the best way to live and serve.

HOPE for Eradicating Poverty: Tiny Loans for Small Businesses

In the DR, it is reported that 42% of the population lives below the poverty line, meaning that a few million people live on just a few dollars a day. Upon arriving in the DR in late fall, I witnessed first-hand the community banks and small business training that HOPE International (HOPE) created to serve the poor communities. Right away, I knew that God was calling me to this place.

I heard His voice when I spoke to a woman named Isabelle in a Haitian community and learned that for the first time in her life she was able to feed her children well and send them to a good school with the small business that she started. She spoke with hope, not in the profits of her business, but in the eternal hope of Jesus. She gave credit to the Lord for His faithfulness, and to the work that HOPE had done in her community. She’s required to attend bi-weekly bank meetings of HOPE with other women, where they pray, read the Bible, learn business skills, and sing praises to the Lord.

Sounds pretty weird for a bank huh? It seems odd in the eyes of the world, but the method that HOPE uses to share the Gospel and to make disciples of Jesus is by facilitating small loans to the poor. They are the only lending institution that is willing to come to such destitute areas and provide Biblically-based business training, critical medical services, and low interest rate loans to communities.

What’s different about Microfinance as a form of ministry is that HOPE practices a “hand up” instead of a “hand out” approach. They equip, empower, and encourage individuals to create a personal sustainable solution for poverty. In the DR, HOPE has partnered with a local Christian microfinance organization called “Esperanza” (which means “Hope” in Spanish). Together, they have lent almost 22 million dollars. 98% of those funds have been paid back and have been made available for new community bank clients. With these recycled funds, HOPE has been able to help almost 50,000 families in the DR and Haiti.

What about the Spiritual Condition of the DR?

Economically, it is clear that Microfinance changes lives, but at the core of HOPE’s mission, Microfinance is simply a method to bring the good news of Jesus to people who not only are economically poor, but spiritually poor as well. Approximately 90% of the DR is Catholic, but the majority are said to be non-practicing. In some areas, the Dominican people still practice a form of Voodoo called “Santeria” where members believe that poor harvests are the fault of curses on the land. Throughout the country, many poor communities turn to crime, prostitution or drugs to make money in a struggling economic climate. HOPE believes that the solution to these widespread problems requires more than just providing quality business training and affordable microloans.

I remember a conversation I had with Josue, a Dominican HOPE loan officer, where I asked him what he enjoyed the most about working in these community banks. He said that before he started working with HOPE, he sold books in a small shop on the street. Daily, he enjoys reading business books, and loves to read stories of hope to his kids, but he told me that there is only one book that has the power to change lives. He said that the Bible, the Word of God, contains the real hope and the real power to change a community.

My Role as a Dominican Fellow in 2011

HOPE stresses the importance of creating a partnership with an individual like a bond between Christian brothers and sisters that reaches into all areas of their life. HOPE currently makes loans for groups, individuals, and housing projects and is looking to expand their services to include educational loans for Christian schools throughout the 11 community banks on the island of the DR and Haiti.

My role with HOPE will be to create a new partnership with a Christian Organization called Edify. Edify is looking to partner with a Christian Microfinance Institution to help create and improve Christian schools in some of the poorest communities in the DR. They bring Biblically-based curriculum and training resources for schools in the developing world. Groups of children from poor, overlooked, rural communities will have the opportunity to attend a good school and learn the skills they need to earn a sustainable income, and possibly attend college.

Timeline & Resources

After finishing a month of training at HOPE’s central headquarters, I headed back to the DR, to serve as a full-time volunteer. HOPE has established a budget for the 11 months I will be serving there. It’s estimated that I will need $1,000 a month for housing, food, transportation, health and dental insurance and miscellaneous expenses to live and work in the capital city of the DR, Santo Domingo. This amount also includes transportation costs to work in the community banks throughout the island. I am asking friends and family to financially and prayerfully support me in this exciting opportunity.

I’ll follow up with you about this letter within two weeks. Any amount you give is tax deductible, and you can find information about writing a check or donating online at the bottom of this page and in this pdf: February 2011 Update.pdf If you’re interested in knowing more about HOPE International’s work in the world, I’d love to talk with you about it over email, the phone, or a cup of Dominican coffee.

I hope you’ll consider coming alongside me in what God is doing in the DR. Whether or not I end up speaking fluent Creole, I know for sure that he’s asking me to follow Him. My prayer for you is similar: that you will encounter God daily, and that His voice will lead you in your walk with Him.

With blessings and gratitude,

-Aaron Roth
aroth@hopeinternational.org
(540) 421-8683
Skype: aprothwm05
Web: www.AaronRoth.net

———————-

Online Contributions:

  • Go to www.HopeInternational.org and select the “Donate Now” green tab on the right-hand side of the screen (or click this link: “HOPE International – Donate Now”)
  • Under “Allocate your Gift,” find the “Contribution Preference Amount” drop down box
  • Select “Other (please specify below)”
  • *In the box beside “Other Gift Designation”, write “Fellow: Aaron Roth”

Contributions by Mail (send a check):

HOPE International
Joan Bauman, Donor Care Administrator
227 Granite Run Dr. – Suite 250
Lancaster, PA 17601

Please make all checks payable to:

HOPE International and put “Fellow – Donation: Aaron Roth” in the memo line.

According to IRS regulations, all contributions are treated as donations and are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.