As organizations committed to partnering with Haitian women to ensure their effective participation in rebuilding Haiti, we call upon member governments and international humanitarian aid agencies present at the CSW to commit to actions that will ensure that all future relief, recovery and reconstruction investments declare and adhere to measurable standards of gender equality. In the current period of relief and temporary shelter, in the design and distribution of entitlements, and in the planning and rebuilding of infrastructure and development programs, we urge implementing actors to establish collaborative processes that are anchored in formal partnerships with Haitian women’s groups (particularly local grassroots groups) who are empowered and resourced to take public leadership in the protracted process of reconstruction.

As a coalition of groups and networks active in the global women’s movement we will partner with Haitian women’s groups to ensure that equitable, transparent, and socially just standards are adhered to in all phases of recovery and will regularly monitor:

Participation: Haitian women are disproportionately impacted by the crisis as well as key to their country’s recovery. Thus we expect to see a large and diverse number of Haitian women’s organizations consulted and included in needs and damage assessments, and in the design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of post-disaster aid programs. Financing large numbers of grassroots women and their community organizations is essential to ensuring that — women’s needs and priorities are reflected in relief and recovery and that displaced women are socially legitimated as a key stakeholder group.

Leadership: The legacy of Haitian women’s leadership at home, in workplaces and across communities is a strong foundation for designing, implementing and evaluating long-term recovery as well as continuing aid. Women’s leadership and care-giving work should be recognized and supported by policy and program mandates and transparent resource commitments that enable women to play meaningful, sustained and formal roles in the long-term recovery process. And, as social and political leadership positions are restored or created Haitian women must hold a proportional share.

Non-discrimination: Given that temporary and impermanent settlements and housing arrangements are likely to persist for a long period, measures to protect women from sexual violence must be implemented in all areas of Haiti, especially the capital where security concerns are high. These include: safe access to storm-resistant temporary shelters, adequate street lighting and safe spaces where women can relax and organize around basic needs. As temporary and permanent housing plans and entitlement policies are finalized, the explicit protection of women’s land and housing rights—through enforceable tenure security– must be explicit. Across all states, reproductive health services must be guaranteed and accessible.

Capacity Development: Governments and aid agencies should provide resources and facilitate technical assistance to help grassroots and other women’s organizations build their capacity to function effectively as development and social justice promoters (short and long term). Such assistance should conform to capacity gaps identified by a wide range of women’s organizations and organized networks of grassroots women. (As often as possible, training and other technical assistance should be supplied by grassroots and other women’s organizations.)  Economic recovery programs must give priority to economically vulnerable women—especially single heads of households and informal sector workers—and offering them a full range of training, credit, and business support services.

Transparency and Accountability: Opaque bureaucracy, unfulfilled pledges and self-serving aid policies by donor countries have long plagued Haiti.  Thus Aid machinery must be reformed to strengthen democratic governance in Haiti and build the national economy to reflect the rights and priorities of Haitians, not the economic interests of donor countries.

Mindful that a donor’s conference is scheduled for the end of March 2010, we call upon member governments at this CSW, and other civil society organizations gathered at this CSW to affirm the principles outlined in this statement and to join us in calling for the inclusion of representatives of Haitian women’s organizations (including grassroots groups) at the donor meeting.  The design and affirmation of policy targets and aid commitments that institutionalize the participation and leadership of Haitian women in the rebuilding of their country must be a key element of these deliberations. (Resolution 1325 on women’s roles in post conflict reconstruction is an important precedent.) This level of inclusiveness is required if Haitian women are to believe the global community is committed to  ‘building a road’ that upholds their human rights, facilitates their citizenship, and builds new economic, political and social structures that will redress the decades of poverty and aid-dependency they have been forced to endure. Only bold action will accomplish this and allow a phoenix to emerge from the earthquake’s ashes.

Authors: A coalition statement submitted by the Huairou Commission on behalf of United Methodist Women, Caribbean Association for Feminist Research & Action (CAFRA) ,CAFRA Haiti, MADRE, Women in Cities International, CDD, Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir Mexico, Ipas Mexico, GIRE, Grupo de Información en Reproducción Elegida, GROOTS International, Huairou Commission, Gender and Disaster Network, AWID, AJWS

Luke 19:29-41 (New International Version)
Jesus’ Triumphant Entry

29 As he came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. 30 “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”32 So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. 33 And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?”34 And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35 So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on.36 As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. 37 When he reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.38 “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!”39 But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!”40 He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”

Martin Luther King Jr. Trumpet of Conscience (1967)
“Nonviolence and Social Change”

“The dispossessed of this nation—the poor, both white and Negro-live in a cruelly unjust society. They must organize a revolution against the injustice, not against the lives of the persons who are their fellow citizens, but against the structures through which the society is refusing to take means which have been called for, and which are at hand, to lift the load of poverty…

“…There are millions of poor people in this country who have very little, or even nothing, to lose. If they can be helped to take action together, they will do so with a freedom and a power that will be a new and unsettling force in our complacent national life…”

Reflection

In Luke 19:28-41 we read the familiar but unusual passage about the “Triumphant Entry” from which we derive our Palm Sunday celebrations. Jesus does not enter Jerusalem in the same way as the religious and political leaders of his day; instead he enters on a donkey. To spite this extremely humble entry the people crown him their King and praise God for him. Though Jesus was not declared King by the Roman Empire peasants bestowed this title on him, and every Palm Sunday thousands of years later in churches across the world we echo their words.

This short but powerful passage gives us important insight into the agency of poor people to name themselves and to claim for themselves dignity outside the confines of the principalities and powers of their day. Throughout history we have examples of poor people who arise and claim dignity for themselves.

Could the Triumphant Entry be but one example of the many instances in which poor people organized themselves-peasants in Jerusalem organized around Jesus their declared King, slaves gathered in hush harbors and in 1968 poor people of all races from across America organized around the Poor People’s Campaign-beginning with a Mule Train from Marks, Mississippi (sound familiar).

The Poor People’s Campaign was the last project of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and much like the poor of Jesus day who risked persecution by proclaiming Jesus as their King because they had nothing to loose but bondage to the Roman Empire, the poor of Dr. King’s day risked it all to converge on the nation’s capital to challenge the American empire because they had nothing to loose but bondage to an economic system that robbed them of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

God places the desire for freedom within all of his children and just as he provided the donkey for Jesus’ triumphant entry, if we step out in faith with the freedom and power that Dr. King prophesied about in 1967, we too will have everything we need to obtain the liberation provided by our creator.  As the gospel songs of old declared-“God is no respecter of persons what he did for others he can do for you too.”

Questions for Reflection

• What do these stories of triumphant entries tell us about the nature of God and his desire for justice and liberation?
• Do you see a connection between the donkey in Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and the mule train in MLK’s Poor People’s Campaign?
• In what ways do we allow our fears of not being enough or having enough (money, talents, etc) stop us from doing God‘s work of justice?
• This Lent what is one small way can you step out on faith and trust that God will provide you with what you need to be an advocate for justice?

Prayer: God, give me the faith and courage to step out and stand for justice trusting that you will provide me with all I need to do your work. In the name of Jesus our liberator – yesterday, today and forever, Amen.

This Bible Study Resource is one part of a series of Bible Studies that examine The Last Week of Christ Life and The Last Year of Rev. King’s Life, created by The Poverty Initiative, an organization “dedicated to Building a Movement to End Poverty Led by the Poor”. This is an interactive, multimedia Bible Study that can be used in various settings. We offer a variety of resource choices so that you can tailor the study to the needs of your group.  This type of Bible Study was created by The Poverty Initiative by working with grassroots community groups and is called textual reflection, where we engage the Biblical text with contemporary writings. In no way is this Bible Study comparing the life of Dr. King to the life of Christ but by looking at the life of our fellow man we can see that it is possible to live out the teachings of Jesus in the public square to the end of social change.

Mary of Bethany Contributing to the Movement....

This Bible Study examines the role women played in the ministry of Jesus and in Dr. King’s Poor People’s Campaign, showing that the leadership of women is needed in ministry and  social movements; Christ set this example.

For the entire Bible Study (including resources and links) visit:

The Last Week of Jesus and the Last Year of Martin Luther King: Women in the Movement

Note: Though DWU works on issues affecting domestic workers in the U.S. the issues faced by its membership are shared by women worldwide. The exploitation of women workers is an international human rights issue. According to Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was adopted by the U.N. :

• (1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
• (2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
• (3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
• (4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor  and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. THEY will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD   for the display of his splendor. THEY will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; THEY will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. -Isaiah 61:1-4

“I want to be in tune with my maker.”

“I pray for the organization to get the (the Domestic Worker) Bill of Rights passed”.

“Without God we can’t do anything”.

“I put fliers in the churches, I speak to the pastors”.

–Marilyn Marshall and Joyce Gill-Campbell Leaders in Domestic Workers United (DWU)

“We have a dream that one day, all work
will be valued equally”.-Mission of Domestic Workers United

During the spring of 2006 I started to closely read Isaiah 61 and began to gain spiritual encouragement from meditating on God’s care for the poor and oppressed. I began to study this scripture whenever I had the chance. In 2007 I started to work with New York Faith & Justice after meeting founders: Lisa Sharon Harper, Anna Lee and Peter Heltzel at Pentecost 2007. In the Fall of 2007 New York Faith & Justice did an in-depth Bible Study on Isaiah 61 and from this study I learned that this passage declares the poor “the oaks of righteousness”, and “that THEY will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated”. This new insight revolutionized my approach to the ministry of ending poverty. Instead of just preaching the gospel to the poor, the poor are called to rebuild and restore their communities! If you are a person of privilege instead of working for the poor you are called to work alongside the poor. And if like me you come from the ranks of the poor you are called to rebuild and restore your community. This re-reading of Isaiah 61 is further supported by my work with the Poverty Initiative’s Poverty Scholars Program. The Poverty Scholars program brings poor activist from across America to Union Theological Seminary to take part in an educational program of conferences, theological reflection and action planning centered on re-igniting Dr. King’s Poor People’s Campaign.

Members of the above quoted Domestic Workers United are nominated Poverty Scholars. “Founded in 2000, Domestic Workers United [DWU] is an organization of Caribbean, Latina and African nannies, housekeepers, and elderly caregivers in New York, organizing for power, respect, fair labor standards and to help build a movement to end exploitation and oppression for all.” The members of Domestic Workers United (DWU) are not only people of activism but people of faith. One member of Domestic Workers United is currently studying to become a minister. When members of DWU do educational/outreach sessions they do more preaching than speech giving. It only takes a few minutes of listening to these activist testify to see that God is central to this work and provides these dynamic women with the courage they need to organize while currently employed as domestic workers. It is not unusual for DWU to protest in front of luxury condos in Manhattan while advocating for a member who was treated unjustly on the job. Stories of illegally low wages, verbal, physical, and even sexual abuse are not unusual for domestic workers across the country. This invisible, but essential part of our workforce is now becoming visible through the work of being the oaks of righteousness Isaiah prophesied about. In New York City alone there are over 200,000 nannies, caregivers, and housekeepers who are essential to New York City’s economy (www.domesticworkersunited.org). When Lehman Brothers closed its doors, many domestic workers also lost jobs; the current economic crisis is further affecting this already venerable group. Currently DWU is advocating for the passage of a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights because historically domestic workers have been excluded from legal protections, face long hours, low pay and no benefits. “The Domestic Workers Bill of Rights (A628B, S5235) amends New York State labor law to guarantee basic work standards and protections: time-and-a-half for every hour worked over 40 hours per week; one day off per 7-day calendar week; and other basic employee rights that most of us take for granted. The bill provides a means of enforcing these standards in court (Domestic Workers Bill of Rights)”.

Domestic Workers United is currently attempting to gain support from the faith community, in words of one of the members: “we need all the help we can get”. DWU ask that “religious leaders reach out to any of their congregants that are connected to the domestic industry, and to speak in church about this issue”. The faith community is essential to making the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights a moral imperative. A new progressive Christian movement has been forming and it is exciting that many want to “preach the good news to the poor” but that is only half of the Prophet Isaiah’s message, now we are moving into the second part of this word: standing beside the poor as they become oaks of righteousness and speak for themselves. Helping to support the work of Domestic Workers United is one such way to do this. Here are some practical ways you can support the work of DWU:

• Encourage your church or organization to endorse the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights by going to www.domesticworkersunited.org where you can download an organizing packet.
• Give information about DWU to a domestic worker you know.
• If you employ domestic workers practice fair employment practices.
• Speak to your church or organization about the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights
• Volunteer, intern or donate to DWU-information on these options can be found on the website.

Links of interest:

Domestic Workers United-www.domesticworkersunited.org

Poverty Scholars Program-www.povertyinitiative.org

New York Faith & Justice-www.nyfaithjustice.org

The Poverty Initiative, based at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, has a mission “to raise up generations of religious and community leaders dedicated to building a social movement to end poverty, led by the poor.” Recently, at Camp Virgil Tate outside Charleston, West Virginia, they presented a week-long Leadership School with leaders from more than 20 organizations, including NY Faith & Justice, Domestic Workers United, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Jesus People Against Pollution, as well as international participants such as the Shackdwellers Movement from South Africa, the Church of Scotland, and Justicia Global from the Dominican Republic.

Here, Union alumna and Poverty Initiative member Kym McNair interviews Donna Barrowcliffe, the development manager from the Community Church of Ruchazie in Glasglow, where she works with the Church of Scotland Priority Areas Project (a project focusing on the poorest areas of Scotland). Donna was born and raised in a priority area.

Tell me about the work you’ve done in Africa.

There are 60 suburbs within Glasglow that are really poor.  These are called “priority areas.”  As one of the poorest areas, we were partnered up with the poorest area of Malawi.  The program is called Together for a Change.  Baula is the area in Malawi where we visited.  They don’t have running water or electricity, and it’s a five-hour drive to the nearest town.  It’s quite an isolated village.  They set us up to have a partnership to see if we could help one another.  Not financially, but through discussions.  We were set up by the church, but the people who attended the trip were not church people.  I was primarily a community person.  I was volunteering at the church. We exchanged a lot of different ideas.

The young people we took from Scotland gained a lot from realizing how lucky we really are.  We don’t have to fetch water, and we have free education. These are things our young folk took for granted.  We gained a lot of spiritual wealth.  The young people that we took with us are now really focused.  Before the trip, they had no idea of what they were going to do with their lives.   We learned that by believing that if we want something done, we have to do it ourselves. When they came to Scotland for the exchange, they learned how to make manure.  They learned much more about hygiene, how to work with children, and women’s rights.  They learned how to be better to their women.  We also taught them how to have AA/NA meetings.

You’re doing this great work for the church, but when did you decide to join the church?

Well, my partner died about two or three months before we left for Malawi.  I felt sad about that, but we had been planning to go on this trip.  My minister strongly encouraged me to go on the trip.  I had a spiritual awakening while I was on the trip.  I was depressed and in a bad space.

When I got there people greeted us with such warmth.  We were the first white folks who had come to their village and stayed there.  They were amazed by that. No matter what they did, whether they were cleaning the fields or working, they were happy.  They didn’t have the worries that we did.  They didn’t have the day-to-day stress that we do.   Since we’ve established this relationship, their church community has grown.

My minister realized that I had a gift around people.  I have a way of relating to people.  They couldn’t understand anybody else in the group but they could understand me.   Nobody else in the group was a great talker.  They saw my minister as too high up to approach.  When they danced, I danced.  I did everything they did.

My minister realized that I could help the church.  He asked me for suggestions on bringing people back to the church.  I suggested alternative therapies.  I realized that people weren’t spiritually well.  We need to make people chill out.  We need to reach them in some other way.  How about a café, a base for people to meet up?  If we had these things we’d be able to access the colleges better.  We’d have more people coming and less isolation.

Everybody I knew was tough.  I just needed to meet good people.  I was brought up in a healthy home.  I just needed to know more people like my family.  I wanted to meet people who were spiritually well.  I’ve been aware of God my entire life.

What will you take back with you to your community?

A new strength, you know? This has fired me up — the strength in working with other people, the empowerment. I feel empowered and more able to do the job. I have an understanding of how it works. I really feel fortunate that we had the opportunity to sit with commissioners and policy makers. We sat with people and we are changing things. We just appreciate the opportunity that we have. The people in charge of decision-making don’t come to these things. I realize how lucky we are in Glasgow to have the decision-makers around the table with us, and not be afraid to talk with them, to grab that opportunity.  I’ve learned loads and loads from being here. I’ve learned how to use a blog, and I have learned the benefits of using the Internet.  Not just for the Poverty Commission but for my church base as well.  I think it’s great if we do make this an international movement.  I think it would be great to make this stronger.

Meeting all of you preachers, you all are really effective.  You have a strong word.  You don’t look like a preacher, but if you came to my church, people would sit up and listen to you.

Kymberly E. McNair is a graduate of Union Theological Seminary (M.Div. 2008 and S.T.M. 2009). She leads the Social Action Ministry at her home church, Antioch Baptist in Bedford Hills. She is currently working with the Poverty Initiative on outreach to faith-based organizations. Click these links for more information about  The Poverty Initiative, The Leadership School, and the Church of Scotland Priority Areas Project.

Note: This interview first appeared on The Leadership School Blog, Sojourners God’s Politics & was submitted by Onleiove Alston

It is Thursday September 10, 2009 and I am writing live from The Moral Obligation to End Poverty Event co-hosted by Union Theological Seminary and The Poverty Initiative.  The speakers for this event include: Peter Singer author of How Are We to Live?, President Serene Jones (the first women to serve as president of Union), Ray Offenheiser president of  Oxfam America and Charlene Sinclair member of the Poverty Initiative and Ethics PhD candidate at Union Theological Seminary. Peter Singer is currently discussing what it means to live an ethical life and he has a wise critique for those who may suggest that to end poverty individuals have to give away large sums of money. Singer makes a great point of saying that this extreme solution will only attract a small minority but that the Christian tradition does call us ALL to a moral obligation to end poverty.

This April I lobbied for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Half in Ten Goals with a delegation from Sojourners in Washington, D.C.  In Senator Ed Townes office (the representative for the district I grew-up in) I connected the urban poverty of my community with global poverty. I personally do not agree with defining poverty in “relative” terms but do agree with Charlene Sinclair who stated: “a mother in America who can’t feed her child on $10 an hour and a mother who can’t feed her child on $10 a day in Scotland is still a woman who needs to feed her children and that misery doesn’t just go away”. As someone who has personally experienced poverty in America I know that my situation was not as hard as a young woman from Darfur but I do know that the slavery a Sudanese Christian may face in that region is similar to the slavery that my ancestors faced in America.  We are a global society and to separate the struggle against poverty into a domestic or global struggle will not lead to a sustainable solution. While in West Virginia at the Poverty Initiative’s Leadership School I saw the poor activist from America unite with South African shackdweller activist and clergy.  I saw light bulbs go off when participants realized that their struggle was connected to a global community.

Ray Offenheiser president of Oxfam America is discussing the powerlessness of poverty and the importance of “creating an environment where justice can take root”.  The Bible does not speak of relative justice but of justice for all and as a community of international women reflecting on the 15 years since the 4th World Conference on Women, Beijing China we have to develop an ethnic that says poverty is wrong regardless of the country, especially knowing the there is a powerful link between women’s rights and poverty. In this time of economic crisis poverty eradication is essential to continuing an international movement for women’s rights.  I want to leave you all with a closing statement from this event:

“I believe a movement to end poverty has to create a structure that equalizes us and does not place one of us over the other”. –Charlene Sinclair

Questions for Reflection:

How can women from a variety of countries unite in solidarity against poverty? How can the global church contribute to this unification?

How can we utilize the lessons from the Beijing Conference in the current fight against poverty?

In her paper, Davila states,

As people of faith, we have the freedom to use language about human rights and poverty that emphasizes the dignity of the human person, tells the story and the conditions of persons living in poverty, as well as communicates the necessity for collective response. We must approach the future of human rights careful not to forget the achievements of the past, and support new and emerging regional and national human rights initiatives, especially those led by the Global South.

What’s interesting about the podcast, while the Poverty Initiative does admirable work, is the second half — the part where the organizers explain their methods of exegeting the Bible.  In particular, they deconstruct the Bible verses that state “the poor with be with you always” and show how – rather than being a barrier to working against poverty – Christians can reinterpret this passage to act as an impetus for anti-poverty justice work.

Curious?  Give it a listen.

Poverty is powerlessness. Poverty cannot be removed unless the poor have power to make decisions that affect their lives… Let us remind ourselves that in committing to the Millennium Development Goals, we are in fact pledging to become partners with the poor.

Ela Bhatt is a member of the Elders, an “independent group who offer their skills and experience to support peaceful resolution to conflicts, to articulate new approaches to global issues that cause human suffering, and to share wisdom by helping to connect voices all over the world.”

Read more about Ela Bhatt at the United Nations.