Participants: Bill Santos
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC201134
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00:01 BILL: JUST THINK IF IT WERE POSSIBLE FOR 17,000
00:02 CHRISTIAN CONGREGATIONS TO COME TOGETHER IN 00:06 A COORDINATED EFFORT TO ALLEVIATE HUNGER IN SOME 00:12 OF THE MOST DEPRESSED AREAS OF THE WORLD. SOUNDS 00:13 LIKE A LOGISTIC NIGHTMARE, DOESN'T IT? DO YOU KNOW 00:18 IT'S HAPPENING AS WE SIT HERE RIGHT NOW? HOW? WELL, 00:22 RIGHT AFTER THIS BREAK, YOU WILL FIND OUT. 00:27 (MUSIC) 00:37 >>ANNOUNCER: IT HAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME . . . 00:41 GOD'S BOOK, THE BIBLE. 00:44 STILL RELEVANT IN TODAY'S COMPLEX WORLD. 00:49 IT IS WRITTEN . . 00:49 . SHARING MESSAGES OF HOPE AROUND THE WORLD. 00:56 (MUSIC) 01:06 BILL: WELCOME TO THIS WEEK'S IT IS WRITTEN 01:07 CANADA TELEVISION PROGRAM. 01:09 WE'RE HAPPY THAT YOU'RE HERE. JOINING ME, I HAVE 01:10 TWO SPECIAL GUESTS. I HAVE JAMES ASTLEFORD AND JASON 01:13 BROOKS, AND THEY ARE BOTH WITH THE ADVENTIST 01:19 DEVELOPMENT AND RELIEF AGENCY. DID I GET IT 01:20 RIGHT? JAMES: YOU GOT IT RIGHT. BILL: WOW, YOU'D 01:24 FIGURE AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, I FINALLY FIGURED 01:26 IT OUT. AND GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 01:27 BEING HERE WITH US. AND WE'RE GOING TO GET 01:29 TO INTRODUCE YOU, BUT YOU KNOW, OFF THE TOP, I SAID, 01:32 JAMES, 17,000 CHRISTIAN CONGREGATIONS COMING 01:33 TOGETHER TO HELP PROVIDE FOOD FOR SOME OF THE 01:38 HUNGRIEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. IS IT POSSIBLE? IS 01:41 IT HAPPENING? I SAID YES. HOW IS THAT WORKING? 01:42 HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? 01:45 JAMES: IT'S WORKING VERY WELL, BILL. GREAT TO BE 01:46 BACK ON THE IT IS WRITTEN PROGRAM. BILL: GLAD TO 01:48 HAVE YOU. JAMES: AND ADRA CANADA IS VERY EXCITED TO 01:51 BE PART OF THE CANADIAN FOODGRAINS BANK. I THINK 01:52 WE'VE MENTIONED THIS IN A PREVIOUS PROGRAM, BUT 01:57 TODAY WE CAN TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT IT. NOW, 02:00 WHEN I SAID FOODGRAINS BANK, WE'RE NOT TALKING 02:01 ABOUT THE KIND OF BANK THAT YOU GO AND PUT YOUR 02:05 CHEQUE IN AND PAY YOUR ELECTRICITY BILL AND STASH 02:09 AWAY YOUR MILLIONS. IT'S THE KIND OF BANK WHERE 02:10 PEOPLE WORK TOGETHER TO ALLEVIATE HUNGER. AND THE 02:14 CANADIAN FOODGRAINS BANK IS A ORGANIZATION IN WHICH 02:19 15 CHURCH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS REPRESENTING 02:20 32 DIFFERENT DENOMINATIONS IN CANADA, AND AS YOU 02:28 SAID, THAT'S SOME 17,000 CHURCH CONGREGATIONS 02:32 ACROSS THE COUNTRY, ARE WORKING TOGETHER IN THIS 02:33 COORDINATED EFFORT TO SOLVE THE FOOD PROBLEM, 02:37 THE HUNGER PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE IN OUR WORLD. 02:42 BILL: OKAY, SO HOW DOES IT ACTUALLY WORK? JAMES: 02:43 WELL, THE BANK HAS BEEN WORKING FOR MANY YEARS. 02:45 AND INITIALLY, IT WAS IN THE RURAL AREAS OF CANADA 02:50 WHERE FARMERS WOULD DONATE CERTAIN FIELDS OR CERTAIN 02:51 CROPS FROM THEIR FARMS AND SAY, "THIS WILL GO TO THE 02:58 FOODGRAINS BANK." AND THAT FOOD WOULD BE COLLECTED 03:01 SEPARATELY FROM THE NORMAL MARKETING PROCEDURES, 03:02 AND THAT WOULD GO TO FEED HUNGRY PEOPLE, IN AFRICA, 03:06 FOR INSTANCE. BUT NOW, SINCE THEN, THE PROGRAM 03:11 HAS EXPANDED, AND YOU CAN GIVE YOUR GRAIN OR YOU CAN 03:12 GIVE A DONATION OF CASH. 03:20 AND YOU CAN GIVE IT TO ANY ONE OF THE 15 CHURCH-BASED 03:21 AGENCIES THAT ARE IN THE FOODGRAINS BANK. AND 03:25 FROM MY POINT OF VIEW, OF COURSE, THAT INCLUDES ADRA 03:29 CANADA. OR YOU CAN JUST GIVE IT TO A GENERAL 03:30 ACCOUNT. SO THERE REALLY ARE 16 ACCOUNTS. AND 03:34 PROGRAMS ARE THEN RUN BY THOSE 15 FAITH-BASED 03:40 AGENCIES AROUND THE WORLD TO ALLEVIATE HUNGER. AND 03:41 THERE'S ALSO THE GENERAL ACCOUNT. AND IN ADDICTION, 03:46 THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT, THROUGH CIDA, THE CANADIAN 03:50 INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY, GIVES ONE OF ITS 03:51 MOST SIGNIFICANT GRANTS FOR ALLEVIATING POVERTY 03:55 TO THE CANADIAN FOODGRAINS BANK. SO IN EFFECT, WHEN 04:01 YOU GIVE A DONATION OF $1 OR $100 OR WHATEVER TO THE 04:02 CANADIAN FOODGRAINS BANK, THAT ATTRACTS AN EFFECTIVE 04:08 MATCH FROM THE CIDA ACCOUNT OF ONE-TO-ONE, 04:14 TWO-TO-ONE, FOUR-TO-ONE, DEPENDING ON 04:15 THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE PARTICULAR PROJECT. AND 04:19 THE EXCITING THING, BILL, IS IT'S NOT JUST THOSE 15 04:23 AGENCIES WORKING INDEPENDENTLY; WE 04:23 COOPERATE TOGETHER. 04:27 BILL: RIGHT. JAMES: AND SO SOMETIMES AN AGENCY MAY BE 04:28 STRUGGLING AND THE OTHER AGENCIES WILL HELP. FOR 04:31 INSTANCE, RECENTLY WITH A PROGRAM THAT WE HAD IN 04:37 RESPONDING TO THE HAITI CRISIS, SOME OF THE OTHER 04:38 FOODGRAINS BANK MEMBERS WHO WEREN'T INVOLVED WITH 04:42 THE HAITI RELIEF GAVE SOME OF THEIR RESOURCES TO US. 04:45 BILL: OH, I SEE. JAMES: AND SIMILARLY, WE HAVE 04:46 HELPED SOME OF THE OTHER MEMBERS WHEN THEY'VE BEEN 04:50 DOING PROJECTS THAT WE COULD HELP THEM WITH CASH, 04:53 WHERE WE DIDN'T HAVE A PROJECT GOING ON THE 04:54 GROUND. BILL: WELL, I MEAN, CHRISTIAN 04:58 ORGANIZATIONS COMING TOGETHER TO PUTTING THE 05:00 GOSPEL MESSAGE INTO A VERY PRACTICAL APPLICATION, I 05:01 THINK, IS WONDERFUL. NOW, LET ME JUST CLARIFY 05:06 ONE THING. SO I'M NOT A FARMER. I CAN CONTRIBUTE 05:09 TO THE FOODGRAINS BANK THROUGH A MONETARY 05:10 DONATION? HOW DOES THAT WORK? JAMES: ABSOLUTELY. 05:13 YOU CAN EITHER DONATE ONLINE OR BY SENDING A 05:17 CHEQUE TO THE FOODGRAINS BANK OR TO ANY OF THE 15 05:18 AGENCIES AND MARK YOUR DONATION FOR THE 05:23 FOODGRAINS BANK ACCOUNT. 05:24 BILL: OKAY, SO I COULD PUT A DONATION TO ADRA CANADA, 05:28 AND SAY THIS IS DESIGNATED FOR THE CANADIAN 05:30 FOODGRAINS BANK? JAMES: YES. BILL: I SEE. JAMES: 05:31 WE OFTEN GET MANY OF OUR SUPPORTS WHO'LL SEND IN A 05:34 DONATION AND THEY'LL WRITE "CFGB" ON IT, A CODE FOR 05:39 CANADIAN FOODGRAINS BANK. 05:40 AND THEN WE HOLD THAT MONEY SEPARATELY FOR THE 05:44 WORK THAT WE DO WITH THE FOODGRAINS BANK. BILL: 05:45 NOW, JASON, WE WANT TO GET YOU INTO THE 05:49 CONVERSATION HERE AND GET A LITTLE BIT MORE 05:53 INFORMATION FROM JAMES. 05:53 NOW, YOU ARE IN WEST AFRICA. JASON: THAT'S 05:57 CORRECT. BILL: . AND REALLY, ARE HEADING UP A 05:58 PROJECT THAT'S A RECIPIENT OF THE HELP OF THE 06:02 FOODGRAINS BANK? IS THAT CORRECT? JASON: THAT'S 06:05 CORRECT. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF ADRA IN NIGER, CENTRAL 06:06 WEST AFRICA. AND WE HAVE A PROJECT FINANCED BY ADRA 06:12 CANADA THROUGH DONATIONS FROM THE CANADIAN 06:17 FOODGRAINS BANK. AND IT'S A LARGE FOOD SECURITY 06:18 PROJECT. AND FOOD SECURITY MEANS HELPING PEOPLE TO 06:22 MEET THEIR OWN FOOD NEEDS REQUIREMENTS. SO WE'RE 06:27 WORKING WITH FARMERS IN THE FIELDS WITH THIS 06:28 FUNDING THAT COMES THROUGH CANADIAN FOODGRAINS BANK 06:31 AND ADRA CANADA TO HELP FARMERS PRODUCE MORE FOOD 06:35 ON LESS LAND AND FEED THEIR FAMILIES. BILL: HMM. 06:36 NOW, LET ME JUST BACK UP A SECOND HERE, 'CAUSE YOU 06:41 AND I HAD A CHANCE TO CHAT A LITTLE WHILE AGO, AND 06:43 YOU'RE AN AMERICAN. JASON: MMHMM. BILL: WE DON'T 06:44 HOLD THAT AGAINST YOU. 06:47 JASON: THANK YOU. BILL: FROM VIRGINIA. NOW, 06:48 HOW DOES A GUY FROM VIRGINIA END UP HEADING 06:50 UP A PROJECT LIKE THIS IN NIGER? GIVE ME A QUICK 06:54 BIOGRAPHY AS TO HOW YOU GO FROM VIRGINIA TO NIGER. 06:55 JASON: SURE, SURE. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, MY PARENTS 07:01 WERE MISSIONARIES IN WEST AFRICA, SO I'M AN M.K. 07:05 BILL: OKAY. JASON: SECONDLY, I WAS A PASTOR 07:06 PASTORING HERE IN THE UNITED STATES RIGHT AROUND 07:08 THE WASHINGTON, D.C. AREA. 07:09 AND YOU KNOW, I JUST FELT MY HEART REALLY TOUCHED 07:13 BY THE PLIGHT OF THE MANY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE AROUND 07:19 THE WORLD WHO ARE SUFFERING WITHOUT ENOUGH 07:20 TO EAT. AND MY WIFE AND I PRAYED ABOUT IT. WE'RE 07:25 VERY MUCH A TEAM IN EVERYTHING WE DO; SHE 07:27 WORKS RIGHT ALONGSIDE ME IN NIGER WITH OUR THREE 07:28 CHILDREN. AND WE AS A FAMILY PRAYED ABOUT IT 07:32 AND DECIDED THAT GOD WAS CALLING US TO DO SOMETHING 07:35 MORE CONCRETE IN OUR CASE. 07:35 AND ALMOST FOUR YEARS AGO, I MOVED MY FAMILY TO NIGER 07:44 IN CENTRAL WEST AFRICA, THE HOTTEST CAPITAL ON 07:46 EARTH. NIGER IS 80% IN THE SAHARA DESERT. IT'S 07:51 97% MUSLIM. AND I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU, IT'S A 07:55 CHALLENGING PLACE, BUT IT'S BEEN A BLESSING FOR 07:56 US AS A FAMILY TO FEEL LIKE WE'RE HAVING A REAL 08:02 IMPACT THERE IN NIGER. AND MY WIFE AND KIDS ARE IN 08:11 NIGER RIGHT NOW. IT'S ABOUT 130 DEGREES THERE 08:12 RIGHT NOW, FAHRENHEIT. AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE COMING 08:16 TO JOIN ME HERE SOON IN THE STATES FOR A LITTLE 08:19 BREAK. BUT I THINK IF THEY WERE HERE, THEY WOULD TELL 08:20 YOU THAT THEY'RE REALLY BLESSED TO BE ABLE TO 08:23 SERVE GOD IN THIS WAY. 08:24 BILL: HMM. NOW THUS, YOU'RE NOT WEARING 08:27 THE JACKET AND THE TIE. 08:27 JASON: THESE ARE MY CHURCH CLOTHES THAT I WEAR IN 08:31 NIGER WHEN I GO TO MEET THE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, 08:35 AND I CAN ASSURE YOU, BILL, I'M A LOT COOLER AND 08:36 MORE COMFORTABLE THAN YOU ARE RIGHT NOW. BILL: OH, 08:39 TRUST ME, I CAN BELIEVE THAT. JAMES: WHY DIDN'T 08:41 YOU BRING FOR US? BILL: THAT'S RIGHT. NOW, 08:42 JAMES, THE CANADIAN FOODGRAINS BANK, IS 08:44 THAT SOMETHING UNIQUE TO CANADA? ARE OTHER NATIONS 08:48 INVOLVED IN THIS KIND OF AN EFFORT? JAMES: 08:49 NOW, THIS IS VERY MUCH A CANADIAN SOLUTION TO 08:52 A WORLD PROBLEM. BILL: IS IT? JAMES: THERE ARE OTHER 08:54 SIMILAR KINDS OF ARRANGEMENTS IN OTHER 08:55 COUNTRIES. THERE IS A SIMILAR ORGANIZATION 08:58 IN THE U.S. THAT THE FOODGRAINS BANK 09:02 OCCASIONALLY TALKS TO TO SEE HOW THEY'RE MANAGING 09:03 IT. BUT NO, THIS IS A VERY EFFECTIVE MEANS OF 09:08 REACHING MANY DIFFERENT POPULATIONS. AND THIS HAS 09:14 HAD SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IN TIMES OF DISASTER, BUT 09:15 ALSO IN THE ONGOING EFFORT TO TACKLE POVERTY 09:21 AT THE VERY ROOT IN THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH WE 09:25 WORK. AND I THINK WE'VE TALKED, MAYBE ON ANOTHER 09:26 TIME THAT WE WERE TOGETHER, BILL, ABOUT THE 09:30 TREMENDOUS WORK THAT THE FOODGRAINS BANK, THROUGH 09:32 ADRA, HAS MADE AN IMPACT IN MONGOLIA, FOR INSTANCE, 09:33 WHICH IS A VERY COLD COUNTRY. BILL: RIGHT, YES. 09:38 JAMES: SO JASON, WHO'S JUST HERE FOR THE DAY, IS 09:41 COOLING OFF FROM NIGER. 09:41 BUT OUR ADRA COLLEAGUES IN MONGOLIA WORKING AT MINUS 09:47 55 IN THE WINTER ARE INTRODUCING THE GROWING 09:48 OF VEGETABLES TO FARMERS, WELL, TO PEOPLE WHO 09:55 WEREN'T EVEN FARMERS, SO THAT THEY CAN FEED 09:58 THEMSELVES, WHERE BEFORE, THEY COULDN'T. BILL: NOW, 09:59 EXCUSE MY IGNORANCE HERE, BUT ARE THEY SENDING 10:06 LITERALLY GRAIN, OR IS IT GRAIN AND MONEY? I MEAN, 10:09 WHAT DO YOU GUYS ACTUALLY RECEIVE THERE? DO YOU 10:10 RECEIVE GRAIN AND MONEY OR JUST GRAIN OR JUST MONEY? 10:14 JAMES: WELL, LET'S ASK. 10:15 WHAT HAPPENS IN NIGER? 10:17 JASON: I CAN TELL YOU WHAT'S HAPPENING IN NIGER. 10:18 WE WORK IN A VERY DRY AREA WHERE FARMERS ARE UNABLE 10:23 TO PRODUCE ENOUGH FOOD TO MEET THE FOOD NEEDS OF 10:30 THEIR FAMILIES. EVEN IN A GOOD YEAR, THEY'RE ONLY 10:32 PRODUCING ABOUT SIX MONTHS OF FOOD SUPPLY. AND MORE 10:36 THAN 70% OF THE POPULATION DEPENDS ON FARMING. AND 10:41 WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH THE CANADIAN FOODGRAINS BANK 10:42 PROJECT IS WE'RE TEACHING FARMERS TECHNIQUES. 10:46 BILL: OKAY. SO IT'S AN ISSUE OF THE TECHNIQUES, 10:50 THE TYPE OF FARMING THAT THEY'RE DOING, THAT 10:51 DOESN'T PRODUCE? JASON: IT'S A COMBINATION 10:54 OF FACTORS. THERE'S A DRAMATICALLY CHANGING 10:58 ENVIRONMENT THERE WHICH MAKES THE TECHNIQUES THAT 10:59 WERE USED IN THE PAST NOT SUSTAINABLE TODAY. THE 11:02 DESERT IS GROWING. NIGER IS 80% IN THE SAHARA 11:08 DESERT AND THE DESERT IS GETTING LARGER. SO WE'RE 11:09 COMBINING AGRICULTURAL TECHNIQUES WITH 11:12 AGROFORESTRY, MEANING THE PLANTING OF TREES. AND 11:16 WE'RE ALSO SIMILAR TO WHAT THEY'RE DOING IN MONGOLIA, 11:18 TEACHING PEOPLE TO DO VEGETABLE FARMING OUTSIDE 11:21 OF THEIR SHORT, RAINY SEASON TO AUGMENT THEIR 11:26 FOOD SUPPLY. AND YOU KNOW, IF I COULD JUST GIVE 11:27 AN EXAMPLE. BILL: SURE. 11:32 JASON: LAST YEAR, WE PLANTED OVER 1,000 FAMILY 11:33 GARDENS. AND I HAD A CHANCE TO TALK WITH 11:37 A LADY. AND I SAID, YOU KNOW, "WHAT DOES THIS MEAN 11:40 FOR YOU, FOR YOUR FAMILY?" 11:41 AND SHE SAID, "YOU KNOW, MY SON WAS HERE IN THE 11:46 GARDEN THE OTHER DAY HELPING ME, AND HE SAID, 11:47 'YOU KNOW, MOM, I'VE SEEN OTHER PEOPLE EATING 11:49 VEGETABLES, BUT WE'VE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO HAVE 11:52 THEM BEFORE.' HE SAID, 'MOM, ONE DAY, I'M GOING 11:53 TO BE ABLE TO EAT A CARROT.'" AND I'LL TELL 11:56 YOU, I WAS REALLY TOUCHED TO THINK, YOU KNOW, THE 12:00 CHALLENGE THAT THEY WERE FACING, BUT ALSO WHAT THIS 12:01 RELATIVELY SMALL GARDEN AND THIS TECHNICAL 12:07 ASSISTANCE PROVIDED FOR THEM MEANT FOR THEIR 12:11 HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY. 12:12 IT MEANT THAT THEIR CHILDREN WOULD HAVE FOOD 12:15 TO EAT. THEY'D HAVE THE STRENGTH AND ENERGY TO GO 12:16 TO SCHOOL, AND HOPEFULLY EVENTUALLY BREAK THIS 12:19 CYCLE OF HUNGER THAT EXISTS THERE IN THEIR 12:22 COMMUNITY. BILL: YEAH, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS, 12:23 AND JAMES, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE MENTIONED IT ON 12:26 PREVIOUS PROGRAMS, YOU'VE BEEN HERE WITH RONALD 12:28 KUHN, WHO YOU WORK WITH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT 12:29 STICKS OUT FOR ME IS YOU REINFORCE THIS IDEA THAT 12:33 IT'S SUSTAINABLE; THAT IT'S NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, 12:38 COMING IN WITH SO MANY TONS OF GRAIN, DUMPING 12:39 IT IN THERE, ONCE THAT'S GONE, WELL, HOPEFULLY 12:42 MORE WILL COME IN. YOU REALLY LOOK FOR A SYSTEMS 12:47 APPROACH, RIGHT, THAT SAYS, "THIS IS SOMETHING 12:48 THAT IS SUSTAINABLE." SO IS THE CANADIAN FOODGRAINS 12:50 BANK PROVIDING RESOURCES AND KNOW-HOW, ALMOST LIKE 12:54 A CONSULTING, SOME KNOW-HOW TO HELP LOCAL 12:55 FARMERS? JAMES: YES, BOTH. 13:02 AND IF YOU GO TO THE CANADIAN FOODGRAINS BANK 13:03 WEBSITE, FOR INSTANCE, WHICH WILL APPEAR ON 13:06 THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN, YOU'LL SEE THE TONNAGE OF 13:11 GRAINS THAT HAS BEEN SHIPPED ABROAD. AND THAT 13:11 HAS BEEN AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE FOODGRAINS BANK 13:16 HISTORY, IS ACTUALLY DELIVERING FOOD. 13:19 BILL: WELL, SURE, WHILE YOU'VE GOT PEOPLE 13:20 STARVING, I MEAN, THEY NEED TO EAT RIGHT AWAY. 13:22 LET'S GET THEM FOOD. 13:22 JAMES: I DON'T NEED A TECHNIQUE FOR LUNCH; I 13:24 NEED SOMETHING ELSE TO PUT IN MY MOUTH. AND THIS IS 13:29 WHERE, YOU KNOW, THAT IMMEDIATE FOOD ASSISTANCE 13:30 HAS BEEN SO INVALUABLE. OR THE SEEDS HAVE BEEN 13:33 IMPORTANT, WHERE PEOPLE DIDN'T HAVE SEEDS TO START 13:38 WITH. BILL: YES. JAMES: ONE OF THE CHALLENGES OF 13:39 WORKING IN NIGER OR SAY, SUDAN, WHERE I WORKED 13:42 FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, IS THAT YOU HAVE THESE HUNGRY 13:44 MONTHS. JASON'S MENTIONED HALF THE YEAR, HUNGRY 13:45 MONTHS. AND THE CHALLENGE AT THAT POINT IS NOT 13:51 TO EAT YOUR SEEDS. AND OF COURSE, IT'S VERY HARD NOT 13:55 TO EAT YOUR SEEDS, AND THEN YOU HAVE NOTHING 13:56 FOR NEXT SEASON. AND THE FOODGRAINS BANK HAS IN 14:00 MANY INSTANCES PROVIDED SEEDS TO GET THAT WHOLE 14:05 PROCESS RESTARTED. 14:05 AND THEN AS YOU'VE MENTIONED, THE ISSUE OF 14:10 SUSTAINABILITY IS SO KEY. 14:11 SO WE MOVE FROM RELIEF TO DEVELOPMENT, WHICH IN OUR 14:16 CASE IN ADRA IS REALLY IN OUR NAME, THE ADVENTIST 14:17 DEVELOPMENT AND RELIEF AGENCY. WE SO OFTEN START 14:21 WITH RELIEF, BUT THEN MOVE ONTO THE UNDERLYING 14:25 ISSUES. HOW CAN PEOPLE TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES? 14:26 THERE'S NO WAY THAT CANADA CAN FEED THE WORLD IN 14:31 TERMS OF ALL THE GRAIN THAT WE PRODUCE, BUT WE 14:38 CAN CERTAINLY MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN HELPING 14:39 PEOPLE TO TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES, LIKE JASON HAS 14:43 MENTIONED, BY INTRODUCING VERY SIMPLE TECHNOLOGICAL 14:48 CHANGES AND SKILLS TO MAKE THAT DIFFERENCE SO THAT 14:49 THEY CAN THEN CARE FOR THEMSELVES AND HAVE THAT 14:54 EXCITING MOMENT WHERE THEY ACTUALLY ARE EATING EVERY 14:57 DAY. BILL: WELL, TO HAVE A YOUNG MAN SAY, "I KNOW 14:58 ONE DAY I'M GOING TO EAT A CARROT." I MEAN, THAT'S 15:02 ALMOST INCONCEIVABLE TO US HERE IN THE WESTERN. NOW, 15:05 JASON, THIS PROJECT, HOW LONG HAS THE PARTNERSHIP 15:06 BEEN WITH NIGER AND THE CANADIAN FOODGRAINS 15:12 BANK? JASON: WE ARE IN THE SECOND YEAR WITH THE 15:15 PROJECT. BILL: OH, SO THIS IS SOMETHING BRAND-NEW? 15:16 JASON: A THREE-YEAR PROJECT. WE DID HAVE A 15:18 PILOT PROJECT WITH THEM BEFORE, SORT OF SOUNDING 15:21 OUT THE COMMUNITY, LEARNING HOW TO WORK AND 15:22 LEARNING HOW TO WORK WITH THE PEOPLE AND 15:27 UNDERSTANDING THE NEEDS. 15:27 AND THAT'S A REALLY KEY ELEMENT. WHEN YOU'RE 15:30 TALKING ABOUT DEVELOPMENT, WE GO IN AND WE SEEK TO 15:33 UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES IN THE COMMUNITY. WHAT DO THE 15:34 PEOPLE THEMSELVES SAY THAT THEY NEED? BILL: I SEE. 15:40 JASON: HOW WOULD THEY ADDRESS THEIR PROBLEMS IF 15:44 THEY HAD THE RESOURCES TO DO IT? AND THEN WHAT WE DO 15:45 IS WE COME ALONGSIDE THEM AND WE ASSIST THEM IN 15:47 A WAY, AND WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT SUSTAINABLY, 15:52 BUT THE IDEA IS, WE HELP PEOPLE IN A WAY THAT 15:53 ALLOWS THEM TO BE EQUIPPED TO HELP THEMSELVES. AND 15:59 YOU KNOW, WE'VE WORKED IN THE AREA WHERE THE 16:02 CANADIAN FOODGRAINS BANK PROJECT IS FOR OVER FIVE 16:03 YEARS NOW, AND WE KNOW THOSE COMMUNITIES IN 16:08 AND OUT. WE KNOW ALL THE LEADERS. THEY TRUST US. 16:11 AND THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THE POINT IS THAT BY THE 16:12 END OF THIS THREE-YEAR PROJECT, THAT THEY BE ABLE 16:16 TO CARRY THIS WORK FORWARD THEMSELVES WITHOUT OUR 16:19 ASSISTANCE SO WE CAN MOVE ONTO OTHER ISSUES. YOU 16:20 KNOW, WE CAN MOVE FROM AGRICULTURAL ISSUES INTO 16:24 WATER AND TO SANITATION AND EDUCATION. BECAUSE 16:29 EVEN AFTER THAT PROGRAM IS FINISHED, AND PEOPLE HAVE 16:30 BEEN ASSISTED IN YIELD ENHANCEMENT, IN BEING ABLE 16:33 TO GROW NEW TYPES OF FOOD, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE ON 16:38 WITH EDUCATION, WATER, SANITATION, HEALTH, 16:39 BECAUSE WE'RE IN IT FOR THE LONG TERM. BILL: YEAH, 16:42 I GUESS THE SAD REALITY IS THERE'S NO SHORTAGE OF 16:45 ISSUES TO BE TACKLED. HOW LONG HAS THE PARTNERSHIP 16:46 BETWEEN ADRA AND THE CANADIAN FOODGRAINS BANK 16:51 BEEN GOING ON? JAMES: IT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR A 16:53 NUMBER OF YEARS, AND IT'S A RELATIONSHIP WE'D LIKE 16:54 TO SEE GROW AND EXPAND, PARDON THE PUN THERE. 16:59 WHAT EXCITES ME ABOUT WHAT JASON WAS MENTIONING IS 17:05 THAT IT'S LIKE THERE'S A BASKET OF SOLUTIONS. IT'S 17:06 NOT JUST ONE SOLUTION; THERE ARE VARIOUS 17:10 SOLUTIONS. AND AS JASON AND HIS TEAM ARE INVOLVED 17:15 IN THE LONG TERM, THEY'RE ABLE TO ADDRESS SO MANY 17:16 OF THESE OTHER CHALLENGES, AND THEN MAKE 17:18 A DIFFERENCE, A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE. YOU MENTIONED 17:21 WATER, JASON. I THINK YOU HAVE QUITE A DRILLING 17:22 OPERATION GOING ON, DON'T YOU? JASON: WE DO. WHEN 17:27 WE STARTED INTO SOME OF OUR FOOD SECURITY AND 17:31 EDUCATION PROJECTS, WE WERE RUNNING INTO THE 17:32 SAME PROBLEM OVER AND OVER AGAIN. NIGER IS A HOT, DRY 17:36 COUNTRY, AND THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE LACK ACCESS TO 17:41 GOOD, CLEAN WATER. AND THAT PROMPTED US TO 17:42 GET INTO SORT OF THE WELL-DRILLING BUSINESS, 17:47 YOU MIGHT SAY. AND IN THIS PAST YEAR ALONE, WE'VE 17:51 DRILLED OVER 23 WELLS. 17:52 AND I TELL YOU, TO SEE THE LOOK ON SOMEONE'S FACE 17:55 WHEN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THEIR VILLAGE WITHOUT 17:56 HAVING TO WALK KILOMETRES AND KILOMETRES, THEY'RE 17:59 ABLE TO PUMP WATER RIGHT THERE ONSITE, AND IT COMES 18:02 OUT PURE AND CLEAN, AND ALL THE PROMISE THAT THAT 18:04 HOLDS FOR THEIR HEALTH, IT'S AMAZING TO SEE. 18:08 BILL: NOW, AGAIN, EXCUSE MY IGNORANCE, BUT I 18:12 THOUGHT YOU SAID 80% OF THE COUNTRY IS DESERT? 18:13 JASON: THAT'S RIGHT. 18:15 BILL: SO THERE IS WATER. 18:15 THE PROBLEM IS ACCESS TO THIS WATER? JASON: YEAH, 18:19 INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, IN THIS DESERT COUNTRY, 18:20 THERE'S A LARGE RESERVOIR OF UNDERGROUND 18:23 WATER. BILL: OH, THAT'S INTERESTING. JASON: BUT 18:26 BEING ABLE TO TAP INTO IT REQUIRES THE KIND OF 18:27 EQUIPMENT AND KNOW-HOW THAT INTERNATIONAL NGOS 18:30 LIKE ADRA CAN BRING. SO YOU KNOW, IT'S A GREAT 18:36 SITUATION THAT THE NATURAL RESOURCE IS THERE, AND WE 18:37 CAN BRING THE EXPERTISE TO ACCESS IT. AND IT'S REALLY 18:40 A BLESSING TO PEOPLE, BECAUSE YOU CAN GO A FEW 18:44 DAYS WITHOUT SOMETHING TO EAT, BUT YOU WON'T LAST 18:45 VERY LONG WITHOUT WATER. 18:48 BILL: NO, ABSOLUTELY. THAT IS INCREDIBLE. YOU KNOW, 18:50 YOU PROVIDED US WITH A SHORT VIDEO CLIP, RIGHT? 18:55 AND I DON'T THINK WE'VE SEEN IT YET; I THINK WE'RE 19:00 GOING TO SEE IT. BUT I THINK YOU MAKE A COMMENT 19:01 ON THERE THAT THE ISSUE IS NOT SHORTAGE OF FOOD IN 19:05 THE WORLD; IT'S ALMOST LIKE A DISTRIBUTION 19:08 PROBLEM. SO I MEAN, THERE IS ENOUGH FOOD TO FEED THE 19:09 HUNGRY, EXCEPT WE NEED TO DISTRIBUTE IT A LITTLE 19:15 BIT BETTER. TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. 19:21 JAMES: I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE MYTHS THAT WE HAVE, 19:22 THAT THERE'S A SHORTAGE OF FOOD IN THE WORLD. 19:27 ACTUALLY, THERE ISN'T, EVEN WITH THE GROWING 19:30 POPULATION. WE USED TO TALK ABOUT SIX BILLION; 19:31 NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SEVEN BILLION, AND 19:35 THE NUMBER KEEPS GOING UP. 19:35 BILL: IT'S GETTING BIGGER, YEAH. JAMES: IT DOESN'T 19:38 MATTER. THERE IS STILL ENOUGH FOOD. THERE IS 19:41 ENOUGH FOOD IN THE WORLD FOR EVERYBODY TO ACTUALLY 19:42 GET TOO MUCH IN TERMS OF THE TOTAL FOOD PRODUCTION 19:46 AROUND THE WORLD. AS YOU'VE HIGHLIGHTED, BILL, 19:52 THE CHALLENGE IS THAT IT'S UNFAIRLY DISTRIBUTED. AND 19:53 THOSE OF US IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES HAVE SO MUCH 19:57 FOOD THAT WE THROW HALF OF IT AWAY IN OUR GREEN BINS 20:04 AT THE END OF THE WEEK BECAUSE WE'VE JUST GOT TOO 20:05 MUCH. SO THE PROBLEM OF DISTRIBUTION IS ONE THAT 20:10 REALLY NEEDS ADDRESSING. 20:11 AND WE THINK AGENCIES LIKE OURS AND THE 20:15 OTHER AGENCIES IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY 20:20 THAT WORK IN SUCH PROJECTS ARE TRYING TO ADDRESS 20:21 THAT, MAKING SURE THAT THERE IS A FAIR 20:24 DISTRIBUTION, THAT PEOPLE HAVE FAIR ACCESS TO THE 20:28 MEANS OF GROWING FOOD, THAT THEY HAVE THE RIGHT 20:29 TO FISH IN PONDS, THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO TILL 20:33 THEIR FIELDS, TO COLLECT THE FOOD FROM THEIR 20:37 FIELDS, AND THEY HAVE ACCESS TO THE KNOW-HOW 20:38 AND THE INPUT THAT MAYBE SOMEONE ELSE HAS AND THAT 20:43 THEY DON'T HAVE, WHICH IS THE KIND OF THINGS THAT 20:47 JASON AND HIS TEAM ARE DOING. AND THAT'S NOT JUST 20:48 A GLOBAL PROBLEM; IT'S AFFECTING PEOPLE. JASON: 20:53 ABSOLUTELY. JAMES: I'M SURE YOU'RE ENCOUNTERING 20:57 FAMILIES, MEN, WOMEN, CHILDREN, WHOSE LIVES ARE 20:58 BEING IMPACTED BY WHAT YOU DO. JASON: THAT'S A 21:04 CONCEPT WE CALL "FOOD JUSTICE." AND IT'S 21:08 SOMETHING THAT I REALLY APPRECIATE ABOUT THE 21:08 CANADIAN FOODGRAINS BANK, IS THEY TALK ABOUT THIS 21:11 CONCEPT OF, IS IT FAIR? IS IT FAIR THAT SOME HAVE WAY 21:15 TOO MUCH AND OTHERS ARE COMPLETELY LACKING? AND I 21:16 THINK THE CHRISTIAN ANSWER TO THAT IS THAT WE WORK 21:20 FOR THAT SORT OF JUSTICE. 21:21 WE WORK FOR THAT SORT OF JUSTICE AS CHRISTIANS 21:25 COMMITTED TO THE CONCEPT BECAUSE OF OUR FAITH. 21:29 JAMES: NOW, THIS COMES UP IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND 21:30 THE NEW TESTAMENT BOTH, IF YOU'RE WANTING TO LOOK 21:34 AT THE BIBLICAL BASIS WHY CHRISTIANS ARE CONCERNED 21:38 ABOUT THIS. AND THIS IS WHY, FOR THE FOODGRAINS 21:39 BANK, YOU HAVE THESE 15 CHURCH-BASED OR 21:42 FAITH-BASED AGENCIES TACKLING THIS PROBLEM; 21:47 BECAUSE FOR THEM, IT'S A PRACTICAL MATTER OF THEIR 21:48 CHRISTIANITY. JASON: YES, THAT'S CORRECT. JAMES: 21:52 IT'S NOT JUST THAT WE GET TOGETHER ON A WEEKEND AND 21:54 HAVE SOME SINGING AND PRAYING OR WHATEVER, 21:55 BUT WE'RE CONCERNED THAT PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD, 21:58 HALF THE POPULATION OF OUR PLANET, IS NOT GETTING 22:02 ENOUGH TO EAT EVERY DAY. 22:03 AND CHRISTIANS IN CANADA ARE SAYING, "THIS IS NOT 22:07 ACCEPTABLE." AND IT'S A BROAD SPECTRUM. WE'VE 22:08 GOT THE CATHOLICS, THE BAPTISTS, THE ANGLICANS, 22:11 THE MENNONITES, THE ADVENTISTS, ALL COME 22:16 TOGETHER, SALVATION ARMY, AND SAY, "YOU KNOW, 22:17 WE HAVE SOME THEOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES, BUT ON THIS, 22:20 WE'RE ALL UNITED. PEOPLE MUST BE ABLE TO EAT. HOW 22:25 CAN THEY EVEN APPRECIATE A GOD IF THE RUMBLING OF 22:26 THEIR STOMACH IS DROWNING OUT EVERYTHING ELSE?" 22:30 BILL: YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. WELL, GENTLEMEN, 22:33 OUR TIME JUST ZIPS RIGHT BY. YOU KNOW, WE TEND TO 22:34 HEAR A LOT OF STUFF ABOUT WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS 22:39 COUNTRY, BUT I THINK THIS IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING 22:41 THAT CANADA HAS DONE RIGHT, AND HATS OFF TO THE 22:42 CANADIAN FOODGRAINS BANK. 22:46 AND THANK YOU, GENTLEMEN, FOR BEING WITH US, IF FOR 22:47 NOTHING ELSE, TO REMIND US OF SOME OF THE SUFFERING 22:50 THAT IS GOING ON IN THE WORLD, AND THAT AS 22:54 CHRISTIANS, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US HAS A ROLE TO 22:55 PLAY. WE DON'T ALL GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE THERE 23:01 ON THE FRONT LINES, BUT WE CAN ALL BE PRAYING FOR THE 23:05 WORK THAT YOU DO. AND WE ALL COULD BE MAKING 23:06 DONATIONS, YOU KNOW, TO ALLOW SUFFERING AND HUNGER 23:11 TO BE ELIMINATED, BECAUSE IT CAN BE. JASON: AMEN. 23:19 JAMES: IT CAN BE AND IS. THAT'S THE POSITIVE 23:20 MESSAGE. WE HEAR SO MUCH ABOUT THE FAILURES OF OUR 23:24 WORLD, BUT A PROJECT SUCH AS THIS MEAN THAT PEOPLE 23:28 NOW ACTUALLY ARE EATING AND ENJOYING A QUALITY OF 23:29 LIFE THAT'S MUCH BETTER THAN WHAT THEY HAD. 23:34 BILL: WELL, GENTLEMEN, ON BEHALF OF IT IS WRITTEN, 23:36 THANK YOU FOR YOUR FINE WORK AND FOR YOUR SERVICE 23:38 TO HUMANITY. JASON: THANK YOU. JAMES: THANK 23:40 YOU. BILL: THANK YOU. 23:57 LOOK AT ALL THE HUNGRY PEOPLE, THE WORLD SAYS. 24:02 LOOK AT THEIR FACES. 24:05 LOOK AT THEIR SITUATIONS. 24:08 CAN'T THEY FEED THEMSELVES? 24:12 WE SAY YES! 24:15 YES THEY CAN! 24:19 THE WORLD HAS ENOUGH FOOD FOR EVERYONE. 24:22 BUT NOT EVERYONE HAS ENOUGH FOOD. 24:27 OR GETS THEIR FAIR SHARE. 24:30 OR LIVES IN A LAND OF PEACE AND PLENTY. 24:35 BUT GUIDED BY FAITH, DRIVEN BY WILL, INSPIRED 24:36 BY BELIEF, PEOPLE EVERYWHERE ARE HELPING 24:40 PUSH BACK THE RELENTLESS ADVANCE OF HUNGER AND FEED 24:44 A NEW HOPE. 24:49 PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY FEEDING THEMSELVES 24:50 AND EACH OTHER. 24:52 THERE'S ENOUGH FOOD FOR EVERYONE 24:58 CAN WE KEEP DOING ALL THAT IS POSSIBLE TO MAKE 24:59 THIS TRUE FOR ALL PEOPLE EVERYWHERE? 25:05 COMING TOGETHER, WORKING TOGETHER, 25:06 BREAKING BREAD TOGETHER. 25:11 WE CAN! 25:51 BILL: WE'D LIKE TO SEND YOU SOME INFORMATION ON 25:52 THE CANADIAN FOODGRAINS BANK, INCLUDING A VERY 25:54 POWERFUL DVD. HERE'S HOW YOU CAN ORDER YOUR COPY. 26:58 BILL: WELL, GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR BEING 26:59 HERE AGAIN ON THE PROGRAM. 27:01 AND JASON, SAFE TRAVELS AS YOU MAKE YOUR WAY BACK TO 27:02 NIGER. JASON: THANK YOU. 27:04 BILL: AND JAMES. JAMES: I REALLY APPRECIATE HIM 27:05 COMING FOR THE DAY TO TELL US. BILL: IT'S QUITE 27:07 THE DISTANCE, QUITE THE COMMUTE. JAMES, WE'RE 27:09 GOING TO SEE YOU AGAIN ON ANOTHER PROGRAM. JAMES: 27:10 THANK YOU. BILL: IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE 27:12 ABOUT ADRA, YOU CAN VISIT THEIR WEBSITE, ADRA.CA, 27:15 AND IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN SUPPORTING THE PROJECT 27:16 THAT JASON IS HEADING UP IN NIGER, YOU CAN MAKE 27:21 A DONATION. JUST SPECIFY "NIGER PROJECT" AND THAT 27:24 MONEY WILL BE DIRECTED SPECIFICALLY TO THIS 27:25 PROJECT HERE. JASON: THANK YOU. BILL: REMEMBER 27:31 OUR WEBSITE ALSO, ITISWRITTENCANADA.CA, OUR 27:33 YOUTUBE CHANNEL; YOU CAN EVEN FOLLOW US ON TWITTER. 27:34 WELL, WE'RE PRAYING THAT THE GOOD LORD WILL GIVE 27:36 US THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING BACK WITH YOU AGAIN NEXT 27:42 WEEK. UNTIL THEN, REMEMBER, IT IS WRITTEN: 27:43 "MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY 27:47 EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD." 27:54 $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 27:55 $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ |
Revised 2015-02-06