Recently, I had the privelege of being a part of a training workshop for a certain development strategy called Community Health Evangelism, or Community Health Eduation in some parts of the world. It is a really remarkable approach to development work with a basis in biblical principles and an emphasis on relationship and holistic transformation of a community, incorporating every aspect of life: the physical, mental, spiritual, and social.
The workshop, though the days did get a little long sometimes, was well worth it, and it has gotten me so excited to be a part of bringing God's Kingdom to earth! The greatest part (to me) is that I will be able to watch the Holy Spirit transform people as they take ownership of a grass-roots movement to change their community, and eventually see the world as their mission field.
The workshop was facilitated by David Hawk, Rick Morse, and Philip Renfroe, who are a part of the Global CHE Network (Check it out. There's some really great info on there). http://chenetwork.org/
The thought of using this approach in Sudan, which excited my team coordinator, Joy Phillips to no end, makes a lot of sense in my mind. However, it will certainly not be without challenges. Because of the extreme crises that have plagued Sudan through war and famine, and even the genocide in Darfur, many NGO's and other aid workers have come in to offer relief, which has been very necesary in some places to save lives. However, much of this has created a dependency upon foreign aid for the Sudanese people.
CHE is a very asset-based approach. The desire is that the community can come together to see what resources they already have (materials, skills, knowledge, etc) to help bring about change. Our prayer and hope is to help show the people of South Sudan that they do have worth and the ability to deal with some of the issues they face without having to be dependant on foreigners. God has given each people such value and worth, just as he created humankind in his image!
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If you would like to learn more about the CHE model of doing development work, feel free to contact me, or check out their website at http://chenetwork.org/ where you can find info about upcoming trainings, as well as loads of other useful information. CHE was developed in a rural context, but now there are strategies for urban and even specifially North American settings, called Neighborhood Transformation.
