We acknowledge and honour the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we are privileged to work and live. (Printed on responsibly sourced paper)
‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
Hope For Healing
Our health is one of those things we don’t think much about . . . until it fails.
Thankfully, most of us here in Australia can access hospitals, doctors and other professionals when we need them. And even if we experience long waits, crowded emergency rooms or have to pay a gap, we can get the treatment we need.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case for many of our global neighbours. Although access to healthcare is a necessity for every person to live in fullness of life, where you live often dictates whether or not this is your reality. Sadly, we live in a broken world where women and children are particularly impacted by poverty and injustice—I thank God for those we partner with in striving for justice.
This issue of Better World Magazine is dedicated to recognising the valuable work of our local Christian Partners in providing access to basic healthcare for our world’s
most vulnerable. Often this requires changing long-held attitudes, and you can read about our Partners’ efforts to remove stigma surrounding women’s health on page 6. It also requires smart solutions that work to limit harm as well as heal it—see page 10 for how our local Partners in Syria and Lebanon are caring for the emotional and psychological health of children impacted by conflict.
Our Partners do incredible work, but one of the hardest parts of dealing with illhealth—our own and others—is that even with modern and accessible medicine, health is not entirely in our control. We’ve asked Phil Batterham from Whitely College to help unpack this by answering our Curly Question, ‘Why doesn’t God end sickness?’. I hope you find it encouraging.
Thank you for faithfully praying for our local Christian Partners and those they serve. Your support of their work means vulnerable communities can access healthcare that saves lives, promotes dignity and brings glory to God.
Because of Jesus,
Melissa Lipsett CEO Baptist World Aid
BETTER WORLD BRIEFINGS
PEOPLE , including children and youth, accessed health services last year through our Partners’ work.
FIRST AID HEREOS
When Rita (pictured above) went into labour earlier than expected, her husband John was able to deliver the baby— thanks to the first aid training he’d received from our Partner in the Solomon Islands.
‘I didn’t feel any pain,’ Rita said, ‘but my water broke, and John knew what to do. He gave me water to drink and told me to push out the baby, then used his shirt to wrap the baby.’
John’s first aid skills have come in handy more than once. When a member of the community collapsed due to a heart issue, John and others immediately applied CPR. After 30 minutes, the man’s heart started beating again. And when a child nearly drowned in the local river, John quickly applied first aid, helping the child expel all the water from his lungs. The child went on to make a full recovery.
Our Partner’s work in this area has seen other health breakthroughs in John and Rita’s village. ‘In the past, we had a high number of malaria cases,’ Rita said. ‘But now according to the data from our clinic, there has been no malaria or diarrhea in the village for a long time. This is a huge achievement for us!’
THE MIDDLE EAST
NEW SHIPMENT OF MEDICINE
The ceasefire in Gaza allowed more aid to reach families in the region, but there are challenges ahead. Healthcare services are overwhelmed, and many vital medicines are still unavailable. In a recent shipment, our Partner provided medicines for 35,000 people with funding from Baptist World Aid supporters. We’ve now helped provide medicines and medical supplies to around 566,743 people in the Middle East.
CHAD AND SUDAN FEEDING MUMS AND BUBS
Conflict in Sudan has forced over 600,000 people to flee to Chad , creating a hunger crisis for these displaced communities. Our Partner is running a feeding program for around 11,250 people in Chad, providing infants and pregnant or lactating mothers who have fled Sudan with the nutrition they need. They’re also monitoring all children for malnutrition, so they can intervene earlier and prevent deaths.
UGANDA COPING WITH STRESS
Life skills are an important part of our Partner’s work in Uganda, as hardships take a toll on people’s mental health. Baatio, motherof-four and role model in her community, values the training she received. ‘My psychological wellbeing has improved through life skills sessions,’ she said. ‘I learnt social skills and how to cope with stress, which improved relationships within the family and with neighbours.’
MORE THAN A TOILET
Living without a toilet in Cambodia was difficult for Kimsin and her children; they often had to use the fields at night and compromise their safety. Our Partner helped the family build their own toilet with a handwashing area to improve their hygiene. ‘It’s more than a toilet—it’s a place where children can bathe and wash their hands. Having a toilet has made life easier,’ Kimsin said.
SOLOMON ISLANDS
CAMBODIA
FOOD PACKAGES a month are being provided to displaced families in Lebanon. 5,000
OF CHILDREN improved their wellbeing after taking part in our Partner’s Child Friendly Spaces project in Syria. 78%
BANGLADESH
AN ENTERPRISING WOMAN
When Samiha from Bangladesh started selling sanitary pads and cosmetics to provide for her family, she faced criticism because of the products and opposition to women leaving their homes, so she had to travel far to do business. But through our Partner’s Self Help Group, people’s perceptions changed, and Samiha expanded her business into a grocery and pharmaceutical shop. She was recently honoured with an award from the Bangladesh government, recognising women entrepreneurs.
‘People
were very happy to have their medication at the time when clinics are suffering from huge shortages, which has left thousands of people without treatment.’
—PARTNER STAFF
MEMBER IN GAZA
BOREHOLE CHANGES LIVES
HEALTHY TEENS
UGANDA
VEGGIE TALES OF HOPE
When families in Uganda can’t afford enough food, children are more likely to drop out of school or marry early to survive. To address this, our Partner helped one school start a farming club. Students established gardens at home to improve nutrition, which meant parents could allocate money to other needs. The gardens were so successful that leftover vegetables were sold to the community!
For 40 years a village in Kenya had a water shortage, with the nearest source 10km away. Unsafe river water caused health problems; people often had to go for days without bathing. Our Partner worked with the community to establish a local borehole. ‘We can now bathe daily and wash clothes frequently,’ said community member Beatrice. ‘Waterborne diseases are no longer common in my family.’
Our Partners in Nepal train secondary school teachers in sexual and reproductive education, so they can create an environment where students feel comfortable sharing openly. Teenagers in participating schools are gaining knowledge that’s helping them make informed and healthy choices. Girls are also learning about the importance of their menstrual health, and good hygiene practices are being implemented at home and at school.
WANT TO HELP CREATE MORE GOOD NEWS?
◀ Buy a Better World Gift and help fight poverty! bwaa.co/bwg
KENYA
NEPAL
‘I WAS ONLY FIVE’
THE IMPACT AND HEALING OF EARLY LIFE TRAUMA
By Heather Keith
Luay was born in Syria and spent his early childhood terrified of what would happen to him and his family. In one memorable event, the army shattered a glass door to break into the family home and accuse Luay’s father of crimes against Syria. He never forgot it.
‘They ordered us all into the sitting room. I had a broken foot, and I needed a bit of time to go to the other room. The soldier threw me in the sitting room with the others. He told me that if I cried, he would shoot me. I was so terrorised that despite the pain I did not cry,’ Luay said. ‘I was only five.’
Children and teenagers are regarded as vulnerable in any community. But in places where violence and destruction happen, their vulnerability is magnified and they can be badly hurt—often in ways that are invisible. Among other impacts, a traumatised child might experience injury from exposure to conflict, the death of a loved one, or separation from their home or family.
In 2020, a United Nations report found that children who had experienced or witnessed violence were much more likely to develop anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance misuse, aggressive behaviour and impaired cognitive functioning. These conditions often continue into adulthood and that’s where most funds are directed. But funding programs focussed on preventing childhood trauma—and working with children who have lived through it—is much more effective.
‘Neurological changes during the highly sensitive periods of childhood and adolescence provide opportunities to affect the developing brain positively or negatively,’ said the report’s authors.
‘Acting early in the course of a child’s life is crucial to prevent mental health problems later on, given that most mental health conditions in adult life have their roots in childhood.’
It’s much better to protect children from trauma than to repair the consequences. One way our Partners are preventing further harm to children is through Child Friendly Spaces in Syria. This
program is used extensively in humanitarian aid, during or immediately following conflict or disaster.
Parents leave their children with professional carers who protect them from danger, and provide activities and therapies to support their mental health and equip them with coping mechanisms to better manage their circumstances. This can include dancing, drawing, painting, playing games and talking, all provided by specialist trauma-informed professionals. The impact of the disaster and its aftermath on children is reduced, and parents can attend to essential tasks knowing their children are safe.
‘I felt I had someone I could talk to about all that had happened to me, with whom I could share what was heavy on my heart and it was such a relief!’
—LUAY
Luay’s family fled to Lebanon where our Christian Partner met Luay and welcomed him into their education centre. He soon made friends and began to fill the education gaps left by years of instability. The staff also helped him and his siblings with psychosocial support programs.
‘It was hard at first and I used to not talk, but I became friends with another student who understood me,’ he said. ‘When I began to meet with the psychologist, I felt I had someone I could talk to about all that had happened to me, with whom I could share what was heavy on my heart and it was such a relief! My fears disappeared and I felt happier—lighter in my head.’
‘Prevention is always preferable, but not always possible,’ said Kelsea Clingeleffer, Program Coordinator at Baptist World Aid. ‘The psychosocial help our Partners in Lebanon provide to support healing traumatised children and their parents is essential, not just for this generation, but also those that follow. If people have the opportunity to heal before they become parents themselves, they’re better equipped to build a strong foundation for life, and raise their own family in safety.’
▲ Bangladesh: Youth take part in a workshop with our Partners to develop solutions for their community.
▼ Solomon Islands: Pastor Isaiah, a volunteer coordinator for our Partner, travels great distances to support community health and literacy programs.
Postcards From
▲ Nepal: During our Encounter Trip we enjoyed meeting leaders from our Partner’s Youth Club, working hard to promote good health in the community.
▲ Lebanon: Once part of our Partner’s homework program, Mohammad now volunteers in the same program and studies biomedical science at university.
Our Partners
▼ Bangladesh: Kamal shares about our Partner’s project, helping communities develop farming methods that withstand changes to their climate.
▼ Nepal: Women from a Self Help Group show on their fingers how many children they have, pointing to lower infant mortality rates.
Shamelessly Healthy
Breaking the stigma surrounding women’s health
By Meredith Benson
Our local Christian Partners are focused on ensuring women of all ages receive the care they, and their families, need.
After the birth of her third child, Geeta (pictured right), from Nepal, began to experience extreme abdominal pain— pain so severe she could not sleep. But she had to keep working to help provide for her family. There was no rest.
Across our world, women and girls face unique barriers to accessing quality healthcare. And like many women, Geeta suffered in silence, unable to access the particular care she needed.
Every month, there are more than two billion women around the world menstruating. Every minute, around 250 women give birth and each year, approximately 25 million women reach menopause. These incredible and distinct functions of women and girls’ lives have been occurring for
millennia but, even in Australia, we’re not great at discussing their effects on women’s lives. And in many countries, the stigma attached to addressing women’s menstrual and reproductive health can be deadly.
Thankfully, our local Christian Partners are focused on ensuring women of all ages receive the care they, and their families, need.
For many women and girls, a monthly period is a normal though inconvenient aspect of life for around 40 years. But in some parts of our world, it represents serious health risks, missed days at school or work and significant hygiene challenges—because of poverty, stigma and cultural taboos.
This is the case in Uganda, where three out of four girls miss school because of their
period. To help address this, our Partner’s Youth Club facilitates after-school workshops where children (both boys and girls) are making reusable pads for girls and women. By including boys, these workshops go a long way to destigmatise menstruation and educate boys on the ways their mothers and sisters are unfairly excluded. Our Partners are also working with schools and the education department to advocate for dedicated girls’ bathrooms to encourage attendance during their periods. Having pads is good, but having somewhere to change them is also important, and many schools don’t have such facilities.
In the Solomon Islands , our Partner’s community-led innovations have made a big difference to the health and wellbeing of women. Raising the cooking fires off the ground (pictured left) has helped prevent back injuries, burns and other accidents common for women bearing this domestic load in their families—particularly when they’re pregnant. Toilets in every home provide a safe and private place for the whole family, but are particularly beneficial to menstruating women. And first aid training has led to the safe birth of babies when the local clinic is just too far! (See John and Rita’s story in our Better World Briefings).
Our Partners in Nepal also work closely with families, providing support, information and education about safe birth practices and ensuring pregnant women receive
Supporting good health is a collaborative effort that requires both resources and courage.
the check-ups that they need to carry and deliver healthy babies. They’re also particularly focused on dismantling stigmas around women’s health and encouraging the participation of men to help care for the health of their wives and daughters.
For Geeta this has been life changing. When she received a diagnosis of a third-degree uterine prolapse, Geeta could not afford private medical care and the waitlist for the government hospital was long. And so, she kept her condition hidden, continuing to work and care for her family, but found herself more and more isolated from her community.
As time went on, the pain increased and she grew weaker. At times, Geeta felt so overwhelmed she wondered if it would be better for her to die.
Thankfully, our local Christian Partner was able to refer Geeta to a local hospital and help cover the cost of her surgery. This has led to a full recovery! Now, she sleeps well and has regained her strength.
Today, Geeta is helping raise awareness of uterine prolapse and encouraging women to seek the help they need rather than suffer in silence. Supporting good health is a collaborative effort that requires both resources and courage. Thanks to our Partners, women like Geeta now have both.
HELP GIRLS AROUND THE WORLD FLOURISH
Give to our Vulnerable Children Fund so children don’t have to miss out because of poverty. bwaa.co/VCF
It All Adds Up
Small actions make a big impact for a safer world
By Sophia Russell
‘The message of the gospel is blunted if we are not living it out’
—THEO DORAISAMY
Theo Doraisamy, a high school teacher at Austin Cove Baptist College in Perth, often thinks about how he’ll teach his students about big issues like injustice and poverty.
There’s a tension between helping young people understand the magnitude of the world’s problems, and causing them to feel overwhelmed. In this delicate dance, Theo always comes back to the facts. ‘Many problems we face aren’t issues of resources, but of human and political will.’ he said.
‘We’ve got the capacity to end the worst of poverty in our lifetime. So I tell the students, “You can make a little difference and if everyone does, that adds up.”’
This sense of agency is what the Safer World for All campaign is banking on.
Comprising 25 faith-based and humanitarian organisations, including Baptist World Aid, Safer World for All calls on the Australian Government to address global poverty and international crises by increasing foreign aid to one per cent of the federal budget.
Theo recently joined this campaign as a way of putting his faith into action. ‘I’m always struck by Jesus’ command to love your neighbour as yourself. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, this crosses ethnic lines. The message of the gospel is blunted if we are not living it out,’ Theo said.
Safer World for All provides many opportunities for Christians to love their global neighbour, from signing a petition to using the campaign’s resources to generate interest on social media. Theo and other campaign delegates recently met with Josh Wilson, Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy, to discuss Australia’s aid program.
Steph Evans (pictured second from right), a uni student and member of Canberra Baptist Church, also had an opportunity to meet with politicians as part of the campaign.
Steph has been a passionate advocate for various causes since the age of 10. But it was when she became a Christian at 16 that justice took on a whole new meaning. ‘I learned that Jesus ate with the poor, tax collectors, prostitutes; he lifted everyone up with no prejudice,’ Steph said. ‘As Christians we’re called to love like Jesus, and by participating in justice causes, we act out that love.’
Last year, Steph was part of Micah’s Women Leaders Delegation and spent three days in Canberra talking to politicians. She loved seeing Christians raise their voices on issues that churches can be tempted to stay silent on.
‘We’re programmed to shy away from feeling uncomfortable. But to advocate, we need to educate ourselves on what’s happening in the world and that’s an uncomfortable feeling. We need to be comfortable with feeling uncomfortable,’ Steph said.
Her advice for others keen to play their part? Don’t be discouraged if immediate change doesn’t happen. ‘You don’t always see a difference straight away. Take a step back and know that making a difference in one life is a massive win.’
Theo agrees, adding that it’s wise to act strategically. ‘A lot of people have passion, but if we’re not organised or talking with each other about it, it can lead to a big feeling of helplessness,’ he said.
‘Safer World for All is a great movement because it’s organised, reputable, and considered. You can get involved and learn as you go, and that’s really important.’
WHAT IS SAFER WORLD FOR ALL?
Australia is one of the safest and healthiest countries in the world, but our aid contribution has fallen to only 0.68 per cent of the federal budget. We are now the 28th most generous OECD nation.
At the same time, our world is facing multiple crises. There’s conflict in the Middle East and famine in Africa. One in five children live in conflict zones; 733 million people don’t have enough to eat, and rising seas are threatening our Pacific neighbour’s homes.
Increasing our aid to just one per cent of our federal budget is a small step that would have a significant impact on communities around the world, while still ensuring that 99 per cent of the budget is focused elsewhere.
The global community has the resources to end poverty and address global issues like hunger; all we need is the will. The Safer World For All campaign provides a platform for Australian Christians and churches to collectively raise their voices and inspire our nation’s leaders to act.
1 Write to your MP. Visit saferworld.org.au and use the template to send an email to your MP asking for support to raise Australia’s aid budget.
2 Get your church involved. The campaign has resources for you to run a spot in your service, play one of the campaign videos, or take up an offering of petition postcards.
3
Share the message. Post about Safer World for All on your socials, using images available on the Safer World for All website.
‘Why
Doesn’t God End Sickness?’
Given we believe in an all-powerful and compassionate God, this is a heart-rending question to wrestle with when so many suffer.
Many years ago, while serving as a youth leader at a church in the USA, I was asked to provide pastoral care to a teenager, ‘Kevin’, who had leukemia. Over a period of months, I watched Kevin slowly pass away. Even believing that Kevin was on a journey to heaven, this was gut wrenching to witness.
The reality is that in a suffering world, God often chooses to work through us as agents of his healing. Through Jesus, he launched a mission that he’s called upon us to participate in.
That mission was clearly defined when Jesus said ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has
anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’ (Luke 4:18-19). While on earth, Jesus healed the blind, deaf, mute, lepers, paralysed, crippled, those with bleeding disorders and a man whose ear was cut off. People’s pain and sickness moved him. A friend died—he wept!
The suffering in our world still moves God. But, until Jesus returns to fully restore our world, God has made our intervention—no matter how imperfect it is—essential. We are the body of Christ on earth!
In speaking of the actions of his true followers, Jesus says ‘I was sick, and you looked after me’ (Matthew 25:36).
Besides being an unambiguously clear call for us to act, Jesus is saying something remarkable—that our care for the sick is a ministry to him, in addition to being a ministry for him. And it is also a ministry with him. Without him we can do nothing. But with him, via the agency of his Spirit, our ministry to those who suffer sickness will be fruitful (John 15:5).
‘But, until Jesus returns to fully restore our world, God has made our intervention— no matter how imperfect it is—essential.’
—PHIL BATTERHAM
As well as being called and empowered, we’re also well resourced. Medical research is producing interventions and treatments that can prevent or cure illnesses that shorten lives. While one death is too many, as a result of the widening array of treatments available now, far fewer youths die with leukemia as Kevin did. Our growing understanding of the social determinants of health provides ways of working with communities so that they can flourish, not flounder. God hasn’t just called us to help others, but equipped us in so many ways. And he continues to do so as our understanding of how the human body works grows.
Jesus has called me, and he has called you to be active in an ongoing mission to end sickness. We can only do this as a body, a global church, faithful to its calling. To be successful in this mission requires us to partner together, to pool talents and resources. Our prayers, generosity and advocacy championing a generous Australia can bring better health to so many people.
Phil Batterham is a genetics researcher. He’s a member of the Rosanna Baptist Church and was the lead Australian organiser for a UN Conference on Global Health held in Melbourne in 2010.
THE ANTIDOTE TO DOOMSCROLLING DEVOTIONAL
We all know the feeling. You’re on your phone scrolling through news sites. Instantly you’re bombarded with stories of war, terrorism, natural disasters, oppression. For the rest of the day, you feel anxious over the state of the world.
According to psychologists, ‘news fatigue’ is on the rise in Australia. Smartphones and the 24-hour news cycle mean we’re regularly exposed to distressing content, which can cause us to feel anxious, sad or helpless.
But we have an immense hope knowing God is sovereign over all things, even in a chaotic world. Psalm 11 says, ‘The Lord is on his heavenly throne, he observes everyone on earth.’
Managing your news consumption is a way to trust God with the future, and strengthen your ability to care for people in the long term. Try setting a timer when reading the news, limiting yourself to a handful of sites, or setting aside news-free periods in your day.
You could also make note of the news that troubles you most and take these worries directly to our loving God, who always hears our cries.
◀
Health Is A Right, Not A Privilege
Our Christian Partners work with communities in poverty so that everyone can enjoy good health and flourish. To help, visit bwaa.co/bwambassador
