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Answering the call

04 Oct 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The Book of Genesis tells us that when the wild animals and birds of the air were brought before man, he had a name for each of them. Remote villagers in Uganda don't always have the answers they need in their daily encounters with the natural elements. Now, though, they have Question Box, a free, nonprofit telephone hotline that provides information to people in remote areas who lack access to computers. The premise behind Question Box is that a host of barriers keeps most of the developing world from taking advantage of the wealth of knowledge available through Web search engines, said Rose Shuman, the service's creator. That could be a drag on economic development. "So I was thinking, why not bring the information to them in a way that's most convenient and useful to them?" said Shuman, who is based in Santa Monica, California. People in two rural agricultural communities in Uganda can turn to 40 Question Box workers who have cell phones. The workers dial into the call center and ask questions on behalf of the locals, or they put the call on speakerphone so the locals can ask for themselves. The operators then look up the requested information in a database and convey it to the workers, who pass it along to the villagers. The workers are compensated with cell phone airtime. The service is a joint effort of Open Mind, a nonprofit group founded by Shuman, and the Grameen Foundation, which is best known for promoting small loans for the poor. It has received financial backing from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In June Google introduced a similar effort in Uganda, also involving Grameen, which allows people to find information on topics like health and agriculture via text messaging. Source: An article by Ron Nixon for the New York Times

internet bill and melinda gates foundation grameen foundation open mind rose shuman question box uganda cell phones google text messaging

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The Giving Pledge promises charitable support

26 Sep 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The rich man in this Sunday’s gospel learns too late of the consequences of ignoring the poor and suffering during his lifetime. Apparently he missed the memo from the prophet Amos, who in this Sunday’s first reading says: “Woe to the complacent in Zion! Lying upon beds of ivory, stretched comfortably on their couches . . . . their wanton revelry shall be done away with.” A growing number of billionaires are doing their best to wise up before their time is up. They have joined “The Giving Pledge” initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and investor Warren Buffet that asks the superrich to give at least half their fortunes to charitable causes. This week a Chinese philanthropist joined the effort. The Gateses and Buffet are hoping to generate $600 billion in charitable giving through the initiative launched in June. Buffet has pledged 99 percent of his wealth to philanthropy. He wrote in a letter explaining his pledge, “My wealth has come from a combination of living in America, some lucky genes, and compound interest. “Were we to use more than 1 percent of my claim checks on ourselves, neither our happiness nor our well-being would be enhanced. In contrast, that remaining 99 percent can have a huge effect on the health and welfare of others,” Buffet wrote. Gates and Buffett plan to make their pitch to Chinese billionaires in person in Beijing at a special dinner on September 29. Around 50 super-wealthy Chinese businesspeople have been invited to the banquet. Philanthropist Chen Guangbiao has already accepted the challenge. In an open letter to Gates and Buffett posted on his company website, he pledges to donate his entire fortune of more than five billion yuan ($735 million) to charity when he dies. Chen’s letter says that it will be a “glory” to return his entire fortune to society and that it is a “shame” to die hoarding wealth. The readings this Sunday offer what might be called a rich opportunity to discuss charitable giving, generosity, and stewardship in the context of local and parish needs. While few of us have fortunes to give away, all of us can do something. Even modest giving, when sustained over time, can make a huge difference for others—not to mention for our own eternal well being. Source: Articles by Betsy Brill for Forbes.com, Bess Langbein for the Maryland Gazette, Deidre Woollard for Luxist.com, and a Story Starter by Joel Schorn for Prepare the Word (see this week’s "Exploring the Word" resources)

chen guangbiao philanthropy charitable giving giving pledge warren buffet bill melinda gates foundation

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Billionaire philanthropists set an example

30 Oct 2016 - Preaching the News for the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

This Sunday’s gospel describes how a wealthy man, Zacchaeus, is changed by his encounter with Jesus, promising to give “half of my possessions” to the poor. If he could see his way to giving away a little more than half his fortune, Zacchaeus would qualify for the Giving Pledge, a philanthropic initiative started by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates in 2008 to encourage wealthy people to give away a majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes, either during their lives or in their wills. The group added added 17 new members this year, bringing the elite group’s membership to 154 signatories from 16 countries around the world. The Giving Pledge is a multigenerational, global effort to help address society’s biggest issues—from poverty alleviation to health care to education. The group is specifically focused on billionaires (or those who would be billionaires if not for their big-ticket giving) and was initially meant to attract U.S.-based donors. The effort has expanded worldwide as families and individuals abroad have pledged to give away more than half their wealth. The new additions include a diverse group of entrepreneurs and business leaders, representing such industries as technology, medicine, biotech, real estate, and dairy farming. “This new group joining the Giving Pledge is incredibly thoughtful about their desire to give back and help solve the world’s toughest challenges through philanthropy,” said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “Some have been giving for decades and others are just starting out after building successful businesses, but they all see the value of giving in a bold and effective way.” The new signatories join a legendary list of names, including Richard and Joan Branson, Ted Turner, Sheryl Sandberg, and David Rockefeller, to name just a few. The pledge does not involve pooling any money or committing to any specific cause. It only asks that those who commit to the group to give away a majority of their wealth—either while they are alive or in their wills. Signatories use their philanthropic resources to support a range of causes and hold an annual two-day learning conference that provides them the opportunity to hear from outside experts and learn from each other about how to give effectively across a range of issues. Topics discussed at this year’s annual gathering included leveraging philanthropy to drive women’s opportunities in the global economy, opportunities and challenges for giving internationally, solving environmental issues, engaging in urban renewal projects, and philanthropy’s role in advancing scientific discovery. Lessons drawn from the readings God has pity on all that is because everything belongs to God, we are told in the first reading, according to this week’s Sunday Summary. This is an attitude all of us would do well to adopt toward our earthly belongs. Though the vast majority of us can’t afford to give away half of our net worth and still be in a position to meet essential needs, the original intent of the Giving Pledge was not only to create a group of billionaire philanthropists. It also was designed to encourage, by example, increased philanthropy at all levels of capacity. Robert Rosen, the director of philanthropic partnerships at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, encourages people across the financial spectrum to consider making a “pledge” to philanthropy: “Not all of us can give away half of our wealth, but the idea of the Giving Pledge can help encourage an important conversation with your spouse or family about what’s possible in terms of generosity and the positive impact that giving can have on society.” Good advice for us regardless of our income bracket. Reflecting on the fact that all that we have flows from and belongs to God is a good place to start the conversation. Final thought in light of the news As CBS News reported several years ago, the wealthiest 400 Americans are worth more than $2 trillion. Together, it's been reported they own as much wealth as the bottom half of American households combined. While resentment toward the super rich is widespread, there may be a silver lining taking shape, says CBS. It turns out a lot of those rich people are giving staggering sums of money away, in what is being called a golden age of philanthropy. Perhaps some instead will call for greater attention to income inequality. Others will point to the fact that charity and economic justice are not the same thing. True enough. Still, suffering persists, the needs are great, and we can applaud anyone willing to give away the majority of their accumulated wealth to address some of that suffering.

billionaires philanthropy philanthropists warren buffett Bill Gates melinda gates the giving pledge bill & melinda gates foundation
Homily stories

19 Nov 2017 - Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

My friend Brian is an engineer and inventor. His inventions have run the gamut from the magnificent—an elliptical receiver sent into space—to the mundane—a clip-on shelf for a recreational vehicle. He is also a university professor, teaching young engineers how to be ethical entrepreneurs. He also cares about world hunger and the environment. He knows that the majority of the world’s poor rely on small farms for food and income and necessary water and electricity is in scarce supply. Recently all of Brian’s interests and talents converged when he received a Gates Foundation Grant to develop a solar-powered water pump to help small farmers in Africa irrigate their crops. Brian knew the pump needed to be inexpensive and portable. He developed a prototype and brought it to Kenya to test with a small group of female farmers. These women were spending eight hours a day carrying water from a well to fill tanks near their farms. From the tank they used gravity to flow the water into hoses to sprinkle their crops. After receiving invaluable feedback from the farmers, Brian streamlined the pump and solar panel even further so that both were lightweight enough to carry to and from the well in a simple carrying case. The farmers could then keep the pump and panel secure each evening. Since the installation of the Maji pump (maji means “water” in Swahili), the women now need an hour rather eight to water their crops. In turn, they are able to grow and sell more. The extra money is put into additional improvements in the farm and at the school they run for the children in their village. They already have plans to build a local factory to produce the pumps for wider distribution. Some people have a special talent for showing the rest of us how to put our talents to good use.

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

talents entrepreneurship inventions Hunger farming water pump gates foundation kenya

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