Debunking myths about ELCA Good Gifts


By Laurel Hensel A popular trend in philanthropy is


the practice of providing live animals— goats, chickens, cows—to people in developing countries. The idea is that people in these countries use animals for food and to generate an income so they can buy food or improve their living conditions. This is just one of the solutions that


this church has engaged in for years through ELCA World Hunger (elca. org/hunger) and other ministries. Many members support this work by making donations through ELCA Good Gifts, a catalog that highlights more than 50 ways to support these ministries—from sheep to water wells. But how does this all work? Lending


perspective to this discussion is Mary Marete, a native of Kenya and program director for sustainable development for ELCA Global Mission, and other churchwide program staff.


36 DECEMBER 2016


Photo: Paul Jeffrey/ACT Alliance


What are ELCA Good Gifts? The Good Gifts catalog features items representing ELCA


ministries in the U.S. and around the world. For all global projects, gifts are chosen based on needs identified by the ELCA’s companion churches and their communities, Marete said. Donations are combined to fund areas of work related to livestock, water or health care so each donation has the greatest impact.


What about the animals? The animals of “God’s Global Barnyard” are the most


popular gifts in the catalog. These gifts support training, education and resources to help communities purchase and care for animals and start small businesses selling eggs, meat or dairy products. “Our main objective is to help communities build resilience


and work toward a just world where all are fed. Livestock alone is rarely sufficient to create the transformation to meet those objectives. But livestock can create a great opportunity for capital growth, increased protein and cooperative access to markets,” said Dan Rift, director for World Hunger and Disaster Appeal.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52