It’s 2022 and Spirit in Action is embarking on a new year of partnerships with amazing grassroots organizations in Eastern Africa. In December, at a joint meeting of the North American Board and African Advisory Board, we approved over $100,000 in grants. These grants are adding to the efforts of 25 organizations, 17 continuing on from last year, and eight new partnerships. One partner from last year, Pastoralist Child Foundation, “graduated” from SIA grant support after rece

Post by Gloria J. “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success”. This quote by Henry Ford is what best describes the collaboration of SIA, CAP-AIDS, and Boroboro health facility in the rural parts of Uganda. SIA as a grant partner with CAP-AIDS were able to help kick off this project and make it concrete. COVID-19 has been a persistence that has backpedaled livelihoods, affected homesteads, and the economy in more ways than on

This week's blog post is an excerpt from my sharing at United Methodist Church, Point Richmond last month. If you would like me to speak at your church, congregation, or club, let me know! Martin Luther King, Junior famously said, "no one is free until we are all free." Looking deeper I found essentially the same quote was used by Jewish poet and activist Emma Lazarus, the British philosopher Herbert Spencer, and Fannie Lou Hamer, the women’s rights activist. The people pushi

Thank you to all those who have already supported our GivingTuesday on Facebook or online today! Even after so many months of Zoom calls in all aspects of my life, it still is a thrill to meet with SIA Grant Partners from all over East Africa. This month, we held the SIA Africa Summit on Zoom. Twenty people attended, representing 13 organizations and the African Advisory Board, and the North American Board. Each organization shared what they were most proud of in the past yea

People all around the world go to the salon to relieve stress and take care of their hands and feet. Next time you’re in Uganda, I know twenty newly-trained women ready to give you a manicure or pedicure! This year, Midwife-Led Community Transformation (MILCOT) used a SIA Grant to run a mani/pedi training workshop, providing desirable and marketable skills to young women who have dropped out of school. MILCOT has a team of social workers, midwives, and nurses passionate about

The news on the podcast was shocking: “Africa imported about 85% of its food (2016-208) from outside the continent.” With all that land and all those farmers, how could that be true? At the same time, agriculture production in sub-Saharan Africa actually increasing. And it’s growing faster than in other parts of the world. Many African countries even export agricultural products to other countries on the continent. Looking deeper, another report found that four countries – Ni

The 2021 Fall & Winter newsletter is here! Samuel and Rhoda Teimuge held a training day at their farm in Kerio Valley, Kenya. Teri farm is a model for agroecology, which helps to replenish, rather than deplete, the soil. They are growing cowpeas, spider herb, amaranth, and chilies. In this newsletter we feature: Vocational training for young women who have dropped out of school in Uganda Universal Love Alliance providing transportation services during the pandemic lockdown Ph

This month marks my 14th anniversary with Spirit in Action. When I started back in 2007, I never guessed how much this organization would become a part of my life. With so much change over so many years, I hope you’ll indulge me in some reminiscing and reflection. The first year I climbed a steep learning curve. I learned the accounting system and tried to memorize the names and locations of the grant projects. I emailed Marsha Johnson, the previous administrator, regularly t

Today's post is from the SIA Partner Empowering Communities as Actors for Transforming Communities (e-CATS) in Kibera, Kenya. The e-CATS team shares about their work providing vulnerable families in informal settlements with emotional support and business guidance. “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen”, This quote by Winston Churchill opens the time of reflections during the Listening Circles Workshop. When the

Wisdom from Barbara Deal Your question has been a wonderful challenge to my understanding of Radiant Acquiescence. No one has ever asked me before, HOW does one, how did I, come to terms with the tragedy (and emptiness and pain) [of losing a loved one]. How do you DO radiant acquiescence while walking through shock and deep pain? Glenn [Clark] was, of course, my intro to the notion of radiant acquiescence. He wrote, in the context of The Divine Plan, "...the best way to put m

Last month, Spirit in Action African Advisory Board Member Wabmui Nguyo flew from Nairobi up to the Samburu National Reserve. This windy, hot, dry area is home to SIA Partner Pastoralist Child Foundation. The organization is run by, and for the benefit of, the Samburu people, who are semi-nomadic pastoralists that raise cattle and goats for their livelihood. Wambui sent this report after visiting the Samburu women who received a SIA grant to build their jewelry and souvenir s

The work of Spirit in Action grant partners is getting recognized in Uganda! Last week, Kakuuto Development Initiative (KADI-U) was featured on one of the national news channels for their work to distribute food to the elderly in their community. Uganda has been struggling through a tough second wave of COVID-19, with high numbers of cases due to the very low vaccine supply and the presence of the Delta variant. The lockdown has hit the elderly and childless women particularl

One of the interesting parts about working internationally is that, because we do not see it right in front of us, it can be easy to forget that the work of Spirit in Action grant partner organizations is happening every single day. In each moment, somewhere in the wide network of the SIA family, people are hosting workshops, providing emotional support to those who are suffering, distributing food to those who are hungry, and working their farms to build food security. Here

Today we honor and remember Barbara Deal, SIA Board Member and my dear mentor, who passed away two years ago this week. (Read my tribute from 2019.) In 2017, she gave an inspiring talk at Winni JFO about service and recognizing the Divine Spark in each person. Listen to the full 45-minute talk online. An excerpt from Barbara's talk is shared here: Wisdom from Barbara Deal: One way of pointing to God, that I have just recently been playing with, is to describe God not as a Bei

Over the weekend, the SIA North American Board and the African Advisory Board met to review our grantmaking strategy, and to begin visioning for our next 25 years as an organization. Spanning a ten hour time difference, and coming from five different countries, we discussed how we can best support our grant partners as they do the work to transform their communities and regions. As a board we have been exploring the framework of Trust-Based Philanthropy. This is a framework t

In the last few years, SIA has begun supporting more of our partner organizations with grants for staff salaries. Grants for overhead?? Isn't it better to pay for programs or tangible objects, rather than overhead? We've found that where there is dedicated, well-paid staff, grassroots efforts are able to thrive in a consistent way. Rather than seeing it as a waste, we see it as investing in and honoring the people that bring our vision of a better world into reality, while al

The 2021 Spring & Summer newsletter is here! Ubuntu Community Organization opened their new brightly-painted office in Githurai, Kenya. Ubuntu’s leader, Lilian (in the polka-dotted shirt) has enlisted volunteers to support women in the community. This will also be a place where people can use the internet and access low-interest loans. In this newsletter we feature: Zoom Trainings for SIA Grassroots Partners A Tragedy That Changed My Life - by Fulgence Ndagijimana, SIA Grant