Bill Gates is once again the richest man on the planet. And he’s using his wealth to fight malaria, the leading cause of death in some of the world’s poorest countries. He’s making progress too. But he’d accomplish even more if the right people got sick.
WIRED Magazine recently asked Gates “How do you get the media as excited about saving lives as they are about the next phone?”
“We need a malaria epidemic in the blogging community! Either that or we need people who have seen the malaria epidemic to start blogging. Seriously, we have two communities that don’t intersect with each other. One is about a billion and a half people—families, children—who live in malaria-prone areas. The others are living pretty nice lives, and it’s great. If the malaria epidemic was nearby, this stuff would be very prominent.”
Five years ago a group of bloggers from the U.S. stepped off a plane in Uganda. Jet-lagged, nervous, battling bats and a dial-up internet connection, we wrote every day into the wee hours of the night. Hundreds of children received access to healthcare, clean water, nutrition, education and the gospel as a result.
Compassion International, the organization that sent us, said, “Let’s do it again!”
And we did. Nine more times. 47 bloggers leaving home, family, and normal behind. They hunch over their laptops and turn the life stories of children into words.
They can’t become poor but they can see poverty and blog about it.
It’s not just the poor who are helped then is it? Not according to Bill Gates.
“People doing innovative work in technology are making a huge contribution—they don’t have to feel bad about it. But if they make enough money, they should give some of it away to causes that they personally develop a connection to. If they can have an awareness about global poverty and disease, that’d be great. Twenty years ago, I didn’t have much awareness about those things. But in 1993, Melinda and I took a trip to Africa and made the decision to focus mostly on global health.”
In the last five years more than 6,000 children have been sponsored, their lives changed, because bloggers wrote what they saw and readers took action. And 47 bloggers, after seeing, never saw the same again.
Next week, starting June 18, the 11th Compassion Bloggers trip begins. We’re in Nicaragua with Christy, Kelly, Edie and Traci. Will you pray for us as we put experiences into words in hopes that God will put compassion into the hearts of our readers?
Go here to follow our trip and here to help spread the word. (Thank you.)
And, by the way, Compassion Bloggers is bigger than 47 now. Those are just the bloggers who’ve traveled with us. There are more than 2500 bloggers who use their online voice to speak for Compassion every month. You can join them too! Just go here to be part of the Compassion Blogger network.
Ann [email protected] Experience says:
From Uganda.
Five years later.
The loudest yes you have ever heard.
Shaun Groves says:
Praying for you and Hope constantly, friend. And reading every word of yours from Uganda.
Debra says:
It is so true. My three weeks in the Mathare Valley in Nairobi, Kenya changed my life. “Shopping” brings no pleasure when you have looked into hungry eyes. So we pray for you and those you touch with the love of Jesus!
Jacque Watkins says:
Shaun I am following, and I am praying, and there is no more valuable work than the work of Compassion! I’m longing to be a part and dream of building a platform so I can be one of those traveling Compassion bloggers one day. Until then, I will follow, and share, and write my girls in Central and South America and pray about opening our home to more beautiful children who need the hope Compassion brings. God bless you for the work you are doing! My prayers are with you. xoxo
Shaun Groves says:
Thank you, Jacque. Are you part of the Compassion Bloggers network yet? It’s a great way to spread the word about Compassion without leaving home. Until, someday, you leave home…
Kelli says:
Praying and following along my friend. Compassion changes lives every day, both here and there. I have touched it and I firmly believe. Can’t wait to be transformed yet again by the words and photos.
Hope is slow but so, so real.
Amy says:
I have a heart for Nicaragua. It changed my heart and God led my changed heart straight to Compassion. I will be praying and sharing.
Kris says:
I’m following along and praying, Shaun. Five years ago–it wa te Kenya trip that introduced me to Compassion, it was that trip and those late night blogged out words half a world away that brought me to my knees for children in poverty. I believe in these trips. I know that they are helpful in monumental ways. Praying from here, following along, and sharing.
Kris says:
*was the ( typing on my phone is usually recipe for terrible typo’s for me)
Leslie says:
I was captivated by a Compassion bloggers’ trip to India several years ago that (finally) stirred me to action. I sponsored sweet Sruthi, then the following year, again, I was completely undone by the words, pictures, stories and sponsored Breynor (in Guatemala). Since that time, my Sunday School class (teen girls) have taken on correspondence with Roubenson in Haiti. I know you know this, but what you and the bloggers are doing is HUGE. Until I can go, I travel with you in spirit, lifting you in prayer, asking God to bathe the entire experience in grace and unreasonable joy!
Holly Barrett says:
I just joined the Compassion Bloggers network and am looking forward to following this week. Thank you for all the work you guys will do there this week. Many prayers for God to shine through!