No this post is not about what you might be thinking…

I just wanted to get your attention.

F Bombs – refers to the food, fuel, and financial crises of 2008. The poorest and most vulnerable groups and individuals have been hit the hardest. The fight against poverty has taken a step back in some respects.

“Worse than the increase in the number of poor people is often the increase in depth of poverty that is experienced by households, pushing them to the edge of survival. Households left to cope for themselves risk damage to future generations. The poorest households have limited coping mechanisms. Coming on the back of the food and fuel crisis, many poor households have already exhausted their ability to cope with shocks and draw on informal safety nets. Loss of income and employment opportunities may leave them no choice but to sell productive assets such as livestock or equipment. Households may be unable to feed their children leading to a further rise in malnutrition.”
-Background Paper prepared by the World Bank Group
G20 Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy – Washington, D.C., November 15, 2008

In order to mitigate this challenge in 2009, investment in and empowerment of local civil society groups or grassroots community-based organizations must remain a priority. These groups and organizations provide critical services to children, orphans, women, men, the elderly and families on the edge of survival.

If you are wondering what to you can do to help: you can give your time, talent, and treasure to a movement that truly believes the cycle of poverty can be broken.

Join the story of The 1010 Project and the broader story of Global Poverty Eradication

Learn more here:
www.the1010project.org

or let pictures tell their stories here: http://www.panos.org/panospictures.asp

or read about the voices of the poor here:

http://tinyurl.com/2eaemh

or examine the goals here:

http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

or appreciate how fortunate you really are:

http://globalrichlist.com/

A little over one year ago, Kenya held heated parliamentary and presidential elections. The results were disputed. Extreme poverty, ethnic rivalries, and a controversial presidential election created a situation where nearly a 1,000 people were killed, hundreds of thousands displaced, and serious economic ramifications were felt throughout the East Africa region.

During the first few months of 2008, we were deeply concerned about our friends:

“We are doing fine but things are not so good in most parts of the country… The bad affected areas in Nairobi are Mathare, Korogocho, Dandora, Kibera and parts of Kayole [all places where The 1010 Project operates] but in our area [Matopeni] not so bad… We have war everywhere in the country as a result and now we cannot even buy anything or go anywhere… We are just in the house but with nothing to eat. Pray for us. We need God to intervene.”

- Fred Afwai, Kenya Country Director, Matopeni, Kenya (written in an email as the situation worsened in January 2008)

As you can imagine, all of our friends and partners were affected by the post-election violence, but thankfully none of our friends and partners were victims of extreme violence. A power-sharing agreement was signed on February 28th.

The journey of healing, reconciliation, and restoration continues and The 1010 Project is on the forefront; providing income-generating grants to community-based organizations that are breaking the cycle of poverty each day.

As this year comes to a close, we are enjoying this opportunity to reflect, appreciate, and look ahead to 2009.

Thank you for joining our story and making 2008 an extremely successful year!

We are continuously grateful to have your support!

Happy New Year,

Adam Delp