BAM & NGO News

ETS Intro Book Chapter 1 sec 5

2007-11-29T14:20:00.001-08:00

Dave Dawson Equipping the Saints, Introduction, Chapter 1 sec 4

2007-11-29T14:12:00.001-08:00

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Dave Dawson - Equipping the Saints Introduction: Chapter 1 sec 3

2007-11-29T13:54:00.001-08:00

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Young Social Entrepreneurs' Forum at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2007-07-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

Global Knowledge Partnership launched the Global Young Social Entrepreneurs' Competition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Global Competition will select 100 winners who will be sponsored to attend the upcoming Young Social Entrepreneurs Forum.

The Forum is a key feature of the 3rd Global Knowledge Conference (GK3), a GKP Event on the Future on 'Emerging People, Emerging Markets, Emerging Technologies' that will gather 2000 participants from 11-13 December 2007 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Malaysia.

The 100 young social entrepreneurs sponsored to attend the Global Young Entrepreneurs' Forum are selected through a fully web-based Competition that is open to all regions of the globe.

Application details and jury evaluation results will be viewable to the public who will also be able to post comments.

To know more about the Application process, or the Fellowship process, contact anthony@gkps.org.my

World Vision Continues its Work in Kenya

2007-06-18T11:26:00.000-07:00

An explosion in central Nairobi, Kenya's capital, killed one and injured dozens more in a bombing that occurred in the early hours of June 11.

No World Vision staff members were hurt in the explosion, and our work is continuing unaffected. "We feel for those who have been affected by this explosion, and we are praying for their families and that the Lord may provide them strength to go through this tough time," says Girma Begashaw, World Vision's national director in Kenya.

Three Suspects Arrested World Vision in Kenya has sent a representative from its Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs Division to assess the damages and determine if World Vision assistance is needed. According to Reuters, Kenyan police said on Tuesday that they had arrested three suspects in the bombing, which revived traumatic memories of past bomb attacks.

The Rest @ World Vision

Village Phone Assistance Center Opens in Nairobi

2007-06-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

Grameen Foundation Unveils Village Phone Direct Assistance Center
New Online Center to Help Expand Benefits of Telecommunications for World’s Poorest Communities

Grameen Foundation today announced a new online assistance center to help microfinance institutions (MFIs) bring the benefit of telecommunications to poor communities around the world. The Village Phone Direct Assistance Center, was launched in Nairobi, Kenya during the International Telecommunications Union’s “Public & Private Sectors Partnership Forum” (PPPF-Africa 2007) conference.

Grameen Bank—which has created more than 293,000 “Village Phone Operators” (VPOs) across Bangladesh.
After establishing successful national Village Phone Replication operations in Uganda and Rwanda where there are now close to 10000 VPOs, Grameen Foundation developed Village Phone Direct in response to requests from MFIs that were eager to start programs in their own communities.
“Village Phone Direct gives microfinance institutions greater flexibility and control in developing these turnkey cell phone business opportunities for their clients by allowing them to drive the initiative,” said Peter Bladin, director of Grameen Foundation’s Technology Center.
“With this new online assistance center, they will have the tools they need to start immediately.”
Microfinance clients use micro-loans to purchase a cell phone starter kit and service plan from their local MFI and then retail the “minutes” to others in the community.
In regions where the nearest phone is often more than 10 miles away, these VPOs quickly become an economic and social lifeline. The income from the phone also enables the VPO to repay the original loan and establish a viable business for their family.
Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation (NWTF), an MFI based in the Philippines has already adopted the program and is gearing up to create 500 new businesses throughout the region it serves.
“Village Phone Direct is a great way for NWTF to provide better opportunities not only to its clients, but also local communities and thus contribute towards economic growth,” said Raymond Serios, manager of NWTF’s Village Phone Direct program.
Learn more about Village Phone Direct >

Galtronics a Kingdom Business in Israel.

2007-06-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

The story of Galtronics is best told in the book, On Kingdom Business: Transforming Business Through Entrepreneurial Strategies (It's one of top books about Business as Mission and I highly recommend it. You can click here for more information and to purchase.)

Here's an excerpt from the book that was also published at Regent Universities site:

"We were enjoying life to the fullest in the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. Living in the lovely home Ken had built onto the Placerville Bible Book Store allowed Margie to do Christian ministry while staying at home with our two young children. Ken, an engineer with Aerojet General, served as Sunday school superintendent and youth leader at Calvary Bible Church. Fishing, water sports, and outdoor living filled our extra hours.

Yet a challenge by a visiting missionary was the catalyst that prompted us to follow theLord wherever he would lead. The “wherever” was first to Multnomah School of the Bible in Portland, Oregon, where we studied for five years. During this time we began to feel a special concern for Israel. The call became so real that our Christmas letter of 1968 told our friends and family that we were going to Israel after graduation, even though we did not know how. Israel had not accepted missionary visas for two decades...

The Rest @ Business as Missions Blogspot

Oracle School Express Free to African Schools

2007-06-04T17:39:00.000-07:00

Oracle has released Oracle School Express (OSE), software designed to assist in school administration.

Available for free to African schools, OSE is a data capturing and reporting tool that enables school administrators to capture student statistics such as registrations, attendance, marks and school fees.

The software runs by default on a standard PC but can be plugged into a larger database if individual schools require it. OSE was developed using Oracle Application Express and was built by staff at Oracle's South African office. Oracle Application Express is a development tool designed for rapid development of database-centric web applications.

The Rest @ Tectonic

Churches Meet Across Denominational Lines in Zimbabwe

2007-06-04T17:04:00.001-07:00

Churches in the Southern African region, have decided they too want to be part of the solution to Zimbabwe's crisis.

A five-day conference organized by the Christian Alliance, a coalition of churches, civil society and opposition groups in Zimbabwe, drew members of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, the Catholic Bishops Conference and the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, to Harare, to devise ways to effectively influence their governments and citizens, to pressure the government to reform.

The Rest @ VOA

Meixia International: A Kingdom Business

2007-06-04T15:28:00.000-07:00

Bill Job, talented artist and entrepreneur from the mountains of Tennessee in the southeastern United States, came with his family to Xiamen, China in September 1987 and attended Xiamen University to study Mandarin Chinese. (video)

Three months after arriving in China, the family focus shifted. Bill learned about a new policy allowing foreigners to set up wholly owned Foreign Investment Enterprises. In March of 1988 he brought together several American investors and obtained a license to produce handicrafts in the Special Economic Zone of Xiamen in Fujian Province.

Meixia International was born. Over the years Bill has gathered together a management staff of key people from the US, Australia and the Philippines.

The Rest @ Business as Mission Blogspot

Harvard Business School Study on Land Ownership

2007-05-29T13:53:00.000-07:00

In a recent paper published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics, HBS professor Rafael Di Tella, Sebastian Galiani of the University of Washington, St. Louis, and Ernesto Schargrodsky of the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella comparing the beliefs of two groups of squatters living in the Solano neighborhood on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

What the scholars found could be the start of a better understanding of why capitalism remains unpopular through large swaths of the world—particularly in areas where property rights are weak or nonexistent.

In an unusual set-up that Di Tella describes as "a natural experiment," about 1,800 landless families (organized by a Catholic priest) occupied the area in 1981, believing it was owned by the state. In fact, it was made up of privately held tracts of land belonging to 13 owners. Over the years, the squatters resisted several eviction attempts, until a change in government in 1984 resulted in a state proposal to pay off the owners and allocate the land to the squatters. Each owner was given the option of accepting the deal or suing to obtain higher compensation. By 1998, 9 of the owners had settled, and the tract of land was transferred to the squatters. With the remaining 4 lawsuits still pending, 62 percent of the squatters now hold title to their land, while 38 percent do not.

As a result, squatters who enjoyed the security of property rights existed in proximity to those with no legal claim to the land on which they lived. For Di Tella and his coauthors, the situation presented the ideal opportunity to research the beliefs of those who hold property rights versus those who do not, all other conditions being equal.

The Rest @ Harvard Business Review

Kingdom Business Blogspot: Paradigm Makes, Top 25 Kingdom Business

2007-05-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

Paradigm Engineering specializes in providing builders, developers, commercial and industrial contractors with storm water management programs that meet and exceed federal, state, and local regulations.Their objective is to help clients navigate through the constantly changing and complex regulations of storm water control.

Their services include consulting, education, SWPPP (Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan) preparation, inspections, and enforcement and compliance support.At their home offices in Lewisville, Texas the commitment of Paradigm's founders, Johnny and Karen Combs to the idea of Business as Mission is very evident.

The team has built on the success of paradigm and launched several groups such as Business Without Borders and Divine S torehouse that focus on providing resources, training and relief efforts that bring about economic, social, spiritual, and relational transformation that you find in business as mission groups.Most recently they were a big part in launching the Kingdom Catalyst Conference.

The Rest @ Busienss as Mission Blog Spot

Assemble Communications makes the top 2007

2007-05-24T07:46:00.000-07:00

As the ability to communicate increases daily due to advances in technology, Assemble Communications (www.assemblecommunications.com) is shrinking the world a little bit more by equipping families, schools, governments and businesses with the most reliable and comprehensive communications technology services available.

Assemble Communications has strategically positioned itself on the cutting edge by studying technology and needs of the market and then providing for that need. Having done so, Assemble realizes that within the next 5 to 10 years all forms of communication will be provisioned through a single communication source. Wired technology will be spoken of as history past and new mobile comprehensive communication will be spoken of as that which is to come. Assemble Communications Global Private Limited, incorporated globally in both Singapore and Charlotte, North Carolina, is well prepared to meet this challenge by positioning itself as a wireless satellite communications company with the ability to provide voice, video and data through one centralized communications link.The CEO and co-founder of Global Communications is Shawn Ring. Shawn is a recognized leader in the Internet technologies and Internet business management. Shawn has held positions as President, Founder, CEO and CTO of companies primarily focused in Internet technologies. IN 2002, Shawn stepped away from his positions as CTO and co-founder of Integrity online to begin the journey with Assemble Communications.Shawn is also the founder of both Mission Outfitters International, an Internet communications network and Internet provider in the US, Canada and South Africa.
Labels: 25 Most Admired Kingdom Companies 2007

Intel pushing its Classmate PC in several countries

2007-05-21T09:15:00.001-07:00

Intel's classmate PC sells for under $200 in non-western countries. Recently they have been offered in Costa Rica and India.

This sounds great, but they are using obsolete hardware. Software will still be expensive.

But a recent blogger reports that the kids love them and pick up skills quickly.

Here is their website, and Here is a site for NGOs to register to be kept informed.

-Lee Royal

(Picture from Ricardo's Blog)

OLPC Criticises Intel for Competing for $100 Notebook

2007-05-21T08:11:00.000-07:00

Chip-maker Intel "should be ashamed of itself" for efforts to undermine the $100 laptop initiative, according to its founder Nicholas Negroponte.
He accused Intel of selling its own cut-price laptop - the Classmate - below cost to drive him out of markets.

Professor Negroponte, who aims to distribute millions of laptops to kids in developing countries, said Intel had hurt his mission "enormously".

Speaking to US broadcaster CBS, Intel's chairman denied the claims.
"We're not trying to drive him out of business," said Craig Barrett. "We're trying to bring capability to young people." Mr Barrett has previously dismissed the $100 laptop as a "gadget".
Speaking to the BBC News website earlier this year Professor Negroponte said: "The concept has received a lot of criticism and yet after that criticism they are either copying it or doing things perfectly in line with the concept.

"Yes people laugh at it, then they criticise it, then they copy it."

Both Intel and Professor Negroponte's not for profit organisation, One Laptop per Child (OLPC), have developed a low cost, robust laptop aimed specifically at school children in the developing world.

The Rest @ The BBC

Intel Competing in in $100 Notebook Computer Race

2007-05-21T08:07:00.000-07:00

Sepetember, 2006

More news is coming from the Intel Developers Conference: yesterday we found that wireless USB was launching for realz, and now Intel is supposedly ready to drop its sub-$400 notebook for "emerging markets" across the globe. While it seems the company is flaunting one of these every few months, the Classmate PC has actually grown some roots (and a production schedule to boot) from its Edu-Wise beginnings.

The ultraportable will house an (unspecified) Intel Celeron M processor, 7-inch 800 x 480 LCD, 256MB of DDR2 RAM, 1GB of NAND goodness, and a (hopefully non-explosive) 6-cell Li-ion battery. No details were revealed regarding the ports or connectivity

The Rest @ Engadet

Zimbabwe Cancels all NGO Regsitrations

2007-04-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

Zimbabwean authorities have cancelled licences for NGOs in a crackdown on groups accused of planning to oust veteran President Robert Mugabe, state television said on Monday.

"Government has annulled registration certificates of all NGOs in order to sift out those seeking to force regime change in Zimbabwe," the state broadcaster Zimbabwe Television said. "As pro-opposition and Western organisations masquerading as relief agencies continue to mushroom, the government has annulled the registration certificates of all NGOs in order to screen out agents of imperialism from genuine organisations working to uplift the well-being of the poor."

The Rest @ Mail & Gaurdian Online

E3 Partners: Bible Society Bombed in Gaza

2007-04-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

Gaza (MNN) -- Violence has again targeted Christians in the Gaza Strip Sunday, according to Palestinian police. The bombings came a day after the Palestinian cabinet ratified a security plan aimed at stopping mounting lawlessness in the Gaza Strip, where rival factions have frequently clashed.

E3 Partners works closely with the Bible Society. E3's Tom Doyle says the explosion happen shortly after 2:00 AM local time. "A huge bomb exploded at the Bible Society in Gaza. In fact, the first floor was really damaged. The roof has fallen, and everything in the first floor is pretty much destroyed."

While Bible Society staff members weren't injured, their security guard was. Doyle says, "The Islamic terrorist group kidnapped him, beat him up, and left him in a really, really bad fundamental area. And, we're thankful he is alive."

The Bible Society didn't operate this facility in a vacuum. Doyle says. "It was [approved] by the Palestinian government years ago to give out Bibles to those who are interested. They lead a lot of people to the Lord there. They have Bible studies and leadership training and things like that."

In the past year, 127 churches have been started in the entire Middle East region. Doyle says this attack may be in response to that. "So many good things are happening. There's such a hunger and a thirst for the Lord. It definitely is threatening to radical groups in the area, so they certainly want it stopped."

With the increasing violence in Gaze, Doyle is concerned about a ruling by the United Nations. "If it's declared an official danger zone by the UN, then none of the groups that are in there helping will be able to stay, and of course we won't be able to get in."

The climate, says Doyle, is both good and bad for believers. "The political climate is very tense, but in the midst of it, that's when God is moving because people are desperate and folks are coming to the Lord."

E3 Partners needs you to help sponsor a pastor in the Middle East. "It's only $30 a month, and they get a prayer update every month of what they're doing -- what God's doing -- frontline reports. A big prayer team around that leader is so important."

Click here to sponsor a pastor through E3 Partners.

The Rest @ Mission Network News

NGO s to get Mobil Web Development Kit

2007-04-04T12:23:00.000-07:00

Netherlands-based NGO Tactical Technology Collective (TTC) is looking for developers to assist in developing a mobile advocacy toolkit for NGOs in the developing world.

TTC's Marek Tuszynski said in an email over the weekend that they are "looking for practitioners experienced in implementing mobile phones in non-profit projects to join us in helping make this toolkit."

"Over the past few years the campaigning and advocacy world has seen many innovative uses of mobile phones including the use of mobile action alerts from Greenpeace fighting logging in Argentina to the use of activist ringtones in the struggle for democracy in the Philippines.

Read the Rest from Tectonic

Fish Farm and Garden-Interlinked

2007-03-28T15:26:00.000-07:00

Sengal (MNN) -- Operation Blessing International recently built innovative micro-enterprise fish farms in Senegal.
Working in the village of Buntubat, OBI hatched plans to help a local missionary build two more tilapia ponds, but this time with a twist: the side by side ponds will be fished not by nets, but by draining the ponds of their water. That water then goes to water nearby garden projects.

Read more From Mission

Non-profit Back Office Survey

2007-03-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

The Momentum Group recently emailed us about a survey they are conducting. The Momentum Group has teamed up with a group of 20 Yale MBA students to explore creative ways to improve efficiency and reduce costs in non-profits' back-offices (i.e. accounting, HR, IT, etc.). They are looking to add some input from BAM professionals in their survey.If you have ever volunteered for, worked in, or been a Board Member of a kingdom company or a non-profit they could really use your input. Click here to get started http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=440633455322 (Should take 5 - 7 minutes).

From the Business as Missions Blogspot

Business as Mission: 22 top Leaders

2007-03-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

From Justin's last post:

During the past month we've taken a look at 22 of the top leaders, organizations and issues that have the opportunity to be a catalyst for the business as mission movement during the upcoming year

[Jonny and Karen Combs and Paradigm were Featured]

This week that countdown comes to a close as we take a look at the top five. Thank you for everyone who emailed me your nominations. I'm humbled to see both the number and the passion of your submissions and your comments about the postings. Please feel free to email me your thoughts and any you would like to see included in the future.

read the rest from the

Water Solution Devleopment a great Kingdom Business Opportunity

2007-03-12T14:28:00.000-07:00

Water Source Development Business a great Kingdom Business Opportunity in the Middle East and North Africa...

CAIRO (Reuters) - The World Bank urged governments in the Middle East and North Africa on Sunday to speed up improvements to water resources and said water availability per person in the region was set to drop by half by 2050।

The World Bank said in a report that many countries in the area already faced full-blown crises in meeting water demand, and that was likely to worsen without reform. "Drinking water services will become more erratic than they already are," the report said।

"Cities will come to rely more and more on expensive desalination, and during droughts will have to rely more frequently on emergency supplies brought by tanker or barge।

" The region is already the most water-scarce in the world, and uses more of its renewable water resources than anywhere else.

read the rest from Reuters

Evangelical Funded Conservapedia.com Aims to Ballance Wikipedia

2007-03-02T22:21:00.000-08:00

It has been attacked many times in its short life, most notably by a former aide to Robert F Kennedy and the editor of Encyclopaedia Britannica. But now the online reference site Wikipedia has a new foe: evangelical Christians.

A website founded by US religious activists aims to counter what they claim is "liberal bias" on Wikipedia, the open encyclopedia which has become one of the most popular sites on the web. The founders of Conservapedia.com say their site offers a "much-needed alternative" to Wikipedia, which they say is "increasingly anti-Christian and anti-American

read more from The Mail & Guardian ( A frequently anti-west African Contintental Papaer)

Amercian Episciples receive 8 months notice to Pass Gay Marriage Ban

2007-02-22T07:22:00.000-08:00

Facing a possible churchwide schism, the Anglican Communion yesterday gave its Episcopal branch in the United States less than eight months to ban blessings of same-sex unions or risk a reduced role in the world’s third-largest Christian denomination. Read the rest from the NY Times

New Draft, Anglican World Wide Covenant

2007-02-22T07:04:00.000-08:00

Here is the report