Teach a Man to Fish

You've probably heard the old saying, "e;Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."e;The same basic principle applies to missions work. Too many churches and other missions organizations over-emphasize Relief Aid-no-strings-attached, handouts of vital supplies given in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. While necessary and lifesaving, Relief Aid is only a temporary fix. Once the funds dry up and the ground team leaves, the impoverished community is often no better off than they were before.In Teach a Man to Fish, the authors illustrate the benefits of "e;wholistic transformational development,"e; where-through engagement with the local church- the community is empowered to identify and carry out long-term sustainable solutions to meet its own needs. A few of the steps that "e;wholistic transformational development"e; includes are:Give dignity to "e;the least of these"e;Address the root causes of poverty to provide solutions for the affectedHelp the vulnerable to become empowered in their own communitiesFilled with real-life stories from the authors' own experiences, Teach a Man to Fish provides churches and missions organizations with a blueprint for helping people help themselves in order to create lasting change and long-term sustainability and independence.