David Michael Bruno

Planting Hope Gala

It's that time of year again for all of you San Diegans interested in supporting the solution to extreme poverty and environmental degradation. The Floresta (a.k.a Plant with Purpose) Plant Hope Gala.

Yes, that was just three links. Here's another opportunity to RSVP on Facebook.

Floresta is celebrating its 25th anniversary of "healing the land and its people." This is sure to be a wonderful event, full of good food, powerful story sharing, and lots of opportunity for the future.

Independence Day... July 1st

I remain a very enthusiastic supporter of Floresta, a non-profit committed to "healing the land and its people." Recently they've launched a new site, Plant with Purpose, that attractively presents their vision to help the rural poor through their three-fold purpose, Environmental Restoration, Economic Empowerment, and Spiritual Inspiration.

Today is a special day. July 1st is Independence Day... for Burundi, the small country in Africa, which is where Floresta's latest pilot project is underway. Burundi is a severely impoverished country with considerable need. The Floresta project has modest financial needs that will pay back manifold blessings. I encourage you to consider a donation. You'll need to contact them directly and offer your support.

If not directly to the Burundi program, consider browsing the Plant with Purpose site and looking at the specific villages where you can contribute help. Or consider giving to their Trees Fund that has helped them plant over 4 million trees!

Small Burundi Update - Floresta.org

Over the last year I've been taking the long-view regarding Floresta.org. I would like to settle into years of support. Floresta is a great organization that nurtures communities in developing countries, providing training in sustainable agriculture practices, as well as spiritual discipleship.

So I have been glad to participate a little bit in their new Burundi program. Over time, I hope to get to know the folks involved. Hopefully learn about the country. Observe and write about the progress. I'm still pretty green, and I don't know a ton, but what I've been learning is really cool.

Late last year Floresta Burundi officially launched. They have hired an indigenous staff, formulated a first-year plan, and begun their agricultural programs.

I will try to keep you updated on milestones and general progress over time. Consider joining in financial support and prayer. As I've mentioned before, the first-year budget for the Floresta Burundi is $65,000. That means that even a small contribution goes a long way for this very worthy program.

Burundi and $100 - What Does That Mean?

My oldest daughter got an atlas from her grandparents for Christmas. Today she pulled me aside with the book open to the world facts pages. She said, "Hey isn't Burundi that country that Floresta is now doing work in?" It is. So I answered, "Yep. Why?" Her finger pointed to Burundi. It was the first country on a list of nations with the lowest average personal income: just $100 a year on average in Burundi.

A hundred dollars seems like a lot of money to a kid, even a kid in the United States. And most kids don't have a concept of "personal income." So she figured that the people of Burundi were poor, but she had never experienced the math.

We went to the computer and did a quick calculation. Accounting for only one of my jobs (though the one that provides the bulk of our income), I make much more than $100 a day. It began to register. I make more money for our family in less than one day than most folks in Burundi make for their families in an entire year.

I'm still thinking all this through. There are lots of ways for us to respond to poverty. We certainly cannot all give enough money or volunteer enough time to help meet the needs of every impoverished country or suffering person. But I feel like it's hard to escape the reality of my abundance compared to the poverty of millions of others around the world. It's not a "guilt" feeling. It's a realization that my circumstances have allowed me to be in a position to help a little.

Here's a little challenge. The next time you spend $100 on a product, challenge yourself to think about Burundi. Remind yourself that the thing you are buying is worth a person's entire yearly income in Burundi. Perhaps you'll feel guilty. I hope not; unless you're being selfish and jerky and buying something you feel in your heart of hearts you shouldn't purchase. If that's the case, don't think about Burundi, think about doing the right thing. Don't buy the product. But supposing that you are buying something for $100 that is reasonable and good to buy. Go ahead and buy it. And also allow yourself to think of Burundi. Consider that another human being, by no choice of their own, was born and is living in a country in the middle of Africa. And that person lives a whole year on $100.

How can we respond to that kind of thinking?

Floresta Burundi - Support and New Topic

For some time now I have been a real fan of the work that Floresta does to bring sustainable agricultural practices, microfinance, and spiritual discipleship to various countries in the developing world. They recently planted their 4,000,000th tree. They have a four-star rating on Charity Navigator. And their holistic vision for meeting the real-world and spiritual needs of individuals and communities, put simply, works.

I strongly encourage you to look at Floresta and thoughtfully consider contributing to Floresta Burundi, a two-year pilot project that will lead to a comprehensive five-year strategic plan. You can learn a little more on the Floresta Burundi page I've created and will regularly update. The "bottom-line" is that the first-year budget for Floresta Burundi is such that your contribution can have a measurable influence on the success of the project.

It is my view that offering support to those in need is a joyful and thoughtful journey for all who participate. It would be a real pleasure to have you join in this project.

At this point, I am not sure how often I will blog about Floresta Burundi. Hopefully, it will be at least monthly. Hopefully, I will be able to tell some stories about how the project is coming along. It will be a real blast to introduce you to some of the people whose lives are blessed by this project.

Thanks for joining in and following along!