Nathan Gwilliam Blog :: e-Business, Social Enterprise, Faith

My favorite scripture is James 1:27 (KJV) “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” I believe that the point of religion is not to spend a lifetime going to church or studying the deep doctrines of the Kingdom. Those things are important, but they are merely a means to an end. Religion exists to help us try to be more Christ-like. True manifestation of religion exhibits itself in personal purity and in serving others, especially widows and orphans.

I was recently looking at the application for a top-tier MBA program, and one of their essay questions from last year asked, “In your career, you will have to deal with many ethical issues. What are likely to be the most challenging and what is your plan for developing the competencies you will need to handle these issues effectively?”

I believe the most challenging ethical issue that I face is that of social inequality. I live in a world of opportunity and luxury compared to 95% of the world. Note the following sobering statistics:

• By end-2003, there were an estimated 143 million orphans ages 0-17 in 93 developing countries. More than 16 million children were orphaned in 2003 alone (UNICEF).
• HIV/AIDS orphans more than 6,000 children every day.
• An estimated 218 million children aged 5-17 are engaged in child labor, excluding child domestic labor (UNICEF).
• At least one million deaths occur every year due to malaria, a treatable disease (CDC).
• A reported 1.2 million children are trafficked annually for child labor purposes and sexual exploitation (UNICEF).
• One billion people in the world today live in extreme poverty, surviving on $1 a day or less (Gates Foundation).
• Some 250,000 children are forced into armed conflict (UNICEF).
• Approximately 2 million children, most of them girls, are enslaved in the global commercial sex trade (UNICEF).
• 1.1 billion people lack clean water worldwide (Worldvision).

These statistics do not include the absence many other luxuries we take for granted, such as the opportunity for education, plentiful employment, good medical care, and political and religious freedoms. These are simply luxuries that much of the world does not enjoy.

I lived for two years in a third world country. I remember the first time I went hungry, with no food or money to buy food, and the accompanying sense of hopelessness. I know that one night of hunger is trite compared to the plight of millions around the world who regularly go to bed hungry. However, that night helped me to understand, even in a small way, the hopelessness that millions children and families around the world face every day. How would it feel to have my children die because I could not afford a $1.50 vaccine for malaria? How would it feel to have to give my thirsty children a glass of water I knew was filled with bacteria and human feces? How would it feel to have my children go to bed hungry because I could not earn enough money to provide food? How would I feel if my children could not get an education, and I knew they were doomed to repeat the vicious cycle of poverty?

The greatest issue that we face as those who have been blessed financially is to not look at those material goods as our possessions, and instead to look at them as spiritual stewardships. We have been blessed with abundance for a reason, and it is our responsibility to find what He wants us to do with those resources.

Although the global social crisis may seem bleak, we live in a world of abundance. There is plenty of food, clean water, clothing, medicine and education, or at least enough money to create it. The only question is whether those of us who have are willing to share our blessings with those who do not.

Bill Gates is the richest man on the planet (Forbes). He has contributed billions to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The foundation’s fortune has increased to $33 billion and is responsible for many charitable works around the globe — from a $100 million HIV/AIDS initiative in Botswana to a $1.5 billion commitment to distribute vaccines to children in developing countries.

I sat in a meeting last year with senior officials from the Mozambique child welfare system. They explained how diseases such as AIDS/HIV and malaria were decimating their population and that within just a few years they estimated that 10% of the entire population of their country would be orphans. They then explained the amazing work that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is doing in treating malaria in Mozambique and the hope that is providing.

Say what you want about Bill Gates, but where the rubber meets the road, he is making a greater difference in the lives of widows and orphans than anyone on the planet. Not only is he giving his money, but he is giving his time. In July 2008, he is stepping away from Microsoft to run his foundation full time. I know I’m not Bill Gates’ judge, and I know there are other factors which will be used to determine salvation in addition to good works. However, I can’t think of a better example of what the prophet James taught, that pure religion requires serving others, especially the widows and orphans.

Posted on June 9th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: Ethics, Family, Global Orphan Crisis, Social Enterprise