May 2006
Dear Friends,
Let’s talk first about the rainy season here in Salvador,
Brazil, because it has social ramifications.
Try to imagine that every day begins with a fierce rain storm
blown by howling winds that rattle the windows to the breaking
point. Then it clears up for a while, and you think it’s
going to be a nice day. But then it rains again and again and
again so that on those rare occasions when it isn’t raining,
people dash outside to catch a little sunshine, which you need
to avoid colds and flu.
The problems caused by two straight months of rain are many.
Highways, which in many parts of Brazil are no better than country
roads anyway, turn into swamps with huge sinkholes. But the worst
effects are felt in poor neighborhoods in the city. Mudslides
are frequent in Salvador, where 80 percent of the population lives
in shanties perched precariously on steep hills, most of which
have no retaining walls. People are left homeless by the thousands
or buried alive by the hundreds every year. The Ministry of Public
Security has been busy building retaining walls, but is far from
catching up with the problem. Meanwhile, floodwaters passing through
normally dry areas where rats live get contaminated with rat urine,
which contains bacteria that cause leptospirosis, a serious infectious
disease. Fifty to sixty new cases are reported in Salvador every
day.
The violence in São Paulo, though geographically distant
from us, has been unreal and very scary, nothing short of a well-planned
criminal war against governmental authority. From May 12 to 15,
heavily armed gangs controlled the city and much of the state
of São Paulo. The loss of life and damage to property were
massive and revealed just how clumsy and disorganized government
is, even in Brazil’s most modern city. Ordinary citizens
interviewed on TV often remarked that the criminals plan much
better than the government. Historically, government’s main
role in Brazil has been taxation, which remains the only thing
it does well. The major TV networks here have been pleading for
Brazilian cities and states to adopt the policies and procedures
of New York City, which has done a remarkable job controlling
crime and terrorism.
Alongside this bad news, however, is some very good news about
ITEBA, the ecumenical theological institute where I’m privileged
to teach. Everyone here says that ITEBA has never before in its
20-year history seen such a flurry of positive activity. We’ve
cleaned up the interior of our four-story building to make classrooms
everywhere with improved lighting and marker boards. The library
has also made a lot of progress in organizing itself. But the
most exciting changes are in another area.
For the last four months we have been talking about doing things
to guarantee ITEBA’s long-term survival. At first it was
just talk, but recently our ideas have taken off. We’ve
signed an agreement with a state university so that ITEBA is now
its site for university entrance-exam preparation. Five nights
a week ITEBA is now jammed with students taking a whole variety
of courses in preparation for entrance exams.
ITEBA has also signed an agreement with a major university in
São Paulo to be their site for distance learning in a range
of fields. The agreement also calls for this university to transform
ITEBA diplomas (currently recognized by the Association of Theological
Schools but not by the federal government) into fully recognized
university degrees retroactive to the early 1990s. ITEBA stands
to profit significantly from this agreement, and the advantages
for folks with an ITEBA diploma are obviously great. It’s
a dream come true from every point of view.
A third development is that two people with professional training
and experience in accounting and business management will begin
working as volunteers at ITEBA. Everyone here knows we really
need them.
Last but not least, ITEBA is developing a semester abroad program
for seminarians or grad students from Europe and the United States.
A straw poll taken among friends of ITEBA at U.S. universities
indicates strong demand for such a program. Educationally, this
program should be extremely interesting, and financially it will
greatly help ITEBA in its drive for self-sustainability.
ITEBA’s immediate concerns are with paying off the bank
loans taken out over these last two lean years (about $8,000 left
to be paid), with doing various essential remodeling jobs around
the building (about $16,000), and with purchasing the computers
and electronic equipment to become a distance learning site ($5,000).
Groups or individuals interested in helping ITEBA break the bonds
of dependency and become self-sufficient should recognize this
as the perfect moment to step in with help that will really make
a difference. ITEBA’s strategic planning has finally reached
the point where your contributions will no longer just keep ITEBA
afloat but actually build its self-sustaining future.
Five women from ITEBA will be in Louisville for Presbyterian
Women’s Global Partners Gathering July 7-11 and other meetings
too.
Finally, Keiko and I are doing just fine, exercising in the park
every day and studying hard. Keiko gives English lessons seven
days a week and works in the ITEBA library too.
In God’s love,
Bob and Keiko
The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
45 |
