LEARN MORE ABOUT BETTER LIFE SEEKERS SOCIETY (BELISSO)
1.0 INTRODUCTION
???Whenever we look in our world today we see tribal disagreements all over. Power struggles erupts among tribal groupings and finally leads to attempts of ethnic genocide. Even nations conventionally known as peaceful for many years, have suddenly fallen into fatal ethnic violence. This situation has left our people in the communities and the entire society hurting and wounded.
???With anxiety we are left with questions as: - Is there an answer to this pain? Is there any hope for a paradigm shift of our sinful hurting societies? Better life seekers society (BELISSO) strongly believes that the hope of healing, Peace and reconciliation which changes minds, heals hearts from wounds and transforms character to heal nations in our world today is God. God is our absolute hope and answer. He wants to use His people as agents of changing minds, healing hearts from wounds among families and inter-ethnic broken relationships in order to heal nations starting from here and then to other different parts of the world that He may reconcile us to Himself and to one another. But first, we must be healed before we take on our tasks that the Lord has committed to our trust (Eph 2:14-18; 1Cor 12:12-21 Nkjv).
???BELISSO is a faith based organization registered in Kenya under societies act CAP.108 after ?trainings, seminars, workshops and peace forums which we conducted in ten informal settlements within Nairobi in matters pertaining healing, peace and reconciliation in order to counter all forms of ethnic and family conflicts as a result of power struggle before August general election 2017. We saw the need to carry on this noble task while in good standing with the government.
??Our vision is to bring about absolute revolution and hope for hurting and wounded societies that enhances holistic effects of a healed person in all areas of life on making an all rounded person in body, mind and character for better life in the society. Therefore, we aim to realize individual and corporate peace and social cohesion in the societies where peace is sacrificed on the altar of our selfish ambitions and self-greatness. God’s desire is that we may go our way in peace when we are completely healed in all spheres of life. Exod18:23nkjv.
???As discussed in paragraph one above, our society has lived on a fragile peace for a very long time. Just like an instinct volcanic mountain which sleeps and suddenly erupts again during electioneering season which has assassinated our societal bonds of peace, love and unity that we have enjoyed for several years among our different ethnic groups living together as one people.
?The effect of this has left life lost; properties looted and destroyed, and fractured our long-lived inter-ethnic peaceful relationships in our communities and the entire society. Therefore, people in the society are left wounded and hurting without hope for a better tomorrow. In the wake of this despair in the society, there is dire need for establishing firm and tough bonds of peace, love and unity that shall strengthen and hold firmly together our families and inter-ethnic peaceful relationship regardless of our political, religious, ethnic and continental affiliations for better life in our communities.
?Besides BELISSO aims to set up strong institutions of value that will enable healing of the wounded and hurting in pain, bitterness, anger, animosity and have a desire to revenge that we may experience a paradigm shift that will enable peace, love and unity for peaceful coexistence and hope for a better tomorrow for all hurting and wounded families, tribes and societies. This will enable philanthropic spirit and unity of ethnic diversity and families in societies without schism.
?However, for peace to be realized there should be a responsibility of the informal settlement residents, churches and other stake holders which must all come together at a place of understanding that we are one. We seek to encourage all residents in communities and the entire society to strengthen among themselves and uphold peace no matter their ethnic, political and religious affiliations, race and color.???
?Therefore, all stake holders need to play their roles as agents of peace. It is therefore our obligation to move from peace keeping to peace making with all dedication and passion as guided in the Holy Scriptures MATT 5:9nkjv “Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called sons of God.” God’s message to the nation of Israel in her Babylonian captivity through Jeremiah the prophet is very clear and explicit on this question of peace and prosperity. In Jer 29:7 NKJV says: - “…and seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive and pray to the lord for its peace and you will have peace”. In light of the above text we ascertain that there can be no prosperity in the society when peace is wanting. Therefore, prosperity depends on our individual and corporate peace.
???Our appeal and prayer is that we should find it fitting in our mind and heart to pursue peace in our families, tribes and the entire society so that we may enjoy peace and prosperity in this land where the lord has placed us throughout our stay here before curtain falls. BELISSO is not an end in itself but the means of a very clear end. However, we shall need to address questions of poverty, injustices, corruption and other forms of oppression as threats to peace and prosperity.
?Our next plan of action is to roll out this program of healing, peace and reconciliation and transform communities starting with Mathare, Kawangware and Kibera slums of Nairobi. When our long range strategic plan of three years and the calendar of events in the making are completed, we shall furnish it to our friends, partners, well-wishers and stake holders that fundraising may take effect progressively. Our target people groups for our workshop trainings and seminars are parents, children, youths, pastors and other ministry leaders, religious leaders, Ngos and local leaders.
2.0 OUR CORE VALUES
1.BELISSO believes in listening and attending to the voices of the hurting and wounded in the society and bring about absolute revolution for better living Acts 4:32-37 NKJV, Matt 25:35-36,Phil 2:3-4, Eccl7:3-4.
2. We believe in being honest, transparent, generous, vulnerable, accountable and in the person of integrity when managing human and financial resources 2Cor 8:16-24 NKJV, 1Tim 1:12, 1Chron29:16-20, 2Tim2:2
3. We believe in transforming worst situations in the society through the power of the Holy Spirit Matt 27:15-26, Eccl 7:3-4, Rom7:24-25.
4.?We believe in the observation of impressing unity of ethnic diversity that enhances philanthropic spirit in the society without schism of ethnic groupings 1Cor 12:12-31 NKJV, Eccl4:9-12.nkjv
5. We believe in demonstrating humility and submission for one another EPH 5;21 NKJV.
6. We believe in extroverted spirit thus valuing others better than ourselves Phil 2:3-4 NKJV.
7. We believe in the leadership that serves and work as a team John 13:1-17,Acts 11:27-30, Eccl4:9-12 NKJV?but not introverted leadership. Romans 16:17-20, Phil 3:17-21
8. We believe in acknowledging the supremacy and sovereignty of God who created all things that He is our final authority who rules and controls all things in our day to day running of the society’s activities. 1Chro 29:10-12, Luke 12:20-21.
9. We believe in the equality of all genders endowed equal abilities for service in the society .Joel 2:28-29, 1Cor 12:12-31 NKJV.
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10. We believe in always multiplying and equipping members for service and peaceful co- existence in the society. Eph 4:12, Psalms 127:1-5.
11. We believe in being keen on physical, spiritual, emotional, psychological and intellectual and economic development of persons in the society which enables growth in body, mind and character in order to disarm hearts of men with intents to commit crimes -sin. Isaiah 53:3-5, Matt 26:36-46, Eccl 6; 1-2.
3.0 OUR OBJECTIVE GOALS
?We are grateful for you and to God to share with you what entails our aspiration and motivation to undertake this humanitarian work that responds to our vulnerability, risks and resilience of our people in these communities. However, we have felt a need to give you a wider spectrum of our scope in addressing the most pressing needs in these communities as shown bellow.
Besides we are mired in the mode of informing and addressing the most pressing needs in these communities solely dependent on the Holy Spirit for guidance that reshapes our humanitarian works in the communities for healing and effective transformation of lives to take place. The way our visibility study of our vulnerability and risks are conducted, corresponds to the manner in which we analyze sources of prejudices that elicits ethnic and family conflicts when running healing wounds of ethnic and family broken relationship workshops.
There is an inevitable or certain experience lived reality that we encounter in our seminars, conferences and workshops, as we address challenges posed by urban vulnerability and risks. Vulnerable groups suffer from spiritual, psychological, emotional, social and physical wounds which affects their social cohesion thus low level of social cohesion. At this point prejudices are generated right away in the family which forms a hate attitude against a negative ethnic group and a family member in question. In the family children are taught to hate their neighbors for reasons their parents know and besides when the father is incapacitated to provide for the family and in many instances mothers struggle to bring food on the table and pay rent as well, children and mother tend to gang up against the father and their animosity against their father is unabated and consequently the suffering in the family most often leads to marriage unfaithfulness which later ends into family break ups. Many marriages are broken leaving children vulnerable and at risk with their single mothers, or single fathers, and besides, many children ends up lacking parental care and love. Moreover most girl children because of their vulnerability are introduced to early sex and get early pregnancies which force them out of school. Besides they engage themselves in prostitution activities for their livelihood and this situation taints their better future thus leaving them without hope for their better tomorrow. Also some engage in child labor for their livelihood at an early age of thirteen and as a result of early pregnancy, they are not ready to be mothers but the circuming situation forces them to become mothers and especially at an early age of thirteen to nineteen. Some who are in high school drop out of school for the lack of school fees while those who fortunately manage to complete their secondary education are unable to join colleges and universities to go to their next level of education for their better tomorrow. This applies to boy children as well.
However, boy children are forced to drop out of school and resort to criminal activities for their livelihood. They are found in possession of dangerous weapons such as Machetes, knives, swords, rods and firearms, and are introduced to drug abuse. They have become dangerous criminals in the community. Mothers, who go early on their business errands etc such as green grocery encounters them and are assaulted, robbed and sometimes raped. Actually they have become terrorists to their very neighbors and community.
Sometimes they are used to cause mayhem in tribal conflicts as a result of power struggle that they may find an opportunity to loot and robe other people’s property even that of their negative ethnicity and to that of their own ethnic group affiliated. Actually they form a terror group for their survival. One of our members bears a mark on her left cheek of a knife she was assaulted recently. Most of our vulnerable youth group affected ranges between thirteen to twenty years for both girls and boys.
We encounter widows, orphans, and senior citizens case scenarios in our trainings. Widows are segregated after the passing on of their husbands with their family members some are denied their right to access their inheritance left with their late husbands by the parents and brothers of their husbands who are labeled witch for killing their own husbands. Especially when widows have only girl children they are denied land inheritance and ends up in these communities to find their livelihood with their children. Senior citizens are left with no care by their families because of the current hard economy that has affected the world. Besides, some family members gang up against other family members and take away their land inheritance a case scenario witnessed by one Jacinta Night and the husband who are now landless and vacated to a shopping centre at Buyofu market Bungoma county and cannot support themselves and the education of their children. The two, their livelihood and the education of their children depended on farming whose first born is in form two and the last two still in primary but now out of school. Jacinta and the husband are struggling to find their livelihood and to help their children to acquire education for their better future.
Therefore it is certain that people are wounded and are hurting in this community and need holistic healing. We are wounded and hurt because of our own and of the offenses of other people. The ideal relationship that enhances peace, healing and reconciliation is lost in the families, tribes, communities and the entire society.
Nevertheless, in our workshops and seminars we address the following protection needs in our communities for healing and resilience of people for their better tomorrow and transformed nations. God’s desire is that He changes our mind, heal our hearts and transform nations. Therefore, these protection needs are as shown below.
1.?????Spiritual protection need
2.?????Psychological and intellectual protection need
3.?????Emotional protection need
4.?????Social cohesion protection need
5.?????Physical protection need.
It is certain that these protection needs are interconnected for instance in their mind, people forms feelings which affects their behavior according to their thoughts. For the food of our mind are our thoughts. Therefore, if our thoughts are evil then our behaviors will certainly be evil and if our thoughts are good then our behavior and character are good. Our thoughts affect our feelings which shape our behavior and character either positively or negatively. We are obligated to feed our mind on the good thoughts and the source of our good thoughts is the word of God. Rom 8:5-11, Gen 1:26nkjv. In light of the above texts we a certain that God’s original intentions for human relationships is to seek and find God’s heart of peace, love and unity.
In Gen 1:26nkjv It is embodied His original intentions for human relationships in the families and tribes. He created man in His own image and likeness of His relationship in the trinity. God is love and His love is extroverted to His creation thus a philanthropic spirit. God is unity, thus social cohesion. God is peace thus peaceful coexistence. When He created the first human kind, he was one in form but plural in construction. He demonstrated gender and ethnic equality by creating the first man with two genders and all tribes included in Him. They were peaceful and united in their mind and relations thus companionship and He gave them (male and female) dominion to rule over all creation in His image and likeness. Therefore in the image of God we realize love, peace and social cohesion which restore Gods original ideals for human relationships. Therefore, God’s image in us appeals to our spiritual, psychological and intellectual, emotional and physical needs to our socio-cohesion. When people are filled with questions where the answer to our suffering and pain is? Where is hope for our sinful hurting society? BELISSO believes that the hope of our healing, peace and reconciliation and transforming worst situations in the communities is God. He fills our mind with good thoughts towards our neighbors regardless of their ethnic, family and gender affiliations which works in us a fire for our humanitarian works that responds to our sufferings in the communities.
BELISSO seeks to address Spiritual, Psychological, Emotional, Social and Physical needs of people in the communities. These will reduce sufferings of people and mend their broken ties by healing broken family relationship and inter-ethnic disagreements through repentance and forgiveness workshops and impress unity of ethnic diversity. Addressing these protection needs facilitates enhancement of resilience of people in our communities by their practical life that will be lived in these communities. BELISSO seeks to bring about healing and wholeness to communities suffering from family broken relationship and ethnic bitterness and hatred and to equip members to become agents of healing and reconciliation. Members of the community wounded and hurting are invited to encounter God and one another at a heart level and participants in our seminars and workshops are encouraged to experience healing and develop new perspectives and attitudes thus enhancing our paradigm shift and influence others through these knew attitudes and perspectives in their families and ethnic groups.
As a faith based organization registered in Kenya, we look forward to change minds, heal hearts and transform nations and besides we invite friends, partners, well-wishers and stake holders to support and carry this vision with them that we may realize our set of goals in order to heal the whole person in all areas of life and realize individual and corporate peace in our vulnerable communities. Jesus is leading the way of healing, peace and reconciliation and calls on us to be His eyes, mouth, ears, feet and hands in this task committed to us. There are sundry needs that we are encountering in our seminars, trainings and workshops as mentioned in this document and some we shall encounter in the process of our trainings that needs spiritual and material support in order to address those pressing needs for their better life. This will built fathers, mothers, youths, children, church and political rulers for a complete paradigm shift and resilience and will reduce their suffering and pain in these communities and will give them hope for their better tomorrow. They need God for their spiritual and physical healing for a lasting paradigm shift that will have a lasting effect on their spiritual, emotional and psychological shift and enhance their social cohesion for their better livelihood and improved living conditions for the glory of God.
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