Communities Without Borders

Background

The connection between the First Unitarian Society in Newton (FUSN) and Communities Without Borders (CWB) began in 2000 when FUSN’s Social Action committee selected CWB as a vehicle for doing something positive about the effects of the global AIDS epidemic on the people of Africa.   In that year, FUSN members began raising funds to support education for children who were orphaned by AIDS.
 
Since then, a lot has happened!  Two FUSN members joined the CWB Board of Trustees, and FUSN’s Dr. Dick Bail became the organization’s President. Another FUSN member, Sharon Sisskind, became Executive Director in 2007.

CWB has developed a relationship with Chawama, one of the many impoverished communities outside Lusaka, Zambia, where the AIDS epidemic has hit hardest. Since 2003, 40 FUSN adults and teens have traveled to Zambia to continue strengthening the bonds that make Chawama a CWB partner community. In 2006, the Unitarian Universalist Global AIDS Coalition designated FUSN a “Red Ribbon Congregation” for its efforts.
 
To further strengthen the impact of its partnerships with CWB and Chawama, in 2009, some FUSN members formed a group called Project Zambia. This group:

• Supports FUSN travelers to Zambia to plan their trips and to bear witness upon their return,
• Informs the larger congregation about conditions in Chawama and about African and African development issues more generally, and
• Raises funds for the work of Communities Without Borders.

Current Activities

Over the years, FUSN members have engaged in a variety of significant activities aimed at supporting this effort.  These include:

Trips to Zambia.   Every summer, the travelers bring much-needed school supplies, clothes, games, and sports equipment—things that few of the children have in their daily lives.  The travelers have also engaged in a variety of projects:

• teaching English and unique craft activities to children at the Chawama Family Support Home
• painting a school
• learning about the government and culture of Zambia
• holding in-depth interviews with the Chawama caretakers to determine their needs
• water-testing
• providing eyeglasses
• building computer carrels
• running teacher-training sessions.

In 2007, travelers helped dig the foundation for a medical building.
 
Fundraising.  The enthusiasm engendered by the increased involvement of FUSN members has also helped with fundraising. Scores of individual FUSN members contribute to CWB to help meet Chawama children’s educational expenses. Every spring, FUSN teenagers hold a successful talent show/coffeehouse featuring teen performers from all over the Newton community to raise funds for the education of Chawama orphans.  FUSN teens, adults, and members of the larger Newton community rally around this effort, which raises about 30% of the FUSN community’s annual contribution to CWB. In addition, every fall the congregation has a “second collection” to raise still more funds for this effort.  Finally, the Social Action Committee at FUSN also provides a portion of the annual funding for Chawama orphans through its annual budget allocation.
 
Pen-Pal Project. FUSN children and youth develop ties to individual children in Chawama by periodically sending them letters and pictures. Sometimes travelers are able to bring letters and pictures home with them to foster pen-pal friendships.
 
Special Services.  Typically, after the travelers return from Zambia, they have an opportunity to lead a Sunday worship service or other special event before the congregation. The travelers engage attendees by telling their personal stories about the Zambia experience and explore their reactions to the challenges and surprising joys of life in Zambia. These events often include music and meditation, and youth travelers have taught songs and games learned in Zambia.  Both teens and adults tell how they are forever changed by witnessing devastating poverty first-hand.  These occasions can have a profound effect on the congregation. In May 2010, four teens who had traveled to Zambia last summer did a wonderful presentation for 80-plus children in the Religious Education program, which included information about living conditions in Chawama, slides, games, and songs.

Past Events

FUSN Service November 9, 2008