Teach a man to fish and all that

Aid is a hot topic.  Does it work?  Usually financial handouts alone do not lift people out of poverty. 

They need Hope - the message of the Good News.

They need education, a long term investment.

They need job training.

Ideally the attitude of a helper is to work him/herself out of a job.  For a missionary to no longer be needed in an area, thus able to move to another area, is the goal. 

There are some awesome people doing this, and doing it really well.

One of my favorites is Krochet Kids.  A company started by some college dudes (yes, dudes) who started crocheting beanie type hats and were making bucks doing it. They then wondered about the billions of dollars in aid being doled out around the world, and the fact that it did not seem to help.  That is the very short version. 

These guys started up Krochet Kids to help poor folks lift themselves out of poverty by keeping up a sustainable job. 

A gorgeous family from North Carolina just started up the Peru Krochet Kids:

I have been pondering what we can teach folks in the Philippines, those who want to learn.  Man can teach woodworking skills, trim work, carpentry - the works of his hands.

Folks here have been generous in sharing ideas.  One that I'm most excited about is cobra bracelets.  My boys can make these.  They are made from para chord and have about 8 feet of chord, heavy duty stuff.  The chord is braided in a cobra weave, then worn as a bracelet to be used for a variety of purposes.  Once unwoven (a simple thing to do) you have:
a tourniquet
dog leash
emergency climbing rope
tie up a dead critter for gutting
make a critter trap if you are super hungry

These look cool and will appeal to many of the young tourists on the island. 

I'm learning to fish paint, or paint with fish.  An ancient Japanese art.  You paint a dead fish, then press paper to it, peel the paper off, and you get a beautiful print.  Great for those tourists who catch fish that they can't bring home, but they can bring home a cool, unique art print!

Teach a man to paint with a fish, give him a lake.

Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated.