| dc.description.abstract | From their ancestor's time, Pygmies have experienced hardship. Their life is characterized by physical, economlcal, socio-political, and spiritual crises.
Since 1981, North Congo Mission (NCM) has attempted to minister
to the Pygmies. Unfortunately, it appears lhat the NCM did not attain its desired goals.
The book of Nehemiah reports that the post-exilic
Jewish community also experienced great distress and dlsgrace. In minlstering to them, Nehemiah was effective. At the end of his ministry the precarious conditions of the people were now replaced by honor and celebration.
This study describes and compares the contexts of
the ministries to distressed people: by Nehemiah to the
post-exilic Jews, and by the NCM to the pygmies. Research
affirms that splritual and leadership qualitles are important factors contributing to the success of ministry to distressed people.
A proposal for an approach to minister to pygmies
is suggested in the study. The statement of its philosophy
affirms that the most effective way of helping the poor is
to enable them to help themselves. By effecting their own
change, Pygmies will be empowered to shift from dependency
to self-reliance.
The strategy to effect empowerment requires that
Pygmies express their felt needs, determine their own
solutions, be encouraged to he financially self-sufficient,
implement their own proqrams, and be trained for local
leadership. Through the process of participation and
community organization, leadership can be developed. This
will foster self-reliance and wise management of local
resources. This is true empowerment. | en_US |
