Africa Does Not Need More Foreign Aid

I learned something this past week that really impacted me and confirmed that we are on the right track to make a lasting impact on Africa. I learned that between 1980 and 1988 the US government pumped $83 billion dollars of foreign aid into Sub-Saharan Africa. $83 billion dollars! During that same period of time living standards dropped and infant mortality rose. Once again, we learn that foregin aid does not disciple the hearts and minds of people. God uses people to disciple people.

After forty years of traveling all over the continent of Africa,  I am convinced that the hope of changing Africa is a new generation of servant hearted, disciple making leaders. Leaders who think Biblically and act like the New Testament followers of Jesus.

Sally and I are giving our lives to train such leaders who will help lead this continent out of the morass of pain and poverty it is experiencing.

We are greatly inspired by the students who are gathered from 15 nations for CPx, our leadership school here in Cape Town. There are 68 amazing students in our school, 43 from all over Africa. They are the hope of changing Africa!

In three weeks time one of these leaders is launching 'Explore Africa.' Explore Africa is an initiative of short term and long term teams throughout the continent...the vision is to change Africa through making disciples, training leaders and planting simple, disciple making, leadership empowering movements. A big part of this will be abstinence "clubs" on university and high school campuses...the clubs will empower and encourage young men and women to live lives of sexual purity, to be disciplined followers of Jesus Christ, and serve as simple disciple making churches on their campuses.

If a new generation of young leaders do not disciple the nations of Africa, the nations will disciple the young leaders!

Another goal of "Explore Africa" is to raise up a new generation of servant leaders who are equipped to disciple nations. Sub-Saharan Africa has been evangelized many times but it has not been discipled. Outsiders can inspire temporary behavior modification in Africans but unless their minds are renewed from animistic world-views to a Biblical world-view the changes are only superficial. Animistic world views combined with poverty imprison people in dependency, hopelessness and a paralyzing victim mentality.