The Ladder Project - shaping the future

This monday, the ladder project will be holding our final speakers series event.

We will be workshopping two proposals with Paul Vink, a researcher and implementer of development projects. We are hoping that we can crystalise some of the ideas that we have been working on for the last few months and have a real passionate and creative time together.

If you have a passion for changing humanity and a passion for the world around you and want to be inspired about how to change the world, please join us at 8pm at Ramsey House, 8 Kelburn Parade.

Lets get the creative juices flowing, and lets make a difference in this world.

Be the change...

The Ladder Project - Rubber Hits the Road

We met Shirwin from the Phillipines on friday night, and he told some of his story about living in the slums of the Manilla region.

As many of you will know, the Manilla region was hit by a number of Tropical cyclones in the last few weeks. Read some of Shirwins story below.

Sherwin enjoyed his time with the group.

Just to let you know some updates with his situation, that night on Friday as we were heading home he received news that Labas Bakod (the slum he lives in) was set for demolition the next day (Saturday) and people will not be allowed back. He was shell shocked, he so wasn't himself that night and the next morning. He contacted his friend in the council to confirm the news. So 4 days on since the news, the situation at present is that the friend has managed to prevent demolition by force, people in LB will be relocated to an area 2.5hrs away (Laguna) from Metro Manila (which is not ideal for Sherwin and his sibilings who are still studying).

People have till Tuesday (13th) to register to obtain a spot in Laguna, where housing will be a skeleton structure and I suppose people will have to find material to complete it.

Registering in time would mean that people will be allowed to take down their house (or rather what's left of it) where they can use the existing materials to complete the skeleton structure at the relocation. Those who do not register will have their houses demolished for them. Sherwin has told his family to register for a spot in Laguna, but will explore alternatives to continue living in Marikina (for the sake of work and siblings who are at school).

Sherwin's much better now (since receiving the news on Friday night). Last night he was laughing and joking while having dinner with his hosts and myself. Very much himself (well, at least it's the Sherwin I know). God has been encouraging him lots especially yesterday. We hold on to the promise that God works for the good of those who love Him.

Just keep praying for Sherwin as he needs wisdom and strength.

We continue to search for hope, to be the hope, to be the change in the world that people need.

The Journey up the Ladder

I recently heard my mate Justin speak about the process of learning, and how it is as important as the destination of our journey. He talked about how we often we fail to go after something because of our lack of character and our inability to man up.

We also forget the joy of the journey, and to fail to stop in the moment and take in what we are to learn from this occassion.

At the moment, me and a group of other four mates are on a journey of discovery. We have a lofty goal. We want to find the best wheel at tackling poverty. The last few months have been a journey first of all is problem definition. We have had to define poverty, and at the moment we are defining just where we should help and what we should do. We have gone up some of the rungs and can see a larger horizon, the climb is still far, but it is teaching us a lot.

Then there is our speaker series, where we have had to figure out the best ways to promote and get people along to the events we are holding. We have made mistakes on the way, the most memorable was that we did not organise a sign up sheet so we could communicate with those who wanted to be connected with us.

The journey is long, but as we go along, we are learning more about each other, growing in community and in passion for what we are doing. I can not wait to see what we do, whatever it is.

The next rung on the ladder

The Ladder Project has its next speaker series event on Monday 17 August, at Ramsey House, 8 Kelburn Parade. Cara Bentley is speaking at this event. Shew is a Development researcher. Her topic is "Below the surface: History of Povery in Southeast Asia."

If you want any more information contact ladderproject@gmail.com or go to the ladder project.

Ben Thirkell White - speaker series

Join Us 8PM Monday, 20 JULY @ the Ramsey House (located at 8 Kelburn Parade) to hear the first speaker, Ben Thirkell-White as he helps us enter into the conversation of poverty and development. Ben Thirkell-White is a Senior Lecturer in International Relations at Victoria. His research is about development finance, with a particular focus on the politics of World Bank and IMF policy. He has written one book about the IMF and Southeast Asia and is just completing another about the international politics of poverty policy. He’s done a little volunteer work on development projects in Southern Africa and has been teaching development for over ten years.

For more information, check out The Ladder Project

The Ladder Project - Speaker Series

The Ladder Project Speaker series is all go - these are being help at Ramsey House, 8 Kelburn Parade Wellington at 8 pm (except for Andew McGregor, which will start at 7.30 that night.)

The Dates and Speakers are:

Monday, July 20
Ben Thirkell-White; Academic Staff, School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations, Humanities and Social Sciences (yeah don't know if we need all that)
Speaking on poverty & development.

Monday, August 17
Carla Bently; Community Trust worker, development reseracher.
Speaking on the history of poverty in Southeast Asia.

Monday, September 21
Andrew McGregor; Senior Lecturer, School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences; just published book on Development in Asia
Speaking on the cultural stories in Southeast Asia.

Monday, October 19
Paul Vink; Developer, Investor.
Sspeaking on his practices and workshop for us to work on our project.

More to come...

The Ladder Part 2- Follow our Journey

Me and a group of co-conspirators have a project that we would like you to join - its called the Ladder. We are aiming to attack poverty in Southeast Asia (Defined as India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Mayanmar/Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia). After working with poor and abandoned kids in an orphanage outside Addis Ababa for three months, Demelza Woolston came back to New Zealand exhausted but inspired. Her stories, told via blog and Mosaic Community shared meals combined with Mosaic’s own ethics pushed us to start a process of discovery and response in the area of poverty, orphaning, and people trafficking.

Our aim is that our group can find the best solution to poverty. We are inspired by movements such as Toms Shoes and the Clapham Sect.

Join us as we journey. We will be holding a speakers series in the next semester at Victoria University.

Take up the challenge: Be the Change in this world

The Ladder

The Ladder is a project of a group of Wellington friends who were inspired by a fellow sojourner who went to ethiopia to serve orphan kids for three months. The stories could not be ignored, we have been spurred into a need for action, because we hear the cries of humanity. You can follow our journey of discovery, action and formation at the Ladder.

The story we find ourselves

The story of humanity is fraught, we live in a world where hopelessness seems to overpower light, where pain seems to overpower joy. We understand that a story has been playing out for generations, but we see hope, a light over the horizon. We want to be part of bringing hope, bringing life to our world.

Follow the journey...