{"id":200,"date":"2009-04-29T10:38:03","date_gmt":"2009-04-29T10:38:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/redletters\/2009\/04\/slum-capital-of-the-world.html"},"modified":"2009-04-29T10:38:03","modified_gmt":"2009-04-29T10:38:03","slug":"slum-capital-of-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/redletters\/2009\/04\/slum-capital-of-the-world.html","title":{"rendered":"Slum Capital of the World"},"content":{"rendered":"

Answer: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A shocking 99.4% of those living in Addis live in slums according to Mike Davis in his book, Planet of Slums<\/a>. Sure there are more cities just as bad, but this ranks right at the top. <\/p>\n

This statistic is startling. Having just returned from there, I can tell you that slums are everywhere. In fact, I've referred to the entire city as a 'shanty-town.' But I had now idea the statistic was that high. All the more reason we need to focus on helping the orphans and widows of the city through the programs we offer. Many of you have asked when the next trip will be: October 2009. Please let me know if you're interested in going. <\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

I can't help but ask the questions, "What if I was born in conditions like this?" "How would I escape?" "How would my children have futures?" "What opportunity would I need from others to help me raise my standard of living?" Below are some pictures of the slums from our trip. The first picture is of a woman smearing fresh cow-manure into the containers that make injera in order to see them. Next time you complain about your job, think of her.<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
According to Wikipedia, "A slum<\/strong>, as defined by the United Nations<\/a> agency UN-HABITAT<\/a>, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, one billion people worldwide live in slums.[<\/a><\/span>3<\/a>]<\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
\"IMG_9503\"<\/a> \"DSC_9013\"<\/a> <\/span>\"IMG_8905\"<\/a> <\/span>
<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Answer: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A shocking 99.4% of those living in Addis live in slums according to Mike Davis in his book, Planet of Slums. Sure there are more cities just as bad, but this ranks right at the top.  This statistic is startling. Having just returned from there, I can tell you that slums are…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-swaziland"],"yoast_head":"\nSlum Capital of the World - Red Letters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/redletters\/2009\/04\/slum-capital-of-the-world.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Slum Capital of the World - Red Letters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Answer: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 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A tireless advocate for fatherless children, Davis has spent most of his adult life calling U.S. believers to become the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to the 143 million orphans living around the world. Through those connections, thousands of orphans now have the bright and hopeful future--one that is filled with opportunities and the love of the one true Father. Davis speaks hundreds of times each year at churches and conferences, mobilizing the church to action on behalf of the poor. He is the author of four books. His most recent novel, SCARED is a fictionalized account of his first-hand experiencing living and working with orphans in Swaziland, Africa. Davis' blog is the premier resource for the latest developments in Christian orphan ministry. Davis also currently teaches courses as adjunct professor at George Fox University in Newberg, OR. When not traveling the globe, Davis resides in the mountains of Colorado in the small community of Palmer Lake. 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