— by Matthew Rohrs

When was the last time that the evil in this world interrupted your well-ordered life? For me, it happened when I met a Ugandan woman named Susan Ejang. In 1996, 14-year-old Susan was torn from the safety of her boarding school by Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Armed young men forced their way into the compound and dragged her and 138 other girls out into the bush. Susan and her classmates became known as the “Aboke girls,” and their plight drew the world’s attention to the tens of thousands of abducted children forced to be soldiers or wives for the LRA. While in captivity, Susan experienced unspeakable horrors. Her family agonized with the news of her capture as the months became years. In 2004, eight long years after that fateful night, Susan finally escaped.

Stories like this elicit sadness, outrage, and often a feeling of paralysis. We lament with the victims and work to prevent these tragedies from ever happening again. What causes young men to take up arms, kidnap and rape children, and choose a life of violence? The reasons are complex, but these atrocities are routinely fueled by a sense of hopelessness and economic despair. As COVID-19 reverses progress in many vulnerable nations, economists estimate that as many as 140 million people have been pushed back into extreme poverty globally.[1]

To prevent, and heal from, tragedies like this, we need long-term, holistic strategies that go beyond quick fixes. These types of solutions must address spiritual and material poverty—the world needs Jesus and jobs. It is the people who understand the challenges and opportunities of these vulnerable contexts who are best positioned to facilitate lasting change.

The World Needs Jesus

Sustainable transformation starts with a heart change rooted in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The real Messiah—not the twisted caricature manipulated by extremists—brings hope, conviction of sin, forgiveness, and peace.

But how is the Church doing in spreading the gospel globally? The data is sobering. In the past century, the total number of Christians has tripled, but we’ve been stuck at 33% of the global population with no signs of growth.[2]We’re treading water.

In the Global South, where the Church has been growing, corruption is often the norm. For instance, in Kenya, 85% of the population identifies as Christian, while the nation is ranked 124th in the world in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.[3] Corruption stands in blatant opposition to the teachings of Christ and hinders the mission of the Church. It also strains economic growth and places a disproportionate burden on the poor as they pay a variety of bribes to navigate daily life.

It is clear that we need new ways to reach people for Christ and influence the culture around us. We don’t spread the gospel for the sake of filling churches on Sunday mornings. A life in Christ transforms our spiritual identity, but perhaps just as importantly, it transforms our relationships with our neighbors and our understanding of how all aspects of our lives—spiritual, social, and physical—are important to God.

The Poor Need Jobs

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, economists estimated that 657 million people would be living below the $1.90 extreme poverty line in 2020. This has risen to a projection of 797 million, setting the world back seven years in the fight against extreme poverty,[4] with the majority living in sub-Saharan Africa.[5] Pre-COVID, the World Bank estimated that an additional 600 million new jobs were needed by 2030 just to keep pace with population growth.COVID-19 is causing an enormous spike in unemployment throughout emerging market economies. The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs estimates that 49% of Small and Growing Businesses (SGBs) may fail worldwide. Business leaders who can sustain and create jobs that employ the vulnerable are even more valuable in a post-COVID economy. As our world continues to urbanize, and as populations in emerging market nations swell, we can either meet these employment needs and foster new levels of flourishing or witness the consequences of destabilized economies, riots, and revolutions.

The global Church must embrace economic development and job creation as an integral part of Christ’s prayer that God’s kingdom would come on earth as it is in heaven. This is an opportunity and an important part of God’s mandate for us.

Local, Kingdom-Minded Entrepreneurs Are the Solution

Profitable businesses that create jobs are one of the best, most sustainable ways to reduce poverty. In every major economic development success story, GDP growth fueled by the private sector is the driving force of sustainable solutions.[6] As local entrepreneurs identify business opportunities and build profitable companies, they grow the economy, create jobs, and increase incomes for families. Good jobs allow families to plan for the future and make their own dignified decisions about housing, food, education, and healthcare. Jobs lay a foundation for generational change.

So, who are the job creators? The data shows that entrepreneurs who grow companies by choice, not by necessity, create the majority of new jobs and a significant portion of overall economic growth. Worldwide, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) represent about 90% of businesses and more than 50% of employment. In emerging markets, SMEs create seven out of 10 formal jobs.[7]

Successful local entrepreneurs are also strategically placed by God to change their communities from the inside out. As their companies grow, they create innovative products and services that improve lives. Their success leads to growth for suppliers and business partners. They gain influence to fight corruption and share the gospel with employees, customers, and the community. As profits rise, resources increase to support the local church and address problems like hunger, corruption, and drug addiction.

How Sinapis Equips and Supports Entrepreneurs

Sinapis is a global network that exists to make disciples and alleviate poverty through the power of entrepreneurship. We provide rigorous business training that is customized for entrepreneurs leading SMEs in emerging markets. We directly manage programs in Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda, and we partner with organizations in six more countries. Entrepreneurs are given knowledge and tools to scale their companies while also making a social and spiritual impact in their communities.

Economic, Social, and Spiritual Impact

For over ten years, Sinapis has served over 5,800 entrepreneurs who lead SMEs. These leaders are game changers in their communities and are achieving remarkable economic, social, and spiritual impact.

Collectively, Sinapis graduates are generating $77.8M in annual revenue and have raised over $41.5M in capital. Pre-COVID, they were consistently growing revenue at roughly 50% each year (CAGR). Even with the challenges of 2020, their revenue growth exceeded 37% (CAGR). They also have staying power, as 76% are still in business three years after graduating from our training programs.

A consistent paycheck is one of the most effective, sustainable, and dignified ways to bring a family out of poverty. Worldwide, Sinapis graduates employ 7,647 people and have created 4,553 new jobs, often in areas with extreme poverty. We estimate that each job supports at least five additional dependents, which means that our graduates’ companies are impacting over 38,250 people. This means more children can afford school fees, more people can access health care, and more families can sleep at night with full stomachs, clean water, and secure housing.

Spiritually, Sinapis teaches entrepreneurs what it means to lead a faith-driven business. Our curriculum introduces entrepreneurs to a practical Kingdom business framework that helps them integrate their faith in Christ into their businesses and lives. All entrepreneurs learn Christian ethics and are encouraged to develop their own spiritual integration plans for their communities. Our graduates report that 82% have an active discipleship or community impact program in their companies. Most importantly, 38% report that someone has come to faith in Christ through their businesses!

Beyond training, we are focused on nurturing a lasting faith-driven entrepreneurship community in every market where we serve. We aim to help every entrepreneur we serve know where to go to build essential business skills, find a mentor, access capital, and grow spiritually. The goal is multigenerational change led by the men and women that the Lord has called to grow scalable businesses. To achieve this, greater collaboration will be required between the local church, business community, government, investors, and organizations who build entrepreneurial capacity.

As we deepen impact in East Africa, we continue to partner with organizations in other international markets by sharing curriculum, toolkits, systems, and lessons learned. We currently serve partners in Ghana, Liberia, Brazil, Egypt, Burundi, and Mongolia, and there is growing interest from around the world. Our goal is to create a collaborative network of practitioners that can implement and refine this model globally.

From Escaping the LRA to Helping Heal a Nation

Susan’s story did not end with her escape from the clutches of the LRA. After reuniting with her family, she went back to school and completed a degree in agriculture. Susan’s childhood friend, Lydia Nakayenze-Schubert, had been working for the Uganda Investment Authority in Germany and learned that Uganda had vast amounts of shea trees whose quality of butter was higher than the kind found in West Africa. The two friends saw an opportunity. Susan is from Uganda’s Lango district, which is in the heart of the country’s shea belt. While Susan had worked as an agricultural extension officer in the region, Lydia had worked and lived in Europe, making it easy to explore the international market for shea butter.

Despite already having an MBA, Lydia joined the Sinapis Entrepreneur Academy in 2019 and used the program as a platform to launch their company in Northern Uganda. In 2020, Susan joined our Crisis Crash Course, designed to help entrepreneurs navigate COVID. But even as they embrace an exciting future, reminders of the past are always present. As they complete construction of their shea butter processing facility, the mass graves along the main road to the factory reflect decades of grief in the lives of those they meet. Lydia and Susan have named their company Moo Me Gen, meaning “oils of hope.”

As Susan buys shea nuts from the farmers, she preaches hope and forgiveness. In a place where so many have grown disillusioned, hearts and minds are beginning to believe in a better future. Susan reflects, “I can’t change my past, but I can change my future. I hear people lamenting, and I use my testimony. I tell them what God can do if they choose to trust in Him. If I had not chosen to forgive and let go, then I couldn’t have done this.”

Entrepreneurs like Susan and Lydia have been strategically placed by God to build enduring companies that bring hope and advance God’s kingdom. They have the giftedness, influence, and deep local knowledge to collectively create tens of thousands of jobs that alleviate poverty. As ambassadors of Christ in the marketplace, they will have opportunities to work alongside churches to make disciples who will in turn make more disciples. As entrepreneurs, they embrace the joy of generosity and will be able to care for their neighbors in new and creative ways, including meeting financial needs from within their own countries and reducing dependence on external funding.

High-potential entrepreneurs around the world are inviting us to join them. Local and international business leaders can leverage their experience, skills, relationships, and capital to create economic engines that spark generational change. The potential for collaborative growth in this sector is enormous. We are just beginning to see the impact when international advisors, investors, and philanthropists come alongside entrepreneurs and the organizations that support them. Working together, we can catalyze a movement of businesses that get to the roots of material poverty and reflect the love of Jesus to a world in need of God’s kingdom.

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Serve the entrepreneurs in your church.

——

[1] FCDO Dec 15, 2020.

[2] Pew Research Center, “www.pewforum.org/2011/12/19/global-christianity-exec/.”

[3] Transparency International “www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2020/index/nzl.”

[4] Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Dec 15, 2020.

[5] Brookings, “www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2019/03/28/poverty-in-africa-is-now-falling-but-not-fast-enough/.”

[6] From The Poverty of Nations: A Sustainable Solution by Wayne Grudem and Barry Asmus. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013.

[7] World Bank, “www.worldbank.org/en/topic/smefinance.”

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