Marah International

Marah International is a volunteer, grassroots, non-profit, interdenominational Christian organization working to protect the environment and public health in the United States, Eastern Europe (primarily Romania), and Africa. As a Christian organization, Marah seeks to follow the example of Jesus Christ in bringing hope and healing to the world and encourages Christians to serve as caretakers of God’s creation through education, action, prayer, and collaboration. Named after a spring called Marah in the biblical story of Exodus, in which God helps Moses purify polluted water (Ex. 15: 23–25), Marah International aims to help restore ecologically distressed regions of the world through a holistic and biblically-based approach to creation care and ecological stewardship. Marah seeks to address ecological, economic, social, spiritual, and health concerns in heavily degraded areas by empowering youth to be effective leaders in their communities, enabling communities to tackle health and ecological problems in a sustainable fashion, encouraging churches to practice and promote creation care, and establishing partnerships with other environmental and health organizations. To help communities tackle environmental and public health problems, Marah and its partner organizations offer education and training programs; health and environment assessments; provide equipment and materials for monitoring as well as providing assessment and education initiatives and other networking opportunities.

Marah’s youth empowerment initiatives include the formation of youth Ecology Clubs, which undertake environmental monitoring and restoration projects (e.g., the 3R Initiative [Rescue Romania’s Rivers] involves Romanian youth in caring for rivers and watersheds). Marah also provides free or low-cost training for adults in fields relating to health and the environment. Its Training for Environmental and Health Professionals program aims to raise awareness about environmental health issues in both medical and Christian missionary communities. In addition to its educational work, Marah provides technical assistance with assessments for communities seeking to identify and address health and environmental problems in ecologically-degraded areas. Marah also supports the ecological and public health work of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) by helping them obtain necessary equipment, materials, training, expertise, and funding. In the United States, Marah runs creation care programs for churches, mission organizations, and non-profits and, in collaboration with its partner organizations, organizes short-term health and environment service trips for individuals, youth groups, and churches.

Feeling called to minister to the people of Eastern Europe, a region beset with environmental and health problems, Jonathan and Julia Twining began promoting creation care in Romania in 1996. The couple founded Marah International in 1999. Since its founding, Marah has established two youth Ecology Clubs, held several environmental and health training workshops, provided equipment and materials to numerous organizations and facilities, and conducted many creation stewardship programs and service trips in the United States (US) and elsewhere. In 2002, Marah’s first volunteer in Africa began conducting solar cooking workshops in Mozambique. At present, Marah is working to expand its scope to include resource distribution and technical assistance to other countries as well, including Christian schools in Germany, Malawi, Belize, and Kenya. One of its most recent projects involved the provision of solar ovens and solar power to families in Belize and Mozambique through partnerships with other organizations. Marah also recently established a partnership with Ezekiel’s Place Retreat Center in Hedgesville, West Virginia to provide environmental experiential activities for youth in summer camp programs.

Partners in Romania include:
Sighisoara Clubul Ecologic
Fundatia CASA
Liceul “Emanuel” High School
Tarnava Mare Environmental Partnership
Veritas

Partners in the United States of America include:
American Cancer Society
Captain Planet Foundation
Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN)
Ezekiel’s Place Retreat Center (West Virginia)
Exmore Wesleyan Church (Virginia)
Hanover Community Church of the Nazarene (Virginia)
Lighthouse Christian Center Assembly of God (Rhode Island)
Mission of Mercy Christian Fellowship (Rhode Island)
Nazarene Compassionate Ministries Inc.
Hybrinetics
Sawyer Products