Instead of holding another worldwide Christian Microenterprise Development Conference, it was decided that it would be better to hold smaller regional conferences where issues related to a certain region or culture could be focused on. David kept busy traveling and speaking at conferences. By now he was an adept public speaker. But more than speaking at these conferences, David really enjoyed getting to know and personally encouraging the people who attended. Nurturing people was still the thing he liked to do most.
On Sunday, December 26, 2004, an earthquake in the ocean off the coast of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia sent an enormous tsunami crashing ashore in Aceh province on the northern tip of Sumatra, leveling almost everything in its path. After hitting Indonesia, the tsunami continued on, creating havoc and destruction in countries on the other side of the Indian Ocean. Banda Aceh, the capital city of Aceh province, was closest to the earthquake’s epicenter and was almost completely obliterated by the tsunami. Early in 2005 David was invited to come to Banda Aceh to see what could be done to help those displaced by the disaster. Like so many other people, David had watched the disaster unfold on television news reports. As he soon discovered, however, the television images did not do justice to the magnitude of the destruction. As he explained, “Banda Aceh was the worst devastation I had ever seen in my life.”
As he walked amid the destruction, David realized that what was needed most was new houses for people to live in. He quickly came up with a plan, which involved Opportunity International and a local NGO (nongovernmental organization). Basically they would set up factories to produce various building components for houses, such as roof trusses, windows, doors, bricks, roofing iron, concrete blocks, toilets, and sinks. The factories would employ displaced residents of Banda Aceh who were now living in tent cities, allowing them to earn a wage and wean themselves off foreign aid. The factories would then contract with various aid organizations such as Habitat for Humanity—which had raised large sums of money to rebuild houses—and would supply large quantities of building materials, for which the organizations would pay in advance. This would allow the factories to be self-sustaining from the outset. As well, the NGO proposed setting up a recycling program to sort through the debris and separate out sheets of roofing iron that could be straightened out and windows and doors that could be reused. These could then be sold as secondhand building materials.
The factories were quickly established and began production, and the NGO negotiated a contract with Habitat for Humanity and other housing organizations and foundations to purchase the building products they produced. In a matter of months, hundreds of people were being employed in the factories and the recycling program, and new houses were being constructed for the residents.
In 2006 David was extended another honor when he was invited to give the Australia Day address on January 24. Each year an eminent Australian is invited to address the nation, giving his or her unique perspective on issues such as the nation’s identity and challenges confronting Australian society. David delivered his speech at the Conservatorium of Music in Sydney, and the address was broadcast live to the nation. David chose to talk on the topic of “A Giving Nation.” In his speech he challenged Australians to think about who they were as a nation, to assess their place in the world, and, most important, to consider how they could make a difference in that place. He concluded the speech by saying, “There is a part of us that is designed to help others. Find that part. Create some space for it in your life. It’s probably not going to be your whole life. But I guarantee you, when you get to the end of your story, you’ll be glad you did.”
In the course of his speech, David also uttered some words that sum up the course of his life so far. “Creative small-business people are the powerhouse of all communities, and more so in developing countries. The challenge is to release the incredible potential in human beings, to enable them to express their creativity and drive.” For thirty-three years David Bussau has been committed to doing just that, working to help people release the potential within them—potential that can lift them even from the depths of poverty. And David is not finished yet.
Epilogue
When I, Geoff, flew into Sydney, Australia, in late March 2007 to interview David Bussau, I was a little apprehensive. I wasn’t sure how the interview would go. In phone conversations with him, David had seemed a little reluctant to delve into his past. I guess I was not surprised. After all, the title of the 2004 book about David and the founding of Opportunity International by Philippa Tyndale was Don’t Look Back. As I made my way to the Bussau home on Darley Road, I was not sure how things were going to turn out.
I shouldn’t have worried. David was a warm and generous person who quickly put me at ease. Immediately I got the feeling that he was comfortable in his skin—aware of his strengths but also equally aware of his weaknesses. We sat together in the recreation room at the back of his house gazing out at his garden, and as I began to ask him questions, I knew instantly that my fears had been unfounded. Getting information from him for the book that Janet and I were about to write on his life was not at all difficult. Quite the opposite. When I asked questions—and I asked many—David generously answered them, often giving me far more information than the questions called for.
Our conversation was wide-ranging, starting with his childhood in New Zealand and moving systematically through his life. But it also took detours as David veered off to tell about Carol’s ministry at the hospital, his grandchildren, his ninety-four-year-old mother-in-law, Phyl, who lived with them, and the garden we were gazing at. We talked about his deeply held Christian faith and how his Christian beliefs are fundamental to all that he does.
Perhaps the thing that struck me most during our time together was David’s humility. I was sitting with a man who directly or indirectly had touched the lives of millions of poor people around the world. Yet if I hadn’t know of some of his accomplishments ahead of time, I’m not sure that he would have bothered to enlighten me about them. The praise of men was not something that he seemed to relish. Instead, he was motivated by a driving passion to reach out and help others by using the entrepreneurial skills God has blessed him with. Having the freedom to do this was all he needed.
As we talked, I could see what was meant by “don’t look back.” The past is behind. It is what it is. All that remains is what is ahead and that is what David Bussau is focused on, open to every opportunity that comes his way to further his quest of the ultimate alleviation of poverty in our world.
When I asked him how he wanted to be known by people, his answer was fast and precise. “I want to be know as a social capitalist,” he replied, “because I am using capital and the marketplace to address poverty.”
As we shook hands and parted company at the end of our time together, a breeze tousled David’s silver hair. David’s bright blue eyes shined, but they seemed to look past me to the next challenge before him. At sixty-seven, an age when most men are thinking of retirement, that is the farthest thing from David Bussau’s mind. Instead, he is looking ahead, and the world will be a better place because of it. More important, poor people locked in the grip of poverty will have opportunities they never dreamed possible—all because David decided to quit his profitable businesses all those years ago and venture out in a step of faith, not knowing what lay ahead.
Geoff Benge
