Who We Are
Background
The Hebrew meaning of the word Talia is, ‘dew from God or dew from heaven’. Dew is generally defined as water vapor in the air that condenses on a cool surface during the night, hence grass becomes wet when the ‘dew point’ is reached during night cooling. In very dry areas, there is not enough moisture in the air to produce dew, however, if the arid area is adjacent to a large body of water, dew can still happen – at night, moisture-laden winds from the seas are redrawn in over the more-rapidly cooling dry land surface, where it condenses into a fine mist that waters the vegetation i.e. ‘dew of heaven’. From a biblical viewpoint, dew is used to refer to blessings, favor, prosperity, resurrection, long life, and to describe how an army covers the earth. It can also describe how an eagle covers her young or how God covers His people. We can see a well-known example in Isaac’s blessing of Jacob in Genesis 27:28, “Therefore may God give you of the dew of heaven, of fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine.” What specific kinds of blessings are associated with dew?
- Dew comes from above – reminds us of the glory-cloud from which God sends His blessings. Associated with God’s favor and love.
- Dew is a symbol of resurrection (Isaiah 26:19). Just as the earth brings forth it’s dew, so also it shall bring forth the dead to new life. Dew is a symbol of the redeemed and resurrected people of God.
- Dew is associated with manna and thus food (Exodus 16:13-21). Manna also compared to the Word of God (Deuteronomy 8:3), and Jesus compares manna to His own body that is offered for the life of the world (John 6:49-51). Dew daily refreshes the plants and the earth, and recalls the refreshment of God’s Word and Sacrament.
- Dew is a symbol of the ministry of the people of God in the world (Micah 5:7). The heavenly people of God go into the world to bring refreshment and new life to a sinful world. Throughout the Proverbs, a wise man is compared to a fountain and tree of life, whose words and deeds refresh and encourage.
Our Philosophy
We believe in the empowerment of young women, girls and communities in situations of poverty, illiteracy, disease and social injustice. Talia brings economic and social opportunities for young women and girls and exists to facilitate the development of large-scale, positive change through economic and social programs that enable young women and girls to realise their potential.
Talia is building resilient young women and girls who actively participate in creating peaceful, inclusive and sustainable communities.