What Is the Opposite of Poverty?
Our ministry often refers to the “opposite of poverty.” And, you might think that we are referring to wealth. The opposite of poor is obviously rich, right?
Continue Reading ›Making a House, or a Cattle Shed, a Home
When 29-year-old Vanitha got married, parents from both sides were not very happy about it. When they didn’t have a place to live, she and her husband were given a cattle shed for their home.
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Sponsorship Means Fewer Grande, Three-pump, No Water Chai Tea Lattes
Three great tragedies – death, separation, poverty – all in one week. I was down for the count, lost and overwhelmed. The world was too filled with grief, and my contribution wasn’t going to make a dent in it.
Introducing Your Children to Poverty: When Should You Start?
On our Compassion tours, parents often bring their teenagers but rarely their younger children. Which raises the question: When should we start teaching our kids about poverty and exposing them to the needs in the world around them?
How Can a Nation Overcome Poverty with Wealth Creation?
Ghana is currently one of the largest producers of cocoa and gold and is now also involved in oil production. They are becoming a prosperous nation and the world is taking notice.
Where’s the Poverty?
The presence of dignity doesn’t equal the absence of poverty.
Hope for Haiti: The One-Year Anniversary
This has been a tragic year for Haiti on many fronts. In a matter of months after January’s earthquake, Haiti endured a hurricane which threatened those already homeless and displaced, a cholera outbreak has taken the lives of thousands more, and recent elections were so filled with corruption that rioting and violence followed them.
Crackers or Mud?
Recently, I read about how the poor in Haiti have to mix mud in their food to make it go further. Mud. They mix it with flour to make a few more biscuits or simply fry it up with cooking oil or lard and salt to give it a bit of taste. Imagine a mother having to scoop up mud just to have something to feed her hungry children.
Keeping Up With the Joneses
If you finished high school, you might as well be “Dr. Jones” to those who have no chance of getting an education. If you eat three full meals a day, Jones. Jones. Jones.
Does Geography Limit Compassion?
On one hand, we need to do all in our power to help those struggling here at home. But we also have the challenge of viewing poverty with “global bifocals.” With one portion of the lens we see and attack needs close to home. With the other portion of the lens we focus on the realities of global poverty that may seem far away.
The Poor Will Not Always Be With You
During a party at Simon the Leper’s, Jesus says to Judas Iscariot, “The poor you will always have with you” (Matthew 26:11). The misinterpretation of this statement has justified a fatalistic belief that, by divine decree, the world will always have poor people.
What is the Definition of Poverty?
The absence of a clear definition is a serious problem for organizations whose missions are to eradicate poverty or, in our case, to release children from poverty.
Tell us how you understand and define poverty, and then in future blog posts we’ll explain the basis of our holistic approach to ministry and what our definition and understanding of the problem is.
