Anne Brown reveals the invisible causes of poverty: ideas. Examples from Guatemala, Zimbabwe, and India show the transformational effects that biblical ideas can have on impoverished communities—and the tragic consequences of destructive ideas.
This episode addresses six obstacles to positive change for people living in poverty. When all six of these obstacles are lifted, the change process can occur.
Lack of education
Lack of resources
Human sinfulness
Satanic deception
Lack of supportive people
Presence of opposition
When I explained this lesson to my 5- and 6-year-old daughters, here’s the language they understood for describing the six obstacles.
Many of you have asked about Food for the Hungry’s response in Haiti. Yes, our Emergency Response Unit is on the ground and working in Port-au-Prince! We need your help in giving and telling others. Read more on our relief blog or on the Food for the Hungry web site.
Good intentions aren’t always enough in missions. When churches and individuals go on short-term teams to communities in developing countries, they need to think carefully about the messages they send – not just verbally, but also through their actions. In this interview, Steve Corbett shares three mistakes to avoid when participating in short-term missions.
Other topics in this interview include the distinction between relief and development, choosing asset-based development rather than need-based development, and investing missions money wisely.
Hear Steve Corbett speak at Summit 2010, February 26-28 in Phoenix, AZ. Join us for a weekend of learning and networking, plus worship led by Sara Groves, whose album Fireflies and Songs was named 2009 Best Album of the Year by Christianity Today. Register by January 10 for the best deal!
World AIDS Day is December 1, 2009. In this interview, Carolyn Wetzel shares the story of 36 African women who turned away from prostitution when they were shown a way out.
Carolyn Wetzel is Health Programs Coordinator for Food for the Hungry. She lives in Washington, D.C.
Change for Life is a new way to bring hope to those suffering from the AIDS crisis, one of the most severe health problems the world has ever faced.
When you get involved with Change for Life, Food for the Hungry will provide your church, Sunday School class, workplace or other group with small containers to collect spare coins for six weeks. As the containers fill up, the accumulation of pocket change will fund programs like the one Carolyn discussed on today’s episode. Get started here.
HIV/AIDS is not only a subject of global concern–it’s an issue embodied by real people every day. In this interview, Kim Buttonow tells the story of a teenager named Claire and the courageous woman who saved her life.
Kim Buttonow is HIV/AIDS Programs Coordinator for Food for the Hungry. Based in Washington, D.C., Kim has worked with Food for the Hungry in countries around the world since 2001.
Change for Life is a new way to bring hope to those suffering from the AIDS crisis, one of the most severe health problems the world has ever faced.
When you get involved with Change for Life, Food for the Hungry will provide your church, Sunday School class, workplace or other group with small containers to collect spare coins for six weeks. As the containers fill up, the accumulation of pocket change will fund the programs that Kim discussed on today’s episode. Get started here.
There are 132 million orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America. In some parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, one of every ten children is an orphan. The need for orphan care is staggering. In this interview, Chad Mower shares about a unforgettable 13-year-old he met in Ethiopia while on an open team. It’s a story of finding hope in a tragic situation.
Chad Mower volunteers as an Advocate with Food for the Hungry. He lives in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
There are 132 million orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America. http://www.unicef.org/media/media_45290.html. In some parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, over 10% of children are orphans. The need for orphan care is staggering. In this interview, Chad Mower shares about a unforgettable 13-year-old he met in Ethiopia while on an open team http://fh.org/help/individuals/teams/join . It’s a story of finding hope in a tragic story.
Chad Mower volunteers as an Advocate http://fh.org/advocate with Food for the Hungry. He lives in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
In this third foundational episode, we look at the roots of poverty. If we provide food, health, and education to people living in poverty, will we solve the problem? Or does poverty run deeper?
Key thoughts:
Our understanding of how life works must be defined by God. (Romans 12:2)
When we don’t listen to what God says about how life works, poverty happens somewhere. (Matthew 12:33-35)
Our quality of life is based on the behaviors of ourselves and those around us, and those behaviors are ultimately rooted in beliefs and values.
We must address the root causes of poverty—beliefs and values—in order to make lasting change.
Before pointing fingers, American Christians should examine our own alignment to biblical values.
