Archives: Poverty
A Global Perspective
Dawn McBane
This fall, I had the opportunity to visit Costa Rica with my husband and several friends. In the midst of the fun vacation, there were many moments where I thought about all we have – and often take for granted – with our American way of life.
The first of those moments was in between our ziplining, canyoneering, and other adventure tours, when we had the opportunity to deliver Bibles to some of the local people. While we were busy touring this beautiful country and paying a high price for all of our adventures, our new friends were beyond thankful for the opportunity to have Bibles written in the English language. Why? Because when people came to visit their church, English was often the preferred language. In the midst of their (relative) poverty, they were looking for ways to reach out to others and share the love of Christ. That gave me pause: how much do I daily take for granted? I have easy access to pretty much anything I could ever want in the way of reading and literature, including the Holy Scriptures. I had to ask myself, am I truly thankful for the access I have to the Word of God? Or do I simply ‘go through the motions’ of reading the Bible every day? Read More »
Archives: Poverty
OK, I Have a College Degree—Now What? (Part 2)
Rising Voice Staff
by Jenny Abel
Yesterday, I shared some thoughts on being a college grad – and some of the subsequent struggles that you may be facing if you find yourself in this stage of life.
For all those out there trying to break (or re-break) into the work world, here are just a few practical, Scriptural thoughts on how this might look—especially in the daunting process of job hunting: Read More »
Archives: Poverty
OK, I Have a College Degree—Now What? (Part 1)
Rising Voice Staff
by Jenny Abel
Being a new college graduate used to be a thrilling time of life—your whole career wide open before you, no resume pigeonholing you into a particular job, and not much holding you down yet. Furthermore, until recently, you were one of only a few fortunate enough to attain a degree beyond high school. Read More »
Archives: Poverty
Katie Davis’ Story
Rising Voice Staff
Do you want to be challenged about what you’re doing for the sake of the gospel? Check out Katie Davis’ blog on her work feeding and caring for orphans in Uganda – as a 22 year old single woman.
If you’re interested in hearing her answer common questions about her life and some of those who aren’t so sure about her life’s work, check out this article at Christianity Today.
Archives: Poverty
Carried Away: Part 2
Dawn McBane
To read the first part of Monica’s story, check out this link.
For only a moment I stood there and looked at the image before me. I saw a desperate and helpless woman, figuratively naked before me, being once again taken against her will into a locked cell. I saw a man behind her, in full pomp of uniform, placing metal handcuffs around her wrists in demonstration of authority. But the reality was there were simply two individuals, desperate, hopeless, completely powerless and degenerate under the feet of a holy, omnipotent God. In that snapshot moment, I saw with human eyes what God sees when he looks down at His creation. With a spiritual perspective I saw status, authority, wealth, and power for the delusions they are. In actuality, there is only God and man. We are all equally needy, equally deficient, equally in need of mercy we don’t deserve. Isaiah 40:6-7 says, “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them.” Our lives on this earth are short, and all the wealth and status and power we fight for are meaningless in the scheme of eternity. Read More »
Archives: Poverty
Carried Away
Rising Voice Staff
“All of us are like dead leaves, and our sins, like the wind, have carried us away.” –Isaiah 64:6
The best summer of my life took place high in the Rocky Mountains in the beautiful state of Colorado. It was the summer between my junior and senior years of college, and the beauty of aspen trees dancing along grey peaks had captivated my eyes and awakened my understanding of the depth of the imagination of God.
One particular weekend I found myself in the heart of downtown Colorado Springs. What a remarkable town it was, complete with cute shops and ice cream carts, a small fountain next to a large park, all cradled under the looming eye of Pike’s Peak. Before long night began to fall, and I quietly observed the city’s dramatic transformation. Read More »
Archives: Poverty
Poverty… Defined?
Dawn McBane
Let’s start with a little exercise. Close your eyes and imagine someone living in poverty. Ok, what did you picture? A child with a distended belly because of malnutrition? A homeless person? A woman walking for miles in the desert to get water for her family? A soup kitchen? Whatever you thought of, I assume it didn’t include air conditioning, being well fed, living in a home that’s in good repair, and owning several TVs and a DVD player. Yet, according to the U.S. Census Bureau having these things is normal for most Americans living in below the poverty line. Read More »
Archives: Poverty
Suffering and Need
Carrie Kintz
It’s a quarter to eight in the evening and I’m sitting in a hospital room. Machines click and compress as they pump IV bags into the arm of my youngest sister. Her face is pale, her pancreas is inflamed and she’s stuck in this room for a couple of days at least.
This wasn’t the way I had been planning on spending my evening. But in a strange way, it has been a good day. I’ve spent most of my time by my sister’s bedside. I’ve had plenty of opportunities to think about her, what she means to me, and how our relationship can be better. As much as I hate to see her in pain, the situation has brought a lot of things into focus. Read More »
Archives: Poverty
For Starters
Carrie Kintz
True confession: I have a love/hate relationship with writing about myself. (We’re all about honesty and transparency here at RV, so I’m about to blow you away. Or drive you away…)
I love it because I get to write about the things I’m passionate about. Hopefully some of those things resonate with you so we can talk about any issue and get to know each other in the process. On the other hand, I hate it because I feel like I usually come off sounding like a poorly written dating site ad. Here’s hoping I avoid that. Read More »
Archives: Poverty
May, 2010: Poverty
Rising Voice Staff
This month, we’re looking at the topic of poverty – at home and abroad.
The issue of poverty can be overwhelming. The stats associated with it are staggering – but it all really starts to hit home when you realize there are real people behind the numbers. The reality that men and women, boys and girls are dying from something as simple as the lack of clean drinking water is sobering – and can often be discouraging. Yet, as many of us sit in our designer clothes, play on our laptops and sip our grande lattes, the struggle others face to survive can often be the last thing on our minds – after all, can one person really make a difference when the problem is so immense?
Like you, some of us on the Rising Voice team really grappled with the discouraging feeling that there’s no way we can even make a dent in the issue of poverty. Still, we were determined to find out what could be done; so we set out to learn more – and we’re excited to share with you what we discovered. We want to encourage you that you really can make an a tangible impact in someone’s life!
There are already many 20-somethings who are helping to alleviate poverty and suffering, and we wanted to introduce you to a few of them. The millennials we’re highlighting are in different stages of life, with different incomes and different interests – but they’re all making an impact on the issue of poverty. We hope that as you listen to their and others’ stories and learn more about this important issue, you will also be inspired to get involved and make a difference!
These are a few of the stories that inspired us. We hope they’ll do the same for you. Remember, even big achievements – like the eradication of poverty – begin with seemingly small actions.
“Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” -John Wooden
Featured Video
Did You Know?
International
- 1.4 billion people (1 in 4) were living in extreme poverty, on less than $1.25 a day, in 2005.
- More than half of people in Sub-Saharan Africa live in extreme poverty.
- Over 884 million people in our world use unsafe drinking water.
- About 2.5 billion people lack decent sanitation facilities
- 1.4 million children die every year from diarrhea caused by unclean water and poor sanitation. This means about 4,000 children die a day or one child every 20 seconds.
- Over 10 million deaths per year could be avoided simply by making essential medicines more available to those living in impoverished countries.
- Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 67 percent of the total world HIV-positive population.
Domestic
- More than 39 million people live in poverty in the U.S.
- The poverty rate of more than 13% in 2008 is the highest it’s been since 1997, but still 9% lower than the number of people in poverty in 1959.
- Of those under 18 years old, 19% are living in poverty – in 2006 that equaled nearly 13 million kids.
- A child born or raised outside of marriage will spend 51% of his or her childhood in poverty.
- In 2008, the government spent $714 billion or 5% of the total economy on welfare assistance to individuals and families.
- Most Americans (58.5%) will spend at least one year below the poverty line during their lifetime (at some point between ages 25 and 75).
Dig Deeper
The first and most important thing you can do to help wipe out poverty is to find a way to personally partner with an organization or local group that is working to fight poverty. As you’re doing that, we also challenge you to think deeply about the root causes of poverty. Educate yourself by doing some research – the answers you find might be surprising. Here are some articles to get you started:
- World Bank’s Poverty Data: Check out more about poverty rates in countries around the world
- World Bank’s Poverty Net: Check out this brief overview about poverty
- Poverty in Africa: What History Teaches About Property Rights
Check out this fascinating article about the history of poverty in Africa - Heritage Foundation’s “Understanding Poverty in America”: Check out this powerful article on various factors related to poverty
- American Enterprise Institute’s Poverty and Welfare Research Area: Check out this collection of resources discussing poverty in America
- U.S. Census Bureau’s Links to Organizations Researching Poverty: Check out these links to agencies or organizations around the country providing information on poverty
Get Involved
Domestic
- Association of Gospel Rescue Missions: Learn about North America’s oldest and largest network of independent crisis shelters and rehabilitation centers.
- Kyle Korver Foundation: This is a great group committed to offering opportunities and hope to city kids across the country.
- Toilet paper drive: Check out this story about efforts to collect toilet paper for families in need in Colorado Springs and consider starting a toilet paper, food, or clothing drive in your own community.
- More Than a Meal: Check out this effort to provide meals and supplies to the homeless in Colorado Springs and consider starting an outreach effort in your own community.
- Love Bags: Find out more about this cool group providing zip-loc bag lunches to the homeless in cities across the country.
International
- Tom’s Shoes: This company will give a new pair of shoes to a child in need with every pair of shoes you purchase.
- Opportunity International: Check out this great group working to fight poverty by providing loans to help people around the world build businesses and provide better lives for their families and communities.
- Charity Water: Check out this non-profit organization working to bring clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.
- BeadforLife: This group is working to end poverty by providing opportunities for women to make and sell bead jewelry.
- Compassion International: Check out this organization that is providing opportunities for people to sponsor children in need and help break the cycle of poverty.
- Children’s Hope Chest: This great ministry is working to help meet the needs of orphans in countries around the world.
- Living Hope (AIDS): Check out this great ministry working to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS in South Africa.
- Watoto: this group is working to rescue orphaned and vulnerable children in Africa.
- Passion Go Center: Check out those organizations Passion07 partnered with to help stop injustice, care for the poor and bring hope to people around the world.
- CompassionArt: Check out this music album collaboration to raise money to fight poverty.
- Christian Music Artists – Songs of mercy and justice: Check out this music album collaboration to raise money for international relief efforts.
Related Videos
Take a look at our You Tube channel for more videos on this month’s rising issue.
