Category: Poverty

Will we always have the poor among us?

Poverty in Uganda
Poverty in Uganda

Is extreme poverty inevitable? Is it possible to eliminate it? Will we always have the poor among us or will people eventually say, “it is no longer acceptable to have others living this way”?

Jesus was in the home of Simon the leper. A woman came with a jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head. Judas Iscariot objected and said the perfume, worth a years wages, could have been sold and the money given to the poor.

Jesus replied with a verse that is often misquoted, or quoted out of context.

“You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me”
(John 12 verse 8)   Continue reading “Will we always have the poor among us?”

Can we hope for a better world?

hope for a better world?
Hope for a better world?

About 30 years ago, at the height of the “Cold War” between the West and the Soviet Union, there was a possibility that mankind could be wiped out by a nuclear war. Those fears proved groundless (well at least for now). I remember writing an article in which I said, that basing our defense on a policy of revenge, was unethical, and the evil of that policy corrupted as all. A Christian friend of mine said that as the world was going to be destroyed by God, being concerned about the state of the world was like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

Some questions:

What a Wonderful World

Earth from Space
Our Wonderful World from space

I am very aware that we live in a world full of suffering, hardship and poverty. Yet there is hope, there is room for optimism. We live in a truly wonderful world. I have a passion to eliminate poverty and so there is a tendency to be pessimistic about a world with almost insurmountable problems. And yet when I look at God’s creation and understand that He has a plan for this world, hope and optimism bubble up. I declare myself an optimist with dreams of a better future, but with my feet realistically standing in the present.  Continue reading “What a Wonderful World”

Reducing poverty by Education

Picture of siblings living in extreme poverty ...
Picture of siblings living in extreme poverty in El Salvador. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

To eliminate extreme poverty there is no magic bullet. The causes of poverty are many, varied and interdependent. Education is a key to lifting people out of the cycle of extreme poverty and preventing one poor generation producing another poor generation.

Of course, education alone is not enough. Childhood diseases prevent children attending school and undernourishment of infants can cause brain damage which prevents them achieving their full potential. Continue reading “Reducing poverty by Education”

A School in Kampala

A Classroom in Kampala
A Classroom in Kampala with temporary walls and ceilings

It was a hot, humid day. We were standing in the headmistress’ office in a primary school in Uganda. She was explaining how many of the poor families who sent their children to the school would not be able to afford to send their children to secondary school. I looked into the eyes of many of these children and saw that they were intelligent and willing to learn. The tragedy struck me then. These boys and girls could not progress further with their education which will mean that they would not get decent jobs and so one poor generation Continue reading “A School in Kampala”

The abolition of extreme poverty

Extreme poverty

Extreme poverty exists when people lack the basic requirements for life.

  • Lack of income means that the family suffer from malnutrition
  • Lack of capital means there is no buffer when disaster strikes
  • Lack of medicines to deal with preventable and curable diseases
  • Lack of clean drinking water
  • Lack of even primary education
  • Hopelessness, with no possibility of getting out of the situation.

Continue reading “The abolition of extreme poverty”

Selfishness or Compassionate Giving

Illustration from below book
(Photo credit Wikapedia)

Why should we give our money to other people  or to a charity? We live in a world largely based on selfishness and greed. The theory behind capitalism is that if we all look after our own interests then we will all prosper. Is there a future for altruism based on compassion and justice?

But a system based on selfishness simply does not work. The poor stay poor. Those who are less able, physically or mentally, get ignored and fall by the wayside. In practice, society has to intervene in some way. The community, church, government or the charitable sector has to care for those left behind in the mad scramble to obtain wealth.

We have all been sickened by hearing of the super-rich avoiding tax and therefore stealing from ordinary people who have no choice in paying tax on their income. We hear of politicians fiddling their expenses. Continue reading “Selfishness or Compassionate Giving”

Modern Slavery

Slavery has existed throughout human history and still exists in the world today in various forms. Estimates of people living in slavery vary, but it is probably between 12 million and 27 million. But in most countries of the world, slavery is illegal. So how come it is still tolerated? Continue reading “Modern Slavery”