GFA World Is Working to End the Spirit of Poverty
The spirit of poverty is a phrase used to describe the impact that poverty can have beyond the physical. It is easy to see that poverty leads to tangible deficiencies, like a lack of food, water, clothes or other resources, but poverty can also lead to poorer mental well-being. The findings of one journal state, “Within a given location, those with the lowest incomes are typically 1.5 to 3 times more likely than the rich to experience depression or anxiety.”[1] These mental illnesses, in turn, worsen economic outcomes. The impact of depression and anxiety on the mind results in skewed thinking and memory problems, directly affecting employment outcomes and decision quality, thus ensnaring individuals in an ongoing, self-perpetuating cycle of poverty and mental illness.[2]
Another study reveals how the spirit of poverty goes beyond mental illness and can impact the development of the brain itself. Research indicates that the brain structures of children living in poverty are significantly altered, areas crucial for learning and school readiness are especially affected. The delay in maturation of children’s brains leads to a lack of academic achievement.[3] So, poverty and cognitive development are also directly related and cause a cycle where children living in poverty struggle in school, cannot achieve higher-paying jobs and grow up to raise their own children in poverty, continuing the circle.
These signs of spirit of poverty—poor mental health and a lag in brain development—are just the beginning of the far-reaching impacts of poverty. Living hand to mouth kills ambition and dreams. The fruit of harsh childhoods is more of the same; these children’s own kids will grow up in the same hopeless circumstances.[4] There is, however, a factor that can make a huge difference between poor children who grow up to succeed and flourish and those who do not: hope.[5]
That is why organizations like GFA World are devoted to breaking the spirit of poverty with our ministries that open doors to new opportunities, and all this done in the name of Christ. When we meet people’s physical, mental and spiritual needs, we show them God’s love and give them hope for a brighter future.
So, what are some solutions to poverty? GFA World trains and equips national missionaries, who live among their own people in impoverished communities. They know firsthand the despair that can come with poverty, and they know how best to help. Whether it’s providing a Jesus Well for clean water, farm animals that produce income or blankets distributed to those suffering from the cold, the national workers provide for physical needs, giving people the opportunity to escape poverty and providing some hope.[6]
GFA World also has a Child Sponsorship Program where children living in poverty in Asia and Africa can receive the love and care that sets their lives on new and brighter paths. Shanie is just one person who felt the impact of this help and hope. Shanie’s parents were day laborers who wove bamboo baskets to earn extra income. Even with her older sister dropping out of school to help them and Shanie often skipping school to weave baskets as well, money was tight, and the family went to bed hungry many nights. Shanie wanted to complete her education, but it looked more and more likely that she, too, would have to drop out. She worried her future would always be the same: working constantly and still going hungry.
Things changed when GFA workers began helping parents enroll their children in our Child Sponsorship Program. At first, Shanie wasn’t sure what to expect of the new environment and teachers, but she quickly embraced the change and found great joy in the program. The staff ensured that she had whatever she needed—food, tutoring, school supplies and even healthcare. Each enrolled child received the same care and attention. Because of the program’s love and support, Shanie was able to finish her primary education, the first person in her village to ever do so. But she didn’t stop there; Shanie went on to university and completed the training to become a nurse. She said, “What I am today is only because of [the sponsorship program]. I am proud and thankful to all the teachers in the [program].”[7]
When her physical needs were met, Shanie could feel hope, aspire to a better future for herself and accomplish her dreams. GFA World’s community development approach to child sponsorship ensures that the children in the program are empowered with and through their communities to reach their God-given potential. The work we do in each community is dependent upon the specific needs that are present, but the program can provide for physical needs like food, clean water, hygiene training and healthcare, as well as training for parents and educational opportunities.[8]
As GFA World works to end the spirit of poverty that impacts the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of people’s lives, we need help. Consider partnering with us by sponsoring a missionary or sponsoring a child like Shanie. It doesn’t take much to make a huge difference in someone’s life, showing them God’s love and giving them hope for a brighter future outside the harmful effects of poverty.
Learn more about the life of Christian missionaries through GFA World[1] Ridley, Matthew, et al. “Poverty, depression, and anxiety: Causal evidence and mechanisms.” Science Vol 370, Issue 6522. December 11, 2020. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aay0214.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Hair, Nicole L., et al. “Association of child poverty, brain development, and academic achievement.” JAMA Pediatrics. September 2015. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2381542.
[4] Psarris, Emily. “Solutions to poverty-line problems of the poor & impoverished.” GFA World Special Report. November 15, 2018. https://www.gfa.org/special-report/solutions-extreme-poverty-line-poor-impoverished.
[5] Lu, Stacy. “Turning lives around with hope.” American Psychological Association, Vol 45, No. 10. November 2014. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/11/hope.
[6] “National Missionaries: About National Missionaries.” GFA World. Accessed November 10, 2024. https://www.gfa.org/sponsor/why-national-missionaries.
[7] “A Young Girl’s Journey from Poverty to Hope.” GFA World. October 4, 2021. https://gospelforasia-reports.org/2021/10/a-young-girls-journey-from-poverty-to-hope.
[8] “Sponsor a Child with GFA World.” GFA World. Accessed November 10, 2024. https://www.gfa.org/sponsorachild.