The World Bank, defines poverty in strictly economic terms as  earning less than $1.90 a day.

Worldwide 600 million children live in extreme poverty. Almost half the world, over 3 billion people  live on less than $2.50 a day.

The poor themselves describe poverty in terms of suffering relationships.

A survey conducted in Pallisa in 2013 by one of the volunteers of Birds of a Feather asked the poor to describe poverty. Their answers provided the following:

• Dependence, always having to seek out others or to work for somebody else
• Marginalization, a poor person who is alone, has no support, doesn’t feel involved in anything, or is “never consulted”
• Scarcity, having nothing to eat, lacking the means to meet clothing, financial and educational needs, having nothing to sell
• Low esteem and inferiority, the incapacity to make decision, to feed or clothe oneself, or to act on one’s own initiative.

Poverty Described

Poverty is a cancerous, thieving parasite plaguing the destitute. But it’s not invincible.

Poverty is an overwhelming, frightening and debilitating beast. But it can be defeated. Child sponsorship helps.

Poverty is an opportunity to provide an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to kill the worm that eats away at children’s hearts, minds and self-esteem.

It’s an opportunity to free a child from a life sentenced to dependence, scarcity and marginalization.

Hand a child the key to freedom. Sponsor a child

On average, a child in our sponsorship program spends 3000 hours in safe, nurturing programs, is at least 50 percent more likely to graduate college and is 35 percent more likely to find white-collar employment as an adult.

What does poverty mean to a child without a sponsor? It means a sponsor is needed.

Children in our sponsorship program are at least 30 percent more likely than their unsponsored peers to become leaders in their communities and at least 40 percent more likely to grow into church leaders.

Help one of these children dream. Give them courage to fight their fear. Lay the foundation for self-confidence. Provide some hope to a child who may be in the midst of losing hope.