What is poverty

Poverty is complicated. Let’s break it down.

Around the world, nearly 700 million people live in extreme poverty, surviving on less than $2.15 a day. That’s 1-in-10 people surviving on a toonie.

Global poverty is one of the most pressing issues facing our world today. It fuels violent conflict, causes child deaths, stops kids from going to school, reinforces gender inequality, and crushes future opportunities. The world is in a poverty crisis and it can feel overwhelming. But, together, we can find the root causes and end poverty.

A Burundian mother holds her young child while leaning against a tree in front of a lush green background in Burundi

1 in 10

people worldwide survive on less than $2.15 a day

Global poverty is a vicious cycle

Poverty creates a trap that is hard to escape. Families don’t have enough food to eat, so kids don’t have the nutrients they need to grow. Communities can’t access clean water, causing chronic sickness. Parents struggle to make an income and pull their children out of school to help with labour. Children are left without an education, limiting their future opportunities. As a result, they often grow up to struggle to feed their own families.

Can you see how the cycle of poverty spins on through generations? But it’s a cycle we can break! We need to find the root causes of poverty and start there.

A father smiles at his young son and holds his infant daughter while sitting in their shelter in a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh

Finding the root causes of poverty

We asked people in our partner communities how they would describe their own experiences of poverty. “We felt mentally broken and inferior — we suffered greatly.” “We were always voiceless in our community. I felt so unhappy that, as a father, I could not provide for my family.”

You can see from their raw responses that poverty really is about more than a lack of money or “stuff”. That’s a symptom, not a cause. The roots of poverty are found in broken relationships — specifically, these four relationships that live at the core of our identity.

God

When we’re not connected to God, everything else falls out of sync.

Others

Conflict with others leads to injustice and inequality — the root of most material poverty.

Self

A distorted self-image produces anxiety, insecurity, aimlessness, and poor decisions.

Creation

Consuming our environment rather than taking care of it hurts our planet and ourselves.

When any one of these relationships breaks, we experience poverty. As Christians, we believe that Jesus makes healing in our personal lives and communities possible, and that he cares about ending all forms of poverty.

Learn more about poverty →

A Bangladeshi woman wearing an orange headscarf sits in front of a sewing machine and smiles while sewing a sanitary pad in Bangladesh

Healed relationships helped Moriam overcome poverty

“I had no skills to generate income. Then I joined a women’s health group, took sewing training, and learned to make low-cost sanitary pads. I am fortunate that I know how to take care of my daughters and other girls in the community.”

— Moriam, Bangladesh

How can we break the cycle of poverty, together?

Together, we can break the cycle of poverty by addressing root causes, rather than patching up symptoms. And this involves Canadians like you!

A graphic displays how Canadians can partner with communities to develop sustainable solutions to the root causes of poverty, such as food security, local leadership, clean water, quality education, leading to resilient communities

We rally churches, strengthen marriages, teach conflict resolution, and help heal hearts so communities can make the changes they want. And you can join us! Whether it’s a one-time gift or a monthly journey, you can make a difference.