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From information by Poverty Cure

We often ask what causes poverty. But the real question is, how do people create prosperity for themselves, their family, and their community?

The Rev. Robert Sirico, President of The Acton Institute, sets the scene in this 2 minute video:
 


We are called to a loving and generous concern for the poor. Yet for many of us with a heart for the poor, the statistics are almost overwhelming. There is, however, reason for hope. Although we cannot create heaven on earth, we know what it takes for the poor to be able to create new wealth for themselves and rise out of poverty. Indeed, there exist powerful tools that could allow us to make enormous strides in creating prosperous societies. It is time to rethink poverty. It is time to put the person, made in the image of God, at the center of the economy. It is time to help unleash the entrepreneurial spirit of the developing world.

When we put the person at the centre of our economic thinking, we transform the way we look at wealth and poverty. Instead of asking what causes poverty, we begin to ask, what causes wealth? What are the conditions for human flourishing from which prosperity can grow? And how can we create and protect the space for people to live out their freedom and responsibilities?

It is time to move:

  • From aid to enterprise
  • From poverty alleviation to wealth creation
  • From paternalism to partnerships
  • From handouts to investments
  • From seeing the poor as consumers or burdens to seeing them as creators
  • From viewing people and economies as experiments to pursuing solidarity with the poor
  • From viewing the poor as recipients of charity to acknowledging them as agents of change with dignity, capacity, and creativity.
  • From encouraging dependency to integrating the poor into networks of productivity and exchange
  • From subsidies and protectionism to open trade and competition
  • From seeing the global economy as a fixed pie to understanding that human enterprise can grow economies


Hear from some voices from Africa in this 7 minute video:
 


Do you need to review what initiatives/charities that you are donating money to, to 'relieve poverty'? Are they just keeping people in poverty by not fostering enterprise? Perhaps take a look at initiatives such as Sinapis, The Institute of Affordable Transport, Faith Driven Investor and Business as Mission? There are others..


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From information by Poverty Cure, 26/01/2022

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