Is Breaking the Spirit of Poverty Possible?

Yes, breaking the spirit of poverty is possible. However, in order to change someone’s life enough to release their mind from the idea that poverty is who they are, you need to give them a reason to hope.

According to one article on poverty and mindset, “A scarcity mindset is a mental shift resulting from a perception of limited resources. We have a limited amount of bandwidth in our brains, so any attention we devote to one problem cannot be used to solve another.”[1] In other words, a continual and endured stress of limited resources means someone cannot give any attention to the future or to things that are not going to contribute to immediate survival.

It’s this constant, generational stress that results in what is known as a spirit of poverty. It lingers and clings to everyone in the family, and if the situation doesn’t change, then that mentality is passed on to the next generation.

So, how do you give someone hope? How do you show them a way out?

GFA World has been using proven methods through the years that have truly helped those in poverty. One of those ways is through our gift catalog program.

In the catalog are items that donors like you can purchase, such as cows, pigs, goats and chickens. These farm animals are gifted to those in poverty by GFA missionaries who are constantly praying for those they serve and looking for ways to help change their lives. There are also other items that can improve a person’s income stream or business.

For instance, Rajbir is a farmer who was carrying his produce and walking to the market where he sold it. He could only carry so much as one person. A GFA missionary saw his need and was able to get him the gift of a bicycle. Rajbir was able to carry more and move faster, improving what he could offer from his farm and the time he could give to his business.[2]

“The Lord has been so gracious to me and provided me this [gift] free of cost,” Rajbir says. “I am so happy. Now I can carry all my vegetables from my garden to the market on this bicycle. I will be able to carry more. … I also will be able to take my children to school on this bicycle.”


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