What are Some Ways to Reduce Poverty in the World?

Poverty is a worldwide problem. Across the globe, approximately 736 million people live under the poverty line, earning $1.90 a day or less.1 Many of these men, women and children lack basic essentials such as clean water, proper nutrition or education. Families struggle just to survive. Poverty is a complex problem, with various causes and symptoms, but there are some ways to reduce poverty in the world.

There are many organizations addressing worldwide poverty and its effects. Some organizations focus on raising awareness while others offer practical assistance to uplift impoverished people from their destitution.

This aid may include, among other things, educational assistance, vocational training or providing clean water.

GFA World has been serving “the least of these” since 1979, beginning in Asia and recently expanding into Africa.

Serving as the hands and feet of Christ, GFA missionaries help meet the needs of impoverished people, invest in their communities and empower people to rise out of poverty. Living in the communities they serve, national missionaries have unique insight into the unique needs within those communities.

A common need is educational assistance, since education and poverty are closely linked.

While education can provide a path out of poverty, poverty often presents formidable barriers to obtaining an education. The stresses of poverty have “suppressing effects on individuals’ cognitive development, executive functioning, and attention” that contribute to continuing the cycle of poverty, says an article in Psychological Science.2 Malnutrition, which is common among impoverished children, also hinders education as it stunts a child’s development and health; hunger also distracts a child from learning.3 This lack of education can strengthen the grip of poverty on a child’s life, limiting future prospects.

In contrast, “Education improves quality of life and provides needed skills,” says ONE, a global organization campaigning to end extreme poverty. “In fact, if all students in low-income countries had basic reading skills, extreme poverty could decrease by 12 percent.”4


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