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Acronyms 9
Foreword by Rob Bell 13
Introduction: Glimpses of Poverty 15
In 2004 I was at a market in Rwanda, watching a woman run her stall. She
was selling things and interacting with people, and the whole time she had
this huge smile on her face. Someone explained to me that not long ago,
this woman had nothing. No food for her family, no home, no money for
school for her kids — nothing. She was given a loan as part of a microfi-
nance program. With it she started her business, paid back the loan, built
a home that she has no debt on, and now sends her well-fed kids to school.
No wonder she was smiling.
I asked how much the loan was for: “Forty American dollars.”
Stunning.
And do you know what was done with the $40 when she paid it back?
It was loaned to someone else. And then someone else. And then someone
else.
Now I assume you’re thinking what I first did: What’s the catch? What’s
the scam? It’s too good to be true, so it must not be . . .
Because if it is true and legit and if microfinance really does have that
kind of effect on the lives of those in poverty, well, that would change
everything.
Which is what it’s doing. It’s changing things on a massive scale. And
every one of us can be a part of it. For a small amount of money, entire
families can be empowered to create entirely new tomorrows.
I hope this raises all sorts of questions for you, beginning with: How?
And to answer that question, you’ll have to turn the page and start reading
this inspiring, informative, moving, world changing, extraordinary book.
13
GLIMPSES
OF POVERTY
15
16 IN T R O D U C T I O N
G L IM P S E S O F P O V E R T Y 17
• Poverty in many parts of the world is far worse than most Americans
understand, but despite the significant depth and breadth of poverty,
the situation is not hopeless.
• Employment and economic development, not handouts, are the most
effective and lasting ways of addressing physical and spiritual poverty.
• This is a critical time for the church in America to fight poverty in a
way that demonstrates what the church stands for and not only what it
stands against.
18 IN T R O D U C T I O N
G L IM P S E S O F P O V E R T Y 19
20 IN T R O D U C T I O N
23
24 H O W B A D IS P O V E R T Y A N Y WAY ?
F L O W ER P E TA L S IN T HE FA C E 25
P8A 8263
26 H O W B A D IS P O V E R T Y A N Y WAY ?
F L O W ER P E TA L S IN T HE FA C E 27
28 H O W B A D IS P O V E R T Y A N Y WAY ?
choose? For that matter, would you rather be born into a poor family in the
United States or a wealthy family in Congo? There is no question that the
poor in America have much greater security, opportunity, and provision
when compared to developing countries.
Let us reiterate: it is not our intention to suggest that the poor in Amer-
ica suffer no pain or hardship or that the church should not be helping
the poor in our own cities. Rather, we wish to emphasize the extreme and
immediate needs of the poor in developing countries. There are people
who literally struggle to survive every day of their lives. The extent of this
global poverty is staggering. As of July 2007, there were approximately 6.6
billion people living on earth. Approximately four billion live on less than
$4 per day, nearly all of whom live in developing countries. Their incomes
are distributed in the following way:
F L O W ER P E TA L S IN T HE FA C E 29
WHAT NOW?
Ruth Callanta, founder of the Center for Community Transformation in
the Philippines, wondered, “Why do we live in a place that has so much and
yet there are so many poor? Are there not enough fish in the sea? Does the
earth not have the capacity to provide sufficient food? This cannot be what
God has planned for His creation. Something is definitely wrong.”15
Something is wrong. But in the haze of desperation and despair, hope is
breaking through. The church is beginning to combat extreme poverty in
a new way. This movement is radically different from traditional charity.
It focuses on long-term systemic change and lasting employment patterns,
not short-term quick fixes. It emphasizes the importance of partnerships
and local champions, not external “saviors” descending to solve the prob-
lems of the poor. The hope of the gospel is integrated through tangible acts
of compassion that have long-term reach, rather than simply providing
handouts that keep the poor in a position of dependency.
This is the beginning of a new movement led by microfinance minis-
tries, where small loans and local relationships are used to bring lasting
change to poor communities. The revolution has begun.
30 H O W B A D IS P O V E R T Y A N Y WAY ?