UNDERSTANDING POVERTY

Poverty speaks of more than economics. At its core, poverty is relational. The financially poor typically describe their condition in social or psychological terms such as inferiority, shame, isolation, and fear as well as a lack of voice and choice. And shame, described by some as a poverty of being, affects the financially rich and poor alike. Poverty involves a loss of purpose, meaning and hope. How we define poverty is crucial as this dictates our solutions or attempts at alleviation. Misdiagnosis is common and symptoms are often treated without addressing root causes. If poverty is relational, it will be in embracing our mutual brokenness and giftedness that we will be empowered to do good without increasing harm.