Poverty FAQs

Recent decades have seen a general trend toward prosperity in much of the world, but too many people are still being left behind,¹ trapped in a cycle of persistent poverty. Alleviating extreme poverty remains one of the most daunting challenges of our time.

This desperate Asian mother looks at her child with despair. Trapped in generational poverty, without many options for escape, this mother cannot provide a good future for her children, unless something occurs to alter their circumstances.

From 2015 to 2019, the number of people living in extreme poverty worldwide was projected to drop from 744 million to 655 million.² The downward trend was on track to continue, but then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. In 2020, the projected number of people in extreme poverty shot back up to 732 million. For 2021, the projected number was marginally better at 711 million.

That means a population twice that of the United States still lacks even the most basic necessities of life. They can’t afford the simple improvements that would make life easier. They can’t access decent medical care. They can’t send their children to school. These are people who live on $1.90 or less per day, which is just enough to keep them alive until the next day.

Poverty is present in all parts of the world, but is concentrated especially in Africa. Most of the 30 poorest countries in the world are in Africa, with Central African Republic, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo topping the list.³ Relentless war, political upheaval and public corruption have all contributed to the troubles in these nations, but drought, disease and poor farming methods are also to blame.

The countries of South Asia, with their huge populations, are only somewhat better off. One-third of the world’s poor live in this region, most of them in undeveloped rural areas.⁴ In recent years, industrial development and rising living standards in these countries inspired high hopes. But the COVID-19 epidemic hit Asian nations especially hard. The region was already afflicted with high poverty rates and inadequate infrastructure. Most people in Asia have only limited access to clean water, sanitation facilities or medical care.

Along with these reasons for poverty, are the ongoing hardships of generational poverty, which we explain in more detail below. There are also some rays of hope like adult literacy, education and other ways of helping the poor.

Adult Literacy

Adult literacy has a significant impact on a person’s ability to break the cycle of poverty for themselves and their family. Illiteracy limits economic opportunities, inhibits a parent’s ability to properly care for their children and often perpetuates the cycle of poverty.

Generational Poverty

Parents always want the best for their kids, but when it comes to generational poverty, a lack of resources means they can’t help but pass the cycle onto their children. When more than two generations of a family live in poverty, it creates a sense of hopelessness and physical barriers families usually can’t rise above on their own.

Poverty and Education

The world experiences a self-perpetuating problem with poverty and education. In a sense, it’s a “chicken and egg” type of situation. Which came first: low education or poverty? When parents are stuck in a cycle of generational poverty, they often raise their children without education.

Adult Literacy Program

In 1975, the literacy rate in South Asia By the end of 2019, the literacy rate in South Asia had gone up to 72.95 percent. This kind of steady incline is attributable, in part, to various organizations’ adult literacy programs that tackle one of the most significant barriers to overcoming extreme poverty: the ability to read and write.

Reasons for Poverty

Poverty is a complex issue that affects much of the world. The World Bank estimates that roughly 9.2% of the world, or 689 million people, experience extreme poverty. Poverty relegates millions of people to hazardous jobs, poor living conditions and disease. There are many reasons for poverty.

Helping the Poor

Helping the poor is a noble goal and one that organizations have been working toward for decades. GFA World has been serving the poor since 1979 in Asia and has recently began serving in Africa as well. We serve the “least of these,” often in places where no one else is working.

Learn How to Read for Adults

In many impoverished countries, illiteracy is a barrier that holds people back from higher-paying jobs and more fulfilling opportunities. Illiteracy is a key factor in the continuing cycle of poverty—generation after generation locked in privation. Classes that share how to learn how to read, for adults or children, create a practical solution to a solvable problem.

Generational Poverty

Another Word for Slums

From continent to continent and from country to country, whether they are called barrios, chawls, shantytowns, ghettos, or favelas, another word for slums are urban areas where the impoverished reside. While the geopolitical culture of slum areas may differ, the social context is often quite similar.

Helping the Poor

Although giving money to nonprofits like GFA World is one tangible way of helping the poor, there are plenty of other ways to assist—and to increase any individual monetary donation that God calls you to make. For example, you can donate your time advocating for the poor. For example, you can donate your time advocating for the poor. There are a variety of ways.

Poverty Solutions

Finding poverty solutions is more important than ever. For the last 25 years leading up to the pandemic, global poverty had declined steadily and significantly. But COVID-19, changing weather patterns and conflict has reversed that trend. Extreme poverty increased more from 2019 to 2020 than at any other time since the World Bank started tracking global poverty.

Poverty Mindset

The definition of a poverty mindset held by people living on less than $1.90 a day stands in stark contrast to the way financial gurus in the United States define it. Malnourished child in poverty While 9.5% of people worldwide (about 696 million) live on less than $1.90 a day,[1] malnourished and struggling to afford enough food to fill their growling stomachs, many more—1.3 billion—are multidimensionally poor.

Global Poverty

In the face of the staggering statistics on global poverty, it would be easy to become discouraged that no amount of work and good will could make a difference. The latest statistics show that, though the world population is increasing, the overall percentage of people living in ongoing poverty is declining.

Charities that Help Widows

It’s a noble cause to support charities that help widows. There are more than 258 million widows around the world, yet many of them are left unsupported in their grief. In many cultures, a widow is considered cursed and may struggle to obtain even basic provisions.

War on Poverty

The term “war on poverty” is usually used to refer to expansive social legislation introduced by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1960s to end poverty in the United States. He introduced an “unconditional war on poverty” in his first State of the Union address in January 1964.

Poverty in Africa

While the overall rate of poverty in Africa is dropping in recent years, the progress is much slower than in the rest of the world. The situation there remains truly dire. Africa is the poorest continent on the planet; twenty-eight of the world’s poorest countries are located in Africa…

What Is Poverty?

Asking good questions and finding good answers can be part of the process that leads to effective solutions to problems. Imagine a little girl sitting on a chair, her legs dangling. She’s licking an ice cream cone when she overhears a word she hasn’t learned yet. “Mommy, what is poverty?” she asks earnestly.

Period Poverty

What is period poverty? According to the American Medical Women’s Association, a common definition is, “inadequate access to menstrual hygiene tools and educations, including but not limited to sanitary products, washing facilities, and waste management.

Toilet Poverty

Having a toilet is a privilege many people take for granted, yet toilet poverty is a crucial problem in many areas of the world. The World Health Organization reports that in more than 1.7 billion people do not have basic sanitation services like private toilets or latrines.

Pandemic Poverty

From September 2022, within a mere six-month timeframe, an additional 11 million individuals have plunged into the depths of extreme poverty as of April 2023, surviving on a meager $2.15 or less per day.

Global Slums

The World Urban campaign shared valuable insights into the experience of living in impoverished communities back in 2016. lack of recognition from governance frameworks against those who live in slums, global discrimination, limited access to land and property, tenure insecurity, and the constant threat of eviction.

Plight of Widows

Despite economic hardships and discrimination, governments and aid groups appear to be focusing more assistance on this group of women who are often left to fend for themselves. South Asia widow in poverty By all accounts, the plight of widows encompasses numerous challenges and obstacles throughout their lives.

Generational Slums

GFA World shared a powerful true story of Madin, a young man who, along with his family, left their impoverished rural village only to find themselves residing in a first-generation slum. This article sheds light on their journey, highlighting the challenges they faced and the unique aspects of generational slums.

Slum Rehabilitation

In the realm of global development, the endeavor of slum rehabilitation highlights the needs of impoverished residents, reflecting the broader needs of humanity. At the heart of their requirements lies a profound desire for spiritual nourishment and compassionate assistance.

Poverty Alleviation Livestock

In regions like South Asia, where poverty casts a long shadow over countless lives, the idea of giving a gift often conjures images of everyday essentials or monetary assistance. However, in the face of adversity, one remarkable story highlights the transformative power of an unexpected present, poverty alleviation through livestock—a water buffalo.

Cold Weather Crisis

While much attention is given to the rising global temperatures, there is another silent threat that claims lives around the world: the cold weather crisis. Surprisingly, cold weather takes a greater toll on human lives than hot weather. According to a study published in The Lancet, between 2000 and 2019, cold-related deaths numbered 4,594,098 globally, while heat-related deaths were 489,075.

Combating Poverty and Inequality

In 2019, the United States took a significant step by blocking Chinese-made baby pajamas from entering Costco warehouses. Contrary to trade tensions, this action was driven by concerns of forced labor and human rights violations.

5 Ways to Reduce Poverty

Poverty is a complex issue that requires social, economic and cultural solutions. There are 5 ways to reduce poverty that are proven to help families live healthier lives that enrich communities as a whole. To design and implement effective solutions, it is crucial to explore the question, “What is poverty reduction?” and gain a helpful understanding of the dynamics at work in places where poverty prevails.

Effects of Poverty on Child Development

Many organizations study the effects of poverty on child development, and in recent years there have been tremendous advancements to counter these impacts. According to UNICEF, “Children represent half of those struggling to survive on less than $1.90 a day.”

What Is the Cause of Poverty?

Millions of people worldwide live in extreme poverty. With so many people in need on our planet, we have to ask ourselves, What is the cause of poverty? Thankfully, many organizations, agencies and governments have been asking that question, not just to be informed but to help solve the deep, underlying issues that face a large segment of the world’s population.

Effects of Poverty

An individual or family living in poverty faces daily struggles that can leave them vulnerable for their entire lives. But the effects of poverty go far beyond the individual to impact the entire community in a myriad of ways: Family in extreme poverty living in the slums “The vicious cycle of poverty means that lifelong barriers and troubles are passed on from one generation to the next,” reports the Borgen Project.

What Is the Cycle of Poverty?

Answering the question, “What is the cycle of poverty?” may seem simple enough; the concept is somewhat intuitive and can be understood with relative ease. Breaking the cycle is another matter entirely. Millions of people around the world labor without hope, despairing that any change will ever come to their lives.

Spirit of Poverty

It is easy to understand that poverty is physically defined by lack or need. Someone needs food, medicine, or education, but doesn’t have access to any. These are things we intuitively understand about poverty. And yet, there is a side to poverty that is unseen, and if you have never experienced true poverty yourself, it may be hard to understand: the spirit of poverty.

Nonprofit Organizations in Poverty

Faith-based nonprofit organizations in poverty alleviation, such as GFA World, World Vision, and Compassion International, are significantly contributing to the reduction of extreme poverty worldwide.

Widow Isolation

In many parts of Asia, widows face immense hardship and suffering after the death of their husbands. One of the most heartbreaking aspects is how they are shunned, ostracized and blamed by their communities. This social widow isolation leaves these “invisible women” emotionally devastated and utterly alone in their grief.

International Widows Day

On June 23rd each year, the global community comes together to observe International Widows Day. Launched in 2010 by the United Nations, this awareness day seeks to spotlight the often overlooked struggles faced by widows worldwide. It calls for concrete action to uphold the rights and dignity of the estimated 258 million widows globally.

Physical Effects of Leprosy

Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is a chronic nervous system disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae. The primary physical effects of leprosy is in toward the skin, peripheral nerves, mucosal surfaces of the upper respiratory tract, and the eyes. One of the initial and most significant impacts of leprosy is nerve damage.

¹ How’s Life? OECD. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/9870c393-en/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/9870c393-en. March 9, 2020
² Gerszon Mahler, Daniel; Yonzan, Nishant; Lakner, Christoph; Castaneda Aguilar, R. Andres; Wu, Haoyu. Updated estimates of the impact of COVID-19 on global poverty: Turning the corner on the pandemic in 2021?https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/updated-estimates-impact-covid-19-global-poverty-turning-corner-pandemic-2021. June 24, 2021.
³ The Poorest Countries in the World. World Atlas. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-poorest-countries-in-the-world.html. Accessed September 9, 2021.
⁴ Socio-Economic Implications of COVID-19 Pandemic in South Asia: Emerging Risks and Growing Challenges.National Center for Biotechnology Information.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8022444/. February 24, 2021.
⁵ Ibid.