Can I ask you a question? How do you define poverty?
When I look up the definition of poverty, this is what I find. Poverty is a multifaceted concept, which includes social, economic, and political elements. Absolute poverty or destitution refers to the lack of means necessary to meet basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter.
Relative poverty occurs when people in a country do not enjoy a certain minimum level of living standards as compared to the rest of the population and so would vary from country to country, sometimes within the same country.
When we started What Color Is Hope.org our goal was not disaster relief which is very necessary when horrific circumstances arise. Thank goodness for the NGO's and larger nonprofits who can raise multiple millions of dollars to reach disaster-torn areas quickly.
Instead, our goals were to address poverty on a more personal level. Reaching individuals and families who needed a hand up and not just a handout. We wanted to do something that had a long term affect on the daily living standards of people we could know on a first name basis.
The creation of our Vocational Training Center called " First Step." is helping one person at a time out of poverty. Simple job skill training linked to internships with local businesses.
The individuals we are helping can't even afford transportation to get to the training, so some our cost is transportation. Equally important is mentorship. Someone to be there to encourage and support the students while they were taking the training.
Even though they do have clothing, shelter, and food, what they don't have is the means to enjoy a standard of living compared to the rest of the population. We are not talking about elaborate living either.
Some coin this term as relative poverty meaning their living standards are far below the general population.
We are still addressing basic needs such as better living conditions, better clothing, and better food choices.
You may be thinking because someone is making $10 a day the cost of living must be lower, so their $10 goes further?
Nothing could be further from the truth.
One of the reasons we like to take people with us to the Dominican is so they can experience first hand what kind of poverty people are facing.
It opens the eyes of our understanding and compassion on a whole new level. Nothing will ever take the place of a personal experience especially for young children and young adults.
Think about this for a minute. You could totally lift a person out of poverty for as little as $50 a month for three months. One $5 cup of Starbucks a day could change someone's life forever!
We invite you to partner with us and donate on our website or take a family member and come on one of our trips.
John F