We talk a lot about how Hope for Hearts strives to help children living in conflicted areas lift themselves up from poverty to prosperity through education. In these next two editions of the Weekend Word we’ll be analyzing the words poverty and prosperity and what it means to carry out our mission.
In this Weekend Word, we’ll start with the problem our children face – Poverty.
pov·er·ty
ˈpävərdē/
noun
- The state of being extremely poor.
- The state of being inferior in quality of insufficient in amount.
Many would say that the children we serve lived very poor lives prior to coming to our school, and according to the first definition of poverty, this is true. Many of the children were barely surviving – lacking in basic necessities such as food, clean water and shelter. Many also lost their parents to the AIDs epidemic and may not have older family members to take care of or guide them.
While the first definition may be true – it’s undeniable that they came from poor living conditions – the children are not “inferior in quality or insufficient in amount.” Every child we serve has many great qualities. Despite all they have gone through, they have ability to smile and determination for self-improvement. They simply lack access to a good education, which is key in improving their situation. The second part of the definition is simply not true for our children.
Bill Gates once said “If you’re born poor, it’s not your mistake, but if you die poor it’s your mistake.” While I don’t wholly agree with this statement, I believe what he’s trying to get at is that it takes determination, hard work and a will to build yourself out of poverty. If you do nothing, you will get nothing. If you work hard, you will improve your situation.
This statement was likely said in a context that applied to people living in a first world country where most children have access to free education and systems to help take care of those living in poverty. In third world countries, children often lack access to free basic education and welfare programs for those in need. What these kids do have is the will and determination to improve their life.
It is our goal to help these children by providing free access to education so that they can lift themselves up from poverty to prosperity.
Peace,
Cristen
