Facing the Issue: Poverty |
Jane's Story |
| I worked in Africa with TEAR Fund, and have also visited India. I came face to face with poverty. In India the railway children really shocked me, living in such awful slums. | |
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My first reactions to poverty were mixed and hard to pinpoint:
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I wonder how you would react living with people who only had one good set of clothes that they wear with pride to church on Sundays? The rest of the week they wear a t-shirt with more holes than cloth and walk barefoot - not as a fashion statement - that's just all they have. |
| People have no running water to their mud brick houses, and may have to walk a mile or so with a bucket to fetch river water - often it's the young girls who do this at 6 a.m. In my house in the U.K.I have 6 taps, several of you may have more in your house. In the hospital where I worked in Nigeria, we had one tap for the whole hospital; a lorry bringing river water filled this tank. By the time I left we had three taps from a mains water supply for the hospital, but the water was turned off many hours a day. |
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I certainly felt quite guilty being part of the 'haves', living amongst the 'have-nots'. The statistics say one third of the world's population use up two thirds of the world's resources. The fact is you and I are part of that privileged third. It certainly is not fair, why do we have so much and they have so little? Do I have any responsibility towards others less well off? - What does Jesus say in The Bible, Luke chapter 10 verses 25 - 37? What is poverty? It's not just a shortage of money. Poverty is a web of inter-related circumstances that leaves the person feeling trapped and helpless, unable to break out. Poverty is about people whose day-to-day struggle to survive leaves them with no energy, people who are voiceless in society, and who lack power to make choices and so change their circumstances. I often felt frustrated that I was not able to do more to help. I would love to rush in with a magic wand and make their life easier. But would them having a Father Christmas figure really help them and their self-respect and dignity as children made in the image of God? TEAR Fund's motto is "Christian action WITH the world's poor", and that's what I had come to do - to work with Nigerians to empower and enable them to help themselves and their community. |
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In the wet season I had a system that collected rainwater off the roof of my house into a tank. If I was sparing with this I could get through a large part of the dry season without having to collect water from the river. A good system, but what would I do if someone knocked on the door to ask for a drink of water? Easy. The Bible says give it to them. But what about 20 students each coming for a bucket of water - what would you do? I survived the isolation and poor living conditions by going every 6 weeks for a two hour drive to the capital. I would visit the swimming pool at the Sheraton Hotel, where there were wonderful hot water showers, and beautiful relaxing surroundings. But I lived with people who may never have been to the capital - was it wrong for me to go? Poverty is about lack of choice. Having come home I found the scope of choices that faced me each day overwhelming. I remember going to Boots to buy a toothbrush and coming away without one. Did I want nylon or bristles? Hard, medium or soft? What shape did I want? What colour? |
I learnt that what people valued was to have time to listen and care for each other. I may be rich materially but what about the time I have for other people? I learnt how much people valued time spent with them to bring their concerns and needs to God in prayer, a God who did literally give them their daily bread. In the Bible Jesus reached out and touched the man with Leprosy (Luke chapter 5 verse 13). He got involved. Africans are so thankful for the little they have, saying grace before meals to thank God for his care. But in England, where we have so much, do we ever stop in the rush of each day to thank God for all he has given us? How can I help give a voice to the voiceless? How can I help give people the tools and skills to be able to change their situation? How can I enable local Christians to reach out in Jesus' name and tell the poor they are not forgotten, they are loved and precious to God? |
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Can I encourage you to contact a charity organisation and get involved by prayer, by giving, by advocacy, by going? "There will always be some among you who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share your resources freely with the poor." |
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Go back to 'Issues - Poverty and Wealth' |