Poverty Mindset
Poverty is often viewed as a set of circumstances, but the poverty mindset is a huge part of poverty. The generational poverty mindset is described as a hopelessness that comes from the cycle of poverty. If your grandparents grew up in poverty, followed by your parents, and now you are also living in poverty, there is often a poverty mentality which believes that you cannot escape the hardship that surrounds you. Without hope, the blinders are set and it is difficult to remove them without a change in mindset.
For many, generation after generation have been trapped within this cycle. It’s all they have known. So the pertinent questions are these: How to break the cycle of poverty and change the course of a life?
At GFA, we have learned that these are the most effective keys to breaking this poverty mindset:
Child Sponsorship
Child sponsorship through our GFA World tells a child how important he or she is. Children understand that someone across the world is investing in them, sending them letters, and believes in them. By investing in children, we can break the mindset of poverty early, especially when a child receives an education and sees their potential.
Children in this program benefit through community development projects which improve access to things like clean water, medical care, educational opportunities., Children may also get access to cultural experiences, safe places to play, and caring adults. Each of these aspects is vital to breaking the mindset poverty has over children.
By participating in the GFA World’s child sponsorship program, you can be the one who breaks into this cycle and allows a child to dream of the future. Thousands of children carry with them a new sense of hope as they dream of becoming doctors, teachers, government workers, computer specialists and more. They are learning to dream big and are discovering a better future is within their grasp.
Resources and Gifts
When a family living in poverty is given an income generating gift, their entire outlook can change. Gifts such as sewing machines, pull-carts, bicycles, goats, chickens and cows are among the many items that help families become financially stable. Such a gift gives the family a way to thrive. For a gift to be truly impactful in helping bring a family out of poverty, it must last as long as possible—generational poverty isn’t broken in a day. That’s why the gifts above are great options.
Through these gifts and resources, distributed by GFA workers, we are giving individuals, families and entire communities a way out of destitution.
Community Development
Clean water wells, water filters and toilets help increase the health and well-being of an entire community. These may sound like simple things, but a person’s mindset changes when they don’t have to walk miles for clean water or to relieve themselves in the open. These items bring moral and hope. Giving someone dignity is a way to break the cycle and mindset of poverty.
Hope and the knowledge that God loves them
When people understand they are loved by God and made with a purpose, it makes a tremendous and life-changing difference.
Poverty tells people they are worthless and of little or no value. God says the opposite. Everyone was made in God’s image with purpose and value. Oppression tells people they have no hope. God’s Word gives hope and a future through the life-giving message it bears.
When people know that Jesus loves them, creating a way for them to be right with God, they begin to understand their self-worth. They are valuable. They are loved.
Oppression can be trampled out by love—the love of God.
The mindset of poverty is powerful. It degrades and constantly reminds a person of their deficiency and external circumstances. This continues generation after generation. When that mindset is broken, hope enters the picture. A person can dream again.
We invite you to join us in breaking the cycle of poverty. You can help us provide hope in some of the poorest areas of the world. Whether it be through child sponsorship, an income-generating gift, community development, or sharing the hope of Jesus, each aspect is key to making a difference in someone’s life.
