yes!!! must generate income within the community

I admire Kennedy's thoughtful actions that include EVERYONE affected by poverty - not just him or his family.

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this could be effective in the slums of western countries too

I also believe that there is a lack of communication between poor people about what they could do to solve this problem. Once again, this ties in with the hopeless attitudes many of these people adopt.

yes!!!!!!!

it would be interesting to see a cross between women centers and development workers to help with this situation

this is getting them to stand on their own feet again. they own the money that they have and they know how to generate more of it.

exactly! there is a sense of western heroism that seems to be played in poor countries. most charities claim that the "50 cents a day" model will help save a child's life, but that's not a sustainable solution. what happens when those 50 cents runs out? does the child know how to provide for him/herself just because I donated my leftover change? these are harsh realities we need to face. No one puts change in a box and truly believes that they saved a life. Living requires OWNERSHIP of one's life. Not reliance or dependance on other people (or in this case, countries).

for poor families, there is no option of this idea merely being a phrase.

YES! too often, volunteerism turns into voluntourism. short term service trips aren't necessarily BAD, but the heart and reason behind these trips often revolve around US. how do we feel after these trips? what do we get out of these trips?

like i've mentioned before, there seems to be a trap or an endless cycle with poor families. it is important to start building hope in children whose families cannot afford to put education as a priority.

I actually sponsored a child through Compassion International. Although there were several problems in how the organization worked (especially in the Mexico branch), I can see how hope would be planted for these young children.

in fact, the opposite is true: without microfinance or microsaving, families will continue to spend their money on needless things such as drugs and alcohol.

the majority of the poorest people are farmers who rely on livestock to help produce crops or pull carts. livestock is also extremely expensive, especially to the farmers who only ear a dollar a day. by gifting people these livestock, they have less stress about splurging money on one animal, and can rather think about working and sending their children to school.

hope that THEY can stand up on their OWN two feet and continue this hopeful cycle of saving money and making a business without outsider help eventually

I think more than anything, this is the attitude that the aid workers have to know how to handle. Countless of attempts have tried and failed. As we continue to reach out, it's no doubt tiring for these communities to get their hopes up every single time a new group comes. It's imperative that we keep this in mind and work out a solution that will combat this kind of attitude. This makes me really sad.

Like I stated earlier, it seems that most poor people have the mindset that they are stuck. This is why they spend their money on drugs, sex, alcohol, etc.

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THIS IS WHAT WE DO NOT RECOGNIZE! How stressful would it be not knowing when your next meal was? Or how far a certain bundle of money will get you and your family? It would be extremely depressing to have to get up in the morning and face these exact concerns every. single. day.

this could cause a fluctuation in income as well

we see the importance of familial bonds. if mothers are too depressed to take care of the child, there is no stop to the endless cycle of both the depression and the poverty. also to note, there are several instances where people with mental illnesses have a family member who suffered with mental illnesses as well.

YES! how many homeless people suffer from mental illnesses? it's important that we realize that poverty is not a SINGLE problem.

which almost seems unavailable for the poor.

this may be why there is a recurring cycle of poverty within these nations. it's important for education to be a priority ESPECIALLY in dire situations like poverty. if children are educated about microsavings (even on a basic level: for every two pennies you get, put one away), they are more likely to develop better skills in saving when they are older. Similarly, if they are educated about substance abuse and drugs, they are less likely to turn to that as well.

poor people may think that there is no hope for them, which in turn feeds into their bad habits and money-spending decisions.

poor people are human too

Even in urban, developed societies, this can be relatable. As women, it is unfortunate that we are not expected to help generate income for a family. While times are certainly changing now, it is important for women EVERYWHERE to show that they are more than capable of putting food on the table. money is power in situations like these.

this goes to show that the living quality of people effects EVERYTHING from relationships to health to education.

this is bound to have a powerful effect on people. literally seeing the transformation of your family will push you to invest more time into your family. for Alfred, that meant cutting out his moonshine, girlfriends, and smokes.

one fault of this model

not giving the solutions out has hand outs is proving to be far more useful and effective

This is another problem. There is a cycle that seems to entrap people and their families within poverty.

YES! Just because it may not affect us directly, it does not mean that we should go into development work with any less meticulousness that businesses require.

example of sustainable change

THIS is helping people stand on their own two feet.

THIS IS GOOD! at the very least, the majority of women were exposed to this model and most likely told the remainder of their friends who are not signed up about it. awareness is the first step.

oh okay just kidding to my last annotation. I guess when people are given a large sum of money when they're not usually exposed to that, they immediately turn to the bad stuff. I was too optimistic. this is why lottery winners never have bright futures.

this doesn't help the farmers to get out of poverty because they will most likely spend more money on the things they need ASAP (which are probably expensive). this can include irrigation systems, a mule or horse, school uniforms/books, etc.

genuine question: is this affordable?

health and education work together!!! if you can't have good health, there is a very slight chance you can have a good education. this is why it's important for us to regard ALL aspects of poverty byproducts

this is how we'll find answers that will help these countries stand on their own two feet.

subjects that may seem completely unrelated to saving the world are the very ones that do

this may be because we perceive "saving the world" is a sociological complex only - in other words, we neglect the fact that there are (most likely) equations to WORKING solutions

exactly!! there is no difference if we cannot make sustainable change happen. there is bound to be solutions where we can help improve the quality of their lives not just for one specific instance, but for long periods of times that will hopefully end up to a more developed nation.

another issue is this: we cannot just put new innovations within the homes of poor people and expect them to be able to handle the complications accordingly. even in urban countries, we have specialized people who work with malfunctions in technology. when we just give people one tool, we can't expect sustainable solutions to arise.

when we approach poverty solutions from an AMERICAN standpoint, it's more probable that we're going to have a hit-and-miss. it's very unlikely that there are going to be sustainable solutions that work when we test them out in an already developed society.

poor health is another byproduct of poverty. malnutrition, dirty water, lack of sanitation, etc. leads to disproportionate deaths.

lack of education is a byproduct of poverty

interesting to see how the author starts off with "trendy" - shows that it appeals best to people if they know others are into it as well