Prosperity and Poverty in the Developing World

danny dulin

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Introduction

Outline for Prosperity and Poverty

Introduction:

We are Danny and Jacqueline Dulin and we are global workers sent out by Colonial to the city of Mitrovica Kosovo.

Most of you probably already know this and…

In fact, THAT is probably why you’re here with us instead of sitting at the feet of some far speaker.

But maybe you’re here because the title of this talk intrigued you.

And if it did, I wonder if it caused a TIDLE WAVE of questions to rush over you like it did me.

But first let me ask you a few questions[DD1] :

Raise you’re hand if you are living in prosperity? HOW DO YOU KNOW?

Raise you’re hand if you are living in poverty? HOW DO YOU KNOW?

Define Prosperity and Poverty

The dictionary definitions are:

Prosperity is the condition of being successful or thriving especially economic well-being.

Poverty is the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions.

These definitions are a bit subjective to me and cause me to ask a bunch more questions… LIKE:

Is Prosperity the end goal for those in Poverty?

Who decides what Prosperity is?

Who decides what Poverty is?

Those in Poverty or those in Prosperity?

World Bank says Poverty is anyone living at or below $1.90 per day.[3]

If Prosperity IS the indication that you are no longer in Poverty, does that mean living on $1.95 per day is Prosperity?

And what about the question of the “Developing World?”

WHAT is the Developing World? WHO is the Developing World?

Is Developing a method? OR Is Developing a status?

Who decides that the “Developing World” no longer needs to be developed?

[DD2]

How do WE decide to give?

(3:30 Minutes to here)

Statistical data for Prosperity and Poverty in the world.

Few people might describe Prosperity as a problem, but everyone would describe Poverty as an extreme problem in our world.

World Bank estimates that over 700 million people live at or below the poverty line. Interestingly…they describe this as a great improvement compared to numbers 20 some years ago BUT still they caution:

… the number of people living in extreme poverty globally remains unacceptably high! The work to end extreme poverty is far from over, and many challenges remain.[4]

In fact, they say:

…for those who have been able to move out of poverty…progress is often temporary: economic shocks, food insecurity and other factors threaten to rob them of their hard-won gains and force them back into poverty.

(This section is 1:05 Minutes total 4:35)

Introduce the industry of Aid[DD3]

Because God has created us with a conscience…we have a natural inclination to help.

Scripture shows us God cares very deeply for the poor and commands us to protect and care for them. ()

God commands us to freely open our hand to the poor and needy. ()

He warns us not to be silent but to open our mouths in righteousness to defend the afflicted and the needy. ()

James cautions us not to neglect our brothers and sisters but to meet their needs. ()

And who wants to be a Goat? Lest we forget our Lord’s judgement on the goats who were neglectful: ()

And so, from a heart of compassion and commandments of God…we act.

We give.

We give in a multitude of ways:

1. We conduct clothing drives…coat drives…shoe drives…food drives you name it. We drive it.

2. We drive it to send to the poor and to the “helpless.”

3. We send money to Aid organizations and charities.

We do all this never considering our acts of good will could ever have a negative impact.

Why would you? We see the pictures…we read the data…and we hear the commands of God. We just want to help, right? We’re CALLED to help.

But those at PovertyCure.org say:

…despite many good intentions, large-scale foreign aid plans have been largely ineffective. Trillions of dollars in aid over the last sixty years have been unable to lift the poorest countries out of extreme poverty.[5]

Here are some examples:

(This section was 2:30 total 7:05)

1. Kenneth Michel, C.O.O. of dloHaiti says:

In the 80’s, Haiti was self-sufficient on rice. Rice was eaten twice at the most 3 times a week. Rice was a luxury item.

After the earthquake, the West provided subsidized rice to Haiti. This caused the price of rice to drop dramatically. Now instead of once or twice a week, rice was on the table 3 times a day, 7 days a week.

This may have changed the Haitian diet, but what was the real impact of subsidized rice?

***WAIT FOR AN ANSWER***

It totally destroyed the rice industry in Haiti. It put all of the rice farmers out of business because they could not compete with free rice.

We think there was a food shortage after the earthquake; in reality, tons of Haitian food went to rot.

The earthquake did not impact the food supply, it impacted the exchange of food for money.

Mark R. Weber, Co-producer of Poverty-Inc says this:[DD4]

…by the time cash began flowing again, the market had been flooded with food aid to the point that selling food for a profit was a futile endeavor.

(1:27 to here from beginning of the section. Total 8:44)

This is not a criticism or an attack on humanitarian aid.

If disaster hits, we absolutely should rally to help those in need.

But, when humanitarian aid becomes a way of life, it often creates a problem.

Weber says, in principle there are appropriate food relief measures that can be taken in a severe crisis when a country's ability to produce enough food to sustain life is affected.

STILL, efforts must be made to work through local organizations and source food from the region as much as possible rather than shipping food from Europe or the United States.

2. President of Rwanda [DD5] Paul Kagame, says, Aid leads to more aid and more aid and more aid and less indepenence. There is a wrong notion for people that give money and aid feel good that they’re helping, but the best way to help people is to help people to be able to stand on their own.”

3. Eva Muraya, entreprenuer and brand strategist from Kenya says, When she was growing up, they didn’t have 2nd hand clothing from the west in Kenya. …Today, the influx of second hand clothing coming in from the West, has negatively impacted their textile industry in Kenya. Massive layoffs in the 80’s and 90’s, whole factories shut down. The cotton farms are all gone now because of the negative impact of apparel imports at a second-hand level.

4. Peter Greer, CEO of Hope International tells another story.

Two years prior to the Rwanda genocide a young entreprenuer made a large investment to start an egg business in his community outside the city of Kigali. His business was just starting to grow, but a well-meaning church from Atlanta began distributing eggs in his community to help them recover from the genocide. The distribution of free eggs put Jono out of business.

After one year, the church decided to focus its attention someplace else in the world. With Jono out of business and the church no longer distributing free eggs, this community now was forced to purchase eggs from another community.

All of the stories bring to light common understanding that most of us have never thought of.[DD6]

"Poverty does not end because people are charitable. For all of the charitable institutions that we've seen in the last century, these things do not account for the rise out of poverty of the poorest of the poor in the world. And, what is so 'scandalous,' to many people, is that what accounts for this rise out of poverty is business. It's enterprise. It's the application of human intelligence, of human action, of human will, of ingenuity into the economic sphere."

Rev. Robert A. Sirico, Founder & President of the Acton Institute.

(Stories took 4:17 minutes to tell bringing the time total to 11:23)

[DD7] As expert says:

Too often our aid and assistance misses the Key Question: How do people in the developing world, in poverty, create prosperity for their families and communities?[6]

Business is the best way to create prosperity. Governments can’t create wealth. Aid can’t create wealth. Charity can’t create wealth.

"What causes wealth is the creation of institutions and a culture where entrepreneurs are able to rise up and create value, create jobs, and create businesses that meet the needs and wants of others. And that's what markets are. They're networks of human relationships. Where people get together and solve problems closest to them, so that they can create prosperity that allows them to live lives of dignity." - Michael Matheson Miller, PovertyCure

Allowing individual human beings, created in the image and likeness of God, to create value and prosperity for themselves.

Those at PovertyCure.org propose that [DD8]

Poverty doesn’t exist due to people’s incapacity. Our focus should shift to the fact that people are poor because they’re excluded from circles of exchange, living without the rule of law, cannot get title to their property and cannot access justice in the courts.

People in poverty. People in the developing world do not want to be beggers their whole life. Nobody wants to live on handouts the rest of their life. People want the opportunity to take care of their own needs.

Here’s an example from the book Business 4 Transformation by Patrick Lai. It’s a conversation between a taxi driver and the director of an NGO.

Which project would you say is the greatest need of your people?

You choose and I’ll give to that project.

Don’t waste your money on any of them.

Well, what do you think the nGo should be doing?

They should be creating jobs.

Why jobs?

Sali replied, You asked me what we need. What we need are jobs.

If the NGO creates jobs for us, then we can decide if we need water or medicine or education. If they create jobs, then we can be in control.[7]

(This secition added another 2:51 minutes for a total of 14:15)

When my teammate Lavdim asked a Roma Gypsy, the poorest of poor people in Kosovo what are the greatest needs of his people he responded with one word, JOBS.

Patrick Lai, Author of Business for Transformation writes:

What is the greatest physical need of people? Spiritually they need Jesus, but physically what is their deepest need? Food, water, education— or respect? I would argue that respect is a greater need. When you give a person respect, they in turn respect you.

Nobody likes to be a charity case. What if we instead went in to serve the people by creating opportunities for them.[8]

And that is what we’re all about in Mitrovica Kosovo.[DD9]

But 10 years [DD10] out from declaring independence Kosovo remains one of the poorest countries in Europe:

1. Unemployment is 35%.

2. 50% of the population is under the age of 30.

3. Many people work outside the country send money back to families still living in Kosovo.

4. Men dominate the work force.

5. Only men can receive inheritance of land and property.

6. Rule of Law is incosistant at best.

7. Corruption is prevelent in many different forms:

a. Nepitism.

b. Cheating.

c. Etc.

8. Lack of critical thinking.

9. It is a culture of me, me, me.

(This section is 2 minutes, total 16:12)

Introduce the KLA (Express as a very common and effective ministry)[DD11]

Our Mission is: Improving our communities by developing young people who learn, live, lead and love with excellence.

We provide a STEAM based education, in English, to our students while showing them the love and saving grace of Jesus Christ through exposure to committed Christian teachers.

Unconditional love and the sacrifice of teachers is the distinguishing mark of the KLA.

And based on our biblical foundation, we strive to help students build strong character, develop habits of self-discipline, and discover their own values for making wise decisions in life.

While knowledge and skills are the tip of the iceberg, character is the foundation.

Allow me to reiterate PovertyCure.org’s proposal concerning Poverty:[DD12]

Many in Kosovo can identify with this proposal due to the corruption found at the highest and lowest levels of government.

We believe that the future of Kosovo lies at the feet of its youth and that KLA can effect change in the areas outlined in this proposal.

Through our Director and teachers, Jesus will create a paradigm shift in the culture by changing the thinking of the students as they rise-up the chain into positions of authority in the future.

We are building students of integrity. It is our aim that by the time they graduate, they will possess high moral values, that leads to living authentic lives in which speech and behavior match those values with conviction to take ownership of their choices.

We are cultivating a spirit of graciousness. They are learning respect and to love and honor others, emphasizing others over self with humility. This creates an instinct of generosity in which they sacrifice for others.

Finally, they are learning conviction to stay committed to completing tasks. They are developing the ability to confidently think for themselves critically.

Our Mission is to improve communities by developing young people who learn, live, and lead with excellence.

If we flood the workforce in all areas with this new paradigm, this new cultural thinking communities will be improved. We will be moving closer to curing poverty in Kosovo.

Education is a well known, conventional method to impact poverty. Now let’s talk about an non-conventional method.

(This section is 4:00 minutes. Total 20:12)

We believe at the Kosovo Leadership Academy that the influence of Christ in the lives of our students will

a. Describe how the KLA is living out “Give a man a fish.”

b. Describe how the KLA is living out “nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.”

c. Describe how God has provided opportunities to love the children as our own.

d. Describe how many opportunities we have had to share our faith.

e. TRANSITION: (Now to something very UNCOMMON yet still effective)

2. Introduce the KAE (Jax section)

a. Describe how the KAE is living out “Give a man a fish.”

b. Describe how this relates to Paul’s “I have become all things.”

c. Describe how the KAE has become a sanctuary for the Holy Spirit.

d. Describe how God has given us many opportunities to make His name known.

e. Describe how God has created and is nurturing relationships there.

3. Remind people that the Gospel mandate is to make disciples.

a. This takes many forms, but in our context it is relationships.

b. Illustrate how the relationships

4. End with KAE video.

5. Q&A

[1] Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003).

[2] Ibid.

[3] http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/overview

[4] Ibid.

[5] http://www.povertycure.org/statement-of-principles/

[6] http://michaelmathesonmiller.com/isi-poverty-charity-justice-handout/

[7] Lai, Patrick (2015-10-11). Business for Transformation - Getting Started (Kindle Locations 400-401). Kindle Edition.

[8] Ibid.

[DD1]In Kosovo, prosperity is possessing a U.S. Passport. Those of us that possess one take it for granted because we can travel anywhere anytime we want.

Not Kosovars. Before they leave the country to go ANYWHERE they have to apply and be approved for a Visa for that country and usually the answer is NO.

[DD2]Get a good definition of the developing world.

[DD3]When you read about this stuff it really breaks your heart doesn’t it?

And you KNOW from the depths of that broken heart you should do something. [DD3]

[DD4]Haiti is an example of the mistaken belief that the problem that needs to be solved is food. In reality, the problem that needed to be solved was exchange.

[DD5]“There is a school of thought where people think they owe poor people… to give them money without thinking about how they are going to use this money.

[DD6]This is really good news! Because Man was created to work. In the very beginning God put man to work.

Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.

Scripture says that Lack of work creates poverty.

For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.

In all labor there is profit, But mere talk leads only to poverty.

When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands, you will be happy and it will be well with you.

He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.

[DD7]http://www.povertycure.org/statement-of-principles/

Christians have sometimes looked to large, secular political entities and international organizations as the key for helping the poor. This is an understandable but inadequate response. First, many of these groups begin with a mistaken vision of the human person. If we are going to help the poor, we must first understand the nature, calling, and destiny of human beings. Second, despite many good intentions, large-scale foreign aid plans have been largely ineffective. Trillions of dollars in aid over the last sixty years have been unable to lift the poorest countries out of extreme poverty. It is time to change.

[DD8]http://www.povertycure.org/imago-dei-and-implications-for-poverty/

http://www.povertycure.org/category/rethink-missions/

Materialist anthropologies have tended to lapse into fixed-pie or zero-sum-game thinking when it comes to questions of wealth and poverty. In this view, people are reduced to mouths to feed with ever-decreasing amounts of resources. Alternatively, the Judeo-Christian understanding of humans sees people as sub-creators that have the ability to innovate and take resources and make them stretch further than could ever have been done in the past. When we rightly see all people as Imago Dei, the battle against poverty gets brighter.

1. [DD9]Inform them of the Prosperity and Poverty condition of Kosovo.

a. Describe a better way for our cultural context.

b. CIA data and others.

c. Corruptions contributes to poverty.

d. Poverty causes to live in the the moment as opposed to planning for the future.

e. What does poverty and prosperity look like in Kosovo.

f. How many NGO’s in kosovo.

g. Culturally, the family unit is fairly large. Its not just a husband supporting a wife and two kids.

h. Family members go abroad to work and send money to the family members left behind.

[DD10]If you came for a visit to Kosovo you would be hard pressed to see evidence of poverty. Especially when…***Give an explanation***

[DD11]They are to live with integrity, diligence, and graciousness and lead with conviction, confidence, and courage.

These KLA principles have been tested throughout time to usher in genuine change that impacts generations.

[DD12]

I think we can all agree with that great theologian Whitney Houston that “children are our future; we should teach them well and let them lead the way.”

I know there’s much of that song we wouldn’t agree with so please! Don’t email me claiming I’m a heretic.

But you can’t deny that we have a responsibility to train our children well because they will one day be in authoritative positions.

They are learning integrity that will prevent them from being susceptable to bribary.

They are learining compassion that will cause them to consider all people as equal and to fight to ensure everyone experiences justice.

They are learning that dishonesty is dishonesty whether they get caught or not.

They are learning selflessness that will cause them to ensure property is returned to their rightful owners.

They are learning diligence

They are learning graciousness that will cause them

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