How We Can Make a Difference to Struggling Communities Around the World
There is a great deal of poverty in this world. Millions of people live on less than $2 each day. With so much poverty in struggling communities, it is often difficult to come up with strategies that are the most effective in bringing needed help to people.
Even though making a lasting impact may be difficult, there are ways to make a difference. Following a five-step approach is helpful.
First of all, those who are affected by poverty in any given community have to be involved in the effort to combat poverty. Any group or charitable organization that is working with poor communities has to understand the culture of the group that they are working with. The leaders within the community need to be consulted as to what is the best way to bring aid to people.
After the leaders in a community are consulted, it is important to build up a group of people within the impoverished community who will form the basis of an organization that will distribute aid and services. This works better than simply giving aid to individuals. When the impoverished community is acting on its own behalf, the community feels a greater stake in the overall outcome of the program.
Those working with impoverished communities need to listen to the people as to what methods will and will not work. The people on the ground know what has been tried before. They know the methods that have succeed, and they know the methods that have failed.
In some communities, poverty is so entrenched that many don’t even know that there is another way to live. The people are discouraged, and they don’t have the vision to see that life can be better. For this reason, those who are seeking to alleviate poverty have to encourage people and provide them a vision for the future. The people have to come to the realization that they have the power to help themselves.
Finally, those who want to make a difference have to be willing to work for a long period of time. The causes of social injustice and poverty didn’t just manifest themselves overnight. It takes time for anti-poverty programs to work. For this reason, those who are fighting poverty need to stay positive and resist the feeling of becoming discouraged.