Breaking the cycle

CircleBroken.jpgWhat does it really mean when we talk about breaking the poverty cycle?

It’s the kind of phrase that we often use when we’re talking about helping those in the developing world but do we really understand what it means in practical terms?

Look at the man in the photo in this post. That’s what it means to break the cycle.

When we talk about the cycle we’re talking about those living in poverty having children who live in poverty with their poor lifestyle being handed down from generation to generation. When someone has little money they’re unable to create a foundation for their children to build a better life. Unless someone is prepared to step in, desperate poverty will be handed down through each generation.

The guy in the picture above came from a poor background and was sponsored through Compassion.

Something exciting has happened through the sponsorship of this young man. He is now the accountant for one of the Compassion projects we visited in Dominican Republic. He’s no longer relying on the support of others, he’s working and earning money for his family.

Now here’s the exciting bit … his son isn’t part of a Compassion project. He doesn’t need to be. Thanks to the generous support of this man’s sponsor, the cycle has been broken. Not only is he able to take on meaningful, paid employment, his son doesn’t have to rely on sponsorship to give him a hand up and he won’t have to pass down a life of poverty to his children.

As I saw time and time again during my trip to Haiti and Dominican Republic, sponsoring just one child does far more than touch just one life. Sponsoring just one child may effect generations of his or her family. What an amazing oppoprtunity we have to break the poverty cycle.



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About the author

Rodney Olsen

Rodney is a husband, father, cyclist, blogger and podcaster from Perth Western Australia.

He previously worked in radio for about 25 years but these days he spends his time at Compassion Australia, working towards releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name.

The views he expresses here are his own.

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14 Comments

  • Interesting post! I work as a volunteer teacher in Morocco and we have several projects going to help the poor in our town. Poverty really is a bad thing and like you said, parents pass poverty on to their children. We work mainly with children and women, teaching them to read and write.In the rural areas, less than 10% of the women know how to read and write.

  • it is so good to hear that even the support of one child – can mean so much … i’m glad that you are safe & sound, back home – and that tho’ you didn’t spend as much time in Haiti as you wanted, you did get to see the work in DR as well …

    blessings on ya!

  • Hey Rodney!

    Welcome back home!

    I would love to visit my child in Brazil. I pray that Compassion is helping him and his family to get out of that poverty circle. Igor is my third child and the first one was from Dominican Republic as well.

  • I have sponsored kids through world vision in the hope that they will have a better chance at a fulfilled life. Hopefully it will enable them to break their poverty cycle.

  • It really is that simple to break the poverty cycle, especially through generational change. Maybe it’s that simplicity that baffles a lot of people.

    We love equipping, empowering and enriching the lives of the Cambodian people and seeing that change come about!

  • Justin, thanks for your comment and thanks for the excellent post you wrote about the situation. It really is desperate there.

    We managed to escape some fairly dangerous situations but it’s heart breaking to think of the millions of people still facing such a struggle to simply survive.

  • Mayogi, thanks for dropping in and letting us know about the work you’re doing to help the poor in Morroco.

    There’s so much each of us can do when we take our eyes off ourselves and look around to see those in need.

  • It was an amazing trip, Saija.

    It is so good to feel safe at home but I’m now even more determined to do what I can to help those who don’t feel safe in their communities and homes.

  • Ron, I really had no real concept of just how much child sponsorship can do. To see the results first hand was incredible. I’m sure that your sponsorship has made a huge difference to each of the children you’ve sponsored.

  • Mark, great suggestion. I understand that Compassion is working in partnership with International Needs in some areas to do just that. The great thing about Compassion is that they don’t adopt a one size fits all approach. If there are specific needs in one area they will work to customise the solutions for that project.

  • Sire, I’m confident that your contributions through World Vision will make a world of difference to those you’ve sponsored.

    Our family has sponsored children through World Vision for many years.

  • Patrick and Carol, it was great to have you journeying with me through your interest and your prayer while I was away.

    You do such a great work in Cambodia and I guess it’s up to those of us who’ve seen how easy it is to make a difference to keep spreading the word so that more people can catch the vision.

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