Reject Apathy - Poverty

Columns

The Salt of the Earth (and Chocolate)

By MariJean Wegert

I went to Starbucks recently to read the book of Matthew. I was homeless that week. Well, not really—but it was the end of winter break, and I was in that awkward few days before classes start up again, sleeping on friends’ couches and living on chicken nuggets and cold hot dogs. During the day, I wandered around the frozen city, looking for places with hot drinks and comfortable chairs. Not exactly homeless, but looking for a home. Read more...

Keywords

homelessness, conversation, relationship, community, intentional living, connection, poverty, marijean wegert

[40] Reactions

Carrying Each Other's Burden

By Cathy Herholdt

This week we received a donation of $60 toward our work at World Concern. While that might not seem worthy of its own blog post, it is. Trust me. Read more...

Keywords

world concern, nonprofit organization, donations, finances, compassion, giving, kim kargbo, women of hope international, cathy herholdt

[16] Reactions

Uno and Math Homework on Skid Row

By Rebecca Johnson

The overpowering smell of fish greets me as I climb out of the car. The Pacific Fresh Fish Co. overlooks an empty street. In a few hours these streets will be filled with people, tents and sleeping bags. Read more...

Keywords

children, homelessness, homeless people, community, skid row, los angeles, poverty, rebecca johnson

[45] Reactions

Who Are “the Bottom Billion”?

By Tony Chen

When we co-founded Movement121, and we first set out to fully flesh out our vision of transforming the lives of 1 million people trapped in unfathomable poverty to become self-sustaining, we started digging into who these people really are. Who should we work with to start this venture? Whose lives should we begin to knit our lives with? Read more...

Keywords

extreme poverty, global poverty, india, haiti, china, misconceptions, perceptions, stereotypes, movement121, tony chen, poverty, worldview

[17] Reactions

A Portrait of Strength

By Robb Paul

i am. strength. i am. endurance. i am. thankful. Today I have a job. Today I am bringing home money to my family. Today my family will eat. These bricks aren’t light but they don’t weigh anything compared to the load I carry daily. How am I going to feed my family tomorrow if they don’t ask me back? How will I pay for my children to get an education? Will my son do better in life than I did? I will be thankful for today. I will work hard so they do ask me to come back tomorrow. I will keep going, step after step, stair after stair. Read more...

Keywords

strength, resilience, india, work, work ethic, perspective, perception, photography, poverty, robb paul

[1] Reaction

Creating Something Better in Haiti

By Emily Cavan

Katie—an American—wants to know what it will take to improve Haiti. I am translating her questions for five young women who are studying journalism, and though they are smart and engaged, I expect this type of inquiry to stump us all. It is too broad; it relies on too many assumptions. Read more...

Keywords

haiti, hope, politics, government, corruption, emily cavan

[106] Reactions

Embracing Raw Community

By Jeff Goins

“How do you process something like that?” Paul asked, not really wanting an answer. He didn’t get one. Read more...

Keywords

homelessness, community, nashville, intentional living, friendships, relationships, poverty, jeff goins

[50] Reactions

Going "Glocal"

By Kelsey Timmerman

I was eating a doughnut the exact moment I realized I was a glocal. I sat in a small doughnut shop in Anderson, Indiana. Brothers Ben and Tim had emailed me hoping to meet after reading a piece I had written in RELEVANT about spending the night in the slums of Nairobi. Read more...