What is Poverty?

Living in a place where there is poverty all around me, and where I am basically living as the people are living, has caused me to question what exactly is poverty? From a western mind-set, poverty is a lack of material goods. And while this is true, that is only the tip of the iceberg. I've talked to people here and I've discussed the issue with other missionaries and this is what I've come up with.

Poverty is a lack of material goods. Poverty means not eating some days of the week for lack of funds. It means that parents can't send their children to school, or buy new clothes for them when they outgrow their old ones. It means that some people walk many miles every day to get water for their families. It means that people die from preventable diseases because they can't afford the medicines needed to cure it. To me, I would call these the external poverties.

But I think that the thing which harms people even more than these external poverties is something I'll refer to as the "poverty of the mind" that plagues people in underdeveloped countries. This is a mindset of poverty; a feeling that you have no power to do anything that can change how things are. People see problems and they don't do anything about it. Instead, they blame the government for their problems, and they say that the government should do more. Many people can see that the government is corrupt, but people here don't vote; especially not young people. Even if they don't like the government, they don't vote because they don't think that their vote will count for anything. Or, they think that even if they do vote, corrupt people will just change the situation. So the problem gets worse because no is doing anything to change the government or the problems that they see.

From what I can tell, all of this comes down to one thing: people don't feel like they have the power to change anything because their own situations are so desperate. People feel like they don't have the resources to bring about change and a better way of life, so they just don't do anything and accept the way things are. Or, worse, they just wait until someone comes in and "saves the day" by fixing the problem for them. And yes, by others coming in to help, it seems to be fixing the problem, but really it's like putting a bandage over a wound and not actually treating the infection that is raging inside. People are afraid to try and do something for themselves and they just wait until someone does it for them.

Sometimes I see this in class. There are certain students who always call me over saying "Madam I don't understand!" even after I've just explained how to do it and given examples. I try to refer them back to the examples and guide them through another one to make sure they're on track. But, I refuse to just give up the answers. I want them to do their own work. I want them to feel proud of themselves for accomplishing something. I don't want my students to feel like they can't do anything. I don't want them to think that they don't have any power to change the world around themselves. I want them to see that they are intelligent and that they have good ideas. I've done some journals with them concerning changing the world and things they can do to change what they see around themselves. I've even done a journal entry about what they would do if they were the president and how they could change the situations for people. I want them to start thinking about these things now, while they're young. I want to sow the seeds of change in their hearts now and I pray that they will grow inside those kids.

When I first came to Tanzania, my goal was to teach kids English and that was all. But now, my teaching has become so much more than that. While I am still teaching English, my goals have become more about personal development. I want the kids to explore and express themselves and the things that they want. I want to challenge the kids to think about things in new ways about things. I want my students to question things so that they can come to greater understandings about themselves and the world in which they live. I'm not sure when this change happened; I think it was a gradual thing, but I praise God that I get to teach English because it is a subject that lends itself towards self expression. I hope and pray that somehow this is the difference that I will make. Yes, it's good to teach them about grammar and tenses. Yes, it's good if they pass their exams and get into graduate school. But, to me, the great thing is the development of the person and new ideas. I hope that will be my legacy here.

May the Lord Bless You and Keep You,
~Christine