People thrive in an atmosphere of freedom: freedom to express their thoughts without fear of retribution, elect leaders who share their values, and pursue economic opportunities that lead to sustainability.
Consequentially, those nations with the fewest freedoms tend to experience the most poverty.
As you know, Bright Hope works among the extreme poor in five countries: Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Bolivia, and Haiti. Occasionally, I like to check out how these nations stack up to others in terms of the freedoms they experience on the Freedom House website.
Freedom House, a non-profit dedicated to defending democracy and increasing individual liberty around the world, has been around since 1941. In 1973, Freedom House launched the “Freedom in the World” report that measures the level of freedom in each nation, and ranking as Free, Partly Free, or Not Free.1
Freedom House recently published its most current update of countries’ freedom level rankings. So, when I looked up the countries where Bright Hope works on this map, I discovered that all five ranked as either “Partly Free” or “Not Free.” Clearly, there’s a connection between these rankings and the level of extreme poverty in these nations.
As we continue to support struggling families and provide them with the tools to build small businesses, increase their incomes, and achieve sustainable lifestyles, let’s also remember to pray that their political leaders will put the best interest of their citizens first. Please pray for Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Bolivia, and Haiti’s governments to be characterized by integrity, humility, democratic principles, and a desire to uphold human rights for all of their citizens.
If you would like to learn more about the Freedom in the World report, click on the link to the map below:
