During the Christmas season, people often focus on the joy and cheer of the holidays. However, it is important to remember those in our communities who are not as fortunate. Poverty does not take a break for Christmas, and unfortunately, these five headlines illustrate the harsh reality of poverty during this special time of year. Recent news stories have reported on how poverty continues to affect more and more people around the world.
- UN: Children in Haiti hit by cholera as malnutrition rises.
- Extreme poverty is rising in Latin America—UN.
- Ebola outbreak closes all schools in Uganda—BBC News.
- Dominican Republic expelled hundreds of children to Haiti without their families this year.
- Kenya drought crisis deepens placing millions at risk of starvation.
I am one of the most fortunate ones. Today, as I write this blog, I am sitting at my desk in my warm and comfortable home. To my right, one of two Christmas trees in my house twinkles, casting a festive light show across my workspace. To quench my thirst, I reach for my mason jar filled to the top with fresh water from my kitchen and drink until I’m satisfied.
So Much Suffering Around the World
Meanwhile, a desperate mother in Kenya is trying to comfort her rail-thin baby. She wrings her hands in despair as she watches her malnourished infant struggle for his life. And there is nothing short of a miracle that can help them.
Perhaps at the same time, in another part of the world, frightened Ugandan schoolchildren are hurrying home early for the holidays. They’ve been forced to leave their boarding school’s protective sanctuary and navigate cities shut down for fear of spreading the dreaded Ebola virus.
While in the Caribbean, Haitian children who have somehow migrated across the border into the Dominican Republic are being returned to war-infested, poverty-stricken Haiti. And they travel without the accompaniment of a parent or guardian. Imagine being a vulnerable child traveling alone or with other frightened boys and girls and getting dropped off in a home country that is plagued by violence, political instability, food insecurity, and utter hopelessness.
Oh, the despair of these heartbreaking situations!
Your Help Can Relieve Poverty at Christmas
We can’t bring an end to all the suffering around the world. Yet that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do something. We are accountable to act on what we know, use what the Lord has entrusted to us for the greater good, and help our fellow man, woman, and child.
This Christmas, please take time to remember those who need our help. Pray for them. Give generously to help as often as you can. And stay up to date on what is going on around the world.
If you feel compelled to give financially, please give to Bright Hope’s end-of-year campaign, Bringing Hope to a World in Crisis. Your gift will support those in desperate need of hope and help for a better tomorrow.
New Resource Coming Soon
Bright Hope is preparing a new resource that will help you stay current with global poverty. We hope to have this guide ready for you in February 2023. This guide will keep you informed with recent articles related to extreme poverty, so you can pray, advocate, and give to programs that are making a difference and bringing hope and help.
