“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, ensure justice for those who are perishing. Yes, speak up for those poor and helpless, and see that they get justice” – Proverbs 31:8

This site is to generally discuss and explore experiencing poverty in various ways. Centrally is wants to document two things:

1. Individual recovery stories from poverty.

2. How individuals in their own way beat poverty.

What is poverty exactly and how does one experience poverty?

It is difficult to define easily and accurately but we believe it could be a number of things, including an experience that can be understood if it is shared properly. We want to focus on personal stories and life journeys behind the news and current affairs stories. We see and hear similar stories all the time, it’s easy to get desensitized to images from the third world and believe poverty is something out there, foreign, something too large to impact or sometimes care about.  Instead of focusing on macro issues, we look at the micro, individuals who themselves have pulled out of poverty, and also testimonies of ordinary men and women who beat poverty in various ways, this could include direct hands on work, charity donations, awareness raising and other measures.

What makes testimonies on this site interesting is that poverty can be seen in a number of ways, never fixed and relevant to everyone. This site invites all people, of all social and ethnic backgrounds to share their story – a first hand account of how they have realized or seen poverty in their lives and the steps to overcome it.

As these suite of sites have demonstrated through its principles, we value the whole person and believe everyone has a right to contribute, in their own gifted ways, to society. That each individual has the capacity to live each day with joy and purpose. Poverty exists in all nations, across all levels in levels that are simply unacceptable considering general prosperity experienced in the western countries over the past 30 years.

And we want to hear positive good stories, stories which can impact and influence others to change, sometimes this can be profound change, sometimes it may be slightly shaking the apathetic tree grown so abundantly across the nations backyards. Sometimes inaction is generated by a perception that the overwhelming need is too great for any action to have any meaningful or worthwhile impact. Simply: why bother!

So why do the poor exist?

When there are worldly pressures and social or political institutions which command their powers over others, oppression and exclusion follows. These forces dominate and restrict the individual’s right to live and be free. The individual becomes an individual that is somewhat trapped in a prison, the keys being in the hands of the oppressor.

The prison we speak of refers to many spiritual, emotional, physical and political constraints which restrict and impose on the individual. It limits their social participation and sometimes negatively influences their well-being and experience of the wholeness of themselves.

What do we do about it?

We are walking with those who are lost, disabled, weary, oppressed, marginalized, disenfranchised, outcast, and unlovely because we know that their destinies are inextricably linked to ours. They may have been born into a situation, locality or experience which warranted such poverty but to some extent, you could say that we, the rich folk in the western world have enjoyed the luxuries of past and present injustices.

If we do not speak up and question our society as to why and how there was and continues to be disparity between countries, within out countries, in ours states, cities, or in our homes; we close the door to really appreciating and understanding the human race. We actually close a door to certain parts of our own experience, our own humanity.

This site desires to offer a healing and conviction process for those who have been disadvantaged and for those who have ignored the poor in their own backyard. Through the experiences shared, this site aims to become a platform to give voice to what is so often only a whisper of hope.