Poverty: People versus Projects
The doorbell rang incessantly. I rushed out, calling to Cheick, the neighborhood trash collector, to stop leaning on the bell. I don’t know where Cheick lives—likely in a small shack without running water, maybe a wire of electricity jerry-rigged from a nearby pole. He comes faithfully, often asking us for an advance on his monthly salary. I wonder if we may be his only reliable and regularly paying clients.
A few hours later, my mechanic dropped off my car. I was reminded of our last conversation when he told me he does not read or write. Across the street lives Abdul, who sells vegetables from a half-built building. He’s resourceful, kind, and keeps an eye on my house. To the left of our house is a small area with about five tents or shacks, where people live. Did I mention the daily pleas we get from neighbors or beggars asking for charity? Poverty surrounds me every day. It is tangible.
For eleven years, I worked in a clinic in one of Nouakchott’s poorest neighborhoods. We provided good medical care, yet I began to see that we were offering a revolving Band-Aid. People came with needs, and we offered help, even attempting sustainable efforts such as health education, but little changed in the long term. In my final years as director, I sought to change that narrative by coaching and empowering our local staff. They grew in confidence and skill, but the deeper poverty of our community remained untouched.
These faces and stories are not just statistics to me; they mirror the reality faced by millions across Africa. Poverty is not just visible on my street corner; it is systemic. Across Africa, 67% of the world’s population living in extreme poverty resides here,[1] a figure projected to rise to 87% by 2030.[2] While I discuss the issue of poverty, my primary focus will be on Africa. Nonetheless, the concepts and philosophies I present apply to any poverty context.
What is causing this increase in poverty? Jeff Myers argues in Understanding the Culture: A Survey of Social Engagement that “bad thinking about poverty has led to bad solutions.”[3] This is a claim that echoes my observations in numerous well-meaning projects. Myers encourages Christians to view those living in poverty as bearing the image of God and to help them flourish and help others do the same.[4]
Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert’s book When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor and Youis a well-known resource for Christian development work. They address the root issue of poverty stemming from sin and broken relationships with God.[5] They identify the root of poverty as relational brokenness, first with God, then with others and with creation. In our human attempt to fix these broken relationships and resource disparities, the primary solution is to come and offer aid. How this is done is where great tension lies in addressing poverty.
Jeffrey Sachs is a leading economist who believes the solution to poverty lies in wealthy nations providing aid to developing nations. His solution is to focus on addressing issues of agriculture, healthcare, education, potable water and sanitation, and infrastructure.[6] Sachs’s model assumes that the root of poverty is structural and technical, solvable through financial input. Yet this approach risks treating people as problems to be managed rather than partners in transformation.
African economist Dambisa Moyo argues that aid from large international institutions has hindered the continent, entrenching corruption rather than promoting growth, as well-intentioned funds often line bureaucratic pockets instead of empowering people.[7] New leadership would be a solution, but Moyo claims that good leaders do not want to deal with the bureaucratic corruption currently in leadership.[8]
Bryant Myers, in Walking with the Poor: Principles and Practices for Transformational Development, suggests that a holistic approach be used in poverty alleviation.[9] Corbett and Fikkert take a similar approach: walking alongside those in poverty in a relationship, rather than doing it for them.[10] N.T. Wright and Michael F. Bird remind us that Christ confronted broken power structures not by domination but through self-giving love.[11] This is the model Christian leaders are invited to embody: presence over power, relationship over rescue.
Since leaving the clinic, I have been developing coaching and leadership initiatives that emphasize empowerment and personal growth, aiming to transition individuals from a state of dependency to one of dignity. I aspire to model collaborative leadership and help local leaders identify their own solutions.
Whatever philosophy we hold, the universal tension is turning people into projects. When that happens, dignity erodes and progress stalls. The poor are not a category to be fixed, but rather people with stories, worries, and gifts. If poverty’s root lies in broken relationships, then transformation must begin in relationship—with God and with one another. Who has become a project for you? And where might God be inviting you into a relationship instead?
[1] “Poverty, Prosperity, and Planet Report 2024,” World Bank, accessed November 6, 2025, https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/poverty-prosperity-and-planet.
[2] Progress Godfrey, “Africa May Host 87% of World’s Poorest Population by 2030– World Bank,” Business Day, December 5, 2024, https://businessday.ng/news/article/africa-may-host-87-of-worlds-poorest-population-by-2030-world-bank/?utm_source=chatgpt.com.
[3] Jeff Myers, Understanding the Culture: A Survey of Social Engagement (David C. Cook, 2017), 766.
[4] Myers, Understanding the Culture, 787.
[5] Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor… and Yourself (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2012), 58.
[6] Jeffrey D. Sachs, The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time (The Penguin Press, 2005), 233-234.
[7] Dambisa Moyo, “Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way for Africa,” interview by Joanne Myers, April 2, 2009, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/38091995.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Bryant L. Myers, Walking with the Poor: Principles and Practices of Transformational Development, Rev. and updated ed (Orbis Books, 2011).
[10] Corbett and Fikkert, When Helping Hurts, 100.
[11] N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird, Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies, Kindle ed. (Zondervan Reflective, 2024), 80.
About the Author
Kari
Kari is a passionate follower of Jesus. Her journey with Him currently has her living in the Sahara in North Africa. With over a decade of experience as a family nurse practitioner and living cross-culturally, she enjoys being a champion for others. She combines her cross-cultural experience, her health care profession, and her skills in coaching to encourage holistic health and growth. She desires to see each person she encounters walk in fullness of joy, fulfilling their God-designed purpose. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12 ESV18 responses to “Poverty: People versus Projects”
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Kari,
Going back to Kenya I was prepared for the mulititude of “asks” again. They came with a vengeance yet their needs truly are significant. I remember thinking often about how I was the one whom everyone would come to with every single need when I was in our village and then I was the one asking for support when we returned to the US. It is an odd balance to navigate. I would often hear the statement, “give a man to fish or teach him to fish, etc” yet I learned after being overseas that there was so much more to it. Where would he get the fishing pole? Where would he get the bait? Where could he legally fish? Where could he sell the fish he catches? What happens when the pond runs dry? Etc. Etc. Keep up the good work of walking alongside people when it is hard to do.
Thanks, Adam! I love your expansion of that overused analogy. I may steal some of those!
Hey Kari,
Thanks for this post. Your reflections really resonate, especially given how often we encounter these situations here. I’m curious—how do you discern when the Holy Spirit is prompting you to offer immediate help to someone in need? I know it can be difficult to distinguish between genuine compassion and the desire to fix things quickly, especially when the needs around us feel constant.
It’s something I wrestle with often, trying to listen carefully for when the Spirit is nudging me to respond in the moment versus when wisdom might call for a different kind of help.
Elysse, This continues to be a struggle for me, too. In those moments, I try to remember to pray in the moment. Normally, I will have an immediate answer or idea on which to do.
Kari,
Thanks for the post. With the government shutdown and SNAP benefits being delayed we have seen a large increase in public and private donations to food banks. I believe that in many cases the American church is too comfortable and doesn’t extend itself in addressing poverty like it should. If Christ were to walk into the town where you live, where is the first place he would go and what would be his top priority and what impact do you feel that would make?
Jeff, Your question is immensely convicting and illicited some emotions for me! I believe Jesus would walk in the ghettos of time–the filthy, poor sections that the government and wealthy ignore. I also think his priority would be to let each person know they were seen by looking each person in the eye, smiling, and calling them by name. The impact is hope in the most hopeless situations.
Kari, thanks for this. Turning people into projects is a risk for anyone who works with people. What are the warning signs that I am turning a person into a project? How would I rebuild trust with that person if this were to happen?
Graham, Great question. Some of the warning signs I notice in myself when I become more project-driven are a focus on outcomes over people, easily identifying faults, challenges, and obstacles rather than the positives of the person or situation, and prioritizing my own image or needs.
Kari, I always enjoy the visual nature of your posts. You have a great writing style. I, too, appreciate Dr. Fikkert’s work and continue to follow him through the Chalmers Center. In your post, you mention When Helping Hurts; “They identify the root of poverty as relational brokenness, first with God, then with others and with creation.”
Since that book was written from a Christian worldview, how does it differ from the Islamic lens of your neighbors, and what does your counsel to them look like?
Jennifer, thank you for your kind words and excellent question. My Islamic neighbors care for one another, but their motivation is obligatory, not genuine. This reflects their relationship with God as they strive for salvation, rather than embracing the One who can restore that relationship. I try to instill in them their value and worth before God.
Hey Kari. This really hit home because people and projects are often found in underserved populations. How do we restore relationships and bring back dignity in a culture that prides itself on the devaluing of people?
Daren, I wish this was not the case in our cultures! As Christian leaders, we need to be counter-cultural and call out the worth and value of each individual through the example of our words and actions.
Kari, as always, this is a great post. Thank you for bringing to MY mind, at least, the challenges confronting such a huge part of the world’s population.
Your reading suggests the root of poverty as relational brokenness (with God, others, and creation). Based on your post-clinic experience developing coaching and leadership initiatives, what is a powerful, specific action local leaders in Nouakchott can take to begin healing the broken relationship with creation (e.g., in a way that addresses visible issues like the trash collector’s work or the overall environment) as a step toward holistic flourishing?
Debbie, Great question from a fellow coach! Chaos breeds chaos, AND order breeds order. Leaders must first bring order to their own lives before they bring order to the city. This can be as simple as organizing their desks or cleaning the surrounding areas of their offices and homes (picking up the trash in their neighborhood). That said, I see a few hundred smashed water bottles in front of my house that I may need to dispose of and clean up that area! Thanks 🙂
Kari, there are so many aspects of poverty. I am wondering if you ever struggle with a sense of being overwhelmed with the need. Even though there is a clear understanding that it is not yours to completely resolve, how do you make sure that the joy that seems so grounded in Christ that is visible in you remains when you are reminded, probably multiple times daily, how dire the needs are around you?
Diane, that is a thoughtful question. I feel most overwhelmed by the needs around me when I am not deliberately seeking hope and peace in the chaos. It truly makes a difference in maintaining joy and hope as you keep one’s eyes (literally!) focused heaven-ward!
Wow, well said Kari. How do you help well-intentioned Christians who may be doing more harm than good? In other words, how do you have these conversations in love and gentleness, honoring the intentions but still calling them into some better?
Christy, My initial reaction to your question was: I’ve given up on them! But, on second thought, I realized the well-intentioned Christians are also teachable. They are open to suggestions and questions that help bring in other angles and aspects of the situation.