Title: How Do the Poor Get Trapped in Poverty? | Compassion
Headings: How Do the Poor Get Trapped in Poverty?
How Do the Poor Get Trapped in Poverty?
Unless the cycle is broken, poverty can be passed down from generation to generation. These are some of the common factors that can trap a family in this vicious cycle. But there’s good news. More than 1.8 million children in our Child Sponsorship Program are being supported and empowered to live a life free from poverty.
15 Nov, 2018
What factors keep a family trapped in poverty in the developing world?
1. Missing out on a quality education
2. Working hard but earning little
3. Less access to food and safe water
4. Increased vulnerability to sickness and disease
5. Limited access to medical care
6. More dependents
7. Increased disaster risk in the developing world
How Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program Helps to Break the Poverty Cycle
1. Education
2. Health
3. Nutrition and safe water
4. Skills and training
5. Mentoring and encouragement
6. Opportunity to hear the gospel
Meet Grace, a Compassion graduate released from poverty

Content: Working hard but earning little
In developing countries, steady wage employment is the exception, not the norm. Demand for jobs with a reliable income far exceeds their availability. A lack of employment opportunities means many parents living in poverty turn to self-employment. But because there are few opportunities for them to earn enough to escape poverty, they are working hard but earning little. These families are known as “the working poor”, where least one member is working but the household still lives on less than $2 per person per day. 3. Less access to food and safe water
Poverty can create a vicious cycle of food insecurity and poor health. When faced with a limited budget, food is often the first thing to be affected. Families may be forced to skip meals or choose food with higher calories or lower nutritional value. A lack of food or choosing food with poor nutrition can lead to malnutrition, which has far-reaching consequences for children.