Chalmers Center's Strategies
for Poverty Alleviation
Poverty is a very complex problem with multiple cause and effects. Because of this, the solutions are also complex. While there are many sectoral solutions, including economic development, health, education, creation care, etc. , God has called the Chalmers Center to focus on economic development strategies that can be used by local churches in the poverty context.
Economic Development Strategies
The economic development strategies the Chalmers Center has chosen:
- reflect a biblically-based understanding of poverty
- incorporate sound community development principles
In addition, these strategies:
- are theoretically and practically sound
- are easy to implement and replicate
- do not require prior financial knowledge or economic development experience
- do not rely on outside money
- avoid dependency at both an individual and institutional level
- provide opportunity for evangelism and discipleship based on a biblical worldview
- have successfully been used by churches and missionaries around the world and reflect current and best practices.
Context-Based Strategies
Poverty is different in various areas of the world. Therefore, the Chalmers Center advocates economic development strategies that are contextualized to the ministry geography:
- Africa, Asia, and Latin America — For ministering to the poor in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the Chalmers Center advocates Christian microfinance and microenterprise development. This include: promoting church-centered savings and credit associations, partnering with large-scale microfinance institutions, and training low-income people in business, home, and health.
- US and Canada — For ministering to the poor in the US and Canada, the Chalmers Centers advocates a ministry selected from the areas of savings and asset accumulation, financial literacy, and job preparedness training. In addition, the Chalmers Center encourages churches and small-scale ministries to help the poor through Individual Development Accounts (IDA) Initiative, a program of matched income accounts that allow economically poor households to build an asset base.
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