Extreme poverty in third world countries is something we hear about occasionally in the US. Because we don't have to see it, it doesn't generally bother us. During some recent house visits, we saw extreme poverty. A person's whole life can be seen with a family photo on the wall, a picture of Winnie the Pooh, some cracked plastic chairs, and a radio. The walls were sticks or pieces of wood with gaps two inch gaps between them. Bathrooms walls are created with tarps. I guess it gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "the walls are paper thin". Most people here live off less than $2 a day. I am not really sure how they survive. Rice and beans cost about the same as they do in the US. Because of this, the majority of income goes to buy food.
I asked our staff garden expert about the causes of poverty here. The cycle is caused by extremely high rates of unemployment and single families. Just like in the US, it is harder for a single parent to provide for their family. Boys are raised thinking that it is normal to abandon a wife and kids for a new woman. Girls are taught that they aren't valuable. The country of Nicaragua needs more than new political figures or donations from the US. They need restored families. Kids need to be taught about Jesus and character qualities to carry them their entire lives rather than receiving gifts that will wear out.
Around the world, whether you find yourself in the US or Nicaragua, poverty is rampant. Maybe it looks differently for each country. Maybe the Nicaraguans have a struggle to find adequate food, yet they are rich to live close to their extended families. Maybe those in the US have enough food, but go through life with too many tasks to enjoy it. We cannot eradicate poverty, but we can influence individual families, teach kids good values, and love others deeply.
