The World Bank, which provides loans to these countries, expects it's money returned along with interest charges and a lot of these countries can barely afford to repay just the money loaned. In lots of cases they borrow more money to pay off the first loan. It is a never-ending cycle, which leaves these nations constantly in debt. An idea, which has been suggested, is to cancel all debts and begin again yet many are reluctant to do this. Christians can also seek to solve this problem by supporting Jubilee 2000, this is when both famous and ordinary people put pressure on the Government and try to get them to cancel the debt of developing countries. This would help the countries that are in debt and would try and teach them about how to deal with their money and how not to spend it on weapons.
A lot of the money, which people rightfully earn through production and travel never reaches their pockets as retailers and transporters take the majority of the profit. Therefore the hard-working person in that country receives a very small amount of the profit. Christians could support this by buying fair trade products such as coffee and chocolate. Fair trade gives a fair amount of money to the people who have made it in developing countries and would give them the right amount of money to support their families.
We have two types of hunger. This includes starvation and malnutrition. Starvation is where the people don't have enough to eat. This is a problem, which many organisations have tried to solve by actually giving food to the people and also by giving them the means to produce their own by providing seeds, tools etc ‘give a man a fish you can feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you’ll feed him for a lifetime’. This shows us that we should look after everyone in the world and should ‘aspire not to have more but to be more’. Malnutrition is where there is enough food but it doesn't provide a balanced diet. This can also be due to a shortage of water, but the people's own lack of knowledge and national disasters would also be responsible.
In the story of the rich young man we are shown a young person's reaction to Jesus telling him that if he sold everything he had and gave the money to
the poor he would inherit eternal life however, he could not do this. Jesus
pointed out that, “It is harder for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle". He also told us that, "Those who come first will be last and those who come last will be first". These are all ways in which Jesus showed us that giving to the poor was right.
Mother Theresa set up organisations in the slums of Calcutta, so that the orphans wouldn’t have to sleep on the streets. We as Christians could help more by setting up more orphanages that could help children throughout the world. In Galatians 3:28 it says ‘There is neither Jew nor Gentiles, between slaves and free people, between male and female, for you are all one in union with Christ”. This shows us that we are one big family and we should support everyone that is in need of our help and there should be no discrimination between us. Whoever is in need Christians should always try to help them.
Christians react to organisations such as C.A.F.O.D. by giving donations and joining missionaries out in foreign countries. In East Timor this donated money is used in building shelters, providing food and giving the people the chance to bring themselves out of this state by supplying seeds and tools.
There are many different ways and organisations, which can help the underdeveloped countries of the world. Christians must play a leading role in this help living by what Christ has taught us about charity, poverty and wealth. It is vitally important that organisations such as C.A.F.O.D. continue in the great work that they are doing and we learn that these countries need our help. Maybe through this help we can make the world's resources and wealth more equal.
