Poverty doesn’t just limit a child’s present—it threatens their future. Around the world, 412 million children are living on less than $3 per day, lacking the essentials they need to grow, learn, and thrive (UNICEF, 2025).
And poverty’s impact goes far beyond income. Across six things a child needs to thrive—education, health, housing, nutrition, sanitation, and water—more than one in five children in low- and middle-income countries are severely deprived of at least two (UNICEF, 2025).
Yet we know that God cares deeply about kids. So how do we protect them from poverty and provide what they need to lead healthy lives that set them up for bright futures?
At HOPE International, we’ve seen that one of the best ways to support children living in poverty is empowering their parents. Here’s how investing in mothers and fathers helps them invest in brighter futures for their children and grandchildren.
Better meet basic needs
Many parents living in poverty can’t access a safe place to save—like a bank—or business loans. At HOPE, we provide those, along with biblically based training, and discipleship, to help them start small businesses or build savings.
As income grows, savings build up, and finances stabilize, parents can more consistently provide for their family’s needs—like healthy meals, medication, home repairs, and clothing. They can also build a safety net to buffer against future emergencies.
When Dexter’s daughter got diagnosed with leukemia, he borrowed a loan from the Center for Community Transformation, our partner in the Philippines, to switch to a business selling snacks. “I was very happy especially because we finally had the money for my daughter’s medications. I knew that I already found the right business for me.”
Prioritize education
For many families fighting poverty, education is the dream that hovers just out of reach. When parents struggle to put food on the table, school fees—long-term investments in their children’s future—can be the first expense to be cut. According to UNESCO, 272 million children and youth globally are out of school (2025). But as household income and savings increase, many families’ first move is sending their children back to school.
That was Nancy’s decision when she joined a savings group in Uganda supported by HOPE’s partner, Seed Effect. “When we arrived from South Sudan [as] refugees, life was not easy. Feeding our family was difficult. Paying school fees was also a problem. When I joined the Seed Effect saving group, I found many friends in the group who could advise me on these challenging situations. We started saving and taking loans and life has started changing. Now I can feed my children well and pay their school fees.”
Grow spiritually
As men and women across the HOPE network receive discipleship and biblically based training, they grow deeper in their understanding of God’s love for them and how to walk with Him. In closer relationship with God, parents are better equipped to model healthy love and disciple their children.
Before joining a savings group in Peru, Yoselin says she didn’t know much about who God was. But since learning more about Him by studying Scripture with her group, she says, “I want my children, my husband, and even myself to learn more about the Bible. … It is time for God to be the first thing in our lives.”
Yoselin (center) smiles with her daughter and husband in Peru.
Invest in their communities
With greater financial stability, parents have more margin to serve those around them, including children belonging to other families. The mothers and fathers we serve often become agents of transformation in their communities.
Miguel Nsende used to struggle to provide for her family in the Republic of Congo. But with loans from HOPE, she’s been able to build her sewing workshop so that she not only covers her family’s basic needs but also can invest in other young seamstresses in her community.
“I am very pleased to see that the young girls I have trained are now also promoting sewing workshops and have learners under their own supervision,” she says.
“Sometimes they have transportation and even food problems. But I do my best to provide them with something to eat every time they come to work, and when some of them have situations that require money, I don’t hesitate to reach into my pocket to help them.”
Miguel (center) smiles with seamstresses in her workshop in the Republic of Congo.
Weaken generational poverty
Parents can’t teach what they don’t know or value themselves. But the importance of savings varies widely across families and cultures—and living in poverty can make it feel impossible to provide for the day’s needs, much less save.
Yet, as parents learn to save for the future with others, they acquire mindsets and habits that they can pass down to their children. As a new generation grows up with skills to build savings and safety nets, they’re better positioned to build flourishing businesses and lives for themselves and their children after them.
Ida, a mother in the Philippines, shares, “I used to think that saving money wasn’t important, but being in the savings group showed me its benefits. Initially, I didn’t save much, but I learned to be consistent and patient, and now I can feel the significant results.”
She’s also taken some of her new habits home: “I’ve implemented practices such as keeping financial records for the family. Moreover, in unexpected situations, we now have access to emergency funds.”
Praise God for each of these empowered parents—and the children whose lives are strengthened by their diligence and bravery!
When we empower parents with Christ-centered financial services, we help them invite their children into closer relationships with God, send their children to school, pass down saving habits, and more.
Want to help your children start thinking about poverty and the financial tools that can help families improve their lives? Check out Keza Paints A Bright Future, written by one of our staff members. This children’s book tells the story of Keza, a young Rwandan girl who dreams of joining the other children at school. Buy your copy at www.hopeinternational.org/keza
This post was originally published in 2018 and has been revised and updated for 2026.
Pictured in header image: Nancy Wode (center) and her family in Uganda (served by partner Seed Effect).
