We know that poverty is a fueling factor within the problem of human trafficking. Those who need money will sell what they have, even if all they have are their children or their own bodies. And those in power are more than willing to exploit the desperate and poverty-stricken.
Ending poverty would empower those who now have little power.
Ending poverty would grant choices to those who now have few choices.
Ending poverty could go a great way toward ending human trafficking.
What if all our efforts to help the poor actually hurt them more? What if our acts of compassion result in lasting negative impacts? Is it possible our current approach to poverty is broken?
Poverty, Inc. is a documentary that asks these questions and more. It tackles the industry of global aid and evaluates its motives, its effectiveness, and its need for change. The truths uncovered aren’t pretty.

“It’s very important that you don’t let the people you try to help become tragedies of your compassion.” — Menlo F. Smith, founder of Mentors International

The film originally released in 2015, but I recently had a chance to view it on Netflix. It’s tremendously powerful! And it rocked many of my conceptions of global efforts and needs.
People have compassion. We want to help. But too often our immediate desire to do something — anything — results in greater damage. Rather than empowering those who need a lift up, we’ve crippled them.
This documentary has won over 60 international film festival honors, the $100,000 Templeton Freedom Award, and the €5,000 Best Documentary Award from the FIFE Environmental Film Festival in Paris. It’s a raw look at what we’re doing wrong and what could be done right.
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“Having a heart for the poor isn’t hard. Having a mind for the poor, that’s the challenge.”

Watch this film to learn more about the historical approach to global aid and its effectiveness. The model and initiatives has forced drastic changes to some poverty-stricken nations. Are we learning from our mistakes? Or do organizations perpetuate the problems because those in power have more to gain with the status quo? Learn which organizations are making lasting impacts — both positive and negative — and what evolutions of thought and approach are sorely overdue.
You can find the whole film on Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, and a number of other streaming services.
Check out the Poverty, Inc. website to learn more.