How to Break the Cycle of Poverty and Disability
Larissa was born in Brazil with cerebral palsy.
Living below the poverty line, Larissa and her family are part of the forty-million people that their government calls “invisibles.”
As the derogatory label implies, “invisibles” get forgotten by society—abandoned, shunned, and left behind.
When poverty gets compounded by disability—and vice-versa—a crushing cycle can take hold.
Like the one billion people (or 15% of the population) with disabilities in the world today, Brazil’s “invisibles” deal with injustice, rejection, and insurmountable barriers every day.
According to the World Bank, people with disabilities “are more likely to experience adverse socio-economic outcomes than persons without disabilities.”
World Bank research also indicates that:
“Poverty may increase the risk of disability through malnutrition, inadequate access to education and health care, unsafe working conditions, a polluted environment, and lack of access to safe water and sanitation.
Disability may also increase the risk of poverty, through lack of employment and education opportunities, lower wages, and increased cost of living with a disability.”
For Larissa’s parents, the combined pressures of disability and poverty proved overwhelming.
They left Larissa with her grandmother, Ana, who has been her primary caregiver for more than a decade.
While Ana adores her granddaughter and knows she is a gift from God, she struggles to provide for her. For one, Ana couldn’t afford a wheelchair for Larissa. And she is not alone:
The World Health Organization estimates that ninety percent of people who need an assistive product (like a wheelchair) don’t have access to one.
Ana and Larissa suffered from the constraints of both disability and poverty. Then through a Wheels for the World™ outreach, Joni and Friends showed this family the truth: not only are they not invisible, but God sees them and loves them!
“You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed.”
Psalm 10:17–18
When you pray for and support Wheels for the World, you’re not only sending wheelchairs to the four corners of the earth; you’re also sending Bibles and the Good News of Jesus Christ to change lives forever.
Katie, a Wheels for the World volunteer who met Larissa and her family, recalls an unforgettable moment from the trip:
“It was such a special moment for both Larissa and Ana to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior together. We could see a weight being lifted. It was so exciting and beautiful to watch!”
Larissa and her brother were full of joy as our seating specialists worked on her wheelchair. She now has the freedom of mobility and freedom in Christ. Ana expressed her gratitude on behalf of her family. She said,
“Thank you very much! May God bless each and every one of you for being part of such a good project!”
During the same trip to Brazil, our Wheels for the World team delivered 189 wheelchairs and got to see 144 people accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.
But we have much more work to do, all around the world. And you can be part of it—delivering tangible help and eternal hope to people the world calls “invisible,” but God calls beloved.
When you partner with us through your prayers and gifts, you become part of Wheels for the World and all our Christ-centered programs. Jesus can use your generosity to break the cycle of poverty and disability.
Give The Perfect Gift
Help Joni and Friends break the bonds of poverty and disability, through the power of Christ!
