The Poor Will Be Glad

6 Billion people in the world live on less than 5 US Dollars, or 3.30 GBP a month! 2 Billion people live on less than 1 US dollar (or .66 GBP) a day. Last month I read "The Darkest England and the Way Back In" which focused on poverty in the UK and the rest of the western world. For June I read "The Poor Will Be Glad" by Peter Greer and Phil Smith which focused primarily on the lowest income group in third world countries. The book explained how poor people save money and borrow (especially since mant have no access to banks which are only for the rich requiring $320 to open the account - Twice the annual income in many African countries). The book was largely about microfinance, how it works, how poor people obtain business loans, and about the microfinance business loans having a very high success rate. The book stated that many well intended Christian charities that do missions or give needed items to the poor are causing long term harm with dependancy. The book explains how this microfinancein giving the poor loans in amounts of even $50 can be better help to them to help themselves out of poverty. I overall liked this book but it could be a bit boring at parts. If you are a Christian and are business minded you will love it, or you should read it for a new perspective on missions to the poorest of the poor. If you are looking for a book on microfinance and how the poorest people handle their money, read this! This book is not for everyone, but I would reccommend trying it! For a younger reader, the book may be more difficult to understand at some parts. This book is great for adults & Christian university students seeking a degree in missions or business. My ranking is 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

RAYE