“Isan youths’ development stunted as parents go to Bangkok”
I came across this article several weeks ago. It discusses the prevalent problem of families being torn apart because of migration, which is due to poverty. This particular article, from the Bangkok Post, is about Thailand, but the problem is not exclusive to Thailand. Determined to provide for their families, women from rural villages with little economic opportunity are leaving their children in the care of grandparents while they go to larger cities in search of work. This migration has left some villages with scarcely any working age adults, with as many as 90% of households consisting of grandparents raising the children. Numerous social issues arise in this context, including: undernourishment, lack of education for children, poor physical development due to lack of nourishment–including lack of breastfeeding availability for infants. According to a representative from UNICEF this situation results in a poverty trap where the poor continually become poorer.
I believe our approach at Living Bread Ministries directly impacts this issue. Poverty alleviation and development projects which create jobs are the long term solution. However, it takes time to implement these types of projects and see results. In the meantime, these families have pressing needs that must be met. We plant churches among these very poor in Southeast Asia and equip these churches to meet basic needs. Like all of our church plants around the world, these churches meet immediate needs for food, medicine, and education. In addition, my wife and I have launched Freegrance Products, LLC to address the need for development and job creation. Living Bread Ministries is a comprehensive church planting movement that is equipping the local church to be agents of transformation within their own community. If you would like to get involved and partner with us, we would appreciate if you would pray and invest in the work of Living Bread.
Our hope for “Headlines” is to inform and address some common concerns about serving the poor by sharing articles and statistics coupled with founder Patrick Hubbard’s analysis and experience. It’s our hope that this will help educate you on good practices, as well as help you understand the framework from which we operate. We encourage you to add your responses or questions in the comments, and we’ll do our best to respond to them!
Patrick Hubbard has an extensive business and ministry background. He worked in the hospitality industry as a General Manager and as a Regional Manager. Along with his wife Bárbara, he is part owner of Freegrance Products LLC, a social enterprise seeking to empower women to escape poverty and avoid human trafficking. Patrick and Bárbara are also the founders of Living Bread Ministries where they have committed almost thirteen years to comprehensive ministry among the global poor. He has also served as a staff member of a local church. Patrick holds a BS in Religious Studies and a MA in Global Studies from Liberty University. He is currently pursuing a MBA from Old Dominion University.