International (MNN) — Strains in the world’s largest economies point to a pending global recession. The United States struggles to control inflation. China is paying a high price for lengthy lockdowns, and the Russia-Ukraine war continues in Europe’s backyard.
As explained here, recessions are difficult to predict, and definitions vary widely. However, several leaders issued warning signs in recent weeks.
On Monday, U.S. corporate leaders said they were preparing for an economic downturn. In May, World Bank President David Malpass said, “As we look at the global GDP… it’s hard right now to see how we avoid a recession.”
Whether global markets tank tomorrow or not, people in rural Kenya feel the pain today. “They’re scared seeing these prices go up and wondering how they’re going to survive when their income is the same or less, yet all their costs are so much more,” Joy Mueller of Kenya Hope says,
“Food was already expensive for them, and now we’re seeing prices go up by 20-, 30-, and in some cases, 50-percent.”
Hope remains
Kenya Hope is taking steps to offset rising costs and make programs more sustainable.
A hungry stomach does not learn! Going to school hungry is a daily experience for most children in the Kibera slums. The Kibera Hope Center extends a nutritious, well-balanced lunch program to not only sponsored kids but also to unsponsored kids who can’t afford lunch.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Kenya Hope)
“We feed 1,800 children a day in our schools,” Mueller says.
“We planted 22 acres of maize – corn and beans – which are the two main ingredients for what we serve [at] lunch. That’s one of the big steps we’ve done so that we’re not impacted by the ups and downs of the economic scale and the inflation rates.”
It’s all so believers can stay for the long haul, giving hope to those who need it most. “James 1:27 – that’s the heart of the Gospel; helping the widows and the fatherless,” Mueller says.
“We have seen God provide time and time again through the years. I’m not worried. I’m not scared [of a recession] because we are doing [something] that is very near and dear to God’s heart.”
Learn more about Kenya Hope’s ministry here.
Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Gerd Altmann/Pixabay.
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