Unpoverty : Rich Lessons from the Working Poor

The poorest people in the world do not just survive--they thrive lavishly. They enjoy rich family relationships, build vibrant communities and exude deep faith. They have much to teach us about life and inspire us with their ingenuity, persistence, generosity and self-reliance.

Mark Lutz has visited families living in cardboard huts, hiked dusty paths to isolated African villages, and tiptoed across putrid open sewers on makeshift bridges. UnPoverty relays those astonishing encounters with unforgettable people: desperately poor, yet abundantly rich. When we hear about the billions of people living on a few dollars a day, do we visualize what that means? These stories put individual faces on unimaginable statistics and bring their reality to life. You may even see yourself in them.

Come with Mark as he visits his friends in far-away places not often seen. He takes you into their homes and their hearts. Experience life at the bottom of the economic ladder; you will resonate with his insightful reflections. His gripping stories will leave you challenged by what we can and must do and encouraged by what they do with so little. Their poverty has more to do with latitude and longitude than with laziness or lack of intelligence. Through no fault of their own they are poor monetarily, but rich in areas many of us are bankrupt. Mark has watched innovative and hard-working people undo the chains of poverty, often with a large ripple effect in their families and entire communities.

After more than two decades of working closely with some of the poorest people living in developing nations, Mark Lutz now believes that what he calls unpoverty is possible. You too will catch the vision as you read these enlightening tales. Mark calls us to join an accelerating revolution to eradicate extreme poverty during our lifetime. He makes the bold claim that this audacious goal is possible, and invites you to unite with the rich poor people in our global village to create a world of unpoverty.

The second edition includes color photo inset, updated stories, and a foreword by World Vision CEO Rich Stearns.

Mark Lutz grew up in South Africa, the son of missionary parents. Living for twenty years under apartheid shaped him to become an advocate for justice. Visits to fifty countries have sharpened his vision for a world free from extreme poverty.

For the last 25 years, Mark has worked with international development organizations. He is currently the National Director of Global Philanthropy at World Vision helping to provide interventions to empower the hardworking poor around the world.

Mark earned a Masters degree in cross-cultural communications from Wheaton College. He and his wife, Lise, live in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, where they raised their three children.