Special Guest Interview with Kurt Kandler, Author of If You Really Want to Help: Redefining the War on Poverty

Available from Amazon US and Amazon UK

Good intentions are not good enough. Everyone wants to see extreme poverty alleviated, but too often well-meaning do-gooders believe that good intentions and their carefully crafted solutions are sufficient. But poverty is more than just a material issue, and the poor are

more than a set of problems to be solved.

I spent part of my childhood in Nairobi, Kenya and have a special place in my heart for the people and their country. I'm especially pleased to welcome author Kurt Kandler to The Writing Desk to discuss his inspiring new book:

Why this book? Why now?

I turned 60 a couple years ago. I hadn’t struggled with starting milestone-decades before, but the decade with a 6-handle felt different. It meant I was entering the fourth quarter and there wasn’t going to be overtime. 

What changed the most was a newfound, palpable, sense of urgency to focus on the things that I said I was going to do but hadn’t. The big things. The things that needed to get done. One of those things was writing this book.

.As for why this book…. 

When we started 410 Bridge in 2006, we knew we wouldn’t be successful without generous support from this side of the bridge. What wasn’t so obvious at the time, but quickly became clear, was that while Western support was essential, it wasn’t enough. If we were really going to make a difference, we needed to change the paradigm of how the West engaged the poor. 

This book plays an important role in that. It tells the story of how 410 Bridge came to be and lays out an approach to extreme poverty that doesn’t see the poor and as a set of problems to be solved – a water problem, education problem, economic problem, or health problem. It sees the poor as the solution to their poverty problem.

What is your preferred writing routine?

As you might imagine, I travel a lot. One might think that spending hours on a plane would be conducive to dedicated writing time. I didn’t find that to be true. No, if this book was going to get done, I had to approach it much like a diet or fitness…. Small, consistent, steps over time.

Bethany and I found our rhythm. We set deadlines for small increments of content and tried to stay as disciplined as we could to meet those deadlines. The key to me was that they were digestible increments. We didn’t try to fool ourselves into thinking we’d get more done than my schedule would allow. 

Why did you include so many personal stories of people in-country?

I’ve been extremely blessed to meet some incredible people over the years. Their stories of struggle and triumph are the reason I do what I do. 

In my book I try to convey a fundamental principle – a way of thinking that changes how we engage the poor. That principle was spawned from a question I was asked by a mentor many years ago. He asked, “Do you really believe that the poor are the solution to their poverty problem?” 

I had to think long and hard about that question because the natural gravitational pull in our work is toward the problems the poor face – water, education, economic empowerment, etc.  The lie is that if we solve those problems, we solve the poverty problem. I found that not to be true.

We say it this way… The poor are not a set of problems to be solved. They are the solution to their poverty problem. If we truly embrace that concept, it changes everything about how we engage to help.

Is there a particular story of impact that stands out to you?

Definitely!  It’s the story of Stephen and Sabina. Stephen was a drunkard, a terrible husband, father, and citizen in his community. He had little hope for a better life for his family and spent his days drinking with the other men in his community. Sabina, relegated to being the sole provider for her family, could make ends meet, especially with Stephen squandering what little she made on alcohol.

The catalyst for their transformation came from a farming training program for Stephen and a business training for Sabina. While the training of skills and techniques were important, it wasn’t what helped them break the cycle of poverty. What helped them the most was the worldview shift – the story they were telling themselves to be true. That story…. Their worldview was driving the choices they made, and the choices they made drove the actions they took. They are an amazing couple with an amazing story.

Tell us something unexpected you discovered?

I’m not sure if it was completely unexpected, but I close the book in a unique way. We employ 100% indigenous staff in all the countries where we work. These are the folks on the front lines doing the hard work. I asked them to imagine being in a room filled with Western donors. These donors had the capacity to help – both time and money – and they wanted to make a real difference. If they could tell them anything, how would they finish these two sentences?

If you really want to help, start ______________

If you really want to help, stop ______________

Their answers are raw and convicting. If we really want to help, we would be well-served to listen to what they have to say.

Kurt Kandler

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About the Author

Kurt Kandler is the co-founder and Executive Director of The 410 Bridge, founded in 2006. The organization is committed to redefining the war on poverty. Redefining what it means to win it, what it means for the people living in extreme poverty and, most importantly, redefining how we fight the battle together.  410 Bridge works in four countries and has served hundreds of thousands of people with clean water, economic development, education, and health & wellness programs that are designed within a Christ-centered, community-initiated development model. Kurt and his wife of 32+ years— Erika—call Atlanta home and have an expanding family of four children and two grandchildren (for now…) He has an amazing duck tolling retriever named River who, like Kurt, finds her happy place on the water. To learn more about Kurt, check out his website here: kurtkandler.com and To find out more about 410 Bridge and its work, check out their website here: 410Bridge.org