How Mamabolo escaped from the cage of poverty

When he stopped the old man looked at him and said: “Mamabolo, you do not realize it, but you are caught in a cage. You are caught in a cage of poverty. From inside the cage, you can see and hear a small part of the world outside of the cage, but as long as you are in the cage you will never be able to reach it and be part of the world outside of the cage. Many people are born in the cage and many also die in the cage, but it is possible to escape from that cage. Will you allow me to tell you some stories and give you some advice on how to escape?”

Poverty is without a doubt still one of the biggest challenges that we face on the planet. Billions of dollars are spent, hours of conversations have taken place in conferences and many books have been written in an attempt to eradicate poverty. Braam Hanekom has condensed his own research and theories about poverty in this powerful story about a child living in a South African township who one day meets a wise old man who guides him on his way to escape out of the cage of poverty. It is a very simple story but works with all the fundamentals of what it really takes to be free from poverty.
The illustrations in the book were done by an Orthodox Priest from Eldorado Park, Fr. Jacobus van der Riet, a.k.a. Jasja. He started his ministry in the Dutch Reformed Church but has been ministering to the poor as an Orthodox priest for many years now.