Fighting Poverty with Toy Blocks and Economic Growth
Religion & Liberty Online

Fighting Poverty with Toy Blocks and Economic Growth

AEI’s Values and Capitalism just released a new book titled, Economic Growth: Unleashing the Potential for Human Flourishing. In support of the book, they’ve produced a video highlighting the great work of Tegu Toys, a wooden block manufacturer based in Honduras.

In a country where 64% of people live below the poverty line, Tegu is creating economic growth and, in the process, is seeing the lives of its employees transformed. Chris Haughey, Tegu co-founder, started the company in Honduras with a goal of making a lasting difference on Honduras and its economy.

“You can make charitable contributions to a person’s well-being today and they will have a short-term impact on their life,” says Haugey, “but if that’s not fueled by a for-profit engine, it’s naturally going to be short-lived.”

HOPE International’s Chris Horst has more at the Values & Capitalism blog:

Tegu now employs more than one hundred Hondurans and provides beautiful, handcrafted toys for imaginative toddlers across the world (including my toddler). For more people living in poverty to experience dignity and purpose, we need to tell the stories of companies like Tegu. They’re pushing back darkness, and creating opportunities for thousands, in places like Peru, Ecuador and Honduras.

Joseph Sunde

Joseph Sunde's work has appeared in venues such as the Foundation for Economic Education, First Things, The Christian Post, The Stream, Intellectual Takeout, Patheos, LifeSiteNews, The City, Charisma News, The Green Room, Juicy Ecumenism, Ethika Politika, Made to Flourish, and the Center for Faith and Work, as well as on PowerBlog. He resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his wife and four children.