Today on the podcast I’m welcoming Kurt Kandler. He is the co-founder and Executive Director of The 410 Bridge. Founded in 2006, and deriving its name from 1st Peter 4:10, The 410 Bridge is a Christ-centered, community-initiated development organization. That’s right, they do community development differently!
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From time to time, I like to bring guests on in a thought-leader capacity to help us think about issues of humanity in a new way. This is one of those episodes where Kurt helps us understand that if we really want to help the poor, a perspective-shift and change is necessary. In this episode, he will challenge your worldview and help you come to understand a new way of looking at poverty and community development!
I met Kurt after traveling to Haiti on my first short-term mission trip in 2018. I was so enamored with the unique community development model I witnessed and experienced that week, that I fell in love with what they do! I’ve had the chance to work with Kurt and others at The 410 Bridge as hyped-up volunteer for 6 years already, leading mission trips back to Haiti and partnering with the community we visited in supporting their self-lead development projects. While we no-longer are visiting that community, I continue to love and support their work and worldwide communities The 410 Bridge comes alongside. They are one of my favorite organizations and I’m so excited you get to hear from Kurt in this episode!
Topics covered in this episode:
- Hear Kurt’s personal story of how his well-meaning intentions to help the poor became a catalyst to finding a better way that actually helps, and how that lead to the founding The 410 Bridge!
- Dig into the model of The 410 Bridge and understand how they truly empower communities to lead their own community development.
- Learn why they dive deep into each community, focusing on long-term, holistic community development.
- Understand how building faith as a strong foundation and focusing on shifting their worldview of themselves, empowers the community to sustain their own development long after The 410 Bridge leaves.
- Hear why Kurt believes our worldview in the west needs to shift just as much as the worldview of those we’re trying to help.
- Hear inspiring personal stories of empowerment and how The 410 Bridge has been able to walk alongside community members in bettering their own lives!
The 410 Bridge’s unique community development model allows for a shift in worldview - aka how the materially poor sees themselves, serving as a catalyst for true development and poverty alleviation!
Links mentioned:
- Grab Kurt’s book, If You Really Want to Help: Redefining the war on poverty, to dig deeper into today’s topic!
- Visit 410bridge.org to learn more.
- Sponsor a child! When you sponsor a child, not only are you supporting that child, but programs that lift the entire community in which they live!
Kurt's bio:
Kurt Kandler is the co-founder and Executive Director of The 410 Bridge. Founded in 2006, and deriving its name from 1st Peter 4:10, The 410 Bridge is a Christ-centered, community-initiated development organization.
Kurt and 410 Bridge are committed to redefining the war on poverty, what it means to win it, what it means for the people actually living in extreme poverty, and importantly, how we fight the battle together.
410 Bridge has a presence in four countries (50+ communities) in Kenya, Uganda, Haiti, and Guatemala.
Kurt is passionate not only about breaking the cycle of poverty in communities where The 410 Bridge works, but also for changing the paradigm of how the West engages the poor, which is why he wrote a book on the topic called, If You Really Want To Help.
He and his wife, Erika, live in the Atlanta area and have an ever-expanding family with four grown (and amazing!) children and two grandchildren.
Follow The 410 Bridge on Instagram and Facebook.
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