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Can Faith Solve Poverty? Inside BYU–Pathway’s Global Mission | President Brian Ashton E0060

August 4, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Can Faith Solve Poverty? Inside BYU–Pathway’s Global Mission

When Brian K. Ashton, president of BYU–Pathway Worldwide, describes the students his organization serves, he starts with a stark number: over 70% of their African students get only one meal a day when they enroll. "They're just trying to survive," he says. The problem is not lack of intelligence—Ashton quotes his colleague Matt Downs: "Intelligence is equally distributed, but opportunity is not." In Africa, only 9% of university-age youth have access to higher education, and that figure will drop below 5% as the continent's population doubles by 2050. BYU–Pathway's mission is to close that gap, not through handouts, but through a scalable online education model that combines spiritual formation, job-ready skills, and remote employment.

The Mechanism: Skills, Jobs, and the Holy Ghost

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:00) **Defining the Problem: Poverty and Lack of Opportunity** - President Ashton introduces BYU Pathway's mission by describing the extreme poverty faced by many potential students.
  • 2 (03:48) **What Job Are People Hiring BYU Pathway to Do?** - The core mission is defined at both the individual and societal level.
  • 3 (07:44) **Stories of Transformation: From Desolation to Leadership** - Real-world examples illustrate the program's impact on individuals.
  • 4 (10:37) **Misunderstandings About People in Poverty** - President Ashton addresses common misconceptions about the capabilities of people in developing nations.
  • 5 (13:11) **The Crisis of Return Missionaries** - Many missionaries face homelessness and despair upon returning to their home countries.
  • 6 (16:28) **The Scarcity of Higher Education in Africa** - The structural barriers to education are explained in detail.
  • 7 (19:39) **Why Handouts Don't Work: Creating a Culture of Dependency** - The failure of traditional aid models is contrasted with Pathway's approach.

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Show Notes

What if poverty is not only a financial problem, but a spiritual one?

President Brian Ashton explains why intelligence is widely distributed, but opportunity is not. He shares how BYU–Pathway Worldwide combines faith, education, practical skills, and employment to help people build lasting self-reliance instead of depending on temporary handouts.    

From students surviving on one meal a day to returned missionaries coming home with nowhere to live, this conversation reveals how poverty can limit far more than income. It can suppress hope, confidence, leadership, and divine potential.    

President Ashton shares why lasting change requires more than money. It requires opportunity, spiritual identity, education, work, and the belief that every person can become more than their circumstances suggest.

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