While IRT and countless other charities focus on access to education, clean water and improved sanitation practices, one major issue remains. Poverty. Poverty is the original source of suffering that is preventing millions of people to improve their livelihoods. At IRT, we want to support the communities we work with to lift themselves out of poverty, so it is important we do not forget that it remains the largest obstacle. While poverty rates remain high around the world, the reasons are vastly different among the countries it deeply affects. This means that development organisations must understand that they need different approaches to alleviating poverty depending on the country.