HEJIRA: A Journey to the Best (2017)

“We, who have so much, most do more to help those in need. And most of all we must live simply, so that others may simply live” 
Ed Begley,Jr

"Extreme poverty anywhere is a threat to human security everywhere."

  — Kofi Annan, Seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations

NO POVERTY

DEFINITION OF POVERTY

Simply put it is a condition where people's basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter are not being met. Poverty is a state or condition in which a person or community lacks the financial resources and essentials to enjoy a minimum standard of life and well-being that's considered acceptable in society. Poverty status in the United States is assigned to people that do not meet a certain threshold level set by the Department of Health and Human Services.

In the UN’s 17 sustainable goals to transform our world NO POVERTY comes as the first goal. The main aim of this goal is to end poverty in all its forms everywhere by 2030.

The United Nations and the World Bank are major advocates in reducing the world’s poverty. The World Bank estimates that approximately 702 million people were living in extreme poverty in 2015, this compares to 1.75 billion people in 1990. As of 2016, it is estimated that less than 10% of the world’s population live in extreme poverty. In the United States, it is estimated that approximately 15% of the population live in poverty. The World Bank defines the poverty line as $1.90 a day.

Brief Definitions

In Year 1995 the United Nations adopted two definitions of poverty.

Absolute poverty was defined as:

a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to services.

Relative poverty occurs when people do not enjoy a certain minimum level of living standards as determined by a government (and enjoyed by the bulk of the population) that vary from country to country, sometimes within the same country.

Overall poverty takes various forms, including:

·         Lack of income and production resources to ensure sustainable livelihoods;

·         Hunger and malnutrition; ill health;

·         Limited or lack of access to education and other basic services;

·         Increased morbidity and mortality from illness;

·         Homelessness and inadequate housing; unsafe environments and social discrimination and exclusion.

It is also characterized by lack of participation in decision making and in civil, social and cultural life. It occurs in all countries: as mass poverty in many developing countries, pockets of poverty amid wealth in developed countries, loss of livelihoods as a result of economic recession, sudden poverty as a result of disaster or conflict, the poverty of low-wage workers, and the utter destitution of people who fall outside family support systems, social institutions and safety nets.

Extreme poverty  rates have been lessened by half since 1990.

While this is a remarkable achievement, one in five people in developing regions still live on less than $1.25 a day, As of the moment I’m typing this that is approximately N454 in Nigeria. And there are millions more who make little more than this daily amount, plus many people risk slipping back into poverty.

With continuous progress and development WE believe the NO POVERTY goal can be accomplished.

Lower middle-income countries, including China, India, Indonesia and NIGERIA, are home to about half of the global poor. This shows as young SDG members in Nigeria we still to do a lot of work to do because practically every one of us has had a quick contact with people who are extremely poor.

Facts and Figures

• 836 million people still live in extreme poverty

• About one in five persons in developing regions lives on less than $1.25 per day

• The overwhelming majority of people living on less than $1.25 a day belong to two regions: Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa

• High poverty rates are often found in small, fragile and conflict-affected countries

• One in four children under age five in the world has inadequate height for his or her age

• Every day in 2014, 42,000 people had to abandon their homes to seek protection due to conflict.

Bench marks

• By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day

• By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions

• Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable

• By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance

• By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters

• Ensure significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources, including through enhanced development cooperation, in order to provide adequate and predictable means for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, to implement programmes and policies to end poverty in all its dimensions

• Create sound policy frameworks at the national, regional and international levels, based on pro-poor and gender-sensitive development strategies, to support accelerated investment in poverty eradication actions.

How it indirectly affects you?

There are many reasons, but in summay, because of our Humanity, as human beings our wellbeing is linked to each other. Growing inequality is detrimental to economic growth and undermines social cohesion, increasing political and social tensions and, in some circumstances, driving instability and conflicts.

How the government can help?

Governments can help create an enabling environment to generate productive employment and job opportunities for the poor and the marginalized. They can formulate strategies and fiscal policies that stimulate pro-poor growth, and reduce poverty.

How WE can help attain this goal in our own little way?

Our active engagement in policymaking can make a difference in addressing poverty. It ensures that:

·         Our rights are promoted and that our voices are heard,

·         Inter-generational knowledge is shared, and

·         Innovation and critical thinking are encouraged at all ages to support transformation and change in people’s lives and communities.

Why should WE fight poverty?

·          People liberated from poverty’s grip have greater opportunities to participate in and contribute to the political and economic life of their countries. Democracy and economic development go hand-in-hand, and serve as a foundation to achieve stability and reduce poverty. Stable, democratic nations are more likely to work with us to counter threats to global security.

·         We live on an increasingly interconnected planet. By strengthening the capabilities of developing nations to support the health and education of their citizens, and to protect the environment and natural resources of their communities, the fight against poverty ensures a better quality of life for everyone.

·         By stimulating the economies of developing countries, opportunities emerge for greater private investment, which is the true engine of economic growth and essential for assisting people escape poverty. Entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes — including U.S. businesses — have the potential to invest in new markets, to increase trade, and to expand commercial relationships.

·         It is with this strategic understanding that the United States aggressively expanded foreign aid through such measures as the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). As America’s innovative foreign assistance agency, MCC is empowering the poor to take ownership of their own development. MCC requires accountability and responsibility from its partners. Millennium Challenge assistance is awarded only to countries that govern justly, invests in their own people’s health and education, and support economic freedom. As a result, even before the U.S. commits to providing one cent of assistance through MCC, we often see countries embrace reforms to qualify for the funding and ensure it’s spent wisely.

·         Countries are making tough changes by curbing corruption and allowing full participation of all of their people in their political and economic processes. They are revising laws to make it easier to open a business or own property. They are elevating the economic status of women by granting them access to secure land titles. They are educating and immunizing their children and looking at ways to protect their environment. They are creating conditions where U.S. assistance and incentives — and that provided by other developed nations — can make a lasting difference in the fight against global poverty.

Conclusion

The Academic and Education community have a major role in increasing the awareness about the impact of poverty. Science provides the foundation for new and sustainable approaches, solutions and technologies to tackle the challenges of reducing poverty and achieving sustainable development.

ABOVE ALL, AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO ALL BELIEVERS TO ALWAYS GIVE WILLINGLY TO THE NEEDY, THE CHRISTIANS OF OLD GAVE THE BREAD OF LIFE (THE GOSPEL) AND THEY ALSO PROVIDED MANNER I.E BREAD THAT THE HUNGRY COULD ALSO EAT. “LOVE NOT JUST IN WORDS BUT IN ACTION”.