Nigeria recently surpassed India to become the country with the highest number
of people living in extreme poverty: 87 million. Nigeria is oil rich
and boasts Africa’s fastest growing economy. Yet six of its people fall
into extreme poverty every minute.
of people living in extreme poverty: 87 million. Nigeria is oil rich
and boasts Africa’s fastest growing economy. Yet six of its people fall
into extreme poverty every minute.
This story isn’t unique to Nigeria. It’s echoed in other resource-rich countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola
where an exploitative elite and multinational companies keep wealth
from reaching the majority of citizens. By 2030, it’s estimated that 82% of the world’s poorest people will live in Africa.
where an exploitative elite and multinational companies keep wealth
from reaching the majority of citizens. By 2030, it’s estimated that 82% of the world’s poorest people will live in Africa.
This is the continent’s paradox: vast natural resources and mineral reserves alongside extreme poverty.
Historically,
poverty has been predominantly dealt with as a lack of material
resources or an income deprivation issue. Development work has focused
on pushing resources to poor communities. Many have criticised the
availability of “free money” though international aid, which they say
has created a “dependency syndrome”, dishonest procurement and white elephant projects. Aid work has also been accused of fostering paternalism rather than partnership.
poverty has been predominantly dealt with as a lack of material
resources or an income deprivation issue. Development work has focused
on pushing resources to poor communities. Many have criticised the
availability of “free money” though international aid, which they say
has created a “dependency syndrome”, dishonest procurement and white elephant projects. Aid work has also been accused of fostering paternalism rather than partnership.
The reality is that poverty is about more than just money. If money alone were the solution, poverty would have ended: more than $50 billion was given as overseas development assistance to Africa in 2017 alone.
Without
contextual knowledge, education and adaptation, foreign or imposed
practices or resources cause new sets of problems. This is seen again
and again across countries that depend on aid. For example, where food
poverty was causing under-nutrition in parts of Malawi, financial aid has alleviated it. But that problem is quickly being replaced by diabetes and hypertension – because of a narrow financial solution to a complex problem.
contextual knowledge, education and adaptation, foreign or imposed
practices or resources cause new sets of problems. This is seen again
and again across countries that depend on aid. For example, where food
poverty was causing under-nutrition in parts of Malawi, financial aid has alleviated it. But that problem is quickly being replaced by diabetes and hypertension – because of a narrow financial solution to a complex problem.
We
argue that tackling poverty requires a different focus, rather than
just money. It requires partnerships and practices that promote
learning, particularly in relation to cultural and self knowledge.
Having communities identify their own problems, then collaborate to find
solutions, is also crucial. Money has a role to play in partnerships,
but projects shouldn’t default to depending solely on it.
argue that tackling poverty requires a different focus, rather than
just money. It requires partnerships and practices that promote
learning, particularly in relation to cultural and self knowledge.
Having communities identify their own problems, then collaborate to find
solutions, is also crucial. Money has a role to play in partnerships,
but projects shouldn’t default to depending solely on it.
Driven communities
Many
of the factors that are blamed for contributing to poverty are not
measurable in dollar terms or connected to income. These include
people’s lack of choices, restriction of freedom, lack of skills, gender
castes and barriers.
of the factors that are blamed for contributing to poverty are not
measurable in dollar terms or connected to income. These include
people’s lack of choices, restriction of freedom, lack of skills, gender
castes and barriers.
Understanding these issues and their complexities requires looking at poverty through a sustainability lens.
This is a perspective that focuses on ethical and innovative ways to
look at and use resources, share knowledge, and build community to
affect positive change.
This is a perspective that focuses on ethical and innovative ways to
look at and use resources, share knowledge, and build community to
affect positive change.
Our work with the Sustainable Futures in Africa Network
has shown the importance of this lens. We’re an interdisciplinary
collective of researchers, educators, and communities of practice that
aims to build understanding, research, and practice in socio-ecological sustainability (which recognises the interconnection between social and ecological systems)
has shown the importance of this lens. We’re an interdisciplinary
collective of researchers, educators, and communities of practice that
aims to build understanding, research, and practice in socio-ecological sustainability (which recognises the interconnection between social and ecological systems)
in Africa.
We work from the understanding that because poverty is multifaceted, solutions to alleviate it must be multifaceted, too.
A
number of the community projects we work with are engaged in poverty
reduction practices but don’t focus solely on generating income. These
projects are driven by communities on their own with existing resources;
they rely on their own abilities and efforts that are not externally
funded.
number of the community projects we work with are engaged in poverty
reduction practices but don’t focus solely on generating income. These
projects are driven by communities on their own with existing resources;
they rely on their own abilities and efforts that are not externally
funded.
One example is ECOaction,
which works in a slum community on the outskirts of Kampala in Uganda.
Residents largely rely on collecting and selling discarded plastic
bottles collected from across the city for small amounts of money.
which works in a slum community on the outskirts of Kampala in Uganda.
Residents largely rely on collecting and selling discarded plastic
bottles collected from across the city for small amounts of money.
With no resource other than time and vision, residents have built a community hall from recycled water bottles
and an urban garden that grows food for residents and a chicken farm.
Colourful murals and sculpture can be found around every corner.
and an urban garden that grows food for residents and a chicken farm.
Colourful murals and sculpture can be found around every corner.
In
Botswana, the Sustainable Futures in Africa team is working with a
community in Mmadinare to develop a project that will protect their farm
land from wild elephants. This will not rely on, or generate, external
funding. But it will protect the farmers’ and the wild animals’
interests.
Botswana, the Sustainable Futures in Africa team is working with a
community in Mmadinare to develop a project that will protect their farm
land from wild elephants. This will not rely on, or generate, external
funding. But it will protect the farmers’ and the wild animals’
interests.
There are other ways to build strong sustainable
communities without external financial resources. In Taba Padang, a
village in Indonesia, sustainable community forestry is helping improve human wellbeing. There’s also Boomu African Village
in Uganda, where a women’s group participates in eco-tourism and
invests back into the community. They have built a nursery school and
trained other residents in their village to get involved in eco-tourism.
communities without external financial resources. In Taba Padang, a
village in Indonesia, sustainable community forestry is helping improve human wellbeing. There’s also Boomu African Village
in Uganda, where a women’s group participates in eco-tourism and
invests back into the community. They have built a nursery school and
trained other residents in their village to get involved in eco-tourism.
Other self-reliance projects centre on health. For example in Lesotho, volunteers participate in community home-based health care and fill the gap in the community health care chain.
A new lens
There
is, of course, no one-size-fits-all solution that will end poverty. But
aid in the form of donated money, from one place to another, is
culturally, practically, and ethically problematic.
is, of course, no one-size-fits-all solution that will end poverty. But
aid in the form of donated money, from one place to another, is
culturally, practically, and ethically problematic.
Money is not
the currency of well-being, sustainability and community cohesion. More
often, it’s a tool for influence and power dynamics that will favour the
creditor. That’s why partnerships that rely on different types of
resources and bring people together to design and act on
context-relevant solutions can be such powerful drivers of change.
That’s why for resource rich Africa, promoting self reliance would be
key to eliminating poverty.
the currency of well-being, sustainability and community cohesion. More
often, it’s a tool for influence and power dynamics that will favour the
creditor. That’s why partnerships that rely on different types of
resources and bring people together to design and act on
context-relevant solutions can be such powerful drivers of change.
That’s why for resource rich Africa, promoting self reliance would be
key to eliminating poverty.
