Extreme Poverty

The 7 Facts You Need to Know about Extreme Poverty A PDF copy of the 7 Facts Understanding and Responding to Extreme Poverty The United Nations Millennium Development Goals

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The 7 Facts You Need to Know about Extreme Poverty

One: The Earth is changing - Droughts and famines are not theories and they are increasing in frequency, intensity, and duration. They are eroding the land and endangering all forms of life in East Africa.

Two: Extreme poverty is not an inconvenience, it is a death sentence - Millions of people die from malnutrition and disease.

Three: Big governments are not helping - Developed countries have their own agendas and their own bureaucracies. Curiously, few people believe their own government is effective in solving the major problems of their country, yet naively believe those same governments are solving the crises faced in other countries (sounds silly, doesn't it?)

Four: Relief-based approaches solve today's problems; development-based approaches change the future - Relief-based humanitarian efforts provide food and medicine, and they are important for solving "today's problems." Development-focused work trains farmers, healthcare workers, and teachers. Relief helps people to survive and development helps people to thrive. We need them both; however, development is often under-appreciated.

Five: Community-based approaches work, all others fail - To end extreme poverty, we must begin with the needs of the community as defined by the members of the community, then find or develop cheap, practical, and sustainable solutions (that do not create more problems), help get those solutions started and make sure they are working, then move on.

Six: The world has the technology and the expertise to end extreme poverty - There are safe, inexpensive solutions to help solve every problem facing Ethiopia and other poverty-stricken countries (i.e., tsetse fly control traps, sustainable farming, energy generation from biogas digesters, solar ovens, drip irrigation, malaria prevention using Artemisia, and many others). They are working in Ethiopia right now; we need to support the spread of the proven solutions and champion the development of new solutions.

Seven: Everyone can do something - Everyone is part of the solution to ending extreme poverty. You can learn more about the reality of extreme poverty. You can be an advocate for community-driven, development approaches to ending poverty. You can be a voice speaking out for compassion and respect for those born into extreme poverty and those extraordinary people who are surviving under some of the most harsh conditions in the world. You can contribute your time and talents and you can support organizations that work to train farmers, healthcare workers, and educators. Your thoughts, your actions, and your words will join with others to change the world, and you can help spread the word by emailing this page to a friend or getting a PDF file of The Seven Facts suitable for printing and sharing with friends.

Understanding & Responding to Extreme Poverty

Types of Poverty

To understand Ethiopia's situation, we need to improve our understanding of poverty. While there are many ways to understand poverty, we can think of it along a continuum. On one end, we have "inconveniently poor," and at the other end, we have "life-threatening poverty."

Inconvenienced by desires

Some people think they are poor because they are 'not rich'--they do not have everything they want. This can be a state of mind of people who live in developed countries who watch television and see things they want, but cannot afford.

Inconvenienced by choices

Some people think they are poor because toward the end of the month, they do not have enough money to buy everything they would like to buy.

Dependent on others

Some people think they are poor because they are dependent on others for a place to live or food. Usually, this is the case in wealthy countries, where governments have the resources to help people who cannot work due to illness, aging, or lack of qualifications or opportunities.

Life threatening poverty

People living in extreme poverty are 'dangerously poor,' their lives are threatened by starvation and disease and their government does not have the resources to help them.

The Price of Extreme Poverty

• On our planet, more than 1 billion people live on less than a dollar a day
• Each year, six million malnourished children die before their 5th birthday
• Every thirty seconds an African child dies from malaria
• The risk of dying in pregnancy or childbirth: North America, 1 in 3,700 pregnancies; sub-Sahara Africa, 1 in 16 pregnancies

In extremely poor countries, poverty is not an inconvenience, it is a death sentence!

Ethiopia is Extremely Poor

• Ethiopia is the most populous, poorest country in the world
• Average income is US $103 per year
• Life expectancy is 41 years
• 80% of the people suffer from debilitating diseases
• Ethiopia is extremely poor due to very extreme circumstances

Extreme Poverty is Extreme Loss

 Loss of Natural Capital

• On planet Earth, we have water, soil/minerals, air, plants, and animals. We may think of these elements as "Natural Capital." They are the raw materials that are essential to human survival or useful to humans in earning an income.
• In Ethiopia, the natural capital has declined for decades:
  • Safe drinking water is scarce
  • Droughts and erosion have destroyed land that produces food
  • There are fewer trees and crops
  • Many of the animals are sick and either cannot help work the land or they are not safe to eat

Loss of Social Capital

• The people living in every country have languages, memories, knowledge, wisdom, know-how, and problem-solving skills. We may think of people and all that they know and do, as "Social Capital."
• In Ethiopia, the social capital has declined for decades:

  • Many people are ill and cannot work productively

  • Few people complete their education and therefore cannot acquire the skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic

  • Many, many children die before they grow to adulthood

Helping Extremely Poor People

• When droughts, famines, and floods happen, we must use relief approaches to minimize loss of life; however, we must keep in mind that relief approaches focus on the lack of natural capital (i.e., food, shelter, and medicine)
• To help people overcome extreme poverty, we must use development approaches to strengthen the community's social capital. People must learn how to cope with their situations, plan new approaches to changes in their environments, and the plans must be practical and sustainable

The Big Question

• One question arises over and over when any organization tries to reduce poverty: Will the improvements last?
• The answer is YES, but only if we use community-driven development approaches. When we listen to the people in need, they define their most pressing problems, and together we design programs and techniques that will work, that will last, and can be maintained, then the changes become permanent.

A New Approach

• We started Praxis Ethiopia to serve as a model for ending poverty in Ethiopia and sub-Sahara Africa
  • The model grew out of our experiences with the Ethio-Forum 2002
  • We developed the approach under the guidance of H.E. Dr. Aseffa Abreha and in close consultation with leading experts in both private sector (NGO) and senior governmental ministers
  • We finalized our vision in close cooperation with H.E. Prime Minister Meles
• The Foundation raises funds to promote, support, and celebrate community-driven poverty reduction that uses science-based sustainable development approaches

The Praxis Ethiopia Foundation

• Builds upon the excellent work of the Ethiopian Social Rehabilitation and Development Fund (a highly successful, community-driven model funded by the World Bank and led by His Excellency Dr. Aseffa Abreha [His Excellency serves as the Foundation's Chairperson])
• Follows the guidance of the World Bank for designing and implementing sustainable poverty-reduction interventions

Support at the Highest Levels

Ethiopia's Prime Minister supports the Foundation

On 25 January 2002, His Excellency Prime Minister Meles Zenawi graciously accepted our invitation to serve as the Patron of Praxis Ethiopia and His Excellency serves as the Honorary Chairperson of the Foundation's Board of Directors

Ethiopia's President supports the Foundation

In September 2005, His Excellency Ato Girma Wolde Giorgis made the opening address at Praxis Ethiopia's inaugural event at the Sheraton Addis, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In his address, the President referred to Praxis Ethiopia as the "World Bank of Ideas and Innovations."

You Can Help Praxis Ethiopia to Help Ethiopia

• The Praxis Ethiopia Foundation is a publicly-supported charity based in the United States.
• Donations to the Foundation are tax-deductable to the extent allowed under the laws of your country
• You may donate to the Foundation through Google Checkout, or make an honorarium or memorial donation
• Service clubs and places of worship may also help the Foundation through special support programs

One from All

The Foundation's "One from All, All for One" Program helps service clubs contribute to community-driven poverty reduction. If your service club would like to support the work of The Praxis Ethiopia Foundation and would like to contribute one dollar per member per month to this cause, please click here to learn more.

Change for Change

The Foundation's "Change for Change" Program helps places of worship contribute to community-driven poverty reduction. To participate in the program, your Place of Worship would designate one service (or more) each month during which people could give their spare change to support the Foundation's work. Then every few months, your place of worship would send a check to the Foundation for the amount of money collected. If your place of worship would like to participate in the Change for Change Program, please click here to learn more.

Summary

• Extreme conditions create extreme poverty
• Extreme poverty kills people
• Relief efforts save lives, development services help people to recover their lives and re-build their communities
• People born into extreme poverty need to know how to survive and thrive
• You can help to end extreme poverty

The Praxis Ethiopia Foundation is a 501(c)(3) publicly-supported charity headquartered in the United States. Thank you for your support of Ethiopia and The Praxis Ethiopia Foundation. Copyright 2010 by D. A. Blankinship. The Foundation complies with the World Wide Web Consortium standards.