Surely a country doing so well, and especially with such a small population should not be having poor people.Unfortunately that is not the case. At least 32 per cent (about 650 000) of our people live in poverty. And by poverty we mean dire poverty where sometimes families go for days without a meal. Hunger in the land of plenty. Literally. While our country's economy has grown steadily since the discovery of diamonds and other minerals in the 70s, not everyone has shared equally in that good fortune. We are seeing more and more homeless people in our cities and towns. Increasingly the poor are getting poorer and the rich richer. Job searching has become a nightmare for young people as they struggle to get into the job market. Yet the official story is that government is spending millions each year on poverty alleviation efforts such as the Ipelegeng project and food tokens for the poor and orphans. There is no doubt that these efforts help the poor - no matter how temporary the relief. But for how long will government be giving handouts? Government needs a comprehensive strategy that can provide sustainable results - poverty eradication, or more realistically fewer poor people, as more and more of our people are given the opportunity to share the fruit of the land. Such a strategy requires a broad understanding of poverty and not simply - as is often the case, a limited income/consumption approach. This broad understanding of poverty should include the concept of human rights as well as allowing active participation of the poor themselves, not only in defining poverty but also in helping us understand why they think they are poor and how they believe they can rise out of poverty. The broad dimensions of poverty including lack of opportunities, vulnerability, low capabilities and social exclusion should all be considered. The strategy should also appreciate the structural causes of poverty. These structural causes help us understand why certain groups of individuals continue to monopolise resources in the country, getting richer, while many remain poor. While government's flagship programme of poverty eradication is a welcome initiative, it can only be said to be truly effective when it empowers the poor and the voiceless - when it results in equitable distribution of this country's resources. Furthermore it should allow and empower the poor to create social networks and institutions that will take a lead in poverty eradication initiatives. It is important for government and other stakeholders to appreciate that the poverty eradication efforts should be communicated to various communities in the languages that they understand. That should create ownership of these efforts by all Batswana. That should in turn create momentum, which should translate to an honest fight against poverty and true emancipation of our people from this scourge.
Today's thought
