Femi’s family had been feeding from hand to mouth for as long as he could remember. All he knew was hunger and lack. The only reason he could attend school was because it was government funded and even at that, he had to still find ways to get notebooks and other school essentials. His dresses and uniform were mostly hand-me-downs from community members he worked for. After school he would start making his rounds through the village doing menial jobs so he could save up money for his needs.
His Dad owned a stand at the market square where he fixed shoes, and his mum hawked fruits throughout the village. Life was not pleasant but that is the hand he had been dealt and he predetermined his rise from such lowly setting. That was why he worked twice as hard at school so he could gain scholarships and at work so he could save up for his essentials.
Recently some NGOs had set their sights on his community and from the stories he heard about their work he realized that the had come up with a programme to alleviate the poverty status of most persons in the community by creating much better work standards and opportunities for them.
The programme was a very impactful one, as the men were educated on better ways of handling their finances and harnessing their farm produce. The women were given means of starting up small businesses to support their families and exceptional students like Femi got scholarship awards allowing him pursue his goals of being a world renowned pilot, and bring fame and wealth to his community.
This programme saw a drastic change in the lives of those it affected, as they had better living conditions and better opportunities at life. Femi was most elated as his family no longer lived from hand to mouth but were now living comfortably.
There are more persons like Femi who if given the opportunity would make life better for those around them. That is why programmes for poverty Alleviation are being put in place to reduce the rate of poor living conditions and provide proper access to food, monetary help and basic household essentials for families living below the poverty status.
Poverty Alleviation is a set of steps taken to ensure that poverty is eradicated from a country, these steps include provision of services and opportunities for citizens in the poverty spectrum to get jobs and earn better. They are also provided with funds to allow them access food items, health services and basics for better living.
One way to go about this is to empower the youths within the area with skills that will help them stay relevant in years to come.
Poverty keeps a country in a state of stagnancy and it is always in its best interest to fight the scourge.