By Emmanuel Acquah
The want of needs and the need of wants is
an appropriate epithet for defining poverty. Poverty condemns 92 million
children to die (between 2000 and 2010) and is the reason why 3 billion people live
under $2.5 a day.
It hurts to know a bite from a mosquito can
end the life of an innocent child. Political upheaval, unfavorable government
policies, irresponsible individuals and human exploitation are some of the
reasons behind the sudden increase in the level of poverty. Yet whether
relative or absolute, it can be alleviated using different approaches; through
environmental, political and economic perspectives.
This is the reason for joining a game
changer like International Citizen Service (ICS). Quoting the words of Mother
Theresa,"Poverty is not created by God, It is created by you and me when
we don't share what we have." This is to assert the claim that poverty can
be alleviated when one has something important to share. Not only money but
knowledge as well. Knowledge about the problem and knowledge on how to solve
that same problem.
Working with other volunteers from the United Kingdom allows
me to take part in a culturally diverse team and develop my personal skills to
be an ambassador for change. Task based skills for the realisation of my goals;
and an in depth understanding of Globalisation and related issues. A lack of
confidence has been replaced with self -assurance and my leadership skills are
properly designed to address the woes of the world. I stand tall to share now. I
feel brave to embrace development because I have been involved in a series of
trainings and a certification program from the Chartered Management
Institute (CMI) to empower others economically through working with a 1500 strong Shea Butter cooperative called Pagsung.
In 2015, a report by the Ghana Poverty
Mapping indicated that the three Northern regions (Upper West, Upper East and
Northern Region) were below the poverty of incidence with an astounding amount
of GHC1,314 (£250). This is a scary situation that prompted the attention of
many as plans were set out to reduce this menace.
One plan which has set the pace is a
project called Pagsung which I work on as a volunteer which aims to bring light
to many. As it name rightly suggests, it has it origin from Dagbani (local
language in Ghana) and is interpreted as " Good woman". This
organisation is aimed at empowering women and assisting them to be financially
stable. Consider the effect of having to train 1,500 women in the case of
PAGSUNG on Shea butter processing and production. This bridges the gap of
inequality and aims to increase poverty alleviation, something which the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) seeks to address.
Be a part of the new set of
transformational leaders to make our world a better place. Help increase the
human development to change the status quo. Do your best to relieve the
Millions of humans locked in the knots of underdevelopment and let us join
hands and relentlessly fight for sustainable development. Duty demands this
from us.
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