Fighting Poverty in Africa
Estimated Costs Needed to Raise
$250,000
Received Towards Initiative
$0
Causes of Poverty in Africa
Poverty can be caused by lack of education, medical bills, financial losses or insufficient income. Most of us have seen commercials on television requesting donations for various causes or campaigns to help families in Africa provide more than one small cup of rice a day for their children. This is good work, but is it really the correct solution for the problems they are facing? Are these the best options we can come up with?
Fighting Poverty in Africa
Many individuals, as well as organizations, have their particular views on how to fight poverty in Africa. There is some support for education. Others set up tents and provide medical relief, as well as food, for those who are in desperate need of nourishment for their families. These are critical necessities, but they are not sufficient without other forms of assistance to tackle the immensity of the problems.
The Poverty Crisis
If we take a look at: https://www.developmentaid.org/#!/news-stream/post/84943/highest-poverty-rates-in-africa we learn that the number of those living in poverty in Africa has increased by 9 Million since 2019, and now accounts for 490 million individuals. This above website is an excellent resource for more information, and it is worthwhile to look at these alarming figures. Although the situation has improved through the course of time, the objectives that were set by numerous organizations have not lived up to their desired goals and/or timelines. According to my research, a large segment of the population is trying to survive on less than $2 dollars a day. Even though their currency exchange rate is a lot lower than other continents, there is no major difference in the amount of food that they require to live on in a single day.
Mall of Hope and its Solution to Poverty
Mall of Hope's take on how to fight poverty in Africa is to view it as a global concern. In order to solve this problem, one needs to begin with the larger picture. What causes poverty the world over? What change could be beneficial for the whole world?
The answer is astonishingly simple: create a system that deals differently with second-hand electronics. Instead of discarding them in dump sites in every country, they could be sent to various African ports. And from there they would be delivered to people, who working out of their own homes, could refurbish them. As their incomes rise, the minimum amount necessary for these formerly destitute individuals to survive, would become available. Directions would be provided for dismantling and remaking the electronics. Then they could ship these useful objects, like screws, wire, nails and so forth, back to companies for resale. This would not only cut down on the waste in dumpsites, but also help diminish the consumption of resources we use to make materials across the world.
About 45% of the landmass in Africa is dry land, where one would not have to worry about moisture. A large amount of electronic waste could be salvaged, sent to this large area, and readied for reuse. Now, obviously, this is just in the idea stage, but with the appropriate backing one could begin to explore the concept and make it a reality. We have other ideas, but those have a complexity that will require a lot longer to explore in order to find effective solutions- and ultimately implementation. This one could, right now, definitely boost the speed of relieving the crisis in Africa. Sometimes it only takes calls between two companies, in one country and another, that are willing to sell and buy used screws, etc.
As should be apparent by now, Mall of Hope is concerned with using one problem to solve another. Our effort is to make a chain of self- sustainable solutions that doesn’t need to beg for donations to keep it going.
If we step back and look at the whole situation, we often see how one issue can solve another, and in doing so create a brighter future for the world as a whole. We hope this concept piques your interest. If so, please help us get the word out to the Africans, themselves. Their major problem- and the one which above all else must be addressed first and foremost- is bolstering their ability to increase their resources so they achieve the minimum for survival. With your help we know this is possible and with the right mindset anything can be achieved.
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