Editing poverty

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime". -Chinese Proverb

Most of us probably experienced being asked for change or cigarette while we are out smoking or walking. When you go out of the streets, it might not be a surprise to see different faces of poverty. Some are obvious, and some are not.

A lot of us might think that when we give out change we help lessen poverty. It may actually help, but that help may not last long. We should start editing the way we help people. There are other ways of helping the people who are experiencing poverty. We can choose to assist them with our short term participation like giving out goods during Christmas or other holidays; however, we can create greater impact when participate in projects that promote sustainable development.

Sustainable development compared to one-time outreach programs, involve creating projects that will help people who experiencing poverty stand on their own feet after you or your organization's intervention. The types of projects may include building schools, developing livelihood projects, microfinancing, etc. I think that if we focus more effort in implementing these types of outreach program the effects may not be readily seen, but we will go further because we can help them not to become dependent of other people's assistance.

It is not wrong to participate in short-term outreach programs because it still helps address immediate concerns of people experiencing poverty. If we come to think of it, Maslow's hierarchy of needs shows that before we can move further towards self-actualization, we need to first address our physical needs. It would still be a big help if people put efforts in addressing these needs. However, it will be greater help if we can assist people in poverty find ways to earn for themselves, stand on their own, and live with dignity.