The 17th October is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty…

The 17^th October marks the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. This year’s theme is: ‘Building Forward Together: Ending Persistent Poverty, Respecting all People and Our Planet’

The COVID-19 pandemic that gripped the world during the past year has resulted in over 3.7 million deaths and is reversing decades of progress in the  fight  against poverty and extreme poverty.  According  to the World Bank report on “Projected poverty impacts of COVID-19, ”between 71 to 100 million people are being pushed into poverty as a result of the crisis, with the majority of the new extreme poor being found in South Asian and Sub-Saharan countries  where  poverty rates are already high”. In 2021, this number is expected to rise to between 143 and 163 million.

These ‘new poor’ will join the ranks of the 1.3 billion people already living in multidimensional and persistent poverty who saw their pre-existing deprivations aggravated during the global pandemic.

As we embark on the post-COVID recovery and getting back on track with the Sustainable Development Goals, many are talking of “building back better.” People living in extreme poverty do not want a return to the past nor to build back to what it was before. They do not want a return to the endemic structural disadvantages and inequalities. Instead, people living in poverty propose to build forward.

Building forward means transforming our relationship with nature, dismantling structures of discrimination that disadvantage people in poverty and building on the moral and legal framework of human rights that places human dignity at the heart of policy and action. Building forward means not only that no one is left behind but that people living in poverty are actively encouraged and supported to be in the front, engaging in informed and meaningful participation in decision making processes that directly affect their lives. In building forward, we need to let ourselves be enriched by the wealth of wisdom, energy and resourcefulness that people living in poverty can contribute to our communities, our societies and ultimately to our planet.

Our schools will be organising activities built around this theme in the coming days. Follow us on Facebook.

Watch this video to learn more.

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