While Poverty Persists, There is No True Freedom

A few weeks ago, Ghana commemorated her 58th Independence anniversary with a well-choreographed performance by school children and security personnel. It was a reminder of the time the former Gold Coast finally freed herself from external rule to appoint her own local leaders to inspire hope, incubate visions and change lives. Kwame Nkrumah’s famous declaration of “at long last the battle has ended and Ghana is free for ever” will forever be associated with this day. The event was truly colourful and attracted dignitaries of different professions.

As to whether Ghanaians are independent and free, I think the real answer can be solicited from people living in poverty. It is true we are politically independent, but the battle for freedom from poverty is just about beginning. Frankly, political independence may mean little if people are still in servitude to poverty and deprivation. The real collective struggle is to utterly reduce or eliminate poverty. It is only when that happens that we can maintain our dignity and natural rights without a taint of violation.

The reality of poverty is biting for the average Ghanaian, but it is aggressively punishing for people living in deprived communities in our poorest regions. In female-headed households in some of our poorest regions, a typical family is poor, oversized, culture sensitive and usually faces challenges in providing food, quality shelter and basic amenities necessary for a dignified life. For instance, some families survive on one meal a day when their farmland is not yielding enough for family consumption. People in such situations cannot feel independent and free. If you witness your primary 1 daughter or son studying under a tree or sitting on the bare floor in a dilapidated structure for a combined class with pupils in primary 2, you might question our independence. If you struggle for water and have to walk 3km to fetch a pot from a river in a rural community, you might find the independence commemoration worthless.

People do not feel safe unless they know they are winning the war against poverty. Nelson Mandela was spot-on when he likened poverty to slavery and apartheid. He said: “like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings".

Not only did his simple statement describe and indicate the cause of poverty, Mandela also gave the prescription to defeat it – through human actions. He explained why it is urgent for society to defeat poverty: “overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life. While poverty persists, there is no true freedom". Touché!

Poverty may be endemic in some parts of the country but it can only remain if we choose to do nothing. Baruch Spinazo, a 17th century Jewish Dutch philosopher and rationalist, said that “care for the poor is incumbent on society as a whole”. A conscious sustainable effort by a group of optimists to support the development of communities can be all that is needed to catalyse the process of eradicating poverty. And in the fight against poverty no effort is little. Good old Charles Dickens considered as the spokesman for the poor, notes that “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another”.

This is why ActionAid is providing a unique platform – dubbed Local Community Sponsorship – to give Ghanaians the opportunity to make a monthly donation towards the development of poor and deprived communities. At ActionAid, we believe Ghanaians themselves can make a difference in the lives of people living in poverty, by supporting them to meet their basic needs. By our cultural and social orientation, the Ghanaian has a natural commitment to help others in need, and would usually make important sacrifices to advance individual and community development.

The Local Community Sponsorship is a vehicle to mobilise voluntary monthly donations to make a sustained difference in the lives of people living in poverty. Community development is the endgame of the means. In a detailed process, community meetings will be held where members will be facilitated to prioritise their developmental gaps. Then with community and other stakeholder involvement, regular monthly donations from well-meaning change makers will be applied to respond to their expressed needs. Addressing immediate needs give the community a sense of fellow-feeling. It also emboldens them to make associated demands from the local government structure as well as galvanise the power within them to push ahead and chart a new course of growth and development.

ActionAid will also provide three-month interval report on the status of the community project. To further strengthen the link between communities and their financial supporters, an annual visit will be organised for sponsors to go to their sponsored community and interact with the people who receive from their generous donations. This partnership will give sponsors and contributors the opportunity to assess the impact of their interventions on the lives of people living in poverty and how they are shaping the lives of Ghanaians living in Ghana. As Ghanaians, we have always helped one another.

Your generous contributions will be used to provide day-care centres and classrooms conducive for learning for many poor children. The donations will deliver boreholes for whole communities of people who have never seen water flow through a pipe in their places of abode. You will be part of a movement that will be laying a solid and tested foundation of breaking cyclical poverty through the introduction of livelihood activities and social enterprises in rural and deprived Ghana.

If there is a time to exhibit that spirit of communalism among us, it is now. We do not need to have the world to ourselves to stretch out a hand of support to the less privileged. By committing to a life-changing donation towards a community, you will not only be making a difference, you will be the difference to somebody.

Prince Osei-Agyekum Sponsorship and Supporter Care Manager ActionAid Ghana