Poverty eradication

Poverty eradication key to achieving SDGs

A farmer works in a field in Shayu village of Panzhou city, Guizhou province, Feb 9, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

The "International Conference on China and the World: Towards Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind" was held in Beijing on July 5. Scholars from home and abroad exchanged their views on issues of poverty eradication and South-South cooperation at a symposium.

Wei Houkai, director of the Rural Development Institute at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that China had formulated two Outlines of poverty alleviation and development in China's rural areas in 2001 and 2011, rolled out the targeted poverty alleviation strategy in 2013, and put forward in 2015 to win the battle against poverty. By the end of 2020, the rural poor population below China's current poverty line had been lifted out of poverty.

He noted the two bottom lines for the Chinese government to comprehensively promote rural vitalization, one is to ensure food security and the other is to prevent large-scale relapse into poverty.

"With a good start, the rural revitalization strategy successfully completed the tasks of the first phase from 2018 to 2022," he said.

Nie Fengying, vice director of the Agriculture Information Institute at Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that China has met the poverty eradication target of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ten years ahead of schedule, while contributing 70 percent of the global poverty reduction.

China's successful practice in eliminating extreme poverty has offered important references and experience for the world, especially for the Global South.

Muhammad Asif Noor, director of Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies in Pakistan, said that China's commitment to poverty eradication is reflected in all aspects of its policies, with the well-being and social security of the people at the center, including social assistance programs; health care reform; and efforts to improve access to housing, clean water, and sanitation.

Charles Onunaiju, director of the Center for China Studies in Nigeria, pointed out that the policy also needs to mobilize social and economic resources, and to involve individuals in this cause.

"China once had a large scale of poverty population, but these people were actively mobilized and took the initiative to get rid of poverty. Africa should learn from China in this regard," he added.

02

Dr. Odoi visits former school, urges parents to eradication poverty

Dr. Tanga Odoi, the chairperson of the electoral commission of the ruling National Resistance Movement Party (NRM), visited his former school, Kisoko Boys Primary Boarding School, in Tororo district on July 16 and attended a meeting with parents and teachers.

During his visit, he took the opportunity to address parents and urged them to embrace government poverty eradication programs such as Emyooga, Parish Development Model (PDM), and Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme (UWEP), among others.

“There is a need to change the mindset of locals so that they can benefit fully from government programmes. You should embrace the saving culture. This will help you to improve your livelihoods at the household level,” he said.

Dr. Tanga said that these programs could empower communities economically and enable them to provide better support for their children's education.

“If we embrace and wholeheartedly support government programmes like Parish Development Model, we will eradicate poverty in the country and have the capacity to fully contribute towards the education of your children,” Dr. Tanga said.

His appeal came in response to concerns raised by the school administration during the parents' annual general meeting. The administration had accused some parents of failing to provide essential scholastic materials to their children, thereby negatively impacting the teaching and learning process.

In response to these challenges, Dr. Tanga pledged Shs60 million to provide uniforms for every student in his former school and neighboring Kisoko Girls Primary School.

However, he also encouraged parents to develop a culture of saving and living within their means.

He warned against extravagant lifestyles beyond one's income, which can lead to corruption tendencies among young people and even the elderly.

Mrs. Molly Chirya, the secretary for works and technical services for Tororo district, lauded the government's initiatives and encouraged parents to actively participate in supporting schools to enhance teaching and learning.

She criticised parents who send their children to school without providing necessary scholastic materials, likening them to farmers going to the garden without a hoe.

The head teacher of Kisoko Boys Primary School, Mr Asaph Genowere, expressed his gratitude for the contributions made by former pupils, which have significantly improved the school's conditions.

During the meeting, the parents also collectively agreed to contribute 10,000 shillings as a development fee to further support the school's initiatives.