“Eradicate poverty in all its forms, everywhere” is the first of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are part of the UN Global Compact, with goals to be achieved by 2030, of which its 193 member countries are signatories.
This October 17th, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, we are called to reflect on this, which is one of the greatest challenges of our time.
According to the UN, 1.3 billion people across the planet still live in extreme poverty. In the organization’s concept, poverty does not only involve the lack of resources and income that ensures a means of subsistence. Also included are hunger, malnutrition, limited access to education and other basic services, discrimination, social exclusion and lack of participation in decision-making.
The Fraternity – International Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) is aligned with the 2030 Agenda in the various missions carried out around the world. In response to the humanitarian crisis that led thousands of indigenous Venezuelans to cross the border into Brazil, the Roraima Humanitarian Mission was created in 2016, which develops alternatives for the reception and socio-economic integration of these people.
This scenario led to the creation of the Means of Life and Durable Solutions Intervention Sector, through which several courses are offered at the Indigenous Cultural and Training Center (CCFI), located in Boa Vista, Roraima – Brazil, so that indigenous migrants and refugees are able to access the job market and continue their lives independently.
The CCFI aims to encourage the integral development of participants through the mobilization of human skills and technical tools relevant to their life path and productive insertion into the world of work, so that the individual can achieve their autonomy, assuming responsibility and protagonism in personal and collective life.
Education for all
One of the most important tools for breaking the cycle of poverty is education. People in situations of socio-economic vulnerability who have access to education and vocational training are more likely to develop and build a future away from poverty, both for themselves, their families and the communities in which they live.
The CCFI promotes artistic and cultural expression, technical vocational training, cultural manifestation, protection, strengthening and exchange of indigenous cultures from different Venezuelan, Brazilian and Guyanese ethnicities.
The training courses include: Confectionery, Savory Preparation, Baking Techniques, Entrepreneurship, Basic Cutting and Sewing, Haircutting, Literacy and Portuguese.
Tackling gender inequality
Gender inequality has numerous consequences in society and poverty is one of them. Discrimination against women’s participation in different areas of society prevents them from escaping poverty and hunger.
The lack of incentives for women to participate in both the education and the job market, limits their development options.
The creation of programs and public policies that combat inequality is a way to break down these barriers and enable everyone to live in a fairer society, with opportunities for everyone to have a dignified life.
Among the Sustainable Development Goals established by the UN, number 5 addresses gender equality and the empowerment of girls and women to overcome poverty.
In this sense, the Indigenous Cultural and Training Centre (CCFI) develops, in partnership with organizations such as UN Women, training with an intersectional approach to human rights that includes all groups of women, so that there is progress in gender equality issues, empowering women, improving living conditions or protecting them.
Regarding the training, the UN Women consultant for the Moverse program, Erika Hurtado, highlights the importance of the 2030 agenda, which works as a set of guiding principles: “To achieve the society we desire, it is very clear in recommending that our actions are always inclusive and we work on women’s specificities when developing and supporting local actors in developing strategies to reduce gender inequalities and economic empowerment. Some of the problems facing indigenous refugee and migrant women in Brazil are specific and, therefore, it is important to start with a specific approach that is built, in particular, on listening to these women and their main demands.”
A reflection
The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is a time to reflect on the conditions in which society lives and, mainly, promote actions so that the purpose of ending poverty is achieved.
It is a great challenge of our time, made worse by the pandemic, armed conflicts, climate change and rising food and energy prices.
But each one of us and all of us together can contribute so that everyone has access to better living conditions. It is a gesture of love, respect and care for others.
