Here Is A Way to End Poverty
When I read a certain book last year (War Front To Store Front, Brinkley, Paul, 2014), I had a major insight: there really is no good reason that we have major poverty in the world—we just have undeveloped economic units! Brinkley worked in Iraq before the current president pulled the US out. In 5 years there he created hundreds of thousands of jobs for Iraqis, introduced a modern banking system (allowing interface with the international banking system), developed resources, supported green farming methods etc. and economically revitalized much of the region.
If Brinkley and 5 good assistants went to any poor country in the developing world, and had $3 million for seed money, and spent 3 years there, they would turn a poverty country into a viable economic production unit participating in the world market!! They would employ the current jobless masses. Brinkley knows how to make it happen! But others can do it too. If the will is there, business leaders can get rid of most poverty by economic development. There will always be some poor, but widespread poverty can become obsolete. And add to that the wonderful land restoration activities taking place all over the planet—barren lands restored to abundant grasslands in just 3 years, etc. There is good documentation for this.
Sustainable/green growing methods produce a lot of food. This is true on the farm and in tiny slum gardens. Leadership is required to show how well this works. Once people see a demonstration they will see how growing their own food is relatively easy and can greatly reduce poverty. In general we say, don’t hand out money for people to buy food—instead, show them how to grow food! Everyone learning to grow food is a big part of economic development. The business owners who make up the Exploratory Group lead the way. They will find farmers/gardeners to teach this part of the program. Growing food is almost like making money and will improve the standard of living as the country moves forward economically, one “target area” at a time, to eradicate poverty!
I do whatever works to get more money into the hands of the lower classes. That is why I am working with Mr. Watson Clair Jeune, Supervisor for Microepps, in Petion-Ville, Haiti, to set up microbusinesses. I do not put money into staff salaries or studies. I use my personal money to fund individuals starting small microbusiness—usually USD $200 and see if they can successfully operate a microbusiness. IF they can make a profit with that, I can invest more. We have some of them operating now in Petion-Ville—individual people with good reputations who have convinced Mr. Clair Jeune that they can make a go of it, selling items such as soap, vegetables, clothes, shoes, raising chickens or rejuvenating automobile batteries.
I want to take another step beyond starting microbusinesses. I hope we will find business owners with “big hearts” and plenty of business experience. I want them to commit to working to help end poverty in small, manageable, specific Target Areas of 200 to 600 people. If local business owners are committed, I will conduct a 4 day seminar to coach them in using economic development to help rid the Target Area of poverty. I will also encourage them to invest in the Target Area start-up businesses themselves so they can financially benefit. They will need to 1) have business ownership or investor experience and 2) be altruistic in nature and 3) want to help eradicate poverty. When these big hearted and business experienced people focus on an area, they will transform it, in little ways and in big ways, and the standard of living will be lifted for all. This is one way to turn a “poor country” into a prosperous one. That is the role of Recipe For Hope.
I am influenced by the work of individuals like Dr. Paul Polak, Dr. Muhamad Yunus, Mr. Paul Brinkley, and organizations like Heifer International and Women Helping Women International. I do not favor donations and giveaways (except in most extreme cases and for very short time). I do favor economic development at all levels. I also support sustainable gardening and small plot farming practices that grow food for families to eat and to sell. Growing potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, squash, beans, lettuce, and carrots, in permaculture fashion is something everyone can do—on the ground or in buckets and pots. This is basic level economics, but important to people who lack money. By growing food they can feed themselves cheaply.
From personal experience, I know it takes initiative and hard work to make money through commerce. I am willing to help interested persons make change right where they are if they are willing to work hard. I put the Recipe For Hope model together as a way for local business owners (with the help of some farming and gardening people with experience in sustainable growing techniques) to select a small Target Area of people (200 to 600) and vigorously work in the boundaries of that Target Area to apply my model and lift the area up economically. This will take hard work, but it will pay off!
I am aware that I am not Haitian, nor live in Haiti, and Haiti needs to rebuild herself without foreigners doing it. I am trying to help the process along. I plan to eventually spread the Recipe For Hope model to all developing countries. There really is no need to have huge amounts of poverty in the world—energetic and caring people with business experience can transform sectors of poverty into thriving economic units—the poor are not stupid, but they need to be shown a way out of poverty. I realize that a small % will always be poor, but there is no longer any pressing reason that large portions of society needs to stay in poverty.