TURNING POVERTY INTO GAINS AND WEALTH CREATION OPPORTUNITIES

STRATEGIES FOR OVERCOMING ENDEMIC HUNGER AND CHRONIC POVERTY

De: AMOS OBI

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

Introduction and Why this Book? “For you to be born poor it is not your fault but if you die poor, it is your own fault.” -Bill Gates “And for a man to live in poverty, when right in his door step is gold, it indicates an unintelligent approach to life.” Severally and repeatedly, I have said and confessed before my audience where I have been privileged to be invited to speak and give various addresses on poverty eradication, human survival, innovations and creativity, youths’ empowerment strategies etc that, without mincing words, I hate poverty. Why? Because, from my findings and discovery, extreme poverty is not a disease but something worst than all diseases. Yes! And indeed, poverty has done more harm to humanity than all of infectious and communicable diseases in our world. Poverty is the greatest reason why many die of simple ailments and even complicated diseases because they are unable to afford the basic cost of medications or hospital bills. Due to extreme poverty, many in our world are in hunger being unable to afford quality food and nutritious/ balanced diets. Just think about millions and if not billions of people today especially children and youths who are out of the school systems being unable to pay for the cost of education due to their poor backgrounds. Truly, extreme poverty is not only a thief but a killer, murders and destroyer of all the best of humanity. It really dehumanizes and destroys human dignity. Many are out there without shelter, good clothing and decent living without works to earn livelihood because of poverty. Thousand and millions of family stresses and causes of divorces are also attributed to poverty. If poverty then dehumanizes and destroys human psychology, creativity and potentials for living, why should anyone sane ever tolerate poverty? Globally poverty level has become a real concern that requires not only just an action but a very radical approach. Much talk about poverty eradication without commensurate pragmatic action has serious consequences on the well-being and welfare of humanity. The imprisonment in poverty dungeon must now be opened up for true and real freedom to all humanity. Have you ever experienced and tasted the wounds and pains of poverty in your life? My ordeal with poverty is better told than be experienced. I was born, grew and bred in poverty. Yes! I tasted a heavy dose of poverty hence though, I am still very much striving against this monster called hunger and the pains of poverty, I decided to undertake this research work on the causes and cure for poverty. Part of my experience and story with poverty is told in my book: “The Creative Guru from the Blues” which could be accessed online at http://www.amazon.com/author/amosobi and reads thus: My life story cannot be completed if I forget the dark and hopeless days of my childhood. My journey from the wilderness of ignorance and “mountain” of poverty is characterized and marked with much pains and sufferings. I grew up with a sort of a permanent seal of “you cannot go to school and be educated because you know you are like an Orphan”. With that repeatedly echoed into my hearing by virtually every adult around me, it was like a closed and doomed educational destiny and uncertain future in the prison of ignorance. This was so because apart from losing my dad-Mr. Sunday Obi when I was at the tender age of eight (8) years, every other person around me was ignorant and living in abject poverty and extreme hunger. So, to even think of schooling even at the primary school level was like a taboo and swimming against the tides. But as the saying always goes, “where there is a will there must always be away.” Just by share luck and out of desperation for education, I resolved to sponsor and train myself right from the primary and secondary schools and even at the higher Institutions/ University levels by venturing into farming, fishing, doing manual hire jobs and hunting.