In Africa, drought is labled as the most common cause of poverty, assisted often by a war here and there, a touch of genocide or the self enrichment of a political dictator and his merry men. Poverty is the scourge of Africa, it knows no boundaries and to quote Mr Jacob Zuma, it knows no colour.

During a recent television report it was stated that five children per day die in South Africa from malnutrition and that the incidence of abandoned babies has increased by one-third, shocking statistics from one of the wealthiest economies in Africa, one can only imagine the true extent of this problem.

Poverty cannot be categorised as another legacy of apartheid and simply swept under the carpet, it is not unique to those countries with a history of racism or other human rights atrocities. Poverty is a human catastrophe and growing, the upward trend of food and power prices, the implications of both global warming and the increase in the price of oil are all factors ensuring this trend remains.

The question is whether poverty is an unavoidable phenomenon or is it an unintentional creation of society. Our leaders talk glibly of job creation, particularly during election speeches, often seen cutting ribbon in front of the cameras at some local self-help project, this is not nearly enough to reverse a trend.

Go back a few years to the cement and brick industries and you will recall hundreds and thousands of workers on building sites throughout the country, loading cement and throwing bricks around manually, this whole workforce has been replaced by automatic palletisation systems. The motor industry and many employment sectors have become more and more automated. I know a farmer who, after being absolutely frustrated by theft and continual difficulties with his labour force, has installed as many automated systems as he is able in order to reduce his reliance on physical labour. On the sports field, a few years ago unskilled and uneducated labour was used as caddies or bag carriers, these employment opportunities have been substantially reduced in most cases and replaced by pull-carts and golf cars with some golf courses banning caddies from their environs completely.

The above mentioned employment sectors were largely forced to reduce employment opportunities as a result of either efficiency or economic factors, in simple terms labour became either too expensive with cheaper and more productive alternatives. It would be dangerous to hazard a guess at the number of jobs lost to the population as a result. When this situation is considered in parallel with the lower cost of production in some of our supplier countries, China and our textile industry as an example, we have mounting evidence to support the probability that poverty is exacerbated by our own actions, including the action of those first to complain about being unemployed.

To the unemployable masses in Africa, the core lack of education and skills development must surely contribute significantly to a poor economic environment and the resultant lack of employment opportunity. Until the standard of educational opportunity is addressed significantly, this situation will compound itself in perpetuity, as appears to be the case.

Is this avoidable, the answer must surely be yes. An immediate short term solution comes with obvious difficulties, the catch-22 position where to fund schools and qualified teachers an economy needs to be in good condition, a difficult state to reach in the midst of problems of poverty. The long term solution must however be addressed urgently by our leader group, politicians, church and traditional leaders. It is their bounden duty, even though only in office for a short while, to publicly commit to immediately addressing this issue with a long term objective. The effect of fraud, poor administrative and financial practice by our leaders in public office, if quantified and re-presented as the number of teacher appointments that this mismanagement could have funded, would be frightening.

Considering the problem from a job creation viewpoint, the labour leaders and organisations need to re-look their relationship with industry, strive to develop an atmosphere of consultancy and cooperation, rather than confrontation and demand. Job creation, even at the risk of lower wages, must remain high on any negotiation agenda; this needs the support of Government in all aspects, including reducing administrative employee related requirements for small business.

Poverty relief through improvements in the education infrastructure is not someone else’s problem, it is ours as responsible persons who supposedly care for the future of Africa, consider this next time you elect the person to represent your ward.

The alleviation of poverty will undoubtedly have immediate social benefits to all South Africans, the improvement of our economy, less financial commitment to hand-outs, a reduction in the crime rate. Our generation, in South Africa and also the wealthier countries, need to take immediate meaningful action to reverse the trend.

 From Janet Schlarbaum

The cause of poverty is poverty thinking. Poverty comes from poverty beliefs and poverty attitudes; it comes from a poverty mindset.

Here’s another statement that might shake you. Not having money does not mean you’re impoverished. Let me explain. Suppose your checkbook gets all the way to zero. You are flat broke now. But, being flat broke now does not mean that you will be flat broke permanently. It absolutely does not guarantee that you will forever stay flat broke.

There are countless millionaires who at one time or another were flat broke. Why didn’t they stay flat broke? Some have even confessed going broke a number of times. A lack of money is not the issue. What’s in your mind is the issue.

Have you ever asked someone who is indeed in poverty why they are in that state? They will tell you exactly why. They will give you one poverty-minded statement after another. They will point out every lack that they have. They come from a poor family. They lack education. Good jobs are hard to come by these days. The price of everything today is too high. They never get a decent break like a lot of people do. The government doesn’t really care about them enough.

They have ingrained these thoughts into their minds and hearts. They have allowed that kind of thinking to actually take root in their heart, and become their belief system.

What we choose to believe is what we will manifest in our lives. This universal law works with accuracy and precision no matter who the person is and no matter what the circumstances are.

I have visited a number of foreign countries. It is just amazing to me how anyone in the United States can stay in poverty. There is so much wealth, abundance and opportunity in the United States that it staggers the mind.

Now just above the poverty line there are those who are just struggling to get by. Many of them are working very hard to make ends meet each month. Some work two and three jobs. They are labeled as the “lower middle class.” They may put forth a great effort, but they still seem to get nowhere except just above the poverty line. They will stay there because that’s what they choose to believe.

Life is not just luck or fate. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Are we to believe that some people are just blessed with a better life than others? Does the Creator show more favor on some but less on others? No!

Once you identify and accept that you are in a certain category in life and you really believe that in your heart, that is where you will stay. It really makes no difference where you are today. Whether you qualify as in poverty, just above poverty, lower middle class or middle class, none of those descriptions really mean anything unless you continue to accept them as true for your life.

The point is, where you are today is a result of your own belief system. Wherever you are today in life is a direct result of what you have decided to believe.

If you can accept that truth, you can change your circumstances because you recognize what very few ever recognize. The power to change your life is in your brain. The thoughts that you consistently entertain will form your own personal belief system.

Change your life and your circumstances by changing your thoughts, hour by hour and day by day. Fill your mind with thoughts of where you want to go, not where you are today.

You may not be in poverty, but, are you where you really desire to be in your life? If not, why not? Do you need to change your thoughts to form a new belief system?

Get honest with yourself and really examine your thoughts. A good indication of your thoughts is what comes out of your mouth.

You can change your life and your circumstance by changing your belief system. And you can change your belief system by changing your thinking, one thought at a time.

Thanks to Janet Schlarbaum

Astounding thought, isn’t it?

Imagine a world abounding in abundance and prosperity!

Every where you turned people were sharing freely with one another out of their overflowing opulence. Generosity was the norm. Sound implausible? Muhammad Yunas believes that if the dynamics of capitalism were applied properly, poverty, the greatest challenge facing mankind, could someday become extinct.

You and I, along with every man and woman on the planet, together, have the power to eradicate poverty from the face of the earth.
Within each of us is a connection to the Mind of all that is, all that was, and of all that is to come.

Every great idea has come from this all-knowing intelligence. Einstein, Bell, Edison, Ford, and the Wright Brothers, all tapped into the ever-flowing information matrix and created inventions that changed the world.

Einstein said, “I want to know God’s thoughts, the rest are details.”

You are no different than any one of these great thinkers. All it takes is one idea from God and the course of your life and possibly the world will never be the same. Don’t dismiss this article as being too far-fetched for you. Don’t quiet the voice within by doubting your own worthiness to receive an inspired idea.

Every day new fabulous ideas flow into someone’s mind and it might as well be yours. Align your mind with an open, connected heart and receive “YOUR OWN UNIQUE BUSINESS IDEA” from God and not only increase your own wealth but make a contribution to eradicating poverty and hunger from the earth.

We need entrepreneurs that are not only interested in maximizing their own personal profits in business but out of their profits they address social problems and concerns with their financial contributions.

You CAN make a difference in our world beginning right now. Start where you are by believing that there is an “inspired business idea” for you. Someday, it could be your grandchild, or great grandchild that will be standing in a museum somewhere looking at the history of poverty to see what it was like.

I wish you greater success!

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