The Problem of Poverty

One of the most intractable problems  today is the widespread and growing problem of poverty. Almost 700 million people around the world live in extreme poverty, and according to the UN, global efforts to reduce extreme poverty have ground to a halt. They subsist on less than $2.15 (~ ₦1,700) per day, the extreme poverty line. Just over half of these people live in Sub-Saharan Africa. (See more on this and related topics  by following the links found at the bottom of the page.) 

And even though ending poverty is the top goal of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals,¹  income inequality appears to be growing rather than diminishing. 

Many thousands of experiments have been tried, including microcredit, which has been helpful, but not without its own problems (as described here, here and here) 

Only one thing seems to consistently lift the poor out of their economic malaise and that is to just give them money.

Money Grants

Such programs go by various names, the most common being basic income (a.k.a. a guaranteed minimum income) or universal basic income (a.k.a. “UBI”). Although many people use both terms to describe the same program, they are not the same, as described in the section below titled Basic Income vs Universal Basic Income (UBI).^*

There have been numerous successful basic income/UBI projects throughout the world over the last 20 years or so. Some have been government funded efforts and others by various private parties – churches, NGOs etc. Several of them are detailed in the page linked below titled Basic Income History. 

Examples

There have been a several such programs in Africa, one of the earlier ones having occurred in Namibia in 2008-09 in a village called Otjivero, initiated by the Basic Income Grant Coalition (BIG). Their pilot project is described here, and in greater detail here. The latter link provides greater insight into the impacts of such programs on such things as entrepreneurism and overall wellbeing of the residents. It was followed up by this detailed 60 page report and analysis 10 years later (2019) that provides even greater insight into the impact of this kind of program, both on individual and collective lives.

One of the largest examples has been a recent (2017) and ongoing effort (that began in Kenya) driven by a U.S. based charity called GiveDirectly. This article “It’s one of the biggest experiments in fighting global poverty. Now the results are in” details their story captured in this comprehensive 69 page report.  GiveDirectly’s poverty relief program has been expanded to reach over 350,000 households in rural villages in Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Rwanda and Uganda. They have also launched other cash transfer programs in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Morocco, Mozambique, and Togo.

Problem with existing programs 

However, examples like the BIG program, the GiveDirectly program and numerous government funded ones share one problem. They rely on donor funds or government funds, neither of which are limitless. As we detail in the introductory video on the homepage, there never appears to be enough money to support social benefit programs such as basic income/UBI and more. 

The Solution

The SCF program breaks that mold and allows for unlimited funds to support basic income/UBI and other direct grant programs, infrastructure projects, entrepreneurism and many other programs and projects. That difference is detailed in the page linked below titled Income Grants and SCF.

Nothing in history has been able to rival the breadth of our poverty elimination program and it commences in Nigeria! See why in the links below.

• Basic Grants and the Sustainable Communities Framework
• Basic Food Grants
• Other Individual Grants
• Universal Basic Income History

*Basic Income vs Universal Basic Income (UBI)

Additional Reading Materials on Poverty, Basic Income and UBI

1. Goal #1 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals: End poverty in all its forms everywhere https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/poverty/
2. Poverty: the past, present and future https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/poverty-the-past-present-and-future/
3. Poverty – The World Bank Group https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/overview
4. Ending Poverty – The United Nations https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/ending-poverty
5. Poverty is in rich countries too – https://ourworldindata.org/higher-poverty-global-line
6. Global Poverty FAQs – https://www.worldvision.org/sponsorship-news-stories/global-poverty-facts
7. The evolution of global poverty, 1990-2030 – https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-evolution-of-global-poverty-1990-2030/
8. Over 330 million children worldwide living in extreme poverty https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/09/1140687
9. The top 11 causes of poverty around the world https://concernusa.org/news/causes-of-poverty/
10. Famous Quotes About Poverty https://www.compassion.com/poverty/famous-quotes-about-poverty.htm
11. How to end poverty? Give the poor cash and access to mobile money and text them reminders to save and take their meds—not. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-to-end-poverty-give-the-poor-cash-and-access-to-mobile-money-and-text-them-reminders-to-save-and-take-their-meds-not/
12. The Poverty Solution: Just Give Money to the Poor https://truthout.org/articles/the-poverty-solution-just-give-money-to-the-poor/
13. Just give poor people money https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/10/17/opinion/just-give-poor-people-money/
14. What Happens When You Just Give Money To Poor People? https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2013/10/25/240590433/what-happens-when-you-just-give-money-to-poor-people
15. How To Fix Poverty: Why Not Just Give People Money? https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/08/07/541609649/how-to-fix-poverty-why-not-just-give-people-money