I decline to rule on any definition of poverty, because it would be malicious on my part to try to define poverty, pretending to spread theories of those who are without the daily necessities. In addition, I consider an aberration pretending to explain hunger to people who have never been hungry, who have never known what it is like a day with hunger. However I do not believe that all of you here and the rich countries are the cause of poverty in the world, because at the time of appearing on earth, no one asked us or do we want to be born? What nationality would you want to take? Hence it would be a terrible injustice to accuse the poor people of the other’s food shortage.
I think that what distinguishes a man from an animal is not ability to reflect, because the lion can hunt using a hunting strategy. What really makes the difference is when the thinking capacity could lead to an improvement in the condition if someone’s neighbor, an improvement in the living conditions of the human species. Ladies, and gentlemen this is what makes man different from animal. It is this difference that led to the creation if international solidarity and non-governmental organizations working in different countries to make something better to create a world where there would be less and less poverty.
Want to know what poverty is? Imagine one morning you wake up in a tent without electricity, only the clothes you are wearing, no drinking water, no phone, not even food. If you get up like that one morning you will say without a doubt that life is over. What will you do? How can you fix it? There is no way to remedy it because all your neighbors are in the same situation. There is no way. For you it would be a bad dream, a nightmare. Well! Millions of people live that dream every day, living this nightmare every day. What you think is a dream for you, that’s life every day for millions of people in Africa, Asia and even in America. The solution is not to bring a piece of bread to these people, because you can make today, but tomorrow they will die of hunger, the solution is to invest in sustainable economic social activities that will allow them to earn a living every day. To this end, NGOs should find it necessary to redefine their development aid strategies for strong cooperation and solidarity with each other in order to combat poverty, enhance human rights, promote and defend fair trade for improving the poor standard of living.
I’m sure some of you will say that I’m dreaming and that I do not understand what I say. There are political constraints, and these countries have governments to take care of their population. Well! I believe that at the onset of AIDS, if the speech was constructed, the world would run to ruin today. It’s time these days to know and understand certain facts beyond politics, religion or other. Some matter of the heart, some things must deal with our ability to prove that it is human, and that the world can get better.
Our method is not to provide passive support to people. But it is by trying to understand the socio-cultural ties that can prevent development or change. The goal is to act on them and help them to participate in their life change while providing the necessary guidance.
Act with us, cooperate with us for this great change.
ACID, No More Poverty!
Marlene Denver, CEO
