I often blog about the roots and solutions to poverty.

It does, however, take more than a blog (or a series thereof) to pin down the all-encompassing causes of the global poverty crisis facing us today.

For this reason I recommend watching a new documentary, The End of Poverty?

The film, directed by Philipe Diaz, investigates the very roots of poverty – from historical beginnings to reasons for its persistence today.

It is filmed in the slums of Latin America and the ghettos of Africa, and features knowledge and insights of acclaimed economists, professors, authors and ministers.

While certainly no Friday-night chick-flick, this documentary serves to enlighten; to inform in such a way that we cannot claim ignorance as excuse for our lack of action regarding the poverty of millions.

The film has been nominated for various awards and selected for a great many international film festivals, which leads me to believe that it is well worth watching.

As a matter of interest, the documentary’s website, www.theendofpoverty.com, offers a wealth of information beyond merely a synopsis and credits – but more about that in other posts.

Once again, geographic location prevents me from watching this film in the immediate future, but I welcome feedback from those who do watch it.

It is often said that, globally, there is little understanding of poverty in America; that even Americans are more inclined to helping the poor in Africa than those in their own country.

This blog has never written about an American account.

The movie, Precious, may shine some light on poverty and struggles within the USA. Said movie was released in limited theatres Friday, 6 November 2009.

From what I can gather, the plot regards a 16-year-old girl, Precious Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) growing up in harsh circumstances in Harlem. Her life reflects the poverty in which she grows up: her parents have little interest in her life; she can’t read or write, she is pregnant for the second time – by her father.

This is certainly not to generalise that this is the way in which things happen in poorer families. Economic circumstances do not necessarily influence family dynamics; and not necessarily negatively.

However, in South Africa (and I’m sure it’s not that different in the rest of the world), and for reasons that can be discussed at length, the highest incidences of domestic violence, teenage pregnancy and illiteracy appear in poverty-stricken areas.

But the movie does not focus on these desperate circumstances – it focuses on Precious’s will to rise above her circumstances.

Reviewers have been more than pleased, several stating that the movie leaves on inspired, enlightened, aware.

Due to certain geographic reasons, I won’t be able to see this movie in the immediate future – if you are able, however, I strongly recommend trying it.

Google’s logo informs me that Sesame Street turns forty this month.

I didn’t watch much of Sesame Street – when I was a toddler, there were a great many programs aired in my home language and I didn’t have the need for more. I do remember Friday afternoon movies of The Muppets when I was a bit older, and those were awesome.

As transformation in South Africa progressed, however, TV programs in all eleven South African languages were being aired. This obviously allows little children to be more exposed to and comfortable with the languages of their fellow citizens.

One of these programs, with its debut in 2000, was Takalani Sesame. Said programme is a localised version of Sesame Street. As with the American version, the program has a huge educational undertone. However, it has been adapted to be more culturally relevant to the young South African audience.

[Takalani Sesame logo]

A great many of the same characters are used, but they have South African names and speak South African languages in South African accents.

Takalani Sesame’s educational sphere includes, like the original, educational ideals regarding Health and Wellness, Respect and Understanding, Literacy and Numeracy as well as Emotional Wellbeing.

Above and beyond this, the programme plays a major role in racial integration and AIDS education in South Africa. Characters of different races interact on a South African streets, while two characters who are best friends, have a Black South African accent and a White South African accent, respectively.

A muppet on the show is asymptomatically HIV-positive. Through her vibrant personality and friendly advice, the producers strive towards teaching respect and awareness in children from a young age.

[Kami, the HIV-positive muppet of Takalani Sesame]

At the risk of boring my regular readers to death, I don’t think it is necessary for me to explain why I love Sesame Workshop, UNAIDS and SANLAM (a South African company) for their input with the localization of Takalani Sesame.

Their focus on AIDS prevention as well as education are both factors that I have ranted about consistently for their importance in controlling, solving and preventing poverty.

So, to Sesame Street:

“Halala ngosuku lokuzalwa; Ngiyabonga; Ngikufisela inhlanhla!” [Zulu]

“Veels geluk met jou verjaarsdag; Dankie; Sterkte!” [Afrikaans]

“Imini emnandi kuwe; Enkosi; Amathamsanqa!” [Xhosa]

That is... Happy Birthday; Thank you; Good luck!

Awhile ago I wrote about the South African Mugg & Bean’s Gingerbread Foundation.

Going by the example I wish to set, I had also joined this initiative and always used my card when eating at said coffee shop.

Great was my surprise when, in early October, I was told by the waitron that the card had expired.

“But I just got it the other day! It can’t have expired!”

It turns out the actual involvement of Mugg & Bean with the foundation had been withdrawn.

Initially I was a bit angry – as though I was being deprived of a chance to give (well, I was, but that’s not really the point).

I have now gone beyond that and am just disappointed. None of the parties involved state any reasons for the withdrawal – merely that it has happened.

I suppose any kind of corporate social responsibility is better than none, but part of me wants to stamp my foot and demand than when something is started, it is carried through with commitment.

I could think of three possible reasons for the cessation of this involvement:

1. Lack of participation by M&B patrons
2. Loss of income to M&B
3. Internal politics

If there are other possible reasons, feel free to help me out here.

If the reason is one of the first two, then it really boils down to commitment. They are problems that can be solved with proper marketing and planning. An example is that M&B waiters are supposed to ask patrons if they have a Gingerbread Foundation card – if yes, they remind the client to swipe it; if no, they offer them one. I ate at the coffee shop several times where a waiter did not ask me for my card.

If it were the third reason, then that saddens me even more. I do suppose that some form of politics is the biggest reason many charity initiatives fail colossally, but it shouldn’t. Groups of people who are passionate about a cause should not allow politics to ruin what they do.

Of course, this is the ideal. Furthermore, if a business is merely participating with a cause to gain social brownie points, it doesn’t help much for the cause’s success either.

At this point, the jury is still out on whether this post has a point to make or not. That doesn’t really matter though – more people should be passionate about worthy, charitable causes. That is a concept I won’t debate.


[Photo courtesy of FotoDawg's Flickr photostream]

On 18 October 2009 the South African newspaper The Sunday Times released a list of the Top 100 (link to the PDF file of the complete Top Schools Package) schools in the country. Along with the list, they included various articles about the top school per province and the top maths and science schools.

www.timeslive.co.za

The vast majority of the top schools are highly privileged. However, a few rural and vastly underprivileged schools have made it to the list. Raucall Secondary Schools in Gauteng Province (read page 3) is the top Mathematics school in the country. This school was founded specifically for historically disadvantaged students. Mbilwi Secondary School in Limpopo Province (read page 3), which has extreme staff- and equipment shortage, is the top Science school in the country.

Bear in mind that these subjects are difficult and require good teachers, extensive teaching and sufficient resources.

If you have read this blog, you will have picked up that I am a huge supporter of the education-poverty link, as well as the impact of poverty upon the standard of education.

This impact is real – the article Stars of the past battle to cope today on page 2 illustrates this very clearly.

However, it gives me a kind of warm, fuzzy feeling to read of desperately poor schools from harsh backgrounds that are excelling despite their challenges. Perhaps they are even excelling because of their challenges.

It is difficult to teach the principles of chemistry without a chemistry laboratory, similarly it is difficult to teach maths effectively when the student-textbook-desk ratio is about 3:1:1.

Photo courtesy of symmetry_mind's Flickr photostream.

Yet there are schools that are doing just that. Schools that are using their circumstances as motivation to work harder, to push students more and to explore more alleys of tutoring in order to change the face of the country.

Poverty can hurt the standard of a school severely, and yet it is possible to rise above it.

In my eyes, they deserve greater honour than the very top school in the country.

To those schools: I salute you.