Earlier this week, people around the world observed the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. This observance began in 1987 and is now celebrated on October 17 every year by the United Nations. The UN proclaims that poverty is a violation of human rights and stresses the need for everyone to come together to ensure that these rights are respected. October 17 every year is an opportunity to not only acknowledge the effort and struggle that people who live in poverty go through but to listen to their concerns. Around the world, the participation of those who live in poverty has been at the centre of the day's celebration since it began and so the day is also used to reflect their willingness to use their expertise to contribute to the eradication of poverty.
The theme this year was, 'moving from humiliation and exclusion to participation: Ending poverty in all its forms'. This was chosen to highlight the importance of understanding that there is a great deal of humiliation and exclusion faced by people living in poverty which often affects their ability to achieve any type of social mobility.
There is a clear link between poor literacy skills and poverty. Poor literacy skills undoubtedly affect individuals holistically, but people who cannot read and write well are more likely to live in poverty due to unemployment or lack of stable employment. People with poor literacy skills earn generally 30-42 per cent less than people who are literate and their income tends to remain the same throughout their working life, as their literacy skills stop them from furthering their studies (World Literacy Foundation, 2015).
Additionally, it is difficult for people who live in poverty who also have poor literacy skills to read to their children, teach them the alphabet or help them expand their vocabulary in their early years. Too often this has a negative impact on the child and can result in a cycle of poverty. While it is certainly not the rule as many children are able to learn to read at school, only a certain amount of learning happens in a classroom. Nationally, we spend quite a hefty sum on education in order to reap better results, if we do not focus on the households which children are coming from, these results may not always be realised.
In observance of the Day for the Eradication of poverty this year, you can help an adult in Trinidad who struggles with reading and writing to improve their literacy skills. This is certainly one of the steps away from a life of poverty for the individual and their family. If you have the desire and time to commit, become a volunteer tutor with the Adult Literacy Tutors Association. Alta is currently recruiting tutors to begin teaching in the next academic year (September 2017). If you have a Grade I or II in CSEC English (General Proficiency) or its equivalent and time to teach twice a week for two hours per session for an academic year, give us a call today at 624-2582.In this way you can help to end poverty in all its forms.
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Volunteer, Donate or Sponsor-a-student. Call 624-2582 or email altapos.tt@gmail.com for more info. Keep up to date with Alta on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: Alta TT