A Harvest of Provision: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

When Phocas looks back on where he came from, he feels a sense of satisfaction — despite having lost something he had for a long time. “Slowly by slowly today I am a different person,” he says. “I no longer need to depend on working in people’s fields. Instead, I support others.”?

As he puts it, Phocas was “the poorest of the poor” in his community of Karaba, Rwanda. Phocas used to work in other people’s fields to support his family of six children. They lived in a small shelter, not a house.

Then World Vision trained him in growing onions, cabbages, and carrots as cash crops. He began to earn much more money and bought plots of land to extend his farm. On a World Vision-sponsored trip to northern Rwanda he met model farmers, including one who raises chickens. Inspired, Phocas returned home and raised the funds to purchase 100 chicks. They grew fast and laid a lot of eggs. Through the money he earned selling eggs, he bought a cow.

Phocas expanded his farm to include 120 chickens, three cows, six goats, and eight rabbits! Phocas doesn’t work in other people’s fields any longer. He and his family lack nothing they need. So what did they lose? Extreme poverty.?

_____________

The world has made HUGE progress on ending extreme poverty. From 36% of the world's population in 1982 to about 9% today, the global rate of ending extreme poverty continues to fall. With 2/3 of the people living in extreme poverty being smallholder farmers, the path to ERADICATING EXTREME POVERTY goes through the smallholder's farm.

These five stories are a small sample of how THRIVE is changing what it looks like for smallholder farmers and their families to survive. In an independent study of THRIVE in Tanzania, researchers found that, when faced with shocks, over 94% of THRIVE households were able to avoid negative coping strategies like taking children out of school; sending children to work for money; reducing food intake; or selling off productive assets like land, equipment, or farm animals.

THRIVE continues to provide holistic solutions by giving the most vulnerable families tools and training that allow them to create real transformation in their own lives. And we believe that’s something worth celebrating this week and every week of the year.

To read all 5 stories together, go to: 5 Days of THRIVE, 5 Stories of Transformation (worldvisionphilanthropy.org)?

Watch THRIVE farmers in action! https://vimeo.com/611123207 or Economic Empowerment on Vimeo

Ready to help more families THRIVE? Join us by signing up for the newsletter or giving to THRIVE at worldvisionphilanthropy.org/ee.