How we fight poverty in Africa.
Did you know about 6.4% of the Canadian population live below the national poverty line? That means 6.4% of the population live on $45 - $55 CAD per day.
When we see someone struggling financially in Canada, we don’t automatically resort to the word “poverty,” because that word is more commonly associated with developing nations.
The sad truth is, poverty is everywhere.
Today I would like to share with you about the tiny kingdom of Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland), Africa, where the best description for poverty is “the state of being extremely poor” and we would add to that description, “the state of being hopeless”.
This is due to a lack of sufficient employment opportunities for adults across the country, that would provide sufficient funds to house and feed their families. In comparison to Canada's 6.4%, almost 70% of the rural population in Eswatini live below the poverty line - living on less than $2.50 CAD per day.
As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, Heart for Africa (Canada) is a humanitarian organization that focuses on bringing HOPE to the Kingdom of Eswatini, Africa in the areas of Hunger, Orphans, Poverty and Education.
Decreasing Poverty is the "P" in their mission of HOPE and plays an important role in decreasing the 70% statistic mentioned above. By giving a hand up versus a handout, they can work to eradicate poverty and help restore the sense of pride and joy to the adults in their community.
Project Canaan employs over 450 men and women from the surrounding community – a 40% increase from this time last year. They work in the children’s homes, on the farm, at Khutsala™️ Artisans, Kufundza Carpentry Centre, the Lusito Mechanics Shop and on the construction team. Employees are not only given the opportunity to learn different trades and grow in their job roles with training and hands on experience, but to provide for their families.
Since each person employed at Project Canaan takes care of 7 people on average at home in the surrounding community, over 3000 people are impacted through employment at Project Canaan! That’s huge! And that is the reason why providing employment is such a crucial aspect in Heart for Africa (Canada)’s fight against poverty.
Did you know we Canadians can fight poverty in Eswatini by shopping with Khutsala Artisans™️?
The Khutsala™️ Artisans create hand-crafted bead and wire pieces at Project Canaan, which are sold in Canada and the US. Your support enables the team at Project Canaan to provide fair wage employment and gives the employees the ability to support their families with pride.
Shop with purpose, by shopping at Khutsala™️ Artisans this holiday season!
While many times we focus on the children’s home aspect of Heart for Africa (Canada), the employment initiative holds a special place in my heart. My late father always instilled a sense of pride and commitment in me about a job well done and reminded me often that everyone deserves a chance to be treated equally.
Until next time, thanks for listening.
Sala kahle (Stay well in Siswati),
Diane
