Who Owns Poverty?

Despite many hardworking people, organizations and governments, the solution to ending poverty seems elusive, especially as the SDGs planned achievement in 2030 has moved back further. The truth is that no one can answer the question of “who owns poverty?” in addition to the fact that no one sector wanted to own poverty, which meant that no one could solve it. “Poverty alleviation” has been the main driver of NGOs and INGOs, but no one, not even the church, thought it could actually be eliminated. This workshop will dive into the solution that has been growing through the years which allows the key stakeholders in poverty elimination to be those who are experiencing it. No one knows more about poverty than those who live with it, and external solutions can only concentrate on the appearance of poverty rather than its essence. Families throughout the world who live in poverty should be included in the process from the bottom, with a focus on them beginning to understand their unique multidimensional poverty deprivations and work with providers to create real and lasting solutions to them, all while those working on systemic change from the top down continue their work.

This solution is led by The Poverty Stoplight, a measurement tool and coaching methodology that works directly with those experiencing multidimensional poverty to eliminate it. It has been used by over 1,000 organizations in 60 countries and 24 languages to help people design their own strategy out of poverty.

The workshop will be an interactive experience where attendees will participate in the Poverty Stoplight measurement process looking at 50 multidimensional poverty indicators and create a lifemap that empowers the household into direct action. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of who owns poverty currently, who should own poverty, and multidimensional poverty measurement. They will learn about the Stoplight process and methodology, real challenges and solutions that families have faced and how they have been overcome, and what the Poverty Stoplight can do for their organization by measuring their own impact with their beneficiaries.