Employment Generation: The Long-Term Solution to Poverty

The proximate causes of poverty are many, among them lack of land, insufficient education and skills, poor health, and other factors, and they are all related to employment in one way or another. A person without education or skills has difficulty finding work, and when he or she finds a job, it is likely to be low paying and of uncertain duration. Related to poor health are malnutrition and the inability to afford health care services, which in turn are linked to low income and joblessness. The situation is a vicious circle as those in chronic poor health find it difficult to hold on to jobs as they are unable to work with sustained vigor and efficiency. And without farm land, or with too little of it, the farm worker cannot find enough work through the year…