International Day for the Eradication of Poverty |17 October 2020
Minister Larue
Seychelles stands united with the world in the fight against poverty
“Seychelles stands united with the rest of the world, ready to renew the efforts of those in the fight against poverty.”
The statement comes in a message from the Minister for Family Affairs, Mitcy Larue, on the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty being celebrated today, October 17.
Minister Larue’s message reads:
“On this day, October 17, nations come together to commemorate the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Seychelles stands united with the rest of the world, ready to renew the efforts of those in the fight against poverty.
“The Day presents an opportunity to acknowledge the efforts and struggles of people living in poverty; another opportunity for them to make their voices heard and for us all to recognise that in the fight against poverty, they are the ones on the front lines.
“Since its creation in 2016, the poverty alleviation department has been working tirelessly around the clock to help pull as many households as possible out of poverty. In 2018, Seychelles developed its Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) whereby poverty is treated in all aspects and not only in the traditional monetary dimension. Poverty is more than the lack of basic needs and finances. The scourge of poverty covers all deprivations of one’s wellbeing including education, employment, health, housing, sanitation, security etc.
“Last year, the Ministry of Family Affairs introduced the 1-2-1 Mentorship Programme. This counselling service mainly on defining priorities, budgeting and sanitation, is directly provided to people in need on a home base basis.
“Unfortunately, in early 2020 a global pandemic of Covid-19 struck the planet and has since restricted all aspects of everyday life especially in the health, economic, employment and other social spheres. The Covid-19 crisis, and its consequences have greatly affected the world population living in poverty. In June of this year, the World Bank announced that more than 100 million people will fall into extreme poverty.
“This pandemic has touched more than half of the world’s workforce. Most of these workers – many even in developed countries – do not benefit from social security, may it be in the form of financial assistance or health insurance.
According to the non-governmental organisation, Oxfam, with the Covid-19 pandemic the world has been set back 30 years in the fight against poverty. A global solution is yet to be found to stop this catastrophe. In Seychelles fortunately, the government has stepped in with social, economic and educational programmes as safety nets to prevent those affected by the present pandemic from falling into poverty.
“Our best hope for the future, is that as one nation we stay united and make collective efforts to safely sail through those difficult times and get back on the road to prosperity. In this way, we will eventually eradicate poverty in our small island home.”
Press release from the Ministry of Family Affairs