WHAT YOUNG PEOPLE CAN DO TO DEAL WITH POVERTY

   BY MATILDA PHIRI

Poverty is like a disease that never leaves you if you do not act quickly and wisely. Hard work can be there but if you are not doing the right thing it cannot profit you. You need to do the right thing at a right time. What button are you pressing? Is it enough or it needs a backup right away? Think my friend, think. As young people, we are supposed to work or do a business or combine both in order to have income that can put food on our table now and in the near future because we are energetic. This is the right time for us to do all our good hustles.

Many people all over the world are very poor that they live on a less dollar a day. Only very few people are rich and successful. It is also very sad that some people who are rich are the ones who eat poor peoples money, without mercy. They are not satisfied with their money and they do corruption, stealing government funds meant for projects that benefit poor people and different developments in a country. Some get their riches through evil means of shedding blood and the few get their riches through hard work and blessings from God. As young people, we need to get our riches through hard work and blessings from God for our efforts. We are already blessed as youths because we are energetic and fresh. So as a youth, there are several ways which we can deal with poverty. 

Education is one of the key to reduce poverty in your family and in a country. It is one way of opening many doors in life to someone's destiny. The young people can find jobs and be able to support their families in future and also help their relatives in villages thereby, reducing poverty. Education can also make people think big and widely. They can be able to set up their own businesses and manage them well. Education does not only make one to work in a company but also to explore new things that they can do best and do what they enjoy most in a better way, but still make money for a living. The more a country has many educated people, the more it will have a good economy and  develop in many ways because people will act smartly. Therefore, education has to be encouraged at all costs. I would be very happy to see organizations being established with an aim of making children go to school and supporting them until they finish their education.

Be negative

Furthermore, young people can help reduce poverty by abstaining from pre-marital sexual intercourse. They need to try their level best to avoid sexual relationships among themselves and especially when they are in school. These relationships can lead to unwanted pregnancies and contraction of HIV/AIDS at an early stage which can destroy their future. They cannot manage to take care of the unborn child or give it a good future because they have nothing but dependence on  their parents which will only increase poverty. They need to practice abstinence until they are responsible enough. There is also no way you can concentrate in school work when you are sick. The youths should know that, if its true love they have found, then sex cannot be involved because they are still young, working on their future. Love can wait and has patience since it's just a decision to love a person no matter what. True love makes people to wait for each other and it can wait but one's future cannot.

The young people should corporate with one another in order to start clubs where they can share each other advices and teach each other different talents like singing, dancing, acting  and other hand skills in order to be independent. They can use their talent to make money in entertaining people which could  also help them prevent doing bad things like drinking beer that is bad for their mental health. They need to create important WhatsApp groups where they can be discussing entrepreneurship and share knowledge or combine funds and start small businesses to empower themselves. The banks should also help them with loans to start them. In Malawi, the NEEF fund supports projects like these to the youths. Banks need to trust the youths because they are energetic and active so that managing a business cannot be a problem. They can run the businesses very well and can reduce unemployment rate. 

In conclusion, poverty is not a one man thing to eradicate if we want our country to develop.  Empowering the youth can be a great thing to end poverty of any country. The youth should be fully funded and trusted that they can bring a great change in a country's economy because they are fresh with good ideas and are energetic. They can help to reduce poverty. Include the youth in the national budgets for their activities and programs because they are the future leaders. Teach them good governance and how to be good citizens. Politicians, be  good role models to the youth. Do not teach them corruption by your actions as it will be a disaster.