It is my honor to introduce Dr. Jerry Epps, my friend’s poverty reduction plan. He helped inspire me as I developed the Take it to Zero and Rosetta Interactive Library projects (both still in early start-up stages) as I helped inspire his Recipe for Hope project.
“The goal of Recipe for Hope is to End Poverty (at least 80% or more of it) by creating the economic conditions that enable families to have more money to spend and thereby move out of poverty into the working class.
Author believes there is no good reason for widespread poverty existing in the world—no reason for having entire countries be extremely poor. All that is lacking is political will to change it. Author suggests ending poverty one “Target Area” at a time. Area leaders, primarily in business, come together in an Exploratory Group to choose a Target Area in which to promote and apply the model. Dr. Epps coaches the Exploratory Group in model application.
The Recipe for Hope model applies four poverty-ending activities.
1) Macro activity focuses on investment, job creation, and market analysis/demand creation.
2) Microbusiness activity aims to assist people with entrepreneurial spirit to start microbusinesses.
3) Methods for abundant food production: rural farming and urban gardening.
4) Skills Training in construction trades, car and motorcycle repair, and computer.
When I read a certain book last year (War Front To Store Front, Brinkley, Paul, 2014), I had a major insight: there really is no good reason that we have major poverty in the world—we just have undeveloped economic units! Brinkley worked in Iraq before the current president pulled the US out. In 5 years there he created hundreds of thousands of jobs for Iraqis, introduced a modern banking system (allowing interface with the international banking system), developed resources, supported green farming methods etc. and economically revitalized much of the region.
If Brinkley and 5 good assistants went to any poor country in the developing world, and had $3 million for seed money, and spent 3 years there, they would turn a poverty country into a viable economic production unit participating in the world market!! They would employ the current jobless masses. Brinkley knows how to make it happen! But others can do it too. If the will is there, business leaders can get rid of most poverty by economic development. There will always be some poor, but widespread poverty can become obsolete. And add to that the wonderful land restoration activities taking place all over the planet—barren lands restored to abundant grasslands in just 3 years, etc. There is good documentation for this.”
This is the best poverty reduction plan that I know of at this time. It combines the best ideas of Brinkley, Polak, Yunus and others. It’s a grassroots project that brings together interested parties on both sides — those with business skills and those who need jobs.