|
A hand up rather than a hand out is an old and very true adage. Research also shows that next to illness and injury the fate of the poor is determined most by the scope for entrepreneurial activity and the availability of jobs. All in all this is a question of empowerment throughout a community. Improving traditional and non traditional businesses. Reducing inequality and providing opportunity.
Mayflower will have four key initiatives that between them begin the process of empowering the community. Initiatives for the support of SMMEs; empowerment of women; empowerment of youth, and initiatives for improved animal husbandry.
The emphasis of Mayflower is that these initiatives will be delivered within a targeted community, in the first instance in Ebute-Metta.
Ebute-Metta and the local Yaba Council (Lagos Mainland LGA) has a population of approximately 1 million people. A reasonable estimate is that 80% of these are living on less than $2 a day. At that level it is impossible to save enough to make a change and the community doesn’t have the budget to help everyone. As the population grows the problem gets worse. Intervention is, therefore, essential to promote an upward cycle.
The Mayflower initiatives will be designed so that the community has a significant part to play in implementing and sustaining empowerment initiatives.
|
