Each One, Empower One

INVESTING IN THE HEALTH AND EDUCATION OF THE ORDINARY ONES AMONGST US

In September 2015, world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly pledged to drastically transform the world by 2030 through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Simply put, the SDG (also known as the Global Goals) is a plan to fight poverty, eliminate hunger and build a world that is inclusive, fair, progressive and peaceful. The eleventh of these goals is called “closing inequalities’.

Inequality refers to the gap that exist in the social, economic, educational etc. elements of any society, and these include gap between individuals, families, communities and even countries of the world.

By its inclusion in the SDG agenda, the global world recognizes the need to recreate a world where everyone feels accepted, accommodated and fulfilled, despite the obvious factors that put us at separate levels.

The ordinary people refers to those who genuinely cannot complete basic education or access basic healthcare without support. There are ordinary people scattered all over the world. They are everywhere within our families, kindred, villages, communities and country.

The ordinary people everywhere deserve a future. We cannot postpone their future into the future. It is time to create a world that enables them to actualize their dreams of health and education. It’s time to move away from vague promises of support and offer concrete commitments that match the scale of the challenge, especially to address the inequalities in Health and Education.

The Ordinary People are not half humans; they deserve equitable opportunities to survive and thrive. We want to see more effort and actions that treat ordinary people as part of the world, and not as second hand citizens.

The ‘Each One Empower One’ scheme recognizes that whereas we come from same community, we do not all belong to same social strata or class. By dint of hard work, providence and opportunities, some are better placed than others, and some, stronger than others. The scheme proposes that the strong supports the weak amongst us. By this way, we would experience a shared prosperity that is genuine and sustainable in Amauzari.

In communities all over the world, including our own community, Amauzari, we want to see effort of individuals to support the ordinary people amongst us through education, vocational skills, setting up industries and organizations at home where they can work, and supporting to cushion the impact of their lack of access to quality healthcare.

The ‘Each One Empower One’ is just about being your brother’s keeper. Your opportunity to empower someone starts now!

Dr. Chigozie Iwuagwu is the founder of FOPE (Friends of Ordinary People Everywhere - www.fopefoundation.org). He writes from Amauzari