“Getting out of poverty is a question of political will”, according to Emmaus International

This Sunday, October 17, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty And, from the Emmaus International association, they have stressed that leaving it only implies “political will”.

“Poverty is not a fatality, it is the fact that the political powers do not prioritize the excluded or the needy,” said the entity’s main spokesperson to the AFP agency on the eve of the publication of its first report on his fight against misery.

Patrick Atohoun, president of the association since 2016, emphasizes three demands to combat homelessness.

The first of these implies that vulnerable people “have to receive a dignified, unconditional welcome.”

“You need access to an education that allows you to develop fully. When people receive education, they can take care of them, “he said during an interview with the aforementioned French agency.

Likewise, he considered that the general interest should be centered at the level of public policies through the collective management of common goods.

“Equality between men and women has to be guaranteed. With the COVID-19 crisis, it is women who suffered the most precariousness, so they must be allowed access to economic activities and to make their contributions to the nation, “he proposed.

Finally, he proposed the construction of an economy at the service of human beings and their environment. Giving priority to the development of economic and solidarity activities.

“We believe that if policies follow these demands, we will really leave poverty behind,” stressed Atohoun.

Poverty and COVID-19

“COVID-19 has further exacerbated poverty. The World Bank tells us that when we emerge from this crisis, there will be 150 million more people in a precarious situation. This crisis shakes all the advances that these people had for years. Instead of going up one step, we started from scratch, “said Atohoun.

When asked about the possibility of eliminating poverty, the president of Emmaus replied that “everything is possible”.

“It’s a matter of political conviction! With our programs, we have reached almost 200,000 people directly. If we, at the Emmaus level, manage to reach people from India, Peru or elsewhere, why couldn’t our politicians, with the means at their disposal, do the same? ”He questioned.

With information from AFP.