The Baton of Poverty: Stopping the Poverty Cycle in Kavango West and East
- HOTA Team
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
A poverty mindset, characterized by a scarcity-driven belief system, can prevent people from achieving financial prosperity, even if their actual financial situation is not dire.
Evidence and Analysis.
A story is narrated of a gentleman who once received an unexpected sum of money from a project that he had worked on a few years back. With excitement he went on a shopping spree, took the family out to a fancy restaurant and even bought a new fancy phone - (this was a want not a need). By the end of the week three quarters of the money was gone. It then hit him that he had been trying to save money to make developments at his other business venture. This money came unexpectedly but the consumer mindset got the better of him, this mindset leads to poverty.
A poverty mindset is described as a scarcity-driven belief system where individuals feel there's never enough. This mindset leads to fear, limited opportunities, and behaviors like hoarding or excessive risk-taking, regardless of actual financial status. It's important to note that this mindset stems from a deep-seated feeling of lack, self-doubt, and a belief that wealth is unattainable or temporary, thus hindering personal growth and abundance.
A poverty mindset can also be passed on from parents to their children, therefore creating a phenomenon called generational poverty. During an interview with the news reporters, Vihinda’s mother said, “Poverty is our family’s curse …I found it here, my children have now inherited it, and they too will pass the baton on.” The story of ‘Vihinda Masozi Kavavu’ and his family as reported by The Namibian newspaper on the 26th of January 2021 is one of the many stories that grip a lot of families trapped in the generational poverty cycle. Breaking this cycle is an arduous undertaking as most of the affected young people drop out of school in order to find odd jobs that bring a little sustenance for the family.
The Kavango region in Namibia is classified as a poverty-stricken region. The Namibia Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) report of 2021 recorded the 2 regions as having highest incidence of multidimensional poverty with Kavango West standing at 79.6% and 70% for Kavango East. Is it because of lack of education and resources? Could it be because of environmental, geographical or historical reasons? Indeed, these contribute greatly to multidimensional poverty as these factors have a major role to play in the economic wealth of a region.
Way Forward and Call to Action
However, flipping the coin, one realizes that the Kavango region has so much potential for growth and wealth creation in areas like agriculture, forestry, culture and tourism. The question then remains, why is Kavango East and West still poor?
To shift from a poverty mindset to a wealth mindset, one can:
Invest in themselves by taking courses, learning new skills, and reading books on personal finance and development.
Develop wealthy habits like multiple earnings, saving, tracking spending, wise investing and borrowing, and responsible sharing.
Prioritize mental, spiritual and physical well-being.
Surround themselves with a positive, growth-oriented community.
At Money Fitness Mindset (MfM), we offer financial and wellness training to couples, individuals and organizations through various packages, including uniquely tailored retreat programs at some of the best Kavango lodges. You can move from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset!
An article by the Home of the Arts Team.
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