A Counterintuitive Solution to Poverty: Stop Trying to Eradicate It | Efosa Ojomo | TEDxBYU

What might seem like the obvious signs of fixing poverty- providing resources that poor communities lack such as water wells, schools, and hospitals - often falls short of actually solving poverty and creating a sustainable path to prosperity. In this talk, Efosa Ojomo describes a fundamental misunderstanding many development organizations and philanthropies have with fixing poverty, then highlights an interesting and surprising insight. Efosa Ojomo is currently a senior research fellow at
the Clayton Christensen Institute, where he leads global
prosperity research. He works alongside Harvard professor
Clayton Christensen in identifying the best ways to help
entrepreneurs, policy makers, and development practitioners
spur economic prosperity in low- and middle-income
countries, as well as in depressed regions in high-income
economies. His work has been published by the Harvard
Business Review, Guardian, Quartz, and the World Bank. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@benjaminkwameampomah8084]

I live in Ghana and the introduction of Indomie instant Noodles in the Ghanaian market has geometrically increased the demand for eggs and likewise the rise of poultry farms across the country.

[@benjaminkwameampomah8084]

Efosa you've really got me realizing that we've been beating ourselves all this while but we've been looking at it all wrongly. I see a broken well or borehole and I blame it on our lack of maintenance culture forgetting that definitely the use of it will cause its deterioration with time. My greatest question most times has been how can we eradicate poverty but you've made me also realize its a wrong question. Now the question will be how can we create prosperity. I believe I'm going to introduce myself to you one day and tell you how this 9 minute video changed a whole level of perspective. Thank you for such insight!!!

[@joelwieland1767]

This should have millions of views

[@yashgulave8366]

This has been done in India as well. Amul (translation: Priceless) is a co-operative organisation that buys milk from poor farmers for the most amount possible and makes a lot of products like ice-cream, kulfi(another form of India inc-cream), paneer (cottage cheese), cheese, etc. This is helped a lot of farmers to get out of poverty and send their kids to high quality schools and colleges and afford nice things that they couldn't have been able to afford otherwise.

[@IthatengMokgoro]

Nine minutes of bliss. Thank you Efosa for sifting the simplicity out of the complexity.

[@thetruth6910]

The lack of knowledge is really the problem for most people especially for those who live in the most less fortunate areas. Now with these key insight we can really fight poverty especially in the rural areas.

[@rosepalmer8679]

Great insights Efosa! Love your story and your understanding of how to pull people out of poverty!

[@nosaiyare2151]

Great stuff Efosa.

[@sholaking5027]

Pure gold!! Creating solutions that work, worldwide ✨👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@lynnjudd9036]

Thats what we need more of. Stop "giving a person a fish" instead teach them to fish.

[@akumagbagodstime2474]

wooow .....what an enlightenment!. I now understand a viewpoint BESSIE HEAD was communicating through her novel 'WHEN RAIN CLOUDS GATHER'.

[@aminataseck3254]

Thank you. Nice and effetive solution provided here. God bless you

[@thethinkingbeing9817]

One problem I keep on getting is when I send money abroad for polio vaccines, I worry that despite my efforts the kid will most likely die of other causes, such as famine, dehydration, hunger, other disease, etc. But that’s no reason to give up! We need to cut the poverty weed off from the roots! Remember India before and after it became industrialised? Life is vastly improving for the population. We need to do the same process for Africa. Remember, however, that during all this, we need to be mindful of climate change.

[@pabloemiliorui2281]

Wonderful answer to a systemic problem: a systemic approach.

[@joshuaramos1923]

Job creation and education is the cure to crime and poverty

[@jehimika]

The story of Indomie in Nigeria is a great illustration of your ideas Efosa. Great job!

[@muhammadzazulirizki1000]

I am from Indonesia, which is the origin country of Indomie. I remember back then when I am still in college, Indomie is the cheaper alternative food to save me from starving everytime I am broke. But that's all. I didn't know in another country, it does greater virtue than that. Indomie is the greater hero than I thought. Now I never see Indomie the same way again

[@laaaliiiluuu]

Why do these talks barely have any views? Many poverty related videos that all have this pull-method instead of the push-method have barely any views.

[@gregbaptise6809]

God bless you my brother

[@littlebear4264]

Amazing

[@MonMoksha]

I have a different perspective to share. What if we continue to employ the Push Development Strategy and instead empower the people by training them in: How to build and maintain the well. > How to conserve water for future use. >> How to employ water and grow food. I understand the positive socio-economical impact of the Pull strategy, but that often comes with ramifications that mean a big carbon footprint - more use of plastic / fossil fuel - more waste. Eager to know your thoughts on this. Thank you.

[@whenwetalkaboutnature4903]

This is a very crictical perspective (and is a real potential issue that needs to be addressed).

[@devnerdgirl4638]

They probably already know how to grow food and use water.

[@darkpearl88]

@1:15 he says "just the thought of kids not having to walk miles for water was amazing". ...So, my question is why did Efosa, an outsider to that particular community, recognize a problem when he saw the women and children walking miles for water, but the men who actually belong to and live in that community didn't see the problem? Why is it that a stranger had compassion for the people of that community, and that compassion compelled him to find a solution. Whereas the people themselves didn't have that same compassion for themselves? When the well breaks, why don't the men fix it? I know that poverty is complex, but one of the main things you tend to notice is a lack of positive male initiative. And when the males DO take initiative it's oriented towards tribalism, criminal activity or some other dysfunctional behavior. And then the women, they just put up with it.

[@ShouryaMusica]

I love you, you are my idol, i love you. Thanks for inspiring me.

[@tyronekim3506]

I'm puzzled. Why did the water wells breakdown? Mechanical devices breakdown. Mechanical devices need periodic maintenance.

[@whenwetalkaboutnature4903]

We can only wish that, in this specific case, there will be a younger generation from each of those communities who learn about well creation and maintenance to help solve the village's problem when it arise. The idiom "when someone is hungry, teach them how TO fish, don't fish FOR them" applies here. IF the villagers don't try to learn how to solve their own problem (even after a well has already been built for them), then their problem of lack of water WILL stay.

[@MOMO-lm6qw]

Love you!

[@dannid.8115]

Key point is most of the money must go to REAL SECTOR not to SPECULATIVE FINANCIAL NON PRODUCTIVE like derivatives, Currency trading etc...It doesnt create many jobs...In 2012 Real sector only 12%, and Financial Industry the rest... I dont know in 2020...

[@mekonnenhaile4148]

There's a place to build water wells in particular in isolated areas which also should have a means of maintaining it. The building of noodle factories could be done by business people and should not be done by aid agencies

[@Marthastewart209.]

So there is already plenty of demand, people are hungry. So they create the instant noodle company which creates jobs and grows infrastructure. Which benefits thousands of people indirectly and directly. Amazing, that is how you solve a problem. You teach them how to fish. You don't fish for them (build wells and then repair them every couple of months). Now they can afford to maintain their own well if they choose to or buy water. One step at a time...

[@laaaliiiluuu]

Meanwhile, big corporations flood developing countries with cheap products and destroy local business which creates dependency on those corporations.

[@laaaliiiluuu]

@@WindofChange2023 Most profits go offshore. Everything is about efficiency these days but nobody cares about quality anymore. Ever asked yourself why the products are so cheap? The quality of the products of those multinational corporations are often so low that I would not even feed them to my dog. It just creates dependency on multinational corporations who care about nothing but their own wallet. If you believe they care about your wellbeing then keep buying it. Make your doctor's appointment for some medication though already! You will need it.

[@laaaliiiluuu]

@@WindofChange2023 I am not anti-Capitalism, on the contrary. It seems like we are actually on the same boat here. I am anti Big Corporations and Big Government uniting purely for shareholder interests. Like we once had a separation between church and state we need a separation between economy and state. Thanks for the reading recommendation!

[@anonanon1604]

why were the wells breaking tho?

[@philipojomo4846]

It is a concept of creating demand, thereby creating a market and building an economy.

[@mukundiyukurididace4827]

Good Action

[@thethinkingbeing9817]

I can only hold you until you learn to hold yourself

[@Raminakai]

Maintaining structures is everything. That is part of the cost of owning anything. Ask any home owner. What I would have done is train anyone who was interested in how to fix wells.

[@thembamsibi7424]

❤❤❤❤

[@dadikkedude]

What a bunch of countries need is infrastructure like roads to facilitate the trade that's already happening.

[@shaveenfernando5315]

❤

[@gustavdrews4445]

Another development for Africa to take away from the poverty of this thriving Nation is to actually build aquifers in Canal water poured in trees to the entire nation see through the flow of energy it can always you could produce produce a flow of wleath

[@KiRetteCouture]

Great talk but I have to wonder how much the makers of Indomie paid in bribes to the government to keep that machine rolling. That's a huge elephant in the room. There are many innovative minds like these guys who need to be encouraged to flourish.

[@ewaoconnor7013]

Great but people still need clean water. Building it is much cheaper than building a factory. It’s true that economic development and not aid is what lifts poor countries out of poverty.

[@francescos7361]

Great solution we should find and e rivoluzionare l etica e la societa oltre l arte con rispetto per la scienza ma la nostra umanità ha problemi seri da affrontare e non basta che una persona casa che poi non cè ne teocrazia ne maschilismo ma il nucleare deve andare a zero e dobbiamo risolvere insieme il problema con soluzioni geniali per risolvere il problema e i problemi dell aborto , povertà e ambiente come priorità assolute per la nostra salute e per le prossime generazioni sempre e comunque. Un pensiero illuminante parte dalle diversità ecologiche e dunque dal genio e dalla nostra saggezza e umiltà nei confronti della lotta alle mafie e soprattutto alla criminalità

[@user-ws8vy9hu7m]

Sir, your model requires significant investment in multiple areas and, is long term. What about a 'Push to Pull' strategy? In the short term, lets continue buidling wells for their immediate needs, AND incorporate a maintenance schedule every 3 mths. Appoint the village head to take care of the well, and eventually send them the parts to maintain it themselves. The person(s) that learnt how to maintain the wells, can start a business to maintain the wells of other villages. Extend further targeted vocational skills training to that person(s)/ the community and the list of services they can provide increases. They will inform what other skill sets they need and it eventually becomes a learning + self sustaining community.

[@TripleIProductions]

Innovation

[@TheOriginalRasheedat]

As a Nigerian I will say I love Indomie. But we can’t say Indomie is healthy. A way to get homes FRESH food would have been more worthy.

[@pablotejano7461]

Indomie our savior pray for us

[@alifbagas6]

Wonder of capitalism

[@ti1286]

That guy is hopeful

[@Trueth447]

That's what Ratan tata did

[@Gitohandro]

The solution is for poor people to stop having kids

[@hamoodhabibiOTMI]

the solution is for dumbasses like you to shut your privileged mouths up and look at the problem through different lenses and do something about it.

[@Gitohandro]

@@hamoodhabibiOTMI You know why I'm privileged? Because my parents didn't have more kids than they could handle!

[@MaryJane-dc8eb]

Not just poor people, all people.