Did you know that over 700 million people live on less than $2 a day?
Nearly 10% of the global population struggles to survive 24 hours at a time. Eradicating extreme poverty may seem like a simple issue, but in reality, it’s very complex.
In Uplift and Empower: A Guide to Understanding Extreme Poverty and Poverty Alleviation you'll learn about:
* The history and context of poverty and how the Industrial Revolution shaped modern social structures * Major challenges caused by poverty and what it means to live within the poverty mindset * Innovative solutions to addressing poverty, such as new methods for job creation and community engagement * And so much more...
This book is an exploration into one of the most pressing issues of our time. It’s for anyone interested in becoming part of the solution, and everyone that’s ready to Uplift and Empower.
Danielle Hawa Tarigha is a passionate leader in the economics and public policy space looking to grapple with one of the world’s oldest and most widespread issues: poverty. She studied economics at the University of Chicago, and has expanded her reach into the fields of investment banking, public policy, information technology, and asset management on her mission to tackle extreme poverty.
Throughout her work, she has received such honorable distinctions as the first undergraduate Rising Star award in the Trott Business Program and her status as a Kimpton Fellow. When she is not addressing extreme poverty, you may find her updating her fun, fashion-focused Instagram account.
First, thank you to Danielle Hawa Tarigha for this book in exchange for an honest review. And here it is...
This is one of the most organized books I’ve ever read. The author is clear about the objectives for each chapter. Each chapter is broken into digestible, snack-size pieces. And the conclusions wrap up everything with a bow while also preparing you for the next chapter. The book is scaffolded in the sense that each chapter builds on its predecessor. It’s almost as if a canvas is gradually being sketched and then painted. By the end there’s a masterpiece canvas, and I can’t say that it’s all beautiful, but it’s certainly realistic and hopeful.
Perhaps we’ve made poverty into an ugly thing that’s only for certain kinds of people living in developing nations without realizing that we could be contributing to systems of poverty. This book has made me think differently about poverty, the role the US claims to play and the role that it actually plays, and what can be done to stop the cycle. Not only does this book provide the historical and numerical contexts but it provides solutions. I knew certain aspects of poverty but not necessarily why or how they occurred.
While I felt bogged down by the numbers and statistics at first, I understood their greater purpose of creating context. As the book progressed, they made more sense to me and I was able to conceptualize what the author was talking about. Using the names: Robin, Drew, Taylor and Cameron were used to humanize and categorize people in different circumstances; this was particularly helpful to me to organizing my thoughts and feelings around new information presented. This book is truly what it claims to be: a guide. The steps are not as easy as 1, 2, 3, but it definitely provides a launching pad if you’re serious about helping to alleviate poverty in your community. And that phrase right there is key: in your community. We love traveling far to help those in poverty when there are families near us living on less than $1.90 per day. Thank you Danielle for the time and energy placed into this guide.
You want to learn about what has been done, what can be done, and what you can specifically do to alleviate poverty? Uplift and Empower encompasses it all. It's one of the most well-researched books I've read on the topic of poverty alleviation. I have to give Danielle a huge round of applause for putting this book together. Poverty is a topic more people to need to get actively involved in eradicating. Luckily, the book gives you small steps you can take locally to help people in need. It's a global book with a local focus.
If you loved reading Factfulness by Hans Rosling, you'll love this even more. The same goes for one of my favorite books on the topic of Poverty and Prosperity called Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu. Both were referenced in Danielle's book.
One of the biggest myths about alleviating poverty is totally destroyed in Uplift and Empower, that is that money is the solution. It is plainly not because governments and people have been tossing money left and right at nations in need and it still hasn't solved the problem. Money is only a small fraction of the solution to poverty. What Danielle presents in her book is that there are several different things that need to be done in order to uplift people out of poverty.
One way the book suggests is that the wealthy governments and people can't just come into a community living in poverty and tell them what to do. It is the people in poverty who need to be in charge of their own salvation with the guidance, but not the intrusion of governments, organizations, and people trying to help. It has to be a collaborative effort for both parties. In a sense, it's like teaching someone to fish rather than just giving them a fish yet slightly different because you're allowing the other party to innovate for themselves with your help. This is just one of the many great examples of what needs to be done in order to alleviate, and even eradicate poverty.
Yet I want to bring a strong argument Danielle also brought up and that is each community in each nation living in poverty has a different story and situation, therefore each solution to their problems will be slightly different. There is no one solution that fits all for poverty which is probably one of the biggest contributing reasons for the continuing existence of poverty in the 21st century. One thing we do know for sure is that things are getting better, but not as quick as they should be.
From my own personal observations, poverty is something most people think of as a governmental problem. In many cases this is true, but it doesn't mean there is nothing you can do to help. Just like anything in life, if you take the time to care about something, putting your time, energy, and money into developing your skills and knowledge of the topic, you have the power to create, help, and solve people's problems on a small to large scale. Danielle has done it with this book, for example, she has created awareness about what you can actually contribute to the alleviation of poverty. She is helping people to uplift and empower each other and I am grateful to have read and shared about her book.
Uplift and Empower was an easy introduction to a very complex and important topic. I came to this book with essentially no background info so I really appreciated the time Tarigha took at the beginning to provide a base of information that helped me to better understand the rest of the book. I especially enjoyed how the book is formatted in small chunks; it made the information easier to digest and kept the book's wealth of knowledge from being overwhelming. My favorite parts of the book were case studies and interviews that were included. They introduced me to topics and viewpoints I had never really stopped to consider before and were useful in bringing to life the facts and data presented in the book. Uplift and Empower was genuinely enjoyable to read, entertaining, and full of knowledge and stories that helped me begin to understand such a vast topic. Reading this book inspired me to learn and do more with regards to poverty and I would recommend it to anyone looking to delve into the world of poverty and poverty alleviation.
Incredibly Insightful, Genuine, and Very Important
I read Danielle Hawa Tarigha’s “Uplift and Empower” in one sitting. Incredibly insightful, genuine, and very important, are just a few of the words that I would use to describe this book. It is also highly respectful, as the author calls for those that are living in extreme poverty to “be part of the conversation.” Based on exceptionally thorough research and analysis of extreme poverty, Danielle Hawa Tarigha not only educates her readers on its history, but provides practical, sound advice on what can be done to alleviate it. “Uplift and Empower” should be read by everyone. As the author states, “we need to ensure our actions related to poverty alleviation speak louder than words.”
Danielle is an amazing writer who introduces us to topics which need more attention- such as poverty. I could sense the passion in Danielle’s writing and it conveys a strong message. Highly recommend this book- very insightful!