Starfish Community

I'm currently working on some funding proposals, and in the process of reviewing some prior proposals, I came across a document my teammates and I put together a year ago which outlines some of the causes of poverty in Mauritania's capital. I thought it might be of interest to the Starfish community and could be a good trigger for discussion. (Note, the larger proposal from which this is excerpted has much more detailed statistics on rates of poverty, illiteracy, etc.)

Causes of Poverty in Nouakchott:

During our 20 years serving and living alongside the poor in one of the neediest districts of Nouakchott, Doulos Community’s personnel have experienced first-hand many of the factors which contribute to the poverty of the people in these areas. Some the key issues are:

• Nomadic origins – many people have moved into the city from the interior during the past 20-30 years, usually due to family crisis (livelihood destroyed by drought). They were economically stressed when they arrived and have been unable to escape the poverty trap.

• Lack of education – again because of the country’s nomadic history, formal education has often been undervalued, and consequently there are high illiteracy rates, particularly amongst women. The public education system is seriously under-resourced, leading to low morale, high teacher absentee rates, and huge class sizes.

• Weak community structures – most people in Nouakchott identify more closely with their home villages or clans than with their local community. As a consequence, until very recently, there has been little impetus created either by Nouakchott inhabitants or local government representatives to improve conditions in the city. This has tended to result in an atmosphere of apathy, and an acceptance of the status quo.

• Belief systems – built into the local belief system is a strong emphasis on acceptance of the position God has given you in life. Accompanying this fatalistic attitude is a powerful ‘client/patron’ societal structure, whereby the poorest are expected to solicit help from their richer relatives and friends. NGOs are often seen as ‘patrons’ which exist simply to give handouts to their Mauritanian ‘clients’. The combined effect of these two beliefs stifles local initiative or enterprise.
  

• Injustice and corruption – there is a long history of exploitation of the poor and weak in Mauritanian society, which is a direct cause of poverty in the urban ghettos.
  

• Relationship problems – divorce rates are very high. As a consequence many families are headed by single women, who often have to look after several children usually with little support from the ex-husband who may have remarried.
  

• Unemployment – the Mauritanian economy is severely underdeveloped, with little in the way of domestic industry. The country’s natural resources have historically largely only benefited the rich and powerful. Unemployment and underemployment are widespread, and even where there is work it is usually very low paid. The minimum wage was recently raised to around US$75 per month but this is widely ignored. Those that do have work often support extended families, which leaves them with no money to save or invest.
  

• Inexperience in handling money well – Nouakchott is still a young city and many of its inhabitants are more familiar with a barter-based economic system than with one based on cash transactions. Consequently concepts such as bank accounts, savings, and investments are alien to many. Those who amass personal wealth in the form of cash are usually considered anti-social because everyone is expected to contribute any surplus for the benefit of their extended family or clan. Many businesses are started in Nouakchott’s periphery neighbourhoods, often by women, but few succeed in the long term because of cash flow crises.

As I was rereading this list yesterday, I was challenged to think about the asset-based community development model we discussed at the Starfish Expo.

As a result, I plan to work with colleagues here to come up with a list of community assets and strengths that we can build on for development here, rather than only focusing on the problems, as we are often so quick to do.

I'll try to remember to post it here when we do such a positive list.

Karen,

This is some good material. My eye was especially drawn to the issue of a Belief System since we have seen that one's world view can significantly impact their motivation or belief that they can do anything to change their own circumstances. Thats why we have felt so strongly that some type of world view training is vital to sustainable change.

I also really think that your idea to map out the Assets and Opportunities in the region could be a real eye opener! Looking at things from such a different perspective can make a huge difference in what comes into focus!

Great job!

Hi Karen

Sorry for the lack of contact. Strait after the conference I took 10 days leave, then headed strait to Southern Sudan, where I have been for the past 5 weeks. I arrived back in Johannesburg, South Africa this past Monday. Communications in Southern Sudan were trying to put it mildly. The internet was terrible and, hence, I kind of lost touch with the outside world, keeping my e-mail communications to the absolute minimum. I could not even access the Starfishcommunity website most of the time.

I just wanted to stay in touch and to say that we certainly can start to dialogue about DBSP coming to Mauritania in the not too distant future.

I was very interested to read about your research here, and hopefully, we can try to play our part in starting to address some of these woes.

If we do not communicate before Christmas, have a truely blessed time and may this time of the year be filled with His peace and Joy for you and for your loved ones.

Regards

Chris Black