Blue Palm Update : Insights into Poverty in South Africa

Apr 2016

It’s well known that South Africa as a whole is facing a poverty crisis. With 53% of our people living in poverty and an unemployment rate of 34.6% it’s hard to imagine why not more is being done to curb the problem. The legacy of our past has not yet been overcome and our country is still riddled with stark contrasts. While Government spending on the issue has increased, it is unlikely that the matter will be resolved within the immediate future. It is therefore to a large extent up to us as fellow custodians of the nation to alleviate the strain on our fellow South Africans.
While some groups prosper, just across a highway or bridge another is faced with the harsh reality of inequality and strife. Data on the matter also ranges from institution to institution and is often out of date, proving to be an unreliable reflection of the severity of the matter. The general consensus, however, is that efforts to change the circumstance are not achieving their goals. In 2012 alone 56% of children lived below the poverty line which at the time was set at R635 a month. Although there have been reductions in child poverty since 2003, 10 million children still lived in extreme poverty by 2012.
There is a need to take the future into our own hands and not to look solely to government and corporations for the solution. We can do this by exploring the idea of sustainable co-operatives, nongovernmental organisations, community ventures and small businesses that offer services to their immediate community. This, however, is difficult to do when the communities that live in these conditions are unable to cater fully for the own most basic needs. How could they create their own opportunities when their basic needs are not being satisfied. This is where we come in. Us. The nation as a whole – those that are able.
With access to ordinary household products to assist with everyday struggles and obstacles, poorer communities will have a greater opportunity to develop themselves. Removing the stress of being able to provide for themselves or at the very least lessoning it will give them the opportunity to utilize their time to grow independently and develop their circumstances to the betterment of their immediate communities and the needs of those around them.
You can be a part of the process through Blue Palm and Citton Cars who through innovative and creative means help to make positive contributions to the disadvantaged. Through contribution bins and events the process of donating is simplified since we bring the opportunity to you.