In 2016 my wife and I relocated from Hong Kong to Washington DC, where I started working for endPoverty.org. I had just finished my MBA and never knew what opportunity lied ahead.
Five years later, here I am at endPoverty, counting my blessings as one of the lucky ones who get excited about his work every morning.
During high school and college, I worked at a local convenience store and my most pressing memory is counting down the hours till the end of each shift. Work was just a transaction. I was paid for my time and the work I did and that’s where it ended.
Apart from the fact that it helped me buy a motorbike and explore the globe, the job had no sense of ownership or pleasure. Twenty years later, my perception and appreciation for work has completely changed.
My career focuses on building long-term solutions to hunger, malnutrition, disease, and lack of education that plague the world. As I progressed in my career, I understood that finding a silver bullet to end poverty is a lot harder than it seems and, it is a lot more than just donating more money.
Over the past few years, Arthur Brooks has greatly inspired me through his quote, “Earned success is more important than money. The secret to human flourishing is not money but earned success in life. Earned success means the ability to create value honestly – not by winning the lottery, not inheriting a fortune, not by picking up a welfare check. It does not even mean making money itself. Earned success is the creation of value in our lives or the lives of others.”
Why I do love my work
1. Every day, I get to build something that will carry on long after me. endPoverty is a venture that I believe will have a lasting effect on the world. Everyone talks about ‘long-term sustainability.
After visiting hundreds of villages and meeting thousands of people trapped in poverty around the world, there is a consistency that I have noticed, that’s a stable job.
Whenever I meet entrepreneurs in one of our programs, I have noticed how they proudly share their accomplishments and gains through us. They are empowered, and with dignity in their voice, they know their worth and potential. I have realized that this is the key to long-term sustainability and, it is the backbone of every society, family, marriage, and relationship. Without a stable quality job, people cannot thrive.
These entrepreneurs are role models that craft a succession road map and what is achievable to every generation that is watching them. I am proud of being part of the journey for people like Sylvia, who in her three businesses, has inspired fifteen young ladies into businesses and Tontu, who after passing on of her husband, had to take over running of the family business and is now mentoring other young ladies from her village.
2. It is all about LOCAL outreach. I get to work with people who know each particular need of their community. They speak their language, understand their own culture, and are committed to the flourishing of their people.
Since 1985 endPoverty has helped Christian organizations support entrepreneurs as a way of creating jobs and transformation. These organizations have trained, invested and continue to empower and serve their communities. The organizations are managed by boards comprising of local leaders, who then employ local staffs that focus on supporting local entrepreneurs.
It isn’t a flash in a pan or a savior complex but, these leaders are genuinely solving the needs of their community by creating jobs for those who are less fortunate.
For a brilliant example of our work coming to fruition, we can look at Anthony, who moved from his village to Mongu in Zambia to set up his own business. He later started supporting outreach projects through this local church.
3. It is one of the smartest ways to help the poor. This pandemic has highlighted that small businesses are the economic backbone of every economy in the world. Aid is critical in times of emergency, but no country has successfully and solely used it in implementing long-term development strategies. The best way to develop an economy, community, or even a family, is on trade, business & innovation.
I once met a lady called Romesa in Bangladesh whose husband suffered a stroke, which financially wiped out her family. She was illiterate and had never had a job before. Upon meeting her, I felt helpless. Of course, I do not have the resources to pay for her medical bills, housing, schooling, and groceries in perpetuity
to rescue her or the millions of people like her in the communities that we have programs in Bangladesh.
But we were able to help her neighbor, Minara, start and grow a small tailoring business. On seeing Romesa’s circumstances, Minara had compassion for her and invited her to be an apprentice seamstress where she could earn an income. This daily income helped Romesa to meet her family’s financial needs.
We can help thousands of entrepreneurs create jobs that become the hope which improves the lives of people trapped in poverty. Through financial independence, we build a revolving loan fund, through which money is lent to local entrepreneurs like Minara, repaid, and lent again to other entrepreneurs in the community.
4. I get the pleasure of meeting real heroes like Sylvia, Tontu, Anthony, and Minara all over the world. These visionaries are breaking the barriers and stereotypes which trap them in poverty. People like Tontu and Anthony create hope for their community. They adapt and persist in creating a world where they aren’t left behind.
Another entrepreneur I have met and will never forget is Scovia from Uganda. Scovia saw the opportunity to start a business by transforming her sitting room into a cinema in the afternoons. Every day, the local construction workers were looking to escape the midday sun. She would let them watch movies and cook them lunch for a small fee. It is an opportunity that she saw, created a business, and is now supporting her family. I am honored to help Scovia unlock these opportunities.
Entrepreneurship provides a vehicle for people to realize their potential and provides an incentive to create jobs and prosperity for their community. It is where I find my inspiration and motivation, as I yearn to create value for those around me.