Jacqueline Novogratz on an escape from poverty

Translator: Morten Kelder Skouboe Reviewer: Jonas Tholstrup Christensen

I've been working on issues of poverty for more than 20 years,

Jeg har arbejdet med problemstillinger med fattigdom i over 20 år,

and so it's ironic that the problem that and question that I most grapple with

og derfor er det ironisk, at problemet og spørgsmålet, som jeg kæmper mest med,

is how you actually define poverty. What does it mean?

er, hvordan man egentlig definerer fattigdom. Hvad betyder det?

So often, we look at dollar terms --

Altså ofte ser vi på pengetermer --

people making less than a dollar or two or three a day.

mennesker, der tjener mindre end en dollar eller to eller tre om dagen.

And yet the complexity of poverty really has to look at

Og alligevel gør fattigdoms kompleksitet, at man er nødt til at se på

income as only one variable.

indkomst som kun én variabel.

Because really, it's a condition about choice,

For i virkeligheden er det en tilstand om valg

and the lack of freedom.

og manglen på frihed.

And I had an experience that really deepened and elucidated for me

Og jeg havde en oplevelse, der virkelig gjorde den dybere og tydeligere for mig,

the understanding that I have.

forståelsen, som jeg har.

It was in Kenya, and I want to share it with you.

Den tog sted i Kenya, og jeg vil gerne dele den med jer.

I was with my friend Susan Meiselas, the photographer,

Jeg var med min ven Susan Meiselas, fotografen,

in the Mathare Valley slums.

i Mathare Valleys slum.

Now, Mathare Valley is one of the oldest slums in Africa.

Nå, Mathare Valley er en af de ældste slumkvarterer i Afrika.

It's about three miles out of Nairobi,

Den er omkring fem kilometer uden for Nairobi,

and it's a mile long and about two-tenths of a mile wide,

og den er halvanden kilometer lang og omkring 300 meter bred,

where over half a million people

hvor over en halv million mennesker

live crammed in these little tin shacks,

bor stuvet sammen i disse små tinskure,

generation after generation, renting them,

generation efter generation, lejer dem,

often eight or 10 people to a room.

ofte otte eller 10 mennesker i et rum.

And it's known for prostitution, violence, drugs:

Og den er kendt for prostitution, vold, stoffer:

a hard place to grow up.

et hårdt sted af vokse op.

And when we were walking through the narrow alleys,

Og da vi gik gennem de smalle alléer,

it was literally impossible not to step in the

det var bogstaveligt talt umuligt ikke at træde i det

raw sewage and the garbage alongside the little homes.

rå spildevand og skraldet langs de små hjem.

But at the same time it was also

Men på samme tid var det også

impossible not to see the human vitality,

umuligt ikke at se den menneskelige livskraft,

the aspiration and the ambition of the people who live there:

aspirationen og ambitionen af menneskerne, der bor der:

women washing their babies, washing their clothes, hanging them out to dry.

kvinder, der vasker deres babyer, vasker deres tøj, hænger dem ud til tørre.

I met this woman, Mama Rose,

Jeg mødte denne kvinde, Mama Rose,

who has rented that little tin shack for 32 years,

der har lejet det lille tinskur i 32 år,

where she lives with her seven children.

hvor hun bor med sine syv børn.

Four sleep in one twin bed,

Fire sover i én dobbeltseng,

and three sleep on the mud and linoleum floor.

og tre sover på mudderet og linoleumsgulvet.

And she keeps them all in school by selling water from that kiosk,

Og hun holder dem alle i skole ved at sælge vand fra den kiosk

and from selling soap and bread from the little store inside.

og ved at sælge sæbe og brød fra den lille butik indenfor.

It was also the day after the inauguration,

Det var også dagen efter tiltrædelsen,

and I was reminded how Mathare is still connected to the globe.

og jeg blev mindet om, hvordan Mathare stadig er forbundet til kloden.

And I would see kids on the street corners,

Og jeg så børn på gadehjørnerne,

and they'd say "Obama, he's our brother!"

og de sagde "Obama, han er vores bror!"

And I'd say "Well, Obama's my brother, so that makes you my brother too."

Og jeg sagde "Jamen, Obama er min bror, så det gør også dig til min bror."

And they would look quizzically, and then be like, "High five!"

Og de så forvirrede ud før de ville være sådan "High five!"

And it was here that I met Jane.

Og det var der, jeg mødte Jane.

I was struck immediately by the kindness and the gentleness in her face,

Jeg blev straks slået af venligheden og mildheden i hendes ansigt,

and I asked her to tell me her story.

og jeg bad hende fortælle mig sin historie.

She started off by telling me her dream. She said, "I had two.

Hun startede med at fortælle mig om sin drøm. Hun sagde, "Jeg havde to.

My first dream was to be a doctor,

Min første drøm var at blive læge,

and the second was to marry a good man

og den anden var at gifte mig med en god mand,

who would stay with me and my family,

der ville blive hos mig og min familie,

because my mother was a single mom,

for min mor var alenemor

and couldn't afford to pay for school fees.

og kunne ikke betale for skoletakster.

So I had to give up the first dream, and I focused on the second."

Så jeg var nødt til at opgive den første drøm, og jeg fokuserede på den anden."

She got married when she was 18, had a baby right away.

Hun blev gift, da hun var 18, fik et barn med det samme.

And when she turned 20, found herself pregnant with a second child,

Og da hun blev 20, var hun gravid med et andet barn,

her mom died and her husband left her -- married another woman.

hendes mor døde og hendes mand forlod hende -- giftede sig med en anden kvinde.

So she was again in Mathare, with no income, no skill set, no money.

Så hun var igen i Mathare med ingen indkomst, ingen kundskaber, ingen penge.

And so she ultimately turned to prostitution.

Og derfor blev hun til sidst prostitueret.

It wasn't organized in the way we often think of it.

Det var ikke organiseret på den måde, vi ofte tænker på det.

She would go into the city at night with about 20 girls,

Hun gik ind i byen om natten med omkring 20 piger,

look for work, and sometimes come back with a few shillings,

lede efter arbejde og nogle gange komme tilbage med et par skillinger

or sometimes with nothing.

eller nogle gange med intet.

And she said, "You know, the poverty wasn't so bad. It was the humiliation

Og hun sagde, "Altså, fattigdommen var ikke så slem. Det var ydmygelsen

and the embarrassment of it all."

og pinligheden ved det hele."

In 2001, her life changed.

I 2001 forandredes hendes liv.

She had a girlfriend who had heard about this organization, Jamii Bora,

Hun havde en veninde, der havde hørt om denne organisation, Jamii Bora,

that would lend money to people no matter how poor you were,

der ville låne penge til folk uanset, hvor fattig man var,

as long as you provided a commensurate amount in savings.

så længe man havde et lignende beløb i opsparinger.

And so she spent a year to save 50 dollars,

Og derfor brugte hun et år på at spare 50 dollars op

and started borrowing, and over time she was able to buy a sewing machine.

og begyndte at låne, og med tiden blev hun i stand til at købe en symaskine.

She started tailoring.

Hun begyndte at skræddersy.

And that turned into what she does now,

Og det blev til det, hun laver nu,

which is to go into the secondhand clothing markets,

hvilket er at gå ind i genbrugstøjmarkederne,

and for about three dollars and 25 cents she buys an old ball gown.

og for omkring tre dollars og 25 cents køber hun en gammel balkjole.

Some of them might be ones you gave.

Nogle af dem kunne være dem, I gav.

And she repurposes them with frills and ribbons,

Og hun fornyr dem med flæser og bånd

and makes these frothy confections that she sells to women

og laver disse luftige pyntesager, som hun sælger til kvinder

for their daughter's Sweet 16 or first Holy Communion --

til deres døtres 16 års fødselsdag eller første nadver --

those milestones in a life that people want to celebrate

disse milepæle i livet, som folk gerne vil fejre

all along the economic spectrum.

over hele det økonomiske spektrum.

And she does really good business. In fact, I watched her

Og hun klarer sig virkelig godt. Faktisk så jeg hende

walk through the streets hawking. And before you knew it,

falbydende gå gennem gaderne. Og før man vidste af det,

there was a crowd of women around her, buying these dresses.

var der en flok af kvinder omkring hende, der købte disse kjoler.

And I reflected, as I was watching her sell the dresses,

Og jeg reflekterede, da jeg så hendes sælge kjolerne

and also the jewelry that she makes,

og også smykkerne, som hun laver,

that now Jane makes more than four dollars a day.

at nu tjener Jane mere end fire dollars om dagen.

And by many definitions she is no longer poor.

Og efter mange definitioner er hun ikke længere fattig.

But she still lives in Mathare Valley.

Men hun bor stadig i Mathare Valley.

And so she can't move out.

Og derfor kan hun ikke flytte ud.

She lives with all of that insecurity,

Hun bor med al den usikkerhed,

and in fact, in January, during the ethnic riots,

og faktisk i januar under de etniske opstande

she was chased from her home and had to find a new shack

blev hun jaget fra sit hjem og var nødt til at finde et nyt skur,

in which she would live.

hvori hun kunne bo.

Jamii Bora understands that and understands

Jamii Bora forstår det og forstår,

that when we're talking about poverty,

at når man taler om fattigdom,

we've got to look at people all along the economic spectrum.

er man nødt til at se på folk over hele det økonomiske spektrum.

And so with patient capital from Acumen and other organizations,

Og derfor med tålmodig kapital fra Acumen og andre organisationer,

loans and investments that will go the long term with them,

lån og investeringer, der vil gå den lange vej med dem,

they built a low-cost housing development,

byggede de et billigt boligområde

about an hour outside Nairobi central.

omkring en time uden for midten af Nairobi.

And they designed it from the perspective of

Og de designede det fra perspektivet af

customers like Jane herself,

kunder som Jane selv,

insisting on responsibility and accountability.

der insisterer på ansvar og regnskabspligt.

So she has to give 10 percent of the mortgage --

Så hun skal give 10 procent af panten --

of the total value, or about 400 dollars in savings.

af den totale værdi, eller omkring 400 dollars i opsparinger.

And then they match her mortgage to what she paid in rent for her little shanty.

Og så matcher de hendes pant med det, hun betalte i leje for hendes lille skur.

And in the next couple of weeks, she's going to be

Og i de næste par uger bliver hun

among the first 200 families to move into this development.

blandt de første 200 familier, der flytter ind i dette boligområde.

When I asked her if she feared anything,

Da jeg spurgte hende, om hun frygtede noget,

or whether she would miss anything from Mathare,

eller om hun ville savne noget fra Mathare,

she said, "What would I fear

sagde hun, "Hvad skulle jeg frygte,

that I haven't confronted already?

som jeg ikke allerede har mødt?

I'm HIV positive. I've dealt with it all."

Jeg er HIV positiv. Jeg har prøvet det hele."

And she said, "What would I miss?

Og hun sagde, "Hvad skulle jeg savne?

You think I will miss the violence or the drugs? The lack of privacy?

Tror du, jeg vil savne volden eller stofferne? Manglen på privatliv?

Do you think I'll miss not knowing if my children are going to come home

Tror du, jeg vil savne ikke at vide, om mine børn kommer hjem,

at the end of the day?" She said "If you gave me 10 minutes

når dagen er slut?" Hun sagde, "Hvis du gav mig 10 minutter

my bags would be packed."

ville mine tasker være pakkede."

I said, "Well what about your dreams?"

Jeg sagde, "Jamen hvad med dine drømme?"

And she said, "Well, you know,

Og hun sagde, "Jamen, du ved,

my dreams don't look exactly like I thought they would when I was a little girl.

mine drømme ser ikke nøjagtigt ud, som jeg troede de ville, da jeg var en lille pige.

But if I think about it, I thought I wanted a husband,

Men hvis jeg tænker over det, troede jeg, jeg ville have en mand,

but what I really wanted was a family

men det, jeg virkelig ville have, var en familie,

that was loving. And I fiercely love my children, and they love me back."

der var kærlig. Og jeg elsker virkelig mine børn, og de elsker mig."

She said, "I thought that I wanted to be a doctor,

Hun sagde, "Jeg troede, at jeg ville være læge,

but what I really wanted to be was somebody

men det, jeg virkelig ville være, var nogen,

who served and healed and cured.

der tjente og helede og kurerede.

And so I feel so blessed with everything that I have,

Og derfor føler jeg mig så velsignet med alt, jeg har,

that two days a week I go and I counsel HIV patients.

at to dage om ugen går jeg, og jeg rådgiver HIV patienter.

And I say, 'Look at me. You are not dead.

Og jeg siger, 'Se på mig. Du er ikke død.

You are still alive. And if you are still alive you have to serve.'"

Du er stadig i live. Og hvis du stadig er i live, skal du tjene.'"

And she said, "I'm not a doctor who gives out pills.

Og hun sagde, "Jeg er ikke en læge, der giver piller.

But maybe me, I give out something better

Men måske mig, jeg giver noget bedre,

because I give them hope."

for jeg giver dem håb."

And in the middle of this economic crisis,

Og i midten af denne økonomiske krise,

where so many of us are inclined to pull in

hvor så mange af os er tilbøjelige til at trække tilbage

with fear, I think we're well suited to

i frygt, tror jeg vi kunne have godt af at

take a cue from Jane and reach out,

tage et vink fra Jane og række ud,

recognizing that being poor doesn't mean being ordinary.

erkende, at det at være fattig ikke betyder være ordinær.

Because when systems are broken,

For når systemer er i stykker,

like the ones that we're seeing around the world,

som dem, vi ser rundt omkring i verden,

it's an opportunity for invention and for innovation.

er det en mulighed for opfindsomhed og for fornyelse.

It's an opportunity to truly build a world

Det er en mulighed for virkelig at bygge en verden,

where we can extend services and products

hvor vi kan række ydelser og produkter ud

to all human beings, so that they can

til alle mennesker, så de kan

make decisions and choices for themselves.

foretage beslutninger og valg selv.

I truly believe it's where dignity starts.

Jeg tror virkelig, det er der, værdighed begynder.

We owe it to the Janes of the world.

Vi skylder det til Jane'erne i hele verden.

And just as important, we owe it to ourselves.

Og lige så vigtigt, vi skylder det til os selv.

Thank you.

Tak.

(Applause)

(Bifald)