Jacqueline Novogratz on an escape from poverty

Prevoditelj: Sanja Blažević Recezent: Tilen Pigac - EFZG

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

Bavim se problemima siromaštva više od 20 godina,

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

i ironično je da je problem i pitanje s kojim se najčešće lovim u koštac

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

kako zapravo definirati siromaštvo. Što ono označava?

So often, we look at dollar terms --

Često govorimo u terminima dolara –

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

ljudi zarađuju manje od jednog ili dva ili tri dolara dnevno.

And yet the complexity of poverty really has to look at

A zapravo kompleksnost siromaštva treba promatrati

income as only one variable.

dohodak kao jednu jedinu varijablu.

Because really, it's a condition about choice,

Jer zapravo, to je uvjet za izbor

and the lack of freedom.

i nedostatak slobode.

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

Imala sam iskustvo koje je doista produbilo i rasvijetlilo

the understanding that I have.

moje razumijevanje.

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

Bilo je to u Keniji i želim to podijeliti s vama.

I was with my friend Susan Meiselas, the photographer,

Bila sam s mojom prijateljicom Susan Meiselas, fotografkinjom,

in the Mathare Valley slums.

u sirotinjskoj četvrti u Mathare Valley.

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

Mathare Valley je jedna od najstarijih sirotinjskih četvrti u Africi.

It's about three miles out of Nairobi,

Udaljena je oko tri milje od Nairobija,

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

duga je jednu milju i široka oko dvije desetine milje,

where over half a million people

gdje više od pola milijuna ljudi

live crammed in these little tin shacks,

živi nagurano u tim malim limenim kolibama,

generation after generation, renting them,

generaciju za generacijom, unajmljujući ih,

often eight or 10 people to a room.

često s osam ili 10 ljudi u jednoj prostoriji.

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

Poznato je po prostituciji, nasilju, drogi.

a hard place to grow up.

Teško mjesto za odrastanje.

And when we were walking through the narrow alleys,

I dok smo hodale po uskim stazama,

it was literally impossible not to step in the

bilo je doslovno nemoguće ne stati u

raw sewage and the garbage alongside the little homes.

kanalizaciju i smeće kraj malih domova.

But at the same time it was also

Ali u isto vrijeme bilo je

impossible not to see the human vitality,

nemoguće ne uočiti ljudsku živost,

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

težnje i ambicije ljudi koji tamo žive.

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

Žene su prale svoju djecu, prale svoju odjeću, vješale je vani na sušenje.

I met this woman, Mama Rose,

Upoznala sam jednu ženu, Mamu Rose,

who has rented that little tin shack for 32 years,

koja je unajmila tu malu limenu kolibu na 32 godine,

where she lives with her seven children.

gdje živi sa svoje sedmero djece.

Four sleep in one twin bed,

Četvero ih spava u jednom bračnom krevetu,

and three sleep on the mud and linoleum floor.

a troje ih spava na blatnjavom podu od linoleuma.

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

I ona ih sve školuje tako što prodaje vodu iz tog kioska

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

i prodaje sapun i kruh iz male trgovine koja se nalazi unutra.

It was also the day after the inauguration,

To je bio i dan nakon inauguracije

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

što me podsjetilo kako je Mathare još uvijek povezana sa svijetom.

And I would see kids on the street corners,

I vidjela bih djecu na uglovima ulica,

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

i govorili bi “Obama, on je naš brat!”

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

Pa bih ja rekla ”Pa, Obama je moj brat što znači da si i ti moj brat.”

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

Gledali bi me zapanjeno, pa bi mi rekli, “Daj pet!”

And it was here that I met Jane.

Tu sam upoznala Jane.

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

Bila sam odmah zapanjena ljubaznošću i nježnošću njenoga lica

and I asked her to tell me her story.

i zamolila sam je da mi ispriča svoju priču.

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

Počela je s prepričavanjem svoga sna. Rekla je, “Imala sam dva.

My first dream was to be a doctor,

Moj prvi san je bio da postanem liječnica,

and the second was to marry a good man

a drugi je bio da se udam za dobrog muškarca,

who would stay with me and my family,

koji bi bio sa mnom i mojom obitelji.

because my mother was a single mom,

Moja je majka bila samohrana majka,

and couldn't afford to pay for school fees.

i nije mogla priuštiti plaćanje školarine.

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

Pa sam morala odustati od prvog sna, i usredotočila sam se na drugi."

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

Udala se s 18 godina, odmah dobila dijete.

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

I kad je navršila 20 godina, zatrudnjela je s drugim djetetom,

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

majka joj je umrla i suprug ju je napustio -- oženio je drugu ženu.

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

I bila je ponovno u Mathare, bez dohotka bez kvalifikacija, bez novaca.

And so she ultimately turned to prostitution.

Pa se naposljetku okrenula prostituciji.

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

To nije bilo organizirano na način na koji svi mi mislimo.

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

Otišla bi noću u grad s otprilike 20 djevojaka,

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

tražila posao i ponekad bi se vratila s nekoliko šilinga

or sometimes with nothing.

ili ponekad s ničim.

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

I rekla je, “Znaš, siromaštvo nije bilo tako loše. Već poniženje

and the embarrassment of it all."

i sramota zbog svega.”

In 2001, her life changed.

2001. godine se njezin život promijenio.

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

Imala je prijateljicu koja je čula za jednu organizaciju, Jamii Bora,

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

koja je posuđivala novac ljudima bez obzira na to koliko ste siromašni,

as long as you provided a commensurate amount in savings.

dokle god ste razmjernu količinu novca štedjeli.

And so she spent a year to save 50 dollars,

Bila je potrebna godina dana da bi uštedjela 50 dolara,

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

i počela je posuđivati, i kroz neko vrijeme bila je u mogućnosti kupiti šivaću mašinu.

She started tailoring.

Počela je krojiti.

And that turned into what she does now,

I to ju je dovelo do onoga što danas radi,

which is to go into the secondhand clothing markets,

a to je obilaženje trgovina s rabljenom odjećom,

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

i za otprilike tri dolara i 25 centi kupi staru plesnu haljinu.

Some of them might be ones you gave.

Neke među njima mogu biti one koje ste vi dali.

And she repurposes them with frills and ribbons,

Doradi ih volanima i vrpcama,

and makes these frothy confections that she sells to women

i stvara svečanu odjeću koju prodaje ženama

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

za 16. rođendane njihovih kćeri ili za Prvu pričest--

those milestones in a life that people want to celebrate

one prekretnice u životu koje ljudi žele slaviti

all along the economic spectrum.

iz cijelog ekonomskog spektra.

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

I radi jako dobar posao. Zapravo, promatrala sam je,

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

hodala je po ulicama zazivajući. I prije nego što si se okrenuo,

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

stvorila se gomila žena oko nje, kupovale haljine.

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

I razmišljala sam, dok sam je gledala kako prodaje haljine,

and also the jewelry that she makes,

i nakit koji sama radi,

that now Jane makes more than four dollars a day.

da sada Jane zarađuje više od četiri dolara dnevno.

And by many definitions she is no longer poor.

I po mnogim definicijama, nije više siromašna.

But she still lives in Mathare Valley.

Ali i dalje živi u Mathare Valley.

And so she can't move out.

I ne može se odseliti.

She lives with all of that insecurity,

Živi sa svom tom nesigurnošću,

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

i zapravo, u siječnju, tijekom etničkih nemira,

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

bila je istjerana iz svoje kuće i morala je pronaći novu kolibu

in which she would live.

u kojoj je mogla živjeti.

Jamii Bora understands that and understands

Jamii Bora to razumije. I razumije

that when we're talking about poverty,

da kada govorimo o siromaštvu,

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

moramo gledati ljude iz cijelog ekonomskog spektra.

And so with patient capital from Acumen and other organizations,

I tako s dugoročnim kapitalom Acumena i ostalih organizacija,

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

zajmovima i investicijama koji dugoročno dolaze s njima,

they built a low-cost housing development,

grade jeftino stambeno područje,

about an hour outside Nairobi central.

otprilike sat vremena udaljenosti od centra Nairobija.

And they designed it from the perspective of

I dizajnirali su ga iz perspektive

customers like Jane herself,

klijenata poput Jane,

insisting on responsibility and accountability.

inzistirajući na obavezama i odgovornosti.

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

Tako da ona mora dati 10 posto od hipoteke --

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

od ukupne vrijednosti ili oko 400 dolara ušteđevine.

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

Onda oni uspoređuju njezinu hipoteku s najamninom koju je platila za njezinu malu straćaru.

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

I u narednih nekoliko tjedana, ona će biti

among the first 200 families to move into this development.

među prvih 200 obitelji koje će useliti u to područje.

When I asked her if she feared anything,

Kada sam je pitala straši li se ičega,

or whether she would miss anything from Mathare,

ili hoće li joj nešto nedostajati iz Mathare,

she said, "What would I fear

rekla je „Čega bih se mogla strašiti

that I haven't confronted already?

s čime se već dosad nisam suočila?

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

HIV pozitivna sam. Sa svime sam se nosila.“

And she said, "What would I miss?

I rekla je „Što bi mi moglo nedostajati?

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

Misliš li da će mi nedostajati nasilje ili droga? Nedostatak privatnosti?

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

Misliš li da će mi nedostajati to što ne znam hoće li mi djeca stići doma

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

na kraju dana?“ Rekla je „Da mi daš 10 minuta

my bags would be packed."

torbe bi mi bile spakirane.“

I said, "Well what about your dreams?"

I rekla sam, „A što je s tvojim snovima?“

And she said, "Well, you know,

A ona je rekla, „Pa, znaš,

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

moji snovi ne izgledaju onako kao što sam mislila da će izgledati kada sam bila djevojčica.

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

Ali ako razmislim o tome, mislila sam da želim supruga,

but what I really wanted was a family

ali ono što sam zapravo željela je obitelj

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

koja je voljena. I strahovito volim svoju djecu i ona vole mene.“

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

Rekla je „Mislila sam da želim biti liječnica,

but what I really wanted to be was somebody

ali ono što sam zapravo željela je biti netko

who served and healed and cured.

tko čini dobro i ozdravljuje i liječi.

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

I osjećam se doista blagoslovljeno zbog svega što imam,

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

da dva dana u tjednu odlazim i savjetujem HIV pacijente.“

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

I rekla sam, „Pogledaj me. Nisi mrtva.

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

Još uvijek si živa. Ako si još uvijek živa trebaš činiti dobro.“

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

A ona je rekla, „Nisam liječnik koji daje tablete.

But maybe me, I give out something better

Ali možda ja, dajem nešto bolje,

because I give them hope."

jer ja im dajem nadu.“

And in the middle of this economic crisis,

I u jeku ove ekonomske krize,

where so many of us are inclined to pull in

kada su mnogi od nas skloni povući se

with fear, I think we're well suited to

zbog straha, mislim da smo spremni

take a cue from Jane and reach out,

uzeti savjet od Jane i izaći iz okvira,

recognizing that being poor doesn't mean being ordinary.

shvatiti da biti siromašan ne znači biti običan.

Because when systems are broken,

Jer kad su sustavi pokvareni,

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

kao oni koje viđamo po svijetu,

it's an opportunity for invention and for innovation.

to je prilika za invenciju i inovaciju.

It's an opportunity to truly build a world

To je prilika da se doista izgradi svijet

where we can extend services and products

gdje možemo pružiti usluge i proizvode

to all human beings, so that they can

svim ljudima, kako bi mogli

make decisions and choices for themselves.

donositi odluke i izbore za sebe same.

I truly believe it's where dignity starts.

Doista vjerujem da upravo tada počinje dostojanstvo.

We owe it to the Janes of the world.

Dugujemo to svakoj Jane na svijetu.

And just as important, we owe it to ourselves.

I jednako važno, to dugujemo sebi samima.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)