I have been in close contact with the people in the rural communities and I know what life is like in the rural areas. So my interest in this essay is about what the Anglican Church can do to alleviate poverty in the rural communities in Nigeria. This will lead us to the impact and effect of poverty in the rural communities.
In the final chapter, I will explore various ways through which the Anglican Church in the rural community can alleviate rural poverty in the country. I believe that if these are properly implemented, the Anglican Church in rural communities can make a difference in alleviating poverty.
Economic
The few manufacturing industries are operating below capacity due to the epileptic power supply in the country. There are many Christians in the northern part of the country, and many Muslims are converting to Christianity. This has led to the current clashes between the Christians and the Muslims in the country.
This has contributed to the current pressure on the environment, especially in rural areas, leading to rural poverty. This led to an outcry about the marginalization of minority groups in the country.
Urban-Rural Relationship
The shortage is associated with the fact that agriculture is left in the hands of the old people in the rural areas. Agricultural resources are abundant in the rural communities, but with advancing years and a lack of assistance, those who remain cannot do much. The biggest problem of the periphery is the existing concentration of power in the center.
In rural areas, most people live in extreme hardship because what they have cannot sustain them. It applies to those in rural Igbo communities, where most people lack basic necessities.
Corruption and Mismanagement
Debt Crisis In Nigeria
This shows the extent of poverty faced by people in rural areas. This gave rise to the liquidation of the public assets through privatization and a high inflation due to the decline of the economy. The measure contributed greatly to the increase in unemployment and high inflation in the country.53.
Those who cannot find work in the cities return to the countryside, increasing the pressure on the countryside. Since there is no security in the countryside, they will start terrorizing the poor nearby. This has contributed to poverty in rural communities because farmers can no longer move their produce to markets for sale.
This has contributed to the poor economy because there are no cheap and easy means of transportation in rural areas. People in rural areas find it difficult if not impossible to travel by road. There is a high rate of illiteracy in rural areas and this means that education is dying.
The crisis in the education sector has contributed to child abuse in rural areas. The effect of this is a high rate of disease, especially in rural communities. Following this, a high infant mortality and maternal mortality is observed in rural areas.
The Environment in the Rural Communities
Those who cannot afford it go without.64 Maternal mortality rates range from 800 to 1,500 deaths per 100,000 live births. Inadequate funding, poor staffing, poor governance, lack of staff motivation, brain drain, outdated and defective vital equipment, unstable water and electricity supply, non-availability of essential medicines and clothing, poor sanitation..66. The situation has deteriorated to such an extent that the poor and low-income people are turning to informal health care and traditional healers for help, or simply relying on home remedies.
Some of the diseases that were thought to have been eradicated have staged a comeback such as tuberculosis, yaws, yellow fever, polio. Much damage has been done to the environment in recent years through exploitation and exploration of the land, water and mineral resources, both renewable and non-renewable.
Conclusion
The following two chapters will show how the Church can help rural communities overcome the problems of poverty in Nigeria.
A THEOLOGICAL VISION FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT
- STEWARDSHIP
- EMPOWERMENT
- SELF- RELIANCE
- MOBILIZATION OF LOCAL ASSETS
- CONCLUSION
A key method for alleviating poverty in rural communities is for humanity to humbly return to the land and establish a good relationship with it. The people of today, with their potential and skills, should engage in something to alleviate poverty in rural communities. People should be allowed to participate actively in community efforts so that they can gain knowledge.
Snyder argued that empowerment is the condition of individuals (women and men) being enabled to take charge of their own destiny. Central to this is the formal and informal education of the masses in the rural communities, which will enable them to understand that they have the potential through which they can become valuable human beings. Empowerment requires the full participation of the people in the formation, implementation and evaluation of decisions that determine the functioning and well-being of our societies.93. There is a need for proper coordination so that changes will take place in the lives of the people.
Furthermore, it depends on responsibility and on conscious participation in the life of the society in which a person moves and works.105. This will create a good working relationship with everyone in the community and will invariably lead to economic development. In most places, young people are not left out, but invest in the music bands that serve both the Church and the community.
This will enable the organizers to know what they have and those who feel marginalized will be integrated into the whole system. These can be used for community building where people have a set goal and understand each other as partners in community progress. In order to fulfill its role, the church must demonstrate its preaching with concrete things that affect the lives of the common people in the rural community.
There are abundant resources that can be used for poverty alleviation by the churches in the rural communities. People in the rural areas have the capabilities and capabilities that can enable them to regain their full humanity, which has been marred by rural poverty.
CHURCH RESPONSE TO RURAL POVERTY IN NIGERIA
- THE CHURCH IN RURAL NIGERIA
- AGRICULTURE
- MICRO-ENTERPRISES
- SMALL BUSINESSES IN THE AGRICULTURE SECTOR
- WATER PROJECT
- FURTHER SUGGESTIONS
People in rural areas believe that only the Church will give them the best. Churches in rural areas that will develop faster than in the area of infrastructure construction. Most of the rural churches have already invested in projects that are of immense value to the rural population.
Food is one of the most basic needs of people and its production is the most important economic activity of the people in the rural communities. These challenges that the Church faces in the rural communities are only addressed by creating job opportunities for the people. The Church in the rural communities has the capacity and capabilities to organize a mechanized garri processing enterprise.
Churches in the rural areas can easily afford the fuel to run and maintain the generator. The Church in the rural areas can invest in palm products, bearing in mind that the raw materials are always available. People in the rural areas can invest in snails because the business is not capital intensive and has a high demand.
Water supply in the rural communities will improve the living conditions of the people and also create employment for them. The church in the rural community, with the help of its members, can drill water wells on its property. People will have plenty of time to attend to other matters, both in the Church and in the community.
These are some of the ways for the rural Anglican Church to carry out its diaconal ministry in the 21st century. This should be a new dimension of the Church in the area of evangelism, because these companies will go to great lengths to create job opportunities for the population in the rural areas.
CONCLUSION
Efforts must be made so that people can find a new life in the rural areas. Some of the essentials of life must be put in place, so that the people in the rural communities can live humanely. When this is done, the poor in the rural areas will be in a better position to meet their daily needs.
The principle of equality and fair play will always guide people in their dealings with human and non-human resources in the community. People in rural communities can make something of themselves once they realize that they are endowed with different talents and gifts. They need empowerment, how to use the assets and facilities available in the locality.
This is where the Church comes in, as an agent for change in the rural community. The Church can achieve this by utilizing both human and non-human resources available in the community. The individuals in the community should be utilized, each according to what he or she can do best, for the good of the community and himself.
The rural Anglican Church can therefore respond to rural poverty reduction through two key issues, agriculture and micro-enterprise. What this means is that both the church and society will be partners in progress for the benefit of the rural poor in Nigeria. The church should use its position in society to bring about change in the area of rural poverty alleviation, with that in mind.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The Road from Rio: Sustainable Development and the Non-Governmental Movement in the Third World, Praeger, London. Case Studies on the Environmental Impact of Petroleum Production and Marketing in Nigeria, Unilag, Nigeria. Empowerment for Sustainable Development: Building local creativity and entrepreneurship in vulnerable environments, Working Paper No.
