GRADE 9 Social Studies PEOPLE AND RELATIONSHIPS – POVERTY REDUCTION Notes
Social Studies — People & Relationships
Subtopic: POVERTY REDUCTION (Kenyan context) — for age 14
Poverty reduction means taking actions that help people and families have enough food, money, shelter, education and health care so they can live better lives. It is about lowering the number of people who are poor and improving chances for everyone to earn a decent living.
- Unemployment or unstable jobs (especially for youth)
- Poor farming methods, droughts and lack of water
- Low school completion and lack of skills
- Poor roads, markets and infrastructure
- Inequality, poor access to health care and social support
- Hunger and poor health
- Children leaving school or repeating classes
- Poor housing and sanitation
- Increased crime and hopelessness
save money (chama/merry-go-round), learn skills, keep children in school and grow vegetables at home.
form cooperatives, start table-banking, support small businesses and share knowledge about farming.
provides social safety nets (cash transfers), invests in schools, health centres, roads and supports youth and women's funds.
offer training, fund projects, help farmers access markets and provide emergency relief during droughts.
- Uwezo Fund and Women Enterprise Fund — help youth and women start small businesses.
- National safety net programmes — cash transfers for elders, orphans and vulnerable children.
- TVET (Technical and Vocational Education & Training) — skills training for jobs.
- County projects — building markets, water systems and small roads to help trade.
- Learn and share: discuss poverty in class and in your community.
- Start a school project: grow vegetables, keep records and sell surplus.
- Join or start a savings group (chama) for small school-based businesses.
- Volunteer: help at community clean-ups and awareness campaigns.
In groups, identify one poverty problem in your area and make a simple plan with 3 actions the community can do. Present for 5 minutes.
- Name two causes of poverty in Kenya.
- Mention one government program that helps youth or women start businesses.
- Give one action a student can take to reduce poverty locally.
2) Uwezo Fund (or Women Enterprise Fund).
3) Start a school garden, join a savings group, volunteer, or learn a useful skill.
- Social safety net — government help like cash transfers for the most vulnerable.
- Cooperative — group of people who work together to buy inputs or sell products.
- TVET — schools that teach technical and vocational skills for jobs.
- Chama — informal savings and lending group common in Kenya.