Too often, I argue with development experts that poverty, especially extreme poverty, is NOT declining. Paradoxically, in a world that generates trillions in wealth every year, the persistence of poverty is not just a problem; it’s a political and moral failure.

And yet, global institutions repeat a reassuring story: that poverty is declining, that progress is being made, and that international development is working. Central to this story is a single number: $2.15, the amount the World Bank currently uses to define “extreme poverty.” This threshold, celebrated in reports and global summits, is misleading. It allows the world to congratulate itself while billions remain locked in precarity. As Zambian economist Dambisa Moyo argues in Dead Aid, “The West has made a habit of congratulating itself for helping Africa, when in reality it has often perpetuated a cycle of dependence and dysfunction.” In many ways, the poverty line itself has become part of that dysfunction.

The $2.15 per day line, adjusted for purchasing power parity, is meant to represent the bare minimum required to survive. But survival is not the same as life. It is not health, nor education, nor dignity. According to data from the FAO, a minimally adequate diet now costs about $3.75 per day per person, and a healthy diet, closer to $6.90. That’s before housing, transportation, childcare, or medicine.

By this measure, someone earning $2.15 per day is considered “not poor.” This is a conceptual sleight of hand that Kenyan activist and technologist Ory Okolloh might describe as a problem of framing: “It’s not about the money,” she once said. “It’s about power, and who gets to define what matters.” When the metrics are shaped by institutions far from the lived realities of rural Kenya, northern Ghana, or the outskirts of Kinshasa, what passes as “progress” may look very different on the ground.

When we raise the poverty threshold to a more realistic $7.40/day, as proposed by development economist Jason Hickel, the picture changes drastically. Under this metric, over 4 billion people worldwide would be considered poor. Contrary to the popular narrative, the number of people living in poverty has not declined. It has grown.

And on the African continent, home to 1.2 billion people, with a median age of just 19 years — the implications are enormous. According to the World Bank’s data, over 460 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa currently live under the $2.15 threshold. But the vast majority of people earning just above that line remain deeply vulnerable, unable to save, invest, or shield themselves from climate shocks, inflation, or political instability.

Cameroonian philosopher Achille Mbembe frames this as a deeper structural violence. In Necropolitics, he writes, “The ultimate expression of sovereignty resides in the power to dictate who may live and who must die.” Poverty, then, is not simply about low income, it is about lives deemed expendable or invisible in the current world order.

Africa’s population is projected to double by 2050, potentially reaching 2.5 billion. This could become either a demographic dividend or a humanitarian crisis, and the outcome depends heavily on how we understand and address poverty today.

Fred Swaniker, the Ghanaian founder of African Leadership Academy, argues that leadership, not just aid, will define the continent’s future. “We don’t lack resources or ideas,” he says. “What we need is a generation of ethical, entrepreneurial leaders who can build institutions that last.” His work centers not on charity, but on cultivating internal capacity, a far cry from the externally imposed development models of the past. The urgency here cannot be overstated. A continent with the youngest population in the world cannot afford frameworks that define poverty as the absence of two dollars. It must build economies and societies that value human potential, not just GDP per capita.

Across the continent, young people are innovating solutions in agriculture, renewable energy, education, and technology. But the path forward is not as simple as scaling up start-ups. For entrepreneurship to be a viable tool of poverty alleviation, it must be rooted in justice, access, and sustainability. It must operate within planetary boundaries, not replicate the extractive logic of industrial capitalism. Moreover, entrepreneurship cannot be the solution in the absence of systems: without public education, healthcare, infrastructure, and legal protections, the risk of failure remains high. As Ory Okolloh often warns, narratives that overly romanticize the “African entrepreneur” can obscure the structural obstacles that keep poverty in place.

This is where thinkers like Dambisa Moyo are particularly incisive. She critiques the entire aid architecture, not because she denies poverty, but because she believes aid often stabilizes poverty rather than dismantles it. Her call is not for less action, but for more meaningful engagement: investment, infrastructure, policy reform, trade, education. As she writes: “The key to sustainable development lies not in aid, but in creating the conditions for African economies to compete, innovate, and grow.” And as Jason Hickel reminds us, if we continue to define poverty in narrow, dollar-based terms, we will never be able to name, let alone change, the deeper systems that produce it. “The problem,” he writes, “is not that the poor don’t work hard. It’s that the system is built to ensure their labor benefits others more than themselves.”

Poverty is not an unfortunate accident of the human condition. It is the consequence of deliberate design, global power asymmetries, and outdated narratives. To address it honestly, we must abandon illusions of “victory” based on arbitrary numbers and commit to something far more demanding: a reimagination of development, value, and justice. In a continent as young, vibrant, and diverse as Africa, where languages, ideas, and energies collide, this reimagination is already underway.

The question is whether global institutions, funders, and governments are willing to listen, shift, and follow. Or whether they will continue to celebrate false progress, while a new generation fights for something far more real.

“Good forests are climate solutions” – the vision of FVW aligns perfectly with the guiding principles of the ChanceMaker Foundation. The foundation’s aim is to promote a just and liveable future in which all people can lead a self-determined life within planetary boundaries.

Both organisations share the conviction that people, nature and animals should develop and flourish together in an intact ecosystem. Fairventures’ approach of creating both environmental and socio-economic benefits through sustainable forestry is in line with the ChanceMaker Foundation’s philosophy of promoting interlinked and holistic actions that turn disadvantaged people into ChanceMakers for a sustainable world.

The essence of any close collaboration is a shared trust in the same vision and a common understanding of each other’s needs and expectations. In this case, both organisations understand that tackling the interlinked challenges of poverty, climate change and biodiversity loss requires innovative solutions that combine ecological regeneration with the creation of sustainable livelihoods for local communities.

One of the most important advantages for FVW is the long-term planning security provided by the ChanceMaker Foundation’s multi-year support. The ChanceMaker Foundation focuses on supporting the entire organisation and not just individual, narrowly defined activities.

It is important to mention that the funds are not used without proof. Rather, a certain flexibility in the use of funds allows FVW to react to unexpected changes – because, unfortunately, theory does not always work in practice.

A concrete example is the increasing variability of weather cycles in countries such as Uganda. Unpredictable rainfall makes it difficult to plan plantings. FVW wants to be able to respond quickly and in a solution-oriented manner to local conditions – sadly, that kind of activities are often only possible to a limited extent within rigid budgets with strict spending criteria.

Of course, the long-term goals of the organisation and strategic considerations also play a role:

Flexible ‘milestones’ were defined from the outset to ensure that the targets were met. These were initially proposed by FVW and then finalised together with the ChanceMaker Foundation. A key element of this collaboration is the shared understanding that milestones that are two years or more in the future in particular must remain adaptable.

This adaptive approach ensures that new insights gained by FVW over time can be continuously incorporated into the target alignment. This maximises the impact of the resources deployed.

Failure to meet individual milestones does not automatically lead to the end of funding. Rather, such situations are seen as valuable opportunities to identify challenges together, to discuss them openly and to look for effective solutions together. This problem-solving culture not only strengthens the internal partnership between FVW and the ChanceMaker Foundation, but also leads to more sustainable and effective interventions that benefit local people and regional biodiversity.

Another important factor is the design of the reporting. Many funding programmes are limited in terms of time or location. In particular, funding periods of less than 18 months and detailed reporting requirements represent an enormous administrative burden for small organisations. In extreme cases, this can lead to certain funding applications not being submitted at all.

Wolfgang Baum, Co-CEO of Fairventures, underlines:

‘Our work is difficult to represent in time-limited project units. Measuring the impact of reforestation projects takes time – a tree may grow quickly in the tropics, but it doesn’t overnight.’

The ChanceMaker Foundation does not provide FVW with a strictly defined reporting format, but clarifies the foundation’s expectations in a joint discussion and otherwise gives FVW a free hand. Interim reports are produced every six months, which address impact measurement and the milestones set, as well as documenting current developments in Indonesia and Uganda. This allows FVW to report more openly on progress and challenges and the ChanceMaker Foundation gains deeper insights into the context and current developments of the work.

A stable core funding structure relies on multiple pillars. In addition to donations, FVW is primarily financed through institutional donors and corporate sponsorships. However, most of these funds are earmarked for specific purposes, leaving little room for essential activities such as strengthening internal structures or covering overhead costs like rent and public relations.

This is why receiving institutional funding with greater flexibility is particularly valuable for FVW. It enables long-term planning, providing the organisation with more stability and the ability to act effectively.

From the perspective of the ChanceMaker Foundation, long-term, strategic partnerships are the key to achieving far-reaching impact and sustainable, positive change for people, nature, and animals. Maximum transparency and mutual trust play a crucial role in this approach.

Patrick Knodel, Chairman of the ChanceMaker Foundation, emphasises:

“We firmly believe that effective change takes time and requires a partner who not only provides funding but also offers guidance. If we want organisations like Fairventures to develop innovative solutions for complex challenges, we must give them the space to experiment, learn, and adapt. That is why we prioritise long-term partnerships built on a high level of flexibility and trust.”

Sustainable impact requires long-term support and critical engagement. Through intensive, long-standing collaborations, the ChanceMaker Foundation gains a deeper understanding of the context and challenges of each ChanceMaker initiative. Beyond financial support, the foundation provides valuable feedback and constructive suggestions for improvement – offering a level of support that goes far beyond mere grant-making.

The ChanceMaker Foundation is convinced that the initiatives it supports should be able to focus on their core mission – creating impact – rather than being constantly preoccupied with funding concerns. Unfortunately, in the foundation landscape, long-term and unrestricted funding remains rare. The foundation aims to set a positive example and establish new standards in this area.

Another key aspect is the vision of a strong network of partners across the foundation’s five focus areas. The ChanceMaker Foundation seeks to support these partners over the long term and grow alongside them. This approach fosters shared learning and the development of innovative solutions that can be scaled to reach even more people.

Long-term funding combined with a culture of open feedback creates trust, enabling partners to tackle problems and challenges together. Many other foundations prioritise tight control over flexibility and trust, often missing out on the honest feedback that the ChanceMaker Foundation receives from its partners. This transparency is fundamental to successful collaboration, allowing both sides to continuously learn and evolve.

Over the past three years, we have already achieved a lot together. Thanks to our partnership, thousands of smallholder farmers in Uganda and Indonesia have been able to open up new income opportunities; a total of 1,035 hectares of land have been protected and restored. 

Another success story of our cooperation is the opening of the unique Timber Innovation Centre in the heart of Kampala. The Timber Centre brings together experts and stakeholders from the forestry and construction sectors to promote sustainable timber construction in Uganda.

As a flagship of our work and shared vision, the centre showcases the aesthetic beauty, innovation and strength of wood as a building material that sequesters carbon and can replace environmentally harmful materials such as concrete or plastics. Both organisations are looking forward with great anticipation to the coming years, in which FVW will continue its work in both countries and establish further sustainable value chains together with smallholder farmers.

Find out more: ChanceMaker Profile of Patience Naamara (Fairventures Uganda)

During his project visit to Ghana in August 2023, Patrick Knodel spoke with Anita Budu, Director West Africa, IJM. She talks about her daily work, why and under which circumstances children in Ghana are forced to work, and how child slavery can be stopped in the long term and forever.

Omar lives in Ajoul village, north or Ramallah, together with his elderly parents and three sisters. Nearly ten years ago, Omar’s mother brought him to the Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center (SMRC) because he couldn’t communicate or take care of himself. Initially, it was believed that Omar had a dysfunctional thyroid gland and required medication for that and his nervous system. However, after a few months of working with Omar, it became clear that the diagnosis was incorrect.

Under the guidance of specialists at SMRC, Omar received an individualized plan. As a first step, the speech therapist referred him to the Ministry of Health for a simple tongue operation that enabled him to start speaking. The team then focused on improving the boy’s daily life skills and academic knowledge. Additionally, the psychosocial specialist discovered that Omar had experienced sexual molestation due to spending time on the streets. Consequently, the team worked intensively with him to teach self-protection and build self-confidence. Within a couple of years, Omar joined the Child Protection Network, advocating for the rights of children with disabilities. Omar also became a member of SMRC’s acrobatic and traditional dance teams.

When he turned 14, it was time for him to transition from our school to the vocational training program. There, he received training in various skills such as housekeeping, farming, cooking, using public transport, and managing his essential needs. Throughout his time at SMRC, Omar’s performance was outstanding. Three months before turning 18, SMRC arranged a training opportunity for him at a sanitary paper factory. Since the beginning of 2023, Omar has been employed at the factory, fulfilling his dream of having a job and supporting his family.

A few months prior to finding the training opportunity, I met Omar on his way to the vocational training center. He greeted me with a warm smile and his usual cheerful demeanor. I offered him some plums, and although he wasn’t fond of them, he kindly accepted one, saying, “I’m not a fan of plums, but for you, I will take one.” This was the same Omar who struggled to form sentences a decade ago, now engaging in considerate conversations with a joyful expression.

SMRC caters to approximately 90 students aged three months to 40 years. They are divided into inclusive kindergarten, school, and vocational training programs, where they receive intensive rehabilitation and training. These programs include speech therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychosocial therapy, daily life skills training, basic education, and various social and extracurricular activities, all for a nominal fee.

For many students, SMRC represents the only opportunity to leave their homes, interact with the outside world, and feel connected to the community. In the West Bank, around 5,000 children with intellectual disabilities lack access to similar services due to financial constraints and limited availability of nearby rehabilitation centers. In the Gaza Strip, the situation is similar.

SMRC’s core funding from the Herrnhuter Missionshilfe covers only 25% of its costs. The high cost of living in the Palestinian Territories exacerbates this financial gap, prompting SMRC to constantly seek additional sources of funding. For the past three years, the ChanceMaker Foundation has stepped in to provide continuous funding, without which SMRC would be unable to sustain its school program.

Read more: Inclusion of young people with disabilities in Palestine

From 23 March, COVID-19 also imposed nationwide exit and contact restrictions in Germany for a few weeks. In the middle of the lockdown, a group of social entrepreneurs* and volunteers decided to become active and make their very own contribution to neighbourhood help. They developed the “Bring&Ring” app, a platform for private individuals to coordinate shopping assistance. The ChanceMaker Foundation accompanied the development process and supported the volunteer developers financially with their project. Furthermore, the project was supported by private donations.

The app arose from the need to provide support for those who, due to COVID-19 or the protective measures taken, are unable to move outside the home without outside help. This is because not all people can fall back on neighbours* and family in times of restricted access or contact. This does not only affect people in risk groups, but also, for example, their relatives, single parents in the home office or people in systemically important professions. What could these people need? What could relieve them? This is how the idea of a neighbourly delivery and collection service came about.

Every person who cannot or should not leave the house can load their shopping list into the app. Volunteers carry out the shopping and then place it on the doorstep of the person placing the order. The service is free of charge, the shopping can be paid via the app and a tip can be given on a voluntary basis as a thank you. The app is free of charge and enables completely contactless shopping including the organisation and processing of payment transactions. With the help of the app, everyone is using digital means to help each other and stay healthy – even outside the Corona crisis.

Learn more:

bringandring.de

With the establishment of sustainable sports education centres, the AMANDLA organisation focuses on supporting and promoting young people. In the so-called Safe-Hubs®, all participants* can freely develop their potential, regardless of their origin, socialisation or gender. The aim is to offer them a place of safety where they can receive support in the areas of health, education and personal development within the framework of the football sports centre.

AMANDLA currently operates four such Safe-Hubs® in structurally weak regions of South Africa, and others are under construction and in planning. Every week, around 1500 children and young people take part in the various activities offered by the individual training centres. The ChanceMaker Foundation supports the Safe-Hub® in Gugulethu-Manenberg near Cape Town in developing solutions for the sustainable use of modern energy, water management and sustainable agriculture.

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An opportunity for education and training for people with disabilities

The Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center of Herrnhuter Missionshilfe in Ramallah, Palestine supports, cares for, and promotes people with mental and/or physical disabilities. Part of the center is an integrative kindergarten, a special school, and a vocational support center. The aim is to provide people with access to education and training as well as rehabilitation and thus also to promote integration and inclusion. The center’s holistic programme is thus intended to contribute to changing the awareness in society of the rights of people with disabilities.

For this reason, the Center offers special educational, physio- and occupational therapy services for people with disabilities of all ages, as well as support for their families. Social workers, physiotherapists and art therapists encourage the families concerned through home visits and thus contribute to the social integration of people with disabilities into society. The Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center is mainly financed by donations. However, smaller activities and agricultural projects of the vocational school students* also contribute to the fact that the work of the facility can be financed additionally.

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Enriching the public debate with crowd-financed advertising space

The non-profit crowdfunding platform Spreadwords rents advertising space throughout Germany to introduce socially relevant topics into the public debate. The aim is to enrich public opinion through campaigns on topics such as international understanding, animal rights, sustainability and awareness raising. The ChanceMaker Foundation supports them in this project.

The proposed topics, the design as well as the financing of the campaigns are completely done by the audience. To involve younger generations in social debates and to enable them to experience self-efficacy, Spreadwords wants to introduce them to the topics behind the campaigns. These campaigns are to be developed and implemented in cooperation with school and university projects.

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Wogdi lies in Ethiopia, around 580 kilometres to the north of the capital Addis Ababa. The Menschen für Menschen organisation runs a development project in this region that is concerned with not only sustainable farming, water and hygiene but also education, health and income. The ChanceMaker Foundation supports this project and Patrick Knodel recently visited Wogdi. This is a report of his trip.

It takes around twelve hours to drive to Wogdi. The road runs through the middle of the Great Rift Valley, sometimes it’s little more than a dirt track that gives you a proper shaking up. Because the project area lies far from any towns or cities – in a rural area where there are very few NGOs.

The region’s main problems are the population explosion and the soil erosion caused by deforestation and incorrect farming practices. Deforestation has reached an unprecedented scale. In the meantime, farmers are paid hard cash to plant trees again on slopes. What’s more, zones have been cordoned off where donkeys, cows and goats are not allowed to graze. In this way, the countryside should be gradually reforested and the ravages of erosion reduced.

The project region is relatively new – which is why we attract quite a crowd on our arrival, because very few white people stray into the area. The project staff explain to the farmers how they can grow various kinds of field crops in their gardens. They used to harvest lovegrass (teff) almost exclusively. Its flour is used to bake the very popular Injera flat bread, which we are invited to partake of by farmers in their huts. These invitations sometimes pose a problem for me as a vegetarian. But not this time: Ethiopia is in the middle of a period of fasting – which means not just “no meat” but also “no animal products”.

These personal visits are also very important for the project. Because Menschen für Menschen needs pioneers if it is to be successful in Wogdi. Many of the local farmers are suspicious of the new cultivation concept and fear crop failures. This is why the organisation first has to convince one or two families in each village to try out the concept for a season. The idea is that these “pilot farmers” will then gradually convince the rest of the village.

We also visited medical centres that had been set up in the larger towns. These include small stations within a five kilometre radius – in this way, the rural population now has access to basic medical care too, for example during births. We then spoke to micro-borrowers who had set up small businesses, for example cafés.

On the last day of my trip, I got to known some more of the Menschen für Menschen staff in the headquarters in Addis Ababa. Together with Dr. Sebastian Brandis, the Managing Director of MfM from Munich who accompanied me throughout the trip, I discussed development work of the past 30 years with the local managers. I argued that following the successful basic work in the countryside, the next step now had to be extensive support for innovative and sustainable business models. In the evening, Dr. Brandis took me along to an awards ceremony for a start-up competition. The winner’s field of business is quite remarkable: the company trains West African women in ultramodern block chain programming.

The ChanceMaker Foundation has been supporting four new projects since the beginning of this year, two in Africa and two more in Europe.

“Youth4planet” is an independent, non-profit creative platform based in Hamburg. Its goal is to open up opportunities and learning paths for young people between the ages of 6 and 26 so as to develop new perspectives for their own future. They can get involved in social issue through film-making and storytelling and make their concerns known to a wider public as positive influencers. Some of the works by the young activists have already been shown at film festivals in Metz, Luxembourg and Saarbrücken.

Youth4planet cooperates with partners who offer additional perspectives. For example, “Rap for Refugees e.V.”, with whom music and film events have been organised. Or “Fridays for Future”, which has been accompanied by journalists from the youth team. Not to mention teachers who are supported by Youth4planet with offers for new learning pathways. The aim is to offer these services to partners outside Europe through networks in the medium term.

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The “Do Wo Yonko Foundation” wants to help give children and young people in Ghana better career and income-earning opportunities. The ChanceMaker Foundation has been supporting an education and empowerment programme for young girls here since the beginning of 2019.

A number of young girls get pregnant in Ghana whilst still teenagers. Many of these drop out of schooling or training and later on are only able to find poorly paid jobs. In order to satisfy basic needs such as food, hygiene and clothing, several of these girls become dependent on men, making a self-determined life impossible. This frequently leads to further unwanted pregnancies.

Do Wo Yonko wants to reduce the number of pregnancies amongst teenagers, boost the self-esteem of these young women and change their attitude towards family planning in a positive way. Because when the girls can decide for themselves whether, when and how many children they want to have, the number of unwanted pregnancies and the risk of poverty will fall. Family planning thus helps to provide better career opportunities for women and healthier family and social structures. In a second part of the project, Do Wo Yonko addresses young women who have already had a child as teenagers. The aim is to give them the chance to start vocational training.

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Chad is one of the world’s poorest countries. Almost half of its inhabitants live below the poverty line. The situation is exacerbated by crises and conflicts in the neighbouring countries: Chad is now home to around 600,000 refugees from Libya, Nigeria, Sudan and the Central African Republic. But Chad itself is also a dangerous territory. Thousands of land mines and unexploded ordnances can still be found in some regions. These vestiges of wars are a huge obstacle to the country’s development because they block the path to rivers, roads and agricultural areas.

The ChanceMaker Foundation is supporting a project by “Handicap International” in Chad. Its goal is to ensure greater stability by clearing away the mines, to improve the population’s safety and health and to encourage economic activity, equal opportunities and development. Handicap International also supports the establishment of social protection systems for particularly disadvantaged ethnic groups. Victims of mines, people with handicaps as well as the elderly, orphaned children and people living in extreme poverty who are urgently in need of medical help.

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With its borders open to Western Europe, Romania has become a hub for human trafficking. According to Eurostat, around 6,100 Romanian citizens were identified as victims of human trafficking in the EU and the EU candidate countries between 2010 and 2012. This despicable business continues despite judicial and administrative reforms. Romania is one of the EU countries with the highest rate of human trafficking, above all of minors for the sex industry.

The American NGO “International Justice Mission” (IJM) pursues the goal of transforming legal systems so that authorities can crack down on human trafficking. At the beginning of 2019, the German IJM section opened an office in Bucharest. It analyses the structures of this business with “human goods” in Romania and the efficacy of the measures taken so far. This study forms the basis for the later strategy for a long-lasting and sustainable IJM commitment. In addition, partnerships are to be set up with government agencies and protagonists from civil society in this pilot phase. IJM’s long-term aim is to establish networks to strategically and supra-regionally curb human trafficking throughout Eastern Europe.

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The “Latek Stay Alliance Uganda” is a democratically organised umbrella organisation for social entrepreneurs in Uganda that the Stuttgart-based Stay-Foundation for Multiplicative Development helped to establish. The foundation understands “social entrepreneurs” as meaning local development workers who address social problems through entrepreneurial commitment. The advantage is that unlike foreign development workers who are only on site for a limited period of time, these local residents really do known the country and people. They have an intrinsic motivation to solve the problems in their homeland as well as a deep understanding of their causes, something that outsiders find hard to grasp. The ChanceMaker Foundation has been supporting Stay since 2018, helping it to implement this concept in the neighbouring country of Kenya too.

During their visit to Uganda and Kenya, representatives of the ChanceMaker Foundation first want to find out how the Latek Stay Alliance Uganda works and how far things have advanced in Kenya. “It is important to gather this kind of information on the spot and at first hand,” says Patrick Knodel. “In this way, we can establish not only a personal contact with the people but also gain a much more precise and detailed insight into their situation. What’s more, it offers a welcome opportunity to establish trust.”