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Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere

#UNsdg1: No Poverty #UNsdg17Champion  

Poverty is Never a Deliberate Choice! 

Have you ever heard of an award for the top most poor person in the world? I'm yet to meet someone who has chosen the path of poverty as a lifestyle. What I know poverty is a circumstance either we found ourselves based on many factors from inheritance, bad decisions, lack of focus, lack of initiative, lack of resources, lack of knowledge, bad peer influence, lack of support etc. In general poverty isn't deliberate and thus not permanent situation, you can turn the tables no matter how long it might take you. #NeverGiveUp One factor of poverty is limited resources. 

We can strive with whatever we have to see ourselves towards the lifestyle that we want and that can't be a life of poverty. Leadership & Poverty Any leader who perpetuate poverty either knowingly or unknowingly should be charged for degrading humanity. 

A leader should be seen to be on the forefront of creating a decent life for all rather than riding on the plight of the majority poor to create a few groups of rich people. 

Life Lessons:- Never judge anyone for you don't know what they are going through to make it happen and everyone as a unique story in regards to what they are doing to get out of the poverty situation. The best thing you can do is to empathize and offer whatever support to pivot them out of the situation. 

Top 10 Best Quotes On Poverty #MyDiary 

1.  "Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life.” — Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa .
2.  “Poverty of goods is easily cured; poverty of the mind is irreparable.” — Michel de Montaigne, French philosopher
3.  "Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime.” — Aristotle, Greek philosopher 
4.  “Poverty is the worst form of violence.” — Mahatma Gandhi, Indian political and spiritual leader 
5.  “Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn't commit.” — Eli Khamarov, writer 
6.  “Saving our planet, lifting people out of poverty, advancing economic growth…these are one and the same fight.” — Ban Ki-moon, Eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations 
7.  "If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.” — John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States 
8.  "I believe that if you show people the problems and you show them the solutions they will be moved to act.” — Bill Gates, business magnate and philanthropist 
9.  "Extreme poverty anywhere is a threat to human security everywhere.” — Kofi Annan, Seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations 
10.  “Poverty is unnecessary.” -Muhammad Yunis, economist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient 

More on my blog www.wilsenx.blogspot.com

KCSE Results Jubilation and Humiliation

Congratulations to all candidates that attained the highest grades and passed to qualify for university education. On the other hand, I want to encourage those that didn't get the desired grades to make the cut for the level of education. 

Don't despair and never accept the title FAILURE, just remember, failure in examination doesn't necessarily mean failure in life. Alternatively succeeding in one exam doesn't necessarily mean it's all done and everything will flow smoothly. In all situations you still have to put more effort, stay focused, consistency, discipline, hard work, patients, learn new skills, choose the right friends etc, to make it to your desired destination. 

Did you know there are many who will end in the street to fend for what to do regardless of their grades? In some parents or guardians world after KCSE it means they are done and it's their children's time to find what to do with their life. 

On the contrary, there are parents or guardians who would wish to offer the next level support for further education, but they aren't in a position to do so because of other life priorities either in educating the other children to the next level and many other issues. Scholarship to pursue next level education for those that attained good grades might be available but very limited. 

Many youth who have completed their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) will entered into the street life trying to survive and chart the next course for their life by themselves. At this stage many will be vulnerable into entering bad groups, exploring unwanted behaviors and as the saying goes an idle mind is a devil's workshop, meaning anything here is very possible. 

 My question is, can't the government organize a model that will also ensure full transition into some sponsored mandatory technical and vocational training after KSCE examination especially for those that didn't make it to university? This can be a short course of 6 months or 1 year that would give the youth hands on training and prepare them for life after school what I call street life. 

The biggest impact would be to reduce the crime rate, drug abuse, increase the youth chance into world of work and avoid other vices because most youth at this stage of completing secondary education are most likely prime targets for recruitment into bad peer groups. 

In a special way I want to recognise all the non-governmental organizations within the education sector bridging this big gap in supporting youth, especially in life skills, technical and vocational training that will enable them to learn diverse skills regardless of their grades. I'm a beneficiary of this institutions and they did help me pivot my next life especially after secondary education. Skill -UP Training For Youth I offer short courses in creative ICT skills, Lifeskill and Entrepreneurship to any youth led institution. 

The main aim is to help the youth in their different transition and promote lifelong learning to survive in the streets. As young people we can't be put down by our grades, but we can upgrade our acquired skills in school in readiness for the street life where the exam is taken daily based on what you do, what you know, the solution you bring in solving a problem and continuous growth. Blog:- www.wilsenx.blogspot.com Email:- wilson.masaka@gmail.com

The Youth & Career Mapping

In my career journey I have gone through many series of uncertainties not knowing how to connect my dreams and the reality.  As a result ending up juggling a lot of things just to survive and try my luck on many stuff.. 

Today I can comfortably say that I know what I want, who I want to become and how to get there.  To be honest coming from a humble background it hasn't been easy to find the 'true self' in the puzzle of uncertainty, limited support, lack of resources etc. 

I grew up in a community where we were encouraged to study hard so that one day we could get good white collar jobs in the future, I don't know how many made it to the desired dream because the world of work environment keeps on evolving. It's unfortunate this line of thinking is still alive with most of the parents and guardians, everyone is targeting the white color jobs while thinking that the blue collar jobs are meant for failures. I believe my story is a representation of what many youths, especially from underserved communities struggling to find their 'true self'. 

Currently there's a decline of decent jobs with an increase in numbers of youth unemployment and underemployment that poses a big threat to the nation's social, economical and political well-being. Many jobs that we used to know are on the verge of diminishing or are on the new phases of evolution due to technology and Covid-19 pandemic. 

Youth need to be aware that lifelong learning is one of the ways of keeping in pace with the emerging development and if they don't embrace new development, especially by using technology everything that they know might just become obsolete. 

In my current status, past journey and the failures, I have learned a lot and I thank everyone who has been my pillar of support in one way or the other and they didn't need to tell the world how you have influenced my life or continue to be my pillar of support. One day we will celebrate and share a moment with the world in recognizing all the efforts that we have put into achieving a more sustainable meaning of success. 

 As you may know no one wants to be associated with failure, and that is why if I succeed big today, let say I win an Oscar award or Nobel peace prize people will make all efforts to be associated with me in all manner, from going to the archives to look for those picture moments we were together just to get a piece of my success. " It is profound to tell the youth to dream big, but don't forget to tell them to act NOW" - - Wilson Masaka 

Instead of encouraging youth to study to get good jobs in the future, we should be on the forefront encouraging the youth to study so that they can join the community of 'Doers' as job creators, positive agents of change and problem solvers within their chosen careers. One of the toughest choices to make as a youth is on which career to take. 

What also makes us fail is the advises we get from multiple sources for example from friends, parents, schoolmates, etc. We admire and copy what others do without any knowledge of how they started as a result this leads to failures and confusion in our career pathways. My advice to the youth is that don't just take a course for the sake, have a preset mind on what you want to do with the skill and knowledge especially in creating a solution to an existing problem. 

 Self Discovery l Behavior Change l Mindset I Skill Set 

 Did you know everyone has a story, but not many know how, what, when, who & why they need to tell it? What's Your Story? 

Invest in yourself means more than just buying something for self. 

You need to learn new skills and one of the keys, is learning about self and telling more about self. Sometimes we find it easy to tell other people's stories than to tell our own. 

Too much time is invested in study others than to study yourself. 

 "If you want to find and be found, you need to study yourself and tell more of your story." - Wilson Masaka 

 "Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom." - Aristotle 

 "When I discover who I am, I’ll be free." Ralph Ellison 

 "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." - Mahatma Gandhi 

 "Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate." - C.G. Jung 

 Personal Development 5 strategies that you need to have towards your success in whatever you do. 

1.  Strategic thinking 
2. Strategic vision 
3. Strategic position 
4. Strategic partnership
5.  Strategic Planning 

 "Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort."- Paul J. Meyer 

May you Appreciate Yourself, For all that you do to make it happen! 

Get into with me for master class on personal growth & self discovery. wilson.masaka@gmail.com