MASK Awards

Reduce Poverty challenge

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The brief

According to the Global Goal 1 Reduce Poverty, eradicating poverty is not a task of charity, it’s an act of justice and the key to unlocking an enormous human potential. Still, nearly half of the world’s population lives in poverty, and lack of food and clean water is killing thousands every single day of the year.

Together, we can come up with solutions how ro reduce and event eliminate poverty.

Enter your innovative ideas. Describe them in no more than 50 words or bullet points, or present it as an image.

No idea that is too wild, absurd, or impossible. Imagine. Be brave. Dream big. Push boundaries.

Judging criteria

Our panel of Jury will evaluate how creative and innovative your solutions are.

CLOSED

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MASK Awards:

Reduce Poverty challenge

2024

Sara Nazeri, 18, Iran

Address class disparities and inequalities
Reduce economic and social gaps
Put in place equal opportunities for education, healthcare, and employment
Establish supportive mechanisms and providing resources for vulnerable groups

These measures can enhances individuals' skills and capabilities on a broader scale. As a result, human potential is fully realized, leading to sustainable growth and equal opportunities globally.

Amahle Sithebe, 14, South Africa

Use agriculture to transform lives and reduce poverty in disadvantaged communities. Implementation steps:

Establish educational centers and farms to teach youth agricultural skills and provide hands-on experience.
Leverage technology to enhance planting, harvesting, resource management, and poultry production to meet rising egg demand.
Provide training and address initial investment costs for adopting new agricultural technologies.

Kitui Harrison Meshak Kitui, 23, Kenya

Onderwys Chain Link. Onderwysis an Africaan word meaning education. Onderwys Chain Link functions by targeting innovative learners from schools and links them to investors/sources which can assist in completing and monetizing the projects. In turn, the project creates employment and gets to enable innovations from a student each subsequent year.

School e-register. This system uses AI and biometric technology to collect and store real time statistical data of learners and their trainees/teachers. This means that school administrations can easily account for the presence of teachers and learners through learning sessions.

Danielle Wijenje, 23, Kenya

Toto Safaris. TotoSafaris is a transport app tailored to safely transport unaccompanied children and teens using well trained drivers. My vision is to lead globally in child-centric transport, fostering trust and confidence in every ride. This will reduce poverty by providing employment as a service provider.

Sondos Abdulaziz, 14, Saudi Arabia

Starting With The Young. Poverty can be combated through a shift in the world's environment, starting with the education system. Poverty cycle can be broken by providing high-quality education that's not just academic but also relevant to the job market. Providing free education, both online and in-person, is crucial for significant change in generations.

Pedro Lorena, 19, Brazil

Youth empowerment and international participation. In 2023, we impacted more than 150,000 young people from 30 countries. At the MERCOSUR RAADH, we approved the creation of Specialized Police Stations for Crimes Against Children and Adolescents in Latin America. With more than 300 members from 30 countries, our various fronts of action promote social impact and youth participation.

Quynh Nhu Nguyen, 18, Vietnam

Solutions to poverty. Both the government and individuals need to work together to reduce poverty and improve living standards.

Government Action: Reduce unnecessary taxes and ensure everyone has access to essentials like housing, education, and healthcare.
Citizen Action: Treat everyone fairly regardless of their background, work hard, contribute to the economy, and help others improve their lives.

Karolina Grigoryans, 17, China

Offer small loans and comprehensive support including business training, mentorship, and networking opportunities.
Provide access to markets and financial literacy programs to help women manage their businesses effectively.
Empower women to alleviate poverty and promote gender equality by creating sustainable businesses and fostering community development.

Murari Ambati, 14, USA

Unlocking human potential means helping people reach their best by giving them good education, healthcare, and job opportunities. This involves:

Provide good education and healthcare
Invest in skills training and create job opportunities, including supporting new businesses.
Ensure access to clean water and address unfair systems that limit people’s chances.

Jamir Rabby, 16, Australia

CoopGrowis a program fostering agricultural cooperative growth through tailored training, knowledge-sharing, and leadership development. By equipping members with skills in sustainable farming, financial literacy, and marketing, it empowers communities to improve livelihoods, enhance food security, and prevent poverty.

EquiFundprovides fixed benefits to all, regardless of wealth or job status, removing welfare traps. Earned wages supplement rather than replace it. UBI ensures a stable income preventing poverty. Though championed since the 18th century, it remains largely hypothetical due to lack of implementation.

SAMURIA LEAH, 17, Kakenya Girls High School, Kenya

Recycling the waste plastic straws to make affordable decors that can be used to furnish houses and events. Collecting used plastic straws from the environment creates a clean and healthy environment. The decors made from these straws can be sold at a reasonable price to generate income hence reduce poverty.