International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is celebrated every October 17. It was initiated by more than a hundred thousand people who gathered in Trocadéro, Paris on October 17, 1987, to honor the victims of poverty, hunger, and violence. Since that day, every October 17, people all around the world does the same thing to show their solidarity with the poor.
In the Communication Science Study Programme, there’s an Empowerment Communication course as an effort to help eradicate poverty. Through this course, students can learn what can be done to educate, make wealthy, and empower the people. Students are taught the ways to build communication and active participation from the people which can encourage a positive social change.
Kurnia Ratnapuri, a class of 2021 Communication Science student, gave her opinion on the role of students in eradicating poverty and her personal efforts for the cause through the Empowerment Communication course. Puri said that students can be facilitators in disseminating information through either socialization or self development programs to encourage an independent and wealthy society. Students can also collaborate with the government or Community Empowerment Institutions to increase the quality of the programs done.
Through the Empowerment Communication course, Puri carried out an empowerment program namely a local MSMEs development program for the people in Genteng Village, Sukasari, Sumedang. This program was done by educating the people about how to process their main commodities into a more profitable product. One example of their main commodities is chili pepper.
Puri, alongside other Communication Science students, taught the people about how to process chili pepper into chili oil, how to create a product logo, and how to market the product through e-commerce. So even when the price of chili pepper declines, the product can still be sold with a high price and be marketed either inside or outside of Genteng Village. Puri hopes that her program can help increase the residents’ income. She also hopes that the residents’ can start producing and also market their products independently.
Creating and carrying out empowerment programs is one of many ways that we can do to reduce poverty. A society that’s able to grow and gain profit independently without having to be dependent on others’ help is a wealthy society. So, let’s start caring about the people around us and support them through empowerment. Happy International Day for the Eradication of Poverty! (Ed)