Changing the system answer to erasing living in poverty

“The government's Universal Credit system is meant to support working families, but instead it is setting them up to struggle - expecting them to pay childcare fees upfront and to wait a month to be reimbursed...” Becca Lyon, Head of UK Poverty Campaigns at Save the Children.

To coincide with the UN Day for the Eradication of Poverty, a coalition of charities including Save the Children are holding ‘London Challenge Poverty Week (14 - 20 October 2019)’, a week for all of us to raise our voices to challenge poverty in the capital & show what needs to be done to sort it out.

Earlier this week I spoke to LBC’s James Gooderson and will be in the ‘Badass Women’s Hour’ hot seat next Saturday to discuss my insights and experience as a working parent facing many nearly all of the statistics and often deciding which bills will are getting paid and which will simply have to wait month after month.

I have always firmly believed that ‘poverty’ extends far deeper than economics - it’s a mindset. Whilst visiting Hewlett Packard earlier this week with pupils from St John Cass Foundation and Redcoat Church of England Secondary, the fabulous HP Intern Diego shared a brilliant analogy to illustrate that our beliefs and ideas of entitlement, especially if we come from disadvantaged backgrounds is the biggest barrier to our aspirations and attainment. Tyler Perry’s BET Award acceptance speech (a MUST watch) said it all, its about helping others get to the other side.

By Signing, Sharing and Supporting this petition and the “Make Childcare Work” Campaign you are doing your bit today to find the answer of elevating poverty for many families across the UK.

If you’re currently facing difficulties with childcare and welfare reforms such as Universal Credit come along and join our army of Mums On A Mission in Manchester for the “Make Childcare Work” Campaign Day, Saturday 2nd November 2019. Head to Eventbrite to register the event is FREE, Children are welcome and Save the Children UK will help you with travel expenses if needed! Register at: https://bit.ly/2psM20b

Thuto

#MumOnAMission

Photo credit: The Guardian, Jeff J Mitchell (Getty Imagines)