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One in five households is ‘multidimensionally’ poor

Who feels it know it: About four percent of households in the country are classified as being in extreme multidimensional poverty PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO
Who feels it know it: About four percent of households in the country are classified as being in extreme multidimensional poverty PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO

Statistics Botswana’s first study looking at the different elements of poverty in the country beyond poor incomes has found that about one in five households is ‘multidimensionally’ poor, lacking sufficient food, shelter, education, access to ICT and others. Staff Writer, MBONGENI MGUNI reports

While the leading indicator of poverty is monetary income, global experts are increasingly studying the different dimensions of hardship to better guide policies and interventions.

Ten years after the University of Oxford and the United Nations launched the first study into multidimensional poverty, Statistics Botswana last week released its own research using the Botswana Multi Topic Household Survey (BMTHS) of 2015-2016 as a basis. The BMTHS is the most recent multi-topic dataset showing detailed household economic activity for the country across indicators such as education, employment, well-being, healthcare and others.

Editor's Comment
Human rights are sacred

It highlights the need to protect rights such as access to clean water, education, healthcare and freedom of expression.President Duma Boko, rightly honours past interventions from securing a dignified burial for Gaoberekwe Pitseng in the CKGR to promoting linguistic inclusion. Yet, they also expose a critical truth, that a nation cannot sustainably protect its people through ad hoc acts of compassion alone.It is time for both government and the...

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