TED2009
Jacqueline Novogratz: An escape from poverty
Jacqueline Novogratz comenta sobre un escape de la pobreza
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Jacqueline Novogratz comparte una historia conmovedora sobre un encuentro en un barrio de tugurios de Nairobi, con Jane, una ex prostituta, quien logró hacer realidad de una manera inesperada, sus sueños de escapar de la pobreza, convertirse en doctora y casarse.
Jacqueline Novogratz - Investor and advocate for moral leadership
Jacqueline Novogratz works to enable human flourishing. Her organization, Acumen, invests in people, companies and ideas that see capital and networks as means, not ends, to solving the toughest issues of poverty. Full bio
Jacqueline Novogratz works to enable human flourishing. Her organization, Acumen, invests in people, companies and ideas that see capital and networks as means, not ends, to solving the toughest issues of poverty. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
I've been working on issues of poverty for more than 20 years,
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He estado trabajando en el tema de la pobreza por más de 20 años,
00:16
and so it's ironic that the problem that and question that I most grapple with
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y es irónico que el problema y la duda que más me asalta
00:21
is how you actually define poverty. What does it mean?
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es cómo definir realmente la pobreza. ¿Qué significa?
00:24
So often, we look at dollar terms --
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Muchas veces, la vemos en términos monetarios --
00:26
people making less than a dollar or two or three a day.
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la gente que gana menos de uno, dos o tres dólares al día.
00:28
And yet the complexity of poverty really has to look at
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Y no obstante, la complejidad de la pobreza, realmente tiene que ver con
00:33
income as only one variable.
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los ingresos sólo como una variable.
00:35
Because really, it's a condition about choice,
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Porque realmente, es un problema de elección,
00:37
and the lack of freedom.
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y de falta de libertad.
00:39
And I had an experience that really deepened and elucidated for me
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Y tuve una experiencia que en verdad me hizo profundizar y dilucidar
00:42
the understanding that I have.
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el entendimiento que tengo.
00:44
It was in Kenya, and I want to share it with you.
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Ocurrió en Kenia, y la quiero compartir con ustedes.
00:46
I was with my friend Susan Meiselas, the photographer,
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Estaba con mi amiga Susan Meiselas, la fotógrafa,
00:48
in the Mathare Valley slums.
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en los barrios marginales del Valle Mathare.
00:50
Now, Mathare Valley is one of the oldest slums in Africa.
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Ahora, Mathare Valley es uno de los barrios marginales más antiguos de África.
00:53
It's about three miles out of Nairobi,
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Está a unas tres millas de Nairobi,
00:55
and it's a mile long and about two-tenths of a mile wide,
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y tiene una milla de largo por unas dos décimas de milla de ancho,
00:58
where over half a million people
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donde más de medio millón de personas
01:00
live crammed in these little tin shacks,
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viven hacinadas en estas pequeñas casuchas de lata,
01:02
generation after generation, renting them,
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generación tras generación, arrendándolas,
01:05
often eight or 10 people to a room.
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muchas veces 8 ó 10 personas por habitación,
01:07
And it's known for prostitution, violence, drugs:
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Y es conocido por prostitución, violencia, drogas.
01:13
a hard place to grow up.
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Un lugar difícil para crecer.
01:15
And when we were walking through the narrow alleys,
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Y mientras caminábamos por los callejones angostos,
01:17
it was literally impossible not to step in the
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era literalmente imposible no pisar sobre
01:20
raw sewage and the garbage alongside the little homes.
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las aguas negras sin tratar y la basura a todo lo largo de estas casitas.
01:24
But at the same time it was also
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Pero al mismo tiempo era también
01:26
impossible not to see the human vitality,
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imposible no notar la vitalidad humana,
01:29
the aspiration and the ambition of the people who live there:
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las aspiraciones y ambiciones de la gente que vive ahí.
01:32
women washing their babies, washing their clothes, hanging them out to dry.
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Mujeres bañando a sus bebés, lavando sus ropas, sacándolas a secar.
01:35
I met this woman, Mama Rose,
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Conocí a esta mujer, Mama Rose,
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who has rented that little tin shack for 32 years,
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quien ha estado arrendando ese pequeño rancho de hojas de zinc durante 32 años,
01:40
where she lives with her seven children.
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donde vive con sus siete hijos.
01:42
Four sleep in one twin bed,
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Cuatro duermen en una de las dos camas,
01:44
and three sleep on the mud and linoleum floor.
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y tres duermen en el suelo de barro y linóleo.
01:47
And she keeps them all in school by selling water from that kiosk,
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Y ella los mantiene a todos en la escuela vendiendo agua desde ese quiosco,
01:51
and from selling soap and bread from the little store inside.
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y vendiendo jabón y pan desde la tiendita adentro.
01:55
It was also the day after the inauguration,
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Era el día siguiente a la toma de posesión,
01:57
and I was reminded how Mathare is still connected to the globe.
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y me recordaron que Mathare permanece conectada al resto del mundo.
02:01
And I would see kids on the street corners,
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Veía a los niños en las esquinas,
02:03
and they'd say "Obama, he's our brother!"
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y decían "Obama, ¡es nuestro hermano!"
02:05
And I'd say "Well, Obama's my brother, so that makes you my brother too."
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Y yo les decía "Bueno, Obama es mi hermano, entonces tu también eres mi hermano."
02:08
And they would look quizzically, and then be like, "High five!"
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Me veían confundidos, y luego decían algo como "¡choca esos cinco!"
02:12
And it was here that I met Jane.
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Y fue ahí donde conocí a Jane.
02:15
I was struck immediately by the kindness and the gentleness in her face,
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Me sorprendió la amabilidad y gentileza de su rostro,
02:18
and I asked her to tell me her story.
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y le pedí que me contara su historia.
02:21
She started off by telling me her dream. She said, "I had two.
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Comenzó contándome su sueño. Me dijo "Tenía dos.
02:24
My first dream was to be a doctor,
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Mi primer sueño era ser doctora,
02:26
and the second was to marry a good man
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y el segundo era casarme con un buen hombre
02:28
who would stay with me and my family,
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que permaneciera conmigo y con mi familia.
02:30
because my mother was a single mom,
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Dado que mi madre fue madre soltera,
02:32
and couldn't afford to pay for school fees.
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y no podía pagar los costos escolares.
02:34
So I had to give up the first dream, and I focused on the second."
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tuve que renunciar al primer sueño, y centrarme en el segundo."
02:38
She got married when she was 18, had a baby right away.
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Se casó a los 18, y tuvo un bebé enseguida.
02:41
And when she turned 20, found herself pregnant with a second child,
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Y cuando cumplió 20, estaba embarazada del segundo,
02:45
her mom died and her husband left her -- married another woman.
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su madre murió y su marido la dejó -- se casó con otra mujer.
02:49
So she was again in Mathare, with no income, no skill set, no money.
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Así que estaba de nuevo en Mathare, sin ingresos, ni habilidades, ni dinero.
02:53
And so she ultimately turned to prostitution.
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y entonces, en última instancia se dedicó a la prostitución.
02:56
It wasn't organized in the way we often think of it.
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No estaba organizado en la forma como muchas veces pensamos.
02:58
She would go into the city at night with about 20 girls,
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Ella iba a la ciudad en las noches con unas 20 muchachas,
03:01
look for work, and sometimes come back with a few shillings,
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buscaba trabajo, y a veces regresaba con unos pocos chelines,
03:04
or sometimes with nothing.
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o a veces sin nada.
03:06
And she said, "You know, the poverty wasn't so bad. It was the humiliation
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Me dijo, "Sabes, lo peor no es la pobreza, sino la humillación
03:09
and the embarrassment of it all."
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y la vergüenza de todo ello".
03:11
In 2001, her life changed.
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En 2001, su vida cambió.
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She had a girlfriend who had heard about this organization, Jamii Bora,
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Tenía una amiga que había escuchado sobre esta organización, Jamii Bora,
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that would lend money to people no matter how poor you were,
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que prestaba dinero a las personas sin importar qué tan pobres fueran,
03:22
as long as you provided a commensurate amount in savings.
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siempre que aportaran una cantidad acorde a su capacidad, en ahorros.
03:26
And so she spent a year to save 50 dollars,
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Y así tardó un año en ahorrar 50 dólares,
03:29
and started borrowing, and over time she was able to buy a sewing machine.
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y comenzó a pedir prestado, y con el tiempo logró comprar una máquina de coser.
03:34
She started tailoring.
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Empezó confeccionando.
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And that turned into what she does now,
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y eso se convirtió en lo que hace ahora,
03:38
which is to go into the secondhand clothing markets,
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es decir, ir a mercados de ropa usada,
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and for about three dollars and 25 cents she buys an old ball gown.
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y por unos 3 dólares y 25 centavos, compra un viejo vestido de gala.
03:44
Some of them might be ones you gave.
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Algunos de ellos podrían haber sido donados por ustedes.
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And she repurposes them with frills and ribbons,
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Y los reacondiciona con vuelos y cintas,
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and makes these frothy confections that she sells to women
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y crea estas confecciones con vuelos, que vende a las mujeres
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for their daughter's Sweet 16 or first Holy Communion --
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para fiestas de 16 años de las niñas, o Primeras Comuniones --
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those milestones in a life that people want to celebrate
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esas fechas memorables en la vida que la gente desea celebrar
04:01
all along the economic spectrum.
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en todo el espectro económico.
04:03
And she does really good business. In fact, I watched her
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Y le resulta un muy buen negocio. De hecho, la vi
04:06
walk through the streets hawking. And before you knew it,
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pregonando por las calles, y cuando me dí cuenta,
04:08
there was a crowd of women around her, buying these dresses.
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estaba rodeada de mujeres, comprándole los vestidos.
04:12
And I reflected, as I was watching her sell the dresses,
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Y reflexioné, mientras la veía vender los vestidos,
04:15
and also the jewelry that she makes,
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y artículos de fantasía que elabora,
04:17
that now Jane makes more than four dollars a day.
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que ahora Jane gana más de 4 dólares por día.
04:20
And by many definitions she is no longer poor.
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Y acorde a muchas definiciones, ya no es pobre.
04:23
But she still lives in Mathare Valley.
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Pero sigue viviendo en Marathe Valley.
04:25
And so she can't move out.
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Y no se puede mudar.
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She lives with all of that insecurity,
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Vive con toda esa inseguridad,
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and in fact, in January, during the ethnic riots,
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y de hecho, en enero, durante las revueltas étnicas,
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she was chased from her home and had to find a new shack
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la corrieron de su hogar y tuvo que encontrar un nuevo sitio
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in which she would live.
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donde vivir.
04:37
Jamii Bora understands that and understands
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Jamii Bora entiende eso. Y entiende
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that when we're talking about poverty,
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que cuando hablamos de pobreza,
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we've got to look at people all along the economic spectrum.
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tenemos que ver a la gente de todo el espectro económico.
04:44
And so with patient capital from Acumen and other organizations,
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Así que con capital de medio y largo plazo de Acumen y otras organizaciones,
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loans and investments that will go the long term with them,
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préstamos e inversiones a largo plazo,
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they built a low-cost housing development,
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construyeron urbanizaciones de bajo costo,
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about an hour outside Nairobi central.
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como a una hora de Nairobi central.
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And they designed it from the perspective of
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Y lo diseñaron desde la perspectiva
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customers like Jane herself,
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de clientes como Jane,
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insisting on responsibility and accountability.
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insistiendo en la responsabilidad y obligaciones.
05:04
So she has to give 10 percent of the mortgage --
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Así que Ella tiene que dar el 10% del crédito hipotecario --
05:08
of the total value, or about 400 dollars in savings.
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del valor total, unos 400 dólares en ahorros.
05:12
And then they match her mortgage to what she paid in rent for her little shanty.
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Y entonces ellos igualan su crédito con lo que pagaba por su pequeño rancho.
05:17
And in the next couple of weeks, she's going to be
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Y en las próximas semanas, ella estará
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among the first 200 families to move into this development.
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entre las primeras 200 familias que se mudan a esta urbanización.
05:22
When I asked her if she feared anything,
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Cuando le pregunté si tenía algún temor,
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or whether she would miss anything from Mathare,
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o si extrañaría algo de Mathare,
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she said, "What would I fear
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ella me dijo, "¿A qué habría de temerle
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that I haven't confronted already?
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que no haya afrontado ya?
05:32
I'm HIV positive. I've dealt with it all."
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Soy VIH positivo. Lo he enfrentado todo".
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And she said, "What would I miss?
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Y dijo, "¿Qué extrañaría?
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You think I will miss the violence or the drugs? The lack of privacy?
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¿Crees que extrañaré la violencia o las drogas?, ¿la falta de privacidad?
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Do you think I'll miss not knowing if my children are going to come home
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¿Crees que extrañaré no saber si mis hijos van a volver a casa
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at the end of the day?" She said "If you gave me 10 minutes
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al final del día?". Me dijo "Si me dieras 10 minutos
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my bags would be packed."
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ya tendría mis maletas empacadas".
05:48
I said, "Well what about your dreams?"
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Le dije, "¿Y qué hay de tus sueños?"
05:51
And she said, "Well, you know,
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y ella dijo, "Bueno, tu sabes,
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my dreams don't look exactly like I thought they would when I was a little girl.
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mis sueños no se ven como los pensaba cuando era una pequeña niña.
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But if I think about it, I thought I wanted a husband,
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Pero si pienso en ello, pensaba que quería un esposo,
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but what I really wanted was a family
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pero lo que en realidad quería era una familia
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that was loving. And I fiercely love my children, and they love me back."
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que fuera cariñosa. Y yo amo intensamente a mis hijos, y ellos me aman".
06:08
She said, "I thought that I wanted to be a doctor,
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Me dijo "Pensé que quería ser doctora,
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but what I really wanted to be was somebody
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pero lo que en realidad quería era ser alguien
06:13
who served and healed and cured.
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que sirviera, sanara y curara.
06:16
And so I feel so blessed with everything that I have,
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Y me siento tan bendecida por todo lo que tengo,
06:19
that two days a week I go and I counsel HIV patients.
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que dos días a la semana voy a aconsejar a pacientes con el VIH.
06:23
And I say, 'Look at me. You are not dead.
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Y les digo 'Mírame. Tu no estás muerta.
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You are still alive. And if you are still alive you have to serve.'"
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Sigues viva. Si sigues viva tienes que servir'".
06:29
And she said, "I'm not a doctor who gives out pills.
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Y me dijo "No soy una doctora que receta pastillas.
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But maybe me, I give out something better
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Pero tal vez, doy algo mejor
06:35
because I give them hope."
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porque les doy esperanza".
06:37
And in the middle of this economic crisis,
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Y en el medio de esta crisis económica,
06:41
where so many of us are inclined to pull in
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donde muchos de nosotros estamos propensos a llegar
06:44
with fear, I think we're well suited to
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con temor, creo que estamos bien equipados para
06:48
take a cue from Jane and reach out,
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seguir el ejemplo de Jane y extender la mano,
06:51
recognizing that being poor doesn't mean being ordinary.
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reconociendo que ser pobre no significa ser cualquier persona.
06:55
Because when systems are broken,
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Porque cuando los sistemas se dañan,
06:57
like the ones that we're seeing around the world,
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como los que vemos alrededor del mundo,
06:59
it's an opportunity for invention and for innovation.
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es una oportunidad para inventar e innovar.
07:02
It's an opportunity to truly build a world
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Es una oportunidad para construir realmente un mundo
07:05
where we can extend services and products
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donde podamos extender servicios y productos
07:08
to all human beings, so that they can
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a todos los seres humanos, para que ellos puedan
07:11
make decisions and choices for themselves.
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tomar decisiones y hacer elecciones por sí mismos.
07:13
I truly believe it's where dignity starts.
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Creo realmente que ahí es donde comienza la dignidad.
07:15
We owe it to the Janes of the world.
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Se lo debemos a todas las Jane del mundo.
07:18
And just as important, we owe it to ourselves.
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E igual de importante, nos lo debemos a nosotros mismos.
07:21
Thank you.
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Gracias.
07:23
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jacqueline Novogratz - Investor and advocate for moral leadershipJacqueline Novogratz works to enable human flourishing. Her organization, Acumen, invests in people, companies and ideas that see capital and networks as means, not ends, to solving the toughest issues of poverty.
Why you should listen
Jacqueline Novogratz writes: "I want to build a movement in which we define success based on the amount of human energy we release in the world.
"I started my career on Wall Street and soon discovered that markets are efficient, but by themselves they too often overlook or exploit the poor. So I moved to Rwanda in 1986 to help found the country’s first micro-finance bank. There I saw the humanitarian ethos of philanthropy, and also how often top-down solutions too often create dependency, the opposite of dignity. Through 30 years of working on solutions to poverty, I have come to redefine it for myself, seeing it not as how much income a person earns, but how free they are to make their own choices and decisions, how much agency they have over their own lives.
Acumen was founded to change the way the world tackles poverty in 2001. Our mission was simple – to raise philanthropy and invest it as patient capital – long-term investment in intrepid entrepreneurs willing to go where markets and government had failed the poor. We enable companies to experiment and fail, never wavering from a commitment to stand with the poor, yet understanding that profitability is necessary for sustainable solutions. We’ve invested more than $110M across South Asia, Africa, Latin America and the US, and have seen entire sectors disrupted and hundreds of millions served.
The work also taught that it was critical to invest in talent. To date, we’ve supported nearly 400 Acumen Fellows across lines of race, class, ethnicity, religion and ideology. They are a beautiful group, full of vision and grit, and a determination to do what is right, not easy. The group itself enables individual leaders to endure the loneliness that is part of the work.
And then we measure what matters rather than just what we can count. Take this all together and you see our mission to do what it takes to build a world in which all of us have the chance to dream and to flourish, not from a place of easy sentimentality but through a commitment to using the tools of capitalism and the attributes of moral leadership to focus on doing what it takes, and no less.
Jacqueline Novogratz | Speaker | TED.com