We Ethiopians should say no to this savagery in our presence and declare war against it. Just like we are rightly fighting for the preservation of our sovereignty, we must also make determined, sustainable, imaginative decisions to fight for Ethiopian lives.

I will outline below general direction of how to wage this war, that those who know much more than should develop further.

I challenge our thinkers and intelligent lay readers to take these outlines seriously and come up with a policy paper and hand it to the PM for his immediate attention. I will advance seven theses for a serious analysis by all Ethiopians.

First, it is poor people who must be empowered to change their plight. Policies from top down are not effective tools of reaching those who live in dirt and dust. Government should actually invest its money in carrying out door to door survey of where the poor live, and interview them about what their needs are, and how their needs could be met. If it is skills that they require, then provisions must be made to satisfy their condition. If they are afflicted by AIDS then they must be medicated and be given productive lives as long as they are alive. Their bodies are sick but their souls may not be. Let us not kill them twice, through neglecting their medical needs and shattering their souls. They must be consulted. They must be empowered. The notion of empowerment must be a pillar of the poverty project.

Second, the children of poor people are the backbone of Ethiopia’s future. No matter how sick these children are, their lives could be extended. Central to that possibility is looking after their condition as a matter of moral obligation, and allot huge amount of money from International aid to educate and enable these children to grow up with hope and vision of a better future. Enablement of the young is one way of declaring war against poverty.

Third, women must be taken much more seriously in carrying out the poverty project. It is mothers who know their children. It is they who suffer and rejoice with their families. A massive campaign to reach out to poor women must be undertaken now. They must be asked about the family condition, their needs, their struggles, their imagingations must be the waters from which policy makers must drink. Any war against poverty cannot succeed without directly involving women, otherwise that policy will be hoplessly incomplete. The involvement of women is a necessary condition for a successful war against poverty.

Fourth, government must make sure that all its declared policies work directly with poor people and not above them or on their behalf. Poor people, once we systematically identify them, must be the beginning and end of the goal of policy. They must work on their own behalf.

Fifth, the role of population explosion must be studied carefully. It may or may not be a cause of poverty, but its lingering presence must force us to think carefully. Experts must develop serious and well researched studies of this phenomenon.

Sixth, Ethiopians in Diaspora must open a bank to which all Ethiopians should contribute to fund the povery project to finnace the various opportunites which will be opended for poor people, and which will by led by intelligent and upright Ethiopians and other world citizens.

Seventh, the poverty project must be poor people centered. Also, wealthy Ethiopians in Ethiopia and in its diaspora must be invited to participate.

Finally, I appeal to all the Internet publishers to disseminate this short outline and invite Ethiopians not only to write but to act. Our program of declaring an unconditional war against poverty ought to be as relentless as the war against the violation of our soverignty.