I hate poverty.

And I will tell you why.

I hate poverty. Really. And I will tell you why on because of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

I hate poverty because no one should be poor. I hate it because no child should grow up in it; no family should worry about making ends meet. I hate it because this is not appropriate in a ‘civilized’ world like ours. I hate it, and it pisses me off.

I hate poverty because poverty rates are rising—the richness of the superrich inflated during the COVID-19-pandemic with a dizzying $ 10,000 billion.

I hate poverty because, on the other hand, extreme poverty rose. The pandemic threatens to push between 88 and 115 million people into extreme poverty this year alone. This, in addition to the already 734 million people who live with less than $1,90 a day.

I hate poverty because I know that the number of billionaires doubled in the last decade and that the wealthiest 2,153 citizens have more wealth than the poorest 4.6 billion. I'm not too fond of it because I know that there is money, but it is not redistributed relatively.

I hate poverty because I grew up with painful stories in my family. I hate poverty because I know it is something you carry with you all your life, like a scar that you accept and caress.

I hate poverty because the fight against poverty should not be a half-baked job. It should be on the top of things, overexposed by lightning and spots, prioritized on every political and social agenda, in HUGE NEON LETTERS. You don’t tackle poverty with a band-aid. You tackle poverty by ensuring that no one is hurt.

I hate poverty because we realize that people in poverty are hit even harder by the COVID-19-disaster. It is also a social crisis. People in poverty are hit twice as hard by this pandemic, research found out in Belgium.

I hate poverty because we were made to believe that we were born in an equal world, that we are all on the same start. But I know damn well that nothing could be further from the truth. Poverty is a generational disease that is not so quickly stopped.

I hate poverty because I know this is an ailment that we’ve been carrying with us for 12,000 years, ever since humans had the genius idea of ​​becoming sedentary, building grain silos, establishing an army, and putting some individuals ‘closer to god’ than others.

I hate poverty because I grew up as a millennial in an optimistic and entirely apolitical time when we were led to believe we were on the path to prosperity. But when you look outside, you know this is not the case.

I hate poverty because I know that a world in which this monster thrives is a cold world, a lurid, sad place, a world that immediately gives you uncomfortable goosebumps.

I hate poverty because I know very well that there are things in our society that can limit, tackle, or avoid it. I hate it because I also know that people often ignore these solutions, reduce them, or abolish them.

I hate poverty, which is why I will fight against it and resist it all my life. I will do this through the things that I do best so that fewer people will know less poverty. That is my mission. That’s what it’s all about for me: making the world a little more equal. That’s why I get out of bed every morning. That’s why I write. That’s why I fight.

So, who wouldn’t hate poverty?