Lovebridge: an innovative approach to deal with absolute poverty

Why Lovebridge Ltd is an innovative approach to deal with absolute poverty? Lovebridge Ltd in its essence provides a vehicle to effectively accompany those families at the lowest level of the poverty ladder to move up the mobility ladder and integrate the mainstream social ecosystem. Lovebridge Ltd, in its approach, connects a needy family caught in the poverty trap to an accompanying family who volunteers to mentor the members of the needy family. This “accompagnement’’ takes place in a systemic manner based on six clear KPIs related to education, employability and employment, food, health, housing and positive attitude towards ‘empowerment’/self help. 

Lovebridge has been constructed on a pilot programme which has been operational for the last three years in Rivière-Noire and Curepipe with clear results on the six pillars listed above. First and foremost, it is a ‘tested’ approach, albeit on a very modest scale. The challenge of Lovebridge Ltd will be to scale up from 42 families to eventually 5,000 within one generation.

Lovebridge seeks to resolve the trilemma of three diverging interests within our existing social protection architecture.

In the first instance, the responsibility of the authorities in its endeavour to fight absolute poverty. It is recognised today that the implementation of poverty programmes requires more “width and depth’’ in terms of engagement instead of providing handouts.

Secondly, the involvement of private sector alone, despite its capacity to implement, will not suffice if the authorities and civil society do not ‘engage’ in that movement.

Thirdly, the willingness and commitment of the family who is caught in the absolute poverty trap are crucial. The societal support inbuilt in the Lovebridge approach has the twin advantages of bridging two families together in the re-integration of the “poor family’’ and rebuilding our social capital which is eroding fast in modern Mauritius.

Lovebridge provides an effective answer to the need for coherence and coordination in the evolution of the landscape in the fight against absolute poverty. Since 2009, when CSR became mandatory, the private sector has made significant progress through an increasing number of foundations to have a structured approach at the firm level to support vulne-rable groups. Today, with around more than 20 experienced CSR managers and the continued discussions taking place at the level of the CSR Working Group of Business Mauritius, the lack of coherence and coordination is strongly felt. With clarity in the areas of intervention and with measurable outcomes related to the six pillars, we believe that Lovebridge does offer a systemic approach which would value add and synergise a wide range of activities carried out presently in a less coordinated manner.

Finally, how does Lovebridge fit in the Marshall Plan. In our discussions with the team undertaking the preparation of the Plan, we highlighted that the Marshall Plan will lay a general framework with overall objectives to be reached within a time set. Within this framework a wide range of players would be able to intervene and Lovebridge will be one of the many players. Fighting poverty is such a big challenge and it is best achieved through the concerted efforts of every stakeholder. The ambition of Lovebridge is to be one of those stakeholders with a set of KPI to be reached within a generation.