Poverty has many faces, changing from place to place and across time, and has been described in many ways.  Most often, poverty is a situation people want to escape. So poverty is a call to action -- for the poor and the wealthy alike. There are numerous definitions of poverty in social, economic and political terms. As reported in the Chronic Poverty Research, 2007, ‘a multidimensional understanding of poverty helps to define poverty as a human condition characterized by sustained  or chronic deprivation of resources, capabilities, choices, security  and power necessary for enjoyment of an adequate standard of living and other civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights.

The UN, 1998, defines poverty as a denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity. It means lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society. It means not having enough to feed and cloth a family, not having a school or clinic to go to; not having the land on which to grow one’s food or a job to earn one’s living, not having access to credit. It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households and communities. It means susceptibility to violence, and it often implies living on marginal or fragile environments, without access to clean water or sanitation

Social Protection refers to a range of policies the explicitly aim to reduce poverty and vulnerability, and which have the potential to be redistributive Social protection programmes have been seen as an effective means to reduce poverty, inequality and social exclusion as well  as to increase income generating opportunities and promote social integration. The objectives of social protection are;

* Protection (risks from vulnerability to security)

* Reducing poverty

* Overcoming discrimination and exclusion eg. Changing social relations and institutions

* Contributing to social integration, , cohesion and justice

Social Protection programmes in the district include

* National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS)

* Capitation Grant

* Free Textbooks

* Free school uniforms

* School Feeding Programme

* Financial support to needy students

* Financial support to PWDs

* Provision of Relief items to disaster victims

* Support to people living with HIV/AIDS

* Lively   Empowerment Against Poverty ( LEAP)  Inequality

Development theory has largely been concerned with inequalities in standard of living such as inequalities in income/wealth, education, health and nutrition.

Causes of Poverty in the District

The causes of poverty in the district:

* Lack of access to institutional credit.

* Lack of education and training in employable skills.

* Low productivity and production.

* Unsuccessful farming and other businesses.

* High rate of post-harvest losses.

* Unrealistic market prices for farm produce and high cost of farm inputs.

* Large family sizes.

* Presences of diseases and physical disabilities.

* Lack of socio-economic infrastructure like good roads, markets health facilities, schools and good drinking water.

* Bad life styles like polygamy, womanizing, laziness and unnecessary expenditures