Advocacy: Hope for People Living in Poverty
Above: Members of the Advocacy Creation Space in Pierrelaye, France, September 2023
“We face many challenges in our world: securing land and housing for the millions of families who have been displaced by extreme poverty, war, or climate change; the ongoing pursuit of peace in every country in the world; [and] reducing unemployment in societies where many people are excluded from meaningful participation. It is from your experiences with children, young people, parents, and the families that you know; the people and institutions within your network; and today’s global and local realities, that we will build our advocacy program together.”
(Excerpt from a letter to Advocacy Creation Space participants from Martin Kalisa, ATD Fourth World International Leadership Team.)
The final sentence is an appeal to the facilitators and participants in the Advocacy Creation Space — a two-and-a-half-year cycle of meetings, shared training, and collective reflection on advocacy at the local, national, regional, and international levels.
The planning process began with online meetings in the summer of 2022. Between November 2022 and February 2025, a dozen Volunteer Corps members and allies from Africa and Europe participated in three in-person sessions and monthly or bimonthly online meetings. The participants, aged 22 to 38, were supported by four facilitators and came from 11 countries: Belgium, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, Kenya, Poland, Senegal, Spain, Switzerland, and Tanzania.
Teranga! Official launch of the Advocacy Creation Space — November 2022
The first in-person session took place in Dakar, Senegal. Teranga means “hospitality” in Wolof, explained El Hajd Oumar Gueye, a Senegalese facilitator. Senegal’s reputation for hospitality was immediately evident, as the group was welcomed with remarkable warmth and attention.
Participants came together to review existing advocacy efforts and explore ways to develop advocacy initiatives grounded in their current community work. The week-long session also addressed a broad range of learning tools and topics, including:
- the United Nations Guiding Principles on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights,
- ATD Fourth World’s basic beliefs,
- the Post-2015 Development Goals, alongside a workshop on negotiating skills,
- the UN Climate Change conference (COP) and the theme: social and environmental justice – part of this training prepared six participants for the COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt,
- the Joseph Wresinski Archives and Research Centre,
- and the “Learning from Success” method.
The participants also toured Dakar and visited the House of Slaves Museum and the memorial plaque for the victims of slavery on Gorée Island.
During the training, brainstorming, and discovery of various aspects of advocacy, participants built strong, trusting relationships. These bonds have since become the heart of their shared advocacy work.
Virtual meetings
During the period between the first and second in-person sessions, participants met as often as twice a month to continue their advocacy training and remain connected. A highlight of this phase was a series of Zoom meetings that allowed participants to work and learn from ATD Fourth World advocates. For some sessions, two participants from the Advocacy Creation Space helped prepare the meeting with the guest speaker. This rotating responsibility gave everyone the chance to learn how to facilitate a meeting and gain insight from people with real experience in advocacy work.
“Sometimes you lose by speaking what you gained through silence”
As the Advocacy Creation Space advanced and participants gained more tools, a central question emerged: How can advocacy work remain grounded in the lived realities of people experiencing extreme poverty?
Aminata Aidara, an ally from Senegal, reflected:
“We start in the advocacy space with lots of ideas, but when we can’t illustrate these ideas with real examples directly from the families, we feel uncomfortable. Families ask us how they can get involved in advocacy. I found a balance when I realised that advocacy must be anchored in their daily realities.”
Second in-person session at the ATD International Centre — September 2023
During this session, participants discussed:
- the connection between local, national, and international advocacy priorities
- the language used in advocacy work,
- the definition of dignified work and decent work,
- gender and extreme poverty, focusing on how masculinity and femininity are shaped in the context of poverty,
- training in meeting facilitation,
They also met with the International Committee for October 17 and the Forum on Overcoming Extreme Poverty.
This session helped the group deepen their knowledge and engage more intentionally with ATD Fourth World’s priorities and its advocacy approach — grounded in the experiences of people living in extreme poverty and in partnership with them.
Participants strengthened their relationships, transforming their interactions into a true collaboration among colleagues. For example, several members of the group helped organise the October 2024 biannual meeting of the International Committee for October 17. This was the result of joint efforts on various aspects of legal identity in several of the participants’ countries of origin.
Another example of this collaboration was the preparation for the International Day of the African Child, celebrated annually on June 16.
The country of zo kwé zo1 in February 2025
For the third in-person session, the Advocacy Creation Space participants reunited in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic. Although the country has faced conflict in recent years, manifested in ongoing electricity cuts and internet disruptions, ATD Fourth World members welcomed the visitors with generosity and warmth.
This session had a different structure than the other in-person meetings: local ATD members participated in much of the program, sharing advocacy efforts in their communities on issues such as communication, social and institutional maltreatment, legal identity, gender and poverty, and the environment and climate change. For their part, the Advocacy Creation Space members discussed their experiences at the local and international levels, including work presented to the United Nations and the European Union.
Participants also had the opportunity to learn about local activities in Bangui, including programs for children living on the streets, environmental justice groups, and street libraries. One delegation met with Jean Symphorien Ngama-Piault, Director General for Decentralisation and Local Development, and Frédéric Omagonda, Chief of Staff of the Minister of Territorial Administration, Decentralisation, and Local Development.
Because some members could not attend in person, those present wrote letters describing the week. These letters expressed surprises, anxieties, sadness… but also hope, strength, and courage. For example, Herman van Breen, a facilitator from Belgium, wrote:
“During a visit to residents of the island of MBongossoa, which was flooded twice in the last six years, many had been forced to relocate to makeshift dwellings along the river, in very difficult conditions. […] Yet the community supports the survival, solidarity, and hope of its children and young people. THEY are the pioneers and the courageous ones who ensure no one is left behind.”
New strength
The Advocacy Creation Space has equipped participants with new skills and confidence to advocate more effectively. Chirac Bafurume, an ally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and member of the Advocacy Creation Space, shared:
“This training will give us new strength. We have many opportunities to open up advocacy work internationally, but this will also enable us to meet the local and regional challenges with the topics that some of the families living in extreme poverty encounter.”