Abstract

Over the years, the inhabitants of Ebonyi State have been living in abject poverty as a result of poor neglect by the government. This prompted many Non-Governmental Organizations such as David Umahi Foundation to find the last solution of reducing poverty in the State. The research study seeks to examine the effort and challenges facing David Umahi Foundation Initiatives on poverty reduction in Ebonyi State. The study was guided by the following specific objectives: to examine the role of David Umahi Foundation on poverty reduction, to examine the challenges facing David Umahi Foundation on poverty reduction in Ebonyi State. This study adopted a descriptive survey. A qualitative method was used in the collection of data which includes: journals, textbooks, David Umahi Yearly Report, Ebonyi State Ministry of Youths and Sports Yearly Report on NGOs Activities, newspaper/magazines and internets. These findings prove that David Umahi Foundation is less capable of reducing poverty than has been theorized and idiosyncratically propagated, because they come with preplanned agendas with strings attached, under the camouflage of poverty reduction. The study, therefore, recommends a paradigm shift: for the NGO to use locally available resources to fund their activities. This could be followed by empowering and training the beneficiaries with life skills instead of giving them tangible gifts that do not last but instead force them to develop a dependency syndrome, granting full educational support, conducting regular sanitation awareness campaigns, involving beneficiaries in all decisions making.